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Desiden posted:So, okay, Beast setting is suck and muddled to all hell. Are the rules useful for anything? Like, if you wanted to do that game where you were dragons in a past life, only with better mechanics, would Beast have any use? Or are the powers and stuff useless outside of being misunderstood pedophiles? Fireborn is probably a better game mechanically. If you watched that one podcast's review of it or ever played Fireborn, you will understand how damning this sentence is.
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Oct 22, 2016 00:13
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Desiden posted:So, okay, Beast setting is suck and muddled to all hell. Are the rules useful for anything? Like, if you wanted to do that game where you were dragons in a past life, only with better mechanics, would Beast have any use? Or are the powers and stuff useless outside of being misunderstood pedophiles? Beast has a few very promising mechanical experiments in it that compelled me to try to fix the game with a rewrite or redesign to burn down the fluff and sand down the more underthought parts, so there is some value in studying the mechanics, at the least.
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Oct 22, 2016 00:36
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Obligatum VII posted:detectives are marginalized?
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Oct 22, 2016 02:28
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IIRC, absolutely everything Beast can do Leviathan does better. And that's a fansplat.
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Oct 22, 2016 02:35
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The Lone Badger posted:IIRC, absolutely everything Beast can do Leviathan does better. And that's a fansplat. I'd also say Slasher hits Beast's notes in general. Slasher also makes it clear that while you can play Slashers as antiheroes - via the Suicide Squad route or some such - and Slashers can even target supernaturals and others who deserve killing, you are playing broken, broken people with a compulsive need to kill, and that does not make you a good person.
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Oct 22, 2016 02:56
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Cythereal posted:I'd also say Slasher hits Beast's notes in general. Slasher also makes it clear that while you can play Slashers as antiheroes - via the Suicide Squad route or some such - and Slashers can even target supernaturals and others who deserve killing, you are playing broken, broken people with a compulsive need to kill, and that does not make you a good person. The longest running Warhammer Fantasy campaign I played in, I played as a charming, happy-go-lucky wandering Blood Dragon Vampire who thought of himself as a great hero because that's what heroes do, right? They slaughter hundreds of Norsemen and monsters. He'd cheerfully inform people he was responsible for about 10,000 deaths over the last 100 years and be really surprised they were nervous around him, because "C'mon, I fight Chaos! I'm on your side. I don't want to hurt you.", despite the fact that it was pretty clear he could leap the table and take out whoever he was talking to and escape if he felt like it. He just couldn't comprehend anymore that humans found the act of cutting an enemy in half distasteful. I imagine that's roughly what playing a Slasher as an antihero is like.
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Oct 22, 2016 03:00
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Crasical posted:... I mean, does every splat have to be a metaphor for some facet of the human condition? The problem with vampires is that the sexual assault metaphor was built into modern vampires from the beginning, when they were stories about creepy Lord Byron types/swarthy foreigners attacking English women. It's hard to find vampire fiction without that - I flipped on a BBC kids show about Dracula's son and Dracula was trying to seduce one of the kid's teachers. So the challenge is removing that aspect from the game. The original I Am Legend comes closest. At best you just get sexy movie star/Byronic/Bowie vampires.
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Oct 22, 2016 03:37
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Halloween Jack posted:I know, I know. Mage isn't really my bag anyway. That's why I like oMage - as I've ranted about in this thread, it's a world where all the whacky ideas that people believe can come true, where being into esoteric stoner philosophy or poetry or secret history makes you powerful, instead of thousands of dollars in debt and working at Starbucks.
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Oct 22, 2016 03:40
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Count Chocula posted:That's why I like oMage - as I've ranted about in this thread, it's a world where all the whacky ideas that people believe can come true, where being into esoteric stoner philosophy or poetry or secret history makes you powerful, instead of thousands of dollars in debt and working at Starbucks. Yeah, for me, Mage is a game about all the foolish people who don't see things your way, and how—terribly, awfully, unfairly, but unfortunately true—they still get to do stuff. (on the bright side the reverse is also true)
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Oct 22, 2016 04:17
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Rand Brittain posted:Yeah, for me, Mage is a game about all the foolish people who don't see things your way, and how—terribly, awfully, unfairly, but unfortunately true—they still get to do stuff. To me, oMage is a game about arguing with your roommate over the color of the wallpaper while your entire apartment building is on fire, and falling off a cliff - and only a few writers ever seem to actually remember that, and write as anybody but one of the roommates.
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Oct 22, 2016 04:22
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But in oMage the color of the wallpaper is more important than mundane fire, because if it's yellow you have a Yellow Wallpaper extradimensional entity and if it's the wrong shade it's a portal to a safer dimension, and maybe the pattern is actually a circuit design that a Son of Ether can build into a firefighting machine or a hidden mantra for an Akashic to meditate on and make himself fireproof or its covered in mold that a Cultist of Ectasy can sniff for power or somebody with Life can mutate into fire-smothering goo. Meanwhile somebody in the corner insists that it's just paper and wheatpaste, but everyone ignores them. Rand Brittain posted:Yeah, for me, Mage is a game about all the foolish people who don't see things your way, and how—terribly, awfully, unfairly, but unfortunately true—they still get to do stuff. You misunderstood me - I WANT all that whacky stuff to be true, and I'm happy for a game caters to us lit and philosophy nerds instead of math types. That's why I love oMage! I read it in college and the idea of a world where all of my friends- the Psychonaut and the Catholic alike - were right is so appealing. Count Chocula fucked around with this message at 04:32 on Oct 22, 2016 |
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Oct 22, 2016 04:29
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Daeren posted:To me, oMage is a game about arguing with your roommate over the color of the wallpaper while your entire apartment building is on fire, and falling off a cliff - and only a few writers ever seem to actually remember that, and write as anybody but one of the roommates.
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Oct 22, 2016 04:33
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Nessus posted:And in Wraith, of course, how can it get worse? You're already a spooky ghost! You'd think that, but
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Oct 22, 2016 04:36
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Nessus posted:And in Wraith, of course, how can it get worse? You're already a spooky ghost! 
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Oct 22, 2016 05:00
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Oct 22, 2016 05:18
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Oct 22, 2016 05:33
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Nessus posted:I thought that was Mage, Werewolf AND Vampire. Changeling I don't think it was as prominent. And in Wraith, of course, how can it get worse? You're already a spooky ghost! No, it got dialed back at some point for Changeling. Focus shifted from the whole Autumn is Coming stuff to 'Indian Summer'.
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Oct 22, 2016 05:50
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Strap on your cuirass and keep your technoaxe at the ready! We’re about to plunge back into… Part 3: Character Types- the Vector Joins the Fray! The first of the three character types covered in the book is the vector. Vectors are a catch-all category for anybody focused on action and physical acts. They’re fast and strong and can go the distance without wearing out. At first, it might seem like their talents come from their naturally toned physiques and intense training, but over time they’ll come to learn that “in some small way” their abilities also come from The Strange. the book posted:Vectors are respected and sometimes even idolized for their abilities and prowess. They are often natural leaders, because vectors are not simple brutes but driven, motivated individuals who figure out what they want and go out and get it.  There’s a lot of emphasis in this introduction that martial characters are totally important and totally matter because they're so courageous and also protect friends and take challenges head-on etc. In addition, they might not know or care about The Strange, and only focus on getting super swole. Cyphers vectors like: anything that lets them hit harder, stay standing longer, and pump iron better. The Might and Speed stat pools start at 10 for vectors, the Intellect pool starts at 8. They can also spread 6 more points around as they see fit. They come with a number of abilities/moves, which I think are interchangeable terms? The book always refers to the freebie powers give at each tier as "abilities" but sometimes the individual ability entries also call themselves "moves". There's also this sidebar:  Refluffing flavor text? What is this, a stupid WoW game for babies? First-Tier Vectors Vectors at this tier have an Effort of 1. They also have a Might Edge of 1, a Speed Edge of 1, and an Intellect Edge of 0. They can have two ciphers at a time. Starting vectors gain all of the following abilities: Defensive: You’re trained in Speed defense actions when not wearing armor. (Enabler) Practiced with All Weapons: You can use any weapon. (Enabler) Physical Skills: You can get training in two of these skills: balancing, climbing, jumping, running, or swimming. (Enabler) Translation: You can participate in the process of traveling to another recursion. Shifting to a new reality is a group effort and each of the character types specializes in a certain aspect of it. When a translation is begun, each character can choose to initiate, hasten, or ease a translation. At least one person has to pick initiate. Vectors are most effective at easing a translation. Translation rules haven’t been covered yet, but for now just know that easing a translation makes it easier for everyone to acclimate to the new world. Vectors also have a number of special moves. They can pick two from this list at chargen: Bash (1 Might): Your attack does -1 damage but you get to daze the target for a round. Tasks the target performs increase or decrease by 1 step, whichever way is to the target’s disadvantage. (Action) Endurance: Any duration dealing with physical actions is either doubled or halved, whichever benefits you. This means you can punch a boulder into lava twice as fast or pry open a door in half the time. (Enabler) Fleet of Foot: If you succeed at a difficulty 2 Speed roll to run, you can move a Short distance and take an action in the same round. (Enabler) No Need for Weapons: You know kung-fu. You can punch or kick and treat your limbs as medium or light weapons. (Enabler) Pierce (1 Speed): Make an additional attack and inflict +1 damage. (Action) Practiced in Armor: You can wear any kind of armor. Reduce the Might cost per hour and the Speed Pool reduction by 2 points. (Enabler) Second-Tier Vectors Vectors at this tier get the following abilities: Physical Skill: You’re trained in another skill. Pick from the same list used above: balancing, climbing, jumping, running, or swimming. (Enabler) Skill with Defense: You choose one type of defense task which you’re not already trained in: Might, Speed, or Intellect. You’re trained in defense tasks of that type. This move can be taken up to three times and apply to a different defense each time. (Enabler) Reach Beyond (3 Intellect): Activate this move to gain Training in a skill provided by a focus you have in another recursion. You must have used the skill once in its proper recursion. You can use the skill once. Any successive uses will require you to activate this move again. (Enabler) Vectors may also choose one of the following moves, or take a move from a lower tier instead. In addition, the vector can replace one of the first-tier moves with a different first-tier move. Enable Others: You can use the helping cooperative action to provide a benefit to another character attempting a physical task. This requires no action on your part. The helping action lets someone being helped be treated as Trained in a skill, or Specialized if he or she is already Trained. If that person is already Specialized, they get a +1 to the roll. (Enabler) Quick Recovery: Your second recovery roll is only a single action, just like the first recovery roll. The second recovery roll usually takes 10 minutes. (Enabler) Range Increase: Ranges for you increase by one step. So, treat Immediate range as Short, Short as Long, and Long as 200ft. (Enabler) Skill with Attacks: You can become trained in one type of attack from this list that you’re not already trained in: light bashing, light bladed, light ranged, medium bashing, medium bladed, medium ranged, heavy bashing, heavy bladed, or heavy ranged. (Enabler) Spray (2 Speed): Use rapid-fire weapons to decrease the difficulty of an attack roll by one step, uses 1d6+1 rounds of ammo, and deals -1 damage on a successful hit. (Action) Wreck: Do a two-handed overhead swing with your weapon. -1 to the Attack roll, +3 damage. If you’re trying to damage an object or barrier, you’re treated as Trained in the task. (Action)  "Mine!" "Mine?" Third-Tier Vectors Vectors at this tier get the following abilities: Expert Cypher Use: You can carry three cyphers now. Skill with Attacks: pick another type of attack you’re not Trained in off that list above. (Enabler) Vectors may also choose one of the following moves, or take a move from a lower tier instead. In addition, the vector can replace one of the lower-tier moves with a different move from a tier lower than third. Experienced with Armor: Upgrades the Practiced in Armor benefits from 2 to 3. (Enabler) Ignore the Pain: You don’t feel the detrimental effects of being impaired. When you’re debilitated, you experience the effects of being impaired instead. (Enabler) the book posted:(Dead is still dead.) Lunge (2 Might): Raise the difficulty of the attack roll by one step, deal +4 damage. (Action) Resilience: You have 1 point of Armor against any kind of physical damage, even damage that normally ignores armor. You’re just that hard. (Enabler) Slice (2 Speed): Decrease the difficulty of the attack roll on a bladed or pointed weapon by one step. -1 damage. (Action) Successive Attack: It’s cleave. The description says it can be used on a new foe within your reach, but later it also says you can use it with both melee and ranged attacks.  The second attack is part of the same action as the first. (Enabler)Fourth-Tier Vector Vectors of this tier get the following ability: Physical Skill: same as the last time. (Enabler) Vectors may also choose one of the following moves, or take a move from a lower tier instead. In addition, the vector can replace one of the lower-tier moves with a different move from a tier lower than fourth. Arc Spray (3 Speed): Use a rapid-fire weapon to fire on up to three targets (standing next to each other) as a single action. Each attack is a separate roll, increase the difficulty of each roll by one step. (Action) Capable Warrior: All of your attacks deal +1 damage. (Enabler) Feint (2 Speed): Spend an action being distracting, next round make a melee attack roll against the target with a difficulty decreased by one step. A successful attack deals +4 damage. (Action) Increased Effects: You treat rolls of natural 19 as rolls of natural 20 for Might or Speed actions (choose one). (Enabler) Runner: Your standard move distance is now Long. (Enabler) Skill with Attacks: same as the last time. (Enabler) Fifth-Tier Vector Vectors of this tier get the following abilities: Adept Cypher Use: You can have 4 cyphers now. Physical Skill: same as last time. (Enabler) Vectors may also choose one of the following moves, or take a move from a lower tier instead. In addition, the vector can replace one of the lower-tier moves with a different move from a tier lower than fifth. Jump Attack (5 Might): Attempt a difficulty 4 Might action to goomba stomp a fucker and cut him with your sword or whatever. A successful attack deals +3 damage and knocks the target down. If the Might roll fails you still make your normal melee attack, but no extra damage or knockdown. (Action) Mastery with Defense: Choose one type of defense task you’re Trained in (Might, Speed, or Intellect). You’re Specialized in defense tasks of that type. This move can be taken up to three times, with a different defense task each time. (Enabler) Parry (5 Speed): Activate this move to reduce the difficulty of all Speed defense rolls by one step for 10 rounds. (Enabler) Physical Adept: Any time you spend points from your Might or Speed on an action for any reason, if you roll a natural 1, you can reroll the die. You must take the second result. (Enabler) Skill with Attacks: same as last time. (Enabler) Sixth-Tier Vector Vectors of this tier get the following ability: Physical Skill: same as last time. (Enabler) Vectors may also choose one of the following moves, or take a move from a lower tier instead. In addition, the vector can replace one of the lower-tier moves with a different move from a tier lower than sixth. Again and Again (8 Speed): Take another action in a round after you’ve already acted. (Enabler) Mastery with Armor: Reduce the Might cost and Speed reduction to 0. Since this move makes Experienced with Armor redundant, replace that move with a different third-tier move if you have it. (Enabler) Spin Attack (5 Speed): Another D&D feat. Attack up to five targets within reach as part of the same action in one round. Make separate attacks against each target. You remain limited by the amount of Effort you can apply to one action. Anything that modifies your attack or damage applies to all of these attacks. (Action) Shooting Gallery (5 Speed): Spin Attack, but for ranged weapons. (Action) Skill with Attacks: same as last time. (Enabler) If you need some help fleshing out your vector's background, you could even roll a d20 on this table for some ideas:  Thoughts on the Vector: It’s dull. It’s the Dr. Mario to Numenera’s Mario (the glaive); they moved a few things around, switched out a few of the powers for ones more thematic to The Strange and called it a day. One big difference is the glaive gets the armor penalty- reducing abilities for free but had to pay for the unarmored Speed defense ability, and that seems like a serious downgrade. The vector still has the same horrifying deficiencies as the glaive, too. Outside of the Physical Skill ability and Translation (the ability every character type has) there are maybe three moves that have any kind of out-of-combat utility. But hey! This is a step up from the glaive...... which had zero.  I glossed over this before, but in the introduction to the vector it specifically notes that this class type is meant to cover not just soldiers and warriors but also athletes, hunters, explorers, and firefighters. I really don’t see how it encompasses any of those archetypes beyond a passing “Oh they can run a bit faster maybe, or endure a bit more.” And again, remember that this is a game that de-emphasizes combat to the point where you’re awarded no XP for it. It’s a game that says it wants you to pry open the deepest secrets of the universe, uncover strange new technology, and solve ancient mysteries. None of the vector’s unique abilities do anything to directly achieve those goals. The vector is the thing you throw at a monster to keep it busy while the brainy characters do the real work. The Strange would have been a great opportunity to toss out the entire fighter/mage/rogue paradigm for classes that directly reward the premise of the game. And this is what we got instead. God, this game…   WHY DO YOU HAVE TITS Next: Nuns with Guns fucked around with this message at 20:22 on Oct 22, 2016 |
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Oct 22, 2016 20:12
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Nuns with Guns posted:Part 3: Character Types- the Vector Joins the Fray! I don't know if they've said it yet, but here's an important thing to keep in mind - you can spend 1 level of effort to do 3 extra damage on a single target attack.
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Oct 22, 2016 20:36
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Glazius posted:I don't know if they've said it yet, but here's an important thing to keep in mind - you can spend 1 level of effort to do 3 extra damage on a single target attack. I mentioned that in the last post. If you spend effort on area of effect powers (mostly available to the caster class) you can deal 2 extra damage on a successful hit, too. For melee attacks, this effort has to be spent either out of the Might pool, which the vector will probably saving for when they're hit, or the Speed pool, which is used to dodge attacks. Ranged attacks use only the Speed pool. It seems like an awkward system to juggle, all things considered. Nuns with Guns fucked around with this message at 20:52 on Oct 22, 2016 |
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Oct 22, 2016 20:46
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I tend to see nMage as the game of playing a social revolutionary. The structure of the universe itself is hierarchical and corrupt, and you are either working to undermine it and to Awaken/educate and liberate the Sleeping masses for the coming cosmos-wide revolution (if you are a Pentacle mage), or (as a Seer) you're trying to keep those dangerous maniacs with radical ideas from threatening a cosmic order that appears to be somewhat stable and arguably meritocratic,* and also enriching yourself in the process. Awakening is a metaphor for being woke, possibly. * Meritocratic from the sort of FYGM perspective that I generally imagine most Seers (and libertarians, conservatives, etc.) to have; "I have Awakened because I was worthy of Awakening on my own merits (read: pulled myself up by my bootstraps), and if you're not Awakened, that means you're not worthy of enlightenment, so why should we give a drat about you?" The system works and rewards merit, at least from the perspective of a self-serving privileged arsehole.
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Oct 22, 2016 22:19
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The Abyss is a metaphor for regulatory capture, the Exarches are the politically connected 1%, sheeple, etc.
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Oct 22, 2016 22:22
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I took three dots in the Twitter Arcana for my Mage: The Woke character and it's really paying off
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Oct 22, 2016 22:50
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Onxy Path, please change title of Mage 2e to Bae: The Woke plz thnx
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Oct 22, 2016 23:25
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I actually really like Mage: the Ascension as a game of street-fighting bloody-handed philosophers, I just really don't like Mage being a part of the World of Darkness for a number of reasons. I played a Mage: the Awakening character very briefly in a very bad (for me) mixed chronicle, but never read enough of it to know how well this view applies to that game.
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Oct 23, 2016 03:15
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So anyway Godlike, Chapter V, Part VI The last update contained such historic events as the Battle of Midway, the U.S. forming the Office of Strategic Services and the Talent Operations Command, the internment of Japanese-Americans, and the implementation of the Nazis’ “final solution.” Not to mention continuing Axis gains in Southeast Asia and North Africa. 7/22/1942, Japanese Land on New Guinea: Major-General Horii’s forces landed at Buna, hoping to use the island as a stepping-stone for an invasion of Australia. Many Australian troops were gone, fighting in North Africa. Those who remained at the southern port of Moresby knew they had to hold the city, lest the Japanese bomb Australia and cut it off from support. Horii’s plan was daring and risky; he intended to move his troops down muddy tracks and across the sharp peaks of the Owen Stanley mountains. 7/31/1942, Wisconsin v. Taft: A civilian named Louis Taft caused numerous traffic accidents one May morning, when he used his recently discovered Talent powers to levitate himself to work. He refused to stop for a police officer, and was arrested on charges of disturbing the peace. The case went to the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, which ruled that it was illegal to use Talent powers in public without special dispensation from local, state, or federal authority, or in a life-or-death situation. Similar laws were soon enacted in every U.S. state. 8/7/1942, the Battle of Guadalcanal: The 1st Marine Division landed on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands, beginning a campaign that would last into the following February. Their mission was to prevent a Japanese “island-hopping” invasion of New Zealand. The Marines captured the airfield after intense fighting, but Japan was able to bring in numerous reinforcements and attack American supply ships in “Iron Bottom Sound” off the coast. The Marines held the line, fighting off wave after wave of enemy soldiers. 8/9/1942, the Battle of Savo Island: Japanese cruisers attacked an Australian/American force off Guadalcanal, destroying 5 cruisers. U.S. Marines on the island were now cut off from resupply. Franklin Wolensky, a Navy ensign, was the sole survivor of the USS Barton. He escaped all the way to the 1st Marine Division at the renamed Henderson Field--by walking on water through Japanese territory. quote:Super Swabby 8/12/1942, Stalin and Churchill Meet: Escorted by Talent bodyguards, PM Churchill traveled to Moscow to meet Stalin for the first time. The unstoppable force of Stalin’s personality met an immovable object in Churchill, and the meeting did not go well. An argument ensued over the delay of a second front in Europe. Churchill’s Talent bodyguards were also made nervous by the presence of a Talent among Stalin’s entourage. Soviet handlers answered questions about the “adjutant” with smiles and prevarications. The conference was cut short; Churchill returned to Britain on the 20th. quote:Cobaka 8/12/1942, Montgomery Takes Command: Churchill sacked General Neil Ritchie, commander of the British 8th Army in North Africa, and replaced him with General Bernard Montgomery. Despite a reputation for tactlessness and egotism, Montgomery relied on careful planning to achieve victory, and prepared for a defense of El Alamein. 8/13/1942, TOG 1’s First Mission: Talent Operations Group 1 made a secret night landing in Zeebrugge, Belgium. Their mission was to destroy an oil plant, two dry-docks, and a rail line. The nine-man group split into two teams. Lt. Roger “Crazy Eight” Yelt led the attack on the docks and rail line, easily defeating the few guards. (Nine were captured by Cpl. Michael “Shell-Game” Messner, who teleported them to a stockade in Massachusetts.) Meanwhile, the Indestructible Man led an assault on the oil plant which met fierce resistance. An unknown German Talent killed Sgt. Kevin “Max” Harris, and the group was soon surrounded. Yelt's team heard the firefight and arrived to bail them out. The plant’s main tank was ignited, causing a huge explosion and raining down debris that set houses on fire for three blocks around. All the remaining members of TOG 1 escaped to the landing craft. At the cost of one Talent, TOG 1 had destroyed a million dollars of equipment that would take years to replace. The mission was a big success. 8/14/1942, Eisenhower Leads Operation Torch: General Dwight Eisenhower was chosen to lead the British/American invasion of Vichy French Africa. Eisenhower was intelligent and persistent, but also moral, obedient to his superiors, and demanding cooperation among the Allies first and foremost, traits which commanded wide respect. Eisenhower’s plan was simple: Land 110,000 troops in Morocco and Algeria to squeeze Rommel between them and the British 8th. 8/17/1942, Raid on Makin Island: This Marine raid on Japanese territory in the Gilbert islands was meant to distract and divert Japanese reinforcements from Guadalcanal. Lt. Col. Evans Carlson led a force of 222 Marines that included President Roosevelt’s son, Major James Roosevelt. A covert submarine landing went well until an accidental rifle discharge alerted the Japanese. After a day of intense fighting, “Carlson’s Raiders” had destroyed an ammo and fuel dump and captured vital Japanese intelligence. With only 30 casualties, the raid was considered a success. 8/19/1942, the Push to Stalingrad: General Friedrich von Paulus’ German 6th Army finally broke through Soviet lines surrounding Stalingrad. But then they came to a halt, exhausted and out of supplies, facing a huge Soviet defense. But when supplies arrived they pushed forward, and by August 23rd they were fighting within the city limits of Stalingrad. Gruppe Weiss was also transferred to von Paulus’ command. “White Group” was a highly-trained, 200-man Übermenschen unit, including Feuerzauber, the second German Talent. It was the most powerful Nazi fighting force ever known. Over the course of the war, 453 Nazi parahumans would fight for Gruppe Weiss. Only two of them survived the war on the Eastern Front--by deserting. 8/19/1942, Disaster at Dieppe and the Ghost of the 14th: As a test-run for a full invasion of Europe, a large Allied force landed at the French port of Dieppe across the English Channel. It was a disaster from the start. Composed of 5,000 Canadians, 1,000 British, and 60 U.S. Army rangers, their goal was to make a covert night landing and secure the port. (No Talents were part of the assault; it was believed their presence would lead to Übermenschen mobilization.) German ships discovered the main landing force and bombarded them with machineguns and coastal artillery. Many Allied troops died before they landed; many of those who did never left the beach. Casualties were already mounting when the British commander called for retreat; by then, the Germans had deployed 7 Übermenschen. The Nazi parahumans tore through regular troops and the few tanks that had made it ashore, searching for officers to capture. The remains of the 14th Canadian Tank Battalion protected their mortally wounded commander, Major Graham Tunney. When the Übermensch Tristan killed 9 of them to get to him, something happened when he grabbed Tunney by the collar: Tristan died with a look of horror on his face, and Tunney stood up. Canada’s first Talent, the Ghost of the Fourteenth, had been born. quote:The Ghost of the Fourteenth 4/23/1942, Italy Wins: In the last successful cavalry charge against modern troops, 600 mounted troops of the 8th Italian Army routed the 3rd Soviet Division, north of Stalingrad. It was one of few successful uses of Italian forces in Russia. 8/23/1942, Battle of the Eastern Solomons: The Japanese Navy sent a large task force to secure the Solomon Island sealanes, comprised of 3 carriers, 3 light carriers, 7 cruisers, 22 destroyers, and transports carrying 7,500 Marines. The American force was massively outgunned. However, American forces spotted the Japanese before they could be lured into a battle in the Coral Sea. U.S. aircraft sunk the Ryujo and fought off a counterattack. Over two days of fighting, the Japanese also lost a destroyer, a transport, and 61 aircraft while U.S. forces only suffered heavy damage to the Enterprise. It was another surprising blow to the “invincible” Japanese Navy. The Allied campaigns in Guadalcanal and the Solomon Islands benefited greatly from the aid of the Coastwatchers, a group of civilian volunteers in Australia and New Zealand who kept watch for Japanese ships. They lived along the coastal wilderness, reporting their sightings on ship and troop movements. In addition to the U.S. cracking the Japanese naval code, they were a valuable component of the Allied war effort in the Pacific. 8/23/1942, Stalingrad Bombed: The Luftwaffe bombed the city to “soften them up” for the coming invasion. Though thousands died, it catalyzed resistance unlike the Nazis had ever seen. 8/30/1942, the Desert Fox Runs: Low on supplies, Generalfeldmarschall Rommel made a desperate grab for the Alam Halfa Ridge behind British lines in Egypt. His “surprise attack” was a trap laid by Montgomery, and Rommel’s forces walked into minefields and artillery barrages. Rommel was forced to withdraw. 9/12/1942, the Golem of Warsaw: 400,000 Polish Jews had been imprisoned in the 3.5 square mile Ghetto in Warsaw. Since July, 340,000 had been sent to the Treblinka death camp, leaving the survivors to starve. On September 2nd, SS Hauptscharführer Alfred Meier, the officer in charge of Jewish deportation, was ripped in half by a “creature” while he ate dinner with friends in a local tavern. Witnesses described the “beast” as man-shaped, made of clay, with a symbol on its forehead. Every Jew who heard the story recognized the mythical golem, but remained silent. Investigations were inconclusive, though it’s widely accepted that the Golem was created by a Talent. The creature was never seen again. Some even theorize that Meier himself manifested a Talent that he used to kill himself out of guilt. A more likely explanation is that the Golem was created by a Jewish Talent who was, even then, already on their way to Treblinka. 9/13/1942, Battle of Bloody Ridge: Two U.S. Marine divisions in Guadalcanal repulsed a huge Japanese Marine force, inflicting almost 700 casualties. They were assisted by 7 Talents led by Flank “Super Swabby” Wolensky. Wolensky himself was wounded, and evacuated to Pearl Harbor for treatment. 9/16/1942, Attack on Port Moresby: Major-General Horii’s force crossed the treacherous Owen Stanley mountains and attacked Australian forces at Port Moseby. The 7th Australian Infantry repulsed them again and again, but the Japanese pressed forward. Disease and malnutrition claimed more casualties than combat. Australian morale received a boost when Marcus “Typhoon” Gladden became the first Australian Talent on New Guinea, using his powers to attack the Japanese from the rear with wind, rain, and hail. On the 26th, the U.S. 32nd Infantry and Australian 9th Infantry landed and took the Japanese by surprise. The Japanese were forced to withdraw but the Australians attacked them at every turn. Typhoon killed 74 Japanese troops near Imita Ridge. 10/23/1942, the Battle of El Alamein: Starting with a radio blackout in western Egypt caused by the British Talent Damper, Allied forces launched an assault on Rommel’s lines. Seven Talent teams attacked behind enemy lines, targeting officers to disrupt the chain of command and capturing General Georg Stumme, the commander in charge while Rommel was on leave. Casualties on both sides were high, but the British were well-supplied and organized. Soon an offensive called Operation Supercharge had pushed the Axis into Libya, with reinforcements coming from U.S. troops. Early November was the beginning of the end for the Axis in Africa. 10/26/1942, the Battle of Santa Cruz: Japan launched another large, four-carrier task force hoping to draw the U.S. Navy into a sea battle away from Guadalcanal. Two carrier groups led by Admiral Kinkaid met them at the Santa Cruz islands. The USS Hornet was destroyed, but the Japanese were forced to retreat after serious damage to two destroyers, two carriers, and two cruisers. 11/8/1942, Operation Torch: Eisenhower’s plan was simple: An American/British landing force would capture the Vichy French territories of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, squeezing the Afrika Korps between them and the British 8th Army. (Due to poor relations between France and Britain, it would be a largely American force; even British officers wore American uniforms.) Major General George Patton led 25,000 soldiers landing in Morocco. They hoped that French Admiral Jean Darlan would not offer resistance, but resist they did. Nonetheless, the inexperienced American force managed to surround Casablanca after fierce fighting. Major General Lloyd Fredendall’s 39,000-strong task force failed to take the Algerian harbor of Oran, suffering heavy casualties, but British reinforcements helped capture Oran the next day. The Allies now had a road from Algeria to Casablanca to transport men and equipment. Unfortunately, TOG 3 was lost in the operation. Sent as an advance squad, their mission was to capture a rail-line to Tunis at Bône. Due to poor intelligence, they expected about 200 German troops and a few light armored vehicles. Instead, they encountered the German 21st Armored Division, supported by Überkommandogruppe 12. The entire squad was dead by dawn. Major General Charles Ryder launched an attack on the Vichy French capital of North Africa-Algiers from two landing points. Darlan declared a ceasefire, and soon made an official agreement with American General Mark Clark. In 8 days and with minimal losses, Operation Torch had snuffed out the Vichy French presence in North Africa and had secured territory just 80 miles from Tunis...and Rommel himself. 11/11/1942, the Fall of Vichy France: Axis forces invaded the territory of their own puppet government, fearing an invasion from Algeria and Morocco. Southern France had enjoyed limited autonomy under the Nazis, but no standing army of its own. Admiral Darlan had defected to the Free French government, and disagreements among other French commanders led to the scuttling of the French fleet in the Toulon to prevent them from falling into German hands, rather than defecting to the Allies outright. 11/12/1942, U.S. Draft Expanded: Congress voted unanimously to extend the draft to 18 and 19-year-old men. They also fmandatory draft for all Talents was also discussed, but the House was divided on the issue. 11/13/1942, Allies Take Tobruk: The British 8th chased Rommel across the desert, forcing him to abandon Tobruk. Without Tobruk, Africa was lost. However, as he retreated, he set up multiple folding lines of defense that forced the British to fight every step of the way. German forces held the Mareth line while the British were forced to stop and wait for reinforcements. 11/19/1942, Soviet Offensive at Stalingrad: The 66th and 62nd Soviet Armies launched Operation Uranus, a huge counteroffensive against the German lines. They broke through the 4th Romanian Army and, within a week, and totally surrounded General Paulus’ forces. A quarter-million German troops were now trapped, cut off from resupply. Hitler refused Paulus’ request to attempt a breakout; Göring offered to resupply them from the air, a practical impossibility. Paulus settled in for the long Russian winter and prepared for he and his army to die a slow death. 12/2/1942, the Chicago Pile: Enrico Fermi and his team at the University of Chicago built the first atomic reactor pile. Fermi had the control rod removed, creating the first stable nuclear reaction. It was the first true step toward the atomic bomb. 12/9/1942, Relief at Guadalcanal: General Alexander Patch’s division arrived to relieve the 1st Marine Division. The Marines had held out for four months, losing over 1,000 men while inflicting 20,000 casualties on the Japanese. On December 31st, Emperor Hirohito ordered Japanese forces to withdraw from the island. Attempts to retake it had led to a disastrous loss of men and ships. On January 10th, the remaining Japanese fled Guadalcanal under cover of darkness. The retreat was so secretive that most Marines didn’t realize they had evacuated until weeks of patrols failed to sight any Japanese forces. When flyovers confirmed the evacuation, Admiral Halsey declared “We’ve got the bastards licked!” 12/24/1942, Darlan Assassinated: A French resistance fighter named Fernand de La Chappele shot Admiral Darlan in Algiers. The assassin was tried, sentenced, and executed within two days. Darlan’s successor, General Giraud, refused to postpone the execution, leaving the young man’s motives mysterious. As a monarchist, anti-fascist, and supporter of de Gaulle, he may have shared de Gaulle’s disgust with a Vichy official still commanding a Vichy state. His conviction was overturned in 1945. 1/2/1943, Allies Capture Buna, Lose Typhoon: General MacArthur’s forces finally captured Buna, New Guinea, after a month-long battle that destroyed an entire Japanese garrison, leaving less than 40 troops alive to surrender. The Empire of Japan had now lost its southernmost port. Ten days later, the 7th Australian Infantry pushed General Horii’s forces off the Kokoda Trail. The Talent Typhoon used a localized storm to pin down Japanese troops as they were hit with mortars and machineguns, killing 600 men in a single attack. A Japanese soldier “playing dead” sat up and shot Typhoon in the back as he surveyed the destruction. For two weeks, the island was hit by unusual storms. Australian flags hung at half-mast for a month, and Imita Ridge was later renamed Typhoon Ridge in his honour. 1/12/1943, Misha, the First Hyperbrain: Just 40 miles from the Moscow front, Special Directive One discovered a 12-year-old boy with incredible intelligence. Analysis soon revealed young Misha to be a Talent, the world’s first Hyperbrain. Misha worked as an assistant under the command of General Ivan Konev. His job was to track materiel for the 31st Soviet Army Group. Soon he had dispensed with lists altogether and was correcting field commanders in their calculations of troop strengths. As Misha’s strategic predictions came true with startling accuracy, Konev realized the boy’s potential. Special Directive One moved him to a training facility in the Urals, where he absorbed the entire bureaucracy of the war-torn Soviet Union in 3 weeks. He became a living filing system for the eastern half of the nation, his incredible mind able to track men and materiel, and manage the supplies to maintain them, down to the last bullet. In his spare time, he learned languages, literature, and physics, and compiled a definitive history of Russia. In light of his abilities, everyone forgot that Misha was still a young boy. He began suffering sudden manic-depressive episodes, brought on when certain information synergized within his mind. Periods of intense productivity gave way to long depressions when, for example, he suddenly calculated a 55% probability that over 21 million Russians would die in the war. The more he knew, the worse he got. Fortunately, Russian commanders handled Misha much more delicately than many other Severch Loodi. They realized that if Misha self-destructed, he would take their entire organizational structure with him. Special Directive One desperately searched for more Hyperbrains, and eventually assembled a group of 5 who were trained to share the information load with Misha. The plan worked and Misha returned to normal function, though his strategic value was limited as his handlers limited his access to information about the war. As the first Hyperbrain, Misha is also a prime case study in why Hyperbrains did not alter the course of the war in the ways you might expect. Their impact on the war was significant, but subtle. Most worked in the fields of planning and logistics. Hyperbrains could, in fact, make all the calculations necessary to build superweapons. But there are two problems with this. First, it is simply beneath them. Hyperbrains live largely in an internal world where they consider theoretical questions far beyond any practical bent. Although some do work on scientific research projects, they often find them too petty to be worth their time, and struggle to communicate their ideas to “normal” genius-level intellects. Even if a Hyperbrain agreed to build a superweapon, the project would be fraught with confusion. Second, and more importantly, hyper-intelligence includes hyper-empathy. A Hyperbrain can not only devise how to build an atomic bomb, they can envision, in vivid detail, every single human life that will be destroyed by it, from the first time they hear “I love you” to their last dying scream. They can also predict with great accuracy such a weapon’s effect on history, culture, and economy. Nearly all Hyperbrains are pacifists. As a result, the only military outlet for their Talent was in the staggering logistics of mobilizing entire nations to warfare--something that was happening anyway, and out of their control. Hyperbrains became strategic supercomputers, calculating variables involved in troop movements, supply chains, and the economy at home. They weren’t always right, but their efforts were being countered by Hyperbrains on the other side. Hyperbrains’ primary impact on WWII was better troop deployment and resupply, and allowing instant answers to logistical questions well before militaries began using computers. But to people outside relevant fields, these changes were hard to see. 1/12/1943, Rush’n’Attack: The Red Army consolidated its forces surrounding the Germans, who were now reduced to skeletons in rags. The 6th Army required 600 tons of airdropped supplies per day, and the Luftwaffe was dropping 100 tons per day when it flew at all. Even Übermenschen forces couldn’t move supplies past the Red Army; the need was too great, and the Russian Talents too vigilant. The remaining 100,000 Germans trapped in Stalingrad froze, starved, and died. Those who could still fight knew that it was pointless. 1/14/1943, a Rendezvous at Casablanca: Churchill and Roosevelt met at a secret conference in Casablanca to discuss the progress of the war, protected by 36 Talents. Generals Charles de Gaulle and Henri-Honoré Giraud also attended, protected by the French Talent Le Mur (“The Wall”). Stalin declined to attend, but sent two Talent advisors. Roosevelt agreed with Churchill’s plan to launch the invasion of Europe from Sicily, followed by a cross-Channel assault on the mainland. On the 27th, the Allies made their demands public: they would accept no less than total surrender from Japan, Germany, and Italy. 1/15/1943, Tripoli Falls: The British 8th Army seized Tripoli, capital of Libya, as German forces retreated to the Mareth line in Tunisia. There was little hope left for the Afrika Korps. 1/18/1943, the Battle of the Warsaw Ghetto: After a brief inspection, Himmler ordered the SS to deport the remaining Jews in the Warsaw ghetto and demolish it. The SS expected no resistance from the Jews, who were by now living on smuggled food and sporadic deliveries of rotten rations. But faced with the prospect of gassing or starvation, many chose to fight. An initial attack by the Warsaw residents, using makeshift weapons, killed 40 Germans. The SS retaliated with an attack that killed over a thousand, but were forced to withdraw due to snipers. With nothing left to lose, the Jews fought on through weeks of vicious street fighting as the Ghetto became a fortress. German Übermenschen were brought in to break their will, but this only prompted the Jewish Talents to finally reveal their presence. Eleven Nephilim killed Der Panzer and attacked the German position, inflicting heavy casualties before most of their number were killed. Their attack allowed over 300 Jews to escape the Ghetto into the city. Though only 50 of them would survive the war, the attack was a huge morale boost. Stunned, the Schutzstaffel fell back and prepared for another assault. Rosen’s 26 posted:Meyer Rosen was only 16 when he became a Nephilim in the Warsaw Ghetto. He could teleport great distances in random directions, and used his power to smuggle food back into the Ghetto. HIs power was fatiguing, causing migraines, and wouldn’t work without food and clean water. During the uprising, he smuggled 26 children out of the Ghetto, all of whom survived. His laft act was to teleport his 3 siblings to Switzerland. He died of a brain hemorrhage 4 days later.
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Oct 23, 2016 04:39
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1/19/1943, Die Hexe Killed: A German sniper shot and killed Antonia Ilescu near Walchev, Romania. Known to the Germans as Die Hexe (“The Witch”), Ilescu was the world’s first female Talent and a Romanian partisan who killed dozens of Nazi soldiers and destroyed tons of equipment. The Germans had no idea they had killed her, and the hunt for her continued. 1/22/1943, Japanese Lose New Guinea: Allied forces pushed the Japanese off the Bulldog track, cutting them off from reinforcement. They dug in and prepared to fight to the death. Japanese soldiers dying of disease manned pillboxes made out of logs and reinforced with the rotting corpses of their comrades. They held off the Allies for another two months before the pillboxes were finally cleared. 1/28/1943, Feuerzauber Dies: The Übermensch Feuerzauber and his entire battalion died in an attack on an oil storage facility held by the Soviet 62nd Army. Shelling caused the refinery to explode. Feuerzauber was immune to flame, but the fire was so intense that it consumed all oxygen in the area, and he died by asphyxiation along with his men. 2/2/1943, Siege of Stalingrad Ends: Hitler had forbidden General von Paulus to surrender, gave him a promotion to Generalfeldmarschall, and reminded him that no German field marshall had ever been captured alive. Nonetheless, Paulus surrendered to the Soviets. By this point his 300,000 trapped soldiers had been reduced to 93,000. Few of the surrendering soldiers would survive Russian imprisonment to see their families again. Four Übermenschen from Gruppe Weiss were among those captured, and were hung before cheering crowds. Their bodies were remanded to Special Directive One scientists for study. 2/8/1943, Soviets Retake Kursk: The Soviets reclaimed the shattered city of Kursk after 2 years of German occupation, but there was little to retake. Most of the population had been murdered or taken as slave labour, and buildings lay in ruins. 2/10/1943, Zed: During a demonstration of Talents for Allied VIPs, Major Peter Cesay manifested a heretofore unseen Talent when he volunteered to be teleported. The Polish Talent using Cesay as a test subject found his power simply wouldn’t work. Other Talents present identified him as a Talent, too, but didn’t feel the usual “resistance” when he stopped them from using their Talents...they just failed. This went against everything known about the Talent phenomenon, and the SSO began studying him immediately. They codenamed him Zed, or Z. After Cesay’s appearance, many other Talents were found with similar powers (many of whom thought they were the only Zed). Zed didn’t affect many mental powers, and in the end, most Zeds were reserved for special duty (usually bodyguarding VIPs or as forward defense). The Zed Talent was a factor in warfare, but Zed himself was not the magic bullet the SSO initially hoped. quote:Zed 2/15/1943, Kharkov is Liberated]: The Red Army moved on Kharkov to cut off German forces in the Ukraine. Seeing the thread, Hitler ordered Lt. General Paul Hausser’s II SS Korps to defend Kharkov “at all human cost.” But Hausser ordered his men to withdraw, declining to get his troops slaughtered in a hopeless defense. However, the detachment from Überkommandogruppe 4 rebelled. Felix “Skorpion” Höttl executed Hausser and 12 of his officers for defying Hitler’s direct orders,and the Übermenschen took command. Two days later, the 6th Soviet Army annihilated the entire Korps. 2/16/1943, the White Rose: The “White Rose” group at the University of Munich was composed of disillusioned soldiers, students, and scholars opposed to Hitler. They met in secret and circulated propaganda leaflets. In a bold act, the young leaders of the movement--two siblings, Hans and Sophie Scholl--dropped leaflets from a university building urging the nation’s youth to depose Hitler. The Gestapo captured the Scholls and 100 other dissidents, and the Scholls were executed by beheading. 2/18/1943, the Chindits: This long-range assault force, composed of Gurkha, Indian, and British troops, entered the Burmese jungle to destroy Japanese infrastructure. They ambushed troops, demolished rail lines and bridges, and spied on the Japanese command. Churchill was an avid supporter and authorized their Leader, Brigadier Orde WIngate, to form two larger units. 2/18/1943, Soviet Overreach: Though stunned by the loss of the German 6th Army, Generalfeldmarschall Erich von Manstein saw that the Red Army’s lines were overextended, and launched one of the last successful German offensives on the Eastern Front. His attacks cut off 9,000 Soviet soldiers and killed 25,000, including 77 Soviet Talents. 12/21/1943, Operation Cartwheel: General MacArthur prepared for an “island-hopping” campaign from New Guinea to Japan. Operation Cartwheel would identify Japanese islands and, instead of taking them, would surround and cut them off. Cartwheel began with the invasion of the Russell Islands, the first step toward Okinawa and later Japan. MacArthur refused offers from multiple branches to assign Talents to his command. “No one man is better than the Army, no matter what he can do.” 2/26/1943, The Professor is Discovered: An amateur inventor from Tacoma, Washington became an instant celebrity when he publicly demonstrated his “Pneumo-Ray,” a rifle that could generate hurricane force winds. Wendell Greene was first thought to be America’s first Hyperbrain, but in fact, his devices were just focuses for his Talent. He was of average intelligence, but his Talent allowed him to turn flashy junk into the stuff of comic books and TV serials. Journalist Robert Graves coined the term “Goldberg Science” in a New York Times article in 1943. Understanding the nature of “The Professor’s” powers, he explained why such “Rube Goldberg” science wouldn’t win the war. Like Zeds, Goldberg Scientists would become increasingly common in many countries. But despite their amazing devices, they did not change the course of the war. quote:The Professor 2/28/1943, the Plant at Norsk: Aesgir led 9 Norwegian commandos through “Valhalla” to attack a Nazi heavy water plant in Norsk, Norway. The German atomic bomb program was already years behind the Allies, but when Aesgir and his men destroyed the station, those already slim hopes were destroyed. 3/2/1943, the Battle of the Bismarck Sea: Australian and U.S. forces destroyed 8 Japanese destroyers and transports traveling to New Guinea. More than 3,000 Japanese died in the attack, and no more reinforcements were sent to New Guinea. 3/5/1943, the RAF Hits Back: The British Royal Air Force launched a huge bomber offensive on the Ruhr industrial region of Germany. Three hundred and sixty nine aircraft dropped 2-ton “blockbuster” bombs on the city of Essen, disabling the Krupp Steel Works. 3/6/1943, Last Gasp of the Desert Fox: Rommel’s thinly-spread Afrika Korps made a last-ditch attack on Allied lines in Tunisia. After heavy losses, Rommel was recalled to Germany. The Nazis had lost the war in Africa. 3/13/1943, Der Auge Sees All: Der Auge, the Nazi precog who had foreseen the St. Nazaire raid, awoke one night in Berlin after a vivid dream of an assassination attempt on Hitler. Thirty minutes later, 14 high-ranking Heer officers had been captured and sentenced to death. A 12-pound bomb was discovered in Hitler’s transport craft, wired to explode shortly after takeoff. Der Auge was awarded the Iron Cross...after the Gestapo had spent ten days interrogating him and torturing him with beatings and electricity. They were sure he had been a fellow conspirator, turning on his accomplices to gain Hitler’s favour. He was released and returned to SS duty, but his loyalty to the regime was never the same. 3/13/1943, Yama, God of Death: The first Indian Talent appeared in Kanglatongbi near the border with Burma. A young refugee, sick with fever, collapsed in the street. So many were starving that he was just one of many bodies filling the street. Nine days later, locals clearing the bloated corpses away found the young man still breathing, but with sky-blue skin and milky-white eyes. When they gave him water he sat up and smiled, speaking to them in a deep, perfect voice. “I am returned. Lord Yama, God of Death. Do you not recognize your own father?” quote:Lord Yama, God of Death 3/14/1943, the Germans Strike Back: Von Manstein’s forces managed to encircle and destroy the 3rd Soviet Army, killing over 23,000 and capturing 9,000. His offensive saved the Axis front in Russia...for a time. The next day, German forces pushed the Russians back across the Donets river, but his plan to destroy all Soviet defenses near Kursk had to be put on hold. After surviving the Russian winter, the Germans now had to endure the spring thaw, which made the terrain too muddy to move German vehicles. The reprieve gave the Russians time to bring in 500,000 soldiers and more than 215 Talents to defend Kursk. 3/20/1943, the Mareth Line Crumbles: The 15th Panzer Division mounted a successful counterattack in Tunisia, but were flanked by the New Zealand Division and forced to withdraw. Allied forces were halted by a rainstorm that turned the terrain to mud, but Montgomery called in airstrikes and had his troops travel around the storm to flank the Panzers. By April, the Mareth line was gone, and Axis forces in Tunisia were surrounded. 3/27/1943, Call Me Alias: An investigation by Reich internal security resulted in the arrest of 4 Gestapo agents for treason. The men were hung for giving intelligence to the French Resistance. All four agents had been coopted by female agents of the Maquis, and descriptions of the women were circulated across the country. The Nazis did not know that all four women were the same: Alias, France’s new and potent Talent. In a year’s time, 20 more high-ranking Nazi officials would become playthings of Alias and tools of the Allies. quote:Alias 4/10/1943, Allies Capture Sfax: The British 8th Army captured Sfax, a port city vital to the war in Tunisia. It reduced supply lines by more than 600 miles and allowed the Allies to pour in fresh troops and equipment. The Axis now held only a thin strip of land in Tunisia, stalling an invasion of Sicily. 4/17/1943, The Eighth Bombs Bremen: B-17s of the American 8th Air Force executed a massive bombing raid on Bremen, Germany. Bremen was the industrial center of Germany’s U-boat operations. Only 16 of the 100 B-17s were lost. Two Übermenschen destroyed the Green River, making it the first American aircraft destroyed by an enemy Talent. 4/19/1943, the Second Battle of Warsaw: Afraid of losing Hitler’s favour, HImmler sent the 21st Panzer Division to annihilate the Warsaw Ghetto. Nephilim held them off for 3 months, killing 400 Schutzstaffel troops and 12 Übermenschen. When the Panzers finally rolled into the Ghetto itself, they had no idea what was waiting for them. Allied Talents had been reinforcing and supplying the Jews for over a month, and the Nazis encountered 400 well-armed, well-equipped members of the Hagganah Jewish defense force as well as Nephilim and a British-American Talent squad. Hours later, the 21st Panzer Division retreated after losing 750 men and 19 tanks. That night, lit by the fires of burning German tanks, a flag bearing the Star of David flew over the Warsaw Ghetto. Next time on Godlike: The invasion of Europe! The Eastern Front! Assassination attempts! Executions! An Italian dies, while another cannot die! And...look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s...Super-Man! Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 15:42 on Nov 20, 2016 |
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Oct 23, 2016 04:40
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Obligatum VII posted:detectives are marginalized? In the kind of hard-boiled/noir attitude Mage brings to its detective aspects, the detective, as Ray Chandler put it, "But down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid. The detective in this kind of story must be such a man." That is, the entire world is against the detective, but the detective triumphs.
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Oct 23, 2016 06:31
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It seems like casually torturing your superhero agents is a really bad idea. I like what they do with the superbrains, although I guess you could also argue that the ability wouldn't necessarily make you more able to do massive intuitive leaps, though it might appear that way if you can put together disparate pieces of scientific information. That would be a distinction that's hard to game, though.
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Oct 23, 2016 06:40
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Nessus posted:It seems like casually torturing your superhero agents is a really bad idea. So was invading Russia during the winter. quote:I like what they do with the superbrains, although I guess you could also argue that the ability wouldn't necessarily make you more able to do massive intuitive leaps, though it might appear that way if you can put together disparate pieces of scientific information. That would be a distinction that's hard to game, though. I really like that the enhanced intelligence enhanced their compassion to equal degrees. "We need your superior intelligence." "Why?" "So we can wage war." "There's nothing intelligent about war."
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Oct 23, 2016 07:21
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Nessus posted:I like what they do with the superbrains, although I guess you could also argue that the ability wouldn't necessarily make you more able to do massive intuitive leaps, though it might appear that way if you can put together disparate pieces of scientific information. That would be a distinction that's hard to game, though. Okay, so it says that Hyperbrains are too pacifistic to develop the MEGA NUCLEAR MEGA BOMB OF MEGA DESTRUCTION, but what prevents them from being used as part of inventing amazing civilian technology? Hyperloop transport systems(assuming they can be made at all), near-infinite energy sources, cures for cancer or other medical advances, etc.? It seems weird that they wouldn't change history in that way, at least.
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Oct 23, 2016 07:58
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I think that'd fall into the 'It's really hard for Hyperbrains to explain their ideas to people with normal-level intellects' category. Blueprints they drew up would be impossibly complex and difficult or impossible to build, and things they built themselves would be black boxes that no-one really understood, and irreparably broken when they eventually failed.
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Oct 23, 2016 09:57
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Or you'd have an entire cohort of Jonas Venture types.
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Oct 23, 2016 10:01
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PurpleXVI posted:Okay, so it says that Hyperbrains are too pacifistic to develop the MEGA NUCLEAR MEGA BOMB OF MEGA DESTRUCTION, but what prevents them from being used as part of inventing amazing civilian technology? Hyperloop transport systems(assuming they can be made at all), near-infinite energy sources, cures for cancer or other medical advances, etc.? It seems weird that they wouldn't change history in that way, at least. Unless that's your PC group, of course! I assume. I imagine part of the idea of these people being around is that they can fill in gaps for your party if you want to go kill Hitler but nobody took a teleporter power, say.
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Oct 23, 2016 10:09
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Nessus posted:Unless that's your PC group, of course! I assume. I imagine part of the idea of these people being around is that they can fill in gaps for your party if you want to go kill Hitler but nobody took a teleporter power, say. Didn't the Allies actually decide that they were better off with Hitler alive?
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Oct 23, 2016 10:25
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The writers do seem to be more willing to alter the course of the war as it goes on. They've just created a new country and it looks like they're going to have the Warsaw Uprising be rather more successful.
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Oct 23, 2016 14:23
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The Lone Badger posted:Didn't the Allies actually decide that they were better off with Hitler alive? There was never a formal decision as such, but yes many Allied leaders later in the war agreed with the sentiment that Hitler was Nazi Germany's worst enemy. Still disappointed by the treatment of women in Godlike. If I were to run a game, one of my first thoughts for a Talent is a member of the Night Witches.
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Oct 23, 2016 14:35
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Forums Terrorist posted:Or you'd have an entire cohort of Jonas Venture types. That'd be even funnier, honestly. They COULD change the course of the war or they COULD cure cancer, but instead they're locked into feuds with enemy hyperbrains, cancelling their DEATH RAYS with LIFE SHIELDS, and when they're not busy doing that, they've realized that they could make themselves incredibly lifelike sex bots instead of improving life for everyone else. A combination of petty feuding and narcicissm keeping them from truly upstaging the world(at least over the short span), honestly seems more plausible than ULTRA EMPATHY.
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Oct 23, 2016 17:26
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PurpleXVI posted:Okay, so it says that Hyperbrains are too pacifistic to develop the MEGA NUCLEAR MEGA BOMB OF MEGA DESTRUCTION, but what prevents them from being used as part of inventing amazing civilian technology? Hyperloop transport systems(assuming they can be made at all), near-infinite energy sources, cures for cancer or other medical advances, etc.? It seems weird that they wouldn't change history in that way, at least. Cythereal posted:Still disappointed by the treatment of women in Godlike. If I were to run a game, one of my first thoughts for a Talent is a member of the Night Witches. Halloween Jack fucked around with this message at 17:55 on Oct 23, 2016 |
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Oct 23, 2016 17:43
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Halloween Jack posted:"We live in a society that puts people in concentration camps, segregates them based on a handful of phenotypes, only gave half of them the vote 23 years ago, and thinks evolution is blasphemy. And you want me to give them perpetual motion, high-speed planetary transport, and functional immortality? Are you completely insane?" "Now i will sit on my rear end and totally do absolutely nothing to help these people that I absolutely feel for, truly and honestly, more than any non hyperbrain." Hyperbrains are plot-gimped so the writers dont have to deviate too hard, like what if someone solved oil dependence in the 60s and thus the middle east gulf states arent a disproportinately wealthy region ruled by despots whose peripheral states dont explode into wars or coups like clockwork.
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Oct 23, 2016 18:11
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