Mark Rand

Re: GURPS IST in Champions Mention has been made of a Hellmouth, Slayers, and Watchers, as in Buffy, post season seven. The Southwestern Pennsylvania area has three Slayers. Here they are. All three use stakes, crossbows and personal weapons and go to the same high school, which is on the Hellmouth. Slayer Mariko Yamashiro was trained in ninjitsu and gymnastics by her mother, Fujiko, who also trained by IST electronics engineer April Curtis, before she became a Slayer. Her father, Hikaru, is the principal of the high school on the Hellmouth. Mariko and Fujiko patrol together and carry swords as well as regular Slayer weapons. Slayer Joy West was also trained by her mother, Jennifer, a Jedi Knight and fugitive from the emperor, who now owns an art gallary, as a Jedi before she became a Slayer. Her father, Tom, works for the county crime lab. Mother and daughter patrol together and use their lightsabers as well as conventional Slayer weapons. Slayer Kendra Thomas was adopted by her Watcher, Paul, after her Jamacia-born parents were run over by a drunk driver as they walked home from church one Sunday. He is now the school librarian and his wife, Cathy, is the school nurse. Her favorite weapon is a scythe, like Buffy's, that she found in the wearhouse. Her father, who patrols with her, has no favorite weapons.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions I made a slight error in the last post. Christine Hunter doesn't wear the old British Caledonian stewardess uniform. She wears the same khaki jumpsuit April, Denise, and Keiko wear. The uniform, however, can be seen on a billboard for British Caledonian Airlines that's visible from the bus shelter.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? The Gotham City area has two planetariums. The Gotham Planetarium, on the Gotham State University Campus, is a state of the art facility. They've gotten rid of their Zeiss Mark II planetarium projector and their Siterostat telescope. The sky shows are now projected by a computer-controlled video projection system. (Gotham State University is also known as Gotham City university and Gotham University.) The Sommerset Planetarium is located on the University of Gotham's campus. It now owns the Zeiss Mark II planetarium projector (nicknamed George) and the Siterostat telescope that once belonged to the gotham planetarium. Both are used daily. (When viewing the Sun through the Siterostat telescope, the image is projected on a white screen.) They also webcast solar and lunar eclipses to the public and display the images on monitors in the galleries, the Little Science Theatre (their lecture hall) and the basement club rooms. For solar eclipses, a video camera is clipped to the telescope and aimed at the screen. For lunar eclipses, a 10-inch Schmidt-Cassigrain telescope is placed on the building's flat roof and the camera is connected to it. Twenty miles west of Gotham City is the town of Hayden, which is home to Gotham Park, Gotham Raceway and the New Jersey Cruciform Array, a omplex of nine stationary radiotelescope dishes, five mobile radiotelescope dishes and a 20-inch optical telescope. The mobile telescopes roll along a 3.53 by 3.17 mile cross-shaped set of tracks. Comments on the tour of the Gotham area are requested. We'll tour the Batcave itself next.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions I forgot two things in the embassy description. The embassy's main library is on the Wood Street side of the fifth floor and the whole building is wired for digital cable. Now, on to my two NPC heroes, neither of which are team leaders. Cat, sceret identity Jennifer Green, can, at will, make a suit of battle armor, that looks like a metalic felionoid, appear around her. Lady Arcane is the team's mage. Her familiar, Amber, named for the color of her eyes, is a Western Screech Owl. The public knows that she's Denver-born heiress Lisa Clark. April Curtis, M.S. in electronics engineering, is the embassy electronics engineer. The brunette daughter of a wealthy Pittsburgh family, she's also an amateur race car driver, a former Olympic and University of Pittsburgh gymnast, and a kunoichi, or female ninja, that would rather work on equipment than fight crime. Occasionally, the team leader has been able to talk her into coming on a mission. When she does, she's addressed as either Nekokami or Spirit Cat. Denise Dupont is the U.N. Intelligence agent, a former CIA black-bag jobs expert and a skilled actress. An attractive, blue-eyed blonde, Denise started wearing gloves constantly while getting ready to portray a fashionable woman in a play that was set in 1902 Boston. Although she usually wears a khaki jumpsuit, she sometimes wears one of the 1961 American Airlines stewardess uniforms, given to her by her maternal grandmother after she wore them in a play. Ann Gray, R.N., BSN, is one of the embassy's nurses. Unlike the others, who wear scrubs, she wears white uniforms and a cap that were found on the other side of the gateway. Christine Hunter, M.S., the head of embassy computer section, received her computer science degree from Carnegie-Mellon University, A black woman with vraided, shoulder-length black hair, she recently began wearing vintage 1960s British Caledonian Airlines stewardess uniforms that were found in the gateway world. Elena Lopez heads the embassy's PR department. A lean Hispanic woman who fences for fun, she's the decendent of the 1820's California vigilante known as the Queen of Swords. Keiko Nakamura is the base photographer. A Japanese-American woman, she's a graduate of the Art Institute and worked for UMPC before joining the embassy staff. That's all for now. Your comments on everything would be appriciated.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions Both gates are in the rec room. IST policy requires the cremation of bodies found through these gates and permits the recovery of their clothes Except for choir and pulpit robes, which are kept where they were found, the clothes are placed in storage in a room or rooms in one building and the heroes and staffers are given a list of what is there. Signs that were in the buildings haven't been removed. Gate one goes to a Japanese garden. Two spectral women, dressed like geisha, play music here and tend the garden. Gate two leads to a two square block area. One block has a rec center. The other has a hotel, a church, a bar, a restaraunt, a beauty shop and a uniforme store. The rec center has a pool, gymnasium with an overhead running track, a weight room and other facilities. A sign on the cork board informs people of a health fair in the gymnasium. A second sign reminds the cheerleaders to stop by their coach's office and pick their uniforms up. The gate is in a bus shelter outside the building. The church had a blood drive going on in its Fellowship Hall. The hotel was hosting a conference of Islamic women. According to newspapers found in the buildings, a madman threatened to unleash a deadly plague unless the world disarmed. If it was unleashed, the Powers That Be, or some other higher power, made sure whatever killed them was now dead. Next, we meet my two NPC heroes and some of the support staff.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions Now, we look at the IST Pittsburgh's underground floors. The basement, which can be entered through the loading dock, has the laundry room and storage areas for food, ammunition and everything else. Sub-level one has the morgue, holding cells and closed-circuit link to the various courthouses. Sub-level two has the computer room, the head of data processing's office, the morgue, and the combat simulation chamber. Sub-levels three and four contain the embassy's fusion reactor and its systems, two 10,000-gallon cisterns, water filters and pumps, and various repair shops. Next up, we go through the gates.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? The Gotham City area has three major universities, Gotham State University in Chelsea, Glendale Institute of Technology in Glendale and the University of Gotham, in Sommerset Township. The area is also home to many sports teams and facilities. The New Gotham Square Garden is home to the Gotham Blades (NHL), the Gotham Guardsmen (NBA) and the Gotham Valkyries (WNBA). The recently built Gotham Stadium (near the Wayne Botanical Gardens) is home to the Gotham Wildcats (NFL). The Knights Dome is home to the Gotham Knights (MLB-AL). Sommerset Stadium is home to the Gotham Monarchs (MLB-NL). The Gotham Ice Arena in Summerset Township has two rinks, one used for figure skating and one for ice hockey. Next time, we'll look at observatories and planetariums.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions IST Pittsburgh is on Wood Street between Fifth Avenue and Oliver Avenue. Although it occupies the entire block of Wood Street, it doesn't occupy the entire block. Apple Way, a narrow alley, separates the embassy's loading dock ramp from the Park Building and Saks Fifth Avenue. (The third floor and above have restroom and maintance facilities.) The first floor has telephone booths, a news stand, a gift shop and, unlike other IST embassies, a coffee shop. A door leads to the kitchen from Fifth Avenue. It can be opened from inside and is monitored by IST security and the base mainframe. The second floor houses the HVAC equipment. The third floor houses security. An emergency deployment hatch opens above the loading dock ramp. The fourth floor is the administrative floor. Along the Wood Street side are the administrator's office, his secretary's, the legal attache's office, her secretary's, her law library, the PR director's office, her secretary's, the PR photo and artical library, a staff conference room and a photo studio complete with darkroom and computer systems. The Oliver Avenue side has a press briefing room and administrative and secretarial offices. More offices are on the Apple Way and Fifth Avenue sides. The fifth floor is the residential floor. Ten suites, consisting of a bedroom, living room and bathroom are on the Fifth Avenue side. Ten more are on the Oliver Avenue side. The Apple Way side has the dining and kitchen facilities, which are always open, as well as the head cook's office. The Wood Street side has the rec room, where the gates are, the entertainment center and the office the majordomo, head housekeeper and their secretary share. The sixth floor is the operations center. The Wood Street side is the team leader's office, the communications denter, and the team's meeting room. The Oliver Avenue side has the medical and dental facilities. The Apple Way side is the gymnasium, with weight training, martial arts and cardiovascular training. The telecommunications facilities, electronics lab, forensics lab and technical library are on the Fifth Avenue side. Above this floor is the helipad. Next time, we visit the underground floors and, maybe, go through the gates.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions Thanks. What do you think of the world and city information?

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? This time, we visit Gotham's nightlife, to be exact, a few bars and clubs. I have The Daily Planet Guide to Gotham City for West End Games's DC Universe RPG beside me. It's a good guide to Gotham. Belly dance fans go to the Falcon's Rest and Zorba's. The Falcon's Rest, in Scheldon Park is a Middle-Eastern nightclub. They have, according to their ads, the finest belly dancers in the country. Zorba's, in Chelsea, is a Greek bar, has, as many claim, the best belly dancers in the city. The ones that dance there regularly include Salome, a 17-year old dancer who wears long gloves with her regular costumes and does The Dance of the Seven Veils when the Gotham Opera Company presents Salome, Nura, her mother and Safura, their teacher. Danny's, in Chelsea, is one of the better jazz bars. The Jazz Angels are there Thursday through Sunday nights. The Succubus Club, in Sheldon Park is a favorite of the Goth scene. Magic fans go to the Cabaret of Magic, a supper club in Chelsea.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions No, I haven't forgotten this thread. I've just been busy with other stuff, and other threads.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? In this and the next few posts, we'll tour the Gotham City area. Today, we go to the tracks. North of the city and Bristol Township are Gotham Downs, Gotham Kennel Club Dog Track and Gotham Motor Speedway. Gotham Downs is a thoroughbred track. It has a 7/8 mile grass track inside a one mile dirt track. The parade marshall wears English-style clothes and her houses, white Arabians, wear English tack. The Gotham Kennel Club Dog Track is typical of greyhound tracks. The lure has been nicknamed "Long Ears". Gotham Motor Speedway is a one mile paved oval with a 1.51-mile internal road course. The owner has no interest in hosting amateur races. West of the city and Sommerset Township are Gotham Park and Gotham Raceway. Gotham Park is a 5/8 mile harness track with an all-weather (limestone) surface. The parade marshall wears western clothes and her horses. leopard appaloosa (white with dark spots all over) mares, wear western tack. Gotham Raceway has four tracks, a 2.99-mile natural terrain road course, a drag strip, a half-mile oval and a go-kart track. The track has three industrial areas. The first, in the road course's external paddock, is home to Conlin Racing and Engineering, a garage for the track's support vehicles and a garage for the track's racing school's cars. The second is a group of fast food and casual dining restaraunts. The third area consists. so far, of the track's administration building, the racing school's building RaceGear, a company that sells racing equipment and supplies and RaceGraphics, which makes custom decals for race cars. Robinson Park is home to a 2.33-mile temporary street circuit that'll be used once a year for the Gotham Vintage Car Grand Prix. The first one will be held shortly after the campaign starts.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? I was thinking of a year one Batman and Batgirl in the CU, with ideas borrowed from The Satan Bug (a movie from the 1960s), Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer (post Season seven and the Bureau 13 stories. Some contribute a lot, some don't. Don't worry. We'll get to them. Alfred has been replaced by Marie. In order to get help gathering a support staff, a group of like-minded heroes, and, possibly, a federal liaison, Batman and Batgirl talk to their friend Lady Arcane. who is well-known to the government. She is willing to talk to her federal liaison and see what can be done. She also agrees to hire the staff members Batman selects and creates a gate in each base that leads to a hall that also leads to other areas, most of which were on a world whose population is now dead. The Powers that Be made sure the world was decontaminated. (The Powers, from Buffy, may also be known as The Higher Powers, from Bureau 13 and the Elders, from Charmed. The release of the Satan Bug, from the movie of the same name, was responsible for the deaths.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? Vex, I like your elseworld Bruce Wayne/Batman. I'm not sure, however, what the GCPD will think of the energy carbine. The orignial Wayne Manor Batcave is the one I'd use for this Batman with all the workshop facilities on the top floor. This would leave a bit more space for the gymnasium. The gate would allow access to what the Batcave doesn't provide, medical facilities, a library and extra living quarters, as well as access to Lady Arcane's house for the support staff and government liaison. (As far as the general public knows, they assist Lady Arcane, not Batman.) April's usual garb is a long-sleeve khaki jumpsuit. On the rare occasions when she joins the team, her black garb (which includes clawed gloves0 looks like that of a cat burglar and she goes by the name Spirit Cat and uses a Japanese accent. (After many years of living with a Japanese family, she can easily mimic the accent.) Christine is a black woman with braided hair. She decided to wear the British Caledonian stewardess uniform (including white gloves) that was found in the living quarters because she liked the look. Mariko, the nurse, who originally wore scrubs, now wears white uniforms and a cap out of respect for her late mother, a nurse, and because, after trying them on, she liked how she looked in them. The only federal liaison is Denise Dumont, a blue-eyed blonde, is a skilled stage actress who worked, for the CIA, as a black-bag jobs expert before joining the DOSPA. She always wears gloves because she loves doing so (a one-point quirk) She started wearing them while preparing to play a fashionable lady in 1906 Boston. (In this universe, gloves are in style for even the most casual clothes.) In the cave, she usually wears a jumpsuit identical to April's, but has been seen wearing a 1961 American Airlines stewardess uniform that once belonged to her maternal grandmother. When she goes out into the field, she, like April, dresses like a cat burglar and backs the engineer/ninja up.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? Batman and Batgirl are skilled in armed and unarmed combat, deduction, forensics and various skills used by nocternal superheroes. However, neither is skilled in in either computer science or engineering. Batman, Bruce Wilson, is a karate expert. Barbara, his half Japanese wife, is skilled in ninjitsu and is April's blood sister. (Barbara's mother was their gymnastics coach and ninjitsu instructor.) The two women often spar together. Although they both know The Nine Ways of Cutting, from The Ultimate Martial Artist, April is still trying to teach Barbara The Path of the Shadow's Companion, from Fu Schticks for Champions on Mike Surbrook's site. The current Batcave and penthouse are fine, if I use Pittsburgh. If I use a version of Gothan where the renaming of areas for DC staffers never occurred, Bruce, Barbara and their housekeeper, Marie, will live in a mansion and a different Batcave, possibly bassed on the old Wayne Manor one, will be used. Suggestions as to which city would be welcome.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? Here's what I have, so far, on the staff and liaisons. April Curtis, M.S. is Batman's engineer. An athletic-looking brunette, she's the daughter of a wealthy family, an electronics engineer, amateur race car driver, a former Olympic and college gymnast, and a skilled kunoichi, (or female ninja) who prefers working on equipment to fighting crime. Batman can occasionally talk her into assisting with a case. Christing Hunter, M.S. is Batman's computer expert. A blue-eyed blonde, she is an expert swimmer. Carol James, R.N., BSN., is the team's nurse. like April, she's a brunette and is a former cheerleader. Nicole Avery is the team's CIA liaison and an expert in black-bag jobs. (Since 9/11 the CIA has been allowed to work in the United States on domestic terrorism cases.) An stage actress before joining the CIA, she's worn gloves all the time since playing a fashionable woman in a play set in Boston in 1902. (In this universe, gloves went out of style in the early 1970s, Dressy ones came back into style in 1979 and by 1985 women were wearing them with casual clothes.) DOSPA liaison John Clark is a middle-aged bureaucrat. The FBI hasn't assigned a liaison, but is planning to. The PRIMUS liaison is Elena Mendez, a tall Hispanic woman with a law degree. The liaisons have access to the Batcave, but work out of either Lady Arcane's house or the Federal Building. The church has been identified. It is the Immanuel United Church of Christ. A blood drive was going on in the Multipurpose Room and a health fair was in progress in the Fellowship Hall. The Islamic garb and various uniforms found in the buildings have been recovered and placed in a group of hotel rooms. (The heroes are given a list of what is in what room.) Christine now always wears British Caledonian(sp) Airlines stewardess uniforms that were found there and Carol wears either white nurse's uniforms and a cap (usually) or blue and white student nurse's uniforms and a cap (occasionally) or a cheerleader's uniform (rarely) instead of scrubs.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? As promised last time, we're going through the gate. Gate A takes us to a hall with two doores on each side and one at the end. The first one on the left, Gate B, leads to a first aid room, complete with cot, treatment chair, sink, cabinets, desk and chair. The first on the right, Gate C, leads to a Japenese garden, complete with lake, bridges and a tea house. The second on the left takes us to a rec center that features a pool, gymnasium with running track, racquetball courts, a weight room and other features, On the board behind the desk is a message from the cheerleader coach reminding her team to pickup their new uniforms, indicating that the woman in the photograph is modeling a uniform and stating that she's the coach's daughter and a new member of the squad. A nearby newspaper states that The United States and Saudi Arabia are at war over the Saudi government's decision to pull all of its funds out of all the banks in the United States. The second door on the right leads to the Black Diamond Hotel and a church. A signboard on the wall announces that the state's Islamic women's group is meeting in the conference rooms. According to the newspapers in the gift shop, it's October 1982 and the United States is about to invade Cuba over the missile crisis and will sink any Soviet ship that tries to run the blockade. Activities in the church and its name are still undecided. The door at the end of the hall leads to Lady Arcane's house. Only staff members and government liaisons can go through it. Next, we meet the staff and liaisons. The information about the church will be posted when compiled.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? As promised, here's the information on the Wayne Foundation Batcave. I'm basing my size estimate on an isometric drawing in the DC Heroes Batman Sourcebook from Mayfair, dated 1989. Along the north side are the main shop, vehicle shop (where the elevator from Bruce's penthouse exits), den, and computer room. Along the south side are the Batmobile's parking spot, trophy room and crime lab. The Batmobile's exit is on the west side. Our version is slightly different. The two shops are now one and the den also serves as the team's library and meeting room. There's also a gate in the east wall. We'll go there next.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman???

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? Good point. We know that there are an infinate number of universes. He could be the Batman in the CU or a close analog. He's a lot like Bruce, but he isn't paranoid and he doesn't mind working with other superheroes, including mages, and the government. Let's see, he owns a building in the city's central business district and lives, along with his wife and their housekeeper, in the penthouse apartment. His wife is his Batgirl and her costume resembles Cassandra Cain's. Their Batcave is 200 feet below the building and resembles the Wayne Foundation Batcave. More on it later.

Re: What?? Bruce Wayne isn't Batman??? Nighthawk's character sheet would do for Batman's characteristics and skills. The gear he always carries can be represented by a multipower with a VPP representing the gear he doesn't always carry. The disadvantages and story will probably need to be changed, too. Plus, I have to build a Batmobile and Batcave. Good thing I'm not going to have a point limit for my characters. For those who don't know, according to an artical I read in a Digital Hero, I forgot which one, the idea of a specific point total came from RPG gaming's wargaming roots, where the characters were equal.

I know we've kicked Batman around on these threads, but here's a strange twist on him. In the campaign universe, DC's Batman is a comic book hero. It does, however, inspire a wealthy young man who is in good physical shape to take up the Dark Knight's mantle. Unlike Bruce, he has no problem working with other heroes, including mages, or the government. Oh, instead of a butler, he has a maid. She knows his secret and, like Alfred, is very practical. I have Gadeget and Gear and know it has some cool stuff in it. Comments? Questions? Ideas?

Re: GURPS IST in Champions The Pittsburgh area has two horse tracks, the Meadows, in Washington County, a 5/8 mile harness track and Beaver County Downs, in Beaver County, a thoroughbred track with a 7/8 mile grass track inside the one mile dirt track. Both have slot machines. There are four major car tracks in the area, BeaveRun, in Beaver County, Washington County Raceway, in Washington County, Pittsburgh Motor Speedway in Moon Township and the Pittsburgh Vintage Car Grand Prix course. Washington County Raceway has a 2.99 mile road course, a dragstrip, a 1/2 mile paved oval and a go-kart track. Pittsburgh Motor Speedway is a one mile oval with an internal 1.51-mile road course. The Pittsburgh Vintage Car Grand Prix course is a 2.33-mile temporary street circuit in Schenley Park. Bars and nightclubs abound. Belly Dance fans gather at The Falcon's Rest, a nightclub, on Ninth Street in Downtown and Zorba's, a Greek bar, on Forbes Avenue in Oakland. People wanting to watch Salome go to Zorba's. That's where she, her mother, Nura, and their teacher, Safura dance. People who like jazz have many options. Danny's, on Bouquet Street in Oakland is a popular place. The Jazz Angels play there Thursday through Sunday. The goth crowd goes to the Sucubus Club in the Strip District. Magic fans go to the Cabaret of Magic, a Strip District supper club. The Pittsburgh Ice Arena, in the Strip District has two rinks, one for ice skating and one for hockey. The Penguins, despite their desire for a new arena, won't play there, but the owners don't care. There are, at least, 20 hockey games there each week. If you like the stars, the new Buhl Planetarium and Institute of Popular Science is the place to be. It's on Fifth Avenue in Oakland and has a five story garage that's open to the public under it. The refurbished Zeiss projector, nicknamed Jake, is still there and it's in use every day. IST Pittsburgh in at Fifth Avenue and Wood Streets, where the Lazarus was. Next time, we'll tour the embassy.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions Europeans love their metahumans. Even villains are loved, if they show style. Some, like le Chat Noir, are cult figures for their flamboyance and refusal to cause serious harm to persons or property. In my campaign, le Chat Noir is a polite, soft-spoken female cat burglar whose silencer-equipped pistol is always loaded with knockout darts. Recently, after he insulted her costume in his regular column in Metahuman Monthly, she threatened to send a hairball to The Suave Marauder, the magazine's regular fashion columnist. Three years ago, the IST started using a long-sleeve Khaki jumpsuit as the uniform for its maintance workers. It has since become the regular uniform for IST technical workers of all kinds. Many ISTs have staff photographers. In addition to doing work for the publicity department, they assist the medical and dental people with medical photography and film processing. Next up, well visit the Pittsburgh area.

Re: GURPS IST in Champions The IST recently opened their embassy in the southern part of the Sinai, near the Sinai range. The closest mountain is known as, among other things, Mount Saint Catherine, after the Russian Orthodox monastery, which also has a mosque, at its base. It isn't the only religious structure there. The Chapel of the Holy Trinity is at its peak. The mountain is considered holy ground by many people. Why? Simple. For centuries, people have believed it to be the Biblical Mount Sinai. The monastery's spiritual heart is the Chapel of the Burning Bush, which sits atop the roots of the Biblical bush "that burned with fire, and was not consumed" (Exodus, 3, 2). A few feet away from the chapel is the reputed bush itself, a rare species of the rose family called Rubus Sanctus, which is endemic to Sinai and extremely long-lived. The underground spring that supplies the monastery with water is said to sit on the very spot where Moses met his future wife, Zipporah, after protecting her and her sisters from an aggressive group of local sheperds (Exodus, 2, 16-21). According to the monks, the well never dries up and is the monastery's main source of water. The information about the mountain and monastery has been taken from several web pages about them.