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Halloween Jack posted:how Silicon valley libertarians have any military power. Drones, my dude. Drones.
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Jul 25, 2018 14:38
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Halloween Jack posted:It would make slightly more sense if he'd modeled it on Syria, because then you'd have all these factions fighting each other. You'd still have to answer the question of how right-wing militiamen are a separate faction from the religious conservatives and not their paramilitary wing, how both of those things are a different faction from Neo-Nazis (because the word "overlap" is insufficient to describe the connections there), and how Silicon valley libertarians have any military power. Yeah, a set-up where you've got the YPG/Kurds, Saudi-backed Wahhabists, ISIS, and whatever other "FSA" groups that the US can cobble together are all ostensibly on the same "side" against the Assad regime would make a bit more sense.
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Jul 25, 2018 14:39
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I'm really liking what I'm reading of Panic at the Dojo, it looks like a natural evolution of Strike's combat system but in a real fun way. I appreciate powers providing roleplay skills/abilities as I'm getting pretty tired of systems with tactical combat not having a real connection between non-combat and combat systems (cough D&D cough).
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Jul 25, 2018 14:41
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I'm looking forward to getting to the non-combat resolution system, it's one of my favorites I've ever seen despite being incredibly simple.
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Jul 25, 2018 14:43
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The Deleter posted:I'm really liking what I'm reading of Panic at the Dojo, it looks like a natural evolution of Strike's combat system but in a real fun way. I appreciate powers providing roleplay skills/abilities as I'm getting pretty tired of systems with tactical combat not having a real connection between non-combat and combat systems (cough D&D cough).
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Jul 25, 2018 14:48
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When will it be available to non-backers?
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Jul 25, 2018 14:49
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Ghost Leviathan posted:That makes a lot of sense. The American political landscape has shifted almost unrecognisably in a few short years and a lot of things taken for granted have turned out to be fairy tales, after all. I still wonder who those powerful, influential Marxists were, in the United States, in 2010
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Jul 25, 2018 14:51
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Obama.
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Jul 25, 2018 14:52
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Foglet posted:When will it be available to non-backers? Best quote I can find from the kickstarter is "a few weeks".
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Jul 25, 2018 14:52
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7th Sea 2: Nations of Theah, Vol. 2 - Three Swords Eisen Duelists are renowned for their skill, because they must have it to survive. Three of the four major military academies (Steil, Unabwendbar and Gelingen) have Guildhouses on the grounds, and the Guild's only grown in power since the end of the War. More Soldner means more Duelists, generally speaking. While Eisen Duelists have no special legal standing or authority, they are often turned to as mediators and arbitrators in personal disputes. The Eisenfursten keep the law, but for personal affairs, a Duelist is always fair - the people believe that because they defend their beliefs with such strength, they will bring an inherent sense of rightness to disputes, and they're often called on to settle debates, insults and even legal matters, especially by the younger Eisen who distrust their elders to solve problems. The sheer number of Duelists in Eisen caused the Council of Swords to set up a headquarters in Freiburg. It was originally made of three Guild founders and their closest students, and was not meant to govern Duelists, but serve as an administrative body. It keeps records on all Duelists, living or dead, collects dues for the Guild and, in rare cases, handles disagreements that can't be settled via dueling. This tends to be things like contractual business matters, or diplomatic issues in which a duel would be an act of war. The Council's presence and a cultural tendency to obey rules means that illegal duels in Eisen are practically unheard of, and even the poorest Bauern would rather pay a Duelist than face the fines of an illegal duel. Eisen has three broad classes of Duelist, but all wear their Guild pins openly and visibly, with great pride. The idea of concealing your pin in Eisen is actually seen as offensive. Adel Duelists are often kept on retainer by other nobles, but most Adel see it as weakness to need to rely on them to fight rather than just challenge. The more cautious or cowardly nobles still do, however. Duelists from among the Adel are typically quiet people that prefer to remain on the fringe of the court, and they typically favor the Eisenfaust school. Their duels tend to be somber and public, with respectful salutes and then fighting in total silence but for the grunt of effort and the clash of blades. They almost never fight to the death - too few Eisen remain for that to be common. Soldner Duelists are the most numerous, and are often officers, largely due to their skills. When in Iron Guard units, Duelists will often be asked by their fellows to represent the unit in inter-unit disputes. Unlike Adel duels, Soldner fights are raucous, with their fellow warriors forming a circle and cheering on the fight. They often use the Drexel school, making their fights a dance of point and counterpoint. Losers are usually alive, but rarely conscious. Waisen are the third class of Duelist, and their pride is great, unlike most Waisen. They might sell their blade or armor for food, but never their pin. Waisen don't duel particularly often, being too busy struggling to survive, and as a result many use the Kummerholt style, which can be done with little more than a sharp edge and a determination to use your whole self to fight. Kummerholt is believed to have been developed to fight against impossible odds, such as when facing monsters with nothing but a kitchen knife. The tale of the legendary Adel Dietz ends with him beaten and bloody, but defeating the Blutiger Furst by stabbing him through the heart with a hunting knife, and there are tales of hunters slaying drachen after a long fight, armed only with a broken sword as the body of the beast crushed them. It's not totally clear when Kummerholt was first codified, but all can agree that it is effective. It's not really about methods of fighting as much as mindset and thought. The Kummerholt Duelist fights without regard for their own safety, rushing a stronger foe and committing to desperate, vicious attacks. When all seems lost, they go for a final blow, ending the fight in one desperate thrust. The style bonus is this Death Knell. When you wield a small blade in one hand, such as a dagger, jagged shard of glass or broken sword, you may perform the Death Knell Maneuver. To do so, you spend all your Raises, then deal (Weaponry+Raises Spent+opponent's Strength or highest Trait) Wounds, which cannot be avoided or prevented in any way. This Maneuver can be used only once per Scene. Now, legenden! Eisen's always had horror stories and dark legends, and the War of the Cross has only brought more dark creatures to the fore, along with the power of the hexe. Zombies, for example. They're...zombies. Slow, stumbling ones, drawn to the scent of living flesh. They do not need vision, and they typically travel in packs. During the War, various hexe intended to use them as mass hordes to fight the foes of Eisen, after all, but lost control of their creations. Individually, they're weak, but they're never alone. Depending on the size, their Monster Squad can vary in Strength, but 4 is around average, and they're Unliving. Revenants are your basic fast zombie, much faster, stronger and tougher than the shamblers. They are still unliving, unbreathing monsters raised by Hexenwerk, but typically still have skin and muscle that works. The easies way to identify one is the sunken, shriveled eyes and the skin sloughed off the fingertips. This is because they kill and eat so viciously that their palms and fingers are stripped down to sinew while the rest of their body is maintained. They are dangerously strong, and it's not totally clear why they happen sometimes instead of normal zombies. They seem to lack human intellect, but are smarter than the average zombie and can focus on specific targets. They aren't mindless, but targeted. They are Strength 5, Relentless and Swift. Leibewerke Horrors are your worst kind of Hexenwerk-raised undead minion. They typically have four impossibly strong arms, six spindly legs, two heads and some extra torso space, as this was the original design, but they can come in just about any shape. They were invented during the War of the Cross, made from the best parts of various corpses sewn together into an unstoppable beast by a hexe trying to push the limits of darkness. They tend to be larger and more versatile than other undead creations, and a particularly skilled hexe can even tailor them to specific jobs. They range in Strength from 5 to 7, depending on their make, and are Fearsome and Powerful. Some hexe seem to enjoy making the Liebewerke, seeing it as an art. They've gone underground since the War, though, and the most infamous of them is Viktor Franzeller of Hohenlage. Some of die Kreuzritter have dedicated themselves to hunting these mad necromancers and their creations, but every time they take out one of Viktor's works, he makes something even worse. More than a few of his creations have escaped and now wander the land, uncontrolled. The worst that hexe can produce, however, are the creatures known as blood drinkers. A sect of them live on Rucken, yes, helping to protect them in exchange for a yearly sacrifice. It is commonly assumed that these monsters drink the blood of their victims, but they are generally not caught in the act of doing so. The creatures know themselves as Vampir, and it should be noted that one victim a year is not nearly enough to sustain even one of them. A Vampir appears to be entirely mortal and human in all ways, except two: they do not breathe, and their heart does not beat. The first Vampir was born when a hexe found the secret of immortality, long ago. The trick to it? Don't be alive. Extremely potent Hexenwerk can eternally preserve the body and soul by sacrificing one's own life. To sustain it, the Vampir requires ten gallons of blood every month, which can be consumed, bathed in, caked on like paint - all kinds of ways have been found. The blood is merely the reagent that empowers their Hexenwork to keep them 'alive.' Vampir do not typically make more of themselves, as they dislike teaching the necromantic secrets of their lifestyle, but often dwell in small pockets in the land. Several are actually quiet upset about the Rucken brood, and are plotting to perhaps move against their too-known brethren in order to keep themselves hidden. All Vampir are Villains, whose Influence is typically used to command various undead monsters. They are always Nocturnal, and always have Hexenwerk Sorcery. Next time: worwelf
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Jul 25, 2018 15:50
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The Deleter posted:I'm really liking what I'm reading of Panic at the Dojo, it looks like a natural evolution of Strike's combat system but in a real fun way. I appreciate powers providing roleplay skills/abilities as I'm getting pretty tired of systems with tactical combat not having a real connection between non-combat and combat systems (cough D&D cough). Yeah, this is the first F&F in a long time that’s inspiring me to pick the game up.
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Jul 25, 2018 15:53
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Halloween Jack posted:Check out Let Thrones Beware I've seen it being posted around here but not dived in, I'm gonna check it out.
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Jul 25, 2018 16:15
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7th Sea 2: Nations of Theah, Vol. 2 - wyfwulf There is one other way, in Eisen, to die and come back to life. It sucks! See, there are tons of stories about people who turn into massive, furry, vicious beasts under the full moon. These tales have been around for centuries. Some say that the Werwolf's human side can take back control when close to their loved ones, but no one's ever seen it happen. Everyone knows someone who's seen a Werwolf, though, and their appearances make travel limited under the full moon unless you bring a really good hunter along. Werwolfs spread by killing. Their bite isn't always lethal, but anyone slain by a Werwolf returns to life...as a Werwolf. The only means by which the curse is spread is by death and rebirth. Period. Many hexe believe the curse is actually an ancient, primitive form of Hexenwerk that required death to trigger it. However, the Werwolf is not an undead monster - it breathes, it eats, it talks when in human form. Only under the full moon does the transformation take over, and the human half has no memory of any of the wolf's actions. Werwolfe are vicious beasts, easily able to kill lone warriors. They are, in their monstrous form, twice the size of a man, though usually hunched over for easier use of both sets of limbs. Their hands and feet are immense, with long claws, and they are stronger than any known animal in Theah as well as capable of rapid regeneration. Regular weapons injure them only briefly before they heal, and unlike most monsters, dracheneisen is barely any more effective. They do, however, have weaknesses. First, silver. They cannot heal from silver-caused injury, and silver appears to act as a blood poison to them. Further, in Werwolf form, their intellect is merely animal, driven only by bloodlust. In their human form, they have normal intelligence, but no knowledge of their alternate self at all. Under the full moon, they are Strength 6, Nocturnal, Powerful and Regenerating, but cannot regenerate against silver. Grundylows have been appearing in far greater numbers since the War. It's not clear why. Some say they've always been around like this, but people just believe in them more now that other Horrors are there, too. Their tale is an old one, and they are monsters of the swamp and bog, long believed an old wives' tale to warn kids away from standing water. Now, though, no one can deny their reality. Legend claims they feast on any living flesh, but adore above all else that of children and young animals. No one knows why. They are found most often around the Salzsumpf and its ruins. A recent expedition into the Ausgeglichene Platz tried to catalogue the local monsters, and three died before they pulled back with a single captive Grundylow. They are roughly human-shaped, but stretched a foot taller than most, with arms the same length as their legs, and little fat or muscle. Their hands are seven-fingered and have elongated palms and extra joints, to allow easier gripping, and their teeth are in two jagged double rows, to rend flesh. Their hair is kelpy, and begins to dry and break away within an hour of leaving the water. They are Strength 5 and Aquatic. Not all Eisen legends are monstrous horrors, however. Many ancient tales predating the War were thought mere fiction for a long time, but are now being taken more as fact, as the monsters continue to emerge. This is most commonly seen in the House Wights. Wights are a form of Eisen spirit that are called on to aid the populace. A House Wight is invoked by performing certain acts to beckon one, which then does things to help you. They are gaining power, as belief makes them stronger, and more believe now than ever. To gain and keep their aid, you must leave out small gifts for them, such as food, handwritten stories or handmade scarves. As long as it's from the heart, they'll take it. After that, they give various household blessings - they keep knives sharp, prevent the roof from falling in during winter, ensure the sickly kid doesn't get flu, keep rats away, that kind of thing. There are other forms of Wight, too, for every kind of lifestyle. Farm Wights, Garden Wights, that kind of thing. You pay them the gift, they do their work. Once a Wight is in your life, however, it's never going to leave until you move out. Wights aren't especially reasonable, either. If you stop gifting them, they decide they dislike a new resident or you turn your back on them, their blessings become household curses. Rats eat the grain, fires start too easily, food spoils, the soil goes dry. Thus, inviting a Wight in is something you can't take too lightly. In the northwestern Dracheneisens, there is a small house. It is unassuming, humble and plain, but it is the home of great wisdom, for it is where the Weise Frauen have always lived, for as long as tales have been told. they are three ancient women who never seem to die, and they record the history of the land and give guidance to those that seek them out. They are said to be the wisest in all the land, and while reaching their home is hard, it is always worthy. You must survive the mountain weather and bandits to get there, and are allowed to stay in the house only three days. Never more, never less. The first day is typically one of recovery, the second is spent learning how to ask the proper questions, and the third is when you get your answers. None have ever said their journey was in vain. The Weise Frauen are believed to be deeply magical, a reputation they have cultivated over a thousand years. In truth, they have none. They are the faces of the Order of Wisdom, a secret society of hundreds of women dedicated to keeping knowledge alive. The small house is their public access point, but their great, ancient temple is built inside the mountain itself. Dozens of women live in it, maintaining its histories and its library, its indoor farm and its training center for the next generation of Weise Frauen. Not every member becomes a Weise Frau, but all are dedicated to trying. They study for all their life, until their hair goes white and their skin wrinkles, and only the best are elevated to live in the House. Then, as each Weise Frauen finally dies of old age, the next takes her place, silently replacing her, in a cycle that has gone on for a thousand years. Next time: The Sarmatian Commonwealth, and, uh, a content warning.
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Jul 25, 2018 17:51
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Let's take Sigmata on its face and assume this fascist government has pissed off the religious right, the militia movement, AND the super-capitalists. How are they still in power? Are they about to be toppled? This sounds like a situation where you should be focused on outmaneuvering the other factions to become the new government. It's Iran in 1979- making sure everyone is working together should be subordinate to making sure Khomeini doesn't turn the country into a theocracy.
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Jul 25, 2018 18:55
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I hate to be that guy (I'm forty fathoms deep into being that guy) but I can't get past assuming that this fascist government has pissed off the social bases of fascism in like every society fascism has come to power. But yeah, this only makes sense if the game is about maneuvering to be the far-right faction that controls the far-right government. Otto and Gregor have to go, knowumsayin?
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Jul 25, 2018 19:18
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DalaranJ posted:Yeah, this is the first F&F in a long time that’s inspiring me to pick the game up. Same. I'm throwing money at the screen, but nothing's happening!
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Jul 25, 2018 19:21
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7th Sea 2: Nations of Theah, Vol. 2 - Serious Time: CW for Emotional and Physical Abuse of the Disabled So, before we get into Sarmatia proper further in this post, I want to be clear. I believe that 7th Sea handles the issues surrounding the Sarmatian royalty as well as it possibly can. The abuse it documents is presented in a wholly negative light, and while the abuser self-justifies, this justification is not presented as valid in any way. The abused characters are now free of her and have quite a lot of agency in the present. However, their backstory very heavily involves the physical and emotional abuse of a blind, depressed man and his young son. While not graphically depicted, the details of the abuse are made clear. If you are not comfortable reading about this, this is not going to be a fun post for you. I believe that in using these details the characters involved are made stronger and we get good representation of heroes who do not allow their former abuse to define them. You may disagree. I am making this note here, so you are ready when this happens as we discuss King Stanislaw, his wife and his son. The Sarmatian Commonwealth was, until just recently, like other nations in some ways, though their royal leader was elected by a council of nobles as part of the negotiations that brought together the crowns of Rzeczpospolita and Curonia. They had the power to veto just about anything the king wanted to do...and things all changed with the Golden Liberty, the desperate final act of a king without power, which granted noble title to every citizen, and thus made the Commonwealth a true democracy. Before the Golden Liberty, the Sejm was run by three Vaticine priests nad 13 Ksiaze and Ksiezna - that is, Dukes and Duchesses - who each ruled a Ksiestwo, or Duchy. Now, they form the Senat, the upper house of the Sejm, also known as the old nobility, and the lower house is the Izba Poselska, where everyone else votes. The old nobles do still hold some power, though. They retain administrative control of their lands, where they can pass laws unilaterally, only overruled by laws passed in the Sejm - which means both houses must pass the law. We also get a sidebar on Rzeczpospolitan pronunciations. (Not Curonian, which is different, but were are also told it's only spoken in rural parts of Curonia these days. For the record: Stanislaw sounds like 'Staniswav' and Ksiaze sounds like 'Kshonjheh'.) The King Consort or Queen Consort - that is, the spouse of the current ruler - has none of their powers, may not make laws and cannot preside over the Sejm without being appointed the ruler's proxy, which the Sejm must approve. However, they also lack any of the restrictions on the ruler, so they can hold land and landed title, or be part of the Sejm. The current king, Stanislaw I, is married to a woman named Malgorzata Domagla, Ksiezna Drajewicz. They live separately at this point, with the king in Budorigum and Malgorzata in her Ksieztwo's capital, Szablewo. Their son, Aleksy, helped his father declare the Golden Liberty, and Malgorzata was its loudest foe. The nation has factionalized around the two now, into two proto-parties: the Bialy, or Whites, and the Czerwony, or Reds. Czerwony stereotypically are favorable towards the Golden Liberty, fighting to maintain an open franchise. They are populist, Vaticine, somewhat pacifist and generally suspicious towards Sanderis. They support King Stanislaw and Prince Aleksy, and tend to refer to the prince as Stanislaw II. To show loyalty, they wear the color scarlet, which is the capital's color, and often the King's coat of arms. Bialy wear white, for the marble of Szablewo, and the twelve-pointed star of Drajewicz. They are more conservative in dress, using pre-Liberty styles, unlike most Czerwony. The factionalism extends beyond politics; it is said that the elite colleges of Szablewo force many Czerwony to retire or transfer, while in the bars of Budorigum, red-clad toughs look to beat up any wearing white coats. The class issues of new vs old nobility only make things more complex. Stanislaw and Aleksy are supported by the majority of the Izba Poselska and have a few Senat loyalists, while Malgorzata commands the majority of the Senat and a handful of middle-class landowners, professionals and academics in the lower house. These supporters tend to be conservatives who like having franchise but are often unsure everyone else should have it, too. Everyone is aware that when Stanislaw I dies, his son and his wife will be the two candidates for the throne. Most peasants have viewed the Golden Liberty as freedom, and some have even left their old farms to take on better lives, though others have not. Democracy has, however, brought new problems. When everyone has a voice, everyone has an opinion, and while the Senat works on some semblance of order, the Izba Poselska doesn't. The old nobles are now forced to work to pass bills rather than just blocking each other...but that means they have to go to the other house, too. The new nobles agree on basically one thing: the old nobles' time is over. They often refuse to pass laws just to spite them, even if they don't understand the purpose of the law. The Izba Poselska often has trouble coming up with laws of its own, as they must be called into session by the king, who is in poor health, and they barely agree on anything else at all, leaving many new laws in tatters. Many voters are illiterate, so proposals must spread by word of mouth, which can make complex laws muddled, especially if multiple versions of a proposed law exist. It can take weeks for a single law to get passed up to the Senat. In that time, the Senat proposes three times as many, and many of the lower house just get tired of it all. However, things do continue happening, as some have taken it on themselves to direct the lower house and try and get meaningful work done. Some of the laws they make even get through the Senat, typically on the backs of promises to pass some Senat law or other. King Stanislaw I was a scholar as a young man, before he started going blind. First his night vision went, then peripheral, and on the day of his mother's death, his vision started to tunnel. He hired a member of Mociutes Skara, Rugile Savicke, to read to him, and soon his blindness became the rumor of the day. When he was made king, it was because the nobles thought he'd be easy to control. And for a time he was. He had not wanted to be king, but he did it. And when the Sejm told him to marry Malgorzata Domagala of House Drajewicz, he accepted that, too. Being away from home and his ever-worsening vision took a toll, and he made her his proxy to the Sejm as he fell into a deep depression. After the birth of their son, Malgorzata began implying to him that his blindness made him useless, and in his depression, he believed her entirely. She isolated him socially from everyone but their son and Rugile, and when she began to strike him with her heavy signet ring, embossed with its twelve-pointed star, he simply took it at as what he deserved. Rugile and Aleksy were all that could bring him even brief joy, and nothing could break his despair. That is, until his wife went too far. It began when Rugile became so angry she struck the queen a blow - which was treason, so Malgorzata had her imprisoned. Three days later, the king touched his son's face and felt the scabbed-over mark of blood in the shape of a twelve-pointed star. Within the week, Malgorzata was banished from the palace on pain of imprisonment. Within the month, Rugile was pardoned and recalled from prison, bringing with her the works of Uppman. Suddenly, Stanislaw was no more a weakling doing whatever was thrust upon him - he was a king in truth, a lion in winter who could administer the city and preside over the Sejm even while blind. He still doesn't like being king, as he's said to Rugile, but now he knows it is not a burden, but a responsibility. He is exceptionally popular among the common folk, though not the old nobles. Recently, he has been suffering from bouts of mysterious illness that leaves him too pained to move. During these times, his son serves as his proxy. In public, he is quiet, precise and dignified man, though often weary and rarely happy. In private he is more at ease, and his scholarly side comes out. He can remember and quote verbatim anything that has been read to him, and he is very proud of his son. Rugile is nearly always at his side. He is a patient man and the only one currently able to bring the lower house to order, which he does as often as he can. He's a smart man, and while he cannot see, it doesn't keep him from reading people. Many of his family believe that his illness is caused by poison, and even his personal guards are split between Bialy and Czerwony. Aleksy Gracjan Nowak, called Stanislaw II by some, still feels shame about the first twelve years of his life. When he was young, he saw his mother beat his father, and he did nothing, as he felt helpless. The first time she tried to hurt him, however, his father's fury was awakened and she was banished. He feels that he failed to protect his father by not acting sooner. Rugile and Stanislaw both assure him this is not so, but that's not helped his feelings. After his mother left, he blossomed, becoming a charming, intelligent boy who quickly learned dance and fencing. He was a voracious reader, though when Rugile introduced him to Uppman's works, he found himself in conflict. He had enough of his mother's ambition to want to be king next, but enough intellectual fire and personal experience with helplessness to seriously consider the idea that hierarchy and monarchy were inherently regressive. At the age of sixteen, he discovered Sophia's Daughters, and as their work seemed to be an unfettered good, he threw himself into helping them smuggle women out of Vodacce, using the code name 'flaki' - tripe soup, as he had spent a lot of time as a kid hiding in the kitchens. It would've been awkward, after all, for him to commit espionage openly. Eventually, he met a woman named Domenica Vespucci via the organization, having helped to smuggle her out to the Commonwealth. Her commentary on Uppman helped inspire the Golden Liberty, though the fact that the works of the Rilasciare are its inspiration is certainly not public knowledge. Aleksy took the surname Nowak to show his total support of the new nobility of commoners, and he's been exceptionally popular ever since. He and his mother face off often in the Sejm, thanks to Stanislaw I's sickness. He has been seriously contemplating the idea of not running against her as king, however - for what is the king but a figurehead, now? He wouldn't mind that, mind you, except that he's started to go blind, too. He is losing his vision, much as his father did before him, and he remembers how it was used as a weakness against his father. If he runs, he might have to bluff being able to see. While he physically resembles her, he is much more expressive, and always seems to be full of joy and health. He is a thoughtful, careful man, if given to impulsiveness when he can get away with it, and years of avoiding his mother's wrath have taught him patience and the ability to hide his true feelings. In private he's much more open on various topics, such as what meat pie is best or if revolution is a good idea. He has a deep interest in seeing the new democracy prosper, though he knows the old nobles need to be appeased. He believes his blindness is inherited, but his wife is certain it is caused by a magical curse. Next time: sadly, this tale is not yet over, because we still have to discuss Rugile and Malgorzata.
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Jul 25, 2018 19:25
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Does Sigmata address fascist America's firearms laws? Because a mass gun confiscation could create a situation a little bit like the one it envisions- I still don't see the religious right being a rebel faction.
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Jul 25, 2018 19:29
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Kavak posted:Does Sigmata address fascist America's firearms laws? Because a mass gun confiscation could create a situation a little bit like the one it envisions- I still don't see the religious right being a rebel faction. What would make some sense in these divisions is if you had a split between what I guess you could call the old guard, who retained command of the army and associated groups, and the psycho chud brigades, who would probably form irregular militias... but that's a very different game, although I imagine there would be an audience for "Tactical Operators vs. Redneck Death Squads."
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Jul 25, 2018 20:20
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There's been points in America's history where the christian fringes had substantial anarchistic and progressive elements to it, but that ship sailed and burned a long time ago.
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Jul 25, 2018 20:21
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Nessus posted:I imagine there would be an audience for "Tactical Operators vs. Redneck Death Squads." Far Cry 5 has sailed, alas.
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Jul 25, 2018 20:42
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INTRODUCTION This isn’t a promise, this isn't an active or passive or any sort of threat to do harm, this isn’t a brag, this is a simple fact of my privilege in America in 2018: if I was to kill people I could probably get away with it. They would take me alive and I'd see the inside of a jail cell for the rest of my life but there would be people who defend me. They would say I'm only a misunderstood young man who was failed by the system and radicalized by video games or the rock music or not having sex because I don't view women as people. I'd become another speculation or think-piece subject and then people would forget and I'd do the time but what would change? If y'all are here for the game, scroll down, I just want to explain where I'm coming from with my worldview. Look for the logo and read on if you don't want to know more about me. I’m 28, I’m cis, I’m white and I’m male. My folks live comfortably and I live with them. If I was in a substantial amount of trouble, they would help me out because god knows they’ve already helped my brother out a good deal with his own legal issues. I work a dehumanizing retail management job that doesn’t pay me what it should but I’m not in any debt because my expenses aren’t particularly huge. I’m neurotypical, I’m not outwardly disabled, I didn’t really understand I have depression until recently. Really the only thing that sets me apart from anyone else is the fact that I’m a very large man weight-wise and even then, that’s something I’m currently working on with the help of my folks. These, again, are not brags. This are empirical facts of my existence. 2016 hit me like a truck, like it did for a lot of other white people who think America is better than this (it isn’t), or that when they go low we go high (for all the good that did) or that we wouldn’t elect such a morally reprehensible man (it did). I had the luxury of not really thinking about the consequences and a lot of us are still broke-brained over that. I know my folks watch so much MSNBC I am constantly considering hijacking the child locks to limit how much of it they’ll take in because it’s all just noise and outrage and promises. I had to sit down and look at what I believe in and what I needed to change in my life. I listened to new podcasts, I finally talked to trans people, gay people, bi people, enby people and made friends with them. I stopped listening to NPR because it was making me angry all the time, I learned to limit my intake because I can’t just be Always On. I sat down to understand the tenants of socialism and hey while I may not entirely get it I now have something to believe in and think critically about. I learned to like talking with folks from other countries to discuss politics, what their systems do and what they think about ours. I learned that when all you have is nebulous hope you cling to anything, especially the belief that this was the fault of another country, especially that a big strong whistleblower will come along with a piece of killer intel and blow this entire thing wide open. Which isn’t me saying “hope is dumb and stupid for babies” just, y’know, have hope but be reasonable. You can't not have hope because the alternative is unthinkable. But really the important thing I had to learn was that there was no set answer to resolving this. I was already aware of my privilege and how despite that I’m just a commodity to be manipulated. I had to learn about the lies in the social contracts from the people who knew the games were rigged. How the enemy isn’t a sneering Machiavellian mastermind but how they tend to be loving selfish idiots supported by a corrupt system of capitalism and greed. How it’s okay to punch a Nazi and is in fact socially acceptable despite all the tone policing and tut-tutting. If you’re looking for some big meaningful answer or plan well let me know if you find it, I guess. I don’t have a definite answer myself. A complete socialist reformation of the American economy along with addressing the intersectionality of feminism, people of color, gay rights (I'm using the term gay as an umbrella term), medical reform, trans rights, etc. would be pretty dang good and I’m a big believer in that. Change it all to help everyone and make us all not worry as much, let us live to live and not live to work. As for how we get to that point, poo poo I dunno. Political reform, maybe probably. Mass exodus of the people who can followed by an uprising of the suffering people who remain, possibly. Worst case scenario the anthropocene hits and by then it's all changed by a tidal wave. It’s probably not gonna be how Sigmata thinks it’ll shake out though.  Hi I’m Hostile V and this is my F&F of Sigmata: This Signal Kills Fascists. I guess I’m supposed to repeat the entire title every time. That tends to happen in promotional materials. Anyway, I’m doing this because as a friend phrases it I’m chronically incapable of not touching the poop and because hey this is a new hotness and it’s topical and stuff. I’m hip and trendy and in touch with the algorithms! But in all seriousness the allure of grabbing the zeitgeist with both hands is one half of why I’m doing this. The other half is that I like to tackle something I have questions about head-on myself so I can dissect the text with my own eyes. And as someone who was interested in the Kickstarter before being gently dissuaded by my friends (and realizing I was kinda just hooked on Populist Feelings that made me interested in the work to begin with), I’ve been wondering just what the deal is this entire time. In short Sigmata is okay. It’s a little bit forgettable, the whole Kickstarter push was the major thing that made people take interest in it and there’s a little bit of lacking pizzazz outside of that. I wouldn't be so mean as to call it, like, a tabletop version of some Washington insider's book. It is a bit of a heartbreaker in more ways than one though. You all are mostly here for the politics, so let’s get down to that first. The politics are more than a little weird, there are some textual implications caused by the factions that the author has himself apparently admitted have been a misstep and there was an emphasis on transplanting the spirit of the Arab Spring to an alternate reality 1986 (which doesn’t entirely work). There are more further explorations of what each faction is about, the strengths they bring to the table and their shames and flaws. It’s a bit of a cop-out to say “oh the gun nuts are more nuanced than one expects!” but Sigmata is a game that is admitting it’s going for shades of grey across the board amongst the heroes and the villains. Yeah that’s right, there are some interesting politics to the people who make up the Fist who are basically what happen when you combine all of the armed forces with the police in an extreme example of militarizing the police. The banality of evil gets name-checked here as well. So, let me just say this: if you’re really interested in seeing weird political takes, I would actually highly recommend you go back to my Brave New World review and…well, look at that. Forbeck’s political writing and takes are kind of worse than what Sigmata has to offer and it also has to offer a resistance network that uses guerilla tactics that is made up of squabbling groups with differing views including an armed militia and a religious faction. Hell, Sigmata doesn’t even really address firearm laws too much whereas BNW has “everyone is armed all the time forever and there are duels in the streets again”. So, again, if you just want how bad the politics are all the time forever, Brave New World and its dumb religious metaplot are probably more your speed. I never really set out for this to be a hate read and after having finished this entire thing I can safely say this is not a hate read. I have a pretty wide net of things I want to tackle and talk about so let’s give a brief overview of what to actually expect.
Oh, and this will all be in the order presented in the book so you all can see how they try to make this flow together. NEXT TIME: the rise of the Regime and how America got the way it did, the start of the Resistance, what the Signal does to you and what it’s like in 1986.
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Jul 25, 2018 21:01
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What happened to the Soviet Union? Because they'd be funding the poo poo out of the leftist resistance and they'd have crushed the right-wing groups already, or driven them back into the arms of the Nazis. Or at the very least they're enjoying the loss of US support to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. And how does the rest of the world view the Nazis? Are they an international pariah like South Africa?
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Jul 26, 2018 00:39
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White Coke posted:What happened to the Soviet Union? Because they'd be funding the poo poo out of the leftist resistance and they'd have crushed the right-wing groups already, or driven them back into the arms of the Nazis. Or at the very least they're enjoying the loss of US support to the Mujahideen in Afghanistan. And how does the rest of the world view the Nazis? Are they an international pariah like South Africa?
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Jul 26, 2018 01:02
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If 1d8 Footmen Tire You, What Will 1d6 Horses Do?
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Jul 26, 2018 01:29
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White Coke posted:What happened to the Soviet Union? Because they'd be funding the poo poo out of the leftist resistance and they'd have crushed the right-wing groups already, During the Kickstarter updates, it was said they were funding and co-opting the Left resistance faction
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Jul 26, 2018 01:35
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Nessus posted:With the removal of American meddling, Communism is being rapidly and painlessly achieved, with the progressors' office in Eurasia preparing for the major task of bringing Civilization to Americans. Is Gorbachev in charge? If nothing else the USSR is probably doing better because they can cut back on military spending while getting access to more of the West's resources without the US trying to cut them off. NutritiousSnack posted:During the Kickstarter updates, it was said they were funding and co-opting the Left resistance faction If the leftists are numerically inferior to the other resistance groups I could see this being balanced, but once they've got special forces training them and weapon shipments I don't see the other groups standing much of a chance against them, especially because the other groups all seem like they'd be competing with each other for members.
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Jul 26, 2018 02:29
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I also have to wonder how a Nazified USA would come off to non-Communist Europe as well, who also saw the horrors of that ideology on their home turf. And also for Israel, given that they pretty much survive on American aid. There was an IRC interview with the creator, where he mentioned that the point of historical divergence was around the 1960s, where Joseph McCarthy got away with his witch hunts and was not disgraced. White Coke posted:If the leftists are numerically inferior to the other resistance groups I could see this being balanced, but once they've got special forces training them and weapon shipments I don't see the other groups standing much of a chance against them, especially because the other groups all seem like they'd be competing with each other for members. From the KickStarter March update, the anarcho-capitalist businessmen Resistance faction has lots of money and assets, which they can probably make up for by manufacturing their own firepower. Libertad! fucked around with this message at 04:01 on Jul 26, 2018 |
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Jul 26, 2018 03:59
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Oh, the 1960s? Well I can't think of any distinctive groups in American society who were experiencing a newfound sense of awareness in that period, myself.
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Jul 26, 2018 04:46
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Nessus posted:Oh, the 1960s? Well I can't think of any distinctive groups in American society who were experiencing a newfound sense of awareness in that period, myself. Southern California would be its own independent nation at war with the rest of the United States thanks to an alliance between La Raza and the Black Panthers.
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Jul 26, 2018 05:26
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They'd control the conservative holy land of Orange County.
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Jul 26, 2018 05:30
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In all seriousness I don't want to give too much away but y'all are shooting too drat high with your alternate timeline predictions.
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Jul 26, 2018 05:56
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Cults: Chroniclers, pt. 3 Degenesis Rebirth Primal Punk Chapter 3: Cults The Web Expands While Central Cluster is cool and all, a new one is growing in Aquitaine in Franka. It is situated at a seabord junkyard, and apparently new shipwrecks wash ashore even 500 years after the end of the world. The Web Expands posted:Scrappers climb from ship to ship, cutting them apart with arc welders or exploring their cargo holds. With nets, they recover crates from the water. The granulate they toss back into the sea, but the machinery – wrapped in oilcloth and perfectly preserved – they drag to the Chroniclers. They have found quite a lot already! Black steel tubes clinging to one another like lugworms; dull white cubes that even a spur cannot scratch; spindles of light metal wrapped in bands of glowing stones full of cables and boards. Chroniclers are more than happy to disect these artifacts. However, they don't know where this poo poo is coming from. Why are the ships torn apart? What's with the strange logo that nobody in Europe recognizes? There are never any corpses, either, so they don't even know if the ships ever had a crew. Anyways, while the biggest clusters are in Justitian and Aquitaine, there are many smaller ones in basically any Borcan or Frankan city. The Needle Tower disaster stopped the cult's willingness to spread too far out. They refused the Spitalian invitation to establish a cluster in Danzig. The Web Grows posted:Though the Spitalians had paid their respects to the Order’s Fragments and invited them to establish a base in Danzig, Pollen, they had only turned up their Vocoders and answered “Zero!” :eyeroll: Neither do they wish to go too far west; the Fragments are afraid that Cultists go out of control the further they are from a cluster. So basically, any Chronicler fringe groups are literally on the fringe! They also fear for their safety. While the Chroniclers are feared and respected in Borca, the Hybrispanians give them a lot less of the respect they feel they deserve. Sanctioned A side section! So, most of the Chroniclers rely on non-lethal weapons to scare the enemies away, and on their Spitalian and Judge allies to kill people dead. This also makes them seem less threatening when they ask to found a Cluster in a new city. But then there are Shutters, who are officially outside the cult, but just so happen to kill the people Chroniclers needs killing, blah blah blah. They're cool secret black ops types, get it?! Links Chroniclers do OK with Judges and apparently they were the ones to actually start Justitian? Anyways, the Judges hang out with them and they have an understanding going, even if they don't have official treaties. It's a little different with Hellvetics though. For one, the Alpine Fortress houses some Bygone computer systems, where the Hellvetics record their merrits and probably some mundane logistical stuff, too. Links posted:Endless knowledge and surely a piece of static Stream must be trapped in there. The Chroniclers would love to extract it, but the descendants of the Swiss military have always denied the Cult any kind of access. No reasons given. They do not listen to reason. “Why do you do that?” scream the overloading Vocoders. But the Hellvetics are experts at keeping neutral and are unimpressed by the Chroniclers’ demands, regardless how much they whine or struggle to order them around. Picture a Chronicler in his cosplay garb literally screetching at a gruff, no-nonsense Hellvetic and try not to laugh. The old animosity of Chroniclers and Anbaptists has been put on hold ever since Rebus the Baptist accepted Fragment Modus in Cathedral City. Nobody knows what's happening, but no Chronicler is allowed to move against the Baptists in the meantime. Links posted:In the meantime, many Anabaptists see Chroniclers as a necessary evil. Someone must dig up the technological corruption that can undoubtedly be attributed to the Demiurge, and that is exactly what the Chroniclers do. Like the bacteria of decay that decompose corpses. “That is about how they smell, too”, the Anabaptists joke. No one sees the Chroniclers faces behind their masks. They are grinning. They go out and continue to gather information, spinning the threads of their web. Bolding mine  The Mirror So, this is a slightly confusing side-section. The Palers – the Morlock guards of the Recombination Group's vaults – have been infiltrating Chroniclers for ages, posing as believers. And this is where it gets confusing. When a Paler enters the core data stream for the first time, he dives into a pool of mirrored data, which is both meant for their eyes only and a trap. While they read this mirrored data, transponders read the access codes in the nanites swimming in their blood. If a Paler was to get through the mirror (whatever the gently caress that is), the Cluster's radio will send a signal that will awaken an angry ancient. This is... something. So did someone put a trap for Recombination Group in the Stream or in the Cluster? Is this trap laid by Chroniclers? If so, how do they know to awaken one of what I asume to be Chernobog-like cyborgs? But if it's a trap laid not by chroniclers, how does it know to mirror the system? What does that mirroring do? Would the paler infiltrator not know he's fed the wrong data by cross checking it with other Chroniclers?  Resistance Equals Tension Divided By Strength Unless this is a physics reference, I'd say that “tension multiplied by strenght” would make more sense. Anyway, the situation is changing. The Clanners are on the rise and they presumably hate Chroniclers only slightly less than they hate indoor plumbing. Resistance posted:The Enemoi clan has accessed sealed Streams and sub nodes waiting for their final extraction by a Fragment in at least two places in the wasteland. So Clanners have hackers now? The Clanners are moving in on Chronicler's turf, killing Judges and generally being a nuisance. That's when Chroniclers send in the Paradigmas. Clad in the most advanced Chroniclers also use the previously mentioned video walls. Huge rear end talking screens act like quest givers to impressionable clanners and murderhobos. Regular Chroniclers also know how to impress people. Their gloves discharge electricity at a gesture – this is so well known that raising a pinky is a known Chronicler warning at this point (sounds lame, tho). Clanners actually believe that this is an innate ability of the cosplaying dweebs. Next time: Take This Test To Find Out What Kind Of Chronicler You Are! The Results Will Shock You!
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Jul 26, 2018 08:53
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Kult: Divinity Lost Just assume it's content warnings from here on out, because I don't think there's really gonna be a post that doesn't mention rape till the end as long as I'm quoting from this loving book. Jfc.  So more or less the remainder of the book is all location descriptions and NPC's, and man is this gonna get bad, so buckle up and prepare for dealing with some long, bad quotes and some censored art. Because yes, there will be tits and dicks incoming. Like, the "Beyond Passion" section is even more puerile than in the original Kult, where it was generally tastefully dealt with. At least by comparison to how many games would deal with it. Here it's... it's just wait. You will see. You will all see. Elysium Meanwhile, did you know that the internet is spooky? Kult posted:With science and mathematics, we construct primitive tools to pierce the veils of Illusion. The Internet is one of these instruments. It is more than a network of computers and server farms, it has become a pathway into our collective unconscious and Limbo’s swirling labyrinths. It is a place of accumulated knowledge and innumerable secrets, but an equal amount distractions and amusements. Hackers, explorers, and prophets make use of this knowledge to unlock entrances, reveal secrets, and change the world. I really wonder how old the authors were, because this seriously feels like someone in their 50's or 60's trying to show off that they totally know what this "internet" thing is and how they're "hip" with the "Dark Web" that all the kids are using. All it's lacking is a bitcoin reference. Also I guess you can browse your way into other dimensions, I wonder if there's a Vivaldi extension for that. Also while they don't outright say it, they more or less imply that while the ordinary web with its YouTube and videogames and etc. are part of the Illusion keeping us captive, the DARK NET alone can help set us free. Also, despite being cheated out of our divinity, we're still the coolest guys around, which is why Elysium, our little pacified chunk of Gaia, still attracts visitors from all over the cosmos who'd rather give up their own domains and divinities just in exchange for hanging out with humans, even deceived humans, and being our buddies and getting our attention. Kult posted:Why accept a sacrificial gift presented on a silver platter by intoning priests when a sacred offering might be made in the form of passionate sex, pressed against the tile wall of the club’s bathroom? Well, hygiene for one. Kult posted:These creatures see divinity within us. Some realize who we truly are, concealed inside our shells of meat and bone. They can encounter lovers, philosophers, tyrants, and enemies from thousands of years ago, who peer out from uncomprehending eyes. Some take the opportunity for reconciliation. Others exact their revenge. This bit, combined with the whole part where Elysium is a crystallized chunk of chaotic Gaia, the primordial physical realm, really makes me feel like maybe the authors read a bit too much Exalted. I mean, don't tell me this whole mess doesn't remind you immensely of the Solars. Then there's a bunch of quest hooks/scene-setting bits which are just... oh my God the edgelordery in some of them. This requires yet more quoting. Not copy pasted: Literal wizard meth and child rape. Kult posted:Children of the Night live amid heroin addicts under the bridges of London. They drink blood from rusty hypodermic needles and sacrifice fat-infused dolls’ heads to the black lictor at Sandburn Psychiatric Hospital. And the sad thing is that I could go on. What the gently caress, Kult dudes? Then there's a bit on the non-human, non-Archon deities haunting Elysium. We've got the God of Highways, who's basically just a hobo that thumbs rides and rewards you if he gets them. The Nightingale of the City who'll bang you into enlightenment. A pair of twin gods described as "digital" and "analogue" respectively who want human sacrifices in exchange for murdering things for you.The Swap Dealer, an alien entity that trades random things for other random things. The Herald of Violence, who's an edgelord like the rest of them, but has guns and will share them. There's Persephone, who just kinda likes artists and want you to pay them money in exchange for helping you out. There's the "Eyeless One" who sounds suspiciously like Slenderman, considering that he's an "eyeless humanoid, with 'distorted limbs'," that causes phones and TV's to emit static when he's nearby, moves in disconcerting ways, pursues people and considers you spreading rumours about his existence to count as worship/sacrifice. Oh and then there's the Slumbering Predator, which I'm going to copy in full because what the gently caress, Kult dudes? Kult posted:She was once a predator, a being from a world of thorns, ink-black lakes, and clear, starry skies deep inside Gaia’s wilderness. She was blessed with strong muscles, sharp senses, and an instinct for predicting her prey’s movements. She pinned her victims to the ground with her powerful claws and ate of them alive. Then, she strayed into the borderland between Elysium and Gaia, where she saw the city lights and was enchanted. Then she ate the first leftovers from the trash. Then she heard our music. Then she witnessed all the colors of our movies and televisions. She assumed our shape and soon forgot who she was. Now, she sits there on the sofa of an apartment on the outskirts of the city. She has grown incredibly fat and cannot walk. Fungal infections grow in her skin folds. She stinks as she cannot wipe or clean herself. She simply eats and eats. The TV is her only company. Her heart beats painfully, her once-proud body is ready to give up. Her hand squeezes one of her breasts and milk squirts out and runs down her belly. There is a wheezing sound – the old man, her sole worshipper. Thin as a thread, bony arms, and naked with his big, bald head and bushy pubic hair, he crawls across the floor to drink the milk pouring down her body. Once nourished by her fermented discharge, he dresses and takes the car to the supermarket to buy more junk food. If something could make her remember, she might become the predator she once was. Like just. What the gently caress. ANYWAY, the main hostile entities you're likely to be dealing with, aside from other humans, will be Lictors. Basically they're the Archons' errand boys who manipulate humanity, etc. probably the Pope is one, the American president, etc. pretty much anyone in any major position of power is either a Lictor, was put there by a Lictor, or does the Lictor's bidding from there because of blackmail and threats.  They're gross, biologically immortal, hit like a truck and can disguise themselves as humans pretty much effortlessly, though changing the disguise into another human is apparently long and painful. It's also mentioned that they're "permanently extinguished" when killed, and that Archons can turn promising human servants into Lictors, which implies that the Archons could've just slowly converted all of humanity to Lictors and then, now that we're properly mortal, killed us off, rather than bothering with this whole Illusion charade. They really only exist so that you can get to the seemingly human source of some problem, and he tears off his mask and goes: "I was a Lictor all along! Ha ha!" and suddenly things are supernatural. They're supremely uninteresting in a mechanical or fluff sense.  whatever else, the artist they got for this knows how to draw some cool loving angels So, this lady here, is kind of proof of how the creators of this game have no idea how the system works. Like, she's supposed to be an ELITE SUPERCOOL ANGEL OF VENGEANCE THAT CAN DO COOL STUFF except because they forgot to give her any Armor, the party can just stand there and blow holes in her with pistols and she'll probably die before the first round of combat is out. In fact, it feels like the authors generally forgot that players and NPC's die differently in this system. Basically, players just have Harm as a penalty to their Endure Harm roll, and they need to flub that five times(or choose to die) in order to tap out and be corpses. Enemies, on the other hand, don't get to roll to avoid hits or endure harm, if a player lands a hit the enemy just eats the Harm the player's attack does. And considering that players will likely be handing out between 2 and 4 harm per attack(or up to 7 if they have a posse of random panhandlers they paid to fight for them), enemies need a shitload of health boxes to survive anything. Akrasiel here, for instance, has 9 health boxes. Assuming we don't try to break the system and just pack some big ol' handguns and assault rifles, we're likely handing out 3 damage per character per action(more yet if we're hitting her weak spot for massive damage, it's even bright red). And I think we can assume the average PC party is three or four players, sooooooo... yeah, not so scary now, is she? Beyond Madness Kult posted:Madness is the soul’s protestation against an impossible existence. When we lose our minds, the world around us becomes distorted. We create new lies in order to explain – and cope with – our existence, but as a result we catch a fleeting glimpse of what lies behind the veils of Illusion. Madness is a failed attempt to escape. In our psychoses, we can tear the walls and peer into true reality, yet we cannot handle what we see. We invent innumerable excuses to dismiss these insights, desperate to regain a fragment of our peace of mind. So each of the Beyond chapters more or less deals with a way to break through the Illusion, the worlds related to that particular method, and the creatures related to that/those particular worlds. And somehow this chapter really grates on me from the first word, just the whole assumption that sanity means you're giving in to THE MAN's plan and how the mentally ill are super-enlightened and how treating them is actually an evil crime, and it's implied that all nurses and psychiatrists, at least in this world, are evil creatures who enjoy torturing their charges. It's a pet peeve of mine, really, I guess, when settings make real medical/psychiatric care into a villain, because it feels just one step short of unironically being a loving anti-vaxxer or whatever. Though, I will say that in some ways Kult deals with mental illness more maturely than some other games. It's not just a wacky one-line penalty or whatever. It's actually considered to be something crippling that can destroy your ability to have a "normal" life and connect with other people, and for the various types of mental illness they mention, they also note how people try to self-medicate or work their way around it outside of the system so they can function at least semi-normally. In essence, what I'm saying is that they don't just consider mental illness to be an excuse for fishmalk behavior, but actually a somewhat-nuanced subject that requires a roleplaying guide to portray even semi-realistically. So props for that. Each of these chapters also has a bit on Cults related to their subject matter. In this case we've got a Cult of Crazy People, a Cult of People Who Experiment On Crazy People and a cult of sexually abused girls and women(and a minority of men and boys) who seduce, kidnap, torture and eventually kill sexual predators. Because we have to make sure we're edgy enough to keep our Kult license. This is closely followed by the description of the various insane Death Angel cults, just so we know which ones kill their victims, which ones rape their victims, which ones eat their victims and which ones do all three. Because it's important to properly roleplay our sadistic murdercults. Then they stat up some spooky ghosts that make you feel bad if you're insane and give us these cool guys:  Which are what you might turn into if you're sufficiently insane and start dancing with someone else who's also sufficiently insane(because insanity in Kult makes both reality and biology quite malleable once the crazy meter's turned up high enough). They're essentially living portals, half alive, half undead, all insane, their dances tear holes in the Illusion into other worlds. Next on Kult: Divinity Lost! Beyond Passion. Here's a teaser, though keep in mind this clickthrough is NSFW And no, that's not the only penis we'll be seeing in that chapter.
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Jul 26, 2018 11:01
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Teehee, a literal dickhead! Kult seems very 90s despite their attempt to PbtA.
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Jul 26, 2018 13:09
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The sad thing is I can think of a lot I could do with the premise of 'We don't remember it but there was a time when we were the menacing horror monsters that ruined other peoples' worlds, and now that we're imprisoned and technically no longer dangerous, they keep showing up to take revenge.' Just, uh, not what Kult's doing with it.
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Jul 26, 2018 13:15
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Night10194 posted:The sad thing is I can think of a lot I could do with the premise of 'We don't remember it but there was a time when we were the menacing horror monsters that ruined other peoples' worlds, and now that we're imprisoned and technically no longer dangerous, they keep showing up to take revenge.' Oh my God don't even get me started on what you could do with the first few lines of the concept if you scrapped everything that came after.
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Jul 26, 2018 13:19
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I like how the monsters feel nostalgic of the time when we were devastating their worlds. And that they're down to gently caress.
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Jul 26, 2018 13:24
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 Panic at the Dojo: Forms  The twelve Forms are the foundation of all combat. Every Stance, every fighting technique has a Form at its core. Forms give you Action Dice, are attached to Styles to form Stances, and contain Skills to dictate what you can or can't do outside of battle. There are twelve Forms, which I'll go through in more detail: Blaster, Control, Dance, Iron, One-Two, Power, Reversal, Shadow, Song, Vigilance, Wild, and Zen. Each has a name, four alternative names, a set of Action Dice, one or more Unique Actions, an Ability, and a Skill. In alphabetical order! BLASTER FORM (a.k.a. Dragon Form, Dynamo Form, Gold Form, Star Form) Action Dice: d8/d8/d8 As the name suggests, Blaster specializes in doing wide area damage and fighting multiple enemies at once. While in the form, your Actions all get an extra target within range, and the Style you pair it up with gets its max range increased by one. If you have something that targets, say, one enemy and one ally within range, that means you could either target one extra ally or one extra enemy. Blaster Form's Skill is Basically Magic - pick one supernatural ability, like telekinesis or lycanthropy, and write it down for use in non-combat scenes. 3+ Amplify Your next Action this turn has its range increased by 2 and can apply to 3 extra targets. 3+: Shockwave Deal 1 damage to every enemy within range. 6+ Deal 2 damage to one enemy within range. CONTROL FORM (a.k.a. Blizzard Form, Gravity Form, Owl Form, Watch Form) Action Dice d10/d8/d6/d4 This is the main use of Control Tokens. Whenever an enemy in your range takes an Action, you can spend a token to negate it completely, or spend two to redirect it, choosing all of its targets yourself. Also, the paired Style gets either +3 max range or sets its minimum range to 1. The skill is Professional - you always look like you're in control, and when you give orders, people follow them.. 3+: Suppression Gain 1 Control Token and move 1 space. 6+: Gain 1 Control Token. 9+: Gain 1 Control Token and move 1 space. Remember, for tiered actions, you do everything listed up until the first number higher than your roll. So, if you spend a 7 on Suppression, you gain two Control Tokens and move 1 space. DANCE FORM (a.k.a. Circle Form, Crab Form, Hurricane Form, Shuffle Form Action dice: d10/d8/d6 Dance is all about mobility. Every time you move a space, you can pick someone - ally or enemy - and pull them a space. Every time you throw or grapple someone, you can move a space for each space you move them. Skill is Put On A Show - you can always draw as much attention as you want, for any reason, away from anything else. 3 Speed Tokens: Try And Keep Up Move 2 spaces, then heal 2. This isn't Free Movement, so it doesn't proc the Dance Form's movement abilities. IRON FORM (a.k.a. Fortress Form, Mountain Form, Turtle Form, Void Form) Action Dice: d8/d6/d6 The ultimate tanking form. You have Armor, so every attack against you does 1 less damage. You're incredibly tough, but also extremely slow - every time you gain Speed Tokens, half of them are replaced with Iron Tokens, which let you reduce incoming damage. Skill is Unmovable - when you hold your ground, nothing can move you or get past you. 3+: Secure Choose two: Gain 3 Iron Tokens, give 2 Iron Tokens to someone within range, or heal someone within range. 3+: Contain Choose two: Pull an enemy 2 spaces, Challenge an enemy you can see, or place a Trap on a space within range. 6+: Protect Choose four from the last two lists. ONE-TWO FORM (a.k.a. Chaos Form, Drill Form, Hound Form, Sky Form) Action Dice: d6/d6/d4/d4 Your go-to multi-hit combo form, specializing in doing lots of small hits each turn. Whenever you do damage with an Action, you hit them again for 1 damage. Skill is Think Fast - you can fast-talk anyone into going along with your plan, and you never lose at games of skill. 1+: Slide In Teleport 2 spaces. 4+: Whirlwind Deal 1 damage to 3 enemies within range. POWER FORM (a.k.a. Blade Form, Rage Form, Sun Form, Tiger Form) Action Dice: d10/d10/d4 Slow, hits like a truck. Works kind of like Iron Form - every time you gain Speed Tokens, you replace half of them with Power Tokens. Also, while other Forms can only spend one Power Token per hit, you can spend up to three, making an attack do +3 damage and pushing the target 3 extra spaces. Skill is Unstoppable - you can bust through any door, wall, or vehicle. 3+: Yell Gain 3 Power Tokens. 6+: Crush Deal 3 damage, and it can't be reduced in any way - Armor doesn't absorb it, Shields don't block it, Iron or Weaken Tokens can't reduce it, Abilities can't be used in response to it. 9+: There's no upper limit on how many Power Tokens you can spend on this attack. That's half the forms! Next up, the other half.
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Jul 26, 2018 14:29
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PurpleXVI posted:Oh my God don't even get me started on what you could do with the first few lines of the concept if you scrapped everything that came after. Of course, the reason there's the constant refrain of 'Oh man that premise is so good but everything else about it is terrible' is that coming up with the premise/high concept of a story is the absolute easiest part. Everything else about execution is much harder.
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Jul 26, 2018 14:37
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