November 26th Tabletop Session

On Saturday, November 26th, I had the good fortune to run both a Tabletop game and a Play-by-Skype session of Tempora Mutantur. Here is a session log of the afternoon tabletop game…

In previous sessions, Steckel had previously been identified as a descendent of Paul Bachman, one of the members of Habicorb’s board of directors. The central computer of the Eden Praire Vault Complex had agreed to let Steckel and his direct family access to the restored module known as the “Roach Motel”. The elders of Lau have condoned a slow, cautious establishment of a ‘satellite vault’ at Eden Prairie; and Steckel’s father and three siblings are to become the first four permanent ‘colonists’.

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Gauss Weapons

(I’ve got fragments of some new rule supplements, but have had trouble finishing them up so I’ll post them here. This one is swiped from Darwin’s World.)

Mass-driving weapons are advanced weapons that operate on a simple principle – an electro-magnetic force is used to drive a mass to dangerously high velocities to punch through armour, metal, tissue, whatever. Such weapons are a bridge between traditional ballistic weapons and energy weapons – they fire ballistic missiles but require an energy charge or field to build up the required force. Mass-drivers are almost universally known as “gauss weapons”.

Gauss weapons use specially-alloyed flechette projectiles as well as power from an e-clip source when fired. Gauss weapons can fire improvised ammunition (any small, magnetic metal fragments), but will only inflict half damage. Special armour-penetrating depleted uranium (DU) rounds are also available.

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A Conversation with Methuselah

UPDATE 20-Nov-11: I’ll keep reposting this whenever there’s a new response from Methuselah.

Within a regeneration pod in the Eden Prairie Vault Complex, a shrunken and wizened form clings to life. More than a century old, the life of this man (nicknamed ‘Methuselah’) has been sustained for decades only by high-tech medical assistance. His metabolism is reduced to a crawl, but he can still communicate – s l o w l y – with others. The Central Computer of Eden Prairie must process and translate for Methuselah, but it is possible for the PCs to converse – if given enough time.

Energy Weapons

(I’ve got fragments of some new rule supplements, but have had trouble finishing them up so I’ll post them here. This one is swiped from Darwin’s World.)

Well-known in science fiction long before they actually became viable weapons, energy weapons were a natural evolution of the advanced military science of the Ancients.

Weapons of this type, widely used before the Fall, act to generate and concentrate powerful energy to incinerate, disintegrate, or otherwise destroy opponents. Energy weapons solved the problem of varying calibers and munitions types by utilizing the universal e-clip, making them infinitely more useful in those days.

Laser weapons work by colliding lasing atoms with electrically accelerated electrons within an active medium. The maser is basically a “microwave laser”, and was cheaper and easier to produce. Ion weapons generate a powerful electro-magnetic pulse which is incredibly damaging to robots.

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October 22nd Skype Session

Well, it’s a bit late but here is another session report. On Saturday 22-Oct-11, I ran a short Play-by-Skype game. Moses played three PCs – Crow, Gunnar, and Zieser. Richard and Silent Jack also joined the group as far as the abandoned farmyard.

Crow’s Diary entry (below) will serve as the session log for this adventure. XP awards and referee notes from me will be added as comments.

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November 6th Skype Session

Last weekend I ran another Eden Prairie game. Moses and Ian played six PCs (Bart and Xavier, Steckel and Mariah, and Sawney and Jest).

Bart’s Diary entry (below) will serve as the session log for this adventure. XP awards and referee notes from me will be added as comments.

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Political Factions of Lau

I don’t want the game to dwell too much on the politics of the characters’ home vault. (My preference is for exploration and adventure.) However, given recent events with the Metal Gods and at the Eden Prairie Vault, it has become important to consider the beliefs of the vault elders…