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Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!
Man, say what I want about reviewing Rifts books, at least they use straightforward rolls where I can clearly see how hosed the odds are.

Emy posted:

It turns out it's just "オーヴァード", the English not-quite-word "Overed" transliterated into Japanese.

Bizarrely, that also translates directly into "aubade". Pretty sure that's unintentional, though.

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oriongates
Mar 14, 2013

Validate Me!


Emy posted:

So, I assume it's something like this?



"At least" mode graph of highest single-or-sum-of-matching-dice on 1d6 through 6d6. IDK what normal ability scores are like in Whispering Vault.

AnyDice link.


Dang, that's pretty messed up.

Stats in WV can go as high as eight dice for most, but the average is much closer to 5-6, with a skill bonus added as a flat modifier.

Which, looking at those graphs it means that a character with 6 dice in Presence and a +6 bonus from maxed out Binding skill is going to average around 15-16 (bonus included) for an average Binding roll. That isn't even enough to Bind an Architect (who has the lowest Resolve with a total of 18). That means a character optimized for a single task has a greater than 50% chance of failing against the weakest target.

Looking at the probabilities, it seems like a slightly higher than 5% of managing the roll of 24 needed to Bind a Beast-stage Unbidden. So...odds are so low you're basically better off not trying.

And this is for Binding, the thing that must be done at the end of every Hunt, no ifs ands or buts. Arguably the most important single skill in the game. I mean, theoretically you could beat an Unbidden without using the Attack skill, through careful use of things like traps or summoning or mortal allies...but you always have to Bind them. The only way to get around Binding is to kill them, which is basically a mortal sin and means you earn no Karma.

More generally, this means that combat is much tougher than it probably should be. An equally optimized combatant (+6 Attack skill, 6 Dexterity) isn't even going to be hitting Mortals as often as they should and is going to have about a 50/50 miss chance against opponents with a decent Defend score (like a Pain Mother or Bogeyman). Someone who's only modestly combat-focused (say 4 Dexterity, +3 Attack) is going to be up poo poo creek against all but the absolute dregs.

So really the only way to succeed is to have everyone hyper-focused on a particular niche (the guy who fights, the guy who Binds the unbidden, the guy who does stealth) without any real chance of contributing outside of your specialty and completely loving the group over if you happen to run into bad luck and get taken out. If the Binder is taken out before the end of the Hunt you literally cannot win.

I guess the idea is that these odds get dealt with by brute-forcing with tons of Karma when the situation calls for it, since the way it works will let you succeed at most rolls eventually...but it's a limited, persistent resource. You're going to run dry eventually and that's not even counting the fact that there are things that demand they be paid in Karma, for reasons.

Halloween Jack
Sep 12, 2003

La morte non ha sesso

DAD LOST MY IPOD posted:

i don't know who thought "an rpg where you play as the cenobites from hellraiser" was a niche crying out to be filled
At a time when a lot of games were still obsessed with the petty differences between 15 different handguns and the GM advice was "be a grasping, punitive dick," The Whispering Vault tells you to play someone who retired from being a badass monster hunter to become a badass good guy Cenobite hunting down even more dangerous monsters, and urges you to get creative with describing the chains coming out of your eyeballs ripping your enemies apart.

JackMann
Aug 11, 2010

Secure. Contain. Protect.
Fallen Rib
Yeah, I think there are some cool bits you could do with the premise. The execution sucks, but I don't think the idea is unsalvageable.

LatwPIAT
Jun 6, 2011

Cassa posted:

This is basically how Greg Stolze's ORE came about, isn't it?

Glazius posted:

Yes, anecdotally it developed as a result of him going around to various WoD writers, asking "what's the difference between raising the target number and penalizing the dice pool, and when should I do either?" and not really getting more than a "well just, like, use your discretion, man" as a response.

ORE is another case of the writer throwing something together he thinks is neat without having a clue about how the probabilities work in practice, though.

JackMann posted:

Any chance we can see a chart of the new 7th Sea's dice probabilities?

code:
from random import randint

from pythonds.basic.stack import Stack

def divideBy2(decNumber):
    remstack = Stack()

    while decNumber > 0:
        rem = decNumber % 2
        remstack.push(rem)
        decNumber = decNumber // 2

    binString = ""
    while not remstack.isEmpty():
        binString = binString + str(remstack.pop())

    return binString

def sevensea2roller(rolls):
    dn = len(rolls)
    binary = [0]*dn
    result = 0
    unusedd = rolls[:]
    actived = [0]*dn
    maxv = 0
    curv = 0
    for i in range(2**dn):
        a = str(divideBy2(i))
        unusedd = rolls[:]
        actived = [0]*dn
        for j in range(1,len(a)+1):
            binary[-j] = int(a[-j])
        actived = [a*b for a,b in zip(rolls,binary)]
        if sum(actived) >= 10:
            unusedd = [a-b for a,b in zip(unusedd,actived)]
            while 0 in unusedd:
                unusedd.remove(0)
            if len(unusedd)>0:
                curv = 1 + sevensea2roller(unusedd)
            else:
                curv = 1
        maxv = max(maxv,curv)
    return maxv
                

#print(sevensea2roller([10,10,3,4,5]))

rolls = 10000 #this is the number of times the dice are rolled to calculate the distribution
dice = 3 #this is the number of dice rolled.
results = [0]*(dice+1)
atleast = [0]*(dice+1)
nums = [0]*(dice+1)

for i in range(rolls):
    rolledd = [0]*dice
    for j in range(dice):
        rolledd[j] = randint(1,10)
    a = sevensea2roller(rolledd)
    results[a] = results[a]+1

for i in range(len(results)):
    results[i] = results[i]/rolls
    nums[i] = i

atleast[-1] = results[-1]

for i in range(2,len(atleast)+1):
    atleast[-i] = results[-i]+atleast[1-i]
    
print('Chance of getting exactly/Chance of getting at least:')
print(nums)
print(results)
print(atleast)
print('Expected value:')
print(sum([a*b for a,b in zip(nums,results)]))

Halloween Jack
Sep 12, 2003

La morte non ha sesso

LatwPIAT posted:

ORE is another case of the writer throwing something together he thinks is neat without having a clue about how the probabilities work in practice, though.
He discusses the probabilities in Godlike, including a probability chart and a brief discussion of diminishing returns. I'm not sure if that was in the 1st edition, I'll grant you.

Simian_Prime
Nov 6, 2011

When they passed out body parts in the comics today, I got Cathy's nose and Dick Tracy's private parts.

Halloween Jack posted:

At a time when a lot of games were still obsessed with the petty differences between 15 different handguns and the GM advice was "be a grasping, punitive dick," The Whispering Vault tells you to play someone who retired from being a badass monster hunter to become a badass good guy Cenobite hunting down even more dangerous monsters, and urges you to get creative with describing the chains coming out of your eyeballs ripping your enemies apart.

And all faults of the game aside, I think the artwork is perfect.

oriongates
Mar 14, 2013

Validate Me!


Whispering Vault has a unique idea, excellent production values and art direction and the beginning of an effect based, player guided system peeking through. Despite it's obsession with Capitalized Words it actually doesn't have the heaping levels of lore and metaplot that you might expect, leaving lots open for the GM and players to create their own "mythology" built around the Circle and their Hunts.

It runs into a lot of problems though...the two biggest are the fact that the core rule system amounts to "no one used dice like this before!" rather than "this dice system works well" and the other problem is the focus on the Realm of Flesh. The Realm of Essence is the actually interesting part of the world and it gets completely ignored. Having your weird, cenobyte enforcers playing buddy cop movies in the realm of dreams is what should have been the default, with occasional trips into the Realm of Flesh to reinforce their humanity and deal with moral choices.

So the result is far too focused on a single plot (the Hunt) and the mechanics are just not stable enough to support it. You could totally have an amazing Whispering Vault style game with a decent mid-level game like FATE or Savage Worlds and you'd probably have a hell of a time with a creative GM.

So good idea, terrible execution.

Halloween Jack
Sep 12, 2003

La morte non ha sesso
So it's like the opposite problem from Dead Inside! (Arguably.)

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015

Barudak posted:

Hey Doresh, that throw element feature you discussed is the Street Fighter feature of option select. You press a combination of attack buttons and a direction, so if you dont have the distance for a throw it tosses out the punch but if you do it does the throw. It can also be used defensively to tech against throws which helped make SFIV defense feel extra stout.

Aaaah, that's how it goes. You're basically checking whether you are actually for realz out of Throw range, or juuust within it.

Emy posted:

There are a number of powers in Double Cross that give people a +1 critical value penalty. I initially thought they were tres lame, but this graph shows exactly why they aren't. Yeah, critical value can go to 11. And if it does, you straight-up cannot crit. No matter how lucky you are, your roll can't go above 10. Flat bonuses still exist, and your enemies can always roll poorly, but it's a very substantial malus.

Crit Value debuffs can be really evil if they hit this threshold. I't badass.

Kurieg posted:

The probability curves for Cthulhutech are similarly hosed but since it's using d10s instead of d6s the variance is all over the loving place. It also lets you use poker straights.

Do they still use this madness in the new edition?

LatwPIAT posted:

*7th Sea Non-Euclidian dice resolution*

I think John Wick actively hates roleplaying games. Or just the players and the GMs.

Doresh fucked around with this message at 09:27 on Feb 12, 2017

oriongates
Mar 14, 2013

Validate Me!


quote:

So it's like the opposite problem from Dead Inside! (Arguably.)

The two do make a very interesting comparison.

With Dead Inside you've got an entire world that you're just barely able to start interacting with (since your abilities are so weak) and you're encouraged to stay out of the Real World until you've recovered...but beyond that there's minimal direction and a lot of "what do I do?"

With Whispering Vault you've got powerful (arguably) characters who now live in a weird, magical world which is so out of focus that there are zero rules for doing anything there. They also know exactly what they're doing, because there is literally only one mission: kick an Unbidden's rear end and take them back in.

Both have the problem with Karma/Soul Points, where the game demands that they use them to succeed or do anything cool but also they're needed for various types of advancement, forcing players into a crappy decision.

Crossbreeding the two conceptually would actually be interesting. Using the Spirit World of Dead Inside as a model for the Realm of Essence would make living and working within the Realm of Essence much more interesting and Whispering Vault's "Cosmic Cops" concept could give the game focus and direction...but expanded to a larger scope. One session you might be stopping a group of weirdos smuggling mortal dreams across the Rift or dipping into the Realm of Flesh to break up a cult that sprung up trying to expand an Enigma. Then saving pursuing the Unbidden into the Realm of Flesh for bigger, important plots rather than making it the thing you do every week.

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015
Fight! - Round 2


Chapter 4: Super Moves (Legend of the Mortal Kombats)

Super Moves are fun and good for you (less so for the opponent). They are straight-up better than Special Moves, have a lot of Elements to play with (letting you really crank up their Accuracy and Damage), and they have access to exclusive Elements that let them score partial hits (because the Move covers most of the "screen" and/or deals a ton of chip damage) or steal Initiative (thanks to lots of priority and invincibility frames).

Playing aorund with the Super Bar really lets the GM tinker with how players build and spam their Super Moves. Is the Bar just big enough for a single Super, or can you store multiple uses for later? Does it carry over into the next round, or does it reset? Is it like in Street Figther Alpha and a few SNK games were each Super has different levels, each costing more Super Energy then the last? Or is it like in Street Fighter 3, where you have to pick before the fight which of your Super Moves you'll be allowed to use?

Rates of Super Energy Gain

Super Bars are one thing, but how do you fill it? The default is pretty standard for fighting games (getting hit, hitting people instead, though at least Arcana Heart uses something like that), safe from everyone automatically gains a bit of Super Energy on top of everything they do (probably so people don't spend whiffing special moves so much). This section has a couple more options.

Decreased Rate simply hands out less Super Energy once you have enough to pull of a Super. You can still hoard that energy for later, but it is a bit discouraged.
Desperation Boost occasionally pops up in SNK fighters: Once your Life Bar drops low enough you will have unlimited Super Energy, allowing for flashy comebacks. A less extreme version of this is Life Bar Loss Boost which just increases your automatic energy gain.
Fluctuating Super Energy actually causes you to lose energy if you're hit - that is until this causes the Bar to drop below half, at which point it will increase faster till it is back to that threshold. This is kinda like the Tension Gauge from Guilty Gear, except less concerned with the character's actual actions.
Increased Max Super Energy increases the maximum amount of Super Energy you can store with each round (a proper fighting game round, not a D&D combat round). This is like how King of Fighters does it, except you don't have to lose a team member to benefit from this.
Increased Rate is a bit like the above, except your automatic energy gain is boosted instead. Combine the two, and the fight will escalate more and more as it gets closer to the final round.
Interrupt Super Energy Boost has everyone gain a good chunk of energy on a counter, which can be a double-edged sword if you're the one countering.
No Super Energy Cost is for those who don't want to deal with Super Energy, but still want to have those big, overpowering Supers. They're free to use now, but it is heavily encouraged to give them a high minimum level to make them less spammable.
Starting Super Energy simply has the GM pick a starting value for the Super Bar, like how Street Fighter Alpha has you start with enough for a level 1 super.

Variants on Using Super Moves

"Everything must burn!"

Here a bunch of other optional rules. Some of them are tied to other rules that appear a bit later, so I'll skip them for now.

Getting a First Strike is already neat in the corebook because it grants you free Fighting Spirit. With an optional rule, this strike can also cause our Super Bar to fill up to 50%. Nice.

Honorable Defeat is probably the only option here that is not about video game emulation, but just roleplaying: With the GM's permission, a Fighter cane forfeit a fight and suffer a honorable defeat. Why would you want to do that? Well, you'll start the next fight with maxxed out Super Energy. Super Moves are fueled by honor.

Normally, Super Moves have a minimum Level of 5 (which correlates with your double hadoken input motions). Some games (like Arcana Heart or recent Mortal Kombat games) make them a lot easier to pull off, allowing for lower levels. They still cost as much as a L5 Super to buy, though.

Super Defense causes you to damage the opponent and gain a temporary defense boost whenever you gain enough energy to pull of a normal Super Move. Sounds like something out of a DBZ or similar game.
Super Protection also sounds very DBZ-ish: if you max out the Super Bar, it turns into an ablative layer of extra health, provided you block the attack instead of doing something fancier.

Super Disarm is what every Samurai Shodown game except the second one (the one what last entry's Weapon Break) does: Every Super that hits causes the opponent to drop his weapon. Naturally, this only makes sense in a weapon-based campaign.

New Super Moves

Here's how things start to get fun.

Climax Mode makes you go Super Saiyan. It costs you 3 Supers worth of energy, but it boosts your damage and allows you to spam Supers for free for a while.
A variant of this is just called Super Mode. Instead of spamming Supers like it's going out of style, you instead gain lots of super armor, reducing incoming damage and protecting you from Hit Stun.

Desparate Attack is seen in some Samurai Shodown games. It's a Super that doesn't cost energy to use, but you can only use it when you're almost KO, and you need to get hit again after each use before it becomes available again.

Energy Move is another free to use Super with a catch. This time around, you can only use them a limited number of times per round. They're only L2 moves (the most spammable kind of Move short of a Basic one), and they always need to be ranged and/or have area effect. That's gotta be from some DBZ or other anime game, but I can't put my finger on it.

Extra Special Moves are EX Moves, as seen in many fighting games like Street Fighter starting with SF3, King of Fighters XIII and Melty Blood. It's a variation on the Liability from the corebook that causes a normal Special Move to cost Super Energy to use. With this rule the Super Energy cost is optional, letting you switch between the normal and beefed up version of the Move whenever you want.

Finishing Strike is BlazBlue's Astral Finish: The Super Move can only be used when you're low on health and still costs Super Energy to use, but hitting the opponent will cause in instant KO. Now that's a scary comeback.

Guard Breaker is another L2 Super, this time with no drawbacks. It has to include the Unblockable Element, which is actually kinda neat is it's pretty much the only way to gain a fast L2 Move with that Element. Turtlers beware.

Killer Combos are straight out of Killer Instinct: Not really a Super Move but similar in power, it gives extra bonuses (more Initiative, Control and damage) for Fighters who string together long combos that go on for more than a turn. These combos must start with dedicated Opener Moves, and they can be better defended against with dedicated Combo Breaker Moves. Proper Supers cannot be used during these Killer Combos unless they have the Super Linker Element.

Mystic Force is an utility Super that temporarily grants the user special rules, the exact effect of which have to be approved by the GM. Examples include being able to use Basic Moves at range (aka ki blast spam), suffering less damage and becoming immune against Hit Stun, or creating a doppelganger for a little rushdown party.
The effect Mystic Force can be merely some kind of super mode for the user (like Battle Fantasia's Heat Up), or something crazy like Arcana Heart's Extend Force that shifts the whole arena into an alternate dimension.

If Finishing Strikes are BlazBlue, then One-Hit Kills are Guilty Gear. Just like in that game, you can us them in the middle of combat no matter how your Life Bar looks like, but they're very tricky to use: They are inaccurate, have short range, and you have to start a timer first to "unlock" them than runs on your Super Energy. Missing with the OHK or letting the timer run out causes you to lose access to your Super Bar for the rest of the round, so I hope you know what you're doing.
On the plus side, you get some nice bonus XP if you land the hit.

Power Move is another L2 Super with a twist. This time, the Move has its own little gauge that grows a little bit slower than the Super Bar. If this gauge is full, it will turn into a timer. You can use the Move while the gauge is still full, but you have to repeat the whole process again if it hits 0. I swear this is another anime tie-in game thing.

A Power Special Move is an otherwise normal Special Move with 3 levels of effect. Using higher levels has you to draw energy from a separate gauge that you have to charge manually. This should sound familiar to you if you like playing as Robo-Ky or Holy Order Sol.

Rage Bar turns the campaign into Samurai Shodown 1. Using a Rage Bar that either works along with the Super Bar or replaces it completely, Fighters will get pissed off when the Rage Bar maxes out, granting them extra damage and accuracy for a short time.
Rage Bar Super Move Variant is an alternative to the above. Now you're so pissed off that Supers become free to use.
Rage Explosion combines the two, except you can decide when to go berserk.

Rage Combo is a very specialized form in the art of getting pissed off. The duration is a lot shorter (you'll most like get one attack out of it), but you get a very juicy Accuracy bonus you can only use to offset penalites from long combos.

Rage Strike lets you cash in your remaining berserk time with a highly inaccurate attack that deals damage depending on how much health you've lost so far. I think that's another Samurai Shodown thing.

Revenge Move is the Ultra Move system from Street Fighter 4. It's another Super with a spearate gauge, the twist here being that you can use the Super when the gauge is halfway full, but each point above that will increase the damage.

[timg]http://i.imgur.com/Ra7PHbC.png[/img][/timg]
Soul Calibur Z
(You might notice a little line in the middle. This was a 2 page spread I pasted back together)


Finishers

Unlike the above One-Hit Kill which doesn't actually have to kill the opponent, this obvious reference to Mortal Kombat is not quite as nice, at least in its classic iteration. This is a stark contrast from the normal approach of defeat in Fight! which states that nobody ever dies unless the plot calls for it. Probably not very useful for long campaigns, but certainly good for a short bit of "Tomb of Horrors: PvP Tournament Edition".

The way Finishers is work is that you built a Super Move that can only be used if you've already won the fight. It adds an extra turn to the fight in which the winner tries to win Initiative and roll enough Control to pull the Finisher off. Success grants bonus XP and generally has unfortunate consequences for the loser.

The classic Finisher straight up offs the loser. Naturally this can cause problems, like PCs falling prey to what is essentially a save-or-die effect, or the PCs killing off all the NPCs (aka what would happen if you ran an accurate Mortal Kombat campaign). The GM can fudge things a little, like say only grievously injuring people. I love the suggestion that it's generally no problem at all for "killed" Fighters to come back in later campaigns. Just like in the games :3
For more MK emulation, the GM might designate the arena to have its own Arena Finisher, which is even more gruesome and earns even more XP.
Brutal Finishers aka Brutalities are very hard to pull off Finishers whose XP reward is very swingy depending on how high your Initiative is. It usually involves you pummelling your foe till they explode in a fountain of blood and bones (which may or may not include a suspiciously high amount of ribcages and skulls). Man, I'd like to see Kenshiro in the next MK game.

Ally is a much nicer alternative that instead has the winner try to become BFF with the loser, provided the loser is into that sort of thing. Mortal Kombat uses this "Friendship!" move as a way to humiliate the loser and poke fun at the franchise's ultra violence, but I can totally see this work in a campaign based around shounen or magical girl shows. Defeat is friendship.
(Thankfully this doesn't involve brainwashing. Ya gotta earn your friendship by roleplaying through the fight)

If you feel like being a dick, you can try Humiliation instead. Instead of killing the opponent, you pull off an atomic wedgie, a Babality or something equally silly. This not only earns you XP, but causes the opponent to lose XP, which might even cause him to gain what are essentially negative levels.

Mercy is an option you can use instead of a normal Finisher, best used in a tournament environment or in other "honorable" environments. Instead of finishing the loser, you instead duke it out in a bonus round that will decide the winner. The loser only has half his Life Bar and Fighting Spirit, but he can still pull off a victory.

Savage Finishers are more or less Animalities. They reward a lot of XP, but are difficult to pull off as you have to use Mercy before. They typically involve you going berserk, turning into an animal or just summoning an animal to utterly maul the loser.

Special Killer Combo Finishers

These are from Killer Instinct and are naturally tied to Killer Combos.

A Final Killer Combo is a finisher in every sense of the word, being used to end a Killer Combo used to win the last round.

Super Killer Combos have the attacker land an automatic flurry of blows that often launch the opponent out of the arena. They aren't lethal, but will generally have a lasting impact.
Special Killer Combos are a less flashy version that you can use after any round you've won, even if the fight is still undecided.

Custom Combos

This is straight out of Street Fighter Alpha: By using up all your Super Energy, you can enter a special mode that makes it easier than ever to string together long combos. If you want, you can keep SFA's quirk of having the character continuously move forward during the Custom Combo, which gives the defender a bonus if he tries to jump over you at the start of the combo.

Next Time: Okay, now I'm gonna take you for a ride.

Doresh fucked around with this message at 16:02 on Feb 12, 2017

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!


Rifts World Book 8: Japan Part 14: “The dragon 'borgs were a logical step, considering the world the people of the Republic of Japan have been thrown into.”


”Rising sun on my chest, rising sun behind me… JAPAN, do you get it?!”

Cyborgs of Japan

So, we're told 20% of the Republic's population are cyborgs, which... why? I don't know. Maybe people have tragic steakhouse accidents all the time, or maybe cyberarms are just fashionable. Of course, in the military, enhancements are common and the number jumps to 33%. Military cyborgs are required to have a lot of their weapon systems decommissioned to transition to civilian life. And, of course, there are illegal body chop-shops that will make you into the cyber-samurai of your dreams. Of course, we're told that Shinto religious authorities object, but that feels like an oversimplification of Shintoists as basically just hippie druids, but it's not the first time Rifts has fumbled its way around a living religion, nor will it be the last. Summaries of the cyborg stats from the corebook are copy-pasted in, but now Ichto and H-Brand apparently make cyborg armor that just flat has 20% more M.D.C., as if cyborgs weren't already walking walls of hundreds of M.D.C. as it is.

Republic Cyborg Soldier O.C.C.

So, in the Republic, cyborg soldiers are treated as big heroes without stigma. The military tries to screen out mentally unstable sorts to apparently major success, and 20% of troops are full cyborgs and 13% are partial. (I guess once you go cyber you don't go halfway.) Despite the name, this class can be used for Ichto cyborgs (which is the only way to play a dragon cyborg, which we'll see real shortly). Unfortunately, their mental endurance requirement to play them gives you less than a 5% chance of getting to roll one up, which makes one wonder how the hell 33% of the military qualifies. They get a broad mix of skills from computers to piloting to physical skills, and a paltry selection of other skills. Under equipment it notes they get access to computer games, so they can play Cyborg Justice and be suitably horrified.

Decommissioned Cyborgs

So, you can go on to live a healthy life as a cyborg after service, though you get all of your weapon or spy systems removed. However, if you can show you're working in security or the like, you might be allowed to keep smaller weapon systems, or you can decide to just leave the country and give up your citizenship to wander the earth like Caine from Kung Fu. Yep, apparently just walking out of your country with millions of dollars of cybernetics to go become a mercenary is an option.

Alternately, you can be retrofitted with bio-systems and get downgraded to be near-human, but you can have a clone body grown and get your brain skull-swapped into the clone body. There are people that insist putting a living brain in a clone body is murder, but they're not likely to get it outlawed anytime soon. The idea that they can grow clones and all the technological and societal implications thereof will go on to be ignored from here on out.


The RK Post art stands out just a little.

Life Expectancy

Cyborgs get to live longer, about 160 years for somebody with heavy bio-systems or partial cyborg and 300 for a full cyborg. I guess they beat Alzheimer's and its ilk. Of course, getting clones basically resets your clock. The implication that you can probably become effectively immortal this way and all the technological and societal implications thereof will go on to be generally ignored.

Laws Governing Cybernetic Systems

Whose laws? Well, this is for the Republic. Anywhere else? Eh, you'll figure it out. It's a criminal act to do custom modifications of cybernetics, having concealed weapons or bionics without a permit, or using banned systems. Most crimes have increased penalties if cybernetics were involved somehow (like a bionically-enhanced beating). If it need be said, killing or maiming somebody for their parts is illegal, as is installing, selling, or smuggling cybernetics without a license. In addition, you have to be at least 16 years old to gain cybernetic implants and 20 years old to have bionics. There are, of course, penalties and numbers for all this.

Ugh, enough of this boring poo poo, let's see the cyborgs that get to be rad cyber-dragons!
i’m gonna be let down aren’t i

Dragon 'Borgs

Not dragons that are cyborgs, to be clear. So, because the Republic is already cool with bionics, making people into cyborgs modeled after dragons was a "logical step". Yes. In Japan, making yourself into a dragon is a... "logical step".

:psyduck:

Rifts World Book 8: Japan posted:

Nobody remembers whose idea it was, but this inhuman cyborg styling has been astoundingly popular.

What, did a bunch of researchers get drunk and wake up to a bunch of scribbled notes with no signature? One would think somebody would have taken credit for the designs here, but apparently not. This is a book of faceless, nameless Japanese stereotypes. gently caress the details, time for dragon cyborgs!


”People laughed at me because I told them I had a dragon soul. Not anymore. Well. Less, at least.”

Wing Blade 'Borg

So, this is a cyborg designed for scouting or to sneak through holes and air ducts. Well, as long as the air ducts are 3'6" wide, anyway. They're moderately tough but can't wear armor, get a tail with a vibro-blade, a decent particle beam in the mouth, grappling spikes, cheek blades, and no particle beam rod in the leg because it ain't got no legs. That's a deep cut for long-time readers, FYI. And in case you're wondering, no. The wings are not blades. Also, despite having huge wings, it needs an additional jet pack to fly. It also notes that if you're "assigned to demolitions", you get both demolitions and demolitions disposal as skills with a bonus. This is copy-pasted for every dragon type, which is weird, since there's no real flavor text as to why these frontline combatants would be "assigned to demolitions".

Huh. Kinda underwhelming for our first dragon cyborg.


”I mean, sure, I have some trouble opening jars, but gently caress it! Gun hand!”

Tsunami 'Borg

So, this is more of a straightforward military model, and looks more like a European dragon for whatever reason. For some reason, unlike the Wing Blade, they have a 2% chance of getting random insanity after the first year, which increases by 1% a year (so 3% after the 2nd, 4% after the 3rd, and so on). It goes as far as adjusting the insanity tables to add more dragon-specific delusions, as well. I'm not sure a 2% chance (regardless of your Mental Endurance, of course) is worth rolling, but Siembieda loves arbitrary insanity. We also get a note that there's an anime series named "Demon-Hunter Tsunami", and cyborgs can get paid around 10,000 cr as a consultant fee if they can provide exciting exploits for the show. Anime? Why, that's Japanese! Amazing!

So they're a bit tougher than wing-blades, and get a particle beam from the tail, a minigun with axe attached (roughly a medium rail gun), mini-missiles, and laser eyes. Pretty tough, all things considered, but nothing groundbreaking. Oh, and once again, huge wings, can only fly with an attached jet pack.


”It took me forever to remember to bow my head before I start shooting.”

"Imperial" Combat 'Borg

A non-humanoid dragon cyborg with four legs, this is designed to work like a tank. Their non-humanoid shape gives them a higher insanity rate, starting at 5% and going up by 2% a year. Some estimate that at least 30% of these guys are off their nut, but the government denies it.

They have a particle beam blast from the mount for decent damage, mini-missiles, lasers, more lasers, and a smoke dispenser. (Did you know: Rifts frequently has smoke dispensers, but no rules for smoke?) There are vibro-claws and a tail, and it's a bit tougher than the Tsunami. Feeling really underwhelmed, guys; these dragons are basically cyborgs with more weapon systems, but with lower M.D.C. because they can't wear armor. Ho-hum.


Big arms, tiny legs: the reverse t-rex.

"Flame Cloud" Attack 'Borg

So, like the Imperial, this is another non-humanoid form, but-

Rifts World Book 8: Japan posted:

This cyborg has the most advanced flight system available, although it has no wings — the designers decided that at the near-supersonic speeds the cyborg could attain, wings would only add stress.

I see you don't understand aerodynamics, but it's okay, Siembieda. Help is available. See your local library. In any case, they get the same insanity rate as Imperial cyborgs. They're not as tough as Imperials, but are tougher than Tsunamis, and have plasma-based flame breath, lasers, particle beam in the tail, and vibro-stuff. They do solid damage but nothing amazing, and can fly up to 500 MPH. And that's all for dragon cyborgs- mostly just cyborgs with cooler art and half-baked stats.


”Rising sun on my head, striped sweater, crazy implants… stylin’!”

Cybernetics & Bionics

I'm just going to use this space to type "cyberoid" again. Cyberoid.

Cybernetic Implants & Enhancements



We're told you can use cybernetics from Triax & the NGR and Underseas for Japanese characters, so buy those books, cyberoids! I won't cover every cybernetic geegaw here, as some are just reprints and a lot are just boring, but let's get started:
  • Cosmetic Implants: These are implants that let you change the shape of your face... or breasts. Specifically breasts. "For example, a nose or breasts might flatten to prevent damage from a fall or to better fit a helmet or evening gown...." Man, I can't wait to argue that out with a GM. "I can't take damage from the fall, my breasts are only As right now."
  • Computer Virus Carrier: A special computer system that can carry and release up to six computer viruses. Wow! Six! They have a generic 71% hacking chance against normal computers, 10% against corporate, 1% against police, and 0% against military. So, basically, great for getting somebody's Facebook details and family recipes, not great for most things PCs would actually want to use it for. Also "Reduces hacking time by 33%", as if we had a list of hacking times.
  • Computerized Telephone Jack (illegal): This lets you make phone calls without paying... for 1d4 minutes before the MAN traces the SIGNAL and gives you a 500 CREDIT FINE.
  • Cyber-Drone (highly illegal!): This is a system developed by a "tech-ninja clan" that lets you take control of somebody else’s cybernetics and bionics and puppet around any artificial parts they have (except for bio-comp systems, so you couldn't stop somebody's heart). The problem is... it never tells us what the interface is. It's implied they have to render the cyborg helpless or compliant in some way, but it's not actually stated that if they have to plug in a cable or wireless receiver or what.
  • Data Chip (illegal): This lets you... store information on a chip on your head. Yes, having an ebook or a map in your head is illegal. What's more, you can only have one piece of information, trying to put two in your head causes random blackouts (GM sez gently caress youuu), mental confusion (-30% on all skills, -4 on all combat rolls), painful headaches, and then madness (get those tables out). Also it penalizes psionics. And I only wanted to have two porn pics in my head... but then I got Johnny Mnemonic'd.
  • Depth Gauge: How deep are you underwater? Now you know.
  • Power Booster (illegal): Having a battery in your body is forbidden. Seriously. It's illegal. You might power a gun with it!
  • Radio & Scrambler Implant (experimental & illegal): Note that regular radio implants are well-established, so... I'm not sure what's so "experimental" about adding a scrambler. Also, adding a scrambler to your radio reduces your psionic range and duration by 75%. Which means it's not the radio signal or the cybernetics that interfere with psionics, but encryption. Bizarre. "I know you can communicate with telepathy in utter secrecy, but having two ways to do that is just too much! Designer smash!"
  • Signal Booster: This lets you increase your ability to receive radio signals by 25%; they probably mean an old antenna booster, not a signal repeater like the term is used for now. I was gonna make fun of it but now I know what they're trying to say and I'm not sure where I'm going with this now.
  • Snaps, hooks, tabs, loops, buckles and Velcro body attachments: I'm not sure attaching a coathook to your forehead counts as "cyber", but I guess I'm not cyberoid enough to understand.

Occamsnailfile: Clearly all of the cellphone features listed above being illegal is the keitai companies clinging to their outdated handset model.


”Wouldn’t you go shirtless with a body like this?”

Bionic Weapons & Tools

Once again, we're directed to Triax & the NGR and Underseas. Once again, not covering everything, but it is interesting to note nothing here is "illegal"; I guess they assume that if you're a cyborg you're military-approved.
  • Internal Energy Supply: I thought cyborgs already had this, but apparently not? Tack on a half to a full million credits for any previous cyborg made before this book, I guess.
  • Laser Beam Eye: Requires you to have a bizarre looking eye (or eyes) or maybe have a weird over-sized head... so like, it's gotta be impressive, right? Nope. At 2d6 or 4d6 M.D.C., there are pistols that do more damage.
  • Aerial Jet Thrusters: "It's a bird!" "It's a plane!" "No, it's a terminator with jet boots!"
  • Security Clearance Chip: Used as a military or corporate ID badge. Blows you up if tampered with in any way, which seems like an interesting way to kill cyborgs.
  • Underwater Propulsion: "It's a fish!" "It's a boat!" "No, it's a cyberoid with a propeller on his back!" "Ar, welcome to the sea, choombatas!"
Next: Guns. Pretty much the same as any other Rifts book. Gonna write about it anyway.

:sigh:

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015
Is there a R.C.C. or O.C.C. for "Clumsy schoolgirl with terrible cooking skills who is actually a military-grade prototype android that can nuke entire cities if she feels like it"?

FH_Meta
Feb 20, 2011

Doresh posted:

Is there a R.C.C. or O.C.C. for "Clumsy schoolgirl with terrible cooking skills who is actually a military-grade prototype android that can nuke entire cities if she feels like it"?

If there is, it probably has some kind of warning about how taking the class makes you a horrible power-gamer or it seriously underperforms because it's using RIFTS nukes.

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!

Doresh posted:

Is there a R.C.C. or O.C.C. for "Clumsy schoolgirl with terrible cooking skills who is actually a military-grade prototype android that can nuke entire cities if she feels like it"?

It's not specific to that, but you could definitely do it with the old Robot R.C.C.. If you specifically wanted nuclear weapons, however, you'd have to be a giant-sized schoolgirl to accommodate the size of the missiles.

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
Ryūjin no ken o kurae!
http://i.imgur.com/tx7rQ2q.jpg

Alien Rope Burn posted:

It's not specific to that, but you could definitely do it with the old Robot R.C.C.. If you specifically wanted nuclear weapons, however, you'd have to be a giant-sized schoolgirl to accommodate the size of the missiles.

SENPAI HAS NOTICE ME! DEPLOYING WARHEADS

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015

Alien Rope Burn posted:

It's not specific to that, but you could definitely do it with the old Robot R.C.C.. If you specifically wanted nuclear weapons, however, you'd have to be a giant-sized schoolgirl to accommodate the size of the missiles.

Doesn't actually need to be a nuke. A giant lazor beam is probably the more traditional option, but it causes about the same destruction.

theironjef
Aug 11, 2009

The archmage of unexpected stinks.

Alien Rope Burn posted:


Bionic Weapons & Tools


Remember when you used to be able to say this in not the cadence of the Cheat Commandos slogan?

theironjef fucked around with this message at 18:46 on Feb 12, 2017

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!

theironjef posted:

Remember when you used to be able to say this in not the cadence of the Cheat Commandos slogan?

I had to go back and watch a decade-old flash animation but now I can understand your reference!

Siembieda has always dreamed of having a Rifts toy line, and a lot of the vehicles and mechs make a lot more sense in that perspective.

Hostile V
May 31, 2013

Solving all of life's problems through enhanced casting of Occam's Razor. Reward yourself with an imaginary chalice.

theironjef posted:

Remember when you used to be able to say this in not the cadence of the Cheat Commandos slogan?
Buy all our sourcebooks and splats!

Hostile V fucked around with this message at 20:29 on Feb 12, 2017

Midjack
Dec 24, 2007



Alien Rope Burn posted:


  • Radio & Scrambler Implant (experimental & illegal): Note that regular radio implants are well-established, so... I'm not sure what's so "experimental" about adding a scrambler. Also, adding a scrambler to your radio reduces your psionic range and duration by 75%. Which means it's not the radio signal or the cybernetics that interfere with psionics, but encryption. Bizarre. "I know you can communicate with telepathy in utter secrecy, but having two ways to do that is just too much! Designer smash!"

K-Sim probably talked to an amateur radio operator when he wrote that, because in the US it's illegal to send any encrypted signals over HAM bands. There are some technicalities around it (encoding can be used if the intent is not to obscure the message content, plus the FCC and ARRL kind of don't care), but that's definitely A Thing.

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!
Yeah, Siembieda really focuses on radios as a... thing? I don't know if that's because he may have just borrowed skills from the Recon RPG for the core version of the Palladium rules, which is really fixated on radios for more obvious reasons, or maybe he just knows a hobbyist. Still, a good chunk of the Palladium skill list seems to have been lifted from Recon so I suspect that's part of it.

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015
Fight! - Round 2


Chapter 5: Combat (Samurais & Shodowns 3rd Impact Edition)

Fight! is all about those kind of campaigns where you have to punch evil jerks who somehow include "organize an international mixed martial arts tournament" in their grand master plan to destroy/conquer the world (or something less ridiculous, if you're into that sort of thing), so it's no wonder the game is pretty big on beating people up. So enjoy some more optional rules about doing just that!

The Cowardice Gauge is a feature heavily inspired by Guilty Gear: You try to keep your distance from the enemy and not get hit, and the gauge will rise. If it's around halfway full, you'll suffer extra damage. If you're chicken enough to let it max out, this bonus damage will stay for the rest of the round.
Spark causes two Fighters to lose their turn if they're too close to each other and tie on both Initiative and Control, signified by some flashy animation. This is probably an emulation of the "clash" mechanic seen in games like Arcana Heart, whereby hitting each other at the right timing causes the two attacks to cancel each other out.

Going Full Offense in the corebook improves your chance at landing a hit at the cost of becoming more vulnerable in turn. A bit reckless, but you still know what you're doing. Berserk Attacks happen when you're just trying to button-mash your way to victory. Naturally, as a more extreme form of Full Offense, your own defense drops to basically nothing, but you get to roll a friggin' d12 for your attack roll (you normally roll a d6).
Unfortunately, there are a few hefty downsides to this: The uncontrolled and downright random nature of your attacks prohibits you from boosting your Initiative and Control with Fighting Spirit, your Control is set to 1d4 (though there's some exploding die shenanigans going on that might just work out in your favor), and the opponent gets a defense bonus if he decides to turtle this nonsense out.
And since button-mashing is considered to be a rather n00bish tactic, you'll earn less XP from the fight. If you overuse this - especially against a more honorable foe - you actually lose XP.

Rounds normally go up to a time conut of 99, but you can remove this limit if you want. You can also reduce the count to better emulate certain games (Virtua Fighter only has 30-second rounds for example). To ensure that KOs still happen in that short amount of time, everyone gains a damage bonus depending to go along with the lower count.

For some extra shenanigans in more beat-'em-up-style scenarios, one can also introduce facing rules. Getting hit from behind causes extra damage and causes you to automatically turn to face the opponent.

Combos


This artist has some weird anatomy going on, but I like the style.

Combos are important to really dish out the hurt and straightforward to use, and they help you get around certain Move limitations, like say using a Shoryuken that doesn't really cover a lot of horizontal distance on a faraway opponent by first doing a jumping kick or so.
The one tricky part for newcomers is probably how combos are handled as a single attack where either everything hits or nothing, with an accuracy penalty depending on how many Moves you put into it. This is mostly to speed things up and balance the additional damage you can deal with them.
(Partially succesful Combos are best described as trying and failing to win Initative in the next turn to essentially "continue" your Combo, even if it's a whole separate attack in game terms.)

Burst Combos are Roman Cancels, as seen in Guilty Gear and many other games since. By paying a bit of Super Energy, you can instantly skip the recovery animation of whatever attack you've been doing, allowing you to string together combos that would otherwise be impossible.
In Fight!, this lets you follow up a succesful Combo with an extra turn to start another Combo, provided you have enough Super Energy and suceed at a Tactics check (otherwise you screw up your timing). This is pretty nice to get full mileage out of buffs you have, and it helps to punish turtlers as you can also use this if the defender succeeded at blocking your previous Combo.

Chain Combos is something you seen just about every recent 2D fighting game: each character has a more or less unique pattern of base attacks that flow particularly well into each other, usually starting with Light and ending with Heavy attacks. If you want to emulate this in Fight!, you can grant a Control discount to Combos that only include Basic Moves, which is especially helpful for Fighters that keep ending up with little Control to play with.
Another 2D figher staple is Move Buffering: By buffering a Move's input during the frames of a base attack, you can optimize your combo potential. Fight handles this with a special 2-hit Combo (a Basic Move followed by a Special Moves) that gains extra accuracy. Another nice option against defensive opponents.

The corebook already let you make characters like Kyo Kusanagi or K' from KoF who have a certain subset of Moves that can only be used following a specific other Move. An alternative to this are Circle Combos, meant to envoke characters like Angel (also from KoF) and to a lesser degree the EX Version of Guilty Gear's Slayer. The Fighter can have a subset of Moves that combo into each other in a circular pattern. You start the pattern with a designated Combo Starter and can have a different subset of Moves to act as Combo Enders, which you can only use at the end of a Circle Combo. This is also totally how you can turn the Assassin from the Diablo 2 expansion into a fighting game character.
Like the Multi-Part Liability from the corebook, this lets you have stronger Moves (thanks to the Liability everone has) at the cost of less flexibility. As long Combos can have you end up at the start of the pattern, this is also the only way to include the same Special Move more than once in a single Combo.
The other way to include the same Special Move multiple time is with the Duplicated Special Move rule, which just gets rid of that restriction entirely. Since that doesn't have any caveats attached to it I'd be wary of using that. Building a single cheesy Spcial Move to fill up all of your Combos does sound way too tempting.

Combo Knock Back describes an effect often seen in 3D fighters, especially Virtua Fighter: while air juggling your opponent to hell and back, you'll often end up covering quite a lot of distance due to all the knockback going on. With this rule, you can have each individual hit in a Combo cause knockback, instead of just the Combo as a whole. This shortens Combos quite a bit as you have to pay extra Control to keep up with the juggled foe, but you can more easily nudge him towards an Environmental Hazard, for say a ring-out.

Combo Stun is a nasty little rule that automatically stuns you if you screw up your Combo by too big of a margin. Not sure where that comes from, but sounds nasty.

Dash Combo is a variant of the Burst Combo: If you do a Combo out of a Dash, you can pay Super Energy to make another Control roll and add that to your current total. That just has to be some anime thing.

You dreams of the ultimate Combo are being limited by the nefarious Combo Skill? Fear not, for the Easy Combos rule removes that Skill from the game, making Control the only cruel mistress you have to deal with and simplifying things a little.
If that is not enough Combo insanity for you, how about Really Easy Combos? This one keeps the Combo Skill, but instead of restricting the number of Moves you can have in a Combo, the Skill is instead added to your Control for the sole purpose of figuring out how much pain you can put into a Combo.
Both rules can also be used to kinda sorta do these "auto combos" seen in Under-Night, KoFXIV and the Persona fighting games, where the characters can turn timed button presses into automatic, pre-set combos.

If you prefer something more oldschool, like say earlier Samura Shodown games where Combos weren't really a thing, but even basic attacks could deal 1/4 or more of your health bar, you can try out Infrequent Combos. This makes the Combo Skill a lot more expensive, but all of your Moves will deal double damage to compensate.

Simplified Attack Strings can be used to emulate the feel of 3D fighting games without using the Attack String rules that an extra layer of Combo rules. The GM can simply rule that any Combo including a certain number of Basic Moves causes an automatic knockdown.

Damage

This includes to easy options to handle damage: If you want a more "accurate" fighting game experience, you can replace all tie damage dice with fixed damage.
If you want to make really damaging Moves a bit less predictable (since any die increase after 1d12 just becomes a fixed damage bonus), you are offered a number of ways to turn that 1d12+X roll into two rolls with differently-sized die.

Stunning

"Are you hitting on me?"

One of the fun things of curbstomping an enemy in a fighting game is seeing him get stunned. The rules for stunning are pretty straightforward, but how about a bit more versimilitude?

Accumulated Stun Damage is more accurate emulating of what most fighting games do, in that you have a (usually hidden) stun gauge that gets filled whenever you're hit and starts dropping if you aren't. This works mostly like the base rules, except the stun damage carries over from turn to turn.

Staggering is often seen in 3D fighters, where the classic full-blown Stun is rather uncommon (though you can use both rules at the same time). Getting hit by an attack will not only cause Hit Stun (aka reduce your Control), but also put a hard cap on your Initiative die's size on the next turn. The harder you've been hit, the lower the die. Big burly fighters having to deal with pesky ninja dudes can finally rejoice.

For more randomness, you can tie your chance of becoming stunned to a Stamina Check you do when taking damage. Glass cannons beware.

An interesting little system (aka "I have no idea from which game this is") is the Super Energy Reserve, which ties getting stunned to your Super Energy: Getting hit reduces your Super Energy instead of raising it. If you're out of Super Energy, you're Stunned, and then your Super Energy will slowly grow till the bar is half full.
Super Moves don't auto-stun you as they will always leave a tiny bit of Super Energy, but you're a short Combo away from being stunned, so you'll probably be more careful using those Supers.

Defense Options

The holy triforce of defensive options in Fight! is the Defense Skill, which is for simple and effective blocks, the Evasion Skill which lets you avoid the attack and get into a more favorable position, and the Tactics Skill which doesn't get as many situational bonuses as the other two but is your main source for all sorts of counterattacks, which make you look pretty badass when you're countering multiple enemies in a single turn.

For Defense, you can add a typical 2D fighter Block Bar to your game. One version acts like in most games (aka blocking too much causes a Guard Crush), while the other one works like in Guilty Gear (blocking to much makes you suffer extra damage on a hit, while getting your teeth kicked in long enough makes you suffer less damage).
Where Block Bars encourage too much blocking, Imbalance encourages it by allowing you to push the opponent away and debuffing his Initiative. I swear I've seen one or two games with that, but I can't remember exactly which one.
A variant of this works best for weapon-based campaigns: Push and Pull. Similar to the combat system in Way of the Samurai, you can draw the failed attacker closer to you or push him away.

For Evasion, you can do Crouching Movement as seen in many 3D fighting games. If you slowly approach the opponent without attacking, you can get yourself a nice evasion bonus thanks to your small hitbox. The Low Crouch on the other hand gives you another option to do a stationary evasion.
People that have played 2D and 3D fighting games will probably notice that the latter offer far more limited jumps. With Limited Jump Rules, you can capture this effect by reducing the distance you can cover with a succesful dodge.

Tactics also gets a few new options: Anger Response lets you pay Super Energy to counter with a Basic Move that knocks the opponent down and debuff his Initiative, as seen in a lot of games.
Burst Response is the defensive counterpart of the Burst Assault, and naturally also based on Guilty Gear. If your Burst Gauge is full, you can cause the attacker to automatically miss, knocking him back and away in the process. Essentially a "Get out of jail for free" card.
Parrying is most commonly associated with Street Fighter 3, where you can avoid chip damage and block stun if you hit forward at the last frame. In Fight!, this nets you a very juicy Initiative buff, allowing you to quickly go on the offensive on your next turn. This also grants you some extra Super Energy. Make that Life Bar instead of Energy Bar, and you kinda have Garou's Just Defend.
Reaction is a more Last-Blade-ish option that grants every Fighter the capability to counter enemy attacks. If you've blocked it (not all Tactic Responses actually use the Tactics skill), you can punish it with a Basic Move.

Other defensive options include the Air Escape (aka aerial recovery, essentially a variant of a breakfall specifically meant to counter juggles), Automatic Tech Rolls (which lets everyone freely reposition themselves when knocked down) and Back Dash Invincibility (grants a nice defensive bonus if you back off from the attacker via Back Dash).

Weapons

I kinda dig Siegfried's resedign.

As mentioned previously, the rules normally don't care if a Fighter uses weapons or his heavily armored. This stuff is just window dressing for his build and move set.
But we've already seen a couple optional rules for campaigns where everyone uses weapons, like say Soul Calibur or Samurai Shodown. It's only natural to have a section dedicated to weapons.

Armor is a rule based on later Soul Caliburs and I think some older fighting games. Everyone is decked out in armor that reduces incoming damage, and getting stunned for the first time breaks the armor instead of stunning you. Armor Locations grants you a second layer of armor that reduces damage while it's up.

Optional Weapons are inspired by some Mortal Kombat games. Everyone has a weapon, but he functions well enough without it. Drawing the weapon boosts your Basic Moves, but getting knocked down or stunned has you drop the weapon.
Weapon Clash is straight from Samurai Shodown and works similar to the above Clash. Instead of losing a turn, the two Fighters have a contested roll, the loser of which will be disarmed.

The Weapon Damage gives everyone a Life Bar for their weapon. Blocking Special and Super Moves causes the weapon to suffer damage, and you can customize those Moves to deal different damage to the weapon or opponent. A KOed weapon causes a disarm. Better use a shield.
With the Weapon Power rule, you can purposely "hurt" your weapon to pull off a Super.

Team Combat

These two will end you with the power of love and friendship.

We all know that team-based fighting games can get pretty crazy with Supers and other options, so it makes sense to include more rules for your Skullgirls and Marvel vs games. They also offer more options to include "inactive" team members more often in the fight, which is always nice.

First up, options for Tag Teams:

Instead of tagging in your tag buddy, he can instead use an Assist Attack to enter the fray for one attack, with the risk of getting punched by the opponent. A Tag Attack works similar, except it happens during an actual tag out.
Sustained Hold Assist has the tag buddy try to help if the active Fighter is currently stunned or in a Sustained Hold. Very wrestling-y, just like the Tag Throw Element that allows you to tag out by throwing the opponent to your tag buddy. If said buddy has a Move with the Tag Throw Combo Element, you're basically doing a tag team wrestling special.
Many tag-based fighting games have the inactive member recover a bit of health, so have some Teammate Recovery rules.

Tag Team Supers are pricy, but very useful. They're best used when the whole team shares a single Super Bar which can also store quite a bit of energy, though that's pretty much the default in those kind of fighting games.
You know how in Skullgirls, you can forcibly tag out the opponent to say avoid the inactive guy from recovering too much health? Drive Back let's you do just that.
Super Move Sequence lets the tag team rapidly tag in and out to use their respective Super Moves in the same Combo. Ouch.
If that is not enough hurt, try the Team Combo: If you pay extra Super Energy and hit with your Super, you can have your buddy tag an and pull of a Super of his own at the same time. If there's a 3rd member in the team, he can join in, too.
If this is still not enough hurt, the Super Team Combo lets you pay a lot of Super Energy to temporarily turn this tag match into a 2-on-1 beatdown.
Tag Counter is an Element that lets you tag in after your buddy has blocked an attack to do a counterattack for him.

If you want jolly co-operation in a match without tagging options, you can build yourself a Team Up Move that has your buddy jump into the ring as part of the Move's description. The result is an expensive Super that has an a lot of Elements for its low Control cost. Not sure where that's from.
A variant of this is the Super Energy Team Up Element, which causes a net gain of Super Energy if you pour enough slots into it. They involve the other member encouraging and/or assisting you. Never underestimate the power of friendship.

For some King of Fighters action, you can simulate the subsystem found in some games where the next fighter entering the ring will gain a bonus or penalty to the Super Bar depending on how good or bad his relation with his defeated buddy was.

Helper Characters

One of the crazier things KoF has done were Strikers during the NESTS saga. They were an extra team member that acted as a sort of equippable Move.
In Fight!, these are called Helper Characters, which basically work like low-Control Super Moves that have a limited number of uses. If the Helper attack is your only attack for the turn, you gain a buff on your next turn since you let the other guy do all the work and get into a better position.
Roleplaying purposes for Helper Characters are great: You can buy a Helper Move for every other PC or NPC to have them jump in and help you out of you need some quick help. This even works if the character is having his own fight at the moment. They multi-task like crazy.

Companions

Companions are small pets, robots and similar critters that fight alongside you. You can do it like in Samurai Shodown where the pet animals used by some characters are just flavor for some Moves, or you can have your Fighter be more like Carl Clover, Lieselotte Achenbach or Ms. Fortune who have a bit more mechanical crunch to their Companion.
A Companion is actively summoned by the Fighter and sticks close to you. He has his own shorter Life Bar and gets hit whenever you do. KOing the Companion causes it to not be available to summon until it recovers.
While the Companion is out, your Basic Moves gain more reach, every attack deals a bit more damage, and you might persuade the GM to let you use a Technique or two (like say getting an air dash or double jump if your Companion has wings). Moves performed by the Companion are handled with a Liability.
With the Companion out, you can try a special Super called a Tandem Attack. It takes a turn to set up (giving the opponent a chance to KO the Companion) and effectively lets you do two attacks at the same time.

Optional Rules for the End of the Turn or the End of the Round

These rules add some twists to the end of a turn or a round. With Double Life Bars for example, you can simulate games like Last Blade where the winner of a round doesn't recover his health bar because everyone actually has two of those. This is basically a more realistic approach to the round-based combat structure.

Insert Coin Continue is just hilarious. The player wasn't satisfied with the outcome of the fight? Well, have him pay XP to re-do the fight!

Judgment is similar to the system found in KoFXI: The winner of a round without a KO is not decided by who has a higher percentage of his health remaining, but by other factors like who had the most successful attacks.

Life Bar Recovery makes fights go on longer and discourages turtling, since everyone heals a bit of his Life Bar each turn.

Environmental Hazards

As mentioned, too many hazards can make things confusing, but careful usage can really spice things up and add more depth to the arena.

Wall Stun causes an auto-stun when you're knocked into a wall, because you've ben electrified or hit by a falling object.
With Wall Counters you can try to use the wall to jump out of the corner and potentially start a counterattack.
Destructible Walls is very Virtua Fighter: Getting knocked into a wall can cause extra damage and the destruction of the wall.

If you love Beat-'em-Ups, Smash Bros. and to a lesser extent Samurai Shodown, you can sprinkle some Environmental Power-Ups throughout the arena. Health recovery items? Check. Temporary weapons? Check. Guns? Double check.

Freefall Fighting is used in conjunction with elevation changes. It causes both Fighters to duke it out during freefall, with the loser taking damage and getting knocked down.
Random Hazard is like a Dnager Zone from the corebook in that it causes damage if you're to close. Unlike the Danger Zone, the Random Hazard is well, random and not always active. A lot of Smash Bros. maps have this.
Ropes is primarily for wrestling games and lets you attack the opponent with extra momentum.

Weapons of Opportunity is for your Injustice and recent Mortal Kombat lovers out there, letting you use environmental features for improvised attacks.
Also from the same games are Zone Barriers, which let you take the fight into a different arena by launching the opponent through a wall, door, down some stairs...

Aerial Combat

This is straight up DBZ, allowing every Fighter to take the action to the sky. Now everyone's at a specific altitude, which turns the map from a 1-dimensional lane into a proper grid.
If DBZ is not your thing, you can easily use these rules to play Fight! on a normal grid.


Next Time: Systems and Settings. Time to d-d-d-duel. With guitar ninjas. I'm so not kidding.

Wapole Languray
Jul 4, 2012



Tianxia: Blood Silk and Jade is a Wuxia/Kung Fu supplement and setting expansion for Evil Hat’s Fate Core rule system by Vigilance Press, written and created by Jack Norris, with art by url=http://denisesjones.deviantart.com/]Denise Jones[/url]. Created properly after a successful kickstarter campaign back in 2013, and officially released in 2014, Tianxia is one of the best drat Wuxia games I’ve seen.

See, most games of this sort, like Qin: Warring States, Weapons of the Gods, Wulin, Heroes of Ogre Gate, etc. have an issue I don’t like. They focus way too much crunch on simulating the nitty gritty of kung-fu combat, there really isn’t a lighter game in the genre I’ve ever seen besides Tianxia that isn’t like Wushu, so light the genre is basically just flavor, or just cramming kung-fu into an existing fantasy setting.

Also, the game is pretty as hell, and I’ll be posting as much art as I can for you guys to ogle at.

Now, I love Fate, it’s probably my favorite system ever, and Tianxia is a wonderful combination of setting and really solid mechanics that hit all the right spots. You do require the Fate Core rulebook to play, but it’s Pay What You Want so that’s no excuse.

Anyway, Tianxia is great, I wanna show it off. It’s an obvious labor of love from someone who really really loves wuxia as a genre, so I’ll also be expanding on some of the concepts and setting elements with Real Life History Stuff as we go, because I’m a nerd for it too. So, with that out of the way, let's get started with Chapter 1!

Welcome to Tianxia



The Occurrence at Peach Blossom Bridge posted:

“The right ground can turn a man into an army, and an army into a collection of fools.” Ma Wei Sheng’s father had told him this when he was eight.

His father, the Great General Ma, victor of countless battles fought for his Emperor and the Great Empire of Shénzhōu. He was always right, a fact which comforted and frustrated the young swordsman on alternating occasions. Today, watching thirty swordsmen rush him across the opposite end of the narrow bridge was one of the comforting times.

He had stumbled upon the White Turbans by accident. A murdered farmer, a young child asking for his aid, and a youthful enthusiasm for justice and chivalry had led him to uncover the sect. Their ultimate goal was to overthrow the empire and cast down the priesthoods, replacing both with their heretical theocracy. Wei Sheng had not figured out how the death of the farmer featured in their plot. He might never find out now, not if the next few moments went against them. Of course, he was not unprepared.

“Swift and thoughtful action saves lives. Swift and thoughtless action ends them.” Another of his father’s sayings, and again, so very appropriate. He had fled the Turbans when he saw their numbers. Not out of fear, but only to find the right ground. He found it at Peach Blossom Bridge.

The bridge was narrow and unimpressive. It crossed a small tributary of the Silk River, little more than a stream but just fast and deep enough to make crossing uncertain. The bridge had been built to allow for the small amounts of traffic between the nearby villages, and it was difficult for more than three or four men to walk side by side. In other words, it was perfect.

Ma Wei Sheng watched as the White Turbans ran across the bridge towards him, all drawn swords and murderous fury and fear. They needed him dead, he knew, lest he escape, bringing soldiers and magistrates to crush their sect.

Unfortunately for them, escape was not Wei Sheng’s strategy. He did not wish to avoid fighting. He simply wished to find the right place for it—a narrow bridge where their thirty fanatical fighters became rows of three or four pressing against each other with little room to swing their blades. On this little, unassuming bridge, Ma Wei Sheng was the army, and they merely a collection of fools.

The White Turbans slowed momentarily when they realized he had stopped. Perhaps some
among them had read the Great General’s works and realized their folly, or maybe they were simply confused their prey had stopped running.

“Wondering on its purpose only kills its utility,” Ma Wei Sheng whispered to himself while moving to meet the mob of thirty armed killers.

So, this is the introduction chapter, but as this is a supplement to an existing corebook, this game doesn’t have to bother with explaining what an RPG is, and we can instead get right into the interesting stuff. This chapter is dedicated to giving some essential background info about the game, elaborating on the genre, and just explaining what the hell this game is.

So, first is a Glossary of Terms. Thankfully, there are neither dry mechanical terms, or nonsensical White-Wolfisms here, instead it exists to explain concepts that your typical person might not understand, especially terminology borrowed from Chinese. So, I’ll recreate in in a condensed form here so we can all benefit!

    Adherents of the Tao/Dao This is the Tianxia version of Taoism/Daoism (The words are pronounced the same, just the romanized spelling differs based on whether you use Wade-Giles or Pinyin romanization). Real world Taoism is incredibly complex, mainly because it’s been around for ages, is incredibly syncretic so it has gotten mixed in with every other religion, philosophy, or spiritual belief in Chinese history, and has various differing sects and schools of thought. In brief, Dao, literally “The Way” is the concept living one’s life in unity with the natural flow of the universe. Generally this means living a balanced harmonious life of simplicity in sync with the flow of the universe. In Wuxia if you do this well enough you become an immortal and get magic superpowers.

    Chi Also spelled Qi, literally “Breath”, is the concept of an internal energy, life force, etc. While it has many varied meanings in medicine, philosophy, and religion, in the context of wuxia stories it’s what lets you do crazy physics breaking kung-fu stuff just by working out real hard. The Force from Star Wars is basically qi, for these purposes.

    Da Jiang “Great River”, a very large and important river that flows through southern Shenzhou. While it’s not part of the setting detailed in this book, it’s considered important enough to Shenzhou as a hole to mention.

    Emperor The ruler of Shenzhou. Also known as Huangdi, “Yellow Emperor”, or Tianzi, “Son of Heaven”, he or she is believed to be ordained by heaven to rule all the lands of the world. The Emperor governs through a complex bureaucracy of ministers, governors, and officials.

    Eunuchs Someone who has had their sex organs removed. In Shenzhou this is not surgical, but is done by mystic ritual that makes the subject sexless. They serve as important ministers and imperial officials, and are often portrayed as villains in Chinese media. The closes western concept would be the idea of the “Evil Vizier”. Historically Eunuchs were prominent in certain dynasties as important functionaries, especially in the Imperial Court. This was both because, as they could not have children, corruption, nepotism, and treasonous ambition was less prominent and because they couldn’t get up to anything freaky with the Emperor’s wives.

    Followers of Bodhisattva Also known as Bodhists, they are the Tianxia equivalent of Buddhists. The philosophy is all about seeking enlightenment, peace, and the alleviation of suffering by rejecting material attachments and cultivating an awakened mind.

    Gong Artisans and Craftsmen, part of the middle class of Shenzhou.

    Jade Road An important trade route, named for the mining and production of jade goods, which it serves as a major trade route for. It stretches from the western border all the way to the eastern cities.

    Jianghu Literally “Rivers and Lakes” the term refers to many concepts in chinese culture. At its broadest, it simply means the culture and community of those whose way of life is not part of traditional society. In modern contexts it’s essentially the same as the english term “Underworld”, representing the culture of criminals and those who live outside the law. In Wuxia, Jianghu refers to the sub-culture of vagabonds, adventurers, and martial artists, those who live on the fringe or outside of traditional society. Another term for the same concept is Wulin “Martial Forest”.

    Jiangzhou “Border Land”, the province of Shenzhou detailed in this book. It’s the far western frontier of the Empire, and is largely lawless.

    Kung Fu A generic term for all styles of Chinese martial arts.

    Legalism The official religion of the Empire of Shenzhou, and the Tianxia equivalent of Confucianism. Essentially, a philosophical school of thought and religion that emphasized unity with Heaven by moral living according to a divine order or hierarchy. As concerned with how proper governments and societies function, as it is with personal ethics and morality.

    Nong Peasants and farmers, the lowest traditional social class in Shenzhou.

    Security Companies Businesses that hire out mercenaries and bodyguards, specifically for protection of people or property. Often clash with government authorities, they range from heroic protectors, to bandits with pretensions.

    Shang Merchants and traders, part of the middle class, but the wealthiest can have as much power as the elite.

    Sifu “Skilled Person”, an honorific for teachers. Common translation would be “Master” or “Teacher”. While it can apply to any sort of teacher, in wuxia it’s primarily applied to Kung Fu masters.

    Shen The collective name for the people of Shenzhou, though most people don’t call themselves that. Identifying instead by village, province, or family. People and objects from Shenzhou are called Shenese.

    Shenzhou “Divine Realm”, the proper name for the Empire and primary setting of Tianxia. The name was an archaic term for China.

    ShiNobles, Scholars, and high officials. The elite and powerful upper class.

    Silk River A major river in Shenzhou, which passes through Jiangzhou before flowing east to the sea.

    Tianxia “Under Heaven”, a concept in Chinese political philosophy referring to the Chinese Empire, the entire world, or the idea of cultural unification. Closes western concept would be, it’s the Chinese equivalent of “Manifest Destiny”.

    Wuxia Literally “Martial Hero”, sometimes translated as Knight Errant or Wandering Warrior/Swordsman. This is both a genre, and a type of character or profession found in said genre. Essentially, Wuxia are highly skilled warriors who operate outside of traditional society.

    Wu Xing A five part concept of connected elements, colors, directions, seasons, animals, etc. A framework of thought and theme found throughout chinese culture. It has been slightly modified to make it easier to remember and work with in the game.

    Yang Positive forces. Proaction, heat, light, and masculinity are represented by Yang.

    Yin Negative forces. Reaction, cold, darkness, and femininity are represented by Yin.

    Yi “Outsider” or “Barbarian”, a term for those not from Shenzhou, or who are not seen as part of Shenese society at all. The term Hu is also used, primarily when referring to tribes that live near the borders.

    Zhongshou “Center Land”, the Imperial Province, where the capital and Emperor’s Palace are. Often used as a term to refer to anywhere with strong Imperial presence, not just the province itself. It’s located on the eastern shore of Shenzhou, but is considered to be the center of the empire.

Whoo! Now that’s out of the way, and we can continue!

Next is the actual introduction, which gives an overview of each chapter’s contents, and explains the design philosophy of the game. There’s no need to go over this though, so I won’t.

Next is actually something useful! The Cardinal Rules of Campaign Customization. See, Fate is a toolbox game, it’s a bunch of mechanics and parts that you are encouraged to mix and match and customize to your taste. Tianxia just adds some new mechanics to support wuxia genre games, so they include some guidelines about how to work out customizing and making things in game in a pretty useful four stage process:
    Step One: Talk it Out Basically, if there’s doubt about the best way to represent something in the game, the GM and players should talk out how each wants to handle it. It lets everyone get their own desires out there, as well as go over any issues or concerns that might pop up.

    Step Two: Figure it Out Work out exactly how the changes or modifications you want to make should work, and clear it with everyone so everybody knows how the changes work and is okay with it.

    Step Three: Now Go Forth Basically, once you got a general idea, implement it and don’t get hung up too much on the ganges. You can change it again if things don’t work out, it’s more important to keep playing and having fun instead of getting obsessed about the setting or mechanics and killing the game’s momentum.

    Step Four: ...and Kick rear end Basically, if things aren’t going how you like, just make the changes on the fly and keep up the momentum, demonstrating what you want to happen instead of stopping the game to go over everything every time an issue comes up. Keep it dynamic and generally things will work out, and you can stop to discuss if there are problems.

Who are the PCs? And What do you Need to Play?

I’m rolling these two sections into one, just because they’re short. THe default assumption of Tianxia is that the PCs are playing wuxia, wandering martial arts warriors embroiled in the struggles of the hidden world of the Jianghu, with players growing in prominence, power, and importance over the course of the game. Equally valid though is playing characters more part of traditional society, in fixed locations or tied into important elements of the setting.

As for what you need to play, is just helpful advice for necessary stuff to get. You need a copy of Fate Core to play, a set of Fate/Fudge Die, though the game does support others, a character sheet for each player, a way of keeping track of Fate Points, a pack of Index Cards, and some way of tracking initiative. They suggest players just sitting in initiative order to make it super simple.

Wuxia, Kung Fu, and Genre

This is a genre game, so it’s kinda important to define the genre’s we’re working with. Now, Tianxia is, by default, a blend of two related genres: Wuxia and Kung Fu. These two genres are related but distinct, and if you’ve seen enough martial arts movies you should be able to know the difference even if you’ve never been able to articulate them. While both are focused on the idea of martial artists, and solve their problems via acrobatic violence, the scale and existence of the fantastical are the primary ways to tell the two apart.

Wuxia stories are big. The characters can often do superhuman feats of athleticism and combat, fantastical or magical elements are much more common. Kung-Fu stories on the other hand are generally much smaller scale. There are generally set in grounded historical settings, the stories are small scale and focused on personal issues, and the martial arts are purely practical and what actual humans can do.

The way the game supports a mix is simple: The feats of the characters are very wuxia, with superhuman feats being common once you get some of your skills up there, while the setting favors more down-to-earth grounded and small-scale stories. To change the focus, simply dial up or down descriptions of character actions as desired, and focus on different aspects of the setting.

What’s in a Name
Chinese naming can be complex, especially with how varying translation conventions render names. Some use straight chinese names in the appropriate format, others reverse the family and given names, others fully translate the names into ones that sound more like poetic titles, and others still mix the two getting names like Silken Wei and Iron Tsang. Tianxia uses all three, but favors the part-english part-chinese names as it stays evocative of the setting, but it’s a lot easier to create memorable names for English speaking players.

The Wu Xing


Essentially, the Wu Xing is a major part of chinese culture, and is a motif repeated constantly throughout affecting everything from art and music, to medicine, interior decorating, martial arts, military strategy, religion, philosophy, fashion, etc. etc. etc.

It’s important. Tianxia recommends using the Wu Xing as a source of inspiration, a handy way to create themes and concepts that ring true with the setting. By using the colors, animals, elements, seasons, etc. as inspiration for settings, characters, and events. Basically, don’t get obsessive about it, but injecting a bit into your game can add some fun flavor, and help people brainstorm ideas and give flavor to the setting.

So, that’s it for the intro! Next time Shenzhou and Jiangzhou: The Setting Part 1!

Simian_Prime
Nov 6, 2011

When they passed out body parts in the comics today, I got Cathy's nose and Dick Tracy's private parts.
From the material he writes and from reports by people who have worked with him, Siembieda sounds like the Michael Scott of RPGs.

I wouldn't be surprised if there was a videotape somewhere of him and his friends acting out Kevin's rejected RIFTS movie script like the "Threat Level: Midnight" episode.

Siivola
Dec 23, 2012

Doresh posted:

Where Block Bars encourage too much blocking, Imbalance encourages it by allowing you to push the opponent away and debuffing his Initiative. I swear I've seen one or two games with that, but I can't remember exactly which one.
Green blocking in Guilty Gear.

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!

Siivola posted:

Green blocking in Guilty Gear.

It's also known as "Push Block" in the Marvel vs. Capcom series, and I think it's in Skullgirls, too.

Doresh
Jan 7, 2015
Ah, it's all coming together...

Simian_Prime
Nov 6, 2011

When they passed out body parts in the comics today, I got Cathy's nose and Dick Tracy's private parts.
Tianxia looks pretty cool and I look forward to seeing more.👍

Barudak
May 7, 2007

I think and do not quote me here, that Pushblock comes from Darkstalkers originally. Darkstalkers also features crouch walking, supers which augmented your entire move sets, and a curiously handsome fishman.

The Zangeif move that has projectile immunity is Spinning Lariat.

The dropped combo resulting in a stun sounds like it could be many thingg s. It could be a really punishing version of a combo drop such as from games with p-linkig the worst of all combo mechanics, a blown due to randomness Faust combo, missed Jigglypuff combo, or any of a variety of supers with long built in taunt animations where if you whiff youre going to eat fist from the opponent while your character brags.

I may have missed it but are their rules for damage scaling or the magic pixel?

Barudak fucked around with this message at 03:06 on Feb 13, 2017

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

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

Barudak posted:

I think and do not quote me here, that Pushblock comes from Darkstalkers originally. Darkstalkers also features crouch walking, supers which augmented your entire move sets, and a curiously handsome fishman.

You forgot kung-fu werewolves.

wiegieman
Apr 22, 2010

Royalty is a continuous cutting motion


Isn't everyone in darkstalkers some form of fanservice? Which is not necessarily A Bad Thing.

Alien Rope Burn
Dec 5, 2004

I wanna be a saikyo HERO!

wiegieman posted:

Isn't everyone in darkstalkers some form of fanservice? Which is not necessarily A Bad Thing.

It's true, Sasquatch was made for vore and temperature play.

Barudak
May 7, 2007

If you dont have an interest in transforming a T-rex into a schoolgirl with a still full sized T-rex head so you can play a damaging version of seven minutes in heaven I dont think Vampire Savior is for you.

Kurieg
Jul 19, 2012

RIP Lutri: 5/19/20-4/2/20
:blizz::gamefreak:
One of the Darkstalker games had a T-rex?

theironjef
Aug 11, 2009

The archmage of unexpected stinks.

Kurieg posted:

One of the Darkstalker games had a T-rex?

Not a Darkstalkers game, I think. Pretty sure you're thinking of Hauzer from Red Earth. Also a Capcom joint. Or more likely Capcom Fighting Evolution, which had him and some Darkstalkers, yeah.

Barudak
May 7, 2007

Kurieg posted:

One of the Darkstalker games had a T-rex?

Capcom Fighting Evolution. Its where we learn that Demtris fantasy for Chun-Li is to put on some goddamn pants and that Demtri is a big ol' Jojos nerd. The amazing T-Rex bit is near the end of the below clip.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=n2Lfg1NkPdk

Also if were going to design a fighter in Fight Im voting for Pullum Parna, who has lethal forced group dancing and a tag move where she hurts you by making her tag partner bounce the victim on their belly while Pullum does jump poses.

Crasical
Apr 22, 2014

GG!*
*GET GOOD

Update 3: (More Corps, Growing Corruption, First Nations)
Also entitled ‘Woo, if you thought that the formation of megacorporate control was dumb then I hate to think what you’ll make of this’.

More Corporate Incidents
During the events between the Seretech and Shiawase decisions, Austria was undergoing a severe economic crisis. In response to this, the Parliament was abolished, and the Stahlmänner, a special council composed of highly-rated corporate figures, was put in place. This will be important later. (However far-fetched you find this, at the risk of getting both topical and political, America in the real world DID just elect a corporate figure as president because of his campaign platform on the economy.)
In the wake of everybody following America’s decision/the growing megacorporations badgering other governments to make similar rulings to make Corporate Extraterritoriality a thing, France was one of the few that stood up and refused, citing an alarming growth of corporate power. They hoped to be a beacon and draw other nations into trying to limit this new spread of power. Instead they were made an example of: The growing megacorporations sanctioned the poo poo out of France. Points for trying, I guess. A month later, during the G8 summit in Italy, corporate security forces opened fire on a mob of Anti-Corporate protesters. News media (owned largely by the mega-corporations) reported it as the security forces acting in ‘defense against an act of terrorism’. Protestors are forced to abandon their traditional tactics in search of new techniques.




Can confirm, not adorable dogs. Sorry, Kureig

America gets corrupt as hell
Corruption runs from the top to the bottom in the American government: Martin Hunt (the 43rd American president who was elected in 2000) is found to be have been paying large, under-the-counter sums to Mexican president Miguel Ávila to allow American corporations to build on Mexican land and to tap their natural resources. He also dissolves the municipal government of Washington, D.C. and takes direct control of the district. The scandals oust him when he comes up for re-election in 2004, and Phillip Bester takes the presidency. Bester promptly cuts all funding for the public broadcasting, allowing their equipment and resources to be cannibalized by corporate interests, and for the corporations to tighten their control of the media. Three years later in ‘07, the supreme court declines to review the decision by President Hunt to disband the District of Columbia’s municipal government. Bester’s approval ratings start to dip because of this.

On 2008, Jesse Garrety is elected the 4th president of the United States.

First Nations and the Lone Eagle incident
So, scrolling back a bit: back in 1999, during the Seretech decision, one event that I didn’t bother to cover was that the Canadian Government had pulled a bit of eminent domain on some Dene First Nations land to be turned over for exploitation of its natural resources. Three years later, the swelling masses of emboldened new corporations look back on this and think ‘What a great idea’. The US government is promptly lobbied, bullied, and bribed to seize millions of acres of land from Native American reservations which is then auctioned off for corporate expansion.

In response to this blatant, flagrant corruption and theft, the Sovereign American Indian Movement forms in Denver, April 5th, 2002. They fight the corporations and government until 2009, when United Oil Industries receives the rights to one quarter of the remaining natural parks and one tenth of the few remaining reservations in the US.
Words will no longer suffice for the SAIM. They assemble a strike team, infiltrate, and capture a missile silo at the U.S. Air Force’s Shiloh Launch Facility in northwest Montana. They issue their ultimatum: give us back our land or we launch the Lone Eagle ICBMS.



Probably not the SAIM’s actual rallying cry

The government pretends to initiate talks, but it’s a smokescreen. Ten days later, Delta Team antiterrorist squadrons burst into the silo and kill or capture every SAIM operative on the ground, but not before the Native Americans can make good on their threat and fire a nuclear ICBM at Russia. Ten thousand sphincters tighten in anticipation of nuclear armageddon, and President Garrety makes furious calls to his Russian counterpart in an attempt to prevent all out war. Thankfully, the missile vanishes mysteriously over the Arctic circle, never arriving in Russia. This remains a mystery unsolved even in present day.

The backlash to the Lone Eagle incident is severe. It’s used as anti-SAIM and anti-Native American propaganda, and the tensions rise to the point where the Supreme Court pass the Re-Education and Relocation Act. Any Native with even the remotest connection to SAIM gets hauled off to detention centers. In Canada, the Nepean act, a sister legislation, is passed, which legitimizes internment camps for the Native Inuits. Nunavut, the Inuit territory in northern Canada is dismantled and sold off. By 2010, the US federal government has seized all Native American lands.

Something much worse remains on the horizon, however.


Bonus Update: Miroyama
The Miroyama Incident
On 2006, after a years-long court battle, Miroyama Electric loses a battle with Texas Instruments Corporation (TIC). Miroyama’s assets are all to be seized, TIC will be revitalized, and Miroyama Electric is doomed. Miroyama’s executive circle decides to spare themselves the shame of this loss in the, uh, traditional Japanese way. They leave notes behind for their families, but also a public note to the company detailing how the patent violation that allowed the lawsuit is the result of their failure to protect the company, how they all felt they were part of something larger, greater, better than themselves and failed not only the stockholders, the workers, but the company itself. They need to make a grand gesture so that the shame falls on them, not the corporation, or anyone else. The note grimly ends that ‘The cleaning staff have been instructed on how to deal with the aftermath of what we are about to do’.
The entire corporate upper circle of Miroyama commits suicide by disemboweling, traditional Japanese Seppuku.
The world just sort of quietly accepts this, neither surprised nor condemning of these men’s acts. The Japanese sense of honor, work ethic, and the importance of The Corporation are all firmly entrenched in the culture of the world at this point.

BONUS FUN FACT that happened but I don’t have anywhere else to put:
On August 12, 2005: a 5.8 earthquake flattens Manhattan, killing more than two hundred thousand people. Sorry about that, but if you lived there then your shadowrun-universe counterpart is probably dead.

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Young Freud
Nov 26, 2006

Crasical posted:

Bonus Update: Miroyama
The Miroyama Incident
On 2006, after a years-long court battle, Miroyama Electric loses a battle with Texas Instruments Corporation (TIC). Miroyama’s assets are all to be seized, TIC will be revitalized, and Miroyama Electric is doomed. Miroyama’s executive circle decides to spare themselves the shame of this loss in the, uh, traditional Japanese way. They leave notes behind for their families, but also a public note to the company detailing how the patent violation that allowed the lawsuit is the result of their failure to protect the company, how they all felt they were part of something larger, greater, better than themselves and failed not only the stockholders, the workers, but the company itself. They need to make a grand gesture so that the shame falls on them, not the corporation, or anyone else. The note grimly ends that ‘The cleaning staff have been instructed on how to deal with the aftermath of what we are about to do’.
The entire corporate upper circle of Miroyama commits suicide by disemboweling, traditional Japanese Seppuku.
The world just sort of quietly accepts this, neither surprised nor condemning of these men’s acts. The Japanese sense of honor, work ethic, and the importance of The Corporation are all firmly entrenched in the culture of the world at this point.

I'm trying to think where this is some sort of corporate dystopia where upper management executives voluntarily ritually kill themselves for failing the company instead of running the corporation into the ground and leaving on golden parachutes to other corporations to continue doing more damage to society.

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