So. Plans. Currently Fennec and Kentari are running games.
I (aka Alcar) am just doing one side game at the moment.
The plan, at least for me, is as follows:
The numenera world guide comes out late this month; I'll snag it, read it it and etc. and sometime during February there shall be a new Numenera game offered up. I've hashed out the idea in the channel, but the basic premise will be the game is set a few years after the first one and the game will be about the pcs travelling/exploring rather than being based out of any one location.
As players know the system/setting well now, the character options book shall be free to use for the game, which shall let everyone go nuts with options for new PCs.
The PCs of the previous campaign won't show up, but they will be stories/legends in this game that players get to make and have fun with it. For reference, the town of Milvane has become a city-state within the kingdom of Thaemor ruled by itself, due to alliances with underground-dwelling 'humans', robot allies, energy sources akin to perpetual power for the settlement and so forth. That one town managed to become such a thing is making other towns consider options and shaking the status quo of the Steadfast, sending reverberations out into the Beyond of what can be accomplished with the old world if one comes at it with a vision of the future.
Alternatively, if players aren't up for numenera gain so soon, we can always figure out some other game to run instead. Sparkie just insists the game can't use Amber, of course.
Showing posts with label game news. Show all posts
Showing posts with label game news. Show all posts
Saturday, January 03, 2015
Monday, October 21, 2013
Games!
Game stuff shall resume in December. Probably NOT OH, I suspect. For a few reasons.
I have a couple of ideas rummaging in my head; toss any my way during November.
Basic thoughts:
I prefer modern world to Fantasy (in terms of needing less work to do pre-game stuff). Toss ideas and thoughts my way and I'll try to make a setting up from them in November while not writing things.
I have a couple of ideas rummaging in my head; toss any my way during November.
Basic thoughts:
- 2-3 player game, max.
- Setting and system variable. (Ova Risus has been at least decent for a simple but not too simple system.)
- Game plays at least twice a week.
- Player input VITAL: aka, given Setting and System, what kind of PC(s) do you want to make. How do you want them to grow? What do you want them to get out of the game?
- etc.
I prefer modern world to Fantasy (in terms of needing less work to do pre-game stuff). Toss ideas and thoughts my way and I'll try to make a setting up from them in November while not writing things.
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Side Game: Sigil
Life in Echo City used to be normal. Not a town, not a large city, forest all around, a crime rate low enough to make national news for that fact alone. Northern, but you can't have everything.
That was yesterday. The world was boring yesterday. Now you've woken up with a tattoo you never got: to everyone else it's abstract and odd, but to you it's solid and real and when you think about it somehow the world itself isn't as real or simple as it used to be. You've been marked by something Other and the world is no long boring, and definitely not safe .... but neither are you.
System: BESM 3, 220 points.
Genre: Action/Mystery. Making a PC who can fight -- or can learn to -- is a good idea.
PC Concept: Take 1 character idea, and one BESM ability idea and mould the two together. Character age and occupation up to you, game will fit itself around that.
Time: This game will run at varying times, with the PCs likely never meeting despite having impact on each other. This allows it to run without player obligations to show up. We shall see how it goes.
Details:
Note #2: It will be possible to improve abilities and possibly develop other ones later on as the game progresses, though the caps outlined for damage and ACV will likely not change substantially.
Game Background: Our parents and their parents had generations defined by a war. This generation did not. To some, this is a flaw that requires being 'fixed' and in the small city of Echo something has been implemented, or gone out of hand. Some will blame the government, others aliens: the reality is that certain people have odd stylized tattoos show up on their bodies. They concentrate on them and find they can do one impossible thing no one else can.
Some abilities are permanent, some only work so long before the ability – and tattoo – fade away entirely. No one knows why it is happening or to what end, but some do abuse them and others cannot sit by and watch that happen ....
That was yesterday. The world was boring yesterday. Now you've woken up with a tattoo you never got: to everyone else it's abstract and odd, but to you it's solid and real and when you think about it somehow the world itself isn't as real or simple as it used to be. You've been marked by something Other and the world is no long boring, and definitely not safe .... but neither are you.
System: BESM 3, 220 points.
Genre: Action/Mystery. Making a PC who can fight -- or can learn to -- is a good idea.
PC Concept: Take 1 character idea, and one BESM ability idea and mould the two together. Character age and occupation up to you, game will fit itself around that.
Time: This game will run at varying times, with the PCs likely never meeting despite having impact on each other. This allows it to run without player obligations to show up. We shall see how it goes.
Details:
- Up to 20 points can be spent on 1 ability from the BESM book, which is the characters tattoo/sigil in a spot on the body appropriate to the ability.
- Skills must be bought, but only those flat-out necessary. In other words, 1-3 skills that nail down PCs job and hobbies.
- Character Limits: Damage cap is ~40, after all modifiers. ACV/DCV is ~7. A character based entirely on Massive Damage can be higher, but only to a point.
Note #2: It will be possible to improve abilities and possibly develop other ones later on as the game progresses, though the caps outlined for damage and ACV will likely not change substantially.
Game Background: Our parents and their parents had generations defined by a war. This generation did not. To some, this is a flaw that requires being 'fixed' and in the small city of Echo something has been implemented, or gone out of hand. Some will blame the government, others aliens: the reality is that certain people have odd stylized tattoos show up on their bodies. They concentrate on them and find they can do one impossible thing no one else can.
Some abilities are permanent, some only work so long before the ability – and tattoo – fade away entirely. No one knows why it is happening or to what end, but some do abuse them and others cannot sit by and watch that happen ....
Saturday, June 30, 2012
*coughs*
Well. Turned out the fun 'write a quick novel in June' became 'Oh, I'm doing this story instead, and it's damn hard and I have no time to do anything else'. Which hadn't been intended, but still happened. Sparkie will punish me for this, never fear.
Game wise: Should be able to get back into things in July, though I may be dog-sitting for a few days early on in the month again. I have no plans to run and/or play games more than 3 nights a week at present, however. I am aware the kind of games I run don't fit that model too well, but I can't run games 4-5+ nights a week and work on other stuff I want to get done, so something has to be scaled back a bit.
Shall see how it goes And if I hold to this at all :)
Game wise: Should be able to get back into things in July, though I may be dog-sitting for a few days early on in the month again. I have no plans to run and/or play games more than 3 nights a week at present, however. I am aware the kind of games I run don't fit that model too well, but I can't run games 4-5+ nights a week and work on other stuff I want to get done, so something has to be scaled back a bit.
Shall see how it goes And if I hold to this at all :)
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Small Games
I've been giving thoughts to game concepts and ideas lately, mostly mulling things over in my head, problems of genre and possible solutions.
To whit: the fewer players a game has, the 'better' it is. This not only allows the players and GM to develop both characters and supporting cast more fully but makes for a more solid game all around. A smaller game is also more likely to survive one or more players going AWOL for various RL reasons and should be able to factor the player's absence into the game narrative or pause the game without that much difficulty.
Genre Conventions: If the PCs are playing police officers, they play police officers. They don't quit the force when then going gets tough, fight to be reinstated when fired and so forth. The implied player/gm contract needs to explicit regarding PC occupations and how this affects the overall game. Are the PCs jobs going be connected to the game and plots or is it just office work they go to for X hours a day that will be glossed over? If it's intended to be a buddy cop game, are the players willing to work together to ensure this happens? And so on, and so forth.
Teamwork: Assuming the PCs are intended to work together, is there some necessary extrinsic force promoting this? Is it necessary? What happens when one player can't make the session?
Thoughts for future games
I think I'd like to try a setup where the PCs are either paid for Plot/Game stuff or paid enough in Day Job (or, being wealthy, don't need one) to be able to gloss over the problems of what is done for a living. A game where the PCs are wealthy enough not to need to work can be done with only mild moralistic fun and games on the side.
I still think a game involving playing siblings and/or other family members could work in a small game (one could be adopted, perhaps). It creates a dynamic from the start and solves a lot of pesky problems regarding knowing each other and the like.
If the teamwork function of a game is extrinsic, making a game where the PCs have some some edge over normal people but not enough to take on Bad Guys without working together and so forth would be both handy and necessary: the idea of the PC as unique rather than Unique being a kind of selling point for a game.
To whit: the fewer players a game has, the 'better' it is. This not only allows the players and GM to develop both characters and supporting cast more fully but makes for a more solid game all around. A smaller game is also more likely to survive one or more players going AWOL for various RL reasons and should be able to factor the player's absence into the game narrative or pause the game without that much difficulty.
Genre Conventions: If the PCs are playing police officers, they play police officers. They don't quit the force when then going gets tough, fight to be reinstated when fired and so forth. The implied player/gm contract needs to explicit regarding PC occupations and how this affects the overall game. Are the PCs jobs going be connected to the game and plots or is it just office work they go to for X hours a day that will be glossed over? If it's intended to be a buddy cop game, are the players willing to work together to ensure this happens? And so on, and so forth.
Teamwork: Assuming the PCs are intended to work together, is there some necessary extrinsic force promoting this? Is it necessary? What happens when one player can't make the session?
Thoughts for future games
I think I'd like to try a setup where the PCs are either paid for Plot/Game stuff or paid enough in Day Job (or, being wealthy, don't need one) to be able to gloss over the problems of what is done for a living. A game where the PCs are wealthy enough not to need to work can be done with only mild moralistic fun and games on the side.
I still think a game involving playing siblings and/or other family members could work in a small game (one could be adopted, perhaps). It creates a dynamic from the start and solves a lot of pesky problems regarding knowing each other and the like.
If the teamwork function of a game is extrinsic, making a game where the PCs have some some edge over normal people but not enough to take on Bad Guys without working together and so forth would be both handy and necessary: the idea of the PC as unique rather than Unique being a kind of selling point for a game.
Saturday, March 03, 2012
on the nature of pcs
Sooo .... I've been reading about world war III stuff and such lately (aka the news) and begin thinking about the current game and the nature of PCs. To whit: If we ran Middle East: the RPG, PCs would be nuclear weapons. They don't all go off, but they have the potential to. They change the world just by existing in it. If the world were a river, the PCs get to be stones and dams and anything else that fits that metaphor.
One of the major aspects of the world is that PCs Matter. The things you do create ripples, spreading out. The world isn't as much a powder keg as it is stuck in a stasis that the existence of PC s breaks, both for good and for ill. The things you do and friendships your characters make -- to say nothing of enemies -- echo into the wider world as they do. The point of PCs is that they change the world: having kewl powerz and such is only one aspect of being awesome and the stars of the show.
What is made of it depends on Sparkie, of course :)
One of the major aspects of the world is that PCs Matter. The things you do create ripples, spreading out. The world isn't as much a powder keg as it is stuck in a stasis that the existence of PC s breaks, both for good and for ill. The things you do and friendships your characters make -- to say nothing of enemies -- echo into the wider world as they do. The point of PCs is that they change the world: having kewl powerz and such is only one aspect of being awesome and the stars of the show.
What is made of it depends on Sparkie, of course :)
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Weird West: some sample NPC ideas
Douglas "Mad Dog" McRae
Doug used to be like every other bounty hunter until he lost a leg trying to catch the Mad Trapper of Arroyo Creek. Since bountying was all he knew, he took to training dogs to hunt for him and do all the dirty work, which they tend to be alarmingly good at. He might always get his man, but now Doug and his pack of wild dogs don't always bring that much back of them and them's he hunts have taken to calling them a wild hunt and swear blind that the dogs keep coming even when they should have dropped and died like nature intended.
Path: Adventurer
Level: 6
Fighting: 2 "Sometimes you're the trap, sometimes you're the bait."
Grit: 6 "I ain't about to quit now."
Magic: 2 "Raising a pup is just like raising a kid; you gotta make 'em tough."
Skill: 3 "All being older means is you get sharper than them new kids."
Stamina: 30
Defence: 3 (2 if someone takes advantage of wooden leg)
Weapons:
Shotgun: 1d8 (2-handed, d10 in close combat.) (2 shots)
Dogs: 1d6. (6-8 dogs)
Magic & Weird Stuff:
Dog Howler: 1. Dogs and wolves do what he wants, his pack an extension of his will.
" Get em, boys!": 1. His dogs attack any target he sets them on, with Fighting 3, Skill 1 and 8 Stamina. At 0 stamina the Fighting drops to 1, Skill to 0 and a 1d6 is rolled: if the result is 1-3, the dogs dies, if not it somehow keeps going.
Madame
Madame goes by no other name: it could be a title, her first name, her last. She doesn't much care what anyone thinks and is as famous for that as for the red dresses she always wears as for the harsh justice she meets out on those who harm her girls. Her brothel is a clean, welcoming place where the girls are nice and friendly and heaven help you if you try to take advantage of anyone. No one knows anything about her past, or how she came to own the brothel now called Madame's but she's tough as nails and handier with a gun than many men who live or die by it.
Path: Fighter
Level: 4
Fighting: 4 "You fight for what's yours or you find you have nothing to fight for."
Grit: 4 "Wits are as important as any gun."
Magic: 0 "A woman doesn't need magic to get any man."
Skill: 3 "There's no luck in gambling that that a little skill won't help along."
Stamina: 23
Defence: 3
Weapons:
Handgun: 1d8 (6 shots)
Joerie The Amazing!
A travelling magician currently devoid of assistance (and his bow for cutting people in half, which explains the lack of an assistant), Joerie is never without his coach, or at least his coat filled with wondrous objects and amazements sure to wow the whole family. Or at least the kids: he's not all that picky and getting a good job is hard to come by these days.
Path: Gifted
Level: 4
Fighting: 2 "Sometimes even a coward can't always run away."
Grit: 3 "Except when he can."
Magic: 1 "Desperation is the mother of invention."
Skill: 5 "Now you see it, now you don't!"
Stamina: 20
Defence: 5
Weapons:
Slingshot: d2 (non-lethal weapon)
Magic & Weird Stuff:
Illusions: 1. Sometimes his tricks are so good they fool anyone and he doesn't even use his trick bag! He is is deep denial about this. Difficult Task.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Games!
The itch to run something stirs in the ether. With caveats, because they are pretty:
Player interest at the moment leaned towards a western. (The Weird West rules look simple and decent (and hey, only $1). Player ideas/input can be tossed up on piratepad (ask me for the link) and we'll go from there.
The game in question will run 1-2 times a week, ideally on set nights. Unlike other games of yore, this one is entirely about making fun things and having run rather than having deeper meanings and various Ethical Issues(tm) to be part of the setting, unless players want/include 'em.
If the game idea doesn't take off -- and it is just at the idea/hashing about stage right now -- can always run other stuff as long as it's a) not a one player game and b) requires little or no research or setting design.
Player interest at the moment leaned towards a western. (The Weird West rules look simple and decent (and hey, only $1). Player ideas/input can be tossed up on piratepad (ask me for the link) and we'll go from there.
The game in question will run 1-2 times a week, ideally on set nights. Unlike other games of yore, this one is entirely about making fun things and having run rather than having deeper meanings and various Ethical Issues(tm) to be part of the setting, unless players want/include 'em.
If the game idea doesn't take off -- and it is just at the idea/hashing about stage right now -- can always run other stuff as long as it's a) not a one player game and b) requires little or no research or setting design.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
up, up and away...
Heading off Tuesday to Italy for one month. YAY! Spark'll be down for that time, neither nick should be lost (esper has a vacation feature) and I should be back on the 20th or so. At which point I'll likely begin working on nanowrimo stuff, which will suck up November as always. Games should resume in December, however.
Friday, August 26, 2011
Announcement
The following will not surprise too many people, I think.
Due to preparation for upcoming trip (end of Sept. to end of Oct.) and nanowrimo after it, as well as a desire to devote more time to writing, I will not be running games until December at the earliest. I have been too busy of late to devote enough time or energy to AC and running half-assed sessions is a disservice to the game and the players.
Apologies to all concerned.
Due to preparation for upcoming trip (end of Sept. to end of Oct.) and nanowrimo after it, as well as a desire to devote more time to writing, I will not be running games until December at the earliest. I have been too busy of late to devote enough time or energy to AC and running half-assed sessions is a disservice to the game and the players.
Apologies to all concerned.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
And AC is baaaack!
After the two-week hiatus, AC is up and running again. It's a nice, shiny Monday morning and telepaths are investigating odd schools while drug dealers prepare to try and move operations and the world carries on as 'normal'. The extent to which the world can remain like that is, of course, up for debate, even with new telepathic conspiracies in the making.*
FYI: The GM is now living in the same building as his brothers, so there may be odd pauses and such (as Chaos learned last night) when people insist on coming over to visit and such without due warning or filling out the proper risk assessment forms beforehand.
* That the telepathic conspiracy is having problems arranging for a simple MRI is, probably, just a giant double bluff on their part, unless it is a triple bluff.
FYI: The GM is now living in the same building as his brothers, so there may be odd pauses and such (as Chaos learned last night) when people insist on coming over to visit and such without due warning or filling out the proper risk assessment forms beforehand.
* That the telepathic conspiracy is having problems arranging for a simple MRI is, probably, just a giant double bluff on their part, unless it is a triple bluff.
Sunday, June 26, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: Campaign Nature
An adventure is an inconvenience properly consideredBased upon chats with players on the nature of the game, the following is put forth:
- Chesterton
1) This is a game with multiple players often busy at different times and able to play between 2-4 times a week for the most part.
2) The more players active in one channel, the more attention the GM gives it. (This is simply how things work out, for obvious reasons.)
3) Plots exist as connection points between multiple characters (PC and NPC) with combinations thereof eliciting varying results, which in turn get modified by Sparkie anyway. In general, one can assume that PCs are going to be more creative than NPCs.
4) Because of 3, problems can arise that cannot be solved by any one PC or NPC; this is pretty much the nature of games, really. PCs are fallible, and screw up, and are not Mary Sues to be able to solve any problem they make alone. (Also, more PCs involved in a situation means there are other people to blame if things go wrong. Which Sparkie assures me they will.)
As such, one can manage to survive just fine without friends or allies, but with them one can do a lot more. And, if played right, get all the rep. from the situation for yourself, or definitely gain in reputation from being involved in that at all. In other words, PCs need to be proactive in finding allies and friends -- as well as enemies, because one is judged on the caliber of enemy you have as much as anything else.
What this means for sessions is that it behooves players to link up and work together when as as they can; the various groups (the police, SAFE, R2-45, Disco) exist partially to support this. (Hell, it is pretty much the meta-game reason for safe: it exists to make the world a better place, and saying one doesn't want to pretty much defeats the purpose Of being a PC, and a hero of ones own story. Which isn't to say it's the only option; Teresa's a police officer, Temp is also part of Barry's group. Etc.) So, if players are on at the same time and in roughly the same time frame, finding reasons to meet and work together works better for their characters own goals and the game as a whole.
If they aren't, or the PC is busy on a specific plot deal, that's always fine and sometimes to be expected. But given the nature of the game, there are very few plots that will only affect one PC (for example, Mason's school has drawn in SAFE, the police, etc. as a mystery to be solved) and as such are seldom problems one PC can solve alone*. Which doesn't mean they can't try, but just because each PC has a hammer does not mean they are necessarily the right tool for the job, or to nail down a specific nail.
There is no shame in asking for help, as difficult as it might be for PCs to do that, to PCs or NPCs. And yes, this means players will need to chat during (and between) sessions and figure stuff out for how to connect together and share info. and so forth, but that's part of the fun too. If need be, we'll end up trying to set up a couple of specific set nights and have the rest be more loose, but I'd rather avoid that as much as we can at present.
* Or they can take a power-boosting drug! It's safe! Honest!
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: Alphas
On The Best and Brightest
Kim Li, for the MilInt Report.
Alphas are not something spoken of often in the world: that they exist is accepted in the secret worlds and societies that thrive under the common world, but few -- if any -- in depth studies exist on them, often because those who are in charge of institutions and have no desire to inquire too deeply into their own naturally. However, this deficiency is one that should be rectified in the coming years for Omegas coming to light is also guaranteed to expose alphas, a harsh glare that will compass the following anecdotal data:
1) Alphas account for at least 60% of the top .01% that control ov er 80% of the world's wealth; among this elite, the count less tha 30% of charitable donations. This should not be seen as a slight, but practical realization of the inherent problems of wealth distribution.
2)
Kim Li, for the MilInt Report.
Alphas are not something spoken of often in the world: that they exist is accepted in the secret worlds and societies that thrive under the common world, but few -- if any -- in depth studies exist on them, often because those who are in charge of institutions and have no desire to inquire too deeply into their own naturally. However, this deficiency is one that should be rectified in the coming years for Omegas coming to light is also guaranteed to expose alphas, a harsh glare that will compass the following anecdotal data:
1) Alphas account for at least 60% of the top .01% that control ov er 80% of the world's wealth; among this elite, the count less tha 30% of charitable donations. This should not be seen as a slight, but practical realization of the inherent problems of wealth distribution.
2)
Friday, June 17, 2011
AC: Sex and Eugenics
By Dr. Kim Li, special to Sexthulhu Magazine
Being an examination of the Old World and Omegas, with specific reference to the Guild
The history of Omegas in Europe is the history of a vast eugenics experiment. An omega may be defined as two things: an ability and a mutation, and the history of omega eugenics is often attempts to acquire abilities without mutations, but The Guild is unique in sometimes seeking to go the other way.
The history of it is murky at best, often being that of isolated and/or wealthy families who end up with an Omega among them who has a useful talent. The omega then bears of or produces as many offspring as possible, all of whom are kept close to their parent, shown the power and essentially told they will develop it as well. In a family of fliers, this leads to kids being tossed off of rooftops until they fly and so forth. Given the factor of proximity in creating omegas, this would prove a fascinating experiment in the willed nature of omega abilities if data existed about said families. However, propaganda and lies among Guild members makes this difficult to determine.
Despite this, general evidence seems to indicate that at least four generations of such breeding are necessary to achieve adequate result, which is an Omega ability inherited by the family and often weaker than that of other omegas. Curiously, the they breed for mutation rather than ability (for example, strength or toughness) the resulting mutation tends to be stronger but with more physical effects in the long run, which can lead to infertility of one kind or another.
Omega Fertility
Omega fertility is a complicated issue. Some omegas have so little control over their ability as to be virtually unable to engage in sexual acts (for example, a pyro on point of orgasm would burn a room). Or, for example, an Omega whose body produces acid could be unable to bear or produce a child. As well and some mutations render omegas unable to reproduce, such as phasing or invulnerability. Performance anxiety is an obvious problem if you sweat muccus or have a body even your own mother would not love, which further complicates matters. On the whole, however, omegas remain human enough to be able to reproduce with humans and also each other.
Assuming they are compilable, the children of two omegas do tend to end up being born with physical mutations, and conservatively over half the pregnancies do not make it to term. On the flip side, having both parents as omegas means the child is almost 100% likely to become one though not necessarily more powerful than any other.
Being an examination of the Old World and Omegas, with specific reference to the Guild
The history of Omegas in Europe is the history of a vast eugenics experiment. An omega may be defined as two things: an ability and a mutation, and the history of omega eugenics is often attempts to acquire abilities without mutations, but The Guild is unique in sometimes seeking to go the other way.
The history of it is murky at best, often being that of isolated and/or wealthy families who end up with an Omega among them who has a useful talent. The omega then bears of or produces as many offspring as possible, all of whom are kept close to their parent, shown the power and essentially told they will develop it as well. In a family of fliers, this leads to kids being tossed off of rooftops until they fly and so forth. Given the factor of proximity in creating omegas, this would prove a fascinating experiment in the willed nature of omega abilities if data existed about said families. However, propaganda and lies among Guild members makes this difficult to determine.
Despite this, general evidence seems to indicate that at least four generations of such breeding are necessary to achieve adequate result, which is an Omega ability inherited by the family and often weaker than that of other omegas. Curiously, the they breed for mutation rather than ability (for example, strength or toughness) the resulting mutation tends to be stronger but with more physical effects in the long run, which can lead to infertility of one kind or another.
Omega Fertility
Omega fertility is a complicated issue. Some omegas have so little control over their ability as to be virtually unable to engage in sexual acts (for example, a pyro on point of orgasm would burn a room). Or, for example, an Omega whose body produces acid could be unable to bear or produce a child. As well and some mutations render omegas unable to reproduce, such as phasing or invulnerability. Performance anxiety is an obvious problem if you sweat muccus or have a body even your own mother would not love, which further complicates matters. On the whole, however, omegas remain human enough to be able to reproduce with humans and also each other.
Assuming they are compilable, the children of two omegas do tend to end up being born with physical mutations, and conservatively over half the pregnancies do not make it to term. On the flip side, having both parents as omegas means the child is almost 100% likely to become one though not necessarily more powerful than any other.
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: Session 70 and plots
So, last session was #69 (and at least included a kiss between PCs to commemorate that). 70 sessions into the game, here are the plots as follows. A lot of this can be considered OOC knowledge.
Doctor D: Drugs to boost alphas and omegas that can sometimes kill them. The PCs have figured out that the drug comes from two people thus far; Gideon Barrie, an omega connected to the trinity nuclear test and Sam Smith, who was injected with Hurt's power and thus linked to the Prodigy Project. One of the labs is currently being spied on and the PCs are quite likely going to be able to kick the Doctor D people from the city, if nothing else, in the short term. Their overall motive in selling cheap drugs that can cause Incidents remains unknown.
Hades: A very powerful omega who can turn alphas into omegas. His blood can also weaken the abilities of weaker omegas; he has left the city, but does have his people (Leo and Rakasha) harassing the Doctor D people for reasons of his own. He seems motivated by causing more evil in the world, simple as that.
The Prodigy Project: A project begun in the 60s intended to making Omegas as weapons that would be indistinguishable from humans and/or have specific abilities the Project needed [Griffin is the only surviving result of that generation]. The second generation included Kami, Lexia, Meghan and Colleen along with the twins (Hurt and Hole). ~15 years ago it became illegal to experiment on omegas as the Project did, so it shut down and discarded the various results, perhaps sending the most promising to other countries where Dynamic Solutions Inc wouldn't have to deal with pesky regulations. The twins were were sent to an underground lab in the city and experimented on for a further 5 years until the police found out about it, got them out and have them as quasi-officers now.
Omega Rights: An ongoing battle to get proper rights for omegas. Barry, who apparently was damaged clashing with the Illuminati 5 years ago, is heavily involved in this in terms of wishing to inspire others but doesn't take too much of a hands-on approach barring his disastrous attempt to take Alan shopping in the mall. He desires for humans to be the best they can and seems baffled that so many have no desire to be that way.
The Red King: an old enemy of Barry's, who apparently died ~800 years ago but didn't die and has various cults around the world trying to bring him/her/it back. It -- or something like it -- tried to take over the superflow recently but the events with the shadow world and portals disrupted it.
The Eye: A telepathic google that exists in the 'superflow' that is the human unconsciousness. Was heavily damaged during the Illuminati war but at its peak was capable of allowing the illuminati to alter the memories of every human on earth at once.
The Illuminati: A telepathic conspiracy that is millenia -old, the Illuminati existed to hide the existence of omegas (whom they took to be angels and demons) from the world but the rise of scientific thought and infighting slowly damaged it and 5 years ago it seemingly fell apart entirely as those who wanted to rule the world fought those who did not; the surviving members (including Artie) seem content with trying to keep Omegas largely hidden as best they can.
Sutherland University: Mason's alma mater, this is a small arts university whose music whose art and music history teacher (Ignatius Hanrahan) is studying the creativity of the student body and had an arsenal of weapons in his office that included rocket launchers. The headmaster (one Arnold Lien) has apparently travelled to a lot of small art schools and the rates of suicide (and suicide by cop) after he leaves are high. Here, he is connected to a student (and incubus) named Craig and the school is rather mellow and pleasant and entirely devoid of worry over omegas or anger over other things.
Shadow-World The shadow-people have been connected to this world via the actions of Nattie and Kami and one of their own (Misha) apparently came here by accident and is spearheading the invasion. By trying to get windows and cars to hate each other. They used ot be human on their world and became pure shadows, taking over other worlds simply because they can and being full of amusement and arrogance, seeing this world as nothing important at all. But it has defied them ....
PCs chatting to family: Nattie has plans (before she died in the shadow world etc.) to get PCs and NPCs to reveal themselves to their families as part of SAFE helping others without seeming hypocritical about it. As she has been shaken up by the Shadowland experience, this is on hold for the moment though Malik and Temperance are both aware of the plans.
R2-45; The government agency that 'tags' Omegas for study; all the pcs have shut their tags off via one means or another, and this is likely not going to sit well, long term.
The band:Kami, Mason, Tommy, Jerry and Emily are in a band together! Damien is working as their roadie, Malik is becoming a fan ans Jerry wants the band to succeed. A nice, normal plot compared to other things.
GM note: Both the Doctor D and Sutherland University plot are expected to wrap up soonish, given the nature of the PCs in ferreting out information. Other plots have been seeded and new ones exist thanks to the existence of PCs in a world :) The goal for the game is to have several ongoing plots (which may or may not be related) tying in more than one PC so there is no overarching 'the game is over' plot for this game, but also so it can end when and if people want without too many loose ends left dangling.
Doctor D: Drugs to boost alphas and omegas that can sometimes kill them. The PCs have figured out that the drug comes from two people thus far; Gideon Barrie, an omega connected to the trinity nuclear test and Sam Smith, who was injected with Hurt's power and thus linked to the Prodigy Project. One of the labs is currently being spied on and the PCs are quite likely going to be able to kick the Doctor D people from the city, if nothing else, in the short term. Their overall motive in selling cheap drugs that can cause Incidents remains unknown.
Hades: A very powerful omega who can turn alphas into omegas. His blood can also weaken the abilities of weaker omegas; he has left the city, but does have his people (Leo and Rakasha) harassing the Doctor D people for reasons of his own. He seems motivated by causing more evil in the world, simple as that.
The Prodigy Project: A project begun in the 60s intended to making Omegas as weapons that would be indistinguishable from humans and/or have specific abilities the Project needed [Griffin is the only surviving result of that generation]. The second generation included Kami, Lexia, Meghan and Colleen along with the twins (Hurt and Hole). ~15 years ago it became illegal to experiment on omegas as the Project did, so it shut down and discarded the various results, perhaps sending the most promising to other countries where Dynamic Solutions Inc wouldn't have to deal with pesky regulations. The twins were were sent to an underground lab in the city and experimented on for a further 5 years until the police found out about it, got them out and have them as quasi-officers now.
Omega Rights: An ongoing battle to get proper rights for omegas. Barry, who apparently was damaged clashing with the Illuminati 5 years ago, is heavily involved in this in terms of wishing to inspire others but doesn't take too much of a hands-on approach barring his disastrous attempt to take Alan shopping in the mall. He desires for humans to be the best they can and seems baffled that so many have no desire to be that way.
The Red King: an old enemy of Barry's, who apparently died ~800 years ago but didn't die and has various cults around the world trying to bring him/her/it back. It -- or something like it -- tried to take over the superflow recently but the events with the shadow world and portals disrupted it.
The Eye: A telepathic google that exists in the 'superflow' that is the human unconsciousness. Was heavily damaged during the Illuminati war but at its peak was capable of allowing the illuminati to alter the memories of every human on earth at once.
The Illuminati: A telepathic conspiracy that is millenia -old, the Illuminati existed to hide the existence of omegas (whom they took to be angels and demons) from the world but the rise of scientific thought and infighting slowly damaged it and 5 years ago it seemingly fell apart entirely as those who wanted to rule the world fought those who did not; the surviving members (including Artie) seem content with trying to keep Omegas largely hidden as best they can.
Sutherland University: Mason's alma mater, this is a small arts university whose music whose art and music history teacher (Ignatius Hanrahan) is studying the creativity of the student body and had an arsenal of weapons in his office that included rocket launchers. The headmaster (one Arnold Lien) has apparently travelled to a lot of small art schools and the rates of suicide (and suicide by cop) after he leaves are high. Here, he is connected to a student (and incubus) named Craig and the school is rather mellow and pleasant and entirely devoid of worry over omegas or anger over other things.
Shadow-World The shadow-people have been connected to this world via the actions of Nattie and Kami and one of their own (Misha) apparently came here by accident and is spearheading the invasion. By trying to get windows and cars to hate each other. They used ot be human on their world and became pure shadows, taking over other worlds simply because they can and being full of amusement and arrogance, seeing this world as nothing important at all. But it has defied them ....
PCs chatting to family: Nattie has plans (before she died in the shadow world etc.) to get PCs and NPCs to reveal themselves to their families as part of SAFE helping others without seeming hypocritical about it. As she has been shaken up by the Shadowland experience, this is on hold for the moment though Malik and Temperance are both aware of the plans.
R2-45; The government agency that 'tags' Omegas for study; all the pcs have shut their tags off via one means or another, and this is likely not going to sit well, long term.
The band:Kami, Mason, Tommy, Jerry and Emily are in a band together! Damien is working as their roadie, Malik is becoming a fan ans Jerry wants the band to succeed. A nice, normal plot compared to other things.
GM note: Both the Doctor D and Sutherland University plot are expected to wrap up soonish, given the nature of the PCs in ferreting out information. Other plots have been seeded and new ones exist thanks to the existence of PCs in a world :) The goal for the game is to have several ongoing plots (which may or may not be related) tying in more than one PC so there is no overarching 'the game is over' plot for this game, but also so it can end when and if people want without too many loose ends left dangling.
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: hyding
On The Phenomenon of 'Hyde' among Omegas
Dr. Kim Li, special to the Fortean Times
Hyding, as it is known in the rarefied semi-academical world of Omega studies, refers to Omegas whose nature is often hidden from themselves as well as others. In some cases this is a defense mechanism to hide the Omegas nature or protect them from harm, in which case they seldom give away their nature in their 'normal' form. This tends to apply to Omegas whose humanoid 'other' appearance tends to resemble mythical monsters, so the extent to which the change is a psychic break in the mind over what said appearance seems to suggest is a large open question.
Waking up one day with a face only a drunk mother could love and tentacles for legs is, undoubtedly, hard to deal with. Waking up covered in fur and looking like a B-movie werewolf is an entirely differently class of strange and in its own way harder to deal with since the actual resemblance to myths tends to be superficial at best. (For example, no Omega whose appearance could be equated to a werewolf has been bothered by silver or the moon unless rigorously conditioned to believe they should be harmed by such things.) This also applies to Omegas who look like classical gods, demons, angels and so forth: at some level the person isn't able to cope with that and creates a new personality that is the Omega, or at least holds certain aspects of it. That this can be dangerous goes without saying.
The other side are Omegas whose nature is at odds with their personality, or at least their understanding of it. Combative abilities for a pacifist, for example, fit in with this problem. In these cases, the Omegas seem to split their abilities between their normal self and the Other, and most seem to be easily found out as Omegas regardless of appearance in their normal 'self' form. This suggests that a fear of one's own potential is impliclict in this ind of Omega, and hence abilities that are generally destructive or damaging by nature.
Whether the Omega will recall the change -- or what they do when changed -- is likely dependant on psychological factors, which can be mitgated by showing the Omega video of them changing, for example, or pictures of the changed form.
(will finish later)
Dr. Kim Li, special to the Fortean Times
Hyding, as it is known in the rarefied semi-academical world of Omega studies, refers to Omegas whose nature is often hidden from themselves as well as others. In some cases this is a defense mechanism to hide the Omegas nature or protect them from harm, in which case they seldom give away their nature in their 'normal' form. This tends to apply to Omegas whose humanoid 'other' appearance tends to resemble mythical monsters, so the extent to which the change is a psychic break in the mind over what said appearance seems to suggest is a large open question.
Waking up one day with a face only a drunk mother could love and tentacles for legs is, undoubtedly, hard to deal with. Waking up covered in fur and looking like a B-movie werewolf is an entirely differently class of strange and in its own way harder to deal with since the actual resemblance to myths tends to be superficial at best. (For example, no Omega whose appearance could be equated to a werewolf has been bothered by silver or the moon unless rigorously conditioned to believe they should be harmed by such things.) This also applies to Omegas who look like classical gods, demons, angels and so forth: at some level the person isn't able to cope with that and creates a new personality that is the Omega, or at least holds certain aspects of it. That this can be dangerous goes without saying.
The other side are Omegas whose nature is at odds with their personality, or at least their understanding of it. Combative abilities for a pacifist, for example, fit in with this problem. In these cases, the Omegas seem to split their abilities between their normal self and the Other, and most seem to be easily found out as Omegas regardless of appearance in their normal 'self' form. This suggests that a fear of one's own potential is impliclict in this ind of Omega, and hence abilities that are generally destructive or damaging by nature.
Whether the Omega will recall the change -- or what they do when changed -- is likely dependant on psychological factors, which can be mitgated by showing the Omega video of them changing, for example, or pictures of the changed form.
(will finish later)
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: NPC Notes
NPC NOTES (For Players)
(Very minor characters, like Mac and crew or Beau, aren’t included in this. Listing is by first name.)
Aaron Dupree: Omega who created the Incident via clones of himself and ODing on drugs.
Andrea: Sullivan’s r2-45 boss, who makes shields and is apparently a stuffed bear. The reasons behind this have not been released, but Sullivan is scared of her.
Archie Rocco: The Best Roommate Ever. He migh be a bit slow on the uptake and lose himself in the muse, but nothing seems to faze him at all for long, including becoming an Omega.
Arnold Lien: Headmaster of Sutherland University.
Artie Fleetwood: Illuminati member, telepath currently containing the Eye inside him. Not having a fun time at all.
Alan Moore: An omega who smells horribly and makes flowers. Currently setting up a flower shop and often used to solve problems by PCs and NPCs. Has only tried to kill himself three times thus far.
Allison: Tempie’s friend, currently trying to deal with ‘weird stuff is real’ as best she can and re-thinking her ideas of how the world works.
Barry: Apparently Old. Also terrible and scary to some NPCs; little is known about him save he was damaged in the mind five years ago and is pro-Omega rights, believing if people are the best humanity can be then everything will work out just fine.
Basil Manning: Omega with fire powers and quills who is trying to adapt to his new status, helped by friends and his parents.
Beckett Holmes: Omega with stone skin and shields; currently working with S.A.F.E but very, very keen to stop the people whose drugs killed his brother.
Breaker: Special Branch police officer who blasts stuff; has scars that Fiona covers.
Bradley Johnson: Omega police officer who often deals with warming people to keep careful; seems able to switch places with civilians who spot a crime.
Becka: Alpha and friend to Tempie, who has shown her real self to them and been rebuffed for the sheer sociopathic overtones common enough to alphas. To what extent it was her doing devil’s advocate is thus far unknown.
Bert Manning: Alpha mad scientist working with the police; often builds steampunk style tech.
Blake Brensen: An alpha-omega on the run who apparently creates memes and is believed to be the pope.
Calrion de Flores: Omega acrobat who is new to the city and feeling his way about it; has yet to encounter Alan, thankfully.
Chester Fields: Teresa’s best friend.
Chris: Skinhead who joined the Circle of Humanity support group in the belief it would be like concentration camps. Has an elderly couple (Bruce and Wanda) agreeing with him.
Claire: Former Black Circle member, murdered after her attempt to trick Mason into joining it failed utterly.
Craig Ensley: Omega as Mason’s school who is an incubus and breaks stuff; unaffected by the effect on the school, he is currently starving due to a lack of real emotions and made some very odd agreements with the headmaster about his scholarship (which seemed to involve sleeping with him).
Damien: Omega kid who looks weird and vanishing stuff; apparently has no moral qualms at all with killing at the tender age of 15 but is also a horrible, horrible liar. Is involved in the Black Chamber, S.A.F.E. and Barry’s group and sometimes gets a bit stressed out over being over-extended.
Diego Perez: Omega anarchist who spraypaints things and teleports; currently evading the police rather handily.
Doctor D: Codename for the person who makes the omega-boosting drugs.
Emily Parker: An omega who seems human, she was raised by a very religious mother and has difficulty seeing the weirder Omegas as NOT demons; she’d have made an excellent Choir member in another life and is still trying to process her own beliefs with the wider world, since she has no desire to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Eye, the: Illuminati supercomputer that exists in the superflow that is the jungian consciousness. Currently suffering from a blue screen of death.
Fiona Baskin: Police officer who can make illusions and often tries to diffuse situations without violence; often partnered with Breaker, who she also attempts to diffuse.
Griffin Dumont: Black Chamber member who can speak to and harm the dead, among other abilities. Very creepy guy who is apparently now Damien’s minder since Griffin killed their last one.
Hades: Self-titled omega who is seen as a giant threat; can turn alphas into omegas and feed on evil, though he left the city shortly after a confrontation with Kami et al, leaving his peole to carry out his will. (It has been claimed that he has no desire for the police to toss the Twins at him)
Hole and Hurt: Twin omegas who were part of the same project as Kami. They are quite powerful, one being akin to a black hole, the other entropy, share senses and don’t like being too far from each other. The police often use them, out of necessity, to deal with major threats.
Ignatius Hanrahan: Professor at Mason’s university who is unaffected by the weird aura of the place and doesn’t much care for Omegas.
Ivan Koshchey: Illuminati member who worked on the Prodigy Project. Not a nice person at all.
James Forsythe: Tempie’s father, who has years of experience in the world and in literature to somewhat prepare him for the reality of the world. He seems to be taking his daughters changes and new friends in stride thus far.
Jane Ceil: Alpha with special branch who deals with keeping the other members in line and looking after the twins when no one else is free.
Jerry Welker: The kind of Omega whose ability suits him. He’s terrible private, which makes being friends with a telepath difficult. (Also says as few words as possible, except when the GM forgets this. He gets less absurd in this regard when discussing music or drunk.) At present, he’s expressed no real stake in Omega issues and prefers a normal life.
Jillian Connor: New Omega who can fly and zap energy; has been recruited into S.A.F.E. by Mason and may have a thing for him.
Kaegan Maher: 11 year old omega with power over insects and leaping talents; wants to be a Superhero and convince PCs to be the same. Tends to break down when arrested or fighting a ‘villain’ who is actually a hero as the world has then gone off the superhero comic vision in his head.
Kelly Fisher: Omega who looks like a grey alien; she can heal, works in movies and takes great delight in teasing others.
Kirk Watson: Mayor’s aide who deals with all Omega stuff in the city. Seems to have whats best for everyone in mind, though his office is often less useful in implementing this.
Kim Li: Works for S.A.F.E. and can see genetic code; seems interested in Omegas primarily from a research perspective.
Lambert Duchall: Choir Omega member who, along with his sister Simone, tried to kill Basil. They were driven away but, unlike his sister, his zeal appears to have bee untouched by Tempie.
Lance Christensen: Alpha police officer not allowed into Special Branch because of his rather violent solutions to the problem of omegas.
Leo Dowell: Alpha turned Omega who works for Hades. Very, very sure of his skills and often gets in over his head with problems. Despite being a complete bastard, he is willing to work with PCs for goals that benefit him. Easily offended when someone insults his, ah, clothing.
Mabel McGuire: Police forenics expert who can see through bones etc. Seems quietly efficient.
Marcus Wampler: Omega with power over his ipod who apparently sees a division between omegas who can pass for human and those who cannot. Has yet to replace hearing aids with the ipod since he has no idea if he’d randomly stop being an omega or not. Is also terribly girlshy.
Misha: Shadow-alien from an alternate world who is currently living in Teresa’s shadow and preparing for plans to lead the invasion of this world. Really.
Nattie St. Germain: Best-friend and roommate to Kami. Currently leading the S.A.F.E. field team and coping rather well with being an Omega. Seems determined to Make A Difference, which is slowly but surely pulling the two of them apart.
Nicky (Nicholas) Christmas: an omega who volunteers at the local homeless shelter; has yet to actually appear in the game. (Given the length of this list, is that a surprise?)
Probably crazy: See Quentin.
Quentin Witherspoon: An omega tied to the oceans, he’s an Oceans Rights activist who is probably insane and definitely crazy.
Rakasha (aka Jaladhi Dev) Omega who looks rather nasty and works for Hades.
Ralph Compton: Internet investigative reporter with very little skill for it. He is, however, willing to jump off the deep end into the weird.
Raymond Terril: An alpha whose observational skills allow im to bill himself as a psychic; used by the police.
Roland Drake: Omega at a starbucks with unconscious super-charismatic powers.
Ronald McGee: Waffle House cook whose specials sometimes do odd things to people.
Ryan Mitchell: Apparently a lucky police officer with only one arm, so how losing an arm is lucky is anyone’s guess. Often makes sure the twins don’t do anything too horribly and adjusts situations in the favour of the police.
Sally Jenkins: Ally of Barry’s with many eyes whose primary talent seems to involve not being around whenever PCs are.
Samson Hardcastle: Alpha, former ace whose hardcore stance on Omegas has been changed by Mason. Possibly a free agent for hire now.
Sebastian: Good friend to Tempie who wants to become more than friends, to a level even he was unaware of. Currently very embarrassed about this.
Shamanic Elder Porpoises: Fish who taught Quentin to speak to fish and so forth. (See Quetin and ‘probably crazy’ for details.)
Shelby Smythe: Omega who can make people see nightmares; forced to work for Hades in return for drugs to help his sister but seems okay now.
Shen: An alpha’s alpha from another universe, trapped in this one and working for r2-45. Apparently immune to all omega powers and seriously creepy.
Sinjin Smythe: telepath and telekinetic who recently awakened; has been gifted with nanites so his powers don’t burn his body out too fast as his ALS has apparently not gone away so much as been semi-countered by TK powers.
Sullivan Willoughby: R2-45 splice who is involved with tagging omegas and apparently trying to get Kami to join their organization. Poorly. There is some evidence that this is intentional.
Tanya Richiusa: Unknowing omega who turns a pro-human support group with the aim of making humans and omegas get along; has recently been horrified to have skinheads join it.
Thelma Bates: Kindly healer with many cats. Looks after Omega strays and her own granddaughter and is very much neutral in all respects.
Toby Sykes: A security guard who lost his job to Omegas. Pro-humanity, but not to the point of skinheads.
Tommy Nash: The laziest Alpha ever. Give how fast he picks up this and his tendency to provide rather, well, blunt solutions to problems, this is probably for the best.
Trent Windle: Friend of Malik’s who is trying to adapt to being an omega, how odd other omegas are and that Malik isn’t the person he thought he was. With limited success.
Trevor: Claiming to be a clone of himself (and the internet, sometimes), Trevor has a talent with machines -- and information -- that makes him useful and valuable, if one can put up with his relentlessly cheerful and geeky personality. Has issues with Barry’s ideas of ‘Rights right now’ and such and has claimed SA.F.E. exists partially to stop him from becoming Evil.
Twins: See Hurt and Hole.
Vince: The useless band manager who wants to Make It Big. So far his lack of success has been his only notable feature, though he has pushed for the band to be Distinctive.
Vincent Gorsky: Hospital doctor and vampire from another world who, along with his daughter, claims to be trying just to get by in this one. Now owes Trevor a favour; goals and motives remain unknown.
Wendy Tiede: Human heading up the police Special Branch; competent and willing to think outside the box.
(Very minor characters, like Mac and crew or Beau, aren’t included in this. Listing is by first name.)
Aaron Dupree: Omega who created the Incident via clones of himself and ODing on drugs.
Andrea: Sullivan’s r2-45 boss, who makes shields and is apparently a stuffed bear. The reasons behind this have not been released, but Sullivan is scared of her.
Archie Rocco: The Best Roommate Ever. He migh be a bit slow on the uptake and lose himself in the muse, but nothing seems to faze him at all for long, including becoming an Omega.
Arnold Lien: Headmaster of Sutherland University.
Artie Fleetwood: Illuminati member, telepath currently containing the Eye inside him. Not having a fun time at all.
Alan Moore: An omega who smells horribly and makes flowers. Currently setting up a flower shop and often used to solve problems by PCs and NPCs. Has only tried to kill himself three times thus far.
Allison: Tempie’s friend, currently trying to deal with ‘weird stuff is real’ as best she can and re-thinking her ideas of how the world works.
Barry: Apparently Old. Also terrible and scary to some NPCs; little is known about him save he was damaged in the mind five years ago and is pro-Omega rights, believing if people are the best humanity can be then everything will work out just fine.
Basil Manning: Omega with fire powers and quills who is trying to adapt to his new status, helped by friends and his parents.
Beckett Holmes: Omega with stone skin and shields; currently working with S.A.F.E but very, very keen to stop the people whose drugs killed his brother.
Breaker: Special Branch police officer who blasts stuff; has scars that Fiona covers.
Bradley Johnson: Omega police officer who often deals with warming people to keep careful; seems able to switch places with civilians who spot a crime.
Becka: Alpha and friend to Tempie, who has shown her real self to them and been rebuffed for the sheer sociopathic overtones common enough to alphas. To what extent it was her doing devil’s advocate is thus far unknown.
Bert Manning: Alpha mad scientist working with the police; often builds steampunk style tech.
Blake Brensen: An alpha-omega on the run who apparently creates memes and is believed to be the pope.
Calrion de Flores: Omega acrobat who is new to the city and feeling his way about it; has yet to encounter Alan, thankfully.
Chester Fields: Teresa’s best friend.
Chris: Skinhead who joined the Circle of Humanity support group in the belief it would be like concentration camps. Has an elderly couple (Bruce and Wanda) agreeing with him.
Claire: Former Black Circle member, murdered after her attempt to trick Mason into joining it failed utterly.
Craig Ensley: Omega as Mason’s school who is an incubus and breaks stuff; unaffected by the effect on the school, he is currently starving due to a lack of real emotions and made some very odd agreements with the headmaster about his scholarship (which seemed to involve sleeping with him).
Damien: Omega kid who looks weird and vanishing stuff; apparently has no moral qualms at all with killing at the tender age of 15 but is also a horrible, horrible liar. Is involved in the Black Chamber, S.A.F.E. and Barry’s group and sometimes gets a bit stressed out over being over-extended.
Diego Perez: Omega anarchist who spraypaints things and teleports; currently evading the police rather handily.
Doctor D: Codename for the person who makes the omega-boosting drugs.
Emily Parker: An omega who seems human, she was raised by a very religious mother and has difficulty seeing the weirder Omegas as NOT demons; she’d have made an excellent Choir member in another life and is still trying to process her own beliefs with the wider world, since she has no desire to throw the baby out with the bath water.
Eye, the: Illuminati supercomputer that exists in the superflow that is the jungian consciousness. Currently suffering from a blue screen of death.
Fiona Baskin: Police officer who can make illusions and often tries to diffuse situations without violence; often partnered with Breaker, who she also attempts to diffuse.
Griffin Dumont: Black Chamber member who can speak to and harm the dead, among other abilities. Very creepy guy who is apparently now Damien’s minder since Griffin killed their last one.
Hades: Self-titled omega who is seen as a giant threat; can turn alphas into omegas and feed on evil, though he left the city shortly after a confrontation with Kami et al, leaving his peole to carry out his will. (It has been claimed that he has no desire for the police to toss the Twins at him)
Hole and Hurt: Twin omegas who were part of the same project as Kami. They are quite powerful, one being akin to a black hole, the other entropy, share senses and don’t like being too far from each other. The police often use them, out of necessity, to deal with major threats.
Ignatius Hanrahan: Professor at Mason’s university who is unaffected by the weird aura of the place and doesn’t much care for Omegas.
Ivan Koshchey: Illuminati member who worked on the Prodigy Project. Not a nice person at all.
James Forsythe: Tempie’s father, who has years of experience in the world and in literature to somewhat prepare him for the reality of the world. He seems to be taking his daughters changes and new friends in stride thus far.
Jane Ceil: Alpha with special branch who deals with keeping the other members in line and looking after the twins when no one else is free.
Jerry Welker: The kind of Omega whose ability suits him. He’s terrible private, which makes being friends with a telepath difficult. (Also says as few words as possible, except when the GM forgets this. He gets less absurd in this regard when discussing music or drunk.) At present, he’s expressed no real stake in Omega issues and prefers a normal life.
Jillian Connor: New Omega who can fly and zap energy; has been recruited into S.A.F.E. by Mason and may have a thing for him.
Kaegan Maher: 11 year old omega with power over insects and leaping talents; wants to be a Superhero and convince PCs to be the same. Tends to break down when arrested or fighting a ‘villain’ who is actually a hero as the world has then gone off the superhero comic vision in his head.
Kelly Fisher: Omega who looks like a grey alien; she can heal, works in movies and takes great delight in teasing others.
Kirk Watson: Mayor’s aide who deals with all Omega stuff in the city. Seems to have whats best for everyone in mind, though his office is often less useful in implementing this.
Kim Li: Works for S.A.F.E. and can see genetic code; seems interested in Omegas primarily from a research perspective.
Lambert Duchall: Choir Omega member who, along with his sister Simone, tried to kill Basil. They were driven away but, unlike his sister, his zeal appears to have bee untouched by Tempie.
Lance Christensen: Alpha police officer not allowed into Special Branch because of his rather violent solutions to the problem of omegas.
Leo Dowell: Alpha turned Omega who works for Hades. Very, very sure of his skills and often gets in over his head with problems. Despite being a complete bastard, he is willing to work with PCs for goals that benefit him. Easily offended when someone insults his, ah, clothing.
Mabel McGuire: Police forenics expert who can see through bones etc. Seems quietly efficient.
Marcus Wampler: Omega with power over his ipod who apparently sees a division between omegas who can pass for human and those who cannot. Has yet to replace hearing aids with the ipod since he has no idea if he’d randomly stop being an omega or not. Is also terribly girlshy.
Misha: Shadow-alien from an alternate world who is currently living in Teresa’s shadow and preparing for plans to lead the invasion of this world. Really.
Nattie St. Germain: Best-friend and roommate to Kami. Currently leading the S.A.F.E. field team and coping rather well with being an Omega. Seems determined to Make A Difference, which is slowly but surely pulling the two of them apart.
Nicky (Nicholas) Christmas: an omega who volunteers at the local homeless shelter; has yet to actually appear in the game. (Given the length of this list, is that a surprise?)
Probably crazy: See Quentin.
Quentin Witherspoon: An omega tied to the oceans, he’s an Oceans Rights activist who is probably insane and definitely crazy.
Rakasha (aka Jaladhi Dev) Omega who looks rather nasty and works for Hades.
Ralph Compton: Internet investigative reporter with very little skill for it. He is, however, willing to jump off the deep end into the weird.
Raymond Terril: An alpha whose observational skills allow im to bill himself as a psychic; used by the police.
Roland Drake: Omega at a starbucks with unconscious super-charismatic powers.
Ronald McGee: Waffle House cook whose specials sometimes do odd things to people.
Ryan Mitchell: Apparently a lucky police officer with only one arm, so how losing an arm is lucky is anyone’s guess. Often makes sure the twins don’t do anything too horribly and adjusts situations in the favour of the police.
Sally Jenkins: Ally of Barry’s with many eyes whose primary talent seems to involve not being around whenever PCs are.
Samson Hardcastle: Alpha, former ace whose hardcore stance on Omegas has been changed by Mason. Possibly a free agent for hire now.
Sebastian: Good friend to Tempie who wants to become more than friends, to a level even he was unaware of. Currently very embarrassed about this.
Shamanic Elder Porpoises: Fish who taught Quentin to speak to fish and so forth. (See Quetin and ‘probably crazy’ for details.)
Shelby Smythe: Omega who can make people see nightmares; forced to work for Hades in return for drugs to help his sister but seems okay now.
Shen: An alpha’s alpha from another universe, trapped in this one and working for r2-45. Apparently immune to all omega powers and seriously creepy.
Sinjin Smythe: telepath and telekinetic who recently awakened; has been gifted with nanites so his powers don’t burn his body out too fast as his ALS has apparently not gone away so much as been semi-countered by TK powers.
Sullivan Willoughby: R2-45 splice who is involved with tagging omegas and apparently trying to get Kami to join their organization. Poorly. There is some evidence that this is intentional.
Tanya Richiusa: Unknowing omega who turns a pro-human support group with the aim of making humans and omegas get along; has recently been horrified to have skinheads join it.
Thelma Bates: Kindly healer with many cats. Looks after Omega strays and her own granddaughter and is very much neutral in all respects.
Toby Sykes: A security guard who lost his job to Omegas. Pro-humanity, but not to the point of skinheads.
Tommy Nash: The laziest Alpha ever. Give how fast he picks up this and his tendency to provide rather, well, blunt solutions to problems, this is probably for the best.
Trent Windle: Friend of Malik’s who is trying to adapt to being an omega, how odd other omegas are and that Malik isn’t the person he thought he was. With limited success.
Trevor: Claiming to be a clone of himself (and the internet, sometimes), Trevor has a talent with machines -- and information -- that makes him useful and valuable, if one can put up with his relentlessly cheerful and geeky personality. Has issues with Barry’s ideas of ‘Rights right now’ and such and has claimed SA.F.E. exists partially to stop him from becoming Evil.
Twins: See Hurt and Hole.
Vince: The useless band manager who wants to Make It Big. So far his lack of success has been his only notable feature, though he has pushed for the band to be Distinctive.
Vincent Gorsky: Hospital doctor and vampire from another world who, along with his daughter, claims to be trying just to get by in this one. Now owes Trevor a favour; goals and motives remain unknown.
Wendy Tiede: Human heading up the police Special Branch; competent and willing to think outside the box.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: SAFEty First!
S.A.F.E.
SAFE stands for Safeguarding Against Future Exploitation. Broadly, the first mandate is to protect humans from being exploited by Omegas. The second is to educate humans about Omegas and so protect them from humans as well. Imagine if you woke up one day with the ability to walk through walls at will and see-through skin. Your family is poor, your dad just got laid off from work and now everyone stares at you with no clue what to make of you. neighbours whisper about demons or freaks or the justice of God and you have nothing to say against it, having no clue what happened to you. Further, there is a bank six blocks away and you know that slipping into the cells to nab safety deposit boxes would be a piece of cake. You might not want to, not at first, but your dad can’t get a new job and you blame yourself, Then the neighbours lose some money kept in a jar, and they decide you took it.
From there, the end of the story writes itself: crime, suicide, or running away. SAFE wants to permit Omegas to start over, make different stories, find better paths and uses for their talents when we can. The police will arrest, detain and possibly kill Omegas. Our job is to fight them if we must, but after to offer choices, to try and understand and offer up options. To that end, our field team is deployed to stop threats and problems the police are not equipped to and other members exist to defuse situations before they reach the point of intervention, or to find Omegas and educate them about themselves before they make the wrong choices.
Everyone screws up. But we believe people deserve second chances, and even third chances: SAFE even hires Omegas (with rather good wages offered) if their talents and personality fit the group, help them to find jobs and plans to work with other kind of outreach groups to prevent disasters before they happen. Make no mistake about it: An Omega can be a natural disaster if pushed too far by the world, and by word we mean people:
* If people think you are a criminal, it’s a hard thing to keep fighting against that and not eventually give into expectations.
* If people name someone a monster, they can help to create a monster.
* If the world seems to hate you, it’s terribly difficult to not internalize some of that hate.
But you wouldn’t? Or never would? Perhaps not. But we are not assuming Omegas are going to be saints, or that they should be judged by higher moral standards than anyone else through no fault of their own. If we can educate Omegas about their nature, the world about Omegas, and stop the few bad apples among us from tainting the rest, then the world will be safer for everyone. It isn’t an easy job, and it won’t ever be an easy calling, b ut no one ever made the world a better place without striving to make people better people. And the only way to make a better person is to educate away ignorance and fear.
Friday, May 20, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: The Doctor Is In
The official file: Little is known about the individuals collectively known as Doctor D, save that they operate out of various floating labs and supply enhancing drugs to various people, all entirely ilegal. Distribution is entirely word-of-mouth and the cost of the hits is often less than five dollars, and can be bartered down further with trade. Given the cost to make the drug, one either assumes a strange villainous philanthropy ('Everyone deserves drugs, so I will bankrupt myself giving it to them') or some other, darker motives involving possibly psychological dependency, but the latter doesn't hold out as repeated users report no increase in fees.
Proposed solution: Pass onto SB.
The Special Branch File: The D Drug (street names for it are many and varied) are a series of drugs that boost both Alphas and Omegas in terns of actual abilities. They seem to be derived from blood samples from at least one Omega, possibly two, and have a very short shelf life. The drug proper seems to be sent directly to the labs, where it is synthesized into injectable form (pills have been reported but not yet seen). The injectable version must be used within 2 hours of being made or becomes inert and useless, which goes a small way to explaining the cheap price.
The labs used tend to be underground and there are at least 2 active in the city at any one time, moving at least weekly. Given at least five staff and distribution costs of the raw material, precisely how and why this is really being funded remains a mystery. Several samples are held in the Basement in suspension but obviously testing them is not a viable proposition.
Noted effects from users include a high, which is only to be expected with an increase in abilities. Weaker Omegas seem to become much more powerful than already strong ones, which increases the danger of loss of control and power. Thus far, the fatality ratio seems to be around 10%, with users in an agitated state more likely to OD on the drugs. (Curiously, more alphas OD than Omegas, but that may be because Omegas physiologies differ greatly.)
All 'staff' of the Doctor D labs encountered have telepathic suicide codes in them and are unable to divulge useful data. As the vast majority tend to have needle marks, it's quite possible that many of them were users at some point before being recruited in. All camera footage of the Doctor D delivery people have shown the same person, suggesting an Omega, plastic surgery or a cloning procedure. A telepath is obviously involved at some level and rumoured invisible soldiers exist to protect the product as well.
Addendum: Clearly, whoever set this up has no desire to be caught and has set up the system to hide as best they can. Alpha experimentation on Omegas seems the most likely source, based on evidence of previous experiments on Omegas, and a captive/blackmailed telepath is possible, though unlikely.
The drugs do seem to work only on alphas and omegas and are also marketed to them: meaning that until they begin destabilizing the human world, resources to deal with the issue will likely be limited.
Proposed solution: When Mitchell next stumbles on a cell, get the twins their asap and remove it with extreme prejudice. Do this five or six times and the distributors are likely to end up leaving the city alone.
Note: Two labs removed thus far; no change noted in Doctor D plans as yet.
[Magin note: Hole has expressed, via Hurt, a dislike of continuing this plan unless no people are harmed. Who the hell proposed this anyway? - Jane]
Proposed solution: Pass onto SB.
The Special Branch File: The D Drug (street names for it are many and varied) are a series of drugs that boost both Alphas and Omegas in terns of actual abilities. They seem to be derived from blood samples from at least one Omega, possibly two, and have a very short shelf life. The drug proper seems to be sent directly to the labs, where it is synthesized into injectable form (pills have been reported but not yet seen). The injectable version must be used within 2 hours of being made or becomes inert and useless, which goes a small way to explaining the cheap price.
The labs used tend to be underground and there are at least 2 active in the city at any one time, moving at least weekly. Given at least five staff and distribution costs of the raw material, precisely how and why this is really being funded remains a mystery. Several samples are held in the Basement in suspension but obviously testing them is not a viable proposition.
Noted effects from users include a high, which is only to be expected with an increase in abilities. Weaker Omegas seem to become much more powerful than already strong ones, which increases the danger of loss of control and power. Thus far, the fatality ratio seems to be around 10%, with users in an agitated state more likely to OD on the drugs. (Curiously, more alphas OD than Omegas, but that may be because Omegas physiologies differ greatly.)
All 'staff' of the Doctor D labs encountered have telepathic suicide codes in them and are unable to divulge useful data. As the vast majority tend to have needle marks, it's quite possible that many of them were users at some point before being recruited in. All camera footage of the Doctor D delivery people have shown the same person, suggesting an Omega, plastic surgery or a cloning procedure. A telepath is obviously involved at some level and rumoured invisible soldiers exist to protect the product as well.
Addendum: Clearly, whoever set this up has no desire to be caught and has set up the system to hide as best they can. Alpha experimentation on Omegas seems the most likely source, based on evidence of previous experiments on Omegas, and a captive/blackmailed telepath is possible, though unlikely.
The drugs do seem to work only on alphas and omegas and are also marketed to them: meaning that until they begin destabilizing the human world, resources to deal with the issue will likely be limited.
Proposed solution: When Mitchell next stumbles on a cell, get the twins their asap and remove it with extreme prejudice. Do this five or six times and the distributors are likely to end up leaving the city alone.
Note: Two labs removed thus far; no change noted in Doctor D plans as yet.
[Magin note: Hole has expressed, via Hurt, a dislike of continuing this plan unless no people are harmed. Who the hell proposed this anyway? - Jane]
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Aurora Consurgens: After 45 sessions
Our dreams were bold and vague ....
So, we have not passed 45 sessions in a titch over 2 months -- over 20 each month which is pretty darn good. The game is now into week 3, time wise (for Kami) and certain things have wrapped up.
* Everyone is at the same time (yay!)with only minimal strain on time and space.
* r2-45 has attempted to tag everyone thus far, the poor fools.
* Most every PC is aware to greater or lesser extents about the state of police/society with regards to Omegas.
* Everyone has been offered the opportunity to join S.A.F.E.
* And The Event has happened.
Said Event was one Aaron Dupree, an Omega who could make duplicates of himself from other things, ODing on drugs from Doctor D. The end result was over 5,000 duplicates running around stealing all over the city and the mobilization of both S.A.F.E., the police and their Special Branch to deal with this in about one hour. On the minor plus side, it was raining. But a lot of people saw odd stuff -- as if duplicates of a thief all made of garbage were not odd enough -- and the official explanation/lie about 'gangs' is going down about as well as cough medicine.
This can reveal Omegas to the city in one way or another, depending on PC choices and actions. The ball is basically in your court for how this all goes down, with overall agenda S.A.F.E. (and the police, via Teresa) push on this and where it leads.
So, we have not passed 45 sessions in a titch over 2 months -- over 20 each month which is pretty darn good. The game is now into week 3, time wise (for Kami) and certain things have wrapped up.
* Everyone is at the same time (yay!)with only minimal strain on time and space.
* r2-45 has attempted to tag everyone thus far, the poor fools.
* Most every PC is aware to greater or lesser extents about the state of police/society with regards to Omegas.
* Everyone has been offered the opportunity to join S.A.F.E.
* And The Event has happened.
Said Event was one Aaron Dupree, an Omega who could make duplicates of himself from other things, ODing on drugs from Doctor D. The end result was over 5,000 duplicates running around stealing all over the city and the mobilization of both S.A.F.E., the police and their Special Branch to deal with this in about one hour. On the minor plus side, it was raining. But a lot of people saw odd stuff -- as if duplicates of a thief all made of garbage were not odd enough -- and the official explanation/lie about 'gangs' is going down about as well as cough medicine.
This can reveal Omegas to the city in one way or another, depending on PC choices and actions. The ball is basically in your court for how this all goes down, with overall agenda S.A.F.E. (and the police, via Teresa) push on this and where it leads.
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