Not long ago, I blogged about converting BattleMechs into Cortex+ as seen with the Firefly RPG. I mentioned a sample character, a Magistracy of Canopus MechWarrior with an antique Hussar 'Mech. I present now, that character.
25 Oct 2015
Cortex+ Conversion - BattleTech/MechWarrior
A week or two ago, a friend was trying to figure out a tabletop RPG system that would work for the BattleTech setting with a quicker, less involved creation system than the official A Time of War rules. A Time of War has some great information in it, but character creation gets involved, with players spending 5000 points in a lifepath-style* generation system. He wanted something more streamlined. We've discussed using the Pendragon system for the BattleTech setting, having each character be the head of a minor House with the goal being to build up holdings while playing The Great BattleTech Campaign. This time around, though, he wanted something for when players weren't in their 'Mechs. His plan was to use the wargame for 'Mech-on-'Mech battles and something else for other nefarious deeds.
23 Oct 2015
Crossover - Chapter 10
Featuring Subject 13, Prototype Alpha, and Pixie of Youth Brigade
Cleveland City Center Hotel, Cleveland, early morning
"Meredith, I don't see why you're so upset." Keith rushed to keep up with the brunette.
"Of course you wouldn't." Meredith stabbed the elevator call button. "Keith you are so flipping blind at times."
"You're jealous."
"What?" Meredith spun around to face her roommate. "I am so not jealous. Keith, you were out all freaking night! I got worried!"
Cleveland City Center Hotel, Cleveland, early morning
"Meredith, I don't see why you're so upset." Keith rushed to keep up with the brunette.
"Of course you wouldn't." Meredith stabbed the elevator call button. "Keith you are so flipping blind at times."
"You're jealous."
"What?" Meredith spun around to face her roommate. "I am so not jealous. Keith, you were out all freaking night! I got worried!"
22 Oct 2015
Crossover Chapter 9 - Commentary
What a difference a dimensional barrier makes. Welcome to the commentary for the ninth chapter. Please read the chapter before continuing.
The bit where Nasty wriggles her toes in the rug does indeed come from Die Hard. John McClane was given the advice on the flight to LA. He then spent the rest of the movie barefoot. It did cross my mind to have Nasty spend the rest of the story the same way, but then she said no. Forcefully. The advice does work; it works the foot muscles, easing them after a long day. Even works after car-, bus-, and train trips.
The last dance Eric mentions is one of the lost issues of Subject 13, and, by that, I mean I've lost the story somewhere in a computer failure and cannot find it again. The issue had Eric and Nasty at a school semi-formal - Nasty's first, with her in a long green dress - that was interrupted by one of the other Subjects, leading to a brutal fight. Nasty won, but barely. Last woman standing. I may try recreating the issue if/when I return to Subject 13. The other fights are mostly detailed in the existing issues.
Those of you who suspected that the condoms were a Chekhov's gun*, congrats on being savvy about storytelling techniques. Nasty still has issues, mostly coming from her mother. She isn't quite comfortable with her sexuality yet. A detail I should have added in the bathroom is the lack of steam. Nasty wasn't in the right frame of mind to notice, though. Maria is sympathetic, but she is disappointed that her daughter still hasn't had sex.
The decision to follow up with Natasha was a spur of the moment idea. With NaNoWriMo, there are two types of writers, planners and pantsers. Planners get all the details nailed down, including outlines, before November 1st hits. Pantsers write by the seat of their pants, with no clue of what is supposed to happen next and going by instinct. Naturally, there are few people who are purely one or the other. I prefer to know who the characters are, the start point, and the desired ending when participating, but I remain flexible. I've outlined once, with By the Numbers, but even there, I wound up improvising when events started ignoring the script. Characters will go where they want, plot and author needs be damned. I attribute this to experience as a games master. You get good at improv when a team of shadowrunners decide to create a Godzilla flash mob at The Rubber Suit to extract a scientist instead of just breaking into corporate facilities**.
Tomorrow, Crossover Chapter 10.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, wrapping up the History of Adaptations.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, comparing the Fifties to now.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
* "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." The term means any prop that gets attention drawn to it. If the prop is described, it must get used at some point. Not to be confused with Chekhov's phaser.
** Shadowrunning as Dadaism. Security's confusion was genuine. I had no idea what the players were doing, so how could the security guards?
The bit where Nasty wriggles her toes in the rug does indeed come from Die Hard. John McClane was given the advice on the flight to LA. He then spent the rest of the movie barefoot. It did cross my mind to have Nasty spend the rest of the story the same way, but then she said no. Forcefully. The advice does work; it works the foot muscles, easing them after a long day. Even works after car-, bus-, and train trips.
The last dance Eric mentions is one of the lost issues of Subject 13, and, by that, I mean I've lost the story somewhere in a computer failure and cannot find it again. The issue had Eric and Nasty at a school semi-formal - Nasty's first, with her in a long green dress - that was interrupted by one of the other Subjects, leading to a brutal fight. Nasty won, but barely. Last woman standing. I may try recreating the issue if/when I return to Subject 13. The other fights are mostly detailed in the existing issues.
Those of you who suspected that the condoms were a Chekhov's gun*, congrats on being savvy about storytelling techniques. Nasty still has issues, mostly coming from her mother. She isn't quite comfortable with her sexuality yet. A detail I should have added in the bathroom is the lack of steam. Nasty wasn't in the right frame of mind to notice, though. Maria is sympathetic, but she is disappointed that her daughter still hasn't had sex.
The decision to follow up with Natasha was a spur of the moment idea. With NaNoWriMo, there are two types of writers, planners and pantsers. Planners get all the details nailed down, including outlines, before November 1st hits. Pantsers write by the seat of their pants, with no clue of what is supposed to happen next and going by instinct. Naturally, there are few people who are purely one or the other. I prefer to know who the characters are, the start point, and the desired ending when participating, but I remain flexible. I've outlined once, with By the Numbers, but even there, I wound up improvising when events started ignoring the script. Characters will go where they want, plot and author needs be damned. I attribute this to experience as a games master. You get good at improv when a team of shadowrunners decide to create a Godzilla flash mob at The Rubber Suit to extract a scientist instead of just breaking into corporate facilities**.
Tomorrow, Crossover Chapter 10.
Also tomorrow, over at Psycho Drive-In, wrapping up the History of Adaptations.
Saturday, over at Seventh Sanctum, comparing the Fifties to now.
Also Saturday, check out Comics Bulletin for comics-related reposts of Lost in Translation.
* "One must not put a loaded rifle on the stage if no one is thinking of firing it." The term means any prop that gets attention drawn to it. If the prop is described, it must get used at some point. Not to be confused with Chekhov's phaser.
** Shadowrunning as Dadaism. Security's confusion was genuine. I had no idea what the players were doing, so how could the security guards?
21 Oct 2015
Can*Con and Me
For those of you who will in the Ottawa area October 30 - November 1st, Can*Con, the Canadian literary science-fiction and fantasy convention, will be at the Sheraton Hotel, 150 Albert. I will be there, not just as an attendee but also as a panelist.
Friday night at 8:00, I'm part of the "Science Fiction Readers" panel with four others, discussing works of science fiction. That could get interesting, especially since most of my more recent reading has been urban fantasy or genre mash-ups.
At noon Saturday, a NaNoWriMo panel, "National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo): Strategies and Emergency Inspiration" with four others, including two of Ottawa's Municipal Liaisons. The panel will have tips on how to get to the 50 000th word and other survival techniques. No sanity required.
Not interested in panels? The dealer's room is open to the public. No membership needed.
Friday night at 8:00, I'm part of the "Science Fiction Readers" panel with four others, discussing works of science fiction. That could get interesting, especially since most of my more recent reading has been urban fantasy or genre mash-ups.
At noon Saturday, a NaNoWriMo panel, "National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo): Strategies and Emergency Inspiration" with four others, including two of Ottawa's Municipal Liaisons. The panel will have tips on how to get to the 50 000th word and other survival techniques. No sanity required.
Not interested in panels? The dealer's room is open to the public. No membership needed.
20 Oct 2015
Election 2015 - Yet Another Post-Mortem
October 20th. Canada has a new government. A sea of Liberal red swept in, pushing out Conservative blue. But this wasn't the expected result. During the 78 day long campaign, the polls showed no clear winner. What happened? The results can't be due to strategic voting; some long-time NDP ridings, like Ottawa Centre voted in a Liberal MP. Pundits and the electorate were expecting a minority government; if the Conservatives had the lead, the NDP and Liberals were expected to form a coalition. Last night's results laugh at that potential outcome. I'm not a political scientist, nor am I a pundit or even a pretend expert on Canadian politics. What follows is my attempt to figure out last night's results. My breakdown after the cut.
18 Oct 2015
NaNo Prep 2015 - Mind the Gaps
Not long to go. Is it time to panic?
Of course not.
First, if I panic now, I won't have any panic left for the last week of November. Peaking early with panic is a rookie mistake.
Second, I have three ideas to be filled out. Yes, I know last time that I narrowed things down to two, but a fantasy idea returned. Its characters started having interesting scenes. So, three.
If now isn't the time for panic, then what is now for? Right now, filling in details. Colony Base 183 and The Clockwork Avenger have settings and casts to be worked out, which is what follows. This is the pre-writing stage. The more I can work out now, the fewer stalls I'll have while writing. This isn't to say that I'll have a full outline worked up. That's just crazy talk. What does help me, though, is knowing how the characters behave. By the Numbers brought that home and Unruly proved the point. That's not to say that characters won't appear out of nowhere as needed. My 2013 NaNovel, The Devil You Know, wound up with Mara, a succubus, added because Jack's private jet* needed a co-pilot. After her first appearance, Mara remained and became important to the plot.
Colony Base 183
Cast needed : The newly minted Ensign. Her department head. Possibly the base commander and his executive officer. The head of the colony. The alien ambassadors.
Sets: The security office. The colony base itself. The colony and its main settlement. Landing area for starships. Possibly an orbital facility.
Details: Rank structure for the military. Traveller-style UWP**. Colonial government, if any.
What I have: The Ensign herself, though she may be renamed. The security office will resemble a small police office as seen on TV, possibly an update from sheriff offices in Westerns. I may have a rank structure on hand to modify, loosely based on the Canadian Forces.
The Clockwork Avenger
Cast needed: The Clockwork Avenger from the Victorian Era. His descendant in the modern day. The villain or villains, though if there are more than one, they are working together. The descendant's good friend. Lawyer.
Sets: The Avenger's lab in London or maybe Bristol. The descendant's room. A university lab. The villain's/villains' lab.
Details: The looks of the Clockwork Avenger, both steampunk and modern versions. The load-out of the Avenger, both versions. The villain's/villains' plans. How the law office managed to keep the blueprints over one hundred years.
What I have: The first Clockwork Avenger armour - steampowered power armour with ether canister launcher. The second Avenger armour, less bulky and using 3D printing techniques, replacing the ether canisters with TASERs. How the descendant can afford to make the new armour.
The Elf's Prisoner
Cast needed: High elf priest. Dark elf magician. High elf rogue. Human knight. Human squire. Villain. Dark elf's sister. Cannon fodder.
Sets: Elf town. Forested area. Human city. Villain's lair.
Details: How magic works, both arcane and divine. The villain's plan. Where the various locations are relative to each other.
What I have: How elf society works (matriarchal families coming together for a council of ruling families). The heroes, except for names.
Maybe I should panic...
* I needed a small enough private jet that could still fly Ottawa-Paris non-stop. The best fit still required a co-pilot. Research!
** Universal World Profile. It's a shorthand way to get general details of a planet in the Traveller role-playing game. Covers things like world size, population, government type, and law. The UWP might not even appear in the story, but it'll handy to have a seven-character code when writing. Earth of today has the UWP E-877A74-7.
Of course not.
First, if I panic now, I won't have any panic left for the last week of November. Peaking early with panic is a rookie mistake.
Second, I have three ideas to be filled out. Yes, I know last time that I narrowed things down to two, but a fantasy idea returned. Its characters started having interesting scenes. So, three.
If now isn't the time for panic, then what is now for? Right now, filling in details. Colony Base 183 and The Clockwork Avenger have settings and casts to be worked out, which is what follows. This is the pre-writing stage. The more I can work out now, the fewer stalls I'll have while writing. This isn't to say that I'll have a full outline worked up. That's just crazy talk. What does help me, though, is knowing how the characters behave. By the Numbers brought that home and Unruly proved the point. That's not to say that characters won't appear out of nowhere as needed. My 2013 NaNovel, The Devil You Know, wound up with Mara, a succubus, added because Jack's private jet* needed a co-pilot. After her first appearance, Mara remained and became important to the plot.
Colony Base 183
Cast needed : The newly minted Ensign. Her department head. Possibly the base commander and his executive officer. The head of the colony. The alien ambassadors.
Sets: The security office. The colony base itself. The colony and its main settlement. Landing area for starships. Possibly an orbital facility.
Details: Rank structure for the military. Traveller-style UWP**. Colonial government, if any.
What I have: The Ensign herself, though she may be renamed. The security office will resemble a small police office as seen on TV, possibly an update from sheriff offices in Westerns. I may have a rank structure on hand to modify, loosely based on the Canadian Forces.
The Clockwork Avenger
Cast needed: The Clockwork Avenger from the Victorian Era. His descendant in the modern day. The villain or villains, though if there are more than one, they are working together. The descendant's good friend. Lawyer.
Sets: The Avenger's lab in London or maybe Bristol. The descendant's room. A university lab. The villain's/villains' lab.
Details: The looks of the Clockwork Avenger, both steampunk and modern versions. The load-out of the Avenger, both versions. The villain's/villains' plans. How the law office managed to keep the blueprints over one hundred years.
What I have: The first Clockwork Avenger armour - steampowered power armour with ether canister launcher. The second Avenger armour, less bulky and using 3D printing techniques, replacing the ether canisters with TASERs. How the descendant can afford to make the new armour.
The Elf's Prisoner
Cast needed: High elf priest. Dark elf magician. High elf rogue. Human knight. Human squire. Villain. Dark elf's sister. Cannon fodder.
Sets: Elf town. Forested area. Human city. Villain's lair.
Details: How magic works, both arcane and divine. The villain's plan. Where the various locations are relative to each other.
What I have: How elf society works (matriarchal families coming together for a council of ruling families). The heroes, except for names.
Maybe I should panic...
* I needed a small enough private jet that could still fly Ottawa-Paris non-stop. The best fit still required a co-pilot. Research!
** Universal World Profile. It's a shorthand way to get general details of a planet in the Traveller role-playing game. Covers things like world size, population, government type, and law. The UWP might not even appear in the story, but it'll handy to have a seven-character code when writing. Earth of today has the UWP E-877A74-7.
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