Mark Rand

Re: New PRIMUS teams "Who are these 'Powers That Be'?" Terry asked. "The Powers That Be, otherwise known as The Higher Powers, The Elders and other names, some of which are impolite, are celestial beings that maintain the balance between supernatural good and evil," Warder replied. "Oh," Terry said. "Is there a problem we have to deal with, Aunt Cathy?" Warder asked. "No, but I'm to give you information about what your gate connects to." "I'm listening." "Beings known to the Powers That Be found an Earth where, in 1969, terrorists destroyed a germ warfare lab, releasing everything. Everyone on that Earth died within five days. These beings decontaminated it and moved the buildings to various pocket universes. Your gateway leads to one of them. You will find bodies there, but they can be cremated. You can, of course, keep the clothes that they were wearing." "What buildings are beyond our gateway?" April asked. "They didn't tell me," Aunt Cathy replied. "You'll have to find that out for yourselves." "We will," Christine said. "Aunt Cathy, I wish I could have one last hug from you." "You can. I can become solid for ten seconds each visit." "Good," Warder said as Aunt Cathy became solid and they hugged. "Take care," Aunt Cathy said as she vanished. "I'm so proud of all of you."

Re: New PRIMUS teams "We're set," Beth Davies said as she, April, Christine and Denise joined Silver Avenger Terry Kestler, Intelligence Mariko Yamashiro, a computer expert, Assault Agent Paul Carter, an ex-marine, Assault Agent Annie Woods, a former policewoman, and Rhonda Nelson, M.D., the team's physician, a black woman whose braided black hair fell below her shoulders. "Good," Silver Avenger Kestler said. "Warder's heading this way." As the team's black and gold-garbed lady mage joined them, they noted that her familiar, Amber, a western screech owl, was just behind her. "Sorry I'm late," Warder said. "It took me a while to find the spell I needed." "No problem, Terry said as Amber landed on one of the perchs that had been provided for her use. "Where do you want us?" "Where you are is fine," Warder replied before casting her spell. When she finished, a part of the wall opened onto a hallway. Warder quickly checked her work, then said, "Go through the gate on your left. The one on the right leads to my apartment and is accessable only by myself and Amber." "True, but I'm sure I can visit you there," came a female voice from their right. They watched as a woman with dark-blonde hair, wearing a light-green evening gown and opera-length white gloves, materialized. "Aunt Cathy!" Warder gasped. What are you doing here and how did you do that? Last I heard, you were murdered by some punks that did a drive-by shooting outside your house." "I was, now I'm a ghost." Turning to the others, she said, "I had just arrived home from a gala when some gang members, seeing rival gang members, fired on them with submachine guns. Most of the rounds missed them and flew through the house. A few went through me." "I see," Silver Avenger Kestler said. "Do you want us to catch them?" "No. The police heard the shots and chased the vehicle. The van the gang members were in tried to run under a semi. The van was totaled and the punks literally lost their heads." "Ouch," Rhonda said. "Yeah." Turning to Warder, Aunt Cathy said, "The Powers That Be sent me here as an advisor. I'll be around when you need me."

Re: New PRIMUS teams Some information in this post is from Shelley's PRIMUS Updates in Digital Hero issues 2 and 6. PRIMUS Intelligence Agent and superhero team liaison/director Beth Beth Davies looked at the three women in the room with her and asked, "Everyone ready?" "Soon as I check their pulses one more time," replied Denise Clark, R.N., the team's nurse. A former USAF flight nurse, she wore a sage-green flightsuit, with PRIMUS patches over her scrubs. She quickly checked April and Christine, then said, "Let's do it." April Curtis, a redheaded PRIMUS intelligence agent, electronics engineer, ninja, gymnast and amateur race car driver, wearing a black jumpsuit, combat boots, webbing and jacket, and latex gloves,said, "Agreed." "Likewise," PRIMUS Intelligence Agent Christine Huner, a blue-eyed blonde former CIA black-bags expert who once acted in college plays and was garbed like April, said. "All April and I have to do is mask ourselves and grab our climbing gear. Remember, ladies, we're going to look like cat burglars." Once they were masked and had their gear, Denise said, "You're right. You do look like cat burglars." "Meow," April said. Beth, Christine and Denise laughed, then the four women left the room and went to join Terry Kestler, Pittsburgh's recently appointed silver avenger and their other accociates.

Re: New PRIMUS teams Silver Avenger Mariko Nakamura is a Japanese-American woman who resembles fellow silver avenger Maria Chow and may be related to her. A natural athlete, she is skilleded in ninjitsu and gymnastics and surprises foes when she uses this training in combat. She also carries a katana, weighted chain, throwing stars, and, sometimes, other ninja gear. The sword, Lady of Light, has been in her family since it was made 600-years ago by the finest craftsman of that time. The other weapons were bought from an uncle's martial arts supply store. Although nothing official has been said, there is speculation that Silver Avenger Terry Kestler (Portland) and some members of her staff are being transferred to Pittsburgh.

Re: New PRIMUS teams Sorry about the delay. It's taking me longer to gather my notes and maps than I thought. I was going to add background on Silver Avenger Nakamura, Agents Curtis and Hunter, Warder and Amber, her familiar, and others into the text. Then I decided to do it as a separate post before continuing the story. Look for it by the evening of Friday, July 2, 2004.

Re: New PRIMUS teams I was looking over the maps from Digital Hero #6 again when I realized that the electronics, chemistry and physics labs that were in the PRIMUS base maps when they first came out, aren't in the new version. I decided to couple them to the danger room and the team's headquarters. Exiting through the tunnel, you come to a guard post, the changing rooms for the danger room, and an elevator and stairs to the upper floors. The second floor has a guard post and the danger room's control room. The third floor has a guard post, the electronics, chemistry and physics labs and the lab offices. The fourth floor is the team's headquarters. Beyond the guard post are a second electronics lab, the nurse's office, a conference room with a kitchenette, offices and six bedrooms with full bathrooms. When Warder, the team's mage, noted the limited living quarters, she asked Silver Avenger Mariko Nakamura if she could cast a spell that would create a gate that give the team extra living space and link the floor to her fastness. She added that only she and her familiar, Amber, a western screech owl, would be able to go throuh the gate leading to the fastness. Silver Avenger Nakamura promised to pass the request up through channels. The answer came back one week later. Permission was granted, provided that a team of at least two intelligence agents checked the extra living space out before the team used it. Avenger Nakamura chose two intelligence agents that would be assigned to the team. They were Christine Hunter, a former stage actress and CIA black-bag jobs expert who would be the team liaison officer and April Curtis, an electronics engineer, Olympic gymnast, ninja and amateur race car driver, who would be the team's electronics expert. Next, we journey with April and Christine.

Re: SF Novels for Star Hero? I've read the Humanx Commonwealth books myself and I agree that they're wonderful. They're so wonderful that GURPS has a book out on them. I'd also like to suggest E.E. Doc Smith's Skylark of Space series.

Re: New PRIMUS teams I just dug through my disorganized collection of maps and found the maps for PRIMUS's Portland base from Digital Hero #6. On level one is a tunnel to the base danger room. The team could have either a three story base, consisting of labs, offices and living quarters for the heroes, liaison, physician, nurse and team of assault and intelligence agents, above it or use the fastness of the team's mage which is linked, by way of a gate that lets only authorized people to pass through it, to a shed on the base grounds. Given the fact that, in my universe, women wear gloves even with jeans and a tee shirt, it's no surprise that the team's liaison/director, who was an actress in a university rep company and CIA black-bag jobs expert before joining PRIMUS and becoming an intelligence agent, always wears them. The physician and nurse, who are sisters, were in the air force before coming to PRIMUS. They wear navy-blue scrubs under navy-blue flightsuits. One of the support team's intelligence agents is an electronics engineer, a kunoichi, or female ninja and an Olympic gymnast who drives a Lamborghini Diablo in SCCA-sanctioned races for fun and the pace car at various car tracks.

With the recent increase in metahuman crime, PRIMUS has been given permission to form superhero teams for all its bases. Four cities with PRIMUS bases have been chosen for the first teams. One is the campaign city. I'd love to use Pittsburgh, but I can't think of a good reason for PRIMUS to set up a base here. Any ideas? If I don't have a good reason to use Pittsburgh, I'll use Las Vegas. Would the team be based at the local PRIMUS headquarters or their own base? Would any agents be assigned to work full time with them? If they have their own base, what, if any, support staff members would be from PRIMUS?

Re: Team Shuttle Help? Try http://www.google.com and select images. Then type in blackbird. You can also type in plane after hitting the 'search within results' button.

Re: What cities could Batman call home?

Re: The Justice Defenders, Pittsburgh's team I'm still hoping to start a campaign in Pittsburgh and, if possible, I'd like to use the Justice Defenders. Does anybody out there know anything about them, or am I going to have to wing it?

According to the Viper Sourcebook, Pittsburgh, pennsylvania's superhero team, the Justice Defenders, was involved in the raids in the mid 1990s that stopped Viper Pittsburgh. Does anyone know anything else about this team of has anyone done anything with them?

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Re: What cities could Batman call home? One idea I had was Las Vegas. Batman, Batgirl, and their associates (the PCs) aren't the only heroes there. There's also Lady Arcane, who lives near UNLV, and her team who deal only with supernatural threats. (Her support staff includes her housekeeper, an electronics engineer, Lucius Fox's daughter, April, a nurse, a computer expert and a DOSPA liaison.) The general public thinks they work only for Lady Arcane, but gates give the four women access to the Batcave. Bruce, his secretary, Maggie, (who is secretly Batgirl), and Alfred live in one of the two penthouses at the top of a hotel/casino/resort Wayne Enterprises owns through its Wayne Entertainment division. The other penthouse is occupied by Lucius Fox and his family. (Lucius thinks his daughter works only for Lady Arcane.) When Bruce or Maggie place their palms against specific wall panels, they are transported to an area of the Batcave where they can change int their costumes or disguises. The Batmobile exits onto a cave north of Las Vegas. If anyone tries to follow them, all they hit is solid rock. The Batmobile and other Bat vehicles can gate to the Batcave, but other vehicles can't. This same precaution keeps unotherised visitors from accessing the Batcave from the penthouse.

Assuming he didn't live in Gotham City what real world and CU cities would Batman work well in?

Re: A Look at Millennium City in my Version of the CU On the supernatural side, we have all kinds of characters and items. Some preachers claim that Lady Arcane, and other magic-weilding heroes are trying to turn area youth to devil worship. Since vampires, demons and other undead exist in the CU, It isn't too much of a reach to add Slayers, Watchers and a Hellmouth. Some of you may have noticed that I've been adding car and horse tracks, a planetarium with the Zeiss Mark II projector, an ice rink for amatuurs and the same bars, nightclubs and supperclub to various cities. True, I have. However, they're only there if the city is the campaign city. If it isn't, they're not there.

Re: A Look at Millennium City in my Version of the CU Belle Isle doesn't have the only planetarium. There's one on the campus of Millennium City University, too. The layout of this one, The Harmon Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, is based on Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's old Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science, which was inspired, in part, by Chicago's Adler Planetarium. While it was being planned, Harmon Industries bought the old Zeiss Mark II Planetarium Projector, its control board, the 1,000,000-volt Oudin-type Tesla coil and the 10-inchSiderostat-type refractor telescope from the Buhl Planetarium and installed them in the new building. The Planetarium's two basement club rooms, or classrooms, and lecture hall, The Little Science Theatre, have state of art audio/visual equipment. The Planetarium Theatre, or Theatre Of The Stars, uses the now refurbished Zeiss, nicknamed Jake, daily. When it rises, the opening section of Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra, usually known as the 2001: A Space Odyssey theme is heard over the sound system. Besides the Siderostat telescope, the Planetarium has two other telescopes, a 4-inch refractor and a 18-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector that are, weather permitting, set out on the roof for star gazing. Only the Siderostat is used for looking at the sun, however, direct viewing isn't permitted. Instead, the sun's image is projected onto a screen. During a solar eclipse, a video camera is pointed at the screen and its signal is fed to monitors throughout the building and webcast through the Planetarium's website. During lunar eclipses, the video camera is attached to the Schmidt-Cassegrain reflector. The rest of the setup, however, remains the same. The building is open for classes all day Monday and in the mornings on Tuesday through Friday. The rest of the time, its open to the public. Next up, the supernatural side of Millennium City

Re: Looking for NEW words of transformation: (SHAZAM, Thunder! Thunder!...) Ah yes, from the live-action TV series and comic book. On the series, Andrea had to wear her amulet openly to transform (once she dropped it and had to go back and find it), but in the comics she didn't. The comic book also gave us the words to change back to Andrea. They were, as best as I can recall, "Ancient gods of time and space, put Andrea into her proper place".

Re: A Look at Millennium City in my Version of the CU Interesting ideas, Hermit. Thank you. Now, on to the bars, nightclubs and supperclub. The Ace 'O Clubs is a waterfront bar featuring a pool table, a juke box and an upright piano that one of the patrons play when he's in. The Cabaret of Magic is a supperclub/magic theatre with rooms for both close-up and stage magic. The resident magician is a young lady that's skilled in both kinds. Danny's is a jazz club. Although they have no official house band, the Jazz Angels have played there for four nights a week since it opened. The Falcon's Rest is a Middle Eastern nightclub that features, according to the management, "The World's Best Bellydancers". The dancers, who are paid $50.00 a night, must be booked through an agent, must be members of the American Guild of Variety Artists, and can work at the club only twice a month. The Funky Feline Bar and Grill is a casual place with feline touches. The staff all wear black pants and tunics with cat ears and tail. Although feline-style half-masks are a required part of the uniform only on Halloween, Jane, the day shift bartender, and Cathy and Sue, two of the evening shift waitresses, wear them all the time. Jake's is a Western bar. The staff dress like working cowboys and cowgirls. The Sucubus Club is a Goth nightclub. Loud music, from the DJ or occasional band, can be heard in the parking lot. Zorba's, a Greek bar, like the Falcon's Rest, is noted for its belly dancers. The first time a dancer plays the club, she works for tips only. After that, it's $10.00 for each time you're on stage. Although some dancers are booked through agents, a group, known as "The Regulars" book themselves. This group includes Salome, a highly-skilled belly dancer who wears long gloves with her costumes and does the Dance of the Seven Veils for the city's opera company when they do Salome, Nura, her mother, and Safura, their Israel=born teacher.

Here's my take on Millennium City. It's basically the same city found in the book. All we're doing is adding tracks, bars and other stuff. Two tracks already exist, Michigan International Speedway and Hazel Park. For those who don't know it, Hazel Park is a 5/8-mile track for harness, or Standardbred, horses. We're adding Millennium Downs and Millennium City Speedway. Millennium Downs is a typical Thoroughbred horse track with a 7/8-mile grass (turf) track inside the 1-mile dirt (main0 track. Millennium City Speedway is based on the old Continental Divide Raceway near Castle Rock, Colorado. It has a drag strip, a 1/2-mile oval and a 2.66-mile road course. The oval and road course use part of the dragstrip as their front straights and the oval's back straight is part of the road course. In Rivertown, besides the arenas mentioned, is the Millennium City Ice Arena. This facility has two rinks, one for figure skating and one for hockey. Instruction in both is provided at the arena and many area amateur hockey clubs use their rink. Bars, nightclubs and a supperclub are next.

Re: Upon Further Review: The Champions In the Champions campaign I'm working on, the characters are stronger than the ones they were based on. The players will have the option of creating new characters or changing and renaming the rest of the iconics. Guardian is Defender with better armor. Lisa, Lady Arcane, is Witchcraft with more powers, a different background story, a screech owl as a familiar and a different costume. (Lisa's identity is known to the public.) Donna is a Wendy clone, who doesn't want to be a heroine, Jeannie has a different last name. Denise gets a background story that covers her experiences as a theatre student and CIA black-bag jobs expert before becoming a DOSPA agent and team liaison. Carol, a new character, is the team's nurse. April, a new character, is the team's engineer. When Guardian can talk her into it, she either joins the team as Spirit Cat or backs Denise up. (Since the two women are good at being sneaky, they work well together.) I might rename Spirit Cat Nekokami, which is Spirit Cat in Japanese.

Re: Upon Further Review: The Champions

Re: Upon Further Review: The Champions According to the article Pointless Champions, by Theron Bretz, in Digital Hero #3, the idea of point limits comes from the hobby's wargaming roots. He advises scrapping the point limit system and letting the players make the ideal versions of their characters instead of rough drafts. To me, this is a good idea. Yes, it creates more work for the players and GM, but I think it's worth it.

Re: A Look at my Version of Pittsburgh in the CU Wayne Enterprises was put in because I was planning to have the CU's Batman in pittsburgh instead of Gotham City. If I don't, Wayne Enterprises will be replaced by another public-spirited corporation. Hot nightspots are this post's topic. The Cabaret of Magic, in the Strip District, is a supper club where stage magic is performed. Their resident magician is a woman noted for her close-up and stage magic skills. Danny's, on Bouquet Street, in Oakland, is a jazz club. Although there is no official house band, the Jazz Angels play there four nights a week. The Falcon's Rest, on Ninth Street, is a Middle-Eastern night club that has, according to the owners, "The Best Belly Dancers In The World". The dancers are hired through agents, must be members of the American Guild of Variety Artists, and can play there only once a month. The Funky Feline Bar and Grill, on EastCarson Street, on the South Side, is a fun place. The staff dress in black, complete with cat ears and tell. Feline-style half masks are required on Halloween and optional the rest of the time. The day-shift bartender and two evening waitresses, however, always wear them. The Succubus Club is a Goth nightclub in the Strip District. The music there is hard rock. Usually, it's provided by a DJ, or, occasionally, a band. Zorba's, on Forbes Avenue, in Oakland, is a Greek bar and belly dancers. Although dancers can get booked by agents, the dancers that regularly perform there have first call at the bookings and often commit themselves for the year by the end of January. This group includes, Salone, a 17-year old wonder who always wears long gloves with her costume, Nura, her mother, and Safura, their Israel-born teacher.