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Ibblebibble posted:Sounds dope, as a Malaysian I'm used to us being forgotten about in sci-fi/fantasy stuff set in Asia which is almost always Japan-centered. Actually since the Malay identity and culture changed so much in the last 600 years I think someone should really use it for inspiration for some epic RPG, most fantasy games deal with cultures that stayed roughly the same for millennia so there's new ground to cover here. 
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Apr 12, 2021 05:50
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Ibblebibble posted:Sounds dope, as a Malaysian I'm used to us being forgotten about in sci-fi/fantasy stuff set in Asia which is almost always Japan-centered. Shadowrun Japan? Suuuuper racist. That's about it really.
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Apr 12, 2021 05:53
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Ibblebibble posted:In that case I'm kinda curious at to what Shadowrun Southeast Asia is like, if there even is any lore written about it. I had a write up on the Kingdom of the Naga over by Angkor Wat last thread. Unfortunately I don’t think there’s much more mention of the region that doesn’t touch on Japan. Very surprised Singapore hasn’t had more lore stuff written about it, since I would think it would make a perfect locale for cyberpunk shenanigans. There’s some Vietnam stuff with their local AA megacorp consolidating most government services and manufacturing in the region, and it’s involvement in the Pacific Prosperity Group via the Malaysian Investment Bank (a Matrix only banking front of Wuxing) as way to hold the Japanocorps out of totally dominating the region. Probably a bunch more stuff I’m forgetting.
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Apr 12, 2021 06:52
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apostateCourier posted:It's not really something you achieve, in this case. Some elves just stop aging in their mid twenties. They only stay immortal as long as they have enough magic to keep themselves from aging - in a high mana environment like the sixth world, it's just there. But in a downswing like the fifth world when the astral plane is far away, they need another way to get it. You know what works great for getting a charge even in a low mana environment, provided you have the right tools, a little skill, and absolutely no morals? Blood Magic.
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Apr 12, 2021 06:58
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wiegieman posted:They only stay immortal as long as they have enough magic to keep themselves from aging - in a high mana environment like the sixth world, it's just there. But in a downswing like the fifth world when the astral plane is far away, they need another way to get it. So what you're saying is Vlad Tepes was an elf.
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Apr 12, 2021 07:14
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Dareon posted:So what you're saying is Vlad Tepes was an elf. No, he was a vampire. Vampires get their powers from consuming the Essence of others (or, more accurately, burning up their own Essence and replacing it with Essence they drain) and that works just fine in a low mana environment. They also tend to be blood mages.
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Apr 12, 2021 07:18
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wiegieman posted:No, he was a vampire. Vampires get their powers from consuming the Essence of others (or, more accurately, burning up their own Essence and replacing it with Essence they drain) and that works just fine in a low mana environment. I thought vampires were an offshoot of MegaAIDS, or whatever the virus is called.
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Apr 14, 2021 05:54
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hmhvv awakens you and makes you eat peeps ghouls, wendigos, vampires all subtypes not to be confused with vitas, which gives you anaphylaxis
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Apr 14, 2021 05:56
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HMHVV still has literally the worst name of any fictional disease in any capacity that I have ever heard. How are you even supposed to say that out loud? Hum-huv-uv? Or do you just have to spell it out every time?
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Apr 15, 2021 01:58
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PMush Perfect posted:HMHVV still has literally the worst name of any fictional disease in any capacity that I have ever heard. How are you even supposed to say that out loud? Hum-huv-uv? Or do you just have to spell it out every time? At a glance, I'd go with "Humvee". The brand was known for their terrible fuel efficiency and climate change was a thing, so they went through a branding and product shift and now only source their flagship products using a high-efficiency fuel, human blood.
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Apr 15, 2021 02:08
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I just say "Aitch Em Aitch Vee Vee"
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Apr 15, 2021 02:16
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Servetus posted:I just say "Aitch Em Aitch Vee Vee" Easier than “Human-Metahuman Vampiric Virus”. I guess the line devs were out of snappy acronyms to come up with at the time that they could use.
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Apr 15, 2021 02:20
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Servetus posted:I just say "Aitch Em Aitch Vee Vee" Off the top of my head suggestion: MHAR, Meta-Human Altering Retrovirus, pronounced "mar".
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Apr 15, 2021 02:40
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In universe it'd probably just be slang'd as "H" or "the H".
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Apr 15, 2021 02:51
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Science fiction author: "The official name was COVID-19, but among the suffering people it soon became known as Deathlung." Millennials in 2020: yeah I got the rona
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Apr 15, 2021 03:11
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PMush Perfect posted:HMHVV still has literally the worst name of any fictional disease in any capacity that I have ever heard. How are you even supposed to say that out loud? Hum-huv-uv? Or do you just have to spell it out every time? You don't. It's a scientific term -- you just call whoever has it a vampire.
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Apr 15, 2021 03:36
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PMush Perfect posted:How are you even supposed to say that out loud? "Turned into a Ghoul." Or vampire, or wendigo, or goblin, or banshee, or jabberwock, or that weird Malay one that's just a floating head with a bunch of organs hanging off it. TheDavies posted:You don't. It's a scientific term -- you just call whoever has it a vampire. Clinical term. The scientific term is Ghilani Vrykolakivididae. e: Penanggalan, that it! "Turned into a penanggalan." Stroth fucked around with this message at 04:16 on Apr 15, 2021 |
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Apr 15, 2021 04:11
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A more common term among doctors treating patients with the condition is "GOD DAMNIT I DID NOT NEED ANOTHER ETHICAL DILEMMA THIS WEEK"
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Apr 15, 2021 06:26
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There's a bounty on vampires, so it's typically not a dilemma at all.
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Apr 15, 2021 06:33
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yeah, the doc in the previous game was being nice, in comparison, despite being a lil poo poo and being a poo poo about it (also berlins anarchist commune thing doesnt do bounties)
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Apr 15, 2021 06:35
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wiegieman posted:There's a bounty on vampires, so it's typically not a dilemma at all. so that's where hospitals get all their money
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Apr 15, 2021 06:49
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paragon1 posted:so that's where hospitals get all their money On top of bootlegging organs, yes.
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Apr 15, 2021 10:28
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Rogue AI Goddess posted:Science fiction author: "The official name was COVID-19, but among the suffering people it soon became known as Deathlung." 
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Apr 15, 2021 11:27
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Vampires suck blood. The setting is a corporate tech dystopia. You cannot convince me people would not have started calling it the Zucc.
Waci fucked around with this message at 12:08 on Apr 15, 2021 |
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Apr 15, 2021 12:06
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raverrn posted:In universe it'd probably just be slang'd as "H" or "the H". I can imagine living in this universe and quietly seething to anyone who'll listen that it should have been called "the V" instead.
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Apr 15, 2021 12:45
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KataraniSword posted:On top of bootlegging organs, yes. That's absolutely true for "hospitals" but legit hospitals in Shadowrun probably don't care too much about that. People with money who can afford real healthcare aren't looking for secondhand organs. The doc in the last game was running a small clinic in anarchist Belin, nowhere near an actual hospital, and even for him selling the "waste" from his operation was basically nothing in term of income. DocWagon will send armored gunships to drag your rear end to a trauma center if you pay them enough and they're not gonna risk their reputation by being caught in some organ trafficking scandal or accidentally spreading some high-level executive's DNA all over the place when she needs to have 50% of her body regrown after her limo mysteriously explodes.
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Apr 15, 2021 14:58
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docwagon corpers wont do it, but the menials they hired, all of them mysteriously deep in debt to tamanous the organleggers, might
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Apr 15, 2021 15:44
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Part 12 - Hello to Heoi (Part 2)  Continuing our rain-drenched tour of Heoi, we next stop by the local tech store with its ridiculously over-the-top holosign. Undeniably a real eye-catcher, to the degree that we ought to be glad our sleeping spot doesn't have a window facing this way.    No - I’m telling you...[His voice is shrill, clipped.] NOBODY uses KM3s... like, nobody. They’re poo poo. ...I don’t care what Deng says, if Shiawase SRP uses KM3s, they’re stupid. Hey... flesh is rolling up, I gotta go. [His lips work impatiently.] Yo, what do you want? You provided this PDA? Tell me about it. It *was* a Fuchi AzuraStar 3. They use a Scarab chip, which is good, but the motherboard is wet noodles and sprouts. I pulled out the trackers and installed encryption. Now it runs on the Whampoa virtual network. The corps and cops can’t crack it, can't track it.Wonder if the tracking really is completely gone, or there's simply been a change of overseers. Not that we have much of a choice in the matter either way. Well, thanks for the PDA. Who are you, anyway?[Servos whine as two lenses on his goggles zoom in on you.] *Who am I?* You're new here, I get it. You don’t know about me yet, but you will. I’m one of the guys that keeps this neighborhood running. You got a tech problem, BOOM! I solve it. You need software? BOOM! Done... but don't waste my time. So, you got any business in Whampoa right now? If not, keep moving.Sure, uh, you sell any replacement knobs here? Because we'd like to try and tone down the Law a little bit, and this one seems to be permanently stuck on Maximum. Show me what you've got.This being the dedicated decker store, we obviously don't have anything we can personally use here. Let's look over the selection anyway though, could sometime pick up something for Is0bel for example.  As always, cyberdecks are the primary source of a decker's effectiveness and govern all their base stats in the Matrix, most notably their available Action Points. As a new addition to Hong Kong, better cyberdecks also increase the available time to hack open blocked paths, something we'll cover once we get to do it in practice. Is0bel's current cyberdeck is the equivalent of the Renraku Kraftwek-1.  Expert Systems Programs, or ESPs, act as summonable combat assistants in the Matrix whose effectiveness is governed by the ESP Control skill. Is0bel's default loadout comes with one Shield ESP and later one Assassin ESP. The good news is that ESPs can be reused in every Matrix run and are overall pretty handy to have in cybercombat against hostile IC (Intrusion Countermeasures). The bad news is that they're kinda costly even as a one-time purchase, a player decker has to spend precious Karma for ESP Control to get the most out of them, and most critically direct Matrix combat has taken a backseat to stealth and the hacking minigame in this game compared to the last two. This makes them even more of a luxury purchase than before, but there's also noticeably less spare money to spend on luxuries than before.  Programs, the Matrix equivalent of spells and abilities, are for the most part unchanged from before and pretty self-explanatory if you mentally exchange "IP" for "HP". The new appearances here are Boost and Decrypt. Boost shows a 1 AP cost perhaps as a UI limitation, but it's actually a passive speed boost and one of the more useful programs in the game as it directly helps avoid detection in the Matrix stealth sections (which is what you do most of the time). This version is eventually obsoleted by Dual Routine Boost which doubles the effect and which Is0bel can also get for free from her lvl 4 crew ability, though just buying it for her is also an option. Decrypt on the other hand helps with the minigame half of the new Matrix mechanics. Again, we'll get to it in more detail later, but basically hacking requires deciphering a correct set of rapidly flipping symbols and Decrypt increases the time those symbols remain on the screen. It's not especially difficult, but particularly higher ranks of Decrypt do make it way easier, so its value depends entirely on whether you need the extra help. We'll make do without. BOOM! Another problem solved by Law's Technology Palace. That is an amazingly ostentatious holosign you've got. Yo.[Maximum Law looks up at the gigantic blue-white letters with deep satisfaction.] It's pretty boss. Yeah... pretty boss. drat right.[He gives you a virile nod.] You're a lady who appreciates the good stuff. I like that. Must cost you a small fortune in electricity though. Whatever, I'm not paying for it. Half of Heoi gets its juice from a pirate tap on a big Mitsuhama DC cable under the river. Mitsuhama's like...[His voice winds up into a mocking whine.] "Oh, let's run two million volts from the cold fusion plant to the island, under the river... those slum-monkeys can't tap an underwater cable." Idiots. You know who built the tap that pulls electricity off that cable? Whampoa! You know whose barge holds the transformer? Mine![Maximum Law thrusts his fist high in the air, in silent victory.] Cheap power for all, and a whole lotta extra for me. Behold the lighthouse of BOOM!It doesn't seem to be giving us much of a choice in the matter. Why are you wearing VR goggles? It’s not VR. It’s “Augmented Reality.” We’re pioneering it. Little cameras, Matrix overlay. I can support a three-dimensional HUD, and subwindows with live multiple feeds. I’ve got a command shell open right now. I’m networked with five guys.[Law taps his goggles.] Wave of the future. Techies trying to proxy for astral perception with gadgets. Cute. Pff, whatever helps you sleep at night, little guy. One good swing to smash those nerd goggles and you'd find the waves of the future swiftly replaced with the hard dry ground of the present. But moving on... I noticed earlier that you've got some dangerously exposed wires over there. Yo, what are you... my mother?[Law regards you with skeptical disgust.] Those wires are fine where they are - high and dry. They're only a problem for someone who does something STUPID. I'm running a high-bandwidth tech operation. Do I look like I have time to tape copper and sip tea? No. I don't.[Law raps his knuckles fiercely on a clear-topped case full of buses, cables, and cable harnesses.] These are the only wires you need to think about.So long as you don't piss off anyone important, a dedicated hitman could make good use of an electrical hazard like that. Anyhow, that's about all we have... oh wait, there was also something we picked up a while back which might be up this guy's alley. (Simsense Chip) Found this while poking around in the Walled City. Worth anything?[He scans the chip's casing with a handheld optical reader.] Yo! ...That poo poo is BANNED! Lift it off some Yellow Lotus? They traffic this stuff... de-limited sim chips, full sensory experiences. You looking for a buyer? I can make it HAPPEN. How's ¥120 sound?No clue, to be honest. For all we know we could be scammed hard here, but we can use all money we can get. Sure, take it. Hope it finds a good home. Well yeah, I'll sample it first... But these cal-hots can send you for a trip. Don't worry, I can handle my sims. See you later, Law. Yeah, whatever. Moving on, we next stop by the medical clinic we already tried to get in once earlier. Maybe we'll have better luck now that we're officially part of the operation. Let's try the buzzer again.  You again? I thought I told you to gently caress off. I'm one of Kindly's people now. She'll vouch for me. Yeah? You just idle your engine there for a minute, and I'll check on that...[There's a long silence on the intercom.]  No matter which side of the law you walk on, it always comes down to having the right connections.   That's pretty neat, but as a first impression immediately raises the question of whether this clinic uses the same arms for garbage disposal and medical operations. And if it combines the two functions in the case said medical operations don't work out.     Kindly says you're all right. What can I do you for? You're a doctor...? Sure I am! I'm a rigger. A rigger-doctor... A ROCTOR![Ambrose bursts into laughter - then stops and clutches his head.] Oh man, I cannot laugh hard today. Too much partying last night... it hurts.Glad we didn't come in for an emergency surgery or anything, seems it could get a little shaky. Fellow foreigner or no, this guy definitely fits right in with the rest of the colorful locals we've met so far. I'm not board certified, but don't worry - I should be! I'm full-on skilled. My work’s Yellow Lotus guaranteed and *precisely* in accordance with World Medical Association standards. Everybody in Heoi comes to me... 'cause I'm the only option![Ambrose chuckles delightedly.] Very well, roctor. Right on! Let's get you tricked out. Unless you just want to bullshit - which I'm down for, too. So how did a rigger end up operating a clinic? How do you think? My meat’s not much to look at, but I’m called Ten-Arms because I can run ten armatures at once.[Ambrose giggles, jiggling in his wheelchair.] My question is: why don’t more surgeons do it this way? Maybe because they don't want a first career as a rigger, on top of six years of residency? Yeah, the career path is kinda underdeveloped.[Ambrose pats himself proudly on the chest with a robotic arm that swings over from a wall unit.] Makes me one-of-a-kind... except for all the rigger surgeons that *are* out there. Which is actually a lot, they're just not as good at the rigging as me.Kinda wish he'd emphasized the surgery half instead. What exactly do you do here? What do I do? Tune-ups and engine rebuilds - on your rear end! I do it all: first aid, second aid, surgery, cybernetics, obstetrics, euthanasia... I'm your one-stop shop for health and beauty! Well, maybe not beauty. Could you install me with combat 'ware? You know it! You got the coin and the essence, I'll trick you out like a bulldozer with ground effects and a turret. I've got it all: bionic limbs, wired reflexes, deckerware, blood filters, synthetic muscle, bone lacing, greased bearings, ground effects, tight bolts.[Ambrose winks.] The full range of Chrome Alley's services is something that we like to keep beneath the HKPF's radar. And if I don't modify myself, any reason I'd come around here, if not for medical gear? Gross. Hopefully they don't bake the cakes here too. What sort of mechanical services do you offer? Oh, nothing you'd be interested in. Right now I'm mostly doing engine mechanics and electrician stuff. I send Maximum Law and Reliable Matthew any work they can handle. It's really just a hobby and service to the community. I make my nut with the clinic.[He looks fondly over at the massive, partially assembled V8 engine occupying part of the operating theater.] That baby's gonna be a *goddess* when I'm done with her. Your front door could stop a bulldozer. Why so fortified? Are you kidding? Have you any *idea* how much all the stuff in here is worth? This is a high-capital operation - and life's dangerous for a guy missing most of his members, tooling up smugglers and criminals. What, you thinking of trying to knock me over?[He laughs uproariously, but it's not clear if he's kidding.] Nah, just show me your services. Sure thing. Tune-up, or spare parts? I'll take that V8 engine, and a box of chocolates.[Ambrose bursts into laughter.] I like you; you've got good taste... but that engine is family! Seriously, what do you want? Medical supplies. For the time being all Ambrose has to offer are basic Medkits and Trauma Kits, but we'll grab one of the latter because there's actually a pretty dire lack of revival items in our squad right now. We have one, Gobbet has one... and that's it. Duncan mysteriously lost his alongside half the consumables that he had at the docks, and anyone going down without auto-revival can be a real problem. Show me your cyberware too. The cyberware installation system has expanded some, now including separate Skin, Brain and Cyberweapon slots.  The basic limitations remain the same, any Essence loss messes with your magical abilities and this does include our Adept Qi spells (but not spirit summoning or totems). Hong Kong does introduce one extra option not available in the previous games though: The Cyberware Affinity skill under the Body stat which is required for the installation of certain cyberware also increases your maximum Essence by +1 at three and six points in the skill. This of course allows a non-caster to stuff even more artifical bits in their body if they can afford it, but because Essence loss only starts counting when going below the default 6, the extra Essence does also give spellcasters the option to dabble in some cyberware without negative effects. Nothing we can afford right now, but something to keep in mind at least. It should also be noted that all Essence loss is permanent.  The starting cyberware selection is quite impressive, but here too money is a real limitation. The highlight is probably the Saeder-Krupp Skillwires, for a gunslinger +1 Quickness and +1 Ranged Combat for 0.3 Essence is real nice. Overall passive stat boosts like this are particularly inviting in Hong Kong where outfits no longer provide any stats beyond Armor.  Now that we've had a chat with the proprietor, we can take a closer look at the premises.      Guess it's easy to find yourself in a variety of social circles by being the only doc in town.  We can also check out the computer space at the back. He doesn't seem to mind.    As sideways as this trip went, there are definitely even worse places to be stuck in.       We could get a slightly different description of the Shadowland with the Shadowrunner etiquette, but nothing worth a special mention.    Quite the packed schedule. We'll have to try and limit any particularly grievous injuries to outside the dedicated pre-hangover hours.  Moving on, on the other side of the metro entrance is the nightclub that sells weapons on the side according to Bao's message. Let's say hi to the bouncer first so that they know we're not here to cause trouble.  Aerodynamics? Anyone causes trouble, I see how far I can throw them. No fighting. No killing. No sex trade.[He lifts an arm, flexing. His muscles jump out like a mass of serpents and steel cabling. His arm is easily as thick as most humans' waists.] I don't mess around.Yes, yes, consider us intimidated. Cute cat, by the way. NEW MUSIC:  (Another Heoi indoors track that isn't on the OST.)  Seems like people are having a good time here, quite the contrast to the Walled City entrance looming just outside. Gonna have to keep our own head clear though, still got work to do after this.  By the looks of him, the troll in the corner here has no such obligations coming up.  Not while I'm on the job. Plus I think you may have drunk it all. And why shouldn't I? It is my right! I’m a prince of Club 88! Chosen, you might say. You part of the family that owns this place? You are a shrewd one, friend. I am the heir apparent. And my birthright? To peddle chems to every sniffer that passes through our gates. What do you say? Need something to pick you up, or bring you down? Let me see what you have. Callum here is our source of Cram returns without changes from Dragonfall and is once again the number one choice when someone or three someones need to kiss the floor right now. Using consumables costs 1 AP so in practice it gives +2 AP, but that's still the near equivalent of a free bonus turn that comes with a drug-fueled spring in your step as a bonus. We're definitely buying the one available here.  Callum can also give directions to the various stores which we don't need to hear again, so we'll next say hello to the older man behind the counter.  I can respect that. I'm Taz. I'm Henry Ka Fai. I suppose I own this place. If you’re looking for guns, speak to my wife. If you’re looking for pharmas, speak to my son Callum. And if you’re looking for trouble, you’ll be seeing my son Frederick. Briefly. And what would I speak to you about? Nothing. I just steer the ship. What ship? There's always a ship.Okay then. I'll leave you be. Through the door in the back we find both the aforementioned weapons store and the taciturn owner's wife who is running it.  I'm usually beyond helping, but what can you offer? Guns, or a swift kick out the door if you mess with me or mine. This is my family’s place. Me, my husband, and our two boys. Now, do you have business with me? I have no time for window shoppers. What have you got for sale? Firearms from all over the world. From Ares to Walther and everything in between. You in the market? Maybe another time.Her selection is largely the same as the smuggler's from before the Walled City trip, just with added Smartlink versions and the usual 3 Armor outfit. Very well. Was there something else? What can you tell me about Heoi? There’s only one thing you need to know. The corporations do not rule Heoi. We're under Kindly Cheng's umbrella, and her Yellow Lotus soldiers protect the docks and maintain the peace - but we're not triad members, and they don't own us. Heoi is a crossroads, where goods change hands and deals are made. Kindly makes the market, but we - the families - make it happen. Outsiders and corps know that tangling with Heoi is more trouble than we are worth. The triads know it is better to work with us than against us. And now you know these things as well. You would do well to remember them. Will do. Goodbye. We leave the partygoes to their reveling and proceed to the final stop of our tour: Spider Shen's store which is located a short ways to the northwest from Bolthole.   What tipped you off?[Shen smirks crookedly, two teeth peeking out from between thin lips.]  Body language. You're not afraid to look me in the eye, for one. For another, your clothes. Not in fashion, here in Hong Kong. Swords, knives, clubs - I sell it all. I make most of these, but if I can't, I've got friends who can. If you need incense or salves for meditation, I make and sell those, too. And if your joints ache, I can give you acupuncture.[Shen places both palms on the table, leaning over it towards you with a wicked grin.] So. What can I show you? Let me take a look at your wares.Finally, the dedicated Physical Adept store! What mighty new abilities await us here?  As it turns out, not much. Mana Fist is currently more accurate and powerful than our normal attacks (neither spell is tied to Unarmed despite the names) but doesn't have the AP damaging component of our normal swings. Nerve Strike's effect is okay, -7% Accuracy and -3 Movement for 2 turns, but again trades off the AP damage and has a whopping 3-turn cooldown. In a world of infinite money we might pick them up just in case, but ¥600 for each is way above our meager budget. The highlight here is supposed to be Magic Resistance, a ¥200 passive spell which provides permanent Medium Cover against all spells... but as it apparently only works properly for enemies, it was removed from player availability by the unofficial fix patch. So that's a real shame! There aren't even new gear upgrades here, so any mightly leaps of power level will have to wait until another day. You're a monk and a weapons dealer?[Shen slowly raises an eyebrow, arms folded.] Yeah. Where else would the ancient masters have gotten their legendary swords and spears? Down at the mall? I was at Wudang Mountain for fifteen years before coming back to Hong Kong. I've been practicing xing yi quan my entire life - that's how I learned the herbs, as well as the forms. It just so happens I'm good in a forge, too. That's why what you buy here is better than most other people's.Must be really holding out on us in that case, nothing we're seeing here is better than our Blade of Mediocrity that we bought from some random smuggler. So why become a weapons dealer out here? I was a runaway. A street orphan in Aberdeen. One day an old man who called himself Wo offered to take me in, let me make something of myself, as long as I worked hard. Nothing in this life is free, friend. Not even Grandfather Wo's help. So I work for him, now. Sounds like he was part of a triad. [Shen's eyes roll at this.] Obviously. You think I'm in Kindly's little haven for no reason? She and Grandfather Wo are on good terms. I don't get in her way, I pay a cut to her, and everybody's happy. Even Wo, because I solve problems for him.[Shen raises a balled fist, which suddenly bursts into blue flame. After a moment, it gutters and goes out.] Remember that, if anyone ever gives you something for free. In Heoi, you pay it back with money or blood, but you pay it back regardless.Thanks for the warning, but it's not looking like we'll have the luxury of getting to forget that particular lesson anytime soon. What's xing yi quan?[Shen strikes a sudden pose - body low, one fist against a hip while the other is extended in an open palm.] The Five Element Fist style. Water grows wood, which burns to become fire. Fire creates ashen earth, which condenses into metal, et cetera. The forms cycle the five elements, and opposing elements block each other. A water fist will break a wooden defense, but a water block will extinguish fire. Should one use a water interception on a metal fist, however, water will be smashed apart. Direct. Simple. Powerful. Not so elegant as bajiquan or tai chi, but much more powerful. Pretty sweet, gonna have to look into that if we ever come across an APC with an attitude problem. Why are your weapons special? Because I take greater care with them, and I've studied the ancient texts. Anyone can make an excellent carbide steel blade. But I can make that carbide blade burst into flames. I can make it sing with joy in combat. Anyone can make steel. Not anyone can awake it's soul.Magical swords? Oh now we're talking! Hell, why'd we even waste time talking about anything else? Can I see one of the blades you've awoken?[Shen waves a hand at you dismissively.] No, of course not! Swords like that have to be custom ordered. Only when someone cancels an order do I have one just laying around - and believe me, they get snatched up quick!Aw man, what a tease. Bet we'd look *so* cool with a burning sword too. Or maybe like, one with lightning coursing through it or something! We gotta figure out a way to get our hands on one. I get the picture. Let's talk about something else. Okay. What do you want to know? You sell the snakes and spiders, too?[Shen shakes a finger at you, eyes narrowed.] No. They're mine. I can sell you the things I craft with my hands, or the things I can *do*, but the medicines and poisons I make are my secret. You want those, you apprentice to me. In five years, maybe I show you how to make a poultice, eh? They're that secret? You want to learn, you need patience. You try to learn without patience, all you do is ape the masters. [Shen snaps two fingers and points at the cages.] You have to understand them, to truly learn my art. Otherwise, you never become a master. Might as well get a skillsoft.We'll pass on the apprenticeship, we have things to do and don't really have any extra years to spare especially with having lost quite a few of our best ones already. Not that big on spiders either, really. That's all for now. And that's it for Heoi! The time to talk has passed, and now it's time to work.   As mentioned, we have three available jobs but we'll only pick them up one at a time as we do them. One little catch is that one of these three, Geomantic Sabotage, is actually amongst the hardest missions in the game which can be a pretty fun surprise if you go for it first. So instead we'll go for something a little lighter-sounding, like hunting a serial killer. "Serial Killer" posted:>>From: Kindly Cheng Was kinda hoping we could avoid another brush with the Law so soon. Otherwise this sounds kind of intriguing though. Heard there was a big serial killer hunt back in Seattle a couple of years back, maybe we could get famous like that too! ...On second thought, that's maybe not optimal right now.  Re: "Serial Killer" posted:>>From: Kindly Cheng  Alright vinegar boy, time to spill some intel our way.  Let's try and get the basic picture here first. Tell me about Whampoa. We're pretty much the best, yo. What do you want to know?[Law folds his arms impatiently, as if he's irritated by your request - but he can't quite stifle a proud grin.] Just tell me about the tribe, generally. Who are you guys? [Law smirks.] You really are new to the Kong, aren't you? We're the neo-Matrix collective. We run the Hong Kong data haven, and the Kong shadow-nets. We *are* the Kong shadow-nets. Outside the corporate nets is the rest of the Kong. And in those shadows, you will find threads of golden light like a vast spiderweb that carry information. Those golden threads, and that web, is *Whampoa.*[He gives a curt, virile nod.] My buddy R3dSt0rm wrote that. Pretty wicked, huh? Anyway, we're bleeding-edge on the path to the singularity. We're doing things no one else is doing, anywhere... except maybe Denver or Tokyo. Our homeland is the Matrix, and we're building a society of *truth* and *expertise* and *information.* You seem very outspoken... less modest than many Hongkongers. Is that tribal? I am more outspoken, yo. I don't need the meatspace rituals. Modesty is *inefficient.*[He shrugs dismissively.] Is that a Whampoan thing? For those of us who are most *dialed,* maybe. We're post-cultural.[Law sweeps his hand around, gesturing at the surroundings.] I hardly see any of this meatspace. Our meatspace headquarters is a big 20th century ship that's totally *awesome.* Whatever. It's just meatspace. ...If they're all gonna be like this guy in there, we just might end up on that serial killer's side instead. What's a Whampoan doing on Kindly's turf? Are you a liaison? What am I doing here?[Law seems shocked at the question.] I'm an ambassador. I broker Whampoa's services to Heoi. Emissaries like me are all over the Kong, tying it together in an invisible network. Whampoans are coders and deckers for criminals. Is that right? We do tech for anyone in the Kong, outside the corporate umbrellas. Anyone can use our networks, if they pass our vetting and can pay for what we bring.[Law speaks without a shred of irony.] It's mostly the extralegal element that needs our skill. Does Whampoa provide any technical services for Hong Kong's poor? If you want to operate unmonitored by corporate algorithms, you've got to fly through the Whampoan network. It's the only place to be. So basically... you work with Kindly, doing tech for the Yellow Lotus? Well... I do some work directly with Kindly, but my focus is more the street level. We're all part of a big machine, each piece playing its critical role. So... you're just a little cog in the big machine, huh? What? Hey![Law sputters in irritation.] I'm an important part of an ascendant entity! If you're ignorant... yo, that's not my problem! I understand someone's killing your Elders. Yeah. poo poo's crazy. Full-on medieval. I can't talk about it. It's a tribal matter. Controlled information, right? We're gonna solve it. That's all outsiders need to know.Seems the ascendant entity doesn't deem everything worth bringing to the attention of this particular part. Actually, I've been contracted to help the Elders stop the murders. Wow... really? We're pulling in outsiders?[He shakes his head in disbelief.] Well, I should've seen that coming. Then what the hell are you doing here? Go to the Garden and help stop that poo poo! Then come back and tell *me* what's going on. Everybody's guessing. The Elders are being quiet, and the rumor hub is going crazy. I'm on it. Thanks for telling me about Whampoa. Time's wasting, Taz.[Law kicks one of the bins at his feet. The sea of electronic parts within it rattle loudly.] You gonna buy something first? No thanks. See you later, Law. Time to get started on our first proper job, see if we're really cut out for this whole shadowrunning business.    As is tradition by now, one can also bring in runners from a pool of kickstarter backer characters, but paying for the privilege of replacing one of our comrades with a mute rando is a pretty bad deal if you ask me.  This is more like it. However we now have four crewmates but only three slots, so someone's going to have to sit this one out. VOTING HAS CONCLUDED, Gobbet will be the one staying home today.   There's an additional dialogue choice available for deckers in response to Law's boasting about his AR tech during the initial meeting: (Decking 3) Augmented Reality? I hear a lot of corps are experimenting with it, but not… in such a socially invasive way. Yeah... Shiawase, Fuchi, Renraku, a couple others.[Law waves his hand dismissively.] Some of us took a look at what they’re doing. Their whole approach is flawed... they won’t get anywhere. You guys *looked at* everything multiple megacorps are doing? Yup. Corps can't think like us. They're paper tigers. Inside all that money and organization, they're systems run by idiots. Their coders lack perspective... no complexity of thinking. The system prevents it.[Law says it with supreme confidence: a statement of perfect fact.] BOOM!--- Another couple of outfits that were available:    
Kanfy fucked around with this message at 15:38 on Apr 20, 2021 |
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Apr 16, 2021 21:12
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Changing my vote to Gobbet.
girl dick energy fucked around with this message at 01:35 on Apr 17, 2021 |
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Apr 16, 2021 21:35
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Leave out Duncan; he's just whatever.
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Apr 16, 2021 21:41
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Is0bel will get her time to shine.... later. Not so much right now. For someone who wants to get away from her past we keep having the option to drag her into it, don't we? Let's let her just stay at home on the Matrix.
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Apr 16, 2021 21:58
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this is the significantly less horrible portion of her past. the whampoa is like... economic downturn, not living hell duncan
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Apr 16, 2021 22:05
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Skip Duncan, just because I always brought him along. (I played this game in the unsophisticated manner of problem => more bullets.)
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Apr 16, 2021 22:15
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Skip DuncanKanfy posted:Part 12 - Hello to Heoi (Part 2) That must have been a mouthful for him. 
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Apr 16, 2021 22:43
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Leave Gobbet. We saw what she could do last time, let's take Is0bel out for a run. Along with our newest member and Duncan because Duncan is the one I feel is most trustworthy at this point. At least in regards to us.
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Apr 16, 2021 22:48
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leave Gobbet at home because you'll probably be bringing her everywhere after this as an Adept, whereas this coming mission is one of few areas that Duncan's expertiseis, in theory, relevant. Xinyequan has taken on a bizarrely mystical element in kung fu circles because it's probably getting close to going extinct. As a martial art it occupies a lot of the same space Wing Chun does but in culture it has way fewer advocates who are way less prominent, and it's famously scarcely documented. It's mentioned in the same breath as bajiquan and taijiquan, I think they have some kind of historical connection, but Baji's still relatively popular and taiji has a new and far reaching life as tai chi.
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Apr 16, 2021 23:14
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it is a brutally deep cut into chinese martial art, is what it is they went full hipster and it good
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Apr 16, 2021 23:17
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bob dobbs is dead posted:the whampoa is like... economic downturn, not living hell More like living on a commune. Is0Bel.
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Apr 16, 2021 23:22
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Rockstar Massacre posted:leave Gobbet at home because you'll probably be bringing her everywhere after this as an Adept, whereas this coming mission is one of few areas that Duncan's expertiseis, in theory, relevant. Good points. Seconded.
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Apr 16, 2021 23:32
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Leave Gobbet Isobel lived there, Racter's new, and Duncan should have something useful to say.
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Apr 17, 2021 00:35
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