Ian Mackinder

Re: Pulp THIS! Whats the story behind the image? "I say, does ANYBODY here speak English?"

Re: Pulp Hunteds...What are yours? My Pulp HERO Character, Captain Ferguson, has the remnants of a Yakuza clan as a relatively low-point Hunted. A while after the Great War, Ferguson was part of an effort to take down this bunch, at that time quite successful and especially objectionable even by Yakuza standards - slavery, drugs, you name it. Ferguson worked undercover on one of the clan's ships, in cooperation with some officials in Shanghai, the Hong Kong Police and the Royal Navy. The operation was a great success, but last-minute complications (involving a shipload of innocents) forced Ferguson and some like-minded allies to "improvise". Said improvisation involved a rapid string of attacks on several clan hang-outs, leaving behind a large number of busted-up gangsters and destroyed property. It culminated in a confrontation with the clan boss in his fancy office, where Ferguson required answers to certain pressing questions. The boss provided those answers, whilst Ferguson dangled him by the ankles from a fifth-storey window. The innocents were saved, the clan was all but eliminated, and the boss met an untimely 'accident' in prison soon afterwards. Since then, Ferguson has occasionally had to contend with occasional assassination attempts by the scattered (and shattered) remnants of this clan. Its fortunes have changed greatly in the decade or so since, and its extinction within the next few years is probable. He takes common sense precautions, but refuses to let this bunch scare him in any way - though it MAY be why he lives in the US rather than in Australia (where he'd be closer to family). Interestingly, Ferguson also has a 'Nemesis' (no points paid, GM requirement) - the beautiful and quite deadly young woman who heads another Yakuza clan. She is very conflicted about Ferguson (as one would expect in Pulp), but views his actions towards that other clan with definite favour.

Re: Your Bearded Duplicate What if your actual character is female? OK, now we're getting creepy.

Re: For all your Nazis-invading-America needs.... Actually, I was referring to a book titled 'Curtin's Cowboys - Australia's Secret Bush Commandos' by Richard & Helen Walker. It tells the story of the North Australia Observer Unit, a volunteer unit raised by the Australian Army in 1942. They were tasked with patrollling most of Northern Australia, from the Kimberleys to the Gulf Of Carpentaria - a sizable area that, for the most part, was only superficially explored (the only charts for some places had been done by HMS Beagle) and definitely as Ghodawful an area as to be found anywhere on Earth. The basic idea was that the 'Nackaroos' (as they were called) would live off the land as much as possible, report any Japanese incursions or invasion, then remain hidden behind enemy lines to operate as guerillas and spies. On several occasions, they did find indications of small Japanese landings on the coast - searches and investigation turned up nothing else, and they were ordered to not talk about it. General consensus among the Nackaroos and others "in the know" was that these Japanese units either withdrew very quickly or were basically "swallowed up" by the horrible conditions. Certainly, they did not achieve anything else. By the way, the descendant of the NAOU is NORFORCE ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NORFORCE ).

Re: For all your Nazis-invading-America needs.... A-n-d, if I recall correctly, a proper defense of Midway would have also required the IJN keeping at least one carrier (plus escort) on permanent station in the area. As if they had carriers to spare ....

Re: For all your Nazis-invading-America needs.... The Battle Of Midway has always been of special interest to me. One of the better books on the battle was co-authored by Mitsuo Fuchida, one of the IJN's top aviators. Certain side-comments are of special interest, and seem relevant here. During planning of the Midway Operation, some naval officers expressed doubts about the viability of Midway as a base. Their reasoning was quite sound, certainly sounder than what was more widely accepted. Midway was a l-o-n-g way from any Japanese bases (and a very short distance from the Hawaiian islands), so keeping it adequately garrisoned and supplied would have been a major problem. Running alongside that was a real concern that the US might have simply done nothing, rather than trying to seize the islands back (immediately, if the US followed the Japanese plan ). In effect, the IJN's massive invasion fleet would have expended a butt-load of valuable fuel to seize islands (of arguably limited value) for which they would then have to commit substantial forces to actually hold. Even if Japan had succeeded on all counts - took Midway and wiped out the US carriers, they would have still had this problem. They just did not have the forces available for any real follow-up to a Midway victory - like, say, an invasion of the Hawaiian islands. Japanese forces were already very close to being fully extended on all fronts.

Re: Weird Animal Species for Your Games Ahem. http://www.dropbearaware.com/

Re: A Thread for Random Videos Does he actually hear what comes out of his mouth? I have to wonder.

Re: A Thread for Random Videos

Re: Post-WW3 campaign idea It is easy to go overboard with this sort of thing, and try to incorporate every possible ammo type. However, note that all ammo deteriorates. That's even if the ammo is stored under ideal circumstances, mind you. If said ammo is being lugged around a post-Apocalyptic landscape by a succession of grubby neobarbarians, I would expect it to deteriorate very quickly indeed. Some degree of limited manufacturing capability (and distribution) would still need to exist here and there, otherwise it will be 'Rocks'n'Sticks Time' in most places sooner than you might realize. Unless the demand is big enough that people actually go to the trouble of making more, rarer / exotic ammo types would probably disappear early on. Might be a few scattered examples remaining, but this might be a kind of regional thing - certain folks might see a particular ammo type as valuable because they have weaponry that is compatible with it, others might see it as worthless junk because they don't. Of course, if you take a less reality-oriented approach (eg, similar to the 'Fallout' computer games, or certain 'old school' RPGs), then ammo simply does not deteriorate. Doesn't matter if it gets wet or has been sitting in the open for weeks / months / years, you can just pick it up and use it right away.

Re: Star Trek Races - Andorian and Aenar I'm now trying to NOT imagine the Andorian version of Facebook. That direction looks kind of scary.

Re: Need help fleshing out a campagin idea I see that there would be a fair amount of inter-agency rivalry here. Ok, these guys are the "top" US government supers. But it is very easy to imagine there being "turf wars" over their control and usage - the military, various federal law enforcement agencies, generic bureaucrats, political types, etc.. Plus, imagine that you head a branch of the military or a US / State government agency (or portion thereof), and you discover that some of 'your people' are supers. Sure, you might tamely send them to this big group (and, if you send enough of them, then make a case that "you" should be controlling the group anyhow). Alternatively, you might try to retain them as being particualrly valuable to your own organization - ie. a super-forensics dude for the FBI, a water elemental for the Coast Guard, and so on.

Re: Need help fleshing out a campagin idea I'd suggest different names for the wings. Less obvious or less connected. There is a Gamma Wing and an Omega Wing, that people know about. But the existance of Alpha Wing is a big secret. Doesn't make a lot of sense to me - the public is going to look at this set-up, and the first thing many will wonder is "Hey, they don't have an 'Alpha' listed. Hmmmm."

Re: What will it take to get some flying cars? Major changes needed there. I sincerely doubt that, as they are, most building roofs are up to that job.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... Our most recent 'Serenity' RPG session. The Ref has a 'Bennie Point' system going, whereby PCs accumulate Bennies for various things, and expend them to help each other's die rolls (and/or "skew" certain results ). Our group is checking out a supposedly empty area on a newly terra-formed planet, and find a bunch of slavers. Naturally, we decide to take them down and rescue the slaves (some of the latter are people we had been searching for - they owe us money!). Anyhow, thanks to some inspired sniping from Mike, our combat monster / powergamer, whats left of the bad guys wind up cornered. Both sides use smoke bombs, so things start getting kind of strange. Phil, our covert ops dude, manages to sneak in close to the other guys. Out of the smoke looms one of the major bad guys. He has a BIG combat knife in each hand, is wearing lots of body armour, and has a dog whistle clenched in his teeth (the slavers had at least two BIG Rotweilers). Phil says, "OK, I'm kneecapping the b#####d." Everybody else starts dumping Bennies into the attempt. Phil's character is a good shot but we aren't sure of the exact odds, and nobody wants to take chances with this Psycho (the slaver, not Phil). Referee tallies up the Bennies and dives into the rule books. Finally, Phil rolls some dice, doing tolerably well. With all those Bennies AND the GMs interpretation of the rules, it seems that enough damage is done in the kneecapping to kill the bad guy outright. Understand, we are OK with this. One less threat and, after all, the guy is a Slaver. Anything we do to him would probably be far less than he deserves. And it is conceivable that somebody could die of shock after being kneecapped. But, just doesn't seem .... appropriate, is all. Inspiration hits me. I toss two more of my Bennies into the pile (I had plenty), and provide some input: "OK. This guy didn't actually die from the kneecapping. But he flinches when Phil shoots him (who wouldn't?). So, he actually swallows his own dog whistle - and choking on that is what kills him!" Rest of the party is greatly amused, and express approval. Ref accepts the idea - well, that is 'sort of' what he gives out Bennies for, after all. Did get me to thinking about it afterwards. Imagine this guy's afterlife, trying to get into (say) Valhalla. They ask him to talk about the battle he died in, and all he can say is "Some guy shot me in the knees, and then I swallowed my whistle...".

Re: Pulp THIS! Whats the story behind the image? It had taken a lot of detail work, but Sara KNEW that her Cthulhu miniature would be a big hit at game night.

Re: What will it take to get some flying cars? The matter of piloting and regulation are bigger, I would say. Even assuming you build them idiot-proof, things like air traffic control and regulations would have to be completely overhauled. Under what circumstances can they take off or land, for instance, and how does this mesh in with other forms of aviation?

Re: The original War Wheel 1917 From that font of all wisdom .... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bat_bombs

Re: Pulp THIS! Whats the story behind the image? Hmmm. In no special order. The clothing includes some uniform components, all of which are dark grey (German?). The (dark grey) forage cap worn by the bike rider looks a lot like ww2 German styles I've seen. Other nations used them as well, but not necessarily in that colour.. 'Mail' (back of the bike) is the same in English and German. The small vessel is well-armed but NOT made for rough waters or high speed. Estuarine or riverine craft, arguably. Its tank turret looks a heckuva lot like a Panzer III - also looks like there could be a 'Kills' tally on the side. The big warship in the background looks very similar to (but not exactly the same as) the Kreigsmarine's major warships of ww2. Specifically the 'Admiral Hipper' class Heavy Cruisers or 'Bismarck' class Battleships. Given the amount of clothing worn, not a cold environment. But it could just be a very warm summer wherever they are. No swastikas though. Nazis put 'em EVERYWHERE, but not a one to be seen anywhere in this pic. Ohhh-kay. Alternate history is my guess. Main divergance in ww1 - Germany retained (or regained) a few of its Pacific possessions at war's end. If there was Nazism, it never gained the hold that it did in "our" history. There is a war underway (with who? Dunno - Russia, maybe?), and Germany has taken sufficient losses that it now has a lot of females serving in "second-line" and support units of the military. This pic was taken at one of Germany's Pacific bases, far from the war as such, but not far enough probably.

Re: A Thread for Random Videos Mere words seem so insufficient ... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=svOlz2ei4Yk

Re: Fallout Hero (6E) Noting that the standard Fallout background(s) are set at least a century after the Big War, the zones you refer to would certainly have blurred considerably in the years since - if just from simple erosion. Topography at the time of detonation would have been a significant factor as well - hills or valleys might protect some areas from certain effects, or make them more vulnerable. In any case, this could make the zones more than a series of circles or ellipses. Also, if there was more than one nuke affecting a given area, there would have been overlap of the various zones as well.

Re: The original War Wheel 1917

Re: For all your Nazis-invading-America needs.... True enough. I recall reading some early news reports about the Pearl Harbour attack that claimed German units actively participated. Also, just have to look at the defensive preparations made in Australia in 1942. Most of our forces were still in the Mediterranean (where Churchill tried to keep them) and it looked like NOTHING was stopping the Japanese. There is a big underground bunker in the lower reaches of the then brand-new Town Hall Railway Station (in the Sydney CBD) that was to be a major command post; and at least one more built out in the western suburbs. The latter was sealed up and pretty much forgotten for many years, until somebody found one of the entrances in their backyard in the early 90s. Preliminary steps were also taken to prepare bridges for demolition. The pylons of the old Hawkesbury River Railway Bridge, just north of Sydney, still show the marks of these preparations. In retrospect, all arguably unnecssary. Much as some elements of the Japanese military would have liked to go for Australia, they never had the troops or the ships to spare for it. The most they could have hoped for was to prevent the US using Australia as a base for their counter-offensive. Though there are strong indications that Japan made some small commando-style landings up north, which amounted to nothing. Plus, it seems to often be overlooked that, even with most of our forces elsewhere, we still had a sizable reserve at home, including a LOT of WW1 veterans in their 40s and 50s. Maybe not up to all the rigors of "modern" warfare, but still capable of shooting and who would have known the land extremely well indeed. Interesting to note that my first contact with 'Alternate History' was a book in my school library called 'The Battle Of Sydney'. Details the Japanese invasion of Australia via the Northern Territory,across to Queensland and down the east coast. Logisitics quickly fail them, and what's left of the main force is inevitably wiped out in a 'Big Banzai' across the Sydney Harbour Bridge (ALMOST get halfway) and the subsequent 'Kirribilli Barbeque' (don't ask). Some aspects very good, others downright idiotic (the invasion is wiped out, but the rest of the Pacific War happens exactly as here).

Re: For all your Nazis-invading-America needs.... Very interesting, if just to show what was on people's minds at the time.. All that was needed for most of them to work was the near-total disappearance of the US and Commonwealth militaries, and for the Germans to have twenty-plus times more sealift and long-range support than they ever had.

Re: The original War Wheel 1917 If they had solved the direction problem, it would have looked REALLY impressive, though.