In reply to Peter Firecrow (msg #13):

Alan,

No word of a lie, I did draw cards for all the PCs to see if they would have any kind of interesting "Mysterious Background" for their d12 stats. Peter drew a Black Joker. Twice.

Cory,

Nah, never heard of anyone doing that. And it's a shame, because it seems like the timeline for HoE was adjusted to accommodate the whole Faraway War/Lost Colony product line.

Setting HoE in around 2000 would work well, with the advanced weapons being developed by Mad Scientists.

Tony

I played a Lost Colony game for a few sessions. It was cool but then I had to leave for the Army so that was the end of that. If one of the games I runs dies off then I'm going to try to drum up interest for Lost Colony.

My concept for Arthur Dayne was a re-imagining of the Templar archetype as interpreted by knights of a more chivalric age.  So I guess I'm glad it is coming out that way. :)

The books say that Templars have guns too, and Arthur will have one, but I imagine him not thinking as highly of it as he does his sword.  I'm still thinking through the reasons and justifications for his anachronistic approach, and I have a few fun ideas but I have not decided on one yet.

Posse,

I've made Fate chip draws for everyone. As a part of the game, I'll slide chips your way if I like your RP.

For the mean time, I haven't decided what constitutes a "session". This will depend on the pace of the game. At the least, expect a draw at least once a month. Remember, chips aren't just used for XP but to improve rolls!

Further, feel free to PM or include a private line reminding me if you're playing a Hindrance. I may or may not make a draw, but at least I'll appreciate the reminder. For example, Roadkill gets a white fate chip for playing up his Greed Hindrance. Naturally, I reserve the right to decide if players are milking their Hindrances in a way that are not helping the game.  =)

Now, Roadkill is asking for fuel costs. We never decided what (if anything) Las Cruces is covering in this circumstance or what he's paying the PCs that are acting as guards on his rig. If we want to get technical, the guards should be charging $20/day, the going rate. Please bear in mind I don't want this game to be about salaries and so on, so I'm trusting players to come to some kind of equitable arrangement.

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 05:29, Sat 26 June 2010.

Well I'm going to Cornwall and part of the attraction of the holiday is that I can't get requests to do something from my work!

The CEO of my company is terrible for his "little requests".....

As you are looking for justification for anachromism, remember:  Simon, leader of the Templars, is very anachronistic.  He even speaks in an anachronistic way sometimes.  He really believes in the power of the Sword and its meaning to a Knight.  But he acknowledges the usefulness of the gun.  The Templars are nothing if not pragmatic.  So being an anachronistic knight is what Templars /should/ be about.  Their leader and spiritual progenitor is.

As for Lost Colony, I agree that in order to complete the sit they did have to mess with the timeline a bit.  On the other hand I appreciated they were trying to create a continuity for three very different settings:Western, Post-Apocalypse, and Sci-Fi.

I am glad to hear someone has been in a Lost Colony game.  I always felt bad that the big downshift in the gaming industry at the time kind of ruined Lost Colony's chances to step up beside its older brothers.  I am really hoping that they get to correct that after Hell on Earth gets Reloaded.

Sorry I jumped post before others could respond, but Edgar would not wait.  He's long-winded and sometimes just can't stay quiet.

What about Hindrances the Marshall has to use?  Outlaw, for example.  I can't make Law Dogs appear and question me.

In my game, I would expect Outlaw chars to skirt around and avoid potential conflicts with Law Dogs even if they are not around.  But it is one of those Hindrances that is either very punishing with the right Law Dogs around or very easy when none are present.  Just my two cents :)

That's true, that's part of the Hindrance too.  But there's also Hindrances like say Enemy.

In reply to Brother Edgar (msg #22):

Cory,

It's okay, Brother Edgar's standing right there! He's more-or-less the mutie's spokesman (if not their de facto leader). But you can't lead people where they don't want to go!

Don,

I would guess taking efforts to avoid the Law Dogs would grant white chips, but this is one that mostly is passive. Some Hindrances are less efficient to XP farm! This would be one that would be good to remind me you're doing. It might not get a chip every time, but that's RP for you, sometimes the reward is in the doing.

An Enemy is different, they'll probably come looking for you. The problem is, either they off your PC (which seems unlikely) or there has to be more than one. Or, they could just make your life Hell but not be overtly confrontational...

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:01, Sat 26 June 2010.

Just to explain Nix's name, he will introduce himself to everyone as Nix - the Smoker bit (or most lately Smokey) is a nickname that Dakota Jack gave him.  It's entirely up to everyone to decide what they call Nix but I just wanted to make it clear that he will have introduced himself as Nix to those people he has already met.

Thanks,

Andy.

So I just watched The Magnificent Seven again.

Talk about good fodder for Deadlands, especially when you're playing a gunslinger.

In reply to Dakota Jack Cardinal (msg #28):

It's quite relevant in many ways, both the situation involving the gunmen, the poverty and spirit of the Mexicans, and even the banditos.

The one scene that really stands out for me personally is the one where the gunmen take their fine meal for granted until they have a rude awakening and realise that this food would have otherwise fed the village for a week.

Recently my wife and I traveled throughout Southeast Asia. On more than one occasion, mostly in Cambodia, we were treated to a meal and then came to the realisation that what was a simple meal for us represented a considerable outlay of wealth for the Cambodians.

One day in Siem Reap (while not visiting nearby Angkor Wat) we were invited by some visiting Brits to accompany the local Catholic priest (Father Harry) as he took them out on the huge Tonle Sap lake to visit a congregation they had sponsored for years. The church was built on a stilts in the lake, and there was an entire village on stilts or houseboats around it. People got around on little boats.

I'm a lapsed Catholic at best and Michelle is a Pagan, but it was $5 each as opposed to $20 each for the regular boat tour of Tonle Sap, so what the heck! We'd get lunch out of the deal and help pass out clothing to needy kids, plus the church was on stilts in a lake, which was cool. All we had to do was sit through a sermon, which due to my upbringing I could do standing on my head. (Apparently I wasn't much good as an Alter boy, I remember I kept falling asleep at the alter. I also recall successfully distributing Playboy magazines at Catechism class, but that's another story.)

Anyways, the sermon wasn't too bad and the parishioners were mostly children anyways, there to get free food and clothing, plus some mothers. A few childres showed obvious signs of malnutrition. Michelle proved popular with the mothers, some of whom were expecting, as she was quite adept at getting restless babies to sleep during the sermon.

After, in the church, we served up for the kids and mothers, expecting or not: a bowl of rice soup with a tiny amount of egg and a few greens. Meanwhile, on a separate little rooftop dining room we ate fried chicken, sweet-and-sour pork, tossed salad and other greens, fried eggs, whole fish, "chips" (French fries) and so on. Probably the most guilt-ridden meal of my life, in full knowledge of what the Cambodians were eating. Granted, this was in honour of the Brits, who supported the Church with money. Still, Michelle and I snuck plates of food down for the expectant mothers, because while it wasn't specifically forbidden we were definitely segregated from the others. They were actually going to throw out the leftovers but we insisted on getting them to the kids. I don't know if those Brits knew what to make of us, although they were lovely people.

So, back to the game. I'm trying to come up with a consistent colour for NPCs. I'm thinking Yellow or maybe Aqua. Definitely, Brother Edgar should go purple to match his robes!

Tony

Cool story. What brought you to Southeast Asia? Work? Vacationing? Something else? Forgive me if I'm prying but I sometimes find myself curious about the people I game with over the net.

In reply to Ian Roadkill Colby (msg #30):

Not a problem! Very much a vacation, although we were more traveling than holidaying, if you follow the distinction. It turned into 4-1/2 months and we went from Malaysia to Thailand, then Cambodia, Myanmar/Burma, back to Thailand in between, Laos, then back to Cambodia, and finally Viet Nam (where we visited Khe Sahn Combat Base). (One thing I learned is Viet Namese words are always monosyllabic. So, "Hanoi" is "Ha Noi", Saigon is "Sai Gon", etc.)

The impetus was we knew our office where we both worked was going to close in an undetermined period of time. So instead of waiting with dread to get sacked, we saved up and paid our bills and rent ahead of time. It really gave us something to look forward to when the axe fell!

Tony

Sounds like a really good way of facing things and you got a cool experience out of it. I'd like to see more of the world but other than the US all I've seen is Canada (which doesn't count) and bits of the Middle East.

In reply to Ian Roadkill Colby (msg #32):

Ha, likewise, before we took this trip the only foreign countries I'd seen were the USA (which also doesn't count) and a bit of Mexico (which kind of does because it was a sleazy part of Tijuana and not the touristy side).

I shared a link to YouTube for the DJ Champion song, "No Heaven" as a theme for this game. Marc, the player, for Col Schaeffer, mentioned one song that comes to mind is "Barra Barra" ("Out! Out!") by Rachid Taha. It was on the soundtrack for Blackhawk Down (along with SRV's awesome cover of "Voo Doo Child").

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8ne05S6bJg

The first verse gives you a good sense of what the lyrics are like:

Sadness, hate and the reign of arbitrary
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
Destruction, jealousy; there is no trust left
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
Thirst and people are unlucky
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
No honour, but oppression and slavery
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
Rivers were dried up and seas have ruined everything
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
Stars are switched off and the sun went down
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
There are no trees left and the birds stopped singing
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
There are neither days, nor nights left, darkness only
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)
Hell; there is no beauty left
Barra Barra! (Out Out!)

I think the visuals for "Book of Eli" remind me of what I believe Hell on Earth should be like. Here's a tribute video with the Al Green song "How Can You Mend a Broken Heart":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v...&feature=related

Tony

As a note, the Doomsayer theological implications of all this fall right in line with Schismatic philosophy.  They seek to always promote cooperation between Doomed and Chosen.  Just because they are Doomed to Die doesn't mean they can't help build a bright utopia.  It doesn't mean can't teach lessons the Chosen will absolutely need.  The Doomed are necessary.  A dead-end evolutionarily speaking, but needed now.

Yes, I do often ask myself why I think this much about a made-up, crazy, radiation religion.  No answer yet.  Heh.

In reply to Brother Edgar (msg #34):

Cory,

That makes sense. As well, if the normies show the ability to adapt and survive they too will prove themselves worthy, as evolution is all about the end result, not how you get there.

I almost always find myself in the middle of some theological discussion at some point. One game that comes to mind is the indie game "Dogs in the Vineyard" which is about playing (I am not making this up) Mormon gunslinger lawmen (aka "Dogs").

http://www.lumpley.com/dogsources.html

Oh, about the chip set and cards, they are professional-grade chips (but not Casino chips) in an anodised foam padded locking steel case. The cards are in a tin that is labeled "Remington: America's Oldest Gun Maker". Michelle won the chips in a company poker tournament and I bought the cards for a Deadlands game that never panned out. It would be totally rad if they had pictures of guns on them, but the backs just show deer and the faces are normal suits and numbers. Although the aces all have the Remington logo in the middle.

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 11:55, Sun 27 June 2010.

Hey, what MG do we have on the pickup? M2?

In reply to Ian Roadkill Colby (msg #36):

Correct-a-mundo. Ma-Deuce, othewise known as the M2HB or cal-fifty (in Korea/Viet Nam).

Jane used about half a belt, and it's been topped up with loose rounds. There's a belt left now.

Further, while most NPC dialogue from now on will be Yellow, Michaela's will be Brown to match Aragorn. I mean, Arthur.

Tony
This message was last edited by the GM at 12:15, Sun 27 June 2010.

<Whining> Does it have to be yellow, I have difficulty reading yellow. I know I can just highlight it with the cursor, but still! </Whining>

RE: the funky made up religious ideas in Deadlands... Really I think it means whatever you want it to, because they really don't give very many formal strictures.

Dang, lol. I take ONE night off to go out and come back and you guys have posted like 15 times and moved on to a breakfast already! Sheesh! =D