Venting (and a book list)

I need to write, but I don't know that I want to or what to write about - too many thoughts and ideas buzzing around in my head.  Not nearly enough of them game-related.

Frankly, the news keeps me anxious and depressed, but my typical response (retail therapy, my daughter calls it) brings guilt as I think I should be spending on more useful things.

Like ammunition.

Or food, booze, medical supplies, and books.

Just not RPG-specific books (despite there being many awesome kickstarters out there, right now).

RPG-adjacent books, though, I might can justify. 

But what to buy?

The Hesperian Health Guides are a solid start - not that I don't trust where the American health systems are headed, but I don't trust where systems as a whole are headed.  For me, at least, the popular Foxfire series of books are not the answer, as the varied contents of each book are too much a chore for me to read through. 

Dave Canterbury's Bushcraft books are neat and useful and well-illustrated, but I already own them.

From experience, the books from Paladin Press are always ... interesting.  I remember ogling the titles in the back of Soldier of Fortune magazine when I was a kid.

Then again, whatever Field Manuals and Training Manuals I don't own from a few terms spent in the military might be a useful pick-up.  Often dry reading, though.

All in all, I am trying to get past a writing block, and this post hopefully does it.  

Thanks for reading.

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Since you read through all that, here is my Joesky tax.  A d30 table of books for a kinda-modern game, be it The Morrow Project, Twilight 2000, Aftermath, The Walking Dead, maybe Car Wars, or something else along those lines.  The books are heavily US-centric, though, so there is that.

These books might be found in an old ammo can sealed in individual gallon ziploc bags; a footlocker under old uniforms and other military memorabilia; a bookshelf; the door, central console, or glove box of an abandoned vehicle; someone's backpack; or all of them together in PDF format on a thumb drive or external hard drive.  

Regardless, none of these are useful unless the reader can actually read English.  Each book may provide a skill bonus of some sort - I won't be suggesting any particular ones.  

1. FM 7-8 Infantry Rifle Platoon and Squad - 100-mile-an-hour tape reinforces the spine, and a bookmark made of several pieces of 5-50 paracord attached to a grenade pin show this to be well-used book.  The name LT Smith is written in black sharpie, above several coffee rings that stain the cover.
2. FM 21-150 Combatives - hand-to-hand combat, the US Army way!  Remember, folks, the person that wins a melee is the first person to have a friend show up with a gun!
3. FM 21-76 Survival - a thick catch-all manual for pilots and others that may spend a long time far from friendly lines.  This copy shows wear and tear, and uses a variety of pine needles and leaves as bookmarks.
4. Where There is No Doctor - this book might be in any number of languages, but the illustrations ensure at least a small bonus; in fact, it might actually be any of the Hesperian Health Guides, depending on GM whim. 
5. Boy Scout Manual (1982 edition) - this dog-eared book has the name BEN JAMMIN stenciled on the inside cover.   The year of printing dictates the skills covered in the book.
6. The Human Powered Home - several illustrated suggestions for enhancing your homelife without electricity.  Bicycles and treadles feature in many of the ideas.
7. Ragnar's Ten Best Traps - more than ten, actually, for fish, fowl, game animals, and people.
8. Bushcraft 101 - if you are lucky, you might instead find the Bushcraft Boxed Set, likely without the box, instead.
9. The Lost Art of Reading Nature's Signs - a useful book for those forced into the outdoors, rather than having grown up in them.
10. Pocket Naturalist Guides - One (or more) pocket-sized illustrated foldables covering a range of information, from foraging to knot-tying to the birds of Northeast America, so they may not always prove useful. 
11. Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine: The Definitive Home Reference Guide to 550 Key Herbs with all their Uses as Remedies for Common Ailments by Andrew Chevallier  - this thick book is full of pictures and tips
12. FM 23-10 Sniper Training - it's not just how to shoot at a distance, but also infiltration and exfiltration and camouflage.
13. Storey's Basic Country Skills - from the label on the side and library card on the back cover, it is apparent this tome is well overdue from the North Shelby Library, located in Birmingham, Alabama.
14. The Anarchist's Cookbook - the first edition is from 1971 and is full of information that most folks probably should not really need to know.  Fun conspiracy - the explosives formulas in it are deliberately wrong and designed to blow up the would-be anarchist!  I lack the background (and desire) to test this conspiracy. 
15. The Joy of Home Distilling - a useful picture-filled guide to distilling spirits, either for drinking or fuel.
16. English-to-LANGUAGE, LANGUAGE-to-English Phrasebook - Polish is the linked example, but depending on the game's setting, most anything is possible.
17. AAA Road Atlas - while small roads and even road names may change, the major roads don't, and regardless of the age of the AAA road atlas, it can get you where you want to be, as long as you don't need to be there.
18. Foldable state maps - these may lack the grid squares of military maps, making calling for fire (and ordering pizza from drivers with a GPS) difficult, but these laminated maps make navigation all the easier.
19. FM 4-25.11 First Aid - despite the bloodstains, slight water damage, and tears, this book is complete and hella useful to those trying to save a life.
20. Propaganda by Edward Bernays - this thin paperback is notable for its marginalia relating to specific historical figures making use of different aspects of the book.  Studying this might enhance one's persuasion skills.
21. Carpentry for Dummies - this well-worn book always produces a bit of sawdust when shaken, and its spine is broken from being pressed flat numerous times.  Illustrated and presumes access to tools that might not be available.
22. The Art of War by Sun Tzu - just a translation of the basic book; The Art of War with Commentaries by Sun Tzu - this English translation also includes commentaries from the ages, making it a more interesting read than the basic translation.  Folded pages from a legal pad stuffed in throughout the book add the last owner's insights to the commentaries.   
23. TM 31-210 Improvised Munitions - this yellowing copy is older than you are and may have been used in Viet Nam.   
24. Mask of Command and Face of Battle by John Keegan - this pair of books addresses both sides of battle, and would-be combat leaders can benefit from reading them.  Weapons change, but the people fighting don't.
25. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius - a textbook on Stoicism.  Studying and adopting this mindset may reduce stress and make it easier to survive torture or other stamina-checking extremes.  This particular copy is a well-read paperback with "key" lines underlined.
26. Cheap Shots, Ambushes, and Other Lessons by Marc MacYoung - reading this and putting it into practice makes life just a bit more survivable in urban environments.
27. FM 5-31 Boobytraps - when you need to protect somewhere or something, but lack the personnel for complete coverage.
28. The Trapper's Bible: Traps, Snares, and Pathguards - a useful mix of traps for game, fur, and people.  For protection only, naturally.
29. Preserving Food without Freezing or Canning - without food, people die.  This book shows a variety of ways to preserve food for the winter months.  It smells faintly of salt.
30. Peterson Field Guide to Medicinal Plants:Eastern and Central North America, first edition - there are more recent editions of this book, and many more Field Guides, but this is one of few that might be useful in a game.

There are a wealth of other books and topics that can fit, but I think most of these would be easily gameable, especially in rulesets with skill systems.  

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Note that owning/researching some of these titles might put you on a list - but I am right there with you.  Also, I presume most established militaries have their own versions of the FMs listed, so replace as needed.  

If you're into particular timelines for your games, some of the items linked above may not have been printed yet, while others may just be more recent editions.  Either way, check edition and print date if you are into that level of authenticity.  

Speaking of food for thought, I found this foraging website aimed at those foraging in the UK.  Kinda neat.

Battletech: Mercenaries

MegaMek and MekHQ no longer work on my computer, and I cannot figure out how to make them do so - I guess I keep failing my skill checks.  So I am going for the next best thing.

No, not the other Battletech video games, although they look pretty awesome (they won't work on my computer, either - maybe I need a better computer).

I'm talking about the tabletop RPG version, coexisting as the game Mechwarrior.  While all that's necessary about a Mechwarrior are their piloting and gunnery skills and what kind of 'mech they are in, there are lots of folks that enjoy knowing more. 

This being the case, Mechwarrior exists in several editions, and each edition has its own rules to create a mercenary unit.  

So of course, I want to build one, and will take you through the steps.  

But first, to put us in the right frame of mind, I suggest we listen to this lovely song.

That done, let's create a mercenary unit!

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First off is deciding which edition to use.  I own a physical copy of this book, so it's what I am using:

The steps are simple enough:

1. Create a Leader
2. Assemble Founding Members 
3. Open Recruiting and Battlefield Experience
4. Obtain Equipment
5. Buy Dropships/Jumpships
6. Determine Payroll, Support Costs, and Maintenance Requirements
7. Name the Mercenary Command and Establish Standing Funds

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1. Create a Leader (pp 136-137)

First up is to determine age, training, and experience of the Commanding Officer.  One thing that hasn't changed over the editions is that Mechwarriors begin training at age 16.  Our leader then received some family training followed by the State Academy, followed by four good terms in his House military. 

This makes him 16+6+12 = 34 years old with +3 friends and +2 unit and +4 influence.  His piloting/gunnery skills are 3/2, making him Elite.

Furthermore, each Commander gets 3 points to spend on Advantages from this list:

For our Commander, I'm thinking he has a Reputation (1pt) as a Bull's-Eye Marksman (1pt), and because of this, he was Knighted (1pt).  

This provides him an additional +3 family, +5 friends, +5 unit, and +2 influence, all for a grand total of +3 family, +8 friends, +7 unit, and +6 influence.  

These modifiers matter because they help determine the Founding Members in step 2.

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2. Assemble Founding Members (pp 138-140) 

This part requires the most work, to include creating members in a similar fashion to creating the leader.  All of this is needed to determine the exact number of members the unit starts with.  

First, I roll 3 d6 of different colors and add modifiers.  

The dice spoke, 3+3=6 family, 6+8=14 friends, and 6+7=13 unit.  Cross-checking the chart gets me 2 Family members, 8 Friends, and 35 Unit Members - it's like his entire battalion mustered out with him.  This gives me 45 founding members total. 

Some of these Founding Members can be 'Special Recruits' allowing the Commander to spend Influence, of which we have 6, to bring with him.  These Specials bring Founding Members of their own, so I reckon we should have some.  This leaves the Leader with 42 randomly determined founding members.

Specials that have Advantages cost 2 Influence each, and those without cost 1 Influence each, so I could have 3-6 Specials in this unit.

Special recruits who have been assigned special advantages and subordinate command positions (executive officer, battalion commander, and so on) roll on the Founding Members Table to determine how many additional recruits each character brings into the command.  For all other special recruits, reduce by half the modified roll result before determining the number of new members those characters bring in. (pg 139)

If I want to start with a large unit - and I do - I need to min/max those 6 Influence points for 3 Specials that have Advantages and then make them officers.  This is easy enough, so I create them the same way I created the Commander.

Special 1 (3/2 Elite) - Family Trained, State Academy, State University, 3 tours, Baron Heir, Reputation

    +3 Family, +8 Friend, +4 Unit, +6 Influence

    3 Family, 5 Friend, 7 Unit

Special 2 (3/2 Elite) - Family Trained, Private Academy, 4 tours, Well-Connected (2), Tactical Genius

    +1 Family, +4 Friend, +4 Unit, +5 Influence

    2 Family, 4 Friend, 7 Unit

Special 3 (4/3 Veteran) - Family Trained, State Academy, 3 tours, Maneuvering Ace, Toughness

    +2 Family, +4 Friend, +5 Unit, +3 Influence

    2 Family, 4 Friend, 11 Unit

This brings the grand totals to 9 Family members, 21 Friends, 60 Unit or 90 people.  The rules don't instruct me to take advantage of the Specials' Influence points to generate their own Specials, but I could see that happening - because the rules also don't tell me I can't.  

Let's look at these folks.  Again, I roll 3 d6 of different colors, to determine unit type, unit rating, and unit weight.  I do this 87 times, because 3 of the Leader's people are the Specials. I then add the Leader and the Specials' rating add to the rolls (+2 for Elite, +1 for Veteran).  Let me open Excel and be back in a bit. - because all real games require use of spreadsheets.

Thank God for Excel! 50 Mechwarriors, including the Leader and Specials and 40 other combat units (presumably the family, friends, and unit members aren't maintenance).  I may play a bit fast and loose with what those other units are - I have nothing against combined arms, but my mental fiction doesn't jive with only Combat Arms forming a unit.  

Fifty Mechwarriors (presumably each with a 'mech) is a solid base to work with, even if I decide some are Dispossessed and lack 'mechs of their own - and I may do this to sustain my mental fiction. Since my Specials need to be in the Command structure, I am making them Company Commanders in our 'Mech Battalion.  

Those 50 'mechs are broken down as 15 Light, 16 Medium (1 Special), 10 Heavy (2 Special), 9 Assault (1 Leader).  If 10 of those mechwarriors are Dispossessed, that still leaves me enough 'mechs for a full battalion with a Command Lance.  Tasty.  I'll figure out which specific 'mechs later, using the RATS (free download!) or MUL maintained by Catalyst.

Presuming Combat units, the other 40 are broken down into 18 assorted infantry squads, 6 Aerospace Fighters, and 17 Assorted tanks.

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Alternatively, I could read the instructions properly and break the unit into lance-sized elements before rolling. While this may totally change the numbers, I am in a spreadsheet kinda mood, so let's go:

Leader has 42 to account for, which is 11 rolls, needing to recruit 2 members (2 Mechwarriors).

Special 1 has 15 to account for, which is 4 rolls, needing to recruit 1 member (Mechwarrior).

Special 2 has 13 to account for, which is 4 rolls, needing to recruit 3 members (2 Mechwarrior, 1 Pilot).

Special 3 has 17 to account for, which is 5 rolls, needing to recruit 3 members. (2 Mechwarrior, 1 Pilot).

This method netted 15 lances of 'mechs (including the Leader and 3 Specials), 2 infantry platoons, and 8 lances of armor or aerospace wings (the Complementary heading is vague). I think it's safe to say that the 9 members needing recruiting are Mechwarriors or Aerospace pilots.

I gotta say, I rolled up a sweet 'mech unit: those 15 lances consist of 2 Light lances (both Elite), 5 Medium lances (1 Elite), 4 Heavy lances (1 Elite), and 3 Assault Lances.  Non-Elite lances are uniformly Veteran.  All non-'mechs are Regulars. 

Compared to the individual rolls, this rolling by lance gives me a decidedly heavier unit, so I will use these numbers for the rest of the example.

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3. Open Recruiting and Battlefield Experience (pp 140-142)

Once founding members are determined, the rest of the unit needs to be hired on or otherwise acquired (I'm a fan of recruiting POWs, myself).  Step 2 shows us we need 6 Veteran Mechwarriors and 2 Regular Aerospace Pilots.

To do this properly, we need to look at each recruiter's influence points, noting that juniors can donate points up the chain at a 2-for-1 deal.  That being the case, each Special will recruit their own.  Each attempt to recruit costs 1 influence point, begins with a target number of 8, and is modified as follows:

Since it's still 3025 for this exercise, we are sticking with Tech Level 1 and no Battlesuit infantry or Clan stuff at all.

Instead of scrolling to the top, here are the Influence point summaries: Leader 6, S1 6, S2 5, S3 3.  So in theory, we can roll 20 times to recruit to our target numbers.  

The pilots require rolls of 11 and 10 to recruit (8 +1 (medium), +2 (pilot), -1 (one level lower) OR -2 (two levels lower)).

S3 Mechwarriors require rolls of 10 to recruit (8 +1 (medium), +1 (Mechwarrior)).  The other Mechwarriors require rolls of 9 to recruit (8 +1 (Mechwarrior), -1 (one level lower), +1 (medium).  

At least these pilots all come with 'mechs and aerospace fighters!

L 1 Regular pilot joins the unit

S1 2 Veteran mechwarriors and a Regular pilot join the unit

S2 1 Veteran mechwarrior joins the unit

S3 blows all three rolls.

Recruiting is tough to do!  Still, we ended with both pilots and 3 mechwarriors, leaving us only 4 'mechs and mechwarriors short.  Technically, we don't really need them, but still.

Now that Open Recruiting is complete, we can move to Battlefield Experience. 

It's a simple enough system.  First the Leader rolls 2d6 to determine mission and result, then subordinate commands (company commanders and at least one armor and one infantry commander) roll 2d6 on the other tables to determine gains and losses.  It is recommended that 'mechs and tanks come and go with personnel.  Each roll takes a game year.  So it is now 3026.

10 is a Garrison/Victory! No personnel losses, but no one increased in skill rating, either.  It beats losing, though!  Presumably the Infantry pulled security, while the Armor supported the 'mechs in the field.

Returning to Outreach after a mission, we are now qualified for step 5 or to repeat this step. 

Let's try for some ships.


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4. Obtain Equipment (pp 142-144)

There is lots of math and dice rolling here, as the setting of the book is 3059, so LosTech from the Helm Core and all of the Clan Tech is potentially available to upgrade 'mechs and make everything shoot farther for more damage while costing more C-Bills.  Despite this, I will be using 3025 sensibilities and options, so am skipping this Step.

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5. Buy Dropships/Jumpships (pp 144-145)

Mercs without their own means of travel are mercs that die in place when a mission goes sideways.  As it appears we are nearly a full battalion of 'mechs, we need either one Overlord or a trio of Unions or some other combination to carry us all.

This is another place where Influence points matter.  So instead of recruiting anyone, we instead try for one dropship or jumpship.

Leader and Specials have 20 Influence points between them, so in theory we've enough for a ship.  Then again, this part forces the transfer of points at the 2-for-1 rate, so presuming 14 Influence are sent to the Leader, that gives the Leader 7 points to go with his base 6, for 13 Influence total.  

As a bonus, the advantages of Titles, Reputation, and being Well-Connected give bonuses.  Among my four I spent 7 points on such things, for the maximum bonus of -7 on the target roll to acquire a dropship.

There's a large chart listing available dropships as of 3059, but all I need to know are a handful and their unupgraded target numbers.

Union  --  10 or 3 after my -7 bonus

Overlord  --  12 or 5 after my -7 bonus

Well, go big or go home.  Let's beat a 5 ... 9.  The Overlord is ours.  Technically, it belongs to its ships captain because I didn't roll high enough, but that is quibbling.

At the end of the Buy Dropship section it tells us we can get a FREE roll for a Dropship if we didn't try for Dropships/Jumpships at all.  The cost is that base target numbers are at +2, so that Overlord would have a target number of 7 and the Union a 5.  

Jumpships are different, though, and require 3 cycles (3 game years) to find and acquire and maybe miss the die roll.  So we'll skip this for now.

In a pinch, transportation can be negotiated as part of a contract or can be hired out of the war chest.  It ain't cheap, though.  This sample unit would cost almost 1,000,000 C-Bills to carry to one planet - which doesn't even look at jumpship rentals!  Luckily, we have an Overlord in our employ (more to add to salaries and maintenance!) so costs are greatly reduced.  

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6. Determine Payroll, Support Costs, and Maintenance Requirements (pp 146-147)

Mercenaries aren't in this business just to die from poor, so these are current going rates.

My notes spreadsheet has a new page for salaries.  Too bad I now need to determine the precise make up of our supporting Armor units to determine how many crew members I have to pay.  The formula is tonnage of the vehicle divided by 15, rounding up.  So a 30-ton tank has two crew members, while an 80-ton tank has 6 crew members.  

Salaries for support staff aren't covered in this chart, but I know quality technicians cost.  They get a separate chart - and Elite 'mech techs have a higher salary than Regular Mechwarriors.  The numbers in parentheses are for techs that fix tanks and other non-mech, non-aerospace fighters.  

The six regular pilots cost 19,500 x 1 each year, for 117,000 C-Bills.  The mechwarriors are gonna be expensive.

4 Lances of Elite Mechwarriors are 16 +3 for specials and leader, 10 lances of Veteran Mechwarriors is 40 +1 leader -4 for missing people is 37.  In annual salaries, that is 1,111,500 + 1,443,000 = 2,554,500  C-Bills per year, just for the mechwarriors.  

Presuming at least one tech per lance, I need at least 25 various techs on staff, mostly 'mech techs.  That's probably another 500,000 or so C-Bills per year.  The book refers me to pg 157 if I want to hire additional techs on an hourly basis. 

Side note - this is why I find it useful to have mechwarriors and tankers who can perform at least basic maintenance on their vehicles.  The mechwarriors won't all be able to, but tankers should have at least one person per vehicle crew who can pull -10 or -20 level maintenance.  If the US Military of 2023 can manage it, the future tankers 1,000 years from now can as well.  Yes, this skews salaries upwards.

This doesn't bring medical and admin and dropship crews into account.  Luckily, there's a chart for that.

So it looks like this unit would need nearly 5 million C-Bills in salaries each year, conveniently broken down into biweekly payments.  

This is before costs of parts and maintenance is taken into account.   Again, a handy chart.

I don't want to calculate man-hours, so will just stick with baseline maintenance costs.  

56 'mechs (I still need to recruit 4 more... or do I) x 150 = 8,400 C-Bills every two weeks, 6 aerospace fighters is 750 C-Bills, 2 infantry platoons is 100 C-Bills, and 20 ground vehicles is 1,000 C-Bills.  So 10,250 C-Bills every two weeks or 266,500 C-Bills each year.  

Parts, repairs, and inevitable replacements are not (yet) accounted for.

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7. Name the Mercenary Command and Establish Standing Funds (pp 147-148)

Naming is easy - incorporate the Commander's name and make it alliterative.  Probably.

Standing Funds, or the War Chest, uses this formula and the following chart: 

(Number of Combat Companies) x 10,000 C-Bills x War Chest Multiplier

Combat Companies... 3 'Mech Companies (1 Elite, 2 Veteran), 2 Armor Companies (Regular), and 1 Infantry Company (Regular).  So 6 combat companies averaging Veteran is 120,000 C-Bills.

All things considered, the War Chest contents aren't enough to cover much of anything - not even a month's salaries for the unit, let alone maintenance costs.   Which is why we fight for pay - bills won't pay themselves!

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Overall, the smart thing to do would be to pare the unit down to a trim 36-mech battalion with its own techs and one (or both) infantry platoon to pull security around our repair bays and supply depots.  

Even in the future, logistics are what win the wars!

Green Dawn Mall

On a whim and solid sales pitch, I bought Green Dawn Mall from Indie Press Revolution.

 

Reading through the thin tome (88 pages of text and some interior character sheets), I am fascinated by how it captures all the strangeness of S.L. Grey's The Mall, the Backrooms, and SCP-3008 and jams it together in a playable format.

I'm even more excited that I may actually get to play Green Dawn Mall, as I have a teen at home with a gaming persuasion, and several friends of the same persuasion.

This isn't a play-test review, as that will hopefully come later, but a quick overview of what promises to be a fun series of one-shot games.

PCs are modern-day teens trapped in an everlasting '80s shopping mall, the titular Green Dawn Mall.  The various stores play into this, going so far as to state that The Magic Eye Store (pg 47) is the only place that 'PCs can hope to get a signal on their cell phones.  They cannot call out, but who knows 'what temporal anomalies can happen there...'

These PCs are there to find a lost Friend, who disappeared looking for something 'special.'

From there, random tables are used to determine stores, oddities of them, and then - perhaps - escape.

It gives off Gardens of Ynn and Stygian Library vibes, with the way they randomly determine what area is encountered next.  A depth-crawl, I think its called.

All-in-all, the potential for fun is a hoot. 

It ain't all that much, so if you've the funds, give it a buy.

Forbidden Lands Stronghold

The Forbidden Lands box set was a welcome Christmas gift this past year.  I skimmed it and put it up.

Then I stumbled across this video from Hexed Press, and now I want to put it into practice and work through the Stronghold building rules - anything to procrastinate from #Dungeon23 progress. 

So here goes.

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First off is determining just who is constructing this Stronghold.  We'll start with a trio of successful adventurers and their retainers.

Syr Alayna (Human Fighter), Brand (Human Fighter), Arianna Starchaser (Half-Elf Sorcerer) are the PCs and stars of this show.

Their retainers consist of two Human Fighters (squires to Syr Alayna), a Human Hunter, a Human Minstrel, a Human Rogue, and a Human Peddler.

Local allies include a pair of Druids, Elf and Half-Elf, and a Dwarf Fighter. 

These are the principal builders and suppliers of resources and skills.

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While our heroes could repurpose a discovered/cleared/conquered stronghold and make it their own, we'll save that for later and instead build one from scratch.  Because sometimes I like making my life difficult.

If you want to build your stronghold from scratch, you must first build a wooden house, a stone house, or a castle.  The list on page 194 indicates how long this takes and which tools and raw materials are required.

So basically, Minecraft on paper.  Something I am totally down for. Note that the rulebook states that you can draw a map of your stronghold if you'd like, but it's not required in the rules.  Crazy stuff.

Having found a hill that has ready access to fresh water, a commanding view of avenues of approach, and only a week's ride from the nearest civilized location, Team Example has opted to build a Stone House, a Tower, and a Fort enclosing them.

So 30 gold + 20 gold + 250 gold, as well as 600 stone + 400 stone + 200 stone and 1000 wood.  It takes one month + two weeks + two months, so about four months, to build once resources are on site.  

Between them, the tools required are sledgehammer, pickaxe, saw, and hammer.  Did I mention Minecraft?

You know this Keep.  Artist NOT ME.

All 1200 stone requires a nearby Quarry (controlled by the ally Dwarf Fighter) and costs 2 copper apiece, or 2400 copper.  The 1000 wood requires a Forest or Dark Forest (the Druid allies) and costs 3 copper a piece, or 3000 copper.

So 5400 copper for resources.  And time.

Resources gathered, Team Example begins construction (and to be fair, I might be misinterpreting things, and stacking the three building types is wrong, and the fort would automatically add the other two buildings, but my gut says no.  That gut is filled with cheap red wine, though, so keep that in mind).

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In addition to generic buildings that serve as start points, there are specific areas with specific functions that can be added to the Stronghold.  Some of which are prerequisites for other areas.

The trio sit down and plan out necessities for themselves and their followers, and decide upon a Bakery, a Fireplace, a Forge, a Garden, an Inn, a Library, a Portcullis, Ramparts, a Root Cellar, a Scriptorium, a Shooting Range, a Shrine, Stables, Training Grounds, a Vault, and a Well.

After looking at the list, the fighters add the following defenses: two Guard Towers, a Portcullis, Ramparts.  A Moat is discussed, but decided against.

So in addition to the 1200 Stone and 1000 Wood, they will need 2550 Stone and 1050 Wood and 170 Iron, so 3750 Stone, 2050 Wood, and 170 Iron as a whole.  Note that Iron is 1 silver each. 

In the end, it looks like 7500 Copper for Stone, 3150 Copper for Wood, and 170 Silver for Iron.

Presuming my math is right - I am doing heavy mental math and mixing it with wine.

Note that these various improvements bring more than just costs.  Some boost reputation, some provide defensive bonuses, some provide XP bonuses, or a variety of other things.

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While it takes nearly 4 months to build the basics, the specific extras require an additional six days, sixteen weeks, and two months.  Figuring four weeks to a month, that is a bit more than six additional months.

This puts us at a year of building, more or less.

Once built, money must be spent to cover salaries (especially of guards) and upkeep of the buildings.

Salaries imply hirelings beyond the main retainers.  While there may be numerous extras among the NPCs in the stronghold, a few are necessary, require salaries, and as such, are important people to keep pleased... or at least paid.

Our heroes know that they need a baker, a smith, a farmer, an innkeeper, a handyman, a pair of hunters, and several guards.  This means a daily salary of 38 copper, and 1 silver for all but the guards.  A half-dozen guards would be 6 silver per day, so 38 copper and 7 silver daily total.

If cash reserves run low, a Master Builder can be hired to supervise construction while the adventurers galivant across the land, seeking out new sources of income.  His rate is 2 silver each day. 

As the various hirelings automatically make their assorted skill checks (that is what they are paid for), it may be wise to start construction with a Master Builder instead of risking it on a die roll.

Failing to meet salary means trouble and potentially rebellion. 

Or worse.

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That's it - a Stronghold according to Forbidden Lands.  All told, its fairly quick, as long as resources and cash are available.  The book includes a helpful worksheet for tracking all the bits, which is free to download from the Fria Ligan site.

Having yet to actually play Forbidden Lands, I have no idea how difficult it may be to acquire said resources.  Looking at the treasure tables and the included adventures, coins are few and far between.  Affording the resources and the daily salaries is going to require a substantial down payment or serious favors owed.

So it seems the trio of adventurers were quite successful before deciding to build.  Even so, a wiser course of action might be to space the construction out over years, rather than at one time.  Just like in real life.  Neat.

What this exercise has done is makes me really want to play some Forbidden Lands.

The damaged observatory reminds me of the Ruins on Bone Hill.  Source undetermined, but not me!

Small Update

This has been an exciting month for me, as several Kickstarters have asked for their shipping.

Secrets of the Black Crag, Scourge of the Northland, and something else that I am not sure of.

That said, I did buy some add-ons from Barkeep on the Borderlands, and these add-ons (the coasters) can be used in my terrible beer-swilling YouTube channel, so I am extra happy.

It certainly wasn't the add-ons from City of Tears, because I picked those up today.  I added hardcopies of NGR rules, Gnomes of Levnec, and Gellarde Barrow.  Admittedly, I own PDFs of two of these, but hardcopies are hardcopies.  Now I can see and easily read my games!

Next up is hopping on the Yoon-Suin, Second Edition kickstarter before it goes away in about a week.  Yoon-Suin has always looked interesting, but I am a real-book junkie.  So now I can get my fix.

All the way from Britain.

So now I am international!

Last up for this month's budget is the Mutant Crawl Classics fan starter kit.  Granted, a hardback of the MCC rules would be better, but for this price, I won't complain, especially as it brings dice, rules, charsheets, and an adventure for a low price.

To be honest, these eat into March's budget, too, but I don't think I care all that much.

Anything to force me to not spend money on Magic singles - I don't play enough to justify buying all the admittedly awesome cards out there.

Even the cards I can afford!

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I reckon that this post means I need to go to confession for pride.

  

New Game For Me: Forbidden Lands

Christmas was kind to me, with a copy of Forbidden Lands under the tree (among other things).

For those unaware, Forbidden Lands is a role-playing game from Free League, or Fria Ligan, that is fantasy-themed like DnD, but a different ruleset entirely.  Free League also brings us Tales from the Loop and the Twilight 2000 reboot, so its quality stuff.

The trailer speaks for itself, so take a moment to watch it.

Then maybe spend a lot more time listening to these guys discuss the game and work through the rules.

Outside of actually playing the game, the only thing to do is create a PC or two for it, just to take the character creation rules for a spin.  For those wanting to try this at home, there are some legit free quickstart rules from Fria Ligan.  

So let's get started.

1. Choose your kin.  I'm going with Wolfkin to start with.

2. Pick your profession.  Wolfkin are typically Druids, Fighters, or Hunters.  This Wolfkin is a Hunter. 

3. Decide on your age. Adult, for 14 points to distribute among my attributes.

4. Spend points on attributes.  There are four choices: Strength, Agility, Wits, and Empathy.  Wolfkin allows Agility to go to 5 and Hunters allow Agility to go to 5, but together allow it to go to 6. My 14 points will be divvied up this way - Strength 3, Agility 5, Wits 4, Empathy 2

5. Spend points on skills.  Adults get 10 points, so I'll choose from the Hunter Skills: Stealth 2, Move 2, Marksmanship 1, Scouting 3, Survival 2

6. Choose your starting talents. I get a kin talent, profession talent, and two other talents due to Adult.  Hunting Instincts (kin), Path of the Forest (profession), Pathfinder, Quartermaster

7. Determine your Pride. I'll take one of the offered ones - I can survive alone in the wilds for weeks.

8. Choose a Dark Secret. Another offered one - I once left a wounded friend to die in the woods to save myself.

9. Define your relationships to other PCs. Uncertain without creating an entire party.  Leaning on the random backstory tables in the Legends & Adventurers booklet will carry me through.

10. Pick gear. Bow or Sling, two items from trade good list, d6 silver, Food d8, Water d8, Arrows d10

11. Decide your appearance.

12. Choose your name.  

No dice needed to 'roll up' a PC.  Neat.  

Now to read carefully through both books and see what I can glean for the #Dungeon23 challenge that formally begins next week.

My next step is to get a copy of Raven's Purge, to go along with my PDF of Spire of Quetzel (Questing Beast reviews Spire). Looking at both the official storefront and Drivethrurpg shows lots of options for tabletop and online games.  Color me intrigued.

At some point I will find a playgroup and time for at least a one-shot.

 

March Gaming Updates

Another month, another round of Kickstarter adventures backed and funded.

Gig Economy - NPCs and lots of them

Caverns of Mourning - a megadungeon

DNGN Weird-Fantasy Megadungeon Zine - a megadungeon

Gods of the Forbidden North - note that as of this writing, there are seven days left for those wanting in; they've already exceeded their goals and the bits they've been providing backers are exciting.

It seems I have a strong preference for cool megadungeons I am unlikely to run.

I also backed the itch.io Trans Rights and Ukraine fundraisers.  I now have about 1200 games and supplements to sift through.  To be honest, I don't know that I will actually get to them.

Anyhow, I am excited to fund small games and then get things in the mail.  My next step is to dabble with Patreon, but only after taxes are paid.

Because, lord, do we owe this year!

In other news, my birthday brought me Magic cards and DnD-adjacent books - nonfiction (mostly) full of art and ideas worth porting into games.  Of these books, Dinotopia might be my favorite.  

My search for an image revealed several other books in this 'series.'  

Art, maps - to include of cities - NPCs, and all the rest are in this book.  It is exciting in a new way for me.  Of course, I am far from the first to notice this, as an entire RPG community has grown up around Dinotopia.  I foresee an expansion of the Ironguard world - just one unlikely to be discovered anytime soon.

Last of the Big Stompy Robots - For Now

As implied the last time I posted about MekHQ, the game date was in mid-May.  I ground through to the beginning of June, and it truly was a grind of heavy and assault 'mechs battering away at one another, with a parade of light and medium 'mechs (and a like number of vehicles) were turned to scrap left for the Heartbreakers' Davion employers.

Warhammer exploding.  By Earl Geier

For in-game fiction, the Heartbreakers ran into a heavy regiment of Capellans.  Maybe even the famed McCarron's Armored Cavalry.  Not that it matters that much.  My team came out on top.

Here is a list of the more notable 'mechs my lances fought against this game week:

2x Cyclops

5x Victor (3 in one fight)

3x Grasshopper

2x Archer

1x Marauder

1x Stalker

2x Catapult 

2x Orion

2x Thunderbolt

1x Ostsol

4x Rifleman

2x Warhammer

Most of these 'mechs ended up in the Heartbreakers' repair bays for eventual adoption into our ranks. The ones that didn't suffered ammunition explosions during the fighting.  All this out of a total of 192 various 'mechs and vees scattered across 16 separate engagements.  Yes, I have the 'double vees' option turned on.  Then I realized that May 31, 3030 was a Monday, so I had another week's worth of fights to battle through. It was similar to the above, but with Battlemasters and Awesomes.

A battle's speed is a much ambient light and dumb luck as it is pilot skill.  The tactics skill can often turn an unfavorable fight into a better one (I'm a fan of deep woods - it lets my jumping 'mechs shine while preventing much movement from opposing 'mechs and vees), though sometimes, it goes from bad to worse and I end up with open fields while opposing a legion of Pegasus hover tanks.

Pegasus Hover Tank, by Duane Loose - those twin SRM 6 launchers can do some damage.

Repair and Refit

June and July were spent repairing the salvage and refitting the Wolverines and Marauders (there is a second in the repair bay from the week prior) to more preferred versions.  The Wolverines got the -M conversion, and the Marauders are turned into what I suspect is a common custom build, trading out the AC5 and ammo for an additional pair of medium lasers, more heat sinks, and more armor.  

Aside from that, I ordered another 50-75 tons of armor and more missiles and AC ammo, though how much of which sorts, I don't recall.  For giggles, I ordered some Inferno and Heat-Seeking ammo, as well. Then I'll be ready for the next slog, which begins in August - after two months, enemy morale has returned to normal, and the fighting continues. 

Reconstitution

In addition to recruiting numerous Veteran mechwarriors from the POW camp, the personnel market has provided several true mercenaries to balance things out.  Enough so that the Fifth Regiment now stands at two battalions strong, as I ran out of Veteran mechwarriors.  The remaining 'mechs are in the hangar, though, mothballed until I gather more troops under my banner.

Since I have free time in game, I'm not only standing up the Fifth Regiment, I am spending the various techs' experience points.  Elite mechanics are cross-trained to become 'mech techs, and elite 'mech techs are cross-trained into administrative rolls.

Mechwarriors and vehicle crewmembers have experience points expended as they are deployed.  It is simpler for me, but also kind of reminds me who fights a lot and who doesn't... as well as who is competent.  Battletech ends up becoming a weird meritocracy balanced only by lucky headshots and ammo explosions.

Prisoners have been ransomed away in vast quantities.  As might be imagined, Elite and Veteran mechwarriors fetch the most, but enough Green troops add up. 9,385,000 C-Bills is a helluva payday - but where the Capellan Confederation gets that kind of money, I don't know.  Probably from the same mystery source as all of their 'mechs.  

Lastly, I removed all the armored lances from the 68 required for the mission, replacing them with 'mechs.  Tanks just die to fast, so I am using them for backup in chases or in the flatlands.

A pilot standing next to a Warhammer and Rifleman, to scale.  Source uncertain.

Moving Forward

I set the combat toggles to keep opponents hidden until they appear in Line of Sight.  The sympathetic explosions toggle is staying off for now - I like kicking legs out from 'mechs and playing kickball with missile launchers.

Still, I am done for now with MegaMek and MekHQ, so the Heartbreakers will rest in digital limbo until I feel like more giant stompy robot fun.  Unless I download the new version of the game or that StratCon version that is being worked on.  It sounds fun.

Small Gaming Updates

Not too much on the gaming front, beyond being asked to start my Ironguard game back up.  I have decided on running a summer game (school months are too hectic with small children and work), and Ironguard now officially has more votes.

Aside from being flattering, this gives me an excuse to start incorporating all the kickstarters I have been funding.

It's only now that I've truly embraced the allure of Kickstarters.  I've Kickstarted things before, with the Twilight 2000 box set, then Delver 2 and Valley of the Manticore back in November, but now that its February, there is a deluge of awesome things made available.

Brewkessel 2

Delver 4

Axian Library

Barkeeps on the Borderlands

Downtime in Zyan

The Toxic Wood

Yes, there is always the chance that something won't deliver, but so far, so good.  Plus, all these creators have solid reputations for delivering, so I have faith.  Kickstarters are also deceptive spending, for me at least - since I don't end up with immediate product in hand/hard drive, I forget that I backed things and therefore, how much I have spent on gaming things (my wife is the money person in our relationship, which is good, because if I were in charge, we would be massively in debt, because I am not the best at tracking necessary expenditures).

All this leads to my New Year's resolution to be mindful of my hobby spending, and so far, February is close to catching January's spending, and its only halfway over.  So, no more games spending until March.  Which is good, because I have been offered to go halfsies on boxes of Magic boosters.  

In other news, I realized a new source of names for various people and places in fantasy games - the app game Dungeon Boss.

My 9-year-old got me playing it, and while he quickly found other games, I stuck with it in an on-again-off-again fashion (level 76 now).  It's fantasy theme means awesome names.  If you are a DM (or GM) and can't make a game featuring a final showdown in the Stonehelm Citadel against Utica the Forgotten who sits upon the Throne of Ash, after passing along the Bramblelurk Trail to the Mystic Vale, I don't know what to tell you.  

Especially if you've recruited members of the Icethorn and Gladespring Knights to assist your crusade against Utica and its faceless legions.  

A game world almost builds itself from these names.  

 

MekHQ and MegaMek: State of the Regiment

MegaMek and MekHQ is still my go-to computer game, despite not having played it in several months.  Basically, I am a victim of my own success, so each game day and week takes forever.  

From SpOoKy777 on DeviantArt - MekHQ opening screen

The Day 13 character creation challenge put the game back in my mind and so I ended up finishing out the current game week. For the record, the game date is Monday, May 17, 3030.  The Blackhearts current contract is to Garrison the planet Pleione under the Federated Suns, fighting off the Capellan Confederation.  They've been on planet since October 14, 3029, and aren't scheduled to leave until September 14, 3031.  That's 23 long months on a desert planet.

What allies I have are Green, and the Enemies are Regulars.  The Heartbreakers are rated as Veteran.

We currently have two subcontracts on the planet: Relief Duty and Recon Raid. A third subcontract, Cadre Duty, is completed. These subcontracts pay handsomely for comparatively easy work.  

Overall, the MegaMek fights seem to be more exciting when Sabaton is playing in the background.  Go figure.

Organization

The humble mercenary Heartbreakers 'mech company now sits fat at four Battlemech Regiments, backed by an understrength Armor Regiment and Artillery Regiments.  Those 'mech units are in turn supported by Aerospace fighters, although not quite enough to go around - yet.

I've kept to a consistent pattern of one medium company and two heavy or assault companies to each 'mech battalion.  My oldest pilots are grizzled experts - particularly 'the Inevitables', a heavy lance consisting of a standard Guillotine, a standard Grasshopper, and a pair of Wolverine-Ms.  They don't lose.  Each pilot is a 0/0 with 6 or 7 bonus abilities.  It's ridiculous.

It is also the result of turning off the option for Mechwarriors to leave at the end of a contract.  In my mind, if a unit makes payroll regularly while also having a bit of action, Mechwarriors would stay, especially in light of the rather liberal hiring policies of the Heartbreakers, namely recruiting the Elite and Veteran prisoners that are interested in turning coats - given that it is Capellans and Kuritans that are mostly swelling the Heartbreakers' ranks this way, I suppose regular meals are why they do so.

Balancing lances is the next step, and can be a tedious one, but is key to making the most of the hard rules on lance weights.  Medium lances should be between 180-200 tons total, heavy lances 260-280 tons.  Weight advantage boils down to more guns and armor, but really, better damage when meleeing, which is the best way to salvage 'mechs.  My in-game battlefields are scattered with one-legged and headless 'mechs, which often end up in my hangar.  Apart from weight is trying to match up movement speeds: I prefer pairs that move the same rate: 4/6/4, 5/8/5, 6/9/6.  The assaults are 3/5 and rarely jump, but it is what it is.

I can say that I certainly have preferred 'mechs, as seen when I alphabetize the hangar contents by 'mech name.  Nearly 80 Wolverine-Ms, between 20-30 each Awesome, Warhammer, Thunderbolt, Stalker, Vindicator, Quickdraw, Griffin, Grasshopper, Ostsol, and Guillotine 'mechs.  I've found myself duplicating 'mech lances, varying only by pilots, especially among the lighter companies: Phoenix Hawk, Firestarter, Vulcan-5T, and Javelin.  There are others, but these are my mainstays.

All that said, I am close to starting up a Fifth Regiment, and already have a battalion-plus in Mechwarriors ready to be issued 'mechs and proper spots on the MTOE, if only to better earn their keep.  The 'mechs are there in the hangar, awaiting pilots and unit designations.  This time, I am thinking a two-medium companies, one-heavy company per battalion might be best.  I already have a name: Bottled Lightning. 

Another loadscreen from MekHQ.  I'm fairly certain that's a Highlander followed by a Crab.

Preferred Tactics

Close and melee, particularly with kicks - one-legged 'mechs are regularly salvaged from the battlefields, and then repaired.  City fights see me damaging buildings so the 'mechs standing atop them fall.  

In addition to dropping buildings, I have figured out how to set forests and buildings alight, which is terribly useful when battling infantry. I've also learned how to change modes on LRM launchers for true indirect fire, with and without a spotter, so I have this in my kit box now.  

My favorite skills among pilots are jumping jack, melee master, and sniper.  Not everyone gets all three, and I do use others, but I would guess three-quarters of my veteran pilots have one or more of these skills.  

I'll admit that I have chases turned off, because they always take so long to complete - if only because it is one of my nonjumping heavy lances in terrible weather or terrain (or both).  Before finding that toggle switch, my preferred method for the 'chase' was to stand and fight, smashing everything, then typing /victory to end it.

As an aside, before I discovered /victory, I lost so much salvage as I waited for the game to end naturally, which means no viable targets.  In MegaMek, a one-legged, prone 'mech with an unconscious pilot is considered viable, at least to the AI, so I followed that rule, as well, kicking downed 'mechs into scrap.

Maintenance and Supply

While the goal is one tech per 'mech, I am only about halfway there.  Aerospace fighters are better staffed with techs, but honestly, those aerotechs mostly just perform maintenance and repair broken weapons in the warehouse. 

The unit POW camp is massive, as is the hospital.  I have more than enough doctors for my own troops (1 doctor per regiment), but have hired several others for prisoner overflow.  So I have 14 doctors on staff, and when fighting is constant, their sick bays fill up fast.  That same POW camp has supplied about half of my regiments' berths, but those Veteran and Elite prisoners serve well as the seeds for a new regiment.

More than half of my 'mechs joined the Heartbreakers as salvage, particularly the Wolverines.  While I am biased, it is a sweet mix of speed, armor, maneuverability, and punch - especially, the WVR-6M model.  The hangars contain probably another regiment's worth of Battlemechs, and once this game month is over, I will likely begin standing up that Fifth Regiment.

Individual parts are ordered in bulk when needed (so the needed 60-ton arm actuator sees me order 5 or 6), and those random spares go towards filling instant needs.  Armor is an issue, to the point where I prioritize salvaging wrecked 'mechs and vees especially for the armor plating.  

Similar to this is ammo. Given the opportunity, I take all the LRM and SRM launchers I can, primarily to keep from buying missiles. 

For the most part, this strategy works out for me.  That said, in a pinch, I can start activating mothballed units to either replace badly damaged 'mechs or merely to strip of armor. 

Monthly marketplace updates keep the ranks growing, not so much with replacements as with additional troops.  Self-training Astechs into other things takes a looooooooong time.

Combined Arms

I mentioned earlier that the Heartbreakers have understrength Armor and Artillery Regiments.  My mainstay battle tank is the Manticore, and the Artillery is a mix of Thumpers and LRM launchers, backed by a lance of Forward Observing 'mechs.  

Manticore mini.  Not mine.

Armor is sweet because you can fire everything and not worry about heat, but the downside is mobility kills and a lack of jump jets.  When my tracks are mobility kills, I tend to keep the crew inside and fighting, and they mostly survive.   I've gone against mixed 'mech and Vees and they work well enough that I've taken to doing so, and it can be brutal, as the 'mech's can often save the mobility-killed tanks when the computer circles round them to play kickball.

Artillery is neat, though I prefer using the LRM-based versions, because it hits now, and not later, and watching an opposing 'mech melt in the face of 60 missiles is almost as funny as when they're hit with 120 damage from an SRM Launcher's full salvo.  Thumpers work, but the delay and tendency to miss is frustrating.

Aerospace support exists, but I have to use the computer to control the fighters (and VTOLs, for that matter), so I tend to not use what I have.  In the past, I have used them for bombing runs, and those can be quite satisfying to watch.

Infantry, well, I have them.  They are a pain to use for too little impact, so they stay in the TOE and provide in-game security for my in-game regiments.

Future Challenges

From experience, I need to watch how fast and large I grow my units, or else I run out of memory and the whole game goes kaput.  Which is a shame, as there are three regiments' worth of short-fiction bios I can no longer access.  It's not that they were great fiction, but they added flavor for me.

In addition, MegaMek and MekHQ lets me toggle all sorts of options off and on, and currently, many of the combat options are off.  Flipping sympathetic explosions on would alter my playstyle, because my 'mechs like to kick the shit out of things, and when those things explode, it tends to take my 'mechs with them, and I am not a fan of that.

Then again, that would make MegaMek almost new again.

Another toggle that I may switch on is the hidden opponents toggle.  Perhaps my current mode of being able to see the whole map is easy mode, but it's what I know.  Not being able to see everything until it's in line of sight could be fun.  If nothing else, it lets me make use of the variety of sensor arrays each 'mech carries.

Of course, the most immediate challenge is finishing the current contract.  I'm hoping that the Cappies Rout after this month's steady losses to the Heartbreakers, but I suspect it will run through Low and Very Low, first.

Such is life.

2022 Character Creation Challenge - Day 23

Shadowrun.  The very word conjures up memories of a cool softback book, lots of dice, and a video game that I'm not sure I've ever played.

This makes you wanna grab a Crown Royal bag full of d6s, don't it, chummer?

My copy of the 1e rules went away in my second great games purge (the first claimed ALL the AD&D 2e softcover supplements - I am forever a dumbass), and there are times I regret that.  With time, I have acquired PDFs of it (and other books), so the memories are still accessible, but without the awkward, albeit impressive, storage of it all.

So yes, today's wizard is from Shadowrun 1e.  How different it is from Catalyst Games Lab 5e version, I could not tell you (but I bet the forums can).  So let's get started, chummer.

Archetypes are faster than page-flipping and finally working out a PC that looks an awful lot like an archetype, just without the associated artwork.  I'll be skipping that, because an archetype works out fine - after all, it's the background and roleplay that's important, not the mechanics, right?  I'll use the picture, as well, because it fits.

Cybereyes, a component pouch, and a big honkin' pistol.  Eat your heart out, Harry Dresden!

William 'Wild Bill' O'Rourke, Burned Out Mage

Attributes:

Body 3

Quickness 2 (3)

Strength 3 (4)

Charisma 1

Intelligence 4

Willpower 4

Essence 1.4

Magic 1

Reaction 3 (5)

Skills:

Conjuring 4

Etiquette (Corporate) 2

Etiquette (Street) 2

Firearms 2

Magical Theory 4

Sorcery 4

Stealth 2

Unarmed Combat 2

Cyberware:

Cybereyes with Thermographic Imaging

Wired Reflexes 1

Muscle Replacement 1

Skillwires 4

Smartgun Link

Skillsoft (Fichetti Pistol 4)

Contacts:

Bartender

Mr. Johnson

Street Doc

Talismonger

Gear:

Lined Coat

DocWagon Contract (gold)

Fichetti Pistol with Smartgun Adaptor

Two Specific Spell Focuses (1 point each)

1 Trauma Patch (5)

Spells:

Analyze Device 5

Analyze Truth 5

Armor 4

Clairvoyance 5

Heal Moderate Wounds 5

Hibernate 4

Invisibility 4

Mana Bolt 5

Mind Probe 5

Sleep 5

Telekinesis 5

History: William "Wild Bill" O'Rourke earned his sobriquet as a rising star of a street mage, taking chances and always pulling through.  After several sizable scores, Wild Bill began to believe the hype, and it damn near killed him.  His hubris did kill most of his team, and that haunts him - thankfully not literally (not often, at least).  Since that time, William has been trying to redeem himself, to the point of giving up (partially) on the magic that 'failed' him on that fateful mission.  He still runs the shadows, and is handy in a firefight, his magic providing a surprise that mostly pays off.

Goals: Sad William most desperately seeks redemption and forgiveness.  On the anniversary of that disastrous mission, William remembers his dead friends.  The alcohol combines with William's magical ability and memories to effectively bring back the ghosts of his team.  They have mostly forgiven him, but there are two holdouts, and until they forgive, the entire lot of them meet up annually.  

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FASA uses archetypes in this book, similar to what they did in Mechwarrior.  They also use the same priorities set up, A-D.  I guess if it (kinda) works, there is no need to fix it.  My distaste for long chargen makes these archetypes a handy addition to the game.  

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