tmutant

Re: A troubling Ambrethel issue. Amongst Native Americans a sign language was developed to communicate between tribes with different languages. The idea of a trade or diplomatic language adopted by large regions is not unrealistic. Also, traders would learn the fundamentals of many languages so as to communicate in many ports of call.

Or use a computer controlled thruster pack with stellar navigation sensors to keep the shooter stationary while shooting. Someone mentioned it earlier in the thread. Sweden makes a rocket launcher, the Armbrust, that uses an ejected counter-weight of styrofoam pellets to counteract recoil from the short-impulse rocket motor. It's not dangerous to stand behind it, unlike most rocket launchers. Something similar might be worked out for a firearm used in space.

Modern ammunition is both air and water tight. Electrically primed ammunition is currently available commercially. A variation on this may solve the over heating problem by requiring more than simple heat to ignite the propellent. A combination of ceramic and multiple metals would overcome vacuum bonding. Currently, aluminum, scandium, titanium, various steel alloys, brass, fiberglass, and thermo-stable plastics are used in firearms construction. Variations on these would solve most of the temperature problems independent of the need for a space suit for the gun. Recoil is another matter. A reaction control system is possible, but might have to be extremely complex to work. Somebody could, on the other hand, come up with a ludicrously simple solution that no one has thought of yet.

Bomb throwing Anarchists, Communists and Socialists. There was a world wide recession in the 90's, along with political upheaval, the beginnings of independence movements in the colonies of the European powers, and La Cosa Nostra came to the U.S. in New Orleans in the 1840's. Top this with no national law enforcement agency with any real power until the F.B.I. in the 1920's and you should have plenty of normal badness to work against.

It's an interesting concept. Other than Grond, all the members should be hunted by their "fathers". (Grond really doesn't have the attention span to hunt anyone. ) Millenium Watch Millenium Guard The Clone Wars (wait, somebody would get sued. )

I just bought Terran Empire and Star Hero and my friend syberdwarf bought TE ( He already had Star Hero.) The rest of you, make Bob happy. Get out there and buy Star Hero stuff. Alien Wars is next on my list. I'm (at least) a couple of months from starting a campaign. I'll use the books to get a jump on creating my own setting based on the "Space Opera" universe from way back in the eighties.

One of my favorite things to do as a GM is give the players what they wish for. With a twist. For example, in an AD&D (no bloody 3.5, no bloody 3, no bloody 2, OLD school, original hardcover AD&D) campaign, after a grueling session getting through high level monsteers, someone said, "I wish we could fight some kobolds or something." So next session, they did. Had to recover a stolen gem from a kobold lair. The key is that kobolds built the place knowing that they are 1/2 hit die beasties. And that they breed like rabbits. 400 kobolds attacking through murder holes, traps, pits, boiling fluids of various kinds. You know, fighting some kobolds. If you give players enough rope, they hang their characters for you.

The GM who introduced me to Champions back in the day (1984) had a character called The Doctor, that looked like the Tom Baker (spelling?) Doctor Who (Tweed and long wool scarf). He used mental illusions generated by "clicker frogs". Devastating to non-mentalists. Usually rolled high enough that illusional attacks did body. All the other characters saw was the Doctor whip a frog out of his coat pocket, and point it at a villain. The frog started clicking. The villain started screaming, and collapsed. Not a bad character, really, just weird. (He also had lots of useful non-combat skills.)

My favorite is the scientist/inventor who makes his own powers, either gadgets, or (more frequently) powered armor. Other than that, I lean towards mutants with distinctive features and public I.D.s. I did have a brick with magical armbands that gave him his power. He had neither secret, nor public I.D.

Don't forget Boston Brand, a.k.a. Deadman. How inconvenient would it be for him if his corpse were resurrected?

I'd let them have all the gold, silver, and copper. Melted together into a solid two ton blob.

Killer Shrike from the Trek boards? Small world. Great artwork. It really sucks about the wrist injury. At least you still have an outlet to exercise your muse (so to speak).

Just remember the "only in range of cell tower" limitation -1/4

Doesn't matter. The ball won't disappear. It's mass and matter will still exist, moving at 1400 mph, in contact with the target body, and transfer kinetic energy to the target. The ball disintegrating won't use up too much energy, so it has to go somewhere, i.e. into the target. Still, a solid Unobtainium ball that weighs the same as a baseball, but is indestructable will be able to punch through the first guy and hit the guy behind him. Very useful. In other words, it would turn into a killing attack. Just cause cannon balls are round doesn't mean they aren't killing attacks.

What was the name of the country in X-men? Genosha or something like that. All mutant powers were suppressed by some sort of technobabble device. It would not effect non-mutants like Ironman or Thor. Add megascale and you're there.

How about a brick who is a coward? The screwball comedy kind of coward. He knows that he is hard to hurt, but is terrified that he is going to run into something that his defenses aren't up to handling. He avoids fighting where ever possible, tries to get others in the group to fight while he stays and answers the phone, and generally fights like Bob Hope, ducking, running and dodging rather than hitting. Mentalist idea from Wild Cards: The guy was revived after dieing. Now he can project the memory of that death so powerfully that it stops the heart of the victim. He also cannot die. Even after decapitation he was regenerating. They cremated the remains, but aren't really sure that he won't grow back from the ashes. Creepy.

There's also the Wave-Motion Gun in "StarBlazers" a.k.a. Spacecruiser Yamato.

I guess I've been lucky. OOC knowledge has rarely been an issue in the games I've played or run as GM. I've always made it clear from the beginning that OOC is tabboo, though, because that was how I was brought into roleplaying by my first GM. In Champions, I've had my character recklessly attack Juggernaut because he had overconfident, and had no way to know it was Juggernaut. After recovering at GM's option, he called for help.

Serial killers often study other serial killers to see how they are caught. If retrocognition is admissible, at least as probable cause for a search warrant, then some serial killer will figure out that if he hides his identity from the victim, her won't be caught. He may even disquise himself as a super to 'throw off the Hounds'. Of course, he would also have to be very careful about forensic evidence. It would be interesting to run a campaign around that idea, with a Hannibal Lecter-type serial killer against the supers. Remember Hannibal was a noted psychiatrist, pillar of the community type with political connections, membership in art, theatre, and symphony committees. (The real serial killer) John Wayne Gacy was a businessman, local political party leader, and visited children in the hospital dressed as a clown. Nobody would have ever guessed he was a serial killer.

My powered armor brick Sentinel (way back in 84) was trying to stop the evil Doctor Demento. He sent Sentinel's DNPC mother against him, grafted into cybernetic armor that Demento controlled. It also disguised her identity. Sentinel defeated her, ripped off her helmet, and watched her die. Definitely character altering.

David Drake's "Thin Red Line": Good story, very interesting weapons (Grenades based on electrical resistance, amongst others.) E. E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman series: Deals with deveoping tactics for space combat, power armored space marines fighting boarding actions with axes and ray guns (he wrote this stuff before lasers were invented. It's still interesting reading.) Lots of interesting aliens, and the different tactics and styles they bring to conflict. Classic space opera.

Also, always remember to never let the rule get in the way of a good dramatic moment. Fudge a little.

Just roll once to establish that the UT has successfully "locked on" to the language, then assume that it will work correctly from then on. Only reroll if the first roll was a failure. This will create room for the plot device "non-working UT" without seriously effecting roleplay the rest of the time. All suggestions may be ignored without notice

Was it a replaceable focus? Was his name Arthur Dent?

You could have the super-scientist evil Baron invent hydrogen fusion to produce helium. Then the heroes have to stop him from delivering the process to his Nazi masters in Germany. Maybe give him a lobotomy afterwards, and put him in an asylum, ala The Shadow.