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Shockeh posted:The alternative is you just be a bit 'Gaiman' about it - There's no reason why all these things can't be true, at once. They just are, and their ability to all be true at the same time despite being apparently contradictory is why they're ineffable, and you're not. It's been a while, but wasn't it an important part of the oDemon backstory that the universe used to be like this - with Adam and Eve being simultaneously two humans created from dust and a race of protohominids slowly evolving in the African savannah - but that it isn't anymore, in the oWOD present day?
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Oct 5, 2015 14:41
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Dammit Who? posted:It's been a while, but wasn't it an important part of the oDemon backstory that the universe used to be like this - with Adam and Eve being simultaneously two humans created from dust and a race of protohominids slowly evolving in the African savannah - but that it isn't anymore, in the oWOD present day? In the opening story of oDemon, the narrating demon makes a comment like that, yes.
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Oct 5, 2015 14:46
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Shockeh posted:The alternative is you just be a bit 'Gaiman' about it - There's no reason why all these things can't be true, at once. They just are, and their ability to all be true at the same time despite being apparently contradictory is why they're ineffable, and you're not. Demon does some stuff like that in its prehistory, and I presented that as an option in Mage's Ascension book. I mean really, we're talking about a bunch of unreliable narration though in Mage of course, that unreliable narrative *is* reality.
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Oct 5, 2015 18:04
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So... when making characters, is the 5/4/3 divided among the rows (Power, Finesse, Resistance) or columns (Mental, Physical, Social)? Does it really matter?
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Oct 7, 2015 18:12
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Columns. I don't think it'd be a huge deal to do it the other way? But it's columns.
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Oct 7, 2015 18:14
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Mors Rattus posted:Columns. I don't think it'd be a huge deal to do it the other way? But it's columns. Okay, phew. I thought I had been doing it backwards for all these years.
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Oct 7, 2015 18:15
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Hitlers Gay Secret posted:So... when making characters, is the 5/4/3 divided among the rows (Power, Finesse, Resistance) or columns (Mental, Physical, Social)? RAW it's columns, but either way shouldn't make a huge difference unless you put all your points in each row in a single column, and even then only for the physical column.
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Oct 7, 2015 18:16
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Even if you did, you'd be out of Wits and Willpower dots. My group's been letting people prioritize either by M/P/S or P/F/R for years now.
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Oct 7, 2015 18:20
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Ferrinus posted:Even if you did, you'd be out of Wits and Willpower dots. My group's been letting people prioritize either by M/P/S or P/F/R for years now. True that. While some attributes are a lot more useful than others, the categories are pretty well balanced.
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Oct 7, 2015 19:05
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The only time it appears to be by row is when you write up a spirit/ghost or a random background NPC. At least that's what I'm figuring out as I make stuff for my upcoming game.
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Oct 7, 2015 20:55
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That's actually not even points by row, the only three attributes those sheets have are Power, Finesse and Resistance to make things simpler.
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Oct 7, 2015 21:15
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Kellsterik posted:That's actually not even points by row, the only three attributes those sheets have are Power, Finesse and Resistance to make things simpler. I meant the prioritization of 5/4/3 in general.
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Oct 7, 2015 22:21
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I am running a Halloween one shot of Demon for my regular group. I hope is I might be able to turn it into a semi regular thing. Does any one have anu suggestions on how to make character can creation goes quickly? I don't want us to spend like 2 hours building dudes and only having 2 hours before it is getting late for us old farts with day jobs. Also, any suggestions for weird cryptids or angels or Infrastructure. Basically I am planning on an Agency contacting the PCs because they have noticed the homeless population ( an important source of Pacts) is shrinking. One thing leads to another and the PCs end up at an abandoned hospital that has been converted to a cheesy mega-haunted house. The whole thing is of course Infrastructure.
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Oct 11, 2015 18:38
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Provide a bunch of premade statblocks already? Like mkae a bunch, more than you have people in your group, and have them pick from the lot.
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Oct 11, 2015 18:40
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Mors Rattus posted:Provide a bunch of premade statblocks already? Like mkae a bunch, more than you have people in your group, and have them pick from the lot. This is a good idea. Check out the example demonic form templates in that section for ideas, as well as the storyteller character statblocks in the Seattle chapter like Comrade West, that will make it go faster.
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Oct 11, 2015 19:05
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NinjaPete posted:I am running a Halloween one shot of Demon for my regular group. I hope is I might be able to turn it into a semi regular thing. For one-shots and convention games, I generally do the following (stolen shamelessly from Dave Brookshaw): Pick splats, Attributes, concept, and Virtue/Vice as normal. Fill out Derived Traits from that (leaving Defense blank for now). Give everybody 22 Skill dots, undifferentiated. As the game progresses, when they need to make a skill roll, let them decide how many dots they have in that Skill and spend from their 22. Don't worry about Merits or Skill Specialties unless they're something vitally important to the character concept. For Demon, I'd probably have them pick their demonic forms before you start (maybe strongly suggesting they use the example packages in the book), but let them decide Embeds/Exploits on the fly. You might want to gin up a quick cheat sheet that summarizes the various options--if not all of them, at least the ones each character has affinity with--that's easier to scan on the fly than the core book. That should get you up and running pretty quickly. Skills might not fall neatly into the 11/7/4 spread, but that's honestly not world-ending (and you can enforce it if you really want to). If the game does go regular, you can set aside time for a "proper" build session later.
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Oct 12, 2015 03:15
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The weakness for the haunted house is a plastic pumpkin full of candy that has a sign that reads Take Two Only and is being watched by an Angel/Stigmatic. Taking more or less than two is the key to defeating the Facility.
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Oct 12, 2015 05:20
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So, as I work on the project I also keep a loose map of territories. As I close in on the end of 2002, I thought I'd share one of the incredibly basic, somewhat inaccurate, unrefined ones because it gives some interesting insight as to how the oWoD plays out. It's been shrunk down quite a bit and saved at a very low quality since it's just a glimpse (dem JPEG artifacts, goddamn) and not worth spending anyone's bandwidth on, and one major problem with this is that I'm using the map from Victoria 2 as a base for simplicity. But, for a quick breakdown: Blue is Camarilla territory. Red is Sabbat turf. (Dark red is Setite) Yellow is Anarch turf. Grey is independent/neutral. Green in Africa is the Laibon. Purple is the Giovanni. Beige is the Ashirra. The various other colours in Asia are Kuei-jin courts other than the Quincunx, with the exception of Tibet which is a vampire no-go zone. Independent Russia is a hold-over from Baba Yaga seizing control. Generally, any large bloc is because a whole country/geographical region has been said to be under control explicitly in a text. You can see that where it concerns non-European or nations where there isn't a significant European colonial influence, the oWoD is very happy to just declare 'all of <x> is <y>' (that or that's me being racist myself, which as I am Australian is a distinct possibility). This map is also very bad in terms of time muddling, but is vaguely accurate to the present state of the oWoD. My hope is to, as the project winds down, create a series of maps for every, say, 100 years showing territorial changes etc, by clan and by sect. If you're going to sperg like I am on this poo poo, you may as well go the whole drat hog and supersperg. Loomer fucked around with this message at 08:15 on Oct 12, 2015 |
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Oct 12, 2015 08:08
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About what percentage of the project would you say is done?
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Oct 12, 2015 08:44
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Well, it's up to 2002 and about three-quarters through that year, so year-wise about 85 - 90% since I've missed a few novels here and there. In actual work, probably closer to 2/3rds done. Once the collection is done, there's the annoying work of transferring it all into a proper database, assembling the bloodlines in both forms ('canon', where it's only what we know for sure, and the alternative 'fanon' where missing slots are filled by appropriate vampires present at the right time and place) and making up the maps. Then its down to finalizing format, posting it up online as a PDF or other ebook and on a blog unless OPP want to do something with it (they won't, I know, but hey - may as well mention it to 'em when I'm done, right? Maybe they'll get me an intervention...), not to mention seriously reappraising my life and why I seem so determined to squander it on this. Of course, this doesn't factor in OPP doing anniversary editions or, worse yet in terms of project completion, releasing VtM 4E. The upside on that side of things is that the releases are only a few a year now, and I don't have the thirteen year backlog.
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Oct 12, 2015 10:00
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Loomer posted:Well, it's up to 2002 and about three-quarters through that year, so year-wise about 85 - 90% since I've missed a few novels here and there. In actual work, probably closer to 2/3rds done. Once the collection is done, there's the annoying work of transferring it all into a proper database, assembling the bloodlines in both forms ('canon', where it's only what we know for sure, and the alternative 'fanon' where missing slots are filled by appropriate vampires present at the right time and place) and making up the maps. Then its down to finalizing format, posting it up online as a PDF or other ebook and on a blog unless OPP want to do something with it (they won't, I know, but hey - may as well mention it to 'em when I'm done, right? Maybe they'll get me an intervention...), not to mention seriously reappraising my life and why I seem so determined to squander it on this. Wow. Well, good luck. I'll definitely give it a read-through when it's all done.
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Oct 12, 2015 10:42
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What have the various re-releases done regarding the end times metaplot stuff? Has it just been discarded, kicked forward, or what?
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Oct 12, 2015 11:10
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At first, V20 made minimal mention of anything definite but appeared to assume that everything but the final nights had taken place. So things like Baba Yaga being killed off happened, etc. This is backed up as well by W20, which took the same approach generally speaking: the metaplot's happened, it's just the apocalypse got slowed down a bit for whatever reason. The new Mage releases are of two minds - M20 is definitively 'metaplot agnostic' and further 20 releases will be as well, but they also released 3 Revised ed supplements that treat it all as being in play. 4E VTM is going to be a mindfuck as it takes place post-Gehenna, apparently, whatever the hell that means, though it may simply take the model of 'that poo poo got pushed back, we don't know why'. The MET V20 went loving bonkers* and incorporated a bunch of genuinely weird decisions that are apparently 'canon' for the MET community and happened in their games, and as such we're sorta looking at three roads here: -The Metaplot Agnostic Anniversary Editions, which defaults to being like 2E plot-wise -The Metaplot Positive 'delayed' supplements/V20 at times, and with them 4E -MET, which is its own drat beast entirely and not, from what I've gathered, going to have anything at all to do with 4E because it's so bonkers. (*e.g., Gehenna got stopped by PCs going and doing something or other, the Giovanni and Setites formed a new alliance all their own, the Gangrel are back in the Camarilla, 2000 - 2011 was dominated by Imbued absolutely wrecking the Sabbat and hurting the Camarilla, the Camarilla has an Imperator, and the Kuei-jin have abandoned America entirely...)
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Oct 12, 2015 12:31
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By Night Studios is absolutely stuffed with Mind's Eye Society folks (i.e. what used to be called the Cam), so that's who's writing the MET setting. Funnily enough, the current Camarilla Vampire chronicle the MES is running is a variant setting where the Sabbat's a broken husk of itself and the Cam is way, way too powerful for its own good. So our folks wrote the damned thing and we're still not using its setting. Maybe in 2017 or so when this chronicle ends and the new one starts.
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Oct 12, 2015 13:23
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 I see the spirit of White Wolf lives on. Mind, I see how the traditional Masquerade attitude could lead to that weird LARP metaplot - basically, that the game should be laser-focused on the Camarilla power games, and anything else is a troublemaking aberration, so burn it down.
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Oct 12, 2015 22:44
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Huh, I always thought Sabbat live were more popular. Maybe it's a Montreal thing. Changing the subject, I just got an idea about the Secret Leaders of Task Force: VALKYRIE. What if they're aliens? Like, there was the typical secret first contact thing, and then the aliens saw what kind of horrible stuff there is in WoDland and went all white man's burden "We have to help these poor primitives!" on us.
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Oct 12, 2015 23:09
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There are seriously so many cool roads to take Valkyrie down that it's kinda of frustrating C&C just went with "Vampires."
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Oct 12, 2015 23:11
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I admit, I always like to go with Guardian Conspiracy. Which is just about as boring as Vampires, I know, but I know what I like.
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Oct 12, 2015 23:16
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My take on it has always been 'Task Force VALKYRIE is run by the Sun-Walking Knights.' So...yeah, the vampires are in on it, but they're not the ones in charge. The Sun-Walking Knights are "covenant" run by blood dolls and ghouls, not the vampires involved in it. The President owns the vampires, not vice versa.
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Oct 12, 2015 23:33
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I just tend to run with 'Really patriotic vampires, possibly founding fathers with fangs"
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Oct 12, 2015 23:58
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Mors Rattus posted:My take on it has always been 'Task Force VALKYRIE is run by the Sun-Walking Knights.' That's always been my WoD canon. Every major government is run by the Sun Walking Knights, including both political parties in the US. All the political fights are still real though, the Republicans really want to lower taxes at all costs, the democrats really want to lower carbon admissions. It's just that both sides agree that an immortal, supernaturally enhanced cabal should be in charge of things.
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Oct 13, 2015 00:35
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I'm just gonna vomit some words here for a sec: The Hunter game I run is really picking up steam now that the most green member has her confidence. My GF, the alchemist, is finding creative solutions. Her friend, the animal spirit Pokémon Master, hasn't found her voice but is very enthusiastic. My friend, the 4-armed cyber freak, has taken a path to where he gets 3 attacks per round and has a base roll of 15. It's bonkers and within the rules. I've made a master Excel book to house all the unique things for the game. I have 30 potions, elixers and alchemical grenades. 32 spirit animals with stats and each with a unique ability. There is a character they will soon meet that gives out tough and/or morally questionable missions in exchange for a unique item. I have named, statted and described 150 of these. The players will pick a number from 1-150 and I will read off from my list. All of them should be useable since they are utility upgrade items and not really things like +1 to Dexterity or some crap. For example, the Displacer Glove. Roll Dexterity + Brawl +1 vs. Stamina and make a non-damaging attack. The target and another target within eyesight swap places. Exceptional Success: You may teleport your target to any spot within eyesight. Maybe not the most unique thing in the world but it was the last on my list so I know it from memory. My cyber freak has a scheduling conflict and will not be able to play with us for 6 goddamn months. I'm trying to coax a very experienced friend to join because he's a lot of fun to game with and running an RPG with just 3 people is lame. Right now the story is in a weird place because the local Templars are hunting down one of the PCs father for being a Mage and his lineage is all news to them. He wiped the memory of his mundane wife so he could dissappear and ended up being a pretty emotionally charged scene for a group of goofy idiots. I'm just at a bit of a loss as to what I should do with my new player. If he doesn't play, I shut the game down. If he does, we either have to catch him up on a years worth of events or have it to where his character doesn't care.
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Oct 13, 2015 01:37
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Holy poo poo that is 90's as loving gaming.  Like, totally not judging, you play the game how you (and your friends) think it's fun. But like I just grew a flannel shirt and a ferbie from reading that drat. As to your problem this just seems like general social annoyances and logistics so I got nothing. Sorry. 
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Oct 13, 2015 01:52
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Xiahou Dun posted:Holy poo poo that is 90's as loving gaming. I don't really know what you mean by that. Making all the stuff was brought about because two of the players didn't deal that well without having character classes. I told them to come up with a concept and made a story reason for it to happen and I actually like writing out new rules and items. The story bit is not well explained because it would take a long time. She wanted to be the child of a mage and not be magical herself; just an affinity for the occult. I wrapped a story around it that included this chapter's villians. Do you mean how it's a group that, on the surface, shouldn't mesh? I would agree but it's been a good deal of fun. Plus it helps me for whenever we want to do a mixed-creature group.
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Oct 13, 2015 01:59
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Just the rolled tables, elaborate write-ups, kit-bashing a class system and the general eXXtreme! vibe reminds me a lot of the 90's. I wasn't throwing shade, it sounds like good fun. Sheeit I did like half that with oWoD back in the day.
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Oct 13, 2015 02:25
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Oh, huh, I suppose so. Myself and the cyber guy used to play a lot of Shadowrun so we set this Hunter game in the future. I had to invent a lot of stuff that Bleeding Edge didn't cover. One of the big corporations, BioCharm, allows people to fulfill all of their lovely Tumblr fantasies about trans-whateverism. The Transhumanists utilize their services to such an extreme degree that they are accepted as chique progressions of the human form but, to a lot of people, look like a Furry Rave threw up a regular rave. The cyber guy is a self-aware weeaboo in real life so he used their services. Imagine an Albino (from birth) African mercinary with four mechanical arms, a 6 foot morphic axe, two razor hatchet, cat ears and a pink mowhawk that pulses with the beat of ambient music. We are a parody of Shadowrun that was already kind of a parody. Only in this case, we fight vampires and steal their teeth to make invisibility exliers.
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Oct 13, 2015 02:45
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unseenlibrarian posted:I just tend to run with 'Really patriotic vampires, possibly founding fathers with fangs" I like this, though leaning more less towards the fanged founding fathers thing-- maybe just one of them. Actually, Ben Franklin: Vampire Patriot would be ideal. Ben Franklin's always a good subject for supernatural chicainery; see also Scud the Disposable Assassin and Dr. McNinja.
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Oct 13, 2015 02:49
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Ben Tallmadge, head of the Culper Ring.
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Oct 13, 2015 02:51
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Cabbit posted:I like this, though leaning more less towards the fanged founding fathers thing-- maybe just one of them. And the Brian Poeshen run of Deadpool, for what it's worth.
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Oct 13, 2015 02:55
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Inzombiac posted:Oh, huh, I suppose so. Myself and the cyber guy used to play a lot of Shadowrun so we set this Hunter game in the future. I had to invent a lot of stuff that Bleeding Edge didn't cover. Kind of mad this is just somebody's campaign instead of a setting you can buy in paperback at the local game store.
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Oct 13, 2015 03:09
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