Roleplaying Games


The longest continuous campaign I’ve ever played would have to be the Star Trek campaign I started in 2000, after moving back to Albuquerque from Texas. I had intended it to be a mini-campaign, maybe a dozen nights of play, at most, and I was doing it mostly to get a few of our old gamers back into the fold. One of them was a huge Trekkie.

It lasted six years.

The game started with Last Unicorn’s rules, then migrated to Decipher’s in 2001 or 2002. We set the game post Dominion War, and I kept a lot of The Next Generation and Deep Space 9 “canon” for the game, but ignored all but the good parts of The Old Show and the movies. I ignored Voyager and Enterprise. The game centered on post-war politics and the rise of a machine race composed of von Neumann robots. We had a few rules — technology did what it was supposed to…no rewiring the deflector dish into a spiraling quantum whatsinator; the Federation and its culture was going to be explored…what was so great about it?; the tech that was discovered in the various shows and movies hadn’t disappeared…robots and sentient machines were just starting to show up and were based on the Ilya gynoid from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Data was tech that had been largely unsuccessful.

We went through various ships and period from just post-Dominion War to about 100 years in the future, when the whole fleet was comprised of sentient starships, their crews who were as often as not cybernetically linked to the ship’s network. They busted the Borg by winning that enemy over with a better deal — the same fusion of tech and organics, but without the coercion…Federation crews either wanted to be wired, or served without the cybernetics. The cybernetics were not invasive, like the Borg’s. We did Borg better than they did.

Eventually, the issue was that the technology was so good, their understanding of the universe so complete that there was no real drama in the game… Game over.

EASY — Glenn Andreus’ Dicenomicon for my iPad and iPhone. I use this program for playing in my friend’s Wild Talents game, and it’s quick and easy to use. Honorable mention for Dicy, which I use on my laptop. You can get it from the Mac App store or here. (Come on, Glenn, get me a version of Dicenomicon for OSX!)

Built to take advantage of the tax laws, the Morgan is cheaper to register and license than a car, as it is considered a motorcycle by HMG. The John Alfred Prestwich (JAP) twin cylinder motorcycle engine is is also used by the Brough Superior motorcycles, as is the chain-drive to the rear wheel. It is a three speed plus reverse gearbox, the body is wood-framed with a light steel sheeting that brings the car in at 850 lbs. The lightweight allowed the JAP motor to push a Super Sports to 115.6mph in 1930, whilst driven by Mrs. Gwenda Stewert of France.

36-Morgan-Super-Sports-DV-08_HHC-02

Size: 2   Def: 6   Str: 6   Spd: 110   Han: +2   Crew: 1   Pass: 1   Cost: $600

 

I don’t really have one. Suggestions are welcome, but I’d be more interested in non-system specific stuff.

I rather like Runeslinger’s Casting Shadows and Sirko Rückmann’s vblogs on gaming. Don’t know if that counts…

I decided to discount screencaps, comic art (or Dr. Dinosaur’s “Behold an ordinary motorist!” while driving through a building wins, hands down!) and anything that wasn’t specifically created for a game. I had a few pieces i really like — the Hill Martians Detrick did in the original Space: 1889 rulebook (p.179), the Castle Falkenstein two page splash on p.10-11 of Castle Falkenstein, and there’s a lot of really nice stuff in the Numenera book, but I think I have to go with the “Shadow Hunter” pantherwoman, tied with the Amazon Warrior from the example character pages of Mysteries of the Hollow Earth. I need to touch base with Jeff Combos and find out who the artist was, so I can give them their due.

Here they are…

panther copy

amazon

What was that..? You need to use some Red Army types as bad guys for your James Bond: 007 RPG? Well, here’s their latest subgun/PDW, the QCW-05 in their proprietory 5.8x21mm DAP92 cartridge (their answer to the 5.7x28mm):

qcw_05_l1

The QCW-05 stands for “Silenced Assault Gun, 2005” and there is a 9mm version, the JS-9. The weapon uses a split magazine that has two staggered ammunition tracks to crowd 50 rounds of 5.8mm into it; the JS-9 uses standard 30 round H&K MP5 magazines. The round is a 43-grain steel-core bullet moving at 1500 fps (with the suppressor) with an energy in the low 9mm range. A simple peep sight on the bullpup’s carrying handle works adequately, and the charging handle is protected by the carrying handle, as well.

PM: +1   S/R: 2/10   AMMO: 50   DC: E/H   CLOS: 0-8   LONG: 20-60   CON: n/a   JAM: 96+   RL: 2   COST: $16,000

GM INFORMATION: Without the suppressor, the DC is +1 for both ratings, CLOS 0-9, CON +4. The JS-9 follows:

PM: +1   S/R: 2/10   AMMO: 30   DC: E/H   CLOS: 0-9   LONG: 25-65   CON: n/a JAM: 99+   RL: 2

The JS-9 gains the same bump in DC and CON as the QCW-05 when the suppressor is removed.

 

QSZ-92/CF-98/QSW-06 “Silenced” Pistol

There are several versions of this pistol in the Chinese 5.8x21mm or 9mm Luger cartridge in service since the mid-90s. It is a full-size service pistol, usually issued with a suppressor. They look, for the most part, very similar.

2446304

In 5.8mm, it has a 20 round capacity, in the 9mm versions 15, and uses a rotating lock breech short recoil system that provides fairly low recoil impulse. The controls are easy to reach and use and ergonomics are surprisingly good, save for a very long double action trigger pull. They have a relatively low service life on their barrels, compared to service pistols like the American’s Beretta M9, or the Glock 17 with an expected use of about 10,000 rounds. They are a popular import weapon to Canada.

PM: 0   S/R: 3   AMMO: 15/20   DC: E/F   CLOS: 0-8   LONG: 12-18   CON: +1   JAM: 98+   RL: 1   COST: $600

GM INFORMATION: The second rating on the AMMO and DC is for the 9mm version.

 

 

 

Some excellent ideas here…

 

Im tempted to toot my own horn and say Scott Rhymer (VictorianaImperial Age), but that’s too arrogant for my tastes. I think I’ll have to go with eitehr Jeff Combos for the Hollow Earth Expedition stuff or Mike Olsen for his nailing the tone of Atomic Robo in said game.

The group picked up on Aquaria last Thursday, where they had made contact with the resistance movement in the Alhous Mountains near Kyros. About a thousand people were living in a cave complex complete with some hot springs, lit by fire and candlelight save in the places where electricity is needed (the infirmary.) They don’t use anything that gives off an electronic signature while inside. The people here — from children to the elderly, are all armed to the teeth, and have been fighting the toasters (or “chromers” as they call them, and the “fleshers” — the humanoid Cylons) in the still-pre-winter mountains and old growth forests around Kyros. The Cylons, it turns out, don’t do well in snow.

The characters produce aerial and orbital reconnaissance for the rebels to use, try to start putting together intelligence, and try to find out if the Aquarians are up for a push on the Cylons. They find out the Cylons still have relatively low numbers due to a successful IED campaign, and a suicide plane attack on the factory that was turning out new units. The resistance movements have been talking to each other — the bad weather and terrain is something the Aquarians are used to, and they do courier work between the small settlements throughout the continent. Some Aquarians know there’s been a war, but they haven’t even seen a Cylon. It’s a culture of communal living but a respect for individual hunting prowess, there’s a good survival skill set for many of the people, and they are ready to be led into battle.

The Cylons, however, have not been resting on their successes. There are several new models of mechanical terror that have been loosed on Aquaria (and it’s assumed, other Colonies). To address some of the isues of the “new” centurions, the Cylons seem to have designed new centurions that have moved away from the biomechanical paradigm of the Seraph (humanoid Cylons) and have them using scrounged materiel, instead of the small-caliber arm-mountd guns. They are shorter, bulkier, and tougher, and like all the newer critters, have FLIR as standard, making them very hard to avoid. For these, we used the design from the stillborn Galactica reboot.

Cylon front color concept

ATTRIBUTES: Agility: d6   Strength: d12   Vitality: d10   Alertness: d10   Intelligence: d10   Willpower: d8

SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Initiative: d6+d10   Life Points: 22   Armor: 4W, 3S

TRAITS: Electronic Interface d8, Enhanced Vision (FLIR) d4, Formidable Presence d4

SKILLS: Athletics d6 (Lifting d10), Discipline d6, Guns d6 (Autofire d8), Heavy Weaponry d6, Knowledge d6, Mechanical Engineering d4, Perception d6 (Hearing, Sight d10), Pilot d6, Planetary Vehicles d6, Technical Engineering d6 (Hacking, Security Systems d10), Unarmed Combat d6

 

 

They also have “steel wolves”, as the Aquarians call them — robotic wolves with razor sharp teeth and claws, and a bite that can crush bone. They are lightly armored for speed, and have large paws to deal with the snow.

ATTRIBUTES: Agility: d8   Strength: d8   Vitality: d6   Alertness: d8   Intelligence: d4   Willpower: d6

SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Initiative: 2d8   Life Points: 14   Armor: 2W, 2S

TRAITS: Built for Speed d6, Enhanced Sensors (FLIR and Hearing) d4, Limited Battery d4

SKILLS: Athletics d6 (Running d10), Unarmed Combat d6

I also borrowed a bit from the Terminator franchise for some of this stuff. There are the centaurions — centurion torso/head assemblies mated to motorcycles, or on Aquaria, “snow machines”, armed with 7mm autocannons.

VEHICLE DATA: Scale: Personnel    Length: 5’    Widths: 2’    Height: 3’terminatormototerminator1200

ATTRIBUTES: Agility d6, Strength d6   Vitality d4   Alertness d6   Intelligence d6   Willpower d6

 

SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Initiative: d10+d6    Speed: 150mph    Life Points: 10    Armor: 1W, 2S

TRAITS: Fast Throttle d4, Formidable Presence d4, Unstable Platform d4

SKILLS: Athletics d6, Heavy Weaponry d6, Perception d4

ARMAMENT: 2 7mm autocannons d8W Personal Scale, Skirmish Range [200 yards]; Blades d4W

 

 

And lastly, the Decurion — a four-story high tank that is armed with massive autocannons, guided missile pods, and can house a platoon of centurions.

terminator_salvation_newpic_9VEHICLE DATA:  Scale: Vehicular    Height: 44’    Width: 45’    Crew: Autonomous, but carries up to 6 centurions.

ATTRIBUTES: Agility d4   Strength d10   Vitality d10   Alertness d8   Intelligence d6   Willpower d6

 

SECONDARY ATTRIBUTES: Initiative: d4+d8    Speed: 60mph    Life Points: 20    Armor: 3W, 2S

TRAITS: Formidable Presence d6, Large Footprint d4, Stable Platform d4 (ignores snow, up to 10 water)

SKILLS: Athletics d4, Heavy Weapons d6 [Autocannons d8], Perception d6 [Sight d10]

ARMAMENTS: 2 50mm Authocannons: d10W Vehicle Scale, Skirmish Range (5000m); 2 missile pods (armored) d8W Vehicle Scale, Skirmish Range (5 mi)

After the talks with the Alhous resistance crew, they were going to attempt to make contact with the resistance near Heim — the world’s capital, and the other main base of operations for the Cylons. Unfortunately, there raptor had been discovered, and the toasters were waiting. A decent firefight ensued in which were saw the snow centaurions, the steel wolves, and the decurion in action, as well as the new centurions (who are quieter than their older versions.) These forces were being let by a new humanoid Cylon, but one that was a bit creepy — the Aquarians had mentioned the Cylons were taking people and turning them into Cylons; flesh covering, robotic underneath. One of these “IL series”, as it called itself, was waiting for them, and in a strange twist, tried to get them to surrender, rather than kill them…

They were able to squeak out a very tight escape by jumping the raptor right there on the ground to their RP with the exploration vessel Striker (part of their task force) to report back. That was where we broke for the night.

I looked through the games on my shelf, and thought about the games that had appealed past and present, and I think I have to go with Margaret Weis Productions. Despite my lack of enthusiasm for most of the Cortex Plus lines, I’ve been using Cortex classic since Serenity came out, then locked in on the Battlestar Galactica/Supernatural/Cortex Core version once it was released. It’s easily my favorite set of mechanics. Funnily, even though I don’t particularly like most versions of Cortex Plus — from the odious Smallville to the meh Leverage, I am somewhat fond of Firefly and think it would handle both Star Wars and Star Trek better than it does the ‘Verse.

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