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Bieeanshee
Aug 21, 2000

Not keen on keening.


Grimey Drawer
Wow. That adventure was almost as lovely as the one for Mind Lords of the Last Sea.

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oriongates
Mar 14, 2013

Validate Me!


Bieeardo posted:

Wow. That adventure was almost as lovely as the one for Mind Lords of the Last Sea.

Yeah, I had only ever skimmed it before, so I never realized just how little sense it made and how freaking deadly it was for halfling PCs who'd lack the support of characters like psionicists or wizards or magical items.

senrath
Nov 4, 2009

Look Professor, a destruct switch!


Obviously Rajaat was going senile, which is why he wrote everything down in a place no one but himself should've had access to.

Spiderfist Island
Feb 19, 2011

senrath posted:

Obviously Rajaat was going senile, which is why he wrote everything down in a place no one but himself should've had access to.

Maybe this flying milennia-old pyramid dungeon was just Rajaat being a huge douchebag superwizard as usual, but with even less of a coherent excuse for it than the Cleansing Wars. Rajaat is the purest proof that becoming the most powerful wizard ever is all about learning never to ever stop being a huge piece of poo poo.

oriongates
Mar 14, 2013

Validate Me!


Wizard shotgun comic in 3...2...1....

Young Freud
Nov 26, 2006

Count Chocula posted:

Please tell me there's an article or something with a bunch of gangs and characters named after Springsteen songs, like the Suicide Machines that are sprung from cages on Highway 9.
Connecticut is accurately boring, though we do have WWE Wrestling headquarters. Maine is just begging for Christine stats.

There are a few good classic sci-fi stories about autodueling. Didn't Bradbury or Harlan Ellison write one?

Harlan Ellison's "Along The Scenic Route" is very much the epitome of autodueling as it's presented in Car Wars/Autoduel. It probably had a bigger impact on the game than Mad Max did.

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?


Summer: Henge Powers

Raccoon Dog Powers



Raccoon dogs are the masters of transformation, turning themselves into a variety of shapes, and even transforming other objects. Their powers are used to get through difficult times by confusing everybody.

Money (2)
Make leaves, acorns, or other useless things look like real human money. Can only be used at evening or at night, and the money changes back at dawn.

Bogey (8)
You have a huge, monstrous form you can transform into... but only for scaring people. You get +1 to Henge when trying to Surprise people.

Become Anything (8)
You can transform into an inanimate object, like a teapot or a rock. If you double the cost, you can turn into something big enough to fit other people inside, like a car or a shack. Must be a solid object, must not be alive.

Copy (10)
Change into a copy of someone you know. If you talk to someone who knows the person you're copying, you need to beat them on a Henge VS Adult check or they'll realize you're an impostor.

Tanuki Drumming (12)
You can call your fellow raccoon dogs together to drum on your bellies, creating a wild drumming party. Anyone who can hear the drumming has an Adult of 0 as long as it goes on, and electronic devices stop working nearby. Lasts until scene end.

Dream Vision (16)
Surround one person with illusions to enchant their senses. They need to beat your Henge with Henge or Adult to break free, lasts until scene end.

Raccoon Dog Weaknesses

Cowering
If you're subjected to Surprise, you always faint, regardless of how much you failed the check by. This won't necessarily break your transformation.

quote:

Swell (8)
You can Surprise people by becoming huge. People and henge seeing this power used for the first time are Surprised, and you get a +2 bonus to the Surprise check.

Gullible
You never suspect that you've been lied to, and always have to go along as if it's the truth unless there's total, obvious evidence to the contrary.

quote:

Carelessness (6)
By acting clumsy, you can calm people down. Everyone who sees your display gains 2 Dreams.

Glutton
If you don't get a proper meal in, you can barely move. If there's food in front of you, you can't stop eating until it's all gone or someone actually drags you away from it.

quote:

Stomach Worm (8)
When your stomach is empty, you can make a soothing rumbling sound, increasing the Connection strength of anyone who has a Protection, Affection or Family Connection to you by 1, to a maximum of 4. Can't be used if you ate anything during the last scene.

Carried Away
When being flattered, you get carried away, and must attempt to make checks, even if your participation is optional and even if you know you'll fail.

quote:

Tanuki Dance
You can entertain others with a strange dance. People who see you dance need to clear an Adult check of difficulty 4 or drop what they're doing to laugh uncontrollably. Anyone who laughs gains 3 Dreams.

Relaxed
You move slowly and take life at an easygoing pace. Animal can't be higher than 1 at time of character creation, and it costs 1 extra Feelings to boost it for a check.

quote:

Rest (0)
If you don't participate in a scene, you gain 6 points of Wonder for the next scene.

Teasing
You like to tease people and pull pranks on them, and get blamed for strange incidents around the town as a result. Your Connection from the town can't go above 2.

quote:

Mischief (0)
When you Surprise someone with a display of lovable mischief, you gain as many Dreams as there are other participants in the scene.

Cat Powers



Cats are whimsical, selfish, and stealthy. They're great at moving quickly and quietly, but struggle with forming bonds with others.

Kitty (0)
You're a kitty. No matter where you show up in your animal form, nobody will be Surprised when they see you. Cats just go places, nobody pays it much mind.

Fuzzy (4)
When you nuzzle against someone and act friendly, their Adult drops to 0 until you stop.

Peek Into Hearts (6)
You can look into someone's heart, and understand what they're thinking. It doesn't necessarily tell truth from lies, you can't look into memories, and you can't tell how they're feeling - you just gain access to their internal monologue.

Stealthy Feet (8)
You move completely silently - as long as you aren't seen, your presence cannot be detected. No check is permitted to hear you unless you consciously make noise. Lasts until scene end.

Cat Paths (10)
You know about various paths and shortcuts privy only to cats. You can enter or leave any scene at any time, even if the scene takes place concurrently to you being occupied elsewhere.

Friends (14)
You can summon a swarm of local cats, numbering twice the sum of your Henge and Animal, to help you out. While the other cats are there, you can't use the Kitty power, and any humans who see you will probably be Surprised.

Cat Weaknesses
Skittish
When you see something small and prey-like, or something you don't understand, you're compelled to go after it. If it turns out to be something unexpected you get Surprised.

quote:

Cat Burglar (8)
Steal an item small enough to carry without its owner noticing, up to and including articles of clothing.

Lazy
You hate Mondays. When boosting attributes for checks related to moving your body, you can't spend more than 1 point of Feelings.

quote:

Sleeping Soundly (0)
If you appear in a scene, but spend the whole scene lazing around and doing nothing, you gain 10 points of Dreams. You can't engage proactively in conversation, use any other powers, or make any checks if you want to use this power.

Cat Tongue
You have a lot of dislikes and things you can't eat - hot things, citrus, squid, and raw onions are all no good. If you eat any of these by mistake, you're affected by a level 7 Surprise.

quote:

Feigned Innocence (4)
You can hide your true nature and put on an act like you're a different kind of person. When you use this power, you can use whichever attribute you like for your next check.

Can't Swim
You can't swim and hate water. If you enter any body of water, down to and including a bathtub, you're affected by a level 7 Surprise.

quote:

Acrobatics (4)
You can make an animal check to pull off any sort of amazing, apparently impossible physical stunts, up to but not including swimming.

Selfish
If you and someone achieve a level 5 Connection with each other, you only get 5 points of Feelings/Wonder instead of 10.

quote:

From the Shadows (6)
Always watching. Retroactively declare that you saw something that happened earlier in the story, even if you apparently weren't present for that scene.

Shred
When you come across a paper sliding door, a poster, whatever, you'll be overcome by an urge to scratch it up.

quote:

Menace (8)
Make a Henge VS Henge or Adult check against someone to menace them and drive them away. Can't be used on friendly henge.

Next: The remaining power lists.

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:

Humbug Scoolbus posted:

Monte Cook's WoD I'm guessing?

Yeah, I love the game thematically but the rules are just painful at times, and it's definitely not a World of Darkness game.

And after having thought about it yesterday North Dakota should be more important in most Post Apocalyptic scenarios, as long as they take place during or shortly after the cold war. It has two Air Force Bases and, during the period between the end of the Cold War and the US Nuclear Disarmament program, had North Dakota seceded from the union, they would have become the world's third strongest nuclear superpower.

Maxwell Lord
Dec 12, 2008

I am drowning.
There is no sign of land.
You are coming down with me, hand in unlovable hand.

And I hope you die.

I hope we both die.


:smith:

Grimey Drawer
Some cats can swim! They just don't like to because it musses up their fur.

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
If you acclimate them to it as a kitten most cats are okay with water. And several kinds of big cats can swim.

unseenlibrarian
Jun 4, 2012

There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.
I think the weaknesses are optional to take? You take a weakness and get a power in exchange. So someone playing a Maine Coon Henge doesn't have to take "Can't swim"

(Maine Coon Henge would take the form of a 12 year old and still be over six feet tall.)

Quinn2win
Nov 9, 2011

Foolish child of man...
After reading all this,
do you still not understand?
Yep, you take your pick of 1-3 weaknesses, and get the additional powers for each one you pick. So it is possible to play a swimming cat, so long as they have some other weakness.

Kavak
Aug 23, 2009


unseenlibrarian posted:

(Maine Coon Henge would take the form of a 12 year old and still be over six feet tall.)

So basically me? :v:

Young Freud
Nov 26, 2006

Kurieg posted:

Yeah, I love the game thematically but the rules are just painful at times, and it's definitely not a World of Darkness game.

And after having thought about it yesterday North Dakota should be more important in most Post Apocalyptic scenarios, as long as they take place during or shortly after the cold war. It has two Air Force Bases and, during the period between the end of the Cold War and the US Nuclear Disarmament program, had North Dakota seceded from the union, they would have become the world's third strongest nuclear superpower.

Unless there was a WW3 between then and it's secession, because it probably would have gotten bombed during a nuclear exchange for the same reasons.

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:

Young Freud posted:

Unless there was a WW3 between then and it's secession, because it probably would have gotten bombed during a nuclear exchange for the same reasons.

True, but the reason why there are so many nukes in NoDak is because it's the geographical center of North America, 70s-80s era nukes would take a long time to get there giving them time to either retaliate or shoot them down. Launching a nuke at North Dakota was a surefire way to ensure a nuclear winter. Which, still, should make the state somewhat important.

On a similar vein, since I've been playing a bunch of Fallout lately, why is it that post apocalypse games always have the area be a temporate desert. Fallout specifically says that the nuclear war made most of the planet into a warm desert which just makes no sense to me, and I was wondering if there was any truth to it.

The Crotch
Oct 16, 2012

by Nyc_Tattoo
In the case of most of the Fallout games, I presume it's because Black Isle and Obsidian are/were based in California. Same goes for inXile and the Wasteland games. Hell, New Vegas' Honest Hearts DLC probably had its origins in one of Rope Kid's camping trips.

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015

Kurieg posted:

On a similar vein, since I've been playing a bunch of Fallout lately, why is it that post apocalypse games always have the area be a temporate desert. Fallout specifically says that the nuclear war made most of the planet into a warm desert which just makes no sense to me, and I was wondering if there was any truth to it.

Because a temperate desert is the easiest/laziest way to convey that the setting is hopeless and lovely? Though I suspect it's the setting equivalent of "All dwarves are Scottish".

I mean, the first thing the craptastic Resident Evil movies did when the zombie apocalypse happened? Have the T-Virus turn the whole planet into a desert because... that's what you do if you go post-apocalyptic.

Doresh fucked around with this message at 20:16 on Apr 4, 2016

GimpInBlack
Sep 27, 2012

That's right, kids, take lots of drugs, leave the universe behind, and pilot Enlightenment Voltron out into the cosmos to meet Alien Jesus.

Oh, hey, Rocket Age! I had been thinking of doing this whenever I get around to finishing Beyond the Wall, so glad to see it getting some love. Can't wait to see you get to the Europans and their culture: they're so delightfully weird.

Funnily enough, Rocket Age just hit the Bundle of Holding, if anybody wants to pick it up based on this review.

Covok
May 27, 2013

Yet where is that woman now? Tell me, in what heave does she reside? None of them. Because no God bothered to listen or care. If that is what you think it means to be a God, then you and all your teachings are welcome to do as that poor women did. And vanish from these realms forever.
What would a nuclear winter actually be like?

Young Freud
Nov 26, 2006

Kurieg posted:

True, but the reason why there are so many nukes in NoDak is because it's the geographical center of North America, 70s-80s era nukes would take a long time to get there giving them time to either retaliate or shoot them down. Launching a nuke at North Dakota was a surefire way to ensure a nuclear winter. Which, still, should make the state somewhat important.

On a similar vein, since I've been playing a bunch of Fallout lately, why is it that post apocalypse games always have the area be a temporate desert. Fallout specifically says that the nuclear war made most of the planet into a warm desert which just makes no sense to me, and I was wondering if there was any truth to it.

It's debatable, mostly because it's one of those things that would require WW3 to actually prove. While volcanic eruptions like Krakatoa produced intense sunsets and a 1.2 centigrade drop in global temperature for five years, proponents of the nuclear winter theory like Carl Sagan thought something like Saddam Hussein burning the Kuwaiti oil fields following Operation Desert Storm would have produced a nuclear winter effect, but never did. Supposedly, the key element is the fires from burning cities and landscape going into the stratosphere, which massive fires like the Kuwaiti fires apparently weren't able to do. Homeland Security did an assessment in 2010 and the fire experts brought on the white paper claimed that modern city design would likely not generate a firestorm in event of a nuclear detonation. Although large fires would still occur, they just wouldn't coalesce into a firestorm that could penetrate the stratosphere. (Interestingly enough, DHS had similar papers where modern buildings would likely prevent the radiation casualties given that most modern buildings and foundations are made of reinforced concrete, the same thing used when making blast bunkers and fallout shelters. We're talking about 90-99% survival rate for sheltered occupants, I guess as long as the structure doesn't get obliterated in the blast wave)

Also, even if the particulate matter entered the stratosphere, it would largely be isolated to the Northern Hemisphere, since that's where all your nukes are going to be used against, either targeting cities and military installations or destroyed in their launchers in a first strike attempt. The jet stream would likely prevent any fallout from crossing the equator, leaving most of the Southern Hemisphere relatively intact, with maybe a few exceptions, and even the effects of those exceptions would be minor, given the large distances of open ocean between landmasses. Supposedly, this is one of the reason there was a lot of the pursuit of American-friendly regimes like Chile and Colombia back in the '70s and '80s, so the American government, military, and business elite can go into exile while most of the CONUS glows in the dark.

So, tl;dr, nuclear winter turning everything into a desert may or may not be feasible or may or may not effect globally.

The Crotch posted:

In the case of most of the Fallout games, I presume it's because Black Isle and Obsidian are/were based in California. Same goes for inXile and the Wasteland games. Hell, New Vegas' Honest Hearts DLC probably had its origins in one of Rope Kid's camping trips.

And Wasteland, as well as it's sequel, where based along the Arizona/Nevada/California border.

Humbug Scoolbus
Apr 25, 2008

The scarlet letter was her passport into regions where other women dared not tread. Shame, Despair, Solitude! These had been her teachers, stern and wild ones, and they had made her strong, but taught her much amiss.
Clapping Larry

Covok posted:

What would a nuclear winter actually be like?


Probably like 1816 only lasting a lot longer.

oriongates
Mar 14, 2013

Validate Me!


Covok posted:

What would a nuclear winter actually be like?

Less dramatic than it sounds.

Basically the theory is that large-scale nuclear war (nuclear winter isn't something that's going to happen on a small scale) will throw enough dust, soot and particles into the atmosphere to dim light from the sun, resulting in global cooling as light gets blocked off. The effect is similar to what happens when a powerful volcano erupts, or a large meteor hits the earth.

The effect would, presumably, be a drop of a few degrees average temperature. If it happened in the modern day it might actually largely cancel out global warming, leading to the same average temperatures we saw about 100-200 years ago. However, if the effect is more extreme then it leads to colder and longer winters and cooler springs and summers. In general this means less food (especially smaller harvests) and possible mass-extinctions of some species of animals in plants that aren't adapted to the climate change in areas where the climate is on enough of a tipping point for the change to be dramatic.

It would be catastrophic for human society because it would cripple large scale agriculture but its not going to be a literal ice-age or anything.

Young Freud
Nov 26, 2006

oriongates posted:

Less dramatic than it sounds.

Basically the theory is that large-scale nuclear war (nuclear winter isn't something that's going to happen on a small scale) will throw enough dust, soot and particles into the atmosphere to dim light from the sun, resulting in global cooling as light gets blocked off. The effect is similar to what happens when a powerful volcano erupts, or a large meteor hits the earth.

The effect would, presumably, be a drop of a few degrees average temperature. If it happened in the modern day it might actually largely cancel out global warming, leading to the same average temperatures we saw about 100-200 years ago. However, if the effect is more extreme then it leads to colder and longer winters and cooler springs and summers. In general this means less food (especially smaller harvests) and possible mass-extinctions of some species of animals in plants that aren't adapted to the climate change in areas where the climate is on enough of a tipping point for the change to be dramatic.

It would be catastrophic for human society because it would cripple large scale agriculture but its not going to be a literal ice-age or anything.

Actually, a 2007 study called "Nuclear winter revisited with a modern climate model and current nuclear arsenals: Still catastrophic consequences" published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests that a nuclear winter caused using existing global arsenals would be –7 °C to –8 °C global cooling a couple years after a major nuclear war and –4 °C after a decade, but North America and Eurasia get hit with a –20 to -30 °C drop.

Crasical
Apr 22, 2014

GG!*
*GET GOOD

:3:

I can't really explain why but Tanuki are one of my favorite Weird Japanese Things.

The description of the 'Carried away' flaw does kind of seem like some of the meaning wasn't carried across in localization, though.

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!


Part 5: (The Other Half of) The (AADA) 2036 Mini-Atlas of North America (European Edition)



The Midwest

"... is mainly an obstacle for the traveller to get across as quickly as possible." Thanks, guys. Largely abandoned outside of the notable Fortress Cities.



  • Illinois: Chicago has become the gathering place for the new Church of America, an evangelical religion that preaches that Chicago is a holy city. It survived the Food Riots, mainly thanks to the Society of Wotija and other ethnic organizations banding together to drive out the cycle gangs.
  • Indiana: EDSEL is present but weak here. Floral Gulch survived due to the local military base, and Brickyard was nuked by terrorists ("the crazed Jackson Memorial Commands") in 2013. An in-joke about Michael Jackson? I dunno.
  • Iowa: It notes that the Amana colonies prohibit all weaponry, and that there have been some "Back to the Earth" communes founded near Marquette. "... despite pacifist claims, they have exhibited great enthusiasm in defending themselves."
  • Kansas: Largely deserted outside of cattle herders. A lot of the western side of the state is essentially lawless.
  • Michigan: Only Detroit is detailed, which is apparently a major car manufacturer (still? again?) but ridden with crime and violence, so you can get your Robocop on.
  • Minnesota: The Twin Cities ban in-city duelling, and are relatively well-off despite initially being hit hard by the Blight. It also notes there are a lot of gangs in the surrounding area, though the police keep them out of the city itself.
  • Missouri: Mostly returned to wilderness, though there are cattle herders, and the University of Nebraska's combat football team is much more popular than duelling here.
  • North Dakota: ... gets no detail. Seriously, none.
  • Ohio: There's Midville, famous for its civil defense MONDOs (as well as the setting of the Car Wars supplement Crash City).
  • South Dakota: Gangs, cattle, and it recommends Badlands National Park.
  • Wisconsin: "The Land of Cheese and Beer"; it recommends the German food and water sports. Er. The water sports that take place on water, that is.

The Pacific Coast

Though prosperous, this area also suffers from crime and overpopulation that come with it.

  • California: Probably the most detail of any state. Fresno is the original home of raisin farmer Joseph "Crazy Joe" Harshman, the original autoduellist. Los Angeles is divided into a hundred "civic territories" each ruled over bytheir own gangs, businesses, ethnic groups, etc. San Francisco is the financial and tourism center of the West Coast. "... several samurai-code autoduel clubs, generally independent of the AADA, war amongst themselves." :rolleyes:
  • Oregon: Beautiful landscapes, poor people, oceanfront desalination plants.
  • Washington: National parks, seafood, and tire chains.

The Southwest

This has a very "Old West" sort of stereotype to it due to poor governmental control and heavy cycle gang activity, matched only by the heavy state patrols; both seem equally dangerous.



  • Arizona: Lots of gangs and Mexican raiders make things rough, and it recommends you pack extra water and power cells.
  • Nevada: Much like Arizona, but also with a mysterious "Desert Ghost" killer that has torn open vehicles to get at the meaty people inside. Top secret fact I know from *lore*: they're referring to giant goddamn scorpions. Las Vegas waned as a gambling capital and instead has become a center for TV production. There's a cycle gang call the Saguaros that are known more for their parties and potshots than standard raiding activity.
  • New Mexico: Once again, gangs and raiders are an issue, along with the general corruption of local authorities.

Alaska and Hawaii

  • Alaska: Effectively run by oil companies. Roads are in bad repair and mostly vanish under the weather, and a lot of travel has to be done by (expensive) plane.
  • Hawaii: Still a beautiful tourist destination. Not so big on cars shooting at each other, though.

The Free Oil States

It notes that the governments here are struggling, and though oil makes them prosperous, things are still unstable. It notes all of them can be hostile to visitors and don't have much tolerance for criminal (or perceived criminal) activity.

  • Louisiana: Now a dictatorship with mandated Catholicism. New Orleans has recovered and has been rebuilt as a tourist attraction, though it's put major financial strain on the nation to do so.
  • Oklahoma: Travel is rough outside of company-run toll roads. New Tulsa is a new oil town built near the old ruins of Tulsa. Cycle gangs include the Rogues (effectively mercs who work for local oil refineries) and the Outsiders (your usual thuggish bandits).
  • Texas: Arlington is the largest city, known for its industry. Austin is the capital, though it also has dangerous ruins where law holds no sway. Houston is only really known for its fortified university - the rest of the city is run by savages.

Canada

Now a constitutional monarchy. Canadians prize non-lethal duels and aren't easily provoked, but it warns not to take this as a sign of cowardice or incompetence. Notable gangs intluce the Libertines (Robin Hoods) and the Jets (who are Jets for life). The RCMP runs around in armed cars trying to shoot them.

Quebec

Like Canada, only with more French. Also, they hate people who don't speak French. Sorry, Quebec! You're a nation of stereotypes.

The United Mexican States

This is run by jefes in psuedo-feudal states from their fortress towns. Some run honest communities, while others are effectively just gang strongholds.

Next: Just trying to make it one lane at a time.

mcclay
Jul 8, 2013

Oh dear oh gosh oh darn
Soiled Meat
As someone who lives in Nevada I can one hundred percent confirm there is a chance of random death by giant scorpion.

Mors Rattus
Oct 25, 2007

FATAL & Friends
Walls of Text
#1 Builder
2014-2018

Yeah but that's because giant scorpions love the Strip, they're all tourists in from other states.

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!
Given I just ran across a third reference that brings up the Desert Ghost (s), they're probably about as canon as giant monsters end up being in Car Wars, unlike dragons, vampire cars, and (Mark III) ogres.

mcclay
Jul 8, 2013

Oh dear oh gosh oh darn
Soiled Meat

Mors Rattus posted:

Yeah but that's because giant scorpions love the Strip, they're all tourists in from other states.

This is incredibly true. Most of Nevada's crazy comes from other states. The rest is hillbillies out in the desert and ultra-Mormon ranchers in the south and east. Nothwest where I live is pretty ok.

unseenlibrarian
Jun 4, 2012

There's only one thing in the mountains that leaves a track like this. The creature of legend that roams the Timberline. My people named him Sasquatch. You call him... Bigfoot.
I'm pretty sure one of the Oklahoma Gangs being "The Outsiders" is a dumb reference to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086066/ aka "One of the few movies set mostly in Oklahoma other than film versions of the Red Fern Grows and the musical", and thus the one everyone who goes through the state educational system has to watch at least 13 times in middle school.

gradenko_2000
Oct 5, 2010

HELL SERPENT
Lipstick Apathy

Young Freud posted:

Actually, a 2007 study called "Nuclear winter revisited with a modern climate model and current nuclear arsenals: Still catastrophic consequences" published in the Journal of Geophysical Research, suggests that a nuclear winter caused using existing global arsenals would be –7 °C to –8 °C global cooling a couple years after a major nuclear war and –4 °C after a decade, but North America and Eurasia get hit with a –20 to -30 °C drop.

I think there was also a study that even a small/limited/regional nuclear war, such as an exchange of warheads by Pakistan and India, could still drop global temperatures enough to have catastrophic effects on agriculture.

Young Freud
Nov 26, 2006

I'm legit surprised that SJG was making Arlington the most major city in Texas and not Dallas-Fort Worth. It's likely it gets a mention because of the GM plant there, because that's the only auto industry that I know of. Dallas-Fort Worth is more known for it's oil industry, with Halliburton and Exxon Mobil, and defense industry, like Bell Helicopter, Lockheed Martin, and Raytheon, as well as Texas Instruments headquarters in Dallas, than for auto industry.

RocknRollaAyatollah
Nov 26, 2008

Lipstick Apathy

gradenko_2000 posted:

I think there was also a study that even a small/limited/regional nuclear war, such as an exchange of warheads by Pakistan and India, could still drop global temperatures enough to have catastrophic effects on agriculture.

The magic number was always given as 100 before the end of the Cold War but that number is probably outdated or incorrect. Any amount of nuclear weapons used on a population center is bad regardless due to the economic ramifications alone of wiping out and poisoning a major population center/region.

Adnachiel
Oct 21, 2012


Part 3: History, Campus, and Characters

As it’s been stated, Coventry’s campus is located on the Isle of Avalon, the former home of the Fae, located somewhere off the northwestern coast of Ireland. Titania Morganne, the current and only headmistress Coventry has ever had, chose Avalon as the site for the school because she is half-fae and it’s not like they were using it anyway.

The book states that the school was founded in 845 AD when Morganne, then the Director of Education for the WWC, decided that the then current crop of magic schools were not “progressive” enough, quit her job, and started her own. What exactly did she have a problem with and what did she do differently?

Coventry posted:

After 200 years at the job, Titania noticed that though most of the schools were up to current standards, they all held to cultural view on history, magic, and the witches' place in the world.

I’m going to guess that she doesn’t have a problem with witch supremacy, seeing as there’s a Highbinders youth branch on campus that’s visible enough for another teacher to create a club in response. That or there's Highbinders on the WWC's Council of 13 pulling some strings.

After building the main areas and bringing all of the exotic magical beasts on the island to heel, she gathered a staff of 13 teachers and opened the school’s doors to a class of 30 students, most of whom were from England.

By the way, the writeup says that the school opened its doors in 1046. The little blurb at the front of the book and in the core say 900. So pick whichever date sounds good to you.

The school expanded in the 1500s when the Age of Exploration… caused a lot of people to look outside of the other 19 schools that were around at the time, creating an increase in the number of requests for enrollment. …Okay. Around this time, Red Mulligan, a famous pirate, and his crew invaded the island looking to steal the school’s wealth. The staff turned them into statues that still stand in the woods in the present day.



This picture looks like it had a hasty censor job done to it. Those shirts make no sense to me.

After decades of expansion, the next major event in Coventry’s history came during World War I.

Coventry posted:

during World War I, it was discovered that many of the students had grown strong political views involving the war. This lead to many problems and the eventual expulsion of ten students.

I don’t think Harris knew (or knows) a drat thing about World War I because that’s literally all of the explanation given. So there’s no telling if students from opposing countries were fighting each other, if the troublemakers were Yugoslav nationalists, if they just thought the whole thing was a stupid clusterfuck and tried to cast a spell to stop the war, or something else.

When World War II broke out, a bunch of German witches tried, and failed, to convince Morganne to let Germany use the island as an air base. In response, she sealed the island off from the rest of the world, making the staff members the only people allowed to come and go freely. In 1941, German forces opened a portal to the island and stormed it, forcing the students to be evacuated either to their homes or to the Cryptozoology preserve on the other side of the island. The battle lasted three weeks and it took a joint effort of the school’s staff, council forces, immortals, and mundanes to push the Germans back. The school was closed for the rest of the war while the teachers went to help the war effort in various countries.

When the war was over, Coventry reopened with an “even more diverse student body”. This was apparently an issue, because it was over the next few decades that their “prodigies and legacies only” policy started. The last event of note is during the 1960s, when Sunshine Moonglow and several students cast a spell that started the Flower Power Movement.

Next is a rundown of all of the buildings on campus. Here, have a map.



If you look closely, you can see the lines of the graph paper it was drawn on.

Main Hall: Has 50 “spacious” classrooms, labs, and lecture halls. As well as the teacher’s meeting room and the offices.

Baba Yaga Memorial Hall/Dormitory: (There are only a few sentences between the name change.) The dorm. Its namesake is a famous Russian sorceress. The first floor is the common room, the Neophytes room, a guest suite, and the Dorm Mother’s suite. Second floor is the Initiates’ dorm. Third is the Apprentices’. Fourth is the Interns’. While it doesn’t look like it, the dorms are divided up into halls based on the cardinal directions. There are rivalries between them.

Library: Run by Sadie South and Athena Olympia, the library boasts a “near infinite” amount of texts ranging from modern books to ancient scrolls. (Including “The Scrolls of Circe”, because of course. Also “The Musings of Media” and “The Questions of the Queen of Sheba”.)

Kinderalla: The Neophyte classroom. Way back when I was confused when it said that a Coventry student had to pick someone to do their internship with. Well, it turns out that the title “Intern” is literal. The Neophyte teaching duties are almost the sole responsibility of the Intern students. Which I’m sure is the case to allow for Harris and other DMs to come up with all sorts of magical shenanigans and get some use out of that babysitting section in 13 Magazine. Of course, this section is so poorly edited that not even that is completely clear.

Coventry posted:

There the students are taught by Interns and not actual instructors, including teachers assistants. Ms. South and Ms. Athena Olympia are officially the staff in charge and spend time overseeing many of the classes, as well as instructing the actual students.

Either way, I doubt kids who are still students themselves are capable of giving even younger students the best education in all of the multiverse.

Garden: It’s quiet, students like to eat lunch in it, and the Herbalism class takes place in it. Next.

Teacher Bungalows: Where the teachers live during the school year. Going into one without permission from a staff member will get you instantly expelled. (By the way, the font becomes thinner on this page.)

Sports Field: Used for sports as well as performances from the orchestra, “student pop/rock band”, and the drama club, which is suddenly a thing.

Cryptozoology Preserve: The world’s largest preserve and hospital for legendary creatures, run by Artemis Olympia. Again, students aren’t allowed on it without staff permission.

The next and final section of the book is the character sheets. As stated before, most of the staff do not have sheets. Instead, it’s just a section for all of the OWG characters, including ones that have absolutely nothing to do with the school. I’m going to be using the pictures from the OWG book for this section because, due to lovely printing, the ones in the Coventry book look like muddy rear end. Like so:



Janette Deville (13)

The main character of OWG and the designated “good witch”. Due to being raised in the mundane world and attending a regular school until her run-in with Deacon Black, Janette is a bit more grounded and less “uppity” than the typical Coventry student. Thus, she spends a lot of her time teaching her fellow students the “true value of humanity”.

In practice, she’s just as horrible as any other character in this setting. Piss her off and all of that respect for humanity goes right out the window, along with the target’s humanity. There’s even an entire story about this in OWG wherein she goes into a witch themed store with Annabelle and punishes a bunch of kids because they insulted her shoes.



This is, of course, at odds with her Dislikes, which are “Witch Snobbery” and “Mean People”.

Also, the comics say she’s 11 while her bio says she’s 13.

Janette is an Insider with the Friendly and Humanity talents, the Legacy heritage, and the Instant Karma and Natural abilities. She’s got D6s and D8s in all of her attributes, 41 mundane skill points, 26 magical skill points, and 22 magic ranks. (Her highest is a 4 in both Alteration and Mentalism.) Her signature spell is Levitation, a Mentalism 1 spell that does exactly what it sounds like. She’s got a Bigger Bag, a Black Racer Broom, a Mona Lisa Drive Computer, and a custom wand that gives a +1 to Mentalism spells and general MTR and can levitate 20 pounds worth of stuff.


Annabelle Deville (13)

Annabelle was born in Portland, Maine to mundane parents. When her powers manifested, she was immediately sent to Coventry. Unfortunately, being around witch society turned her into the evil little poo poo that she is. For reasons unknown, she was sent back to her parents a few years later. She turned them into toads, which is why she was sent to live with Helena. When she was sent back to Coventry due to being attacked by Deacon Black, she was welcomed “with open arms despite her past”. Despite her bio claiming that she’s been tempered somewhat by Janette’s goodness, she spends her days trying to become a powerful and widely feared witch and tormenting her cousin. She also likes Donny. Though she won’t admit it.

Annabelle is an Insider with the Snob and Wicked talents, the Attuned heritage, and the Quick Spell ability. She has a D4 in Body, a D6 in Senses, a D10 in Magic, and D8s in everything else. She’s has 29 mundane skill points, 23 magical skill points, and 23 magic ranks. (Her highest is a 5 in, you guessed it, Alteration.) Her signature spell is “Toad”, an Alteration 3 spell that turns people in toads, which she loves doing. She’s got a Bigger Bag, a mini magical mirror, a silver streak broom, and a custom wand that gives her a +1 to Alteration spells, +1 to the duration MTR of spells, and gives targets a -1 Resist Magic penalty.


Helena Deville (50)

Helena was the first witch born into the Deville family in the 20th century, according to her bio. (Her brother and sister were not so lucky and I imagine had a hellish life living with a witch mother and sister.) After graduating from Coventry, she became a spiritual adviser and seller of youth and vitality potions to rich and famous people. She has never been married and taking care of Janette and Annabelle is her first foray in child-rearing. For some reason, she hates the WWC. She also hates bullies, even though her skill spread includes a lot of abilities that are used for bullying people.

Helena is an Insider with the Beautiful and Rich talents, the Hexer heritage, and the Instant Karma and Ward abilities. She has a D6 in Senses, a D10 in Mind, a D12+4 in Magic, and a D8 in everything else. She has 47 mundane skill points, 53 magical skill points, and 50 magic ranks. (Highest being Curses (7), Alteration (6), and Time and Space (6).) Her signature spell is “Fools Luck”, a Curses 2 spell that gives its target +5 to all rolls while the spell lasts. She has a Crimson Teardrop, a “Heaven’s Harpies” broom, and a mansion that gives her +2 to Casting while in it.


Donny Owens (13)

Donny is a mundane. He enjoys comic books, role-playing, and anime and is Annabelle’s unofficial boyfriend, who he also lives in fear of. That’s pretty much it. Here’s a weird picture of him eating ice cream.



Donny has no clique, no magic, no abilities, no equipment, and no heritage. He has the Geek and Meek talents though. He has a D8 Mind, D6 Senses, and D4 everything else. For skills, he has 37 mundane skill points and 3 magical (2 in Cryptozoology and 1 in Mysticism).


Kamesha Washington (13)

Kamesha is also a mundane. She doesn’t fear Janette and Annabelle like Donny does and doesn’t have a problem telling them off when they’re being shits. Not that she ever really gets a chance to do so since she’s barely featured in the comics. She is part of one thing of note though that will be explained in the next post. Her bio spells Janette’s name wrong.

Kamesha has a D8+1 Mind, D4 Magic, and D6 everything else. She has 30 mundane skill points and no magical skills. Like Donny, she has no magic, equipment, abilities, or heritage. She has the Brainiac and Jock talents. Her bio says that she wants to be a doctor, but she has no points in First Aid.


Millie LeRouche (75)

Helena’s head maid. Her family, despite being nothing but mundanes, has always known about magic because :shrug:. Her motivation is Donny’s accidentally copy-pasted. (“To have fun and become a Writer.”)

Millie’s a mundane, save for a spell that makes her age at half the rate of normal humans. So you know the drill. No heritage, no magic, no abilities save for the longevity spell, and no equipment. D8 Senses with D4 Magic and D6 everything else, 41 mundane skill points with a 4 in Mysticism, Calm and Friendly talents.


Harlan Macbeth

Harlan, not his real name, was born 393 years ago near Mt. Kilimanjaro in either what is now Tanzania or Kenya. (Or, as his bio puts it, just “West Africa”. Tanzania, Kenya, and Kilimanjaro are very much on the eastern part of the continent.) For centuries, he was part of a mercenary band of immortals who won the wars of whoever gave them the most money. Now, he’s a history teacher at Thomas Jefferson Middle School. He’s also boning Helena, who he’s slowly revealing his checkered past to. Also, his best friend according to the sheet is Robin Locksley.

That all sounds mildly impressive, but in practice, Harlan is probably the most inept immortal in existence. Aside for one panel where he punches Deacon Black, he doesn’t do much heroing and his few attempts to do so end in failure.

So what is his main purpose in the comics, you ask?

Why, being the butt monkey and getting transformed into stuff, of course!


Keep in mind this is probably Harris’ self-insert.

Harlan is an Atlasian immortal with the Brainiac and Jock talents and “standard immortal abilities” for abilities. He’s got a D6 Social, D10 Body and Magic, and D8 everything else. He’s got 59 mundane skill points and 10 magical ones. (7 in Cryptozoology and 3 in Mysticism. There are no history based skills. The closest thing he has is a 7 in Mythology and a 4 in Basics.) For magic, he has Elementalism 3 (presumably with a focus on earth spells due to his heritage). For equipment, he has a pet Bargeist hound named Mangler (or, as the sheet spells it, “Masngler”) who has lion stats.

Next: The rest of the character sheets

theironjef
Aug 11, 2009

The archmage of unexpected stinks.

Hey everyone, want some Afterthought? Here's some: Afterthought 29 - Oops, All Plugs!. We brought James from One Shot and Campaign back on the show (secret: he asked to be to plug his new Kickstarter) but hey, he's always good to answer questions, and we love poaching his insanely dedicated fan-art making wiki populating fanbase.

Midjack
Dec 24, 2007



Adnachiel posted:




a Mona Lisa Drive Computer

HLUGHAHLUGHALHUGHALUGHBLUGHALUGHGALUH

Count Chocula
Dec 25, 2011

WE HAVE TO CONTROL OUR ENVIRONMENT
IF YOU SEE ME POSTING OUTSIDE OF THE AUSPOL THREAD PLEASE TELL ME THAT I'M MISSED AND TO START POSTING AGAIN

quote:

Canada

Now a constitutional monarchy. Canadians prize non-lethal duels and aren't easily provoked, but it warns not to take this as a sign of cowardice or incompetence. Notable gangs intluce the Libertines (Robin Hoods) and the Jets (who are Jets for life). The RCMP runs around in armed cars trying to shoot them.

Isn't Canada already a Constitutional Monarchy, with the Queen the technical head of state?

Nessus
Dec 22, 2003

After a Speaker vote, you may be entitled to a valuable coupon or voucher!



Doresh posted:

Because a temperate desert is the easiest/laziest way to convey that the setting is hopeless and lovely? Though I suspect it's the setting equivalent of "All dwarves are Scottish".

I mean, the first thing the craptastic Resident Evil movies did when the zombie apocalypse happened? Have the T-Virus turn the whole planet into a desert because... that's what you do if you go post-apocalyptic.
Yeah it's basically because the genre is built around the visuals of films and those films were shot in the desert. Mad Max: Fury Road actually had to move shooting locations because there was a sudden rainstorm and the entire loving area filled with gorgeous wildflowers.

I think Fallout was sneaking a bit away from it, though. Though mostly in 3, which was set on the East Coast, and... well, my understanding is that the East Coast actually can't become a desert.

Davin Valkri
Apr 8, 2011

Maybe you're weighing the moral pros and cons but let me assure you that OH MY GOD
SHOOT ME IN THE GODDAMNED FACE
WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!

Nessus posted:

Yeah it's basically because the genre is built around the visuals of films and those films were shot in the desert. Mad Max: Fury Road actually had to move shooting locations because there was a sudden rainstorm and the entire loving area filled with gorgeous wildflowers.

That sounds like absolutely gorgeous post-apocalypse imagery, to be honest.

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Kavak
Aug 23, 2009


Davin Valkri posted:

That sounds like absolutely gorgeous post-apocalypse imagery, to be honest.

Nothing But Flowers? I wish I had a lawnmower...

But seriously, I hope future Fallout games have more environments like Mt. Charleston, recovering or even thriving landscapes instead of the boring desolation of 3 and 4.

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