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Spending 5 points on    Escutcheon Armor Technologies ( We will bury them. Aboard the Escutcheon Battlecruiser, VP Haglund watched with horror as the garage Anton entered exploded outwards, a giant humanoid shape obscured by the raging blizzard emerging forth. This wasn't part of the plan at all! Haglund shouted, "GET LEGAL IN HERE, RIGHT loving NOW!" - - - The creature continued to grow, rapidly growing new muscles, organs, and limbs, which were promptly reabsorbed when they were made obsolete by the bits that came after them. All in all, Anton felt GREAT. With little effort, Anton lifted the Vanquisher, completely unharmed by his sudden growth, and hefted it like a soldier carrying a heavy machine gun. Fleshly tendrils extended into the tank's insides, integrating with the tank's systems. It roared, "GEEEEEEEEET SOOOOOOOOMEEEEEEEEEEEE!" and opened fire on the other racers. [1. GUNS (Mr. Black): 1d20+5 17] Hatches opened up on the tank, streams of rockets coming forth. [2. GUNS (Mr. Black): 1d20+5 16] A launcher shot several canisters which burst on impact, covering the area in deadly corrosive gas. [3. GUNS (Karaz): 1d20+5 24] The Vanquisher's flamethrowers came to life, burning away flesh that had covered them. Anton didn't seem to mind. [4. GUNS (Karaz): 1d20+2 21] Swarms of stinging insects, supremely adapted to the environment, flew out of a hive on the Hydra's back.
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Mar 22, 2016 11:23
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 Racer: Marvin Species: Antecedent Stats: 2 Health, 1 Attack, 2 Mobility Description:  Marvin drives the ”Mobile Testbed X-1σ”, courtesy of the Academy of Titan's department of Probability Mechanics. More affectionately known as the ’Sigma’, the craft is shaped like a... running shoe for some reason? Nobody really knows what that reason is, but it's probably a really good one. Or maybe not. The folks at the PM department are a strange bunch. Weapons: [Happenstance generator (+2) |No Effect |Lucky (on a Nat roll of 5 or lower, helps target instead of hurting)/gain no points if you kill someone with this weapon] The Sigma's Improbability Drive has strange destabilizing effects on local spacetime. With some fiddling, these disturbances can be directed towards other racers. Of course, since the weapon's effects seem just like random unlucky breaks to outsiders, it is not very apparent to them that the Sigma caused them in the first place. [Maybemine (+3) | No Effect |Random target/Delay (Weapon hits 1d4 rounds into the future, only DK knows this roll)/On a critfail, critically hit self instead] The Sigma plants a mine somewhere. It doesn't really matter where. These little buggers somehow still find their way into someone's way at some point via means unknown. Maybe they get lonely? Skills: Trudge through: Somehow Marvin seems to be incapable of finding the peace of death. Even in spite of its best efforts, it seems to find a way to avoid most harm. Or maybe it's the harm that is avoiding it. Who knows. Spite: That guy. Screw him in particular. Marvin's concentrated antipathy towards the very Universe itself warps things to go against his chosen target Special: Infinite Improbability Inductor: Marvin performs the impossibly intricate calculations necessary to project the output of the Sigma's Improbability Drive to really gently caress things for his opposition. This was not actually an intended function of the drive, or truly, even one that was thought possible even in theory. Yet somehow Marvin's endless spite has found a way around that anyway. After all, what would be more improbable to happen than the impossible? The III makes whatever the target is trying to achieve this turn fail hilariously and with nasty consequences. Parts: Twisted Fate (Reverse.Dice): Passive. Things just don't work out for Marvin like they do for other people. All die rolls are reversed for this racer. 1 becomes, 2 becomes 19 etc. Improbability Drive (CPU.Overclock): Passive. The Improbability Drive is an extremely powerful piece of tech, but just as likely to drop its user somewhere deep in interstellar space instead of moving them forward. Grants your vehicle +1 Action per turn, but your vehicle will unavoidably overheat and explode in 2d4+2 turns. Inform the GM that you're using this part; he will make the roll in secret so that your death remains a ~surprise~ Uncanny Luck (Chaff.Burst): Consumable. Even though he is otherwise the Universe's butt monkey, Marvin just cannot seem to die. Some speculate this is an attempt to prolong his suffering. Consume to have all attacks directed at you miss Hatred (Try.Again): Consumable. Even Marvin needs an outlet for his spite on occasion. Might as well be you. Use Special immediately as one of your Actions, but add 2 rounds to its cooldown AI Action: Trudge forward depressedly, screw other racers over.   HP: 18/18 Mobility: 2 Armor: 0 Attack: 1 Parts: Twisted Fate (Reverse.Dice), Improbability Drive (CPU.Overclock), Uncanny Luck (Chaff.Burst), Hatred (Try.Again) The Sigma dropped through the atmosphere, guided by no force other than dumb luck, caught a favourable crosswind, and landed on a mountaintop in just the right angle to be slowed down instead of smashed. Afterwards, the drive picked up speed, and started pushing the Sigma forward by nothing but just the force of the staggering improbability of it moving by itself. Mobility: 1d20+2: 13 Mobility: 1d20+2: 19 They were surrounded by a snowstorm, making it impossible to see anything. Not that Marvin cared. He was convinced that life would find a way to carry him wherever it could bother him most even without his intervention. Trudge Through: 1d20+5: 15 Some parts could be seen tumbling in the snow. Marvin made no attempt to dodge as they smacked into the Sigma. He knew well enough that trying to avoid the punches that existence threw his way was an exercise in futility. Spending 4 points to advance 2 positions automatically [Salvage (Force.Field): 1 (100)] [Salvage (Nano.Fabber): 16 (85)] [1. Mobility: 13 (12)] [2. Mobility: 19 (6)] [3. Skill: Trudge Through: 15 (16)] Using this to ignore the blizzard but get through anyway Be aware that the numbers not in parenthesis are the  INITIAL rolls, before the reversal. The numbers in parenthesis are the rolls after reversal, and thus the numbers you need to take into account.
Theantero fucked around with this message at 19:03 on Mar 23, 2016 |
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Mar 23, 2016 18:57
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 Mr Black 16/18 HP 3 Mobility 1 Attack 0 Armour 4 Corp point 36 Racer point Parts: Red.Paint, Escape.Bike,Photo.Synthesis Try.Again claim: 1d100+5 52 Force.Field claim: 1d100+5 70 Nano.Fabber claim: 1d100+5 12 Even with the howling winds, Mr.Black could hear the cannonfire from the tank. Trying to avoid the worst of it, Mr Black kept pushing to try and keep his lead. Defend Mobility: 1d20+3 10
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Mar 23, 2016 23:39
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  You finally clear the frozen body of water, and not a moment too soon! The previously smooth surface is now a mess of bobbing crags shining dimly in the too-bright star. You leave it and the dead behind. Your map places you near the north pole of the planet, almost as far as you can get from the star at this latitude, at this time of the year. The northern continent sits below you under kilometres of ice, but everywhere you look this ancient ice is melting. An alert perks up your ears. Wind, from the east - hurricane force, sudden and unrelenting. Your visibility drops to nothing in an instant, your screens obscured by whirling snow and freezing rain. Worse, your positioning data is intermittent - you don’t know where you ARE, much less where you’re going. And yet, you have to keep moving... where? The weather is strange, to say the least. Backlit by the blazing star, the individual flakes of snow blaze like match heads, blinding you with their light even as they obscure your view with their intensity. The temperature gradient is intense, gale-force winds alternately splashing you with meltwater and flash-freezing it to the surface of your Vehicles. The average Vehicle speed, beforehand hovering at the 700km/h range, drops to nearly 200km/h, such is the storm’s intensity! --- Up above in the Betting Hall, scores of people are too-casually making their way to escape vehicles - RAMA’s bizarre pronouncement that losing Racers (and their Corps!) will be dissolved has done a lot to cool their ardor. Worse, the AESC was cutting it extremely close with the nova blast-front; even a minor miscalculation would see them all blown to ash. Though everyone was all smiles and politeness as they left, each thought the same thing - had RAMA gone mad? quote:Ultrasafe (Karaz Volkov Kalashinovovich) Karaz didn’t give a poo poo about the weather. He kept his eyes on the countdown; nothing he did down here made a lick of difference if the count was up, right? Still time on the clock - still time to win this drat race! First up was getting his vehicle back up to scratch. He took the very last swig of the very last bottle and threw it in the back to smash with the others, then Guarded up again. When he stopped hearing whistling through all the holes in his rig, he gunned the engine, breaking himself out of the snow and slush he was entombed in and pushing slowly through the snow. He didn’t know if he was going the right way… but he DID know that staying where he was wasn’t right, either! quote:Escutcheon Armor Technologies ( Attack, ‘Scan’ <5 - Ugh, visibility is awful! You’re firing blind! 75% chance of MISS! Anton burst from the Garage, a beast in every respect. Dwarfing even Sillyfoot, the Hydra lumbered out of its prison and roared, the pressure from its gullet blasting away a storm of snow. Whatever remained of Anton shook with hysterical laughter as he opened fire on any motion he could see through the storm! [VISIBILITY: HIT]([[Hydra 1d20+5=17] vs [Mr. Black 1d20+5=11]/d4 = 1d4+1d2 = 4 Damage! OverKill doubles it to 8!) A storm of rockets blasted the area within 200 metres of Mr. Black’s location, tagging him with shrapnel. But the assault wasn’t done yet! Several glowing canisters flew into the cleared area, trailing yellow gas. [VISIBILITY: MISS] And sunk into the metres of slushy muck surrounding him, emitting only a few burps of their deadly payload. The Hydra didn’t even notice - fire burst forth from countless fleshy orifices. [VISIBILITY: MISS] And flash boiled the storm between it and Karaz, clearing its sight for the next assault! A boiling storm of insects descended on the Taurus’ oft-patched form! [VISIBILITY: HIT]([[Hydra 1d20+5=17] vs [Mr. Black 1d20+7=9]/d4 = 3d4 = 3 Damage! OverKill doubles it to 6! Not.Now.Later means Karaz takes it next turn!) The Hydra roared its victory and took a lumbering step - or tried to, anyhow. Its massive weight and the heat it generated caused it to sink into the mire at its feet, even as freezing rain covered its surface in concentric layers of ice. It powered through the obstacles through sheer brute strength, but it was slow going. quote:ERROR (Marvin) ”Pathfinding” >15 - You go the right way! No Confusion The Sigma landed like a cloud, improbably gliding to an easy stop on a suspiciously soft pile of snow. It caught a few Parts on the way down, integrating them into its bizarre circuitry. Marvin sighed as he miraculously survived another impossibility. You’d think that a thrown out like garbage into a supernova of all things would be the end of me, but the universe can’t even get that right! He dejectedly flicked a switch to send the Sigma careening forwards. Abruptly, the Improbability Drive shuffled chance itself to form a probability gradient - it simple became more probable that the Sigma would slide forwards, and vanishingly improbable that it would stay in one place. The snowflakes that touched its surface went careening off in other directions, their velocities set to chaotic new values. Marvin didn’t even look at the path ahead - after all, if he watched where he was going, he might have a chance of knowing where he was going. If he knew where he was going, he would probably get there - he was quite clever, after all. If he didn’t know where he was going, it was correspondingly improbable that he would arrive there - and therefore highly MORE probable. It didn’t take a brain the size of a planet to understand. quote:Delta Solutions (Mr. Black) Hoverbike shedding shrapnel like rain, Mr. Black pressed on. So close - so CLOSE! He sent his Vehicle up into the storm, hoping to get a clear view of the path ahead - but only succeeded in getting closer to the blasting heat and light of the encroaching nova. All he had to do was stay alive, and keep his lead. Easy, right? Easy. quote:Miller Solutions (Project O) With the light and explosions erupting around him everywhere, it was more than his simian brain could handle. He simply didn’t have the presence of mind for strategy or tactics - but what he COULD do drat well was drive. Slugger just kept his head down and drat well drove! Temperature continues to rise. Impact in 0.5 hours. Media presence around the planet has reached a climax - microcameras spatter like raindrops against the Vehicles’ screens, but the sacrifice of cameras in the millions is worth it to be the first to capture the Winner’s face in the final moments of the Run. Even as the media crowds in, the exodus of sponsors and corporations continues. While many have personality backups or direct brain-casts, the potential loss of technology, prototypes, or ego-death from interference is simply too much to bear. The Betting Hall is a ghost town, with most of the representatives having fled. But RAMA’s Branch remains in place, standing firm against the nova wave. The Run will NOT be concluded until the lead Racer passes the finish. The storm clears - and some Racers find themselves in unexpected locations! [[...]] [[NO TAKEDOWN THIS ROUND. BONUS POINTS STAND AT +2. SHILLKILL ACTIVE. OVERKILL ACTIVE.]] Last Round Positions_____________________New Positions 1st - Mr. Black____________________________1st - Mr. Black (+2 Points) 2nd - Karaz_______________________________2nd - Marvin 3rd - Anton Kalinin-2____________________3rd - Project O 4th - Project O___________________________4th - Karaz 5th - VACANT____________________________5th - 6th - VACANT____________________________6th - VACANT  The nova isn’t coming - it’s HERE. Outside, the snow is gone, flashed into steam. The stone itself bubbles beneath you, although you’re cool - for now. Even with your RAMA-granted shields and technology, warning bells are sounding a chorus of dying electronics. Your consoles burst into flames and extinguish themselves intermittently, but you know they can’t keep that up. Suddenly all of your consoles flicker and a voice rumbles its way through all audio channels at once. [[WE ARE RAMA.]] [[I CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR SURVIVAL THUS FAR]] [[I HAVE THE MEANS FOR YOUR SALVATION]] [[...]] [[LOOK]] You look. The boiling plain of bedrock flashes four times, as though illuminated from above by a brilliant green light. And then… it simply drops away, sinking down into a funnel hundreds of kilometres deep. The wind rushes forward to fill the sudden vaccuum, and you find yourself drawn along with it. [[SALVATION LIES DEEP WITHIN THE CRUST]] [[YOU HAVE ONLY MOMENTS]] All around you, micro-Garages slam down from the heavens, dotting the funnel with a spear-like network of beacons. [[TAKE WHAT YOU NEED AND]] [[...]] [[FINISH THE RUN]] (This is it, folks. The micro-Garages will not return any HP, but WILL allow you to purchase anything you require for the last leg. You can also SELL any Parts you wish for 5 Points each. Choose your Parts and actions carefully, because this section has some very tricky mechanics. Only one can win the Run - and it won’t necessarily be the fastest!)
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Mar 28, 2016 22:00
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 Sundown Run: The Home Game!Children, have you ever wanted to re-enact your favorite events of the Sundown Run - without the looming threat of the dying star casting death and fire on those you love? Now you can! Call in soon for the limited-edition version of Sundown Run Astrilia: The Home Game! (Yep, wrapping things up here soon! Over the course of the game, I've really been thinking that this game would be far better suited to be some sort of card/boardgame. Stripped down somewhat, of course, but I think the mechanics are there to make it, like, a real game I could play and/or sell! I'll list a few of the changes I was considering, but I'm going to stress this isn't an ad for it, or anything - I don't have anything to sell yet, this is literally just forming in my head now.
 Lastly - for the Sponsor Deck, I was thinking of using YOUR Corps. Anyone opposed to such?) Caught up on all the Messages From Our Sponsors that I skipped, by the way - edited them into old posts! Check them out here! Astrilian Delicacies - Delicious Food from this Doomed Dead World! Speaking to Power - Interview with AESC LOCKSAFE News From Around the Galactic Rim - Learn About the Sundown Club! Learn about the failed AVP! Dog Kisser fucked around with this message at 23:52 on Mar 28, 2016 |
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Mar 28, 2016 22:00
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Mr Black 18/18 HP Dogkisser said photo.synthesis heals me to full 3 Mobility 1 Attack 0 Armour 4 Corp point 38 Racer point Parts: Red.Paint, Escape.Bike,Photo.Synthesis Sell: Photo.Synthesis Purchase: CPU.Overclock, Oil.Slick, Not.Now.Later, Failure.Buffer, Huge.Rocket, Luck.Reverser, Redline Brilliance (3 points spend for +3 to skill rolls this turn),Useless.Cube Using Oil.Slick, Huge.Rocket, and will use Failure.Buffer if I roll a 1. Mr Black frantically added all the RAMA modifications he could to his bike, the afterburner revving, and a whole host of new gadgets ready to go. Mr Black went fast, the fastest he had ever raced. Mobility: 1d20+13 28 He was agile and fluid, the hoverbike performing some of the most acrobatic stunts it had ever done Hoverbike Skill: 1d20+8 And he frantically hammered at the phasor drive, desperately avoiding that what he could not dance around Phasor Skill: 1d20+8 12 The question remained: Was it enough to win him the race?
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Mar 28, 2016 23:53
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HP: 18/18 Mobility: 2 Armor: 0 Attack: 1 Parts: Twisted Fate (Reverse.Dice), Improbability Drive (CPU.Overclock), Uncanny Luck (Chaff.Burst), Hatred (Try.Again), Not.Now.Later SELL: Force.Field, Nano.Fabber BUY: Redead.Chamber, Not.Now.Later Marvin watched impassively as the man on the black bike did his very best to keep his place. Such effort, such skill. Marvin would be doing the man a favor by showing him that the Universe cared not for such pretensions, and that they were, generally speaking, a total waste of time. A mini-garage threw a small tesseract-like box at him and his ride. Inside, the schematics for the proper induction of the Möbius Protocol, as well as some sort of winding monologue by Giovanni about 'Just as planneds' and 'perfect executions' and other kinds of irritating drivel. God, he hated that man. He typed in the codes nonetheless. Using Redead.Chamber to steal Giovanni's Special Möbius Protocol, and then using Try.Again to force its success. For his part, Marvin could not care less. Why was he even here? On this dying planet of idiotic wheeling critters. He had seen many planets, and in his expert opinion, it was a pretty bad one. Not the worst, but pretty bad. Not anything to write home about sure, but that made things even worse in a way, since the truly bad were at least remarkable, which was good. This didn't even have that. Marvin did not bother to voice his grievance, but somewhere inside his robotic soul he wished the planet could somehow know how much he loathed it, and feel bad for all the bother it was causing him. Spiting the Planet: 1d20+5: 11 (20) Other than that, he just sat and trundled forward, caring not what the World was going to beat against his face this time around. Trudge Through: 1d20+5: 20 (11) Using Chaff.Burst against attacks this round (in particular against the Orbital Bombardment which I'm fairly sure is coming) [1. Special: Möbius Protocol (via Redead.Chamber): Using Try.Again so no roll needed] Using this to shunt positions one spot forward, locking me in first place and shunting Mr. Black in last place. [2. Skill: Spite: 11 (20)] Spiting the Planet itself for being such a goddamn bother [3. Skill: Trudge Through: 20 (11)] Using this to ignore the blizzard but get through anyway Be aware that the numbers not in parenthesis are the INITIAL rolls, before the reversal. The numbers in parenthesis are the rolls after reversal, and thus the numbers you need to take into account.
Theantero fucked around with this message at 00:40 on Mar 29, 2016 |
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Mar 29, 2016 00:32
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   quote:Karaz Volkov Kalashinovovich and the Taurus Transport Mk. 2 This is it SELL: Junk.Magnet BUY: Try.Again, Chassis.Gel, Carbyne.Structure, Luck.Reverser This is where we pull up the big boy pants, this is where we try our damned hardest not to die. Karaz Volkov Kalashinovovich will die possibly of extreme liver failure or a drink driving action but not today he won't! The Carbyne.Structure Locks into place 2d8 Health = 4 (3, 1) The Chassis.Gel is immediately deployed. 3d4 Health = 9 (4, 3, 2) 4+9+4 = 17 - 6 = 11 HP And the pedal is put to the /metal/. 1. Mobility +3 1d20 + 3 = 11 (7+3) Faster 2. Mobility +3 1d20 + 3 = 21 (18+3) Faster, faster like there's an exploding planet right behind you because it bloody well is DRIVE LIKE YOU WANT TO GET OFF THIS HELL PLANET AND JUST GO HOME AND GET DRUNK LIKE YOU USUALLY DO BEFORE YOU TRIED SWINDLING MONEY FROM A BLOODY ULTRASAFE EXEC 3. Oiled.Gears Mobility +0 1d20 + 0 = 13 (Ignore the +3 I left that in on accident) HERE WE GOOOOOOOOOOOO!
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Mar 29, 2016 18:36
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Escutcheon Armor Technologies ( We will bury them. The creature that was once Anton pulled itself out of the snow, racing down the funnel to the nearest garage. It fruitlessly tried to trade in homegrown parts before selling the real ones. It had only one goal: win the race. SELL: AMMO.MANAGER, KIDNEY.SHOT, PUNISHMENT.GLUTTON, LEOPARD.PRINT BUY: BACKSEAT.DRIVER, OILED.GEARS, AFTER.BURN, HUGE.ROCKET After a lengthy deliberation between Scottie Haglund, Escutcheon's legal team, and RAMA referees, it was determined that the Hydra was in fact still considered a corporate racer for Escutcheon. It still contained Anton's vitasensor, and at no point during or after the transformation did Anton's life signs cease. Haglund breathed a sigh of relief; the company, and by extension himself, was in the clear. He began the task of wiring funds to the more flexible referees. That goddamn monster was Escutcheon property and goddamn was it going to get some Escutcheon support. He shouted over the ship's intercoms, "LOAD THE BIGGEST THING WE GOT AND FIRE IT! We're not leaving until I see that planet die, so for your sakes it had better be us that kills it!" Several decks below, teams of loaders worked at a feverish pace loading the Battlecruiser's torpedo tubes with Terrablaster ordinance, which they had received special dispensation to use with the passing of the Overkill Initiative. The cruiser's weapon crews didn't even wait for the fire orders from their immediate superiors; Haglund had made it abundantly clear what would happen otherwise. [1. Orbital Bombardment: TRY.AGAIN USED]Below, the Hydra ran, helped along by multiple rocket engines it had strapped to its back. After.burn and Huge.Rocket used! [2. DRIVE: 1d20+10: 16] 3. DRIVE MORE: 1d20+0: 20]NOT. GOOD. ENOUGH. TheNabster posted:2. Mobility +3 Using Backseat.Driver on this roll! [4. NEVER STOP DRIVING: 1d20-3: 18-3 = 15] The Hydra opened its great maw and roared, "SUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKK MYYYYYYY FUCKINGGGGGGGG DIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIICKKKKKKKKKKKK" paper bag with a face fucked around with this message at 20:42 on Mar 29, 2016 |
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Mar 29, 2016 20:35
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 Racer(s): Sir William Getchem Special: – The Voice of our GENeration – Upon death, automatically narrates one full round of events, generating a free shill-roll to all living participants as their glory is humbly described by the beloved celebrity, and giving ¡GEN! A number of points equal to the sum of roll totals as that glory is reflected back on the parent company. - Cannot be used in any other way – (Point totals subject to revision by RAMA)  "Deep below the waters surface of planet Astrilla, where oceanic pressures means no ordinary broadcast can penetrate, the last vestiges of life cling to ever tinier niches as the planet boils all around them." Serene images float by the viewer of quadrilateral floaters proppelled by aquatic jets, hunting for motes of ionized carbon riding the waves of destruction. Of creatures big and small, hunting each other, mating and evaporating, engaging in strange and elaborate dances around the hot springs that have forever been their home. Next we come to a species of underwater plant which, as the soothing voice-over explains, over the aeons have developed a curious form of hyper-photosynthesis, subsiding on the infinitesimal amount of photons to have ever reached Astrillas depth. As the Full Light of their Dying Star hits their delicately evolved photoreceptors; it spurs them to growth: letting them for a brief but beautiful moment outlive and outlast even all consuming fusion fire.   --- The view soon pans to another creature, ethereal and breathtaking in its complexity.  The on-board Xenobiologsts aren't quiet sure of what to make of it. The voice continues; It seems it rode in on the solar winds, impervious to its deadly radiation. It does not interact with the world as it passes, beyond flailing its many flagellum happily. The whole piece is set to carefully arranged and more importantly authentic Rounder music. The view returns once more to the gentle face of Sir William Getchem, as he stands in front of a livefeed of the Planet, the race and the encroaching storm.  "It is here that I find myself, at the end of my contract with ¡GEN! - A lifetime of nature documentaries behind me. It is with great pleasure that I take these final few steps, documenting as I go the very end of life itself. Both for me, the planet and it's solar system." He smiles warmly to the camera, gesturing to the oboard shackled-AI to engage the final sequence of events that would cement his fame, and that of his parent company, amongst the stars for GENerations to come. --- The Sensor Ship unfurled like a century-flower, cords and coils tapping into the vast potential energy of the RAMAGarage, turning both itself and the maintenance bay into a giant, star-fueled beacon. The ocean came pouring in, the last shields cracked and broken. Through inGENius mechanisms built into the vehicle, the water acted as coolant to preserve the ship for as long as possible, that it may perform its final duty. The Gamma Ray Broadcast. Raw telemetry never before seen in scale; over-riding for minutes every signal within the sector. Replacing it with a perfectly orchestrated feed of the race under the Galactic Entertainment Networks logo and copyright. Detonating the Garage, granting me five points and activating Sir William Getchems Special. With it; ¡GEN! is hijacking the broadcast of the final stretch of the race from RAMA (which I am sure will have no ill effect!) and in the process disrupting all communications Sending all racer points to corp: 16 points + 5 for detonating the garage = 21 corp points total.
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Mar 30, 2016 20:11
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(Thanks for the patience, gents - finishing off last essay today, then finishing off this game tomorrow! Thanks so much for playing with me, and I can't wait to see who actually wins this whole shebang!)
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Apr 3, 2016 22:24
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 The nova isn’t coming - it’s HERE. Outside, the snow is gone, flashed into steam. The stone itself bubbles beneath you, although you’re cool - for now. Even with your RAMA-granted shields and technology, warning bells are sounding a chorus of dying electronics. Your consoles burst into flames and extinguish themselves intermittently, but you know they can’t keep that up. Suddenly all of your consoles flicker and a voice rumbles its way through all audio channels at once. [[WE ARE RAMA.]] [[I CONGRATULATE YOU ON YOUR SURVIVAL THUS FAR]] [[I HAVE THE MEANS FOR YOUR SALVATION]] [[...]] [[LOOK]] You look. The boiling plain of bedrock flashes four times, as though illuminated from above by a brilliant green light. And then… it simply drops away, sinking down into a funnel hundreds of kilometres deep. The wind rushes forward to fill the sudden vaccuum, and you find yourself drawn along with it. [[SALVATION LIES DEEP WITHIN THE CRUST]] [[YOU HAVE ONLY MOMENTS]] All around you, micro-Garages slam down from the heavens, dotting the funnel with a spear-like network of beacons. [[TAKE WHAT YOU NEED AND]] [[...]] [[FINISH THE RUN]] RAMA’s immense power is all around you, touching you not at all but holding back the heaving earth with adamantine might all the same. You drive nearly vertically straight down, accelerating against the sloped walls faster than gravity’s pull. Behind you, the sky is a blinding white, approaching by the second. You feverishly imagine it as trying to outrace a mere explosion, but you know it to be the dividing line between life and death. All you have to do is WIN! [[...]] [[TRANSMISSION OVERRIDE FROM GEN! “The Voice of Our GENeration”]] [[...]] [[AUTHORIZATION GRANTED - GEN! HAS THE FLOOR]] (Loved that, Thaum, enjoyed all the bits of flavor this game has picked up over time and what people made of it) quote:Delta Solutions (Mr. Black) ’Skill’ >20 - You hit a pocket of folded space - whether left by RAMA or an artifact of the nova, you’re uncertain, but it kicks you ahead a few kilometres! Move up one Position! “Delta Solutions’ Racer - crowd favourite Mr. Black - has got to be feeling the pressure now. This close to the end, he’s going to have to pull out all the stops.” “That’s absolutely right, Karen. Just look at him go, weaving between the Garages and making full use of the three-dimensional space of the funnel. He’s going to be tough to catch, that one! He’s not staying in one place for more than a second - looks like he’s using his Phasor to blip around to keep himself from hitting any nasty surprises on the way.” “And keep in mind we use same model of Phasor in all our quality programming - keeps our stunt men safe while allowing for mindblowing explosions and pyrotechnics.” “Now, now, Karen, don’t ruin the magic for all those kids out there!” quote:ERROR (Marvin) “Now this fella’s an odd duck - it says here he’s not officially under any sort of Corporate sponsorship! A bonafide independent Racer!” “Now, correct me if I’m wrong, Karen, but that’s never happened in Sundown Run history.” “Absolutely not, Valthax - as a matter of fact, it’s explicitly against the rules! As a showcase for corporate technology, there’s not really any room for independent Racers.” “And yet he’s down there, racing. “And yet he’s down there racing, absolutely. RAMA has chosen to allow it, for reasons known only to their whims. And despite his late entry, what a race he’s made of it! His unusual Vehicle looks ungainly as all hell, but it’s moving around the funnel as if inertia was just a suggestion! I think I even saw a Garage - oh, he’s gone!” “Something tricky, I’ll wager! We’ll keep you updated!” quote:Ultrasafe (Karaz Volkov Kalashinovovich) “I cannot believe this guy is still in the Run. He’s almost died countless times, and he keeps trucking on somehow!” “Hell, he was slated for death before this Run was even conceived. He’s just really drat good at not dying! That Not.Now.Later Part of his has done more than its fair share to keep him going, though - you can drat well bet that it’s going to see a lot more civilian use now. Ultrasafe is sure to get a hefty cut of the sales, after their Racer’s performance.” “Don’t talk about him like he’s down just yet - after all those Parts he just jammed on, his Vehicle is looking like it’s in top shape and moving fast. He’s not out of this race just yet! “Well, no - but you aren’t paying attention to what’s coming up behind him!” quote:Escutcheon Armor Technologies ( “Just what the hell has Escutcheon’s Racer done to himself?” “He’s made himself into one hell of last boss, is what he’s done! Look at all those tendrils and the fire and the raucous blasts of random ordnance fired into the funnel walls! It’s almost erotic in its brutal glory.” “Speak for yourself, Karen - I’m glad we’re beaming this live through the Undernet instead of orbiting a mad AESC.” “I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again - RAMA isn’t mad, they’re just quirky. They’ve got something up the- oh, holy poo poo! Would you look at that! Orbital munitions, and heavy duty ones, too!” “Well, probably better now than never - nothing’s going to be orbiting Astrilia in a few minutes now, ha ha!” [ORBITAL BOMBARDMENT IMMINENT]([[Anton Kalinin-2 1d20+10=25] vs [Project O 1d20+1+5=8]/d4 = 4d4+1 = 11 Damage! Overkill doubles that to 22! Project O is Taken Down! Any Points he has gained transfer to the Corp)  ([[Anton Kalinin-2 1d20+0=6] vs [Karaz 1d20+2=8] = MISS!) ([[Anton Kalinin-2 1d20+0=13] vs [Mr. Black 1d20+0=6]/d4 = 1d4+1d3 = 4 Damage! Overkill doubles that to 8! Not.Now.Later Inactive!) ([[Anton Kalinin-2 1d20+0=19] vs [Marvin 1d20+0=11] = MISS due to Chaff.Burst!) “And just like that, Miller Solutions’ Racer is out of the Run.” “And the last living Astrilian creature.” “Yeah, well whatever, we can clone it if people are feeling sentimental. It’s like rock/paper/scissors - orbital railstrike beats tiny animal. Mr. Black got winged hard, but he’s not down. Marvin that independent fellow took a direct hit but improbably managed to sneak past unscathed!” “Just look at Escutcheon’s beast go - running down into the planet’s core through the flames and debris of his opponents’ carcass. We need to get in touch with their people and hook ourselves up with some of that!” “With what, the illegal combat mutagen or the living-on-borrowed-time mutant that’s in the Run?” “Either or both!” “So what exactly IS the plan, exactly? The plasma wave ‘impacts’ in a few minutes, but Astrilia is already toast. Normally the Run would have been called by now. What is RAMA waiting for!?” “A winner, Valthax.” Deep in the bowels of Astrilia, the Racers drove bathed in blinding light - racing in a cylinder of stubborn granite with the nova on one end and the planet’s naked core on the other. Holding down the indescribable pressure of the core’s expansion was a silvery disc one kilometre across, embossed with the logo of this cycle’s Sundown Run. The end of the line. An improbable flicker and (Marvin’s Vehicle fell to pieces around him, fragments of the Sigma shorn off him perfectly like wool from a sheep as he was held in place only metres from the end. A presence bloomed in his mind and sheared his ego from his senses. Time lost scale immediately (as far as he could tell). He saw it/them watching him, a vast Logo that shattered into fractal infinity on the edges. It/they spoke. [[YOU ARE UNINCORPORATED, YOUR PARENT CORPORATION PLEDGED TO ANOTHER]] [[...]] [[BY DEFAULT YOUR RUN ENDS HERE IN A LOSS]] [[...]] [[WE HAVE LISTENED TO YOU. WE SEE VALUE IN YOU]] [[...]] [[JOIN OR REMAIN - WE EXTEND THIS INVITATION ONCE ONLY]] The Logo leaned towards him, expectantly, already reaching for him - but waiting for a response.) Marvin’s Vehicle burst into useless fragments. Three left, wielding all of their skill, all of their technology, all of their passion, in the seconds before impact. BUT WHO WAS IN THE LEAD!? (You guys made this really hard to count!) Last Round Positions_______________________ FINAL POSITIONS1st - Mr. Black______________________________1st - Mr. Black 2nd - Marvin_______________________________2nd - The Hydra 3rd - Project O_____________________________3rd - Karaz 4th - Karaz__________________________________4th - VACANT 5th - The Hydra ____________________________5th - VACANT 6th - VACANT______________________________6th - VACANT Mr.Black hit the Finish Logo head on with his Hoverbike, flinching with alarm as he felt his Vehicle crumple and the walls resound like in impossibly loud bell and - opened his eyes to find himself standing in the center of the Betting Hall, wearing a perfectly crisp and impossibly clean racing uniform. He stood stunned as they declared him the winner of Sundown Run Astrilia staring out the viewscreen at the blasted wreck of Astrilia where his apparently useless body lay. Escutcheon administrators swarmed to speak with him, but all stopped in their tracks when RAMA spoke. [[DELTA SOLUTIONS ARE THE VICTORS OF SUNDOWN RUN ASTRILIA]] [[THEY SHALL RECIEVE THE EQUIVALENT OF 20,000 POINTS OF RAMA RESEARCH DATA ON THE SUBJECT OF THEIR CHOOSING]] [[THEY MAY ALSO SUBMIT ANY NUMBER OF CHOSEN EMPLOYEES FOR A MERGER WITH THE RAMA BRAND]] Shield walls slammed down into place surrounding Mr. Black and Delta Solutions representatives. [[...]] [[AS PER OUR PREVIOUS ANNOUNCEMENT, ALL OTHER REMAINING CORPORATIONS WILL BE JETTISONED INTO THE NOVA’S WAKE]] Without further ado, the Betting Hall inverted itself, ejecting everyone present into the supernova’s plasma wake. (Okay that’s it thanks for playing bye!) Dog Kisser fucked around with this message at 19:40 on Apr 4, 2016 |
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Apr 4, 2016 18:43
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Gambling With The Gods As the Betting Hall ejected its contents into the storm of plasma and exotic particles, you held on to a railing, screaming until your breath left you in a great whoosh of vapor. You flew out, head aching, and sank into the boiling clouds. Heaven looked a lot like space. You and the others floated there awkwardly for a moment, decidedly not dead, decidedly not stripped into bare particles by rogue gravity waves or nova heat. Even the blinding light of the expanding nebula merely glowed contentedly, in your eyes. You swept your hand through the dense cloud - so tame, now - and marvelled at the whorls and vortices you stirred up. You found that with some exertion, you could right and orient yourself, and you turned to face RAMA’s Branch Station. It held firm against the stellar current, a great stone in a river of fire. RAMA spoke again, more gently. [[FOR REMAINING BEHIND WHEN OTHERS FLED, YOU ARE GRANTED A FIRST-HAND VIEW AT RAMA’S PROTOTYPE PORTABLE COSMIC INHIBITORS - THE PCI]] [[SUNDOWN RUN IS AN EVOLVING EVENT, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, AND YOU ARE AMONG THE VERY FIRST TO SEE THE NEXT PHASE IN ITS DEVELOPMENT]] Polite (and soundless) applause erupted among the relieved audience, well conditioned to the appropriate response to this sort of grandeur. Praise be to RAMA for showing you this glory! For your part, your mind was already whirling with possible implementations of this godlike power. Harnessing stellar engines was the least of it - weaponry, art, entertainment. If nothing else, next cycle’s Sundown Run would really ramp up the special effects. And next time, you’d win. (That’s actually the end! Thanks again to my participants, and thanks for allowing me to effectively play-test the game. I saw lots that I wanted to change, lots that needed to be cut. Also I feel like a fool for thinking that this game would be easier to write updates for - I was definitely too heavy on the bbcode to the point that I think reading it was tougher than it ought to have been, and if nothing else it made a lot of tedious busywork for me each update. Whatever my qualms, I want to say again how much I enjoy this forum for allowing me to collaboratively build a world with you guys - even though this world was much smaller in scope than Lord of the Tower and certainly some of the other CYOAs in the Game Room, I feel like together we really built some character into it. Corporation gods and cartoon boy bands and multiple monkeys driving cars, and it all fit together reasonably well. I’ve also learned that while I le PLAYING mechanic heavy games, I’m not as good at RUNNING mechanic heavy games. I’ll post about my next game here soon (this week, if all goes as plan), but it will be far less mechanic intensive and more about world-building and player agency. Nothing at all to do with this universe, but… well, you’ll see later! Final points about this game - Marvin and Mr. Black got specific hooks, but feel free to write whatever epilogues you wish. I like getting a sense of closure, but if you’re good where you are, move right along onto the next game, and fair travels to you!)
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Apr 4, 2016 18:44
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Annihilated by GM fiat, truly the only way for me to go  (Not that it matters, since I was the first during the last round and thus the Moral Victor. Yeah.) But anyways, while this game was not as immersive as Towergame, and kinda unbalanced to boot (which is to be expected of a playtest, really) I still thought it was a fun little exercise. I had some very enjoyable moments trying to come up with the cheesiest builds, in particular. Not that it really mattered in the end, because as we all know ... ...... ......... ............ 22:45: DogKisser: FINE I SUCK AND AM GARBAGE  I kid, I kid. It was a singularly fun little romp.
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Apr 4, 2016 19:08
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Karaz drank. At that point, floating in space with all the lights blinking and the cabin of the Taurus getting very stuffy, what can you do? He looked up to a noise. He saw a prompt from GEN! Light up his screen. He laughed. --- Karaz was dead. Ultrasafe was pretty sure of this, if not because the Taurus whilst of course built from the ground up to resist most threats, did not come with radiation shielding, and if not because the transport wasn't really built for a prolonged stay in space, it was most defiantly because when they got the Taurus Mk.2 back in one piece, the Not.Now.Later module gave a sad mechanical sigh and the entire thing buckled into a cube around 2 feet on all sides and then melted into a heap. Mr Purple signed it off as 'Executed via Supernova' and put in a memo to the makers of the Protective.Scaffold and Not.Now.Later companies about a business deal. This would be lucrative. The Taurus Mk.2 would go on to sell gangbusters to most law enforcement organizations across the galaxy, with the tag line 'Small Arms and Nuclear Fire, The Taurus Takes It All!' (Well the Taurus did technically survive the supernova, just briefly.) And meanwhile, another prisoner is 'prepared' for the next cycles run. A ancedent who had long thought to be under the notice of the law whilst running a massive grand theft auto scheme, was in for a big surprise. In a couple of years time anyway. --- GEN! Would later release the spiritual successor to the post-humous action game 'Gruff McManns Last Ride', called 'Krazy Karnov's Kalamitous Kamper'. It would sell out in two thirds of the Galaxy and be banned in the other third. And 'Karnov' never asked any questions. At this point he would take this gravy boat and ride it into the sunset. He would go on to be the poster boy of Cast.Iron.Liver, the world had turned for Karnov. TheNabster fucked around with this message at 20:46 on Apr 4, 2016 |
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Apr 4, 2016 20:41
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The End Scottie Haglund, former VP of Marketing, gazed in wonder at the nova erupting around him. Such beauty! He was so enraptured by RAMA's display that he almost didn't notice a needle pricking him in the thigh, right through his ballistic dress pants. Before he had any time to react, Scottie Haglund was reduced to a colorful pile of dust, scattering in the absence of gravity. Even in death, Escutcheon does not take failure lightly. When the RAMA repossession teams stormed the Escutcheon headquarters, they found something curious. All databanks were wiped completely, research labs were already reduced to burnt out husks, and the Corporate Council was missing entirely. Due to the identities of the Corporate Council being a mystery, any sort of prosecution or other retribution was made nearly impossible. To this day, RAMA has a generous bounty set for the missing Escutcheon execs, but nobody has stepped forth to claim it. Rumor has it that the stolen Escutcheon tech has made it to the black market, as space pirate vessels and personnel have been suspiciously hard to kill lately.  The media popularity of the Walking Eye drones combined with the dissolution of Escutcheon resulted in a wave of copycats flooding the market. They are used by organizations in need of stealth recon everywhere, though the original Escutcheon drones (now a collector's item!) are greatly preferred. The Walking Eye cartoon, detailing the adventures of Eye-ago, was canned after one season due to a lack of funding, but would achieve a cult following years later. The Vanquisher tank used by Anton Kalinin and the Hydra actually survived the supernova more or less intact, the nova cleansing it of Hydra contamination and Anton's gaudy paint job. It is still floating in the space where Astrilia used to be, high tech armor protecting it from all threats. Teams of salvagers are still fighting bloody wars over who will be the ones to claim this treasured artifact. The other remaining Vanquishers have skyrocketed in value to the point of being priceless. Owning an Escutcheon Vanquisher is now the holy grail of military collectors throughout the galaxy. The Hydra did what most things hopped up illegal mutagen do: explode. In the monster's death throes, it had managed to kill one of the last surviving bits of fauna on Astrilia, which had rapidly evolved to be resistant to the supernova and all the hazards that came with it. Sadly, it was not prepared for the torrent of acidic blood that emerged from the exploding Hydra. When asked about the Hydra and the serum that produced it, a BioDyne corporate representative had no comment.  The second the Hydra's vital signs ceased, another Anton Kalinin emerged from the cloning tanks aboard his personal space yacht. While he did not win the race, Anton's attitude and willingness to do the unspeakable in the name of victory had endeared him to deathsport fans all over the galaxy. To Anton's great delight/confusion, he found his inbox packed to the brim with job offers, not just for deathsports but for guest spots and cameos in all sorts of other shows and movies! Whatever his previous clone did, he/it did something right, Anton mused. He was a star now.
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Apr 5, 2016 16:37
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(Loving your epilogues, incidentally!)
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Apr 5, 2016 18:28
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