Contact Information:

jay@vanishingtowerpress.com

Wednesday, July 7

Multiple GMs


My first opportunity to roleplay in my own campaign world happened. Even Heroes Bleed had an alternate Game Master, one of the other players, this past Sunday and I was able to run an NPC Hero I created. 
Sitting on the other side was an incredible treat to see how the city smelt from the perspective of one. 

First "fact" of interest was campaign date. This adventure is occurring a month in the future from the current game action. This means the facts we established during the session are now future facts, events which will occur. My next thought of intrigue was how easy it was to become part of the player group. Makes sense, I've grown to know these characters right along side their players. Same with my PCs roleplay. I created the character and they have fought on the streets of Capitol City already. 

It also triggered some cool ideas for the current adventure I am running back in "real" world Capitol City circa May 2020. The entirety of the campaign's length is 7 days. A half a year of game play and we have advanced through seven days of activity. And what a busy seven days it has been! There is a record of history on each character which has so far appeared in the game, including the other Player Characters. This made for a deeper connection between my Player Character and the others. Ultra Rosa (my PC Hero) has formed opinions on her co-workers already and has had a chance to respond in kind. 

Last but not least, I got to "not know" what I was going to do because I was not in charge of pace. I could increase pace of action by having my PC do increasingly extreme actions in the game world right then. But overall, if the Referee says it is tomorrow, well, it is tomorrow gosh darn it! This type of control over pace is not something the players get to dictate as much as the Referee does. 

I have two more sessions (more or less) before this adventure will conclude and I am back in charge of the who, what, where of Capitol City and I intend to use Ultra-Rosa's guns before then. Before I have to release her back to the game world I want to see her light some shit up!


Long and short of it, I am sold on mixing up the game master work with the other players at the table. I don't know if any of the other Players wish to referee a game session, but I hope so. I think it is fostering greater and greater investment in the game world by everyone at the table.

Tuesday, June 22

Quantum Weavers Class Requirements

Here is the Quantum Weaver Class more detailed as far as needed for character creation in my Setting Suns Space Opera Campaign;


Quantum Weaver (Tech); requires an Empathy score and GTA score of 15 or greater. They are technicians specialized in using and maintaining the technology created ages ago to allow interaction with the Taakar. They are required to take Combat Training to qualify for Fusion Gun and ARP Projectors skills. Quantum Weavers may take the Street Fighting & Brawling Skill, which is an additional cost, and must be paid for at full price even with Combat Training for Fusion Guns and ARP Projectors. 

Technician skills required to be purchased are as follows, Scientific Programming, Cybernetic Brains, Alien Computers, Anti-Matter Generation Systems and Beamed Power Transmission. 

They are frequently performing tasks in the alien and hostile environment surrounding the Taakar at the center of the Spica system, see to the operation of the complex ships of the Merchant Masters and are used as soldiers in any large-scale conflict the ruling class may face.

Quantum Weaver Class Requirements (Tech); requires an Empathy score and GTA score of 15 or greater. 

Skills required 

Computer Tech: Scientific Programming, Cybernetic Brains, and Alien Computers. 

Power Tech: Anti-Matter Generation Systems, and Beamed Power Transmission. 

Combat Training to qualify for Fusion Gun and ARP Projectors skills. 

FTL Pilot. 

Quantum Weavers may take the Street Fighting & Brawling Skill, which is an additional cost, and must be paid for at full price even though Combat Training for Fusion Guns and ARP Projectors has been purchased. 

Ranks of Command among Quantum Weavers is set by their level of FTL Pilot: 

FTL Pilot 3rd Class, Weaver of the Watch/1-6, 

FTL Pilot 2nd Class, Tachyon Weaver/7-9, and 

FTL Pilot 1st Class, Quantum Weaver/10 

Unless a Quantum Weaver is onboard a Crystal Ship, they are headquartered and trained on Spica. Primary duties planet side are evaluation and recruitment of potential Quantum Weavers, administration of limited martial training, and debriefing Sword Minds and their agents.

Monday, June 21

Merchant Masters and their Psionic Abilities

Continuing to build out my original Space Opera science fiction setting here are the specific class abilities for the 

Merchant Masters (any class); requires both an Empathy and Psionic score of 15 or greater.    

A Merchant Master is defined by their level of Psionic ability. The field of psionics practiced is Telekinesis and the Psycho-Kinetic Crystals are a physical object they all possess. The PK Crystal is what the Taakar have provided to make them what they are, possessors of advanced science which represents only a minuet fraction of the power coursing through the otherworld entity of the Taakar. Merchant Masters begin the game psionically awakened and have access to their full talents. 

The psionic talents level 6 and above are changed in the following ways: 

Morass/6; is now called Dissolution, and instead of making physical materials “soft” it destroys the material entirely. The percentages and volume figures should be interpreted as the amount of materials terminated as the atomic structure is unwound. 

Mind Touch/6, Life Sense/6, and Psychic Force/7 remain unchanged. 

Energize/7; is now the ability to bring any type of powered equipment to full charge/power. 

Magnetoscreen/8, Negafield/8 and Radshield/8 remain unchanged. 

Battlescreen/9; is now called Cosmicscreen, a protective shield which provides a complete life support system for the adept against electromagnetism, anti-matter, radiation, and the cold vacuum of space. 

Power/9; is now limited to increasing the power of a Crystal Ship. 

Maneuver Drive/9; is now the ability for a Merchant Master to set an interstellar course with 100% accuracy, subject to the standard modifiers. Since this is a level 9 talent there are only two standard modifiers, +100% for Maneuver Drive/9 and +200% for Maneuver Drive/10. Well, then how do they fail? As far as a Merchant Master is concerned, they do not. It will be up to the PCS and SM to create such situations. The actual translation into tachyon hyperspace is completed by Quantum Weavers. 

FTL Drive/10; is now the ability for a Merchant Master to transfer into the Taakar at the center of the Spica solar system and conduct audience. This is usually only every fifty years when they need to be infused with the drug of immortality, but they may have to make this translation at any time based on the will of the Taakar or a Merchant Master’s current needs. If transfer is attempted within the Spica system from a Crystal Ship success is automatic. If transfer is attempted withing the Spica system not on a Crystal Ship, there is a 3% chance of failure. Transfer attempts within the Sardis system while on a Crystal Ship has a 5% chance of failure. Without being on a Crystal Ship chance of failure is 11%. Chance of failure from Tharon are 9% and 18% respectively.

Sunday, June 20

Lizardman Diaries Megaslum NPC Generator Automated

Michael Raston over at his Lizardman Diaries blog regularly writes up split tables for all sorts of interesting gaming content. What I like about the lists he posts is they usually are four separate categories or more. This makes them ripe to plopped into Last Gasp's random generator creator. I just copy the content, put it in the html engine and wa-la, I have a new button in my bookmark bar for instant content available for my online game session in real time.  

His current random generator is for Cyberpunk Megaslum NPCs. Always handy for any sc-fi, cyberpunk game I'm running. Feel free to bookmark this page to keep Michael's table handy!


Megaslum NPC Generator