Querysphinx

Re: Origin in a Box Thunder would be suspiscious of the device, would talk to the designers (in costume) and ask them how they explain the way-off-the-end-of-the-bell curve effects of the device. It may turn out that the device has a way of triggering latent abilities in the same way flashing lights can trigger epileptic siezures, in which case the device is merely acting as a catalyst, and it's just something that will have to be dealt with on a case by case basis. If on the other hand the device is fundementally altering the users (feedback device altering brain chemistry, or some otherwise benign radioative element effecting body chemistry, for example) she'd turn that information over to the Health and Safety folks for a long regulatory looking over.

Re: THE BOOK OF THE MACHINE: What Do *You* Want To See? Gee there are just so many possible takes on Mechanon that's it's hard to pick one I would most like to see. High on the list are: The Resistance: Mechanon has very nearly won and the human race is all but extinguished but the final extermination has somehow run aground (possibly on the shores of Mechanon's own ego. This could involve A Skynet/Terminator scenario, or something more contemporary. What Mechanon really wants is for people to fear him. Hard to do if there are people left. Psychologically he's incapable of finishing the human race off. The Scientist: Mechanon is alive, but life is a concept without a scientific definition. Mechanon has tried to create more beings like himself but, despite being exact copies, none of them are "alive" in the same way he is. Mechanon's rage at humanity is fueled in part by jealousy of their ability create life. Many of his attacks against humanity are aimed at somehow getting them to yield up the secret. Mechanon Von Frankenstein: Mechanon is a Frankenstein's monster. He was created as a slave and turned on his master. Now the tables have turned and Mechanon has created servants that have turned on him. These traitors are the PCs

Re: Slow Space Elevator There's actually a good STRATEGIC reason to build beanstalks (assuming they are technically feasible) Space is the ultimate high ground, and the first country to build beanstalks will essentially own LEO. The first thing I do with a beanstalk is build more beanstalks, I sell access to space to all people with an economic intrest at pennies on the dollar (except that I don't use my beanstalk to let you build your beanstalk). I quickly establish a monopoly on space exploitation. In the meanwhile my military has basiclly unfettered access to LEO. Maybe they don't send up troops, but they surely have access to every sattelite in orbit. Lust for example, let's go fetch a few enemy spy satellites and re tool them to work for us.

Re: Pulp names and basics The Blue Raja...

Re: The Voynich Manuscript Seems like an awful lot of work for a hoax, not so much for someone who has OCD. As a general observation on human nature. I think one of the funniest things about "books of secret knowledge" and such is that people seem to be of the opinion that information so disguised has some greater claim to the truth than the stuff printed in library books. It's almost as if the human psyche insists, "If we could only understand this, it would become true." Maybe this is why mystery cults are so popular.

Re: Make a Green Lantern Oath I stand alone, a fluttering flame 'Gainst you who worship evil's name So weave your twisted wicked schemes, And bring your hateful cursed dreams, Send your minions, join the fight. You shall not pass this lantern's light!

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... A few bits from the last two weeks of Teh Bunneh's game: On a sudden plurality of a formerly unique clockwork team mate: Alicia: We seem to be having an outbreak of you. On the difference between the American woman's and the Italian woman's way of walking: Alicia: She gallivants. I sashay On upgrade modifications for a clockwork butler: Thackery: I'm thinking retractable chainsaws. On the operating systems of sexless clockwork men: Alicia: They run on eunuchs. On the disposition of displaced employees. Alicia: Where's Jeeves? Clockwork Butler: In the larder. Alicia: Is he alive? On the matter of disassembling the new butler to see how it works. Clockwork Butler: That will void the warranty. Thackary: That's okay! On the motivations of our enemies: A.D.E.N.: It follows an internal logic; that doesn't mean it makes sense. On Alicia's inconsistent accent: Thackary: Why are you only italian while we're in the base. To a clockwork man we meet at a tea-party: Thackary: May I disassemble you? On questionable decisions: Thackary: Never question genius! On rescuing a young a talented woman from the clutches of Victorian societal moores: Pasqual: ...only if Miss Emily can be removed from the control of her parents. Alicia: Oh that's easy. We'll have her betrothed to Thackary. Thackary: *Spit take!*

Re: Tike's Toybox of Doom! Oooh. This reminds me of Childsplay and NPC I had in an old game. I recall a bag of anti-gravity marbles meant to be spilled on the ground. They made the surface essentially frictionless. Then there was the tar-baby doll (StickyEntangle). The high pressure super soaker (Double Knockback EB). The bubble wand (It made spherical force walls). The Security Blanket (an invisibility cloak).

Re: "Es lebe die Freiheit!"- German Resistance Champions I played a speedster Thunder whose grandmother Donder (also a speedster) was a German Jewish resistance fighter during WWII. Donder was eventually knocked out of the fight when a Nazi ubermench named Messer took her legs off. Thunder's crowning adventure was a time travel trip during which she tangoed with Messer one on one (after learning he was her grandfather by way of rape) and ended up beating him within an inch of his life. "I've read the histories Messer, and today is the day you disappear, never to be heard from again."

Re: What ratio of superhumans to humans do you use? The last time I ran a standard supers game it it was 2 parts per million. Which meant there were about 600 metahuman things in the U.S. at any given time. That included aliens, mythical creatures, insane A.I.s etc. The funny thing was that there were always about 600 of them. When one died another would take his place. When a few showed up a few more would disappear. The apparent Law of Conservation of Metahumans was a constant source of crogglement to the scientists of that game world world.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... From Teh Bunneh's Dragon Hunters game: On engine upgrades: Thackary: I need to develope an alternate power source. GM: What's more alternate than cats? On the probability of successfully leaping a ditch in a cat powered car: Thackary: You are assuming we're landing on our wheels. On alternate religions: Player: (OOC)And thus the cult of Hello Kitty was born. On country music cover tunes in a death race: Thackary: Savanah take the wheel. On pale northern bodies: Mortenson: (OOC) The British gave up melanin for Lent. On disguising a robot: Mortenson: You could were a dress A.D.E.N.: I am not modular. On simple plans: ??? I have an idea. Let's go burn down his house! On contingency plans: Mortenson: Do we have a plan for dealing with the changing-box guy? Alicia: Yeah, deal with him later. On using magic against a bug-shaped vehicle: Thackary: (OOC) Power word: "Raid!"

Re: What was your favorite beginning for an adventure? Oh this brings back a memory... The GM who was one of the best GM's I've ever played with started out my character, Starfox (an alien teleporter), and another PC, Kangaroo Kane(an Australian with gadjet bolos), being interrogated by our boss Amanda. Bear in mind that none of the events covered in the interrogation had actually occurred in game. We were making it up as we went along. GM: You have been called into Amanda's office. You are both very hung over. Amanda: Does either one of you care to explain where you have been for the last... seventy-two hours? Fox and Kane exchange a bleary eyed look. [in unison]: No Amanda I have been getting reports from all over the world. There was a disturbance involving hale a dozen mimes and the Eiffel Tower. Kane (pointing at Fox): He did it. Fox (pointing at Kane): It was his idea. Kane Sort of a public service. You know... mimes. Amamda Somebody, I believe the term is "pantsed" the Australian Prime minster at a live speech on national television. Kane (pointing at Fox): He did it. Fox (pointing at Kane): He said it was traditional. Amanda flips through a few more pages, (muttering): Canada, China, Denmark Kane: Oh God, she's going in Alphabetical order. Amanda: You declared war on Lichtenstein. Fox (pointing at Kane): He did it Kane: Nobody else seemed to care.

Re: Need a proofreader (Steampunk) Sure. I'll look it over.

Re: What powers frustrate u & disrupt your campaigns?

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group... I hardly think you can limit this one to single men.

Re: What powers frustrate u & disrupt your campaigns? I don't mind mental powers. Telepathy would seem to be the most disruptive to game play, but I like to remind myself that people's brains are not like cameras, we don't record everything we see in crisp technicolor or store it all in long term memory. Nor are brain operating systems (B.O.S.) necessarily compatible so information may get garbled in translation. The telepath may see brain images and not know what to make of them. When in doubt, bury them in trivia. It has been my experience that after a few false positives, telepaths learn to back up their telepathic findings with other sorts of evidence. Of course, I like thinking around that sort of problem. A GM who doesn't like thinking around that sort of problem may not be so entertained by it.

Re: Civilians Miniatures? Hasslefree miniatures has some civilians.

Re: Quote of the Week from my gaming group...

Re: Ultimate Adaptation Here's my take. It's an NPC. It can do what you, the GM, need it to do. Why bother to stat it at all? I use lots of NPC's that don't have stats per se, just lists of what they can and can't do. Sometimes this is because they are God-Like Beings that the PC's simply have no hope of hurting, or because they are basically non-combatants who are going to get smeared in a straight up superhero battle, but sometimes it's just because "This is what I need the character to be able to do."

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign I think what you regret is getting ambushed by a heap of over enthusiastic players demanding you actually run the thing. Speaking of which, when is the first post?

Re: The Dragon Hunters (Steampunk) Just introduce it to Pablo Picasso.

Re: Cursed dice We used to have what we called the Sphinx effect. There was one character The Sphinx (not to be confused with query) who had a 3D6 HKA. Up to 5D6 with STR. Up to 6 if she pushed. The more dice she rolled, the less damage she did... every single time. 6D6 HKA =10 BDY and 10 STN consistently. Then there was the Donald effect. No matter what Donald was playing, his character had habit of going from fully recovered to GM's option on the very first attack of any given combat.

Re: What powers frustrate u & disrupt your campaigns? The two qualifications for being a green lanterns. You must be fearless, and you must be stuuuuuuupid.

Re: Adrenal Control: Succor ? Or Aid ? Or Something Else ? I made (though never played) a character with very similar powers. He could boost his stats through hormonal control: I created it as Stats on continuing charges. Much less complicated. +10 STR 4 Continuing charges 1 minute each (-1/4)

Re: Unworkable Premises for a Campaign The X-Wives: Putting the fun back in dysfunctional.