Guardian Wasps [45 pt] – Google Docs
Guardian Wasps [45 pt]
There is a lively discussion whether or not the first Guardian Wasps represented a botched attempt at the Control Insect spell, or else an extremely successful attempt. After all, it’s typically expected to be a disaster when a spell permanently transforms a swarm of wasps into a hive mind with human-level intelligence. One wasp can be alarming: six thousand, all subject to a single will, are usually terrifying.
Root Beer
This is kind of an assassination tool, maybe? Although it doesn’t exactly kill people. It instead changes their personality, positive and negative traits, and skill sets. So, it’s pretty nasty stuff: you may not die after drinking it, but after whoever gives Root Beer to you gets done with you you won’t be the same person in any real, meaningful sense, either. One of many reasons why it’s rather thoroughly banned, except in the most advanced Galactic cultures, under the most rigorous bioethical guidelines.
So, this went dark quick.
The Limited-Awareness Mobile Platform (L.A.M.P.) Project
Little known fact: people have been able to successfully replicate AI in machinery since about 1790 AD (this, of course, predates Babbage’s Difference Engine). Even less-known fact: nobody was ever able to sustain said replication at full strength for more than about thirty seconds. Apparently the new intelligence goes screaming up the scale to either Singularity-style apotheosis, or the neurological equivalent of putting a pelagic sea cucumber in a regular-pressure salt water tank; frustratingly, nobody’s ever been able to get a straight answer from the AIs as to whether they were shouting in joy, or screaming in terror.
It was an interesting time, although we’re all going to have to look more closely at the rules. I also probably should make sure that the Villains have more dice in their pool to do Villainous stuff. Well, that’s how you learn.
If you’re interested: the major thing that we took away from 7th Sea combat is that it’s a bit more abstracted, or at least that we were treating it as abstracted. It was very easy to jump about and shift focus, which is fine if you’re used to actually roleplaying and improvising dialogue. If you’re more of the ‘I hit him with my weapon for 1d8 damage’ school of gaming then you might find it less intriguing.
All in all, I think that the combat system works, but it’s not very intuitive. We may end up coming up with significant numbers of house rules. Which, hey, is just what we all did with first edition 7th Sea!
Eschermacke
This rather bulky artifact consists of eight 2-inch quadruplex videotape reels holding sixteen twenty-five minute long cartoons, for a total of six and two-third hours of footage. The cartoons are from a Serbian-language show called ‘Eschermacke’ (‘Escher Cats’) that apparently appeared on Radio Television Belgrade in 1967; it features a pack of vaguely anthropomorphic cats that can stretch themselves like taffy and have somewhat surreal adventures. The animation is horrible, even by the standards of the time; and the writing is not much better — which probably explains why the videotape reels have been gathering dust in the University of Novi Sad library since at least 1978.
The Savage Worlds RPG setting East Texas University was described by Bundle of Holding as being “Southern rural horror right out of Bubba Ho-tep by way of Buffy and The X-Files,” which is admittedly not a bad pitch when it comes to people like me. But cash flow is cash flow. Is this worth the price of admission?
Destroyer-of-Shins – Google Docs
Destroyer-of-Shins
This thoroughly nasty weapon dates back to the end of China’s Song Dynasty. It is a jain (a double-edged, straight sword) that has been unfortunately enchanted to not rust or break; the hilt has a forward-facing guard, and can accommodate two hands. Destroyer-of-Shins has had a number of scabbards over the years, as the sword is apparently destructive of any scabbard that it is placed in. While Destroyer-of-Shins is an extremely well-made hand-and-a-half sword, it is best known (for given values of ‘known’) for the way that a single scratch from it can guarantee that the target dies, screaming, after a week of agony. There’s no known cure or even palliative, whether magical or technological.
Alternate title: Everything’s gonna be OK, folks. Ken Hite would have had the authorial and editorial chops to do this even before Night’s Black Agents came out; and getting that one out and acclaimed makes him the best choice. And I am kind of pleased to see that it’s going to be Vampire: the Masquerade again. I had no real objections to Vampire: the Requiem, but it never caught fire with me. Continue reading @kennethhite will be Lead Designer for the new Vampire: the Masquerade.
Suit of the Chelonian Avenger [400 pt] – Google Docs
Suit of the Chelonian Avenger [400 pt]
This outfit is best described as being an instant superhero suit. It consists of a blue-and-brown costume in the classic ‘shorts over stretchy bodysuit’ style, with tactical gloves, sturdy outdoor boots, and a stylized picture of a turtle on the chest. And, yes: no cape. The suit is otherwise all very stylish, and well-made.
But it’s the facemask that stands out: it’s clearly made from the shell of a snapping turtle, with holes for the eyes and mouth. When put on, the msk gives the abilities and skills listed below. Note that the Injury Tolerance represents the mask wearer’s uncanny ability to get shot, yet almost never have it hit anything really vital.
This was such an in-joke, but: ninja. ALL THE NINJA, forever. I regret nothing.
Yves, Ninja Archangel of Destiny – Google Docs Continue reading In Nomine Revisited: Yves, Ninja Archangel of Destiny.
