clsage

Some of the suit tech mentioned in the article reminded me of that shown in the film Red Planet (examples below): As well as some ideas I've been toying with for certain elite military units in my long time work in progress, the 'Comsentient Alliance' campaign/universe. In the much more 'space opera' vein: I've also toyed with a suit design for gaming purposes which would include a low powered FTL unit. Since, at its core, any pressure suit beyond a certain point becomes a single person spacecraft......

Interesting article on space suit technology: http://www.popsci.com/technology/article/2012-10/deep-space-suit?nopaging=1

While this might have application to other genres (Dark Champions: The Animated Series, Monster Hunter International, etc) I'm posting it here as I have thoughts of applying it to a 'street level' superhero. Also, please note that I am working from/with 5th Edition(Revised). Thanks..... Disclaimers out of the way, here is what I am looking for/considering: I was inspired by a recent viewing of the 2007 film Next, in which Nicholas Cage portrays a man with limited precognition. In one scene (the scene I am interested in modelling) he uses his short term precog as a way of 'scouting out' a safe route through a building held by terrorists. This is done by him running a scenario of 'what would happen if I went here/what would I find if I went here' by standing still, eyes closed and seeing the results in his mind. He sends out multiple versions of his 'future self' as tests and, by seeing the results, discovers the path needed. I am thinking that this is, at its core, a modified sort of Danger Sense, with the Requires A Skill Roll and Concentrate limitations, as he has to stop, focus, and consider. I am considering adding a linked form of either N-Ray Vision or Spatial Awareness that would only function if the Danger Sense roll was made. The reason I call it a Probability Fugue is that, unlike the precognition depicted in the source material, the SFX for the power is that the character would have involves less psychic ability and more observational calculations. It is the multiple 'voices' of the calculations that lets the character work things out. While I am pretty sure that the version of Danger Sense described above would work, I'd appreciate any input/feed-back/suggestions. Thanks!

While my most recently run campaign ('Team: Norfolk') never got to that point, the 'universe' that I have been working on for some years now (which owes much to the Wold Newton universe) does include some alien species: for example, the Golden Age hero Kandor (my Kal-El analog) was an alien and the ship in which he arrived on Earth is displayed in a gallery at the American Museum of Natural History. Additionally his compatriot in The Guardians Of Liberty, Hippolyta, is a member of a non-terrestrial species (though her people keep that fact buried, in part due to them having come to Earth as part of a cultural schism - most of humanity supposes that she and her sisters are somehow holdovers from the era of ancient Greek heroes.) As for invasions? Well, they would perhaps be better called 'incursions' as the species involved never gained any real footholds and were soon defeated (eg: the assault by the Tripod creatures circa 1890, various events involving Group 1 of the United Nations Global Defense Directorate circa 1970 (or 1980, depending on how you research it), etc). Currently much of humanity write those events off as 'disguised super-villain plots', rather than viewing them as truly alien events. There are other species out there but, as my planning reaches across genres and was, truth be told, initially created as 'backstory' for my long hoped for Star Hero campaign ('The Comsentient Alliance') most of them will not be encountering humanity in any numbers for a few decades. -Carl-

For potential plotline or background uses: http://www.popsci.com/article/science/pen-3-d-prints-bone-right-patients?src=SOC&dom=fb -Carl-

This might have uses in other genres, but sharing this here: http://www.dezeen.com/2013/12/11/3d-printed-trainers-synthetic-biology-protocells-shamees-aden-wearable-futures/ -Carl-

http://www.space.com/23876-china-s-1st-moon-rover-arrives-in-lunar-orbit.html

While perhaps a bit tangential, I am slightly surprised that so far no one (as far as I have seen - please correct me if mistaken) has mentioned The Forever War by Joe Haldeman on regard to the 'hard SF versus space opera' divide. Thoughts? -Carl-

I was primarily thinking book....That version seemed (to me at least) heavily derived from the Army. -Carl-

Coming late to the party, and I may have missed it if anyone already mentioned it, but where would others place Starship Troopers as regards the Navy/Air Force/Army/Marines SF paradigm? Personally, I see some cross-over in the 'Mobile Infantry' between Marines and Army..... Thoughts? -Carl-

While it is a viral tie in/ad for the film X-Men: Days Of Future Past, there is (IMNSVHO) a great deal of plot potential in this. And since I have not seen it shared yet..... http://www.thebentbullet.com/#!/full-article Excelsior!! -Carl-

As a stopgap, the older versions of the page(s) can be found via the Internet Wayback Machine. The 'master listing' of saved versions can (based on my current search) be found here: https://web.archive.org/web/*/http://starherofandom.com . The December 16th, 2008 archive appears as if it might be the most recent 'safe version', prior to the hack attack(s). The link to it is here: https://web.archive.org/web/20081216155430/http://www.starherofandom.com/ . Other older versions appear safe as well, and provide (IMNSVHO) some interesting options and might also be worth a look..... -Carl-

An article that could provide a springboard for various sorts of Dark Champions campaigns/adventures: http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/13/world/europe/europe-codebreaker/index.html?sr=fb111413codebreaker1a -Carl-

For potential use in hard SF campaigns (and, of course, other genres as well): http://gizmodo.com/scientists-have-made-bullets-out-of-light-1462977639 and the abstract for the original paper: http://www.nature.com/ncomms/2013/131017/ncomms3622/full/ncomms3622.html -Carl-

A generally moot question: I am (once again) working on my unified history that links many (most) of my universes genres (Champions, Star Hero, etc) together and, without sharing any spoilers, I'll admit that I have (or am developing) groups with roots reaching back upwards of 2000 years (and some beyond that) and whose agents potentially will cross paths with various players/players groups......Which makes me wonder: How many of you (those who generate universes that is) include organizations/groups/societies which link back into early history (or potentially pre-history)? -Carl-

While I got some enjoyment from Totally Spies, I would have to say that I think I'd enjoy a campaign inspired by Kim Possible more. I mean.... Global Justice. Shego. Rufus. What's not to like? And for those who are interested (and with a nod to the inimitable Mr Michael Surbrook ), here are versions of the core of Team Possible - Kim and Ron: http://surbrook.devermore.com/adaptationswesternanimation/kimpossible/kpkim.html and http://surbrook.devermore.com/adaptationswesternanimation/kimpossible/kpron.html -Carl-

Deathtraps!!! Because sometimes, you just need some sharks with frickin' lasers attached to their foreheads! -Carl-

While I cannot currently locate my copy of 1st Ed, there were (as I recall) suggested rules for 'monolog/soliloquy use'. It included such things as pluses for PRE attacks, etc..... -Carl-

While I have not attempted it yet, I think that you need to go through the 'My Media' tab in the posting controls..... (I'll find a HD related file and see if I can edit and attach it to this post....once I dig up my HERO Designer USB drive....) EDIT: Okay....so you'll need to go into the 'full editor mode'. At the bottom of the screen is an 'attach files' area...use 'browse' to locate the file you want to attach (in my case, for this demo, it is an .hdc file for one of my characters, Kiviuq. I found this copy of my file on my laptop, but have not run it through my copy of HERO Designer yet. (My copy of HD is on a separate USB drive...)) Then click on 'attach this file'..... Hope that helps. -Carl- Kiviuq.hdc

I believe that, in addition to the 'because that's the way the author/GM said so' reason(s), and Beka's somewhat obsessive and/or compulsive personality, it is answered in part within the quote I posted in another message: Tyr: No one's reached Tarn Vedra in 300 years, and better pilots than you have died trying. Beka: There are no better pilots than me. Beka is the best pilot on-board the Andromeda. Period. That is why, in most general instances, she is at the Slipspace controls of the Andromeda, rather than Harper or Tyr or....To mix franchises (though still Roddenberry) she is the equal of Mr Sulu on the Enterprise (to paraphrase Admiral Kirk near the top of ST II: The Wrath of Kahn - "Well I for one am glad to have you at the helm for six weeks - I don't think these kids can steer.") So, if they intend to make the trip, she and she alone will need to be at the helm. To use a modern tech analogy: Mr A learns to fly a Cessna. A Cessna is a plane. Mr A can fly a plane. The F-35 is a plane. So Mr A should be able to fly nape of the Earth flight and avoid anti-aircraft.....?? No. It requires a 'top gun'. And Beka serves that role. Yes. That is a bit hyperbolic. However I feel that it lays out the argument clearly. Thanks again for everyone's input. -Carl- EDITED: With thanks to Bigbywolfe, for pointing out my ST film order error....

Indeed...Recall the episode where Beka convinces the crew to follow a map of a route to Tarn-Vedra (episode title "It Makes A Lovely Light"). In that episode Beka flies multiple (~10) jumps over a (as I recall it) 48 hour period. She becomes so exhausted that Dylan orders her to bed...And she resorts to using the drug Flash to keep going.... -Carl- EDITED: To correct episode info and related.... Tyr: No one's reached Tarn Vedra in 300 years, and better pilots than you have died trying. Beka: There are no better pilots than me.

I'd also take a gander at Digital Hero, Issue # 10. The article is entitled 'Force Fields Enhanced'. There is a regenerating force field option in the article that might fit your needs...The article also includes a variety of other options for Force Field as well. Of course, this disclaimer: the article is written for 5thEd(Revised) rules. -Carl-

I'd definately buy into this....Especially the second part...... And yeah, while it does cause my 'Captain America-esque/true blue hero sensabilities' to cringe a bit, I'll totally buy that Fury was manipulating the Avengers..... Though now I find myself wondering: Anyone know if (in the existing Marvel Universe) it is possible to transfer a human personality/mind/what-have-you into an LMD (which, from my reading(s), are virtual clones - thus basically modified organic forms and explains how Agent C could be bloodied in episode #2.....)? So, what he 'can never know' is that he is the mind of Agent C in the form of an LMD. .......maybe? -Carl- (off to re-read my old (circa 1980's) issues of The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe)

Some clarification on the Slipstream travel method from the show can be found here: http://andromeda.wikia.com/wiki/Slipstream Some of the more relevant details from the article (emphasis added): "... One interesting thing about moving through the slipstream is that travel time between points has very little to do with the distance actually traveled. If a pilot is lucky, and the stream unfolds just right, the ship could transit between galaxies in minutes. But put an unlucky pilot at the helm and the same trip could take weeks or even months. Luckily for the cause of interstellar commerce and communication, the more frequently a certain path is traveled, the faster, easier and more predictable the journey becomes. As a result, frequently-traveled routes between major Systems Commonwealth worlds, Tarn-Vedra to San-Ska-Re, are safe and convenient. At an intersection of pathways in slipstream space, both paths manifest the potentiality of being correct and incorrect. It's only when the pilot chooses a specific direction that this potentiality collapses and one path becomes right, and the other wrong. For reasons still not completely understood, organic beings tend to choose the correct paths, or more precisely, the very act of choosing makes the path they have chosen the correct one. ..." After some consideration, it does make sense to consider the use of EDM rather than FTL for this build, given that (much like what we see in Babylon 5 or Earth: Final Conflict) the travel takes place within a unique dimension..... Thanks for everyones input so far...it's given me several things to consider. -Carl-

Considering how best to work out a starship piloting method much like that shown in Gene Rodenberry's Andromeda, to wit: a pilots decision(s) of routing while in slipspace effects the speed that the ship can make any specific journey. Which means, to me, that a pilot can modify the FTL travel rate (eg: a skilled pilot flies a ship at 4LY/day, whereas a less skilled pilot can only make 2LY/day, etc). So my query involves how to write out the 'base' FTL Travel power in the vessel versus the enhancement levels the pilot brings..... Thoughts, anyone? (BTW, I am looking to do this build in 5th Ed-Rev. I do not have access to 6th Edition nor do I expect to......Thanks.) -Carl-