From owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Fri Oct 17 18:01:14 1997 Return-Path: Received: from lists.io.com (lists.io.com [199.170.88.15]) by pyramid.sjgames.com (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id SAA05620 for ; Fri, 17 Oct 1997 18:01:14 -0500 Received: (from majordom@localhost) by lists.io.com (8.8.7/8.8.5) id QAA20883 for in_nomine-digest-outgoing; Fri, 17 Oct 1997 16:33:30 -0500 Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 16:33:30 -0500 Message-Id: <199710172133.QAA20883@lists.io.com> From: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com (in_nomine-digest) To: in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Subject: in_nomine-digest V1 #409 Reply-To: in_nomine-l@lists.io.com Sender: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Errors-To: owner-in_nomine-digest@lists.io.com Precedence: bulk in_nomine-digest Friday, October 17 1997 Volume 01 : Number 409 In this digest: IN> IN: The Slayer Project IN> IN: The Slayer Project Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> IN: The Slayer Project Re: IN> Greetings... Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! IN> PBEM... well, not. IN> Sacraments V Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. Re: IN> PBEM games Re: Fluff again (Re: IN> Greetings...) Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. IN> PBEM question Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> PBEM question [none] Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. IN> High expectaions... Re: IN> PBEM question IN> RE: Re: IN> PBEM question Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Re: IN> PBEM question Re: IN> High expectaions... Re: IN> Greetings... Re: IN> PBEM question IN> [SEED] Deliverance - LONG ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 21:51:05 -0400 From: "bruce dykes" Subject: IN> IN: The Slayer Project *********************************** Calendar was leaving her office at village.com when her pager sounded a Note that demanded immediate attention. In lettering far too perfect to be displayed on any human made LCD was the following message: "Check your email - J." She hurried to her car and immediately opened her laptop and logged in. The first message was from the educational sales engineer at village.com, the second was from Jean, Subject: The Slayer Project. "Calendar, As you are probably already aware, village.com has just received a contract to install a computer lab and set up a computer science program at Sunnydale High School, in Sunnydale, California. You are to resign your current position with village.com, and accept the post of computer science teacher at Sunnydale High School. Attached to this message is a mostly complete history of the Slayer Project, with the exception of a few case details which remain classified. Your primary mission will be to provide as much technological support as the Slayer and the Watcher need. Your secondary mission is to assist Giles in the management of the Slayer. You're expected Monday. Jean" Calendar beamed as she closed her laptop. Working in a school would mean introducing young hackers to their instruments and the particular Chorus sung by the nets. She headed west after pulling out of the parking lot. Joe wouldn't mind apartment sitting indefinitely. ********************************************************************** Coming Next: Sunnydale, the setting ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 22:07:12 -0400 From: "bruce dykes" Subject: IN> IN: The Slayer Project ******************************************************************** The setting: Sunnydale is your average California suburban town. Put it about 90 minutes north of New Sodom (er, excuse me, I mean Los Angeles :-). The town contains two under twnty-one clubs, a college, a cemetary, and a handful of prep schools. It's also within field trip distance of a fairly decent zoo. The primary settings in the show are the school and the cemetary. Other settings, such as the zoo, and the college are created as the stories demand, so feel free to create what you need The first club, The Bronze, is a gathering and meeting place for a broad spectrum of the student body. Every week on Buffy, we get a new guest performance at The Bronze by alternative groups such as Cibbo Matto. The other club, whose name escapes me at the moment, caters to the more disobedient cliques at the school. The school's library, naturally enough, connects to Yves' own library. But the most important tourist attraction in Sunnydale is the Hellmouth. While it sounds like a natural for a tether to Saminga's realm of Abbadon, that's only half right. A sorcerer/vampire servant of Saminga calling himself "The Master" attempted a ritual to establish a tether to Abbadon in the late thirties, but his ritual was interrupted by an earthquake induced by a servant of David. The end result is a site on the cusp of becoming a tether with The Master bound to it, unable to leave. Fortunately, Sunnydale was still a fairly remote and rural area at the time, and the only mortals at the greatest risk to the Master's needs were cows, and a single servant of Michael was sufficient to keep him in check. Unfortunately, the postwar population boom warranted a more attentive vigil. Here at the tail end of the century, Laurence found it necessary to bring the Slayer to Sunnydale. ********************************************************************* Curious readers are directed to the Buffy the Vampire Slayer website and invited to watch the TV show Monday nights at 9:00 pm on your local WB station. Coming next: The Divine Players ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 21:40:28 -0600 (MDT) From: Kingsley Lintz Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > > There's always "Dark Victory"... Of course, should you trust > > anyone with six eyes and no halo? };;;> > THAT would be interesting - the canon goes Dark, and all of a sudden > Em, Oops, and I are playing forwards again... *ah-HEM* Anyway, speak for yourself. I have a feeling Em and I, at least, would still manage to do it backwards. > > If I told you that, you'd know whether canon has the world blowing > > up, now wouldn't you? > What I meant is, will there be a storyline that does not include the > events in Revelations (a sort of parallel universe)? Oh, great...Marvel/In Nomine... (Not that I have anything AGAINST angels in tight leotards. Or Archangels. Or Archangels of Arc...ah, not that I have anyone in mind here.) ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 23:36:44 +0000 From: "Nathaniel Eliot" Subject: Re: IN> IN: The Slayer Project > ********************************************************************** > Coming Next: Sunnydale, the setting Looks nice, but could you include a [FLUFF] in your Subject, so I can tell it's fluff, and not something I need my analytic game mode on for? Nathaniel Eliot temujin9@ix.netcom.com In the fourth grade, Mrs. Watkins gave me a D in Mathematics. I was not a happy camper. Now she's a blood thirsty demon from the seventh plane of hell, and I have a Mini gun with 2000 rounds of HESH ammo. Mrs. Watkins...Class is back in session. - Heavy Ordinance ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 22:11:01 -0600 (MDT) From: Kingsley Lintz Subject: Re: IN> Greetings... > Yes, I'm finally back! After long months with no access, I 'Allo! > Jeremiah, my Ofanim of Litheroy has been unofficially nominated as the PC > most likely to be bound and gagged by his fellow party members... :) Bah. You weren't even in the running until I left.. > [[ BTW, Kingsley, I miss having Camilla around. She was, by far, the > best foil for him...]] Well, if we both end up with time at some point, it could be fun to just have the two of them bump into each other and pick up their, er, philosophical debate...(Camilla DID give you a rain check on that, after all, and you know she'd NEVER lie...er..) And, what the heck...since it's the fab thing to do these days, MaBarry and I have had an idea for an In Nomine PBEM bouncing around the backs of our minds for a while. Unfortunately, November is solidly booked up, but if anyone's interested, we could reasonably start it up in December...{Ooh, it can be all christmassy.} ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 16 Oct 1997 23:42:33 -0500 (CDT) From: Donald G Bixler Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > > THAT would be interesting - the canon goes Dark, and all of a sudden > > Em, Oops, and I are playing forwards again... > *ah-HEM* Yeah. You forgot my wife. ;'} > Anyway, speak for yourself. I have a feeling Em and I, at least, > would still manage to do it backwards. Thanks for the vote of confidence, LK. Actually, we just got Deadlands, and I'm coming up with some ...odd... ideas for use in severals games, including IN. I mean. ghost rock alone has such potential. > Oh, great...Marvel/In Nomine... Woo-Hoo! I want bit by a radioactive calabim! Ouch! I didn't actually mean.. thaaaaaaat... *thud* Oops da Ogre, ow mudgb4@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 01:17:32 -0400 From: David Edelstein Subject: IN> PBEM... well, not. >>>It's also great when you don't currently have a group... (As in my current situation... BTW-- anyone in the area of Laurel, MD interested in gaming live? Almost any game or genre. )<<< Hmph! Where were you when I was living in Odenton and Baltimore for the last four years? I'd just started a ftf group, finally, when I left. I have also been a PBEM GM for years, though (mostly on the CompuServe Roleplaying Games Forum), and in many respects, I prefer it to ftf. Although you can't bribe the GM with nachos online. - -David http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/DavidEdelstein/innomine.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 01:26:02 -0400 (EDT) From: CeIestiaI7@aol.com Subject: IN> Sacraments V Jediael Angel of Communion Mercurian of Flowers Jediael danced with the congregation as the choir sang a "get up out 'chore chair" rendition of "How Great Thou Art." Over the last few months he'd been to over a dozen churches, watching the churchgoers and participating in their celebration of faith. He'd been amazed at the things he'd seen. Humans had a plethora of ways to speak to and with the Lord. After the service, he slid out as quietly as he slid in. He strolled down the walk in front of the urban church. As he looked around, it struck him how He continued to make his home next to the liquor store, and within a block of at least one crack house. "He comes because they call Him" Jediael nearly left his vessel in fright right there. He turned to see who had startled him. As he spun around he met face to face with a teenage African-American girl, dressed in a floral-print dress and smiling from ear to ear. Jediael was never one for superlatives, but he had to admit to himself that this girl was the most joyously beautiful he had ever seen. Apparently, his shock was evident. The girl took his arm, gave him a coy wink and pulled him along as she spoke, "You see, everyone has their own way of Communing with God. Laurence would have you believe you can only do it once a week in a bread line." Jediael looked surprised and chuckled quietly in disbelief. "Oh, come on," the girl said as she playfully tugged his arm, "There is no ONE way. Didn't you feel the Spirit in you while you sang and danced? Of course you did. And two weeks ago, over the High Holy Days. Didn't you feel His presence as you atoned?" "Yeah, I guess so," Jediael said with a shrug. The girl stepped back and whacked him with her Bible, "You guess so? The problem with you is that you're looking for the quaint little predictable formulae of which your former master was so proud. It's a good thing I rescued you, chump." "Yeah, I guess so," Jediael managed to spit out before the book hit him square in the head. Corporeal Forces - 3 Strength 6 Agility 6 Ethereal Forces - 2 Intelligence 4 Precision 4 Celestial Forces - 4 Will 7 Perception 9 Vessels: Human/5 (Adult Male) Skills: Emote/5, Knowledge/3 (Non-Christian Religions), Language/3 (Hebrew), Language/2 (Greek), Savoir-Faire/1, Singing/2 Songs: Projection (Corporeal/3), Harmony (Celestial/2) Attunements: Mercurian of Flowers, Seraphim of Flowers Special Rites: Spend an hour with more than 10 people praying +1, Bring two groups of different faiths together to pray +3 Jediael has only had his Word for a few months. He was chosen by Novalis for his knowledge of diverse religious groups outside the Christian faith system. She thought it more appropriate to have a more ecclesiastical celestial to take the Word of Communion. Experience is not one of Jediael's strong qualifiers however. He has a deep love for humans and their beliefs, but most of his human contact was made over the internet as a minor servitor of Jean. Novalis is forcing him out into the real world to truly experience what the human condition of faith is, and how groups choose to speak with the Almighty. Jediael feels very ambivalent about the whole process. On the one hand, he has great affection for the Word for which he was chosen, but on the other hand he feels that other celestials resent his dumb luck in being chosen for such an important Word. Of all the Superiors, David in particular is keeping a close eye on Jediael. The young angel is a loner, and holds a Word that is largely a community concept. David will not press the issue with Novalis too soon, but should the mercurian misstep along the way, rest assured that she will hear about it. - ---------------------------------------- Scott Mercurian Friend of Flowers, Angel of Chilling Out ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 08:10:23 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Dresner Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > Thanks for the vote of confidence, LK. Actually, we just got Deadlands, > and I'm coming up with some ...odd... ideas for use in severals games, > including IN. I mean. ghost rock alone has such potential. If you make some Deadlands rules -> IN rules conversions, can you send them on to me? While the setting is cool, the rules, ummmmmmmm..... bite? Is that a good word? How about, "It makes KULT playable." Emily K. Dresner, M.S.Eng. Applications Programmer III and Balseraph of the Game Desktop Applications Team - Medical Center Information Technology Current Quote: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Prank a Malakite, and you're on your own..." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 08:09:07 -0400 (EDT) From: Emily Dresner Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > > THAT would be interesting - the canon goes Dark, and all of a sudden > > Em, Oops, and I are playing forwards again... > *ah-HEM* > > Anyway, speak for yourself. I have a feeling Em and I, at least, > would still manage to do it backwards. Of course. There is always a way to play backwards. Sometimes ya gotta think about it for a while. :) Emily K. Dresner, M.S.Eng. Applications Programmer III and Balseraph of the Game Desktop Applications Team - Medical Center Information Technology Current Quote: "Laugh, and the world laughs with you. Prank a Malakite, and you're on your own..." ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 10:32:23 -0400 From: Charybdis GreyDragon Subject: Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. [Charybdis] >>>>It's also great when you don't currently have a group... (As in my >current situation... BTW-- anyone in the area of Laurel, MD >interested in gaming live? Almost any game or genre. >)<<< [David] >Hmph! Where were you when I was living in Odenton and Baltimore for the >last four years? I'd just started a ftf group, finally, when I left. I was in Houston, Texas. (She says answering as the question as though it were not rhetorical-- an annoying habit she shares with Jeremiah, the Ofanim of Litheroy. ) I only moved here about 2 months ago... [David] >I have also been a PBEM GM for years, though (mostly on the CompuServe >Roleplaying Games Forum), and in many respects, I prefer it to ftf. >Although you can't bribe the GM with nachos online. Though I have had players offer to DCC me chocolate in IRC games... Peace, Charybdis GreyDragon charybdis@krilion.cnchost.com http://www.krilion.cnchost.com ** Pedestrians are like popcorn-you can't eat just one!** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 10:32:10 -0400 From: Charybdis GreyDragon Subject: Re: IN> PBEM games >>>PBEM games work pretty much like "in-person" games. The GM creates the >>>setting, and in an E-mail message to the players, tells them where they >>>are and what is happening. The players then respond to the GM and all >>>the others, saying what their characters are doing. [Charybdis] >> This is true with most PBEM games, though I do know of a few where the >>players post only to the GM and then the GM does summaries for the other >>players. This can be handy when secrecy is important, but is a real >>pain-in-the-butt from the GM's point of view. [Kim] >I've played in PBEMs run both ways. As a Gm I tend to prefer everyone post >just to me. It slows things a bit but other wise things spin out of control >for me. My biggest problem with that is one of motivation... For some reason, whenever I have run games where the players all post to me, the games really slow down. Sometimes (I think) just the race to make *their* smart-arse comment first has been impetus to keep the game moving... Peace, Charybdis GreyDragon charybdis@krilion.cnchost.com http://www.krilion.cnchost.com ** Pedestrians are like popcorn-you can't eat just one!** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 10:32:18 -0400 From: Charybdis GreyDragon Subject: Re: Fluff again (Re: IN> Greetings...) [Charybdis] >> Actually, I meant to ask earlier but forgot... More servitors of >>Litheroy or more Ofanim? More Ofanim of Litheroy in particular? [Archangel Beth] >Ofanim of Litheroy in particular. We have one. Cool! I am not alone! :) [Archangel Beth] >But Ofanim of Litheroy are *scary*. ("It's a Seraph on steroids. And >speed.") Yeah, that's about right... What makes it scarier is that there *is* a Seraph in the party as well.... Our resident Balseraph (at least *I* think he's a Balseraph, he refuses to say...) calls us the Honesty Squad... and takes great pains to ditch us whenever something important needs to be done.. [Charybdis] >>Or just more characters doomed to flee the duct tape??? [Archangel Beth] >Duct tape? Yeah, duck tape. At one point, Terrence's (the one I think is a Balseraph) player asked me OOC if Jeremiah could keep his mouth closed when it was really important, or if he would have to resort to handcuffs and duct tape... Of course, I told him Terrence'd have to use the duct tape... If he could catch Jeremiah that is... :) Peace, Charybdis GreyDragon charybdis@krilion.cnchost.com http://www.krilion.cnchost.com ** Pedestrians are like popcorn-you can't eat just one!** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 10:32:13 -0400 From: Charybdis GreyDragon Subject: Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. [Charybdis] >> Course, those backlogs can be a double edged sword... The players in my >> SID (one of my longer running PBEM games) game, for instance, are >> constantly throwing out names of nobody NPCs that I off-handedly mentioned >> one time over a year ago... Which sends me scrambling for my backlog files >> and Find command to see just who in the blazes they are talking about... :) [Rob] >I'm jealous! Only very rarely have I had this experience. (And, when I >do, I curse myself and take a 20-point Vow to keep better notes. Of >course, I forget about the Vow after a week or two.) Notes? Who keeps notes? (Oh, okay, I do every so often, but not as a general rule)... I just save all my game related posts in a folder in my mailer... Then when it gets too crowded, I back it up to disk... [Though, one day soon, I'd *really* like to get a Zip drive or a Jazz drive instead...] [Rob] > Most of the time, however, my players don't pay enough attention to > remember the name of somebody they ran into next _week_. It's very > sad when you're leaving all these subtle hints all over the place and nobody > spends the 5 seconds necessary to put two and two together. I have some players like that, too... Actually, it's only really 1 or 2 players in each group who *really* strive to keep me on my toes. I'm convinced that one of my players is actually a minor demonling of Nit Picking, actually... :) [Rob] >Can I steal some of your players? :) Hehehe... I don't know about *stealing* them, but if you have openings in any of your games, let me know and I can post an invitation to the TCR Masterlist (which goes out to all the players in all the games hosted on our web-page)... [Rob] >The dark side of that is that many of the PBEMs I've played in have >degenerated for a time into ridiculous, gratuitous inter-party >bickering. The sort of thing which would be quickly settled (and handled >more politely) in person turns into a gigantic party hate-fest in the >PBEM. I think it is an effect of the same phenomenon as the mailing list >flamewar. That's true too... But I do tend to step in at that point, as GM, and try to moderate to get things moving on again in a more positive fashion. Actually, one of my games right now is engaging in interparty combat because one PC (not the player) took great offense at something another PC did... I figure I'll let the combat run 2 or 3 rounds and see if it settles; then if things are still in chaos, I have a few tricks up my sleeve to get themselves thinking like a party again... [Rob] >Sheesh... not that I've got the right hardware for it, but if I had a >baby on the way, I might have to stop GM'ing all of the games I run! :) Well, the first few months of my pregnancy were really rough. Because of that, and because of my history of miscarriage, the doctor really didn't want me working... Well, he didn't say that, but he said not to stand more than 2 hours at a time (or sit more than that), to keep my blood sugar level stable (ie eat every 2 hours or so), and to avoid stress... All of which has essentially meant that I can't work. (Bummer, right? ). So I actually have a lot more time on my hands than I would otherwise... Now, as for how well I can handle it once the baby arrives-- that remains to be seen... [Rob] >Hmm, I suppose, if your characters are enough of self-starters, you >could almost sit back and let them go. I find that I really need to >keep up with my games, however, and keep interacting with them in order >to keep them alive. Most of my players are self-starters... Well, at least 1/2. And their leads often keep the others moving. I do still need to interact with them. Frankly I tend to drop OOC comments even when there is no need to interact, just so they know I'm still listening. But just keeping up with the flow of events is, for me at least, a fairly easy task. [Rob] >I may prepare less than you. I tend to work up broad outlines, general >areas, general ideas for the plot, and then in detail only where the >characters start. I don't do a lot of detailed preparation for the >rest. That's really all I do... Well, I honestly tend to start with characters first... Most of my plots, etc, are set around an interesting idea I have for a character which would never otherwise see the light of day. [Rob] > I see where the characters go, and then keep preparing on the fly >based on the direction where they all go. Sometimes I change my whole >idea about the plot of the game based on what the characters are doing, >but I certainly have to keep inventing settings at the characters move >places I never thought they'd get to. So, in a sense, for me I'm still >setting up the game even while I'm maintaining it. Oh, I do that too... But still, planning ideas is something I can (literally) do in my sleep. The part that I hate is slogging though character submissions, double-checking the rules, all the mechanics oriented drek that comes with setting up the game. Plus, there's the hassle of figuring out how to get all these very diverse, very creative characters together in the first place... Peace, Charybdis GreyDragon charybdis@krilion.cnchost.com http://www.krilion.cnchost.com ** Pedestrians are like popcorn-you can't eat just one!** ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:16:42 -0400 (EDT) From: Ozmodeus Subject: IN> PBEM question To whomever was planning the Superiors PBEM game, I think it was Nathan..... How much will the players be constrained by the personality descriptions in the books? For instance, will Belial and Gabriel be pretty much forced to take any action they can against one another? Will Saminga really have to be a big dumb goon? How "pig-headed" and vainglorious will Michael be? And will Dominic be a BalSeraph? :):) just curious, Dan Ozdowski The book says Malphas is pretty well liked by all the other DP's as part of his nature - hmmm.... - -- The Devil's Cabana Boy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:57:19 +0000 From: "Nathaniel Eliot" Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > > > THAT would be interesting - the canon goes Dark, and all of a > > > sudden Em, Oops, and I are playing forwards again... > > > > *ah-HEM* > > Yeah. You forgot my wife. ;'} Begging my pardon, to both of you. I was simply going with the three ones that I knew for certain - Kingsley I suspected, but couldn't remember proof. Nathaniel Eliot temujin9@ix.netcom.com In the fourth grade, Mrs. Watkins gave me a D in Mathematics. I was not a happy camper. Now she's a blood thirsty demon from the seventh plane of hell, and I have a Mini gun with 2000 rounds of HESH ammo. Mrs. Watkins...Class is back in session. - Heavy Ordinance ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:57:19 +0000 From: "Nathaniel Eliot" Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > > THAT would be interesting - the canon goes Dark, and all of a > > sudden Em, Oops, and I are playing forwards again... > > Anyway, speak for yourself. I have a feeling Em and I, at least, > would still manage to do it backwards. Probably, once you realized you were playing forwards...I probably would, too (because my backwards isn't exactly in that direction, anyway). Nathaniel Eliot temujin9@ix.netcom.com In the fourth grade, Mrs. Watkins gave me a D in Mathematics. I was not a happy camper. Now she's a blood thirsty demon from the seventh plane of hell, and I have a Mini gun with 2000 rounds of HESH ammo. Mrs. Watkins...Class is back in session. - Heavy Ordinance ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 18:00:31 +0100 From: "cd skogsberg" Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! Emily Dresner wrote: [Deadlands] > While the setting is cool, the rules, ummmmmmmm..... bite? Is that > a good word? How about, "It makes KULT playable." And what, pray tell, have you got against KULT? ObINTie-In: In one KULT supplement (_Fallen Angels_ or _Legions of Darkness_, I can't remember) there's a bit on the Messiah and a cult (not KULT) called the Qumran Church; the Messiah works towards an Apocalypse, and there was an adventure in a Swedish mag. where the four pre-made characters were the four apostles, and, during the course of the adventure, become the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and we find out that the Messiah posed as Jim Morrison for a while. The whole point of KULT is, after all, to break through the illusions, and *that's* what the Messiah wants to achieve with the Apocalypse. cd If the above text was totally incomprehensible, it's because I'm too tired. - -- "And it has come to pass that the Lord of the Woods, being ... Seven and nine, down the onyx steps ... (tri)butes to Him in the Gulf, Aza- thoth, He of Whom Thou hast taught us marv(els ..." - H. P. Lovecraft, _The Whisperer in Darkness_ ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 12:08:54 +0000 From: "Nathaniel Eliot" Subject: Re: IN> PBEM question > To whomever was planning the Superiors PBEM game, I think it > was Nathan..... Yep - realize that this is *far* from final, as I am still looking for games that have suitable pawns for the Superiors games, and trying to decide if I have the time. > How much will the players be constrained by the personality > descriptions in the books? For instance, will Belial and > Gabriel be pretty much forced to take any action they can > against one another? Will Saminga really have to be a big dumb > goon? How "pig-headed" and vainglorious will Michael be? > > And will Dominic be a BalSeraph? :):) What I was thinking is this - I will have people write up their interpretation of the character, and the person with the most detailed and most (in my mind) internally consistant concept for the AA gets it. So I guess the answer is "Only sorta". If you can write an explaination for the Superior that fits the rules and situations logically (including the public opinions of other superiors), then you have a pretty wide reign. Of course, you'd have to be a minor *god* at writing to convince me Dommie's a Balseraph... Nathaniel Eliot temujin9@ix.netcom.com In the fourth grade, Mrs. Watkins gave me a D in Mathematics. I was not a happy camper. Now she's a blood thirsty demon from the seventh plane of hell, and I have a Mini gun with 2000 rounds of HESH ammo. Mrs. Watkins...Class is back in session. - Heavy Ordinance ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:25:46 -0500 From: Bob the Dancing Monkey Subject: [none] Good day all- I've been enjoying some of the rather peculiar silliness recently, but I admit that I am somewhat mystified at two references to Superiors which I think were discussed when I was busy and doing mass-deletion of a lot of my mailing lists. Who are Litheroy and Legion? Regards, - -Drew ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 09:12:05 -0700 (PDT) From: Robert Knop Subject: Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. > Notes? Who keeps notes? (Oh, okay, I do every so often, but not as a > general rule)... I just save all my game related posts in a folder in my > mailer... Then when it gets too crowded, I back it up to disk... [Though, > one day soon, I'd *really* like to get a Zip drive or a Jazz drive instead...] Heh... yeah, fortunately I got my home computer recently enough that it has a really big drive. I also save all the posts from a game, but there are just so _many_ of them that sometimes I'll have to spend hours searching through old messages to make sure I'm being consistent. Sometimes keeping notes is the only hope I have. (This is true for games I play in as well, actually.) > I have some players like that, too... Actually, it's only really > 1 or 2 players in each group who *really* strive to keep me on my toes. > I'm convinced that one of my players is actually a minor demonling of > Nit Picking, actually... :) It's bad when you have a few good players, and a few who don't post very often, and the the party goes and splits up and all the good players are in different subgroups. All of a sudden the great interaction you can get between the good players is just gone. Or, if you have one group left behind which needs to receive an essential clue, and it is composed entirely of the quieter sorts.... yipes. - -Rob === Rob Knop === rknop@crl.com ==== http://www.wco.com/~rknop === Amiga PGP information at http://www.wco.com/~rknop/amiga_pgp Visit the Dramatic Exchange at http://www.dramex.org/ ================================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:35:58 -0500 (CDT) From: Martin Leslie Leuschen Subject: IN> High expectaions... >From: Robert Knop >Subject: Re: IN> PBEM... well, not. > >Most of the time, however, my players don't pay enough attention to >remember the name of somebody they ran into next _week_. ^^^^ Me thinks thou dost expect too much of thine players. `Ta, Martin Leuschen martinl@rice.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 12:59:00 -0400 (EDT) From: Casca Subject: Re: IN> PBEM question On Fri, 17 Oct 1997, Nathaniel Eliot wrote: > So I guess the answer is "Only sorta". If you can write an > explaination for the Superior that fits the rules and situations > logically (including the public opinions of other superiors), then > you have a pretty wide reign. Of course, you'd have to be a minor > *god* at writing to convince me Dommie's a Balseraph... Someone call me? ;) I'm rather proud of that twisted idea.... - -- Casca (bertishg@db.erau.edu) "...I saw the Lord seated on a throne, high and exalted, and the train of His robe filled the temple. Above Him were seraphs, each with six wings: with two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying...At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook, and the temple was filled with smoke." -- Isaiah 6:2,4 ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 10:13:55 -0700 From: "Steven Feldon (Exchange)" Subject: IN> RE: Litheroy is the Archangel of Revelation, a Seraph, who is detailed in the Game Master's Pack. Legion was the Demon Prince of Corruption, a Shedite, who is detailed in the designer's notes article for In Nomine in Pyramid. He was destroyed in the 17th century by Raphael in a major bipartisan battle-both Heaven and Hell wanted him dead, because he had discovered how to possess multiple bodies and was taking over whole villages. steve -----Original Message----- From: Bob the Dancing Monkey [SMTP:djohnson@atlas.socsci.umn.edu] Sent: Friday, October 17, 1997 9:26 AM To: in_nomine-l@LISTS.IO.COM Subject: Good day all- I've been enjoying some of the rather peculiar silliness recently, but I admit that I am somewhat mystified at two references to Superiors which I think were discussed when I was busy and doing mass-deletion of a lot of my mailing lists. Who are Litheroy and Legion? Regards, -Drew ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:18:11 -0600 (MDT) From: Kingsley Lintz Subject: Re: IN> PBEM question > The book says Malphas is pretty well liked by all the other > DP's as part of his nature - hmmm.... Yeah, but that's because Malphas knows how to play them. "Nybbas, babe, how ya doin'? Listen, let's to lunch, hey?" Then he turns around and says, "Greetings, Dread Lord Saminga.." {At least, that's how I was playing him in our ftf-Demon Prince game...did you know Valefor speaks in rhyme?} ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 12:06:53 -0500 (CDT) From: Donald G Bixler Subject: Re: IN> Revelations Cycle Revealed! > If you make some Deadlands rules -> IN rules conversions, can you send > them on to me? Whoah! Hold yer horses!. We just bought the book yesterday for one thing and I'm more likely to swipe concepts than do a bonafide translation. I may try, though. The jokers seem to have a natural translation at least. ;'} > While the setting is cool, the rules, ummmmmmmm..... bite? Is that a good > word? How about, "It makes KULT playable." Hmm.. They haven't seemed very bad to me, but I haven't read the whole thing yet. (I'm not sure if I want to ruin the surprise by reading the Marshal's section. > Emily K. Dresner, M.S.Eng. Oops da Ogre, IN: Wild West- Viva Vapula! mudgb4@uxa.ecn.bgu.edu ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:22:35 -0600 (MDT) From: Kingsley Lintz Subject: Re: IN> PBEM question > you have a pretty wide reign. Of course, you'd have to be a minor > *god* at writing to convince me Dommie's a Balseraph... Oh, sure, and then you think, "Oh-ho! A minor god that got loose! Send in Uriel!" I'm not falling for THAT one again... ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 11:10:27 -0700 (PDT) From: Robert Knop Subject: Re: IN> High expectaions... > >Most of the time, however, my players don't pay enough attention to > >remember the name of somebody they ran into next _week_. > ^^^^ > > Me thinks thou dost expect too much of thine players. Heh... whoops, I meant 'last'. Of course, if this were a time travel campaign, then perhaps it would make sense. - -Rob === Rob Knop === rknop@crl.com ==== http://www.wco.com/~rknop === Amiga PGP information at http://www.wco.com/~rknop/amiga_pgp Visit the Dramatic Exchange at http://www.dramex.org/ ================================================================= ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 14:26:51 EST From: "PERRY M. LLOYD" Subject: Re: IN> Greetings... Nathaniel Eliot temujin9@ix.netcom.com said: >I am thinking of doing a PBEM for Superiors, who would give orders to >the lower level celestials. Would that at all interest you (as far >as hooking the two up)? >I'm also interested in playing... Hot damn! Lemme in on the action! - -Perry Perry M. Lloyd My mother's cooking (she's a goddess). Being comforted after a fall. Going to bed early. These are a few of my favorite things. (A.k.a. "Not why I came to college.") ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 15:37:34 -0400 (EDT) From: Ozmodeus Subject: Re: IN> PBEM question According to Kingsley Lintz: > Yeah, but that's because Malphas knows how to play them. "Nybbas, > babe, how ya doin'? Listen, let's to lunch, hey?" Then he turns around > and says, "Greetings, Dread Lord Saminga.." Hey-hey Belial! Can I get a light for my cigar? Okay Valefor, you're right. I guess I "dropped" my wallet. Thanks for finding it! C'mon Baal, you can take him! i got your back..... Say Vapula, could you get me 30 of #sds4r5p166b, and STAT? It really doesn't matter if they work..... Andre, I found this GREAT massage oil...... :) Dan Ozdowski - -- The Devil's Cabana Boy ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 17 Oct 1997 15:49:00 -0500 From: "Yeager, Alex" Subject: IN> [SEED] Deliverance - LONG Okay, here it is...a con-tested one-shot adventure for your public amusement. I've shortened some of the details considerably (I'm working on a full module-style writeup before getting my winter con scenario developed), and added a few opinions/experiences in brackets along the way. Disclaimers: I'm a sucker for showy cinematography, I REALLY enjoy laughing, and I seem to be developing a fascination with Marc (all you "Marc is a wimp" folks, beware...) So, without further ado... Deliverance (an IN scenario/seed) "The Symphony ebbs and surges through all events, but the Fallen+s dark discord is brought to bear when the mundane and ordinary intersect with a mortal+s naiveté. The responsibility of the Light is to illuminate the ordinary ­ because what event in a person+s fragile life could ever truly be called ordinary?...¦ Yves, "Humanity and Temptation" ACT I - Renaissance Ctr./GM World HQ (Tether for Marc), Detroit MI The PCs have been told to gather for a meeting at 9 pm in a conferenc room at the RenCen. A few minutes of obligatory small-talk is encouraged; an agenda has been placed at each chair (listing time/place/location and the following bullets: Introductions, Mission, Logistics, Goals, Adjournment [until Midnight]). At precisely 9 p.m. Marc and another angel will materialize at the end of the table. Marc is seated, and dressed in a very stylish three-piece; the angel standing behind them is dressed more casually (but still businesslike) and is holding a bulky rectangular package. Marc will begin immediately, calling the meeting to order and overseeing the introductions. Marc will interact briefly with each PC - roleplay it to the hilt, especially if they didn't bother to dress for a business meeting ;) . Then, he launches into the next agenda item (or, after the optional obligatory business meeting bad joke): "There are some very important talks going on between General Motors and the United Auto Workers even as we speak. The sides are very close to reaching an agreement. However, everyone is very tired, the negotiations are not completed, and it's anyone's guess what might trigger an outburst that breaks off talks. Just getting the talks moved here was a major undertaking, and if something should stop them now..." Marc shakes his head, pauses, then stares at the PCs with fire in his eyes. +I...will NOT...allow that to happen. "Now, to describe your role in this. Based on previous experiences, we know that the negotiating teams will probably order a delivery meal within the next hour or so. Also based on previous experience, it+s likely to be a pizza order. If the food does not arrive on time and in an acceptable state, it could provide a trigger for the talks to collapse. Your job will be to make sure that transaction takes place smoothly and without interruption." If any of the PCs laugh or make a joke, slap 'em with a dissonance roll. (Marc will remove it at the end of the scenario, if completed appropriately.) He will then continue: "Our sources have informed us that our Celestial Competition has a representative in town that might be in a position to interfere, as his...talents lie in that direction." And the briefest of smiles will cross his face... INTERLUDE * * * As you are ushered into the presence of Purulentus, the first thing you will notice is the sickly-sweet smell of...you can+t quite place it, although there+s a butcher-shop undertone that+s familiar. Purulentus looks like a cross between an NFL linebacker and a pit bull ­ well, a cross that would include a scowling crimson face and leathery wings crumpled against his back. He barely acknowledges your presence before he launches into his tirade: +Yeah, I got a Word ­ no thanks to Mister Lightbringer...I useta work for Saminga, see, and I saw a chance for a Word...Purulentus, Demon of Vehicular Homicide, that was gonna be me. So I get Saminga to allow me to try for it, and I says to myself, +How can I find a bunch of drivers that are immature, unstable, and drive badly?... +So I start using pizza delivery drivers. I skip from town to town, fixing things so that the drivers would get behind the wheel all angry and violent. In the first month I kill off eight people. Everything seems to be going great. Then, I get to my next town. I get this twerp to drive into a wedding party outside a church, ¹cuz his ex-girlfriend+s getting married. Seven people dead, including the priest, the bride and groom, and the ring-bearer. Everybody goes nuts ­ Angels and Demons are fighting each other all over town. I figure hey, I+ve hit the big time, and its time to petition Lucifer for my Word. Saminga just grimaces and nods, and sends me off with his sealed +recommendation¦. +Lucifer reads Saminga+s notes, and then informs me that the groom was one of our Soldiers. Says I+ve jeopardized years of work. Informs me that he doesn+t think my approach was very original. Says I didn+t show enough imagination. And then he says that he+s still going to give me a Word, one that reflects my skills and abilities. "And then he makes me Demon of...Late Pizza Delivery.¦ And at that very moment, you recognize the smell that seems to come from Purulentus+s every pore. It+s pepperoni... * * * Purulentus, Calabite of Kobal (formerly a Calabite of Saminga), tells a fairly accurate version of the events surrounding the acquisition of his Word. The fallout from his last spree resulted in a huge regional blow-up, with Laurence himself appearing to wipe out several demons (all of whom Lucifer deemed more important than Purulentus). He is not very smart, evidenced by the fact that one of his favorite means of delaying pizza delivery is to have his vessel walk out in front of a speeding delivery vehicle. (His vessel can handle it ­ it just hurts like hell, which doesn+t seem to deter him...) He is an adequate brawler, and is very difficult to slow down Corporally. His anger at Lucifer has manifested itself as Discord (Charisma -1), which Kobal tweaked to be his constant smell of pepperoni. After his Word was assigned, Saminga disowned Purulentus, and gave him to Kobal permanently. Purulentus holds a grudge against Saminga (justifiably, as Saminga+s +recommendation¦ consisted of more abuse than praise, with the direct plea to +help me lose this brain-dead lummox¦), and he also has the feeling that Kobal finds him more amusing than his actions (again, he+s correct ­ Kobal finds him entertaining in the same way that he finds suicides entertaining between the bridge and the water). Despite his lack of intelligence and creativity, Purulentus has proven adept at defending his Word ­ adept enough to worry Marc in this situation. Marc continues: +So your mission is to find out where they+re ordering food from, and then protect that food until it is delivered to the room where the talks are taking place. In order to assist you in your task, I have had one of my Interns prepare a tool for you...Misa?¦ [Note: in my little world, those questing for Words under Marc are Interns; those with Words assisting a lesser Celestial are Mentors.] Misa is a Cherub of Marc, and is questing to be Purulentus+ Angelic opposite ­ Angel of Pizza Delivery. Unlike his enemy, he is eager to assume this Word, and takes his role very seriously (he has no direct competition for the Word). His role is to watch the PCs and report back to Marc on their effectiveness. (He dislikes the fact that he+s not personally involved, but Marc feels that he needs to learn how to delegate, as well as fulfill, his duties.) As part of his test, he has created an artifact useful in his future duties- the Holy Food Warmer. (Again, when this item is mentioned for the first time, anyone laughing earns a Dissonance roll and/or a stern rebuke from Marc/Misa.) The Holy Food Warmer has an elaborate series of snaps, straps and buckles that will allow it to take the form most efficient for the food's transportation. It acts as a perfect insulator; it will also absorb up to 8 points of damage before being rendered useless. If the Warmer is in danger of being destroyed, Misa will immediately step in to defend it. Points Marc will emphasize: - - As little Symphonic disturbance as possible, but OK as necessary (The PCs will probably end up burning a good deal of Essence before it's over.) - - The transaction must be completed, and completed without DIRECT intervention. (No taking the pizza from the delivery person, creating money, etc.) The transaction is not complete until the money has returned safely to the pizza parlor. - - The negotiations are taking place two floors down. They are NOT to disturb the negotiators in any way, but they can enter the room freely (corporally). The group is to meet back at midnight to evaluate their success. With that, Marc and Misa disappear. [Okay, it's a lot of setup, so we'll go fast-forward from here out...] Getting into the meeting is no problem...if you're dressed for a business meeting (or if they can improvise a cleaning outfit or press credentials). Any PCs are escorted to a observers' area, where they will hear the order placed around 9:45 p.m. (with the admonition that the RenCen entrances are sealed around 11 p.m., and that it will be much more bother to get in after that). The pizza place chosen, Mama Pompeii's, is in the heart of Little Italy, about five minutes by car from the RenCen... ACT II - Mama Pompeii's, Little Italy, Detroit MI (10 p.m.) It's a busy restaurant, with a delivery service run out of the back of the restaurant. The front is bustling with pedestrians and other visitors wandering through Little Italy; the back of the restaurant features a dimly-lit parking lot which is fenced and has a remote- controlled gate. (Several delivery vehicles will come and go, and sneaking into the lot, vehicle or not, is not a problem.) Any attempts to enter the kitchen will be met with escalating rebuke; the pizzas are assembled in public view inside, so PCs can track the order as it's made. The order comes up around 10:05 p.m.; about the same time, Purulentus arrives out back. He will note the Celestial presences and trigger a Song of Thunder about a minute before the pizza comes out the back door. Purulentus' plan is to walk up to the vehicle, smash the hood, smash the windshield, grab the steering wheel and rip it out, smash the driver's side window, get the pizzas out of the car and throw them four miles into the Detroit River. The PCs should be able to slow him down (he'll run before being corporally killed); after running him off, the next situation will probably be dealing with the pizza delivery boy who just watched all this. Of course, they need to get the pizzas delivered, so they may try to do this in their car while on the road. Enter demon number two. Movoir is a nasty bit of work; a bit on the light side for your average Djinn, his speciality lies in achieving physical contact with an object - and then shooting it off in a random direction. He has the Song of Displacement (treat as the Celestial Song of Motion, Level 6) which allows him to move the target (the object he has just touched) on a successful Perception roll, randomly away from its current position by a number of miles equal to the check digit. He will avoid physical combat whenever possible (through Dodge, Songs of Motion and/or Shields). Movoir will position himself in such a way as to be directly in the path of their vehicle. (Ideally, it+ll be as the PCs are leaving the lot through the gate.) He is making no effort to conceal himself or his Demonic nature, and does not appear concerned about the vehicle bearing down on him. If any attempts to avoid him are made, he will adjust his position (as minimally and casually as possible) to remain in their path. As the vehicle is about to hit him, he will put out his hands... ACT III - Ouelette Avenue, Windsor, Ontario, Canada Yup. Six miles due west, and fifty feet from a telephone pole in the land of back bacon and Labatt's. Nothing's damaged (assuming the driver makes the appropriate Driving roll to handle the new landscape), but now they have a new danger - U.S. Customs. They're mundane, but they might as well be Djinn of Asmodeus for all the trouble they can cause. Roleplaying points: - - They've got a minor in the car, along with the pizza, any weaponry they may have on them, etc. - - Anyone who took Role/1 or /2 might have some difficulty when they ask for identification (and a driver's license is not sufficient if the agents play hardball) - - Got any Seraphs in the group? You might not want them answering the questions the agent will propose ("Anything to declare?") - - If the PCs come up with a foolproof plan to get across the border, mentally congratulate them, then have the car in FRONT of them get stopped for trying to sneak four bottles of Absolut from the duty-free store through in their trunk... Through this all, emphasize how the time is ticking away towards their 11 p.m. deadline. Slow them, but don't stop them (there's more fun yet to come, kiddies!) There's two ways back into the U.S. from Windsor - the bridge (a ways away from both their current position and their goal), and the tunnel (which lets them out virtually in front of the RenCen). Make them pick the tunnel. Movoir, who has a general sense of where they went, communicated this info to Purulentus, who was grudgingly impressed with Movoir's little trick. (Movoir, by the way, was just a cosmic coincidence, close enough to the action to want to have a little fun.) Purulentus has put up a construction zone (his nifty Song of Illusion) for two blocks immediately coming out of the tunnel. High cement walls, orange signs, the works. This gets them a few blocks away, where Purulentus has Plan B waiting... ACT IV - Parking Lot Mayhem You name it, Purulentus has it waiting in a small van he's following the PCs in. (He picks them up just outside the Customs area on this side of the border.) If any of the PCs notice they're being followed after the first block or two, the bumper sticker on the van ("Think Kobally, Act Violently") should be a tip-off. Let the Malakim go wild - guns, knives, small woodland animals, whatever. And, roll a d6 every three rounds or so to see how many of Detroit's Finest pull up in squad cars to observe the violence... [My chance to teach combat mechanics...heh heh heh...] ACT V - RenCen and RenCen Again (10:45 p.m.) Whatever's left of the group now gets to make a run for the RenCen. Put Movoir somewhere in between (I used him as a porter outside the hotel entrance to the RenCen, the entrance most easily used that late). This should be less bloody, but more fun, as a PC or two gets teleported randomly. Once inside the Tether/RenCen, the pizza delivery boy is safe to deliver the food and get back downstairs with the money. Now, it's a piece of cake: get the delivery boy back to Mama Pompeii's with the money, clean up whatever mess they made (Marc is a BIIIG believer in restitution), and then get back to the RenCen for the midnight recap. If Purulentus is still kicking, have him show up just as the delivery boy is dropped off, then roll the patented "Bad Guy With Hostage Evil Plan Exposition Number 23B" tape until the PCs come up with a way to take him out one last time. Marc will evaluate the following at the second meeting: Was the transaction completed, and appropriately? Was the food delivered on time and in good shape? Was anyone+s intervention necessary (Misa, another Superior, etc.)? Was any other property damaged and not restored? Marc will clean up any Dissonance imposed earlier, give thanks where thanks are due, and adjourn the meeting shortly after midnight. There ya go...you could turn this into a demonic adventure pretty easily (with Misa as the leader of the Angelic group trying to protect the pizza from harm). As played, the PC group did get the pizza to the RenCen (with two PCs teleported elsewhere and one poor Malakim of Michael who, while using his car to ram Purulentus' van, rolled a 666 while trying to escape the stick of dynamite that Purulentus had just thrown through his broken front windshield (that door frame was buckled JUST enough...). The explosion blew the car into the air, to land on top of the van, where Purulentus, to avoid damage, rolled a 666. He backfliped over a small cement wall as the van explodes in a fireball of munitions. (A few minutes later, Michael, with a smouldering Malakim in front of him, states, "Well, I certainly can't fault you on your enthusiasm...) Several other alternate scenes, as necessary: the quick run to the gun shop for munitions, the car Marc lends them for the mission ("Don't trash it!"), the hormonally crazed pizza delivery boy, the Tether's Seneschal (a somewhat neurotic Celestial who's still trying to learn his way around the new facility - reference my imaginary previous scenario, Moving Day, about the Tether being transplanted from the old General Motors Building to the RenCen), and/or the poor mugger who tries to shake down the PCs every time they enter the RenCen... I apologize for the length, but it demonstrates a style of IN not often represented here (IN a la Die Hard), and might provoke a few other ideas...Anyone wanting writeups on Purulentus, Movoir, Misa, the delivery boy, etc. let me know off-list and I'll gladly E-mail them. Alex Yeager YeagerAW@Maritz.com MIB 0230/FoL/INWO Local 23 ------------------------------ End of in_nomine-digest V1 #409 ******************************* The material here is (C) 1997 Steve Jackson Games, Incorporated. All rights reserved.