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Alien Rope Burn posted:Man, I mixed that up with Fifth Age for a second and was intrigued, and then cruel reality returned. The manual for the game Arcanum has their world's Charles Darwin positing that the existence of Half Orcs and Half Elves means that humans and elfs/orcs are actually variants of the same species, to considerable academic consternation and censure from the elven community. Arcanum owned.
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Jul 10, 2015 01:32
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Man, I mixed that up with Fifth Age for a second and was intrigued, and then cruel reality returned. Humans are terrible at noticing nearby stone work.
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Jul 10, 2015 01:38
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Night10194 posted:Would this be a farmer who has to deal with terrible beasts or some kind of exotic monster rancher, or just a chap trying not to starve when the Beet Famine comes? Why not both? I'd like to see a Farmer Giles of Ham RPG. "Confound it, Esther, there's a basilisk in the henhouse. Fetch my sword and a mirror." "Ach noo! That giant's going to trample my rutabagas! "
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Jul 10, 2015 02:19
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darthbob88 posted:Why not both? I'd like to see a Farmer Giles of Ham RPG. "Confound it, Esther, there's a basilisk in the henhouse. Fetch my sword and a mirror." "Ach noo! That giant's going to trample my rutabagas! " Fantastical Rutabaga Defense would be a game I would play.
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Jul 10, 2015 02:25
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The Vosgian Beast posted:I've seen enough of these games based around the ability to roll a farmer that I kind of want to see an RPG based entirely about playing a farmer. Play Harn
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Jul 10, 2015 02:54
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Night10194 posted:Would this be a farmer who has to deal with terrible beasts or some kind of exotic monster rancher, or just a chap trying not to starve when the Beet Famine comes? Wouldn't the latter just be Agricola: The RPG? Try to play as the world's most average farmer!
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Jul 10, 2015 03:19
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Night10194 posted:The manual for the game Arcanum has their world's Charles Darwin positing that the existence of Half Orcs and Half Elves means that humans and elfs/orcs are actually variants of the same species, to considerable academic consternation and censure from the elven community. It's also got a bread recipe.
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Jul 10, 2015 03:21
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Alien Rope Burn posted:Man, I mixed that up with Fifth Age for a second and was intrigued, and then cruel reality returned. In my Homebrew fantasy setting, the Elves, Humans and Dwarves are all different subspecies (about as close as Neanderthal and Homo Sapien such that they're morphologically different and genetically distinct, but still close enough to interbreed). Orcs and Goblins are part of their own magically birthed lineage that are even further apart, but still relatively close.
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Jul 10, 2015 03:43
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darthbob88 posted:Why not both? I'd like to see a Farmer Giles of Ham RPG. "Confound it, Esther, there's a basilisk in the henhouse. Fetch my sword and a mirror." "Ach noo! That giant's going to trample my rutabagas! " I want one where the goal is to extract the most dumb promises about corn subsidies and heartland values from primary candidates.
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Jul 10, 2015 04:32
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Night10194 posted:Would this be a farmer who has to deal with terrible beasts or some kind of exotic monster rancher, or just a chap trying not to starve when the Beet Famine comes? I was thinking of the middle option, but any of these could work. darthbob88 posted:Why not both? I'd like to see a Farmer Giles of Ham RPG. "Confound it, Esther, there's a basilisk in the henhouse. Fetch my sword and a mirror." "Ach noo! That giant's going to trample my rutabagas! " This is also a good. I'd play a game where you're a bunch of farmers, or blacksmiths or tanners and you have to work together to protect your village and livelihood from ogres or evil fairies, or whatever. Occasionally adventurers come by, and you have to try really hard to con one of them into giving you their magical sword.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:00
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I thought
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Jul 10, 2015 05:19
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Princess: the Hopeful After this, I'm abandoning this F&F of Princess. 6/10 of the Charms are yet to be done as well as the other Antagonists (essentially all of the forces of Darkness). Settings such as the Dreamlands (and its connection to the Astral Realms) and Alhambra are also in the book. Finally, the Z-splat: Embassies. If anyone wants to take it up, go ahead. You have my Blessing (9-again to Craft Princess F&F). I'm just tired of this game andwhat it has to offer. It's not all that exciting or interesting to me. Without further ado however, the last Twilight Queen... Queen of Mirrors AKA: The True Queen, The Child Queen, The Hierophant-Queen, The Crown’s Custodian Followers’ Epithets: Lightbearers, Heirs, Brats. (derogative) Former Kingdom: Crystal Heril quote:Come on! Just a little bit more! You can do it! I’m leading you, and you don’t want to let me down! Still, she exists to the best and brightest of the Radiants who couldn't bear the weight of being looked to by their Nakama. And still to others, the newly Blossomed, she seems to appear to anyone at random. Yet for all of them, she asks for nothing but for them to be themselves. There are certain philosophies that they uphold, but there is not a mandate to follow them. The first is the authority that they hold from being "Royalty." There is no Earthly authority above them for their mandate is from the Light itself. The second is that they Blossomed because they are great and all should be aware of such greatness. Such greatness should be at the forefront and all others should acknowledge that. Finally, there is no such thing as a hard choice. There is always a way to save everyone without sacrifice or loss, even from oneself. And they will find it because they have justice on their side. Practical Magic Their Transformation is reversed. Instead of being normally in their Mundane form, they're always Transformed and must use a Transformation roll to turn into their Mundane self. Invocation: Specchio Just like all of the other Twilight Queens, while their Charms are more powerful, they also come at a cost. For the Lightbearer's it is one of egotistical madness. There are two sets of three conditions that can pop up. The lesser set requires a user to either make a scene (Drama Queen), go at a problem they cannot or are unprepared to handle (Narcissism), or not go along with a group and cause a scene over it or cave and go along with the group (Special Snowflake). The more severe set includes ignoring a Compromise roll through a bizarre leap of self righteous logic (Mirror Blindness), Madness, or become utterly obsessed with an individual to the point of suffering or inflicting a serious hardship on somebody (Yandere which also gives a +3 to any action done in the name of the crush and -3 on any other action). Specchio can be invoked without cost when the charm it's used with is used on herself, an actual mirror (not a reflective puddle or tinted window), to set an example, convert others to her cause, impress others, when failure would lead to their own embarrassment, to get attention or just to prove how special they are. They lose it until the next day if they show humility, deny or downplay their own actions or even let someone else take the spotlight. Even in a simple disagreement they must prove themselves right to their opponent or any onlookers or else they lose their ability to Invoke. quote:Quote Inspiration Libby Chessler, The Great and Powerful Trixie, the evil cheerleader archetype in general. Presumably that archetype is listed in TVTropes. It's probably also not completely the right archetype since a Mirror might also be someone in utter idealistic naivete like so many superheroes. Alternatively, Lex Luthor, who always thinks he's right (and many times he is) and assumes anyone as powerful as Superman must be planning something since that's what he assumes anyone with that much power would do. He also stands proud for his achievements and hides his more sinister achievements if only to build them for something greater that everyone will appreciate when it comes to fruition (like the Amazo Virus or Bizzaro or other projects). And that's it! I'm sick of Princess and this Magical girl game because it's totally not interesting at all to me beyond the novelty of a magical girl game. I'll try a different game though. Probably one that's a little shorter and/or more interesting. I put up for F&F, two homebrew games originally produced and posted on 4chan. One was successfully Kickstarted a while back and the other has been abandoned in F&F once before another attempt with an unofficial abandonment by AccidentalHipster. They are Engine Heart and Dungeons: the Dragoning 40k 7th Edition. As far as I can tell, Engine Heart isn't particularly bad and is rather charming in that one could run a game based off of Wall-E or The Brave Little Toaster or 9 or even Chappie (may be wrong about this last one) as the game is meant to have the PCs as robots of most sorts. Alternatively, there's DtD which came out on April Fool's Day and allows the construction of a Chosen Ork Ratcatcher of Vectron or a Promethean Dragonborn Paladin or more. A number of modules (read: pregen characters and settings) were made as part of the Kickstarter for the former while the latter has an expansion book out from the original creator and a fan expansion after the creator more or less abandoned it. CHOOSE: The game about robots that hasn't been seen by F&F before or the more complicated game that slams every major game into a blender and has been tried by two other goons previously.  -or- 
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Jul 10, 2015 05:24
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DUngeons the Dragoning. I tried playing that game once. It was hilariously awful.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:26
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Do Engine Heart. Do it.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:41
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Aren't there one or two aborted DtheDing F&Fs in the not too distant past, anyway?
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Jul 10, 2015 05:42
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Plague of Hats posted:Aren't there one or two aborted DtheDing F&Fs in the not too distant past, anyway? I remember one. I don't think it got very far either.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:44
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Plague of Hats posted:Aren't there one or two aborted DtheDing F&Fs in the not too distant past, anyway? Aborted primarily because, I imagine, god help someone trying to wade through that thing. It was made up as a joke about what kind of RPG would exist in someone's AdEva campaign and then the guys running that game tried to actually write something that blended 7th Sea, WoD, Exalted, 40k, and Warhammer Fantasy. I tried playing a time-displaced Winged Hussar with a magical star horse and a good-natured heroic personality. We got two sessions in before saying 'Goddamn everything about this system is awful.'
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Jul 10, 2015 05:45
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Dungeons the Dragoning. I want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:46
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Dungeons the Dragoning, it is the game that should be run again, but not by me.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:48
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Plague of Hats posted:Aren't there one or two aborted DtheDing F&Fs in the not too distant past, anyway? Tried twice. First by Loki_XLII who reached the Races section and AccidentalHipster who reached the Classes section. The former is in archives while the latter is in the previous thread and still up for viewing.
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Jul 10, 2015 05:58
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Are projects like Princess and Leviathan actually supposed to be playable? I've read through the updates for these things, and I can barely imagine the sheer amount of crap that's been sifted through to produce these endless lists of splats, subsplats and second-cousin-removed splats, and reams of powers and artifacts and drawbacks suffering from precious naming schemes. If the saying 'too many cooks' was ever applicable, these kinds of projects would be it. My hat goes off to Xelkelvos and the others who have ground through things like Genius and Leviathan. Anyway. I vote Engine Sky, because it's adorable and I think the thread could use a bit of that.
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Jul 10, 2015 06:21
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Bieeardo posted:Are projects like Princess and Leviathan actually supposed to be playable? I've read through the updates for these things, and I can barely imagine the sheer amount of crap that's been sifted through to produce these endless lists of splats, subsplats and second-cousin-removed splats, and reams of powers and artifacts and drawbacks suffering from precious naming schemes. If the saying 'too many cooks' was ever applicable, these kinds of projects would be it. In fairness to the fan creators of these kinds of things, when you look at all the add on material for games like Vampire, you get a pretty similar feeling. They learned it from Old White Wolf.
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Jul 10, 2015 06:22
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I think you're unfortunately right, though White Wolf usually started with a handful of splats and created its ridiculous rogue's galleries over time and in discrete packets. It was easier to disguise the sheer amount of cruft, and not scare new players off with a stack of reading material thicker than their arm.
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Jul 10, 2015 06:34
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I mean it was a general product of 90s RPG design. Look at all the add-ons Mors Rattus went through for Feng Shui and 7th Sea, too.
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Jul 10, 2015 06:37
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Even though I've never liked starting books with a bunch of jargon-y in character fiction, most WoD cores have really slick elevator pitches, and the character building is divided into newbie-friendly chunks. It's a great hook for getting someone to start buying all the stuff that comes later, cruft or not.
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Jul 10, 2015 06:56
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Leviathan, unlike Princess, has a pretty good pitch and theme with some serviceable mechanics. The major issue is that the organization is complete dogshit, and it's still fangame level material so not always worth digging to get at.
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Jul 10, 2015 07:00
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Mr. Maltose posted:Leviathan, unlike Princess, has a pretty good pitch and theme with some serviceable mechanics. The major issue is that the organization is complete dogshit, and it's still fangame level material so not always worth digging to get at. Also I vote for Engine Hearts because it's a cute, neat game. Vox Valentine fucked around with this message at 09:11 on Jul 10, 2015 |
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Jul 10, 2015 09:08
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Engine Heart sounds fun! And Genius totally sounds playable. Leviathan doesn't but the writing is good enough not to matter.
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Jul 10, 2015 09:30
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Engine Heart! I have no idea what it is, but robots are cool!
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Jul 10, 2015 11:53
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Engine Heart is WALL-E the RPG so yes. I know the guy who wrote it too so that's a plus for me.
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Jul 10, 2015 12:43
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I've been in the wrong mindset, comparing apples and oranges, professionally produced material and fan projects-- the latter which are for fans, who are already intimately familiar with the concepts they're borrowing or building around. It still feels to me like they're trying to produce and cram a decade's worth of expansion material into their core documents, which is a lot to ask anyone to navigate.
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Jul 10, 2015 15:51
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The biggest problem for fan projects is no editorial oversight and no quality control. Occasionally this has also been a problem for White Wolf material.
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Jul 10, 2015 16:00
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Particularly during and immediately after the Scribendi era.
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Jul 10, 2015 16:43
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Engine Heart sounds pretty interesting, so I'm all for it.Xelkelvos posted:Princess: the Hopeful I salute thee. May my own magical girl setting not turn out ot be as awful Bieeardo posted:Are projects like Princess and Leviathan actually supposed to be playable? I've read through the updates for these things, and I can barely imagine the sheer amount of crap that's been sifted through to produce these endless lists of splats, subsplats and second-cousin-removed splats, and reams of powers and artifacts and drawbacks suffering from precious naming schemes. If the saying 'too many cooks' was ever applicable, these kinds of projects would be it. This reminds me that I have this parody project in the back of my head, which dials the pretentiousness and esoteric terms up to 11 to such a degree that even reading through the book 5 times and memorizing the glossary won't help you figuring out what the hell the book is even about. I think that would cost way too much SAN on my part to accomplish, though. The Vosgian Beast posted:I've seen enough of these games based around the ability to roll a farmer that I kind of want to see an RPG based entirely about playing a farmer. I'd love to the a Harvest: The Mooning myself. I would imagine it being a bit like Ryuutama. Alien Rope Burn posted:Man, I mixed that up with Fifth Age for a second and was intrigued, and then cruel reality returned. I think they exist as a subspecies to explain why someone not even half as tall as a human can be a fearsome warrior. That's why they're all much heavier and beefier than their size would suggest. They also have a longer lifespan, as if that actually matters. And while I love me some dwarves, my own setting has some of their traits being fused with elves to create ugly-looking, alien-like magitek dudes.
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Jul 10, 2015 16:46
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Astraterra Part 2: Making Heroes Okay, so the second part of my writeup of Astraterra, a Finnish children's adventure RPG, has been a long time coming, but I'm finally getting to it. Because Astraterra is primarily meant for kids, you'd expect character creation to be pretty easy. You'd be right. The chapter walks you through character creation in ten easy steps. Also, at this point I must point out one of the most beautiful ideas the game's designers had: there are pre-filled character sheets available for Astraterra. The most important steps of character creation in Astraterra are choosing your Species and choosing your Role. The pre-filled character sheets include a number of sheets for each Species and a number for each Role, meaning that in order to create your character you simply pick a single Species sheet, a single Role sheet (which both have all of your Species and Role features written in) and then make a few choices and bam, you're done! First step of creating a hero is choosing your hero's Species. Your Species determines your starting number of dice in each of the game's 6 Skills, which are Agility, Dexterity (yes, the game distinguishes between the two: Agility is about being quick on your feet, good for characters who want to do a lot of parkour and jumping around, whereas Dexterity is for precise hand-eye coordination, being useful for using guns and working mechanical devices), Poise (the Charisma equivalent), Strength, Awareness, and Intelligence, as well as giving you a single special feature. Each Species also has a list of appropriate names to help you in naming your hero.  A human and a solar. Humans are, as per RPG tradition, presented as the baseline. They have 2 dice in all of their Skills, and as their racial feature they're Gutsy, getting +1 to their Guts ability (Astraterra's hitpoints).  A caven starknight. Cavens are short stocky creatures from the Iron Islands who in spite of having extremely big hands and thick fingers are extremely dexterous and capable of making really precise machinery. They look a bit like short humanoid turtles with a rocky texture to their skin, and as they age the males sometimes develop catfish-like whiskers on their face. They have 3 dice in Dexterity and Strength, but only 1 in Agility and Awareness. Their Species feature, Handyman, gives them an extra die whenever they are doing something related to crafts, mechanics or alchemy.  A chimera mechanic. Chimeras are an extremely versatile species of humanoid animals. There are as many different Chimeras as there are animals, and the book even mentions that while most of them fall on the cat and dog person axis, there are Chimeras as strange as satyrs and minotaurs on the Isles of Fantasia and the Arkadian Dynasties. Chimeras have 3 dice in Awareness but only 1 in Dexterity owing to their lack of technical skills. Their Species feature, Keen Senses, gives them an extra die on any roll where their heightened senses of hearing and smell might be of use. Solars are lithe winged people. Basically, they're flying space elves. They have 3 dice in Agility but only 1 in Strength, and their Species feature is Wings, with which they can fly in the weightless heights of the star sea. In areas of normal gravity they can't fly, but their wings still allow them to glide safely down great heights and jump really far. In mechanical terms, they get an extra die on all rolls involving jumping and trying to fall safely. Having chosen our Species we then move on to choosing our Role. Each Role gives the character three Traits as well as a selection of equipment. Daredevils are exactly what you'd expect: they do crazy parkour, they run into danger without thinking, and they're at their best when doing crazy stunts. Their three Traits are Parkour (an extra die on all feats of jumping, climbing, balancing, and running), Evasive Manouver (an extra die on defending while Dodging. It's worth noting that Dodging and Blocking work slightly differently in Astraterra.) and Trick Driver (an extra die on operating all kinds of vehicles as well as mounts). For their equipment they get a sword, safety goggles, a ten meter rope and a grappling hook, and traveling gear. In addition to this they get to choose two of the following: a whip, a blaster pistol, a spyglass, leather armor, and a pet. Mechanics are experts at fixing things and taking apart things. Their Traits are Fixing (an extra die on fixing things), Wrecking (an extra die on breaking things apart), and Machine Use (an extra die when trying to use a gadget, gizmo, technological artifact, apparatus, vehicle, or any other piece of machinery). For their equipment they get a multi-purpose wrench (multi-purpose indeed, as it also serves as a weapon), 1d6 repair kits, safety goggles, and traveling gear. They also get a choice of two from the following: a small circular saw, a toolkit, lockpicks, a jack, and a pet. Doctors are not, as you might expect, medical professionals. Well, okay, they're that too, but they're more like Indiana Jones styled adventure academics. Their Traits are Sciencing (an extra die on anything related to the sciences and booksmartness), Healing (an extra die on first aid, healing sicknesses and curing poison, as well as identifying different medicines and herbs), and Ancestor Lore (an extra die on all rolls involving the Ancestors, the mythical precursors of Astraterra's current civilization. This applies equally to trying to decipher the language of the Ancestors as well as trying to use techno-treasures.). For their equipment they get an encyclopedia on a subject of their choice, a pole (yes, it's a ten-foot pole), an apparatus (the exact nature of which is determined by rolling on a chart), and traveling gear. Again, they get to choose two more pieces of gear from a list: a portable laboratory, a medical bag, a teleport compass (shows the direction to the nearest teleport), a looking glass, and a pet. So, Doctors all get an apparatus, rolling 1d6 on a chart. The possibilities are as follows: 1. Scentilator - An apparatus that looks somewhat like a gas mask with a long snout at the end. It amplifies the user's sense of smell, giving them an extra die on all rolls involving their sense of smell. 2. Multivisioners - A pair of glasses with lots of different easily switchable lenses. Gives an extra die on all rolls involving sight, including working with really tiny objects (because it lets you see them more closely) or seeing really far away. 3. Metal Detector - Yeah, it's an extra die on finding metal objects. 4. Life-o-Meter - Basically a magic stethoscope. Gives an extra die on identifying illnesses and poisons affecting patients, as well as healing their injuries. 5. Sound-b-Gone - A belt that mutes sound. Gives an extra die on sneaking. 6. Translatophone - This piece of headgear gives an extra die on trying to understand foreign languages, whether written or spoken, as well as trying to speak them. Finally, we get to the last of the Roles, the Starknight. Starknights are traveling warriors who have protected the people of Astraterra since the dawn of time. In addition to protecting the innocent, they also act as diplomats and councilors for the nobility. Hmmm, that seems oddly familiar. Anyway, their Traits are Battle Skill (an extra die on melee combat as well as blocking, whether with or without weapons), Weapon Master (an extra die when using blasters, bows and other projectile or thrown weapons), and Negotiation (an extra die on rolls for trying to negotiate and mediate, provided one is trying to build peace and compromise. So, no using this for selfish goals or tricking people). Starknights start with a sword, leather armor, traveling gear, and a star crest (basically a symbol of their authority), and two of the following: shield, large sword, short bow, blaster pistol, and a pet. After you've chosen your hero's Species and Role you choose their Aptitude, namely which Skill your character excels at. You add one die to that Skill. After that you only need to figure out your Guts (Strength+Poise), roll to see what kind of a pet you get if you chose one, determine your hero's personality, distinctive features, and name, and bam, you're done! Next time I'll be skipping ahead a bit (because I'm sure you won't mind me skipping the section dissecting the game's six stats and what you can do with each of them) and go into how the game's rules actually work.
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Jul 10, 2015 16:50
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Forces of Warmachine: Khador The Kodiak stands just under 12 feet tall and weighs in just over 11 tons. It was inspired by the 5th Border Legion, who refused to admit defeat after the First Thornwood War. High Kommand realized Khador needed an all-terrain weapon, and the Kodiak was developed to smash through foliage before it smashed through foes. Nothing can withstand its assault, and it barely notices terrain and obstacles. The huge boiler allows it to blast superheated steam at the enemy and envelope itself in a cloak of fog, while its fists can shatter steel.  The Spriggan is almost eleven and a half feet tall and sixteen and a half tons. It was developed after Queen Ayn Vanar ordered the Mechaniks Assembly to give her a weapon to turn the tide of the border wars. It is based on the old drakhuns, wielding a lance and impenetrable shield as well as a lot of armor. Dual grenade launchers set into it are essentially impervious to damage that'd take out most external weapons, allowing it to fight even if slowed or crippled and preventing the enemy from overwhelming it by use of explosive shrapnel grenades and alchemical flares. The Spriggan's best weapon, though, is the lance, which can pierce a 'jack from cortex to boiler in a charge. If the opponent somehow survives, the assault shield helps defend the Spriggan, able to turn aside most weapons and good enough to use as a bludgeon.  They call this Juggernaut Beast 09, fully twelve feet and almost 10 tons. You hear it growling before you see it, and everything about it is menacing. It is docile only at the side of Sorscha Kratikoff, and it seeks her approval in battle. Beast 09 was assembled in 600 AR, at Rivegnya Complex, then shipped south and assigned to Kommander Kratikoff, who just gave it the number, 09, as order of allocation to her kommand. It has outlasted everything. The Beast is a tenacious fighter, developing fighting instincts from its constant war. It is not just survivable - it has a cunning that makes it seem alive, relying on its own initiative as much as its master's orders. During the War in Llael, while Merywyn was besieged, Sorscha was cut off by a Cygnaran counterattack. She sent Beast to refuel and resupply, but it had lingered against her orders, possibly spotting the enemy. Despite its low fuel, it rejoined Sorscha, turning the tide of battle. With its last power, it charged the foe and took them out, just running dry as the enemy fled. The bond between the two deepened after that, and the warjack has picked up on its mistress' ruthlessness, enjoying its kills. Attacks on it just encourage its frenzy, and Beast evens the odds where ever Kommander Kratikoff goes. To maximize its potential, she has had it overhauled extensively, outfitted with a gigantic engine and boilers similar to those used on Kodiaks, as well as an improved axe, Ice Breaker. Sorscha, normally unsentimental, is quite fond of Beast 09.  Behemoth stands seventeen feet tall, weighs 20 tons, and carries some of the most destructive ordnance in Khador. It was first introduced to the people during the crowning of Empress Ayn Vanar XI, marching into Korsk at the head of the Army. Former regent Simonyev Blaustavya presented it as a gift from the kayazy to the Empress. It was conceived over a decade ago as the ultimate warjack, and it exists solely due to the patriotism and efforts of Blaustavya and Dahlrif Salvoro. Soon after its inception, it became entangled in politics. Master Mechanika Dahlrif was a member of the Mekaniburo of the Khadoran Mechaniks Assembly and had designed it as an experiment. The costs associated with it made it a target of those against 'wasteful' government spending, particularly for a unique one-off. The Behemoth was designated unfeasible and suspended only weeks after the project began. Salvoro was frustrated, but busy with other work. The plan gathered dust for a decade until discovered by Great Vizier Blaustavya, who recognized the Behemoth's potential and insisted the project be resumed. His reputation and influence kept the cost from being made an issue again, and Salvoro resumed construction. The Behemoth is the best of Khador design: heavy army, devastating weapons and immense strength. Each of its fists is armed with integral blasting charges housed in reinforced cylinders, which augment the power of its punches with armor-penetrating blasts. A blow from the Behemoth can tear through armor and disintegrate soft targets. Each of the shoulders also houses a bombard slaved to the Behemoth's sub-cortex, the most innovative aspect of its design, which allows for the bombards to target independently. Since commission, the Behemoth has been at Khador's crucial battles, including the siege of Northguard. It has been pushed to its limits as a mobile artillery platform while facing enemy warjacks, and its presence rallied the siege and allowed its victory. It is as much a symbol of Khador as a weapon.  Drago is a Berserker, and unstable even by Berserker standards. It is almost 11 feet and just over 8 and a half tons. Its long years of service have removed most of its restraints against incidental violence, unleashing full brutality at any provocation. Drago is the oldest warjack still in service, and it belongs to the Tzepescis. Long ago, they financed the Berserker chassis, and even then, they had an unusual proclivity for warcasting. Drago was named in homage to Drago Tzepesci, who fought in the battles to overthrow the necromancer Ivan Vladykin, who seized the thron from 457 to 459. It is likely that the Berserker even fought under the living Drago there. He had a reputation for skill, bloodlust and recklessness that eventually killed him, and the 'jack has been passed down ever since. It has a particular affinity for Vladimir Tzepesci, perhaps due to the connection he feels for his ancestor. Some of his vassals find it strange that their well-disciplined and noble lord enjoys such a savage and untameable machine, but it represents the Tzepesci warrior spirit. EVen when severely damaged, it is tenacious and does not give up the fight, crawling on shattered legs if it must. When let loose, it seems to revel in death like a folkloric demon. The Dark Prince understands that sometimes, you need ultraviolence, but the restraints needed to keep it in check in times of peace also serve to remind him of the dark emotions he must control. Given its tendency to hurl itself into battle, Drago needs frequent repairs, but they are rarely neat ot ridy. Its many armored plates and spikes show the evidence of countless batles, and each one is an honor. Drago itself salvaged its current arms from Llael, using executioner axes from wrecked Destroyers on the battlefield.  While citizens of other nations consider compulsory service a burden, Khadorans accept it as part of life. A single tour is required of all men without extreme physical disfigurement, and while women are not required to enlist, those without children are encouraged to serve in the military or a support unit. Enlistment can start as early as 15, and every citizen must enlist by 18 or risk imprisonment. Those few that evade conscription serve their tours without pay and have the most grueling and dangerous duties. After receiving initial training, most conscripts enter the Winter Guard, but those with exceptional qualities or special skills can apply for more prestigious and specialized branches. It is possible, if rare, for veterans of the Winter Guard to transfer to other services later, too. Each force has its own requirements, and some are very stringent. The Man-O-War and Iron Fang require particular height and strength to wear their armor, for example, and require a lot tougher training than the Winter Guard. Khador's rank hierarchy was not clearly laid out until the reforms of Mikhail Vanar, which eliminated extraneous ranks. A new conscript is a privat, and after a tor might rise to korporal. The toughest of these may in time lead Winter Guard units as sergeants. As with other ranks, there are several grades of sergeant related to pay and seniority, and it's the highest rank most Winter Guard ever get. They may be given broad authority to lead multiple units, or forces, in battle. More typically, though, operational command is given to a lieutenant. Entry into commissioned ranks by attending the Druzhina Academy of Korsk is easier for nobles, and commoners must be exceptional to earn a commission. Kommandants are opposed to this practice, but limited oversight means they can't prevent nepotism and bribery from greasing the wheels, and it's not unknown for a wealthy family to be given a commission before a poorer candidate of equal skill. In general, though, skill rises, and competent officers can achieve kapitan rank quickly, while those who dedicate themselves and have good leadership can rise further. Above kapitan is kovnik, roughly equivalent to majors and colonels. They oversee battalions or even legions. Few NCOs rise above that except for the excpetional. Despite the modern reforms, a few conventions of old Khador do persist. Most notably, the vassals and heirs of the great princes, who control the Volozkya regions, have their own martial traditions, and High Kommand has limited authority over them. The Greylords Covenant, the Khadoran arcane group, is also given special status. They are involved in dangerous occult research and spying, and operate on their own internal hierarchy. They may be part of the army, but the high obavnik does not answer to the premier, but to Great Vizier Simonyev Blaustavya, current head of Khadoran Security. They also run the Prikaz, the secretive chancellory charged with rooting out spies and traitors.  Next time: The Army
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Jul 10, 2015 17:29
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I love how, because Khador's so strapped for Cortexes, all of the character warjacks are psychopaths, most of the normal warjacks are two, and there are two brands of warjack that just straight up explode in combat if they spend too much focus.
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Jul 10, 2015 17:44
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Forces of Warmachine: Khador Assault Kommandos are a new kind of soldier. They serve on the front, driving the enemy from their trenches. They are heavily armed and amrored, using alchemical weapons to augment their skills. They advance behind a shield wall, opening fire with carbines that shoot choking gas grenades. Led by Kommander Viktor Strakhov, they were pivotal at Northguard, using gas to foul up Trencher aim and slaughter them. They are armed with the latest Vislovski carbines complete with gun blades ready to tear trhough armor and undersling canister launchers to fire their strangel gas. Golden Crucible alchemy has refined their equipment so their armor is resistant to fire, acid and magic. Their masks protect them from their own gas and allow their vision to pierce smoke and fog clouds.  Assault Kommando Flamethrowers are part of Khador's arms race with Cygnar. It was inspired after conflict with the Menites, and it's the current production model of a weapon with many less effective prototypes. A huge canister on the back feeds the propellant gun that replaces the standard carbine, and the weapon produces flame via an explosive alchemical agent, devastating in the trenches where kommandos often fight. There have been friendly fire accidents, but the training of the Assault Kommandos prepares them for that, and there are still many volunteers. A few flamethrowers brought in with coordination can take out entire squads, killing and crippling. The jelly-like fuel clings to flesh, causing slow-healing and painful lesions. Trenchers fear the flame guns greatly, concentrating fire on them, and the life of a flamethrower Kommando might be short, but they take as many as they can with them.  A Greylord Ternion is a team of arcanists. The Greylords Covenant was a splinter of the primarily Cygnaran Fraternal Order of Wizardry that split off at the call of King Levash Tzepesci in 243 AR, choosing patriotism over other loyalties. They are the greatest rival of the Fraternal Order to this day, and they have never been forgiven for stealing the secrets of cortex production. The Covenant produces warjacks, supervises intelligence gathering and works on new magical weapons. On the battlefield, however, they also operate in groups of three, or ternions. Individually, a Greylord can summon a gale to hide allies or hurl ice blasts, but together, a ternion can halt even a warjack in an icy prison.  Doom reavers don't really have officers, but sometimes they will get a Greylord Escort whose job is to direct them at appropriate targets. They have used many resources to study the fellblades and Orgoth magic to control the Doom Reavers, and have had some success at diverting their urges through use of Orgoth relics. Only the most courageous actually accompany the reavers into battle, when they become overcome by frenzy. The escorts are generally at least rastovik rank and always experts on the Orgoth. They move among the reavers as a handler among beasts, carrying an Orgoth staff. They use the artifact to restrain the reavers while spurring them on, compelling them to obey. Their rage is channeled into necromantic energy that gives near imperviousness to injury, closing wounds via Orgoth magic.  An Iron Fang Officer and Standard sometimes accompany the pikemen to battle. Their training is almost superhuman, and they are consummate leaders. The lieutenants and kapitans of the Iron Fang lead precision attacks iwth their blasting pikes, rending apart even warjacks. Some veterans are given standards to bear, filling the others with pride and giving a point to rally from. The colors of Khador drive the Iron Fangs even harder, former shield walls easily even mid-battle, and no enemy exists that they cannot defeat.  Iron Fang Uhlans follow the old Khadoran cavalry traditions. They use tactics that few outside Khador can mimic, and their bravery is legend. They are the vanguard of the Iron Fang, first to hit the enemy. They ride fluidly together, using classical tactics mixed with the modern formations of the pikemen. The Uhlans clear the way with their blasting lances and the hooves of their Pozdyov warhorses, allowing them to storm even the most contested field. In close combat, they use the short blades on their lance hafts to cut down the foe. The uhlan tradition demands the horse fight as much as the rider, and their warhorses can crush skulls easily. They are so powerful they can even knock aside warjacks when they charge, and they are strong enough to carry the weight of the Iron Fangs with ease, avoidng obstacles that'd stall lesser riders with strength and agility.  Kossite Woodsmen draw from the northern Kossite clans, descended from ancient warriors. Their muskets and bows resemble antiques but are no less deadly than modern weapons. The Kossites are deadly hunters and trackers who are entirely self-reliant. Their wilderness skills allow them great latitude in the military structure, working seperately from the Winter Guard and following orders only grudgingly. The only method that has been found to maintain their discipline is to keep Kossite units single-clan, as they are already used to working together and need little guidance to lay ambushes. Their ambush skills have earned them a fierce reputation, and even the Cygnaran Rangers have been jumped by them occasionally. The Khadoran Winter Guard respect the Kossites grudgingly, having been saved more than once by their timely arrival. Next time: Men-O-War
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Jul 10, 2015 17:54
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theironjef posted:It wasn't actually the intent to do that. We're focused on getting through the stack of stuff that was mailed or gifted to us, and Fifth Cycle was in a pile of "gift" we received a while back. We also recently received a supplement for it, which brought it to the forefront of our attention. Honestly I can barely stand reading these old near-D&Ds and am really looking forward to something totally different next episode. I've been going through podcasts like gangbusters, since I'm the only one in the office this week and I have a lot of organizational work to catch up on. I just heard the Fantasy Imperium one and holy carp, I think we've found it: the fantasy heartbreaker to end all fantasy heartbreakers. Synnibar is a sprawling mess, but it's a hot mess full of Midnight Sunstone Bazookas and Venderant Nalaberong. Whereas every single stupid thing in FI is like a reaction to some part of D&D not being realistic or detailed enough. "Fighter" isn't a profession, so my game makes you roll to play shitfarmers! D&D lets you use your character as a pawn, so when your PC dies, my game tells you that you're a loser and you should feel bad. D&D combat isn't realistic, so my game makes you roll for sword breakage every time you attack! Women and men aren't equal! Thou shalt not suffer a witch to live! Islam is worse than Hitler! And of course, all of this is filtered through the mindset of an adolescent geek and covered with titty witches. Like half the art is buxom fantasy pinups. How does this book not make you angry? I looked up the author, and he's a fantasy hack who runs writing workshops and covers literally ever single thing he publishes with half-naked elfbabes.
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Jul 10, 2015 18:03
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Forces of Warmachine: Khador Kayazy Asssassins draw from the ranks of Khador's merchant princes and industrialists, scheming manipulators who use them against their rivals in their bloody games of money. They surround enemies, stabbing them with brutal blades, and on orders from the kayazy, they have gone south to fight in battle, ensuring that profit continues. Drawn originally from the most ruthless street gangs of Khador, they are killers that survived alleys by taking out anyone who got too dangerous to themm. Serving the kayazy gets an assassin respect and status, and they are at the top of the underworld. Many soldiers feel uncomfortable around them, but their skill is undeniable. They learned to duel in a place where failure got you killed, and they fight in the Korsk style, blade in one hand and entangling clooak in the other. They are finer swordsmen than many noble duelists, and few can stand up to them when they gang up on someone.  A Kayazy Assassin Underboss will sometimes lead the assassins in battle. They achieve their status as leaders by cutthroat competition in the Korsk gangs, needing both skill and intellect. They must be patient and able to gain and keep wealth. Surviving to do that is not easy, and they can't become soft, as their underlings will replace them at any sign of weakness. The wealth of the kayazy and their offers to pay for those who fight have not gone unnoticed, and many underbosses want in on that action. They make the arrangements for kills and pick only the best of their crews to join them, leading important strikes personally. Hiring an underboss and their crew isn't cheap, but pretty much assures a job will get done. They know they have no peaceful retirement waiting if they fail, after all, and those who displease them are maimed at best.  Man-O-War Bombardiers blast the enemy apart as they advance, armed with grenade cannons and enormous chain blades. The blades do terrible damage to the living, and the grenade launchers mounted above them fire hand-loaded rounds at the foe, sometimes at acute angles to target those behind enemy lines. Alongside other Man-O-War troops, they are the core of Khador's heavy shock forces. They move slowly due to their immense steam-armor, but their impressive range makes up for that. A line of bombardiers advances slow, but is mobile artillery. By the time they hit the neemy, they've already scattered most of them, chewing up the rest with the chain blades - even heavily armored warjacks.  The Man-O-War Demolition Corps is the premier siege assault force of Khador. Each member wields an immense mechanikal ice maul made at Rigevnya Complex, which use super-cooled air to flash-freeze metal and flesh. Armor breaks into shrapnel under these hammers, and with the strength of the Man-O-War suits, they can cripple even warjacks and shatter stone with a few precise blows. When the armor was first developed, High Kommand wanted to prove that siege warfare could be solved by brute force, and every volunteer to join the corp must pass an obstacle course nicknamed the Crusher, a three-day test of endurance and strength. Those who succeed emerge transformed. When they are unleashed, they rely on their armor to shrug off fire as they close with foes, pounding them to scrap easily. They are disciplined and fearless, an unstoppable force of mechanikal might.  Winter Guard units are sometimes led by a Winter Guard Officer and STandard. Even the lowest ranking officers of the Guard are heroes to the people, leading at the front. More and more young officers are sent directly to the front now after graduation from Druzhina. They are drilled mercilessly to ensure battle readiness, preparing them to push their units beyond their limits. Their harshness, tempered by a fair hand and centuries of tradition, gets them respect, admiration and even love from their men. The honor of serving as standard bearer, however, is earned only on the field. It is a great inspiration for the common soldiers to see one of their own picked ti become a symbol of Khador, and any soldier brave enough to place the colors of the Motherland before their own life is a true patriot. They can marge into battle, knowing that if they fall, one of their fellows will catch the standard before it can hit the ground, taking up the duty.  Winter Guard Infantry Rocketeers are armed with weapons looted from the alchemists of Llael, man-portable rockets of immense power. They are specialists, usually bold and loyal Khadorans who are trained to care and handle these volatile weapons, though using them is very easy. Their first appearance was a shock to Khador's foes, accustomed to the Winter Guard's short-range guns. Thhe rockets are much longer range, blasting holes in enemy formations and suppressing fire long enough for the Witner Guard to close and mop up the survivors. Khadorans have determined that rocketeers boost Winter Guard morale, and kommanders use them whenever possible.  Winter Guard Field Gun Crews use amazing modern weapons, designed in response to Supreme Kommand Irusk's mandate for powerful artillery. It would have been impossible less than a decade before, but advances in manufacturing have been spurred on by the war effort. Prevision machining allows the creation of each part of the gun, from the tempered barrel to the accurate shells. Sometimes, it is mistaken for an antique deck gun, but it's a devastating weapon that, in firing position, can destroy anything. Three men crew the gun to aim, fire and reload it after countless hours of drilling. For efficiency and practicality, each member is trained in all aspects of operation and maintenance, using the guns to blow holes in the enemy line. A field gun can take out even the hardest targets when used properly. Next time: The Great Bears
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Jul 10, 2015 18:18
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