| From: | Jeffrey Mach <mach@****.CALTECH.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Chessmen |
| Date: | Sun, 29 Mar 1998 02:19:45 -0800 |
> Okay, a little bit of plotting here:
>
> Kristling is planned to be presued by 32 "players" called the chess men.
>
> They basically are a bunch of shadowfolk, ex- soldiers, neo- anarhists,
> ecetra. They chose a runner every "match". One side, determined randomly
> (this match it's the Black side) hunts the chosen runner (in this case,
> Kristling) and the other (White) tries to protect him. After the target
> is dead or two months, a winner is declared.
It is a bit of an extreme way for a group of runners to keep on their
respective toes, but theoretically possible. Especially if there are rich
and powerful patrons for the event who get a bizarre thrill out of the
game. A priori I have no real problem with the plot concept, other than
the duration. Two months seems a bit long unless you want the protector
team to nab Kristling and put him in a deep, dark, secret, and well
defended hole for those two months. You also may want to consider the
full bounds of the "rules' for the game. If this really is a "game" then
what is the prize, and what would the sides be willing to do? You already
say that they will want to kill one for breaking the rules, but would they
actively try to kill each other during the game? These don't have to be
answered, but they are food for thought.
One thing though, aren't there at least one group who are already using
chess-piece names? IIRC, they were involved in the IF1 storyline.
ACCESSING....
http://www.itribe.net/shadowrun/cast-db/
<<ping>>
Yes, it seems that Steven Ratkovich has registered Black King and the
Black Pawns. Somebody else has a Black Knight, unrelated (wonder if he
takes well to dismemberment). IIRC, the King and Pawns all worked for
Black Queen (as in Bug queen) and while they were unsuccessful against IF1
for the most part, they are still out and about.
If Steven (& IF1) has no problems, then I can see running with it, since
chessmen is a relatively common concept.. On the other hand, it can be
done to death. One possible alternative is to cut your numbers to 26 (13
per) and have them use the deck of cards motiff (Hearts vs. Spades: Queen
of Spades, Jack of Hearts, Ace of Spades etc.). This is problematic,
though, because you already used them. On the other hand, you forgot to
give them T/D stamps (necessary even for Internal messages, at which point
altering them becomes pointless unless you are crazy like Karlsbrun), so
maybe a little retconning is in order anyway.
> They bombed his "offices" outside of Toronto, killing everyone except
> (he doesn't know it yet) his brother in law and his secratary. King's
> Bishop's Pawn, who preformed the deed, was sacrificed (killed) for
> broaching the rules and killing without results (if Kristling had died,
> the errant pawn'd still be alive and kickin'). Kristling was, in fact,
> caught in the blast radius, resulting in his needing cyber replacements
> for his eyes. He returned to Seattle. He only knows he is being presued
> by somebody and all his friends.
First his sister is nabbed and now he's being hunted for no other reason
than he is a handy target. This poor guy's a bad-karma sink.... As a
note, though, if your eyes are damaged in an explosion, then you don't
_need_ cyber replacements. It's just that most mundanes choose them
because of their utility over cloned/vat grown eyes. But the latter
option is infinitely more essence friendly.
--My two yen
Jeff
