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Message no. 1
From: Bill Thompson BillT@*********.com
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 18:53:24 -0800
...or EGM's everywhere.

What kind of limit would you set on built-in devices for cyberlimbs? The rules
leave it up to the GM, but I wanted to get some opinions.

While we're at it, would you consider a cyberskull or cybertorso a limb with
the ability to install other components at a reduced essence cost?

Bill Thompson - Mahagonny.com
On the Internet there are no independent agents.
Message no. 2
From: dghost@****.com dghost@****.com
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 20:49:24 -0600
On Tue, 9 Feb 1999 18:53:24 -0800 Bill Thompson <BillT@*********.com>
writes:
>...or EGM's everywhere.
>
>What kind of limit would you set on built-in devices for cyberlimbs? The
rules
>leave it up to the GM, but I wanted to get some opinions.

Why not give each limb an "Essence" rating?

>While we're at it, would you consider a cyberskull or cybertorso a limb
with
>the ability to install other components at a reduced essence cost?

yes, depending on the "other components"

--
D. Ghost
(aka Pixel, Tantrum, RuPixel)
"You, you're like a spoonful of whoopass." --Grace
"A magician is always 'touching' himself" --Page 123, Grimoire (2nd
Edition)

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Message no. 3
From: Mongoose m0ng005e@*********.com
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 00:23:41 -0600
:...or EGM's everywhere.

Is there a comonality between munchkins and EGM's? :)


:What kind of limit would you set on built-in devices for cyberlimbs? The
rules
:leave it up to the GM, but I wanted to get some opinions.

I'd expect it to depend primarily on the volume of the item, maybe
partly on shape (electronics break up into small chunks that can fit easy-
guns don't). Mass might also matter- a really heavy arm / items could be
a big problem.

:While we're at it, would you consider a cyberskull or cybertorso a limb
with
:the ability to install other components at a reduced essence cost?

Depends on the item. They would have diffrent size and weight
restrictions, too. But both COULD be built with "empty" space, yes.


Mongoose
Message no. 4
From: XaOs [David Goth] xaos@*****.net
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1999 01:41:08 -0600
> :...or EGM's everywhere.
>
> Is there a comonality between munchkins and EGM's? :)


Oooh, that's gotta sting. <snicker>

> :While we're at it, would you consider a cyberskull or cybertorso a limb
> with
> :the ability to install other components at a reduced essence cost?
>
> Depends on the item. They would have diffrent size and weight
> restrictions, too. But both COULD be built with "empty" space, yes.

"Yeah, I need that like I need another hole in my head..."



-XaOs-
xaos@*****.net
-David Goth-
Message no. 5
From: Scott Wheelock iscottw@*****.nb.ca
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 07:57:39 -0400
"And now, a Channel 6 editorial reply to Bill Thompson."
]...or EGM's everywhere.

Not me, not yet. I have to work my way past FGM first.

]What kind of limit would you set on built-in devices for cyberlimbs? The
rules
]leave it up to the GM, but I wanted to get some opinions.

Common sense. Size restricts the stuff you can pack in there (but remember
that stuff made for cyberlimbs is smaller). Some ingenious things a PC in my
group popped in a cyberarm: Remote Control Deck, bug scanner, shock glove.
Some things I'd love to put in a cyberlimb in the future: skillsoft jukebox,
softlink, compressed air tank (oxygen or otherwise), jelly bean dispenser.

]While we're at it, would you consider a cyberskull or cybertorso a limb with
]the ability to install other components at a reduced essence cost?

Ohhhhh yeeeeesssssss.......the possibilities are horrendous....
Although, thinking about it, I'd limit the torso's carrying capacity.
Remember,
it's got to move and bend in so many nifty, humanlike ways. That makes
putting a package of crackers in your kidney-compartment an itchy
proposition. Seriously though, I think that mobility would seriously restrict
capacity. Maybe that's something to think about with cyberlimbs, too.
Damn, there goes that jelly bean dispenser.

Scott
-----------------------------------------------------
"Fragile, timid, with natural good manners,
he was, however, better suited for war than
for government."
_One Hundred Years Of Solitude_
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Message no. 6
From: Scott Wheelock iscottw@*****.nb.ca
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 08:02:56 -0400
"And now, a Channel 6 editorial reply to dghost@****.com."
]>What kind of limit would you set on built-in devices for cyberlimbs?
]>The rules leave it up to the GM, but I wanted to get some opinions.
]
]Why not give each limb an "Essence" rating?

Well, there's lots of stuff that doesn't have an essense rating that
you can stuff in a limb. So you'd have to assign each of those things
an essense rating...or, more properly, a SF (space factor) rating.
Example: You've got a Cyber limb with a SF of 10. Your retractable
cyberspur has a SF rating of 3, so it's fine. However, a cyberhand
only has an SF capacity of 2.5, so it can't hold a retractable spur.
(I just pulled those numbers out of my....um....ear, so don't start
getting all techinical using them. They're just to get the point across).
Sound like something somebody wants to write a bunch of material
on? :)

Scott
-----------------------------------------------------
"Fragile, timid, with natural good manners,
he was, however, better suited for war than
for government."
_One Hundred Years Of Solitude_
Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Message no. 7
From: Chris Davidson toffer_@*******.com
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 08:31:49 PST
>...or EGM's everywhere.

or howabout another idea for EGM's....

a street doc, who is using substandard cyberware, by way of using some
type of power cell to power the limbs (which would reduce cost) instead
of hooking them up to the body to get their power (or however it's
done...I heard that it might work kinda like those kenetic energy
watches that are self winding)...so when the runner uses it for a few
months, the batteries die...and poof, they loose the use of their limb,
and poof yet again, the street doc is gone....I did this to one of my
players...tho, they don't know it yet...muhahahahaha

-Toffer


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Message no. 8
From: Ojaste,James [NCR] James.Ojaste@**.GC.CA
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 11:52:07 -0500
Chris Davidson wrote:
> >...or EGM's everywhere.
>
> or howabout another idea for EGM's....
>
> a street doc, who is using substandard cyberware, by way of using some
> type of power cell to power the limbs (which would reduce cost) instead
> of hooking them up to the body to get their power (or however it's
> done...I heard that it might work kinda like those kenetic energy
> watches that are self winding)...so when the runner uses it for a few
> months, the batteries die...and poof, they loose the use of their limb,
> and poof yet again, the street doc is gone....I did this to one of my
> players...tho, they don't know it yet...muhahahahaha
>
Bah. Too easy to fix.

Try some prophecy - when a mage goes metaplane-hopping a spirit gives
the character a prophecy about each of the group. Does the mage
tell the prophecies to the respective people? Does he try to cover
it up? Does he try to stop them from coming true? Who sent the
prophecy? All sorts of fun... :-)

I just did this in my L5R campaign - the players are now suitably
agitated...

The trick is to come up with a prophecy that will come true - and
not just because you enforce it, but because they misinterpret it
or because their actions cause it to occur. :-)

In case anybody's interested, here's the prophecy I used (they were
just walking along and the characters "stepped" into the L5R equivalent
of the metaplanes for a second):

"Himiko, beauty in pain will outcry,
Yori, by his own hand destined to die,
Khan, the betrayer, his heart will deny,
Keifu, the master of maho-tsukai, (maho-tsukai = blood mage)
Tokeru, desperate seeker of lies,
Beware, for this is your future."

Of course, Yori now thinks he immortal because he doesn't intend to
kill himself. I can't wait to see his expression when his clone
turns up. EGMG.

James Ojaste
Message no. 9
From: Ereskanti@***.com Ereskanti@***.com
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 20:10:42 EST
In a message dated 2/9/1999 9:55:32 PM US Eastern Standard Time,
BillT@*********.com writes:

>
> What kind of limit would you set on built-in devices for cyberlimbs? The
> rules
> leave it up to the GM, but I wanted to get some opinions.
>
> While we're at it, would you consider a cyberskull or cybertorso a limb
with
> the ability to install other components at a reduced essence cost?
>
DAMN IT!!! I have not finished the stuff at HHH, that directly considers
this. Yes Bill, there probably should be some limits, especially with regards
to larger things (gyromount or power amp). We've been working on this offline
for a while now, but sadly only a teensie-tiny bit has made it to the web
site.

A thought we have had for "cyberlimbs" with regards to Anthroforms/Walkers
however. Consider each limb to have an "essence" equal to the body of the
vehicle in question. The limb can hold that much "essence worth" of stuff
before it has problems. Then, for every point or so beyond that, the usage of
that limb has a target number increase by +1, for ALL actions of the limb or
even devices within it.

That's just a start (yes, we have more, MUCH more, but it doesn't make much
sense when we try and describe it)


-K
Message no. 10
From: Mongoose m0ng005e@*********.com
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Wed, 10 Feb 1999 16:09:28 -0600
:or howabout another idea for EGM's....
:
:a street doc, who is using substandard cyberware, by way of using some
:type of power cell to power the limbs (which would reduce cost) instead
:of hooking them up to the body to get their power (or however it's
:done...I heard that it might work kinda like those kenetic energy
:watches that are self winding)...so when the runner uses it for a few
:months, the batteries die...and poof, they loose the use of their limb,
:and poof yet again, the street doc is gone....I did this to one of my
:players...tho, they don't know it yet...muhahahahaha
:
:-Toffer


Any yutz with a electronics skill of 2 could probably figure out that
the limb wasn't getting power, trace the fault, and replace the battery
(or even rig up another source, like a one with a charger). The qualifies
as mere petty meanness, on the order of real life annoyances, not EVIL.
Also, I seriously doubt any battery could keep a limb going for a few
months, even with massive advances in battery tech. One that recharged
(say from body motion or extraction of organic reactants from an
artificial placenta interface with the host bloodstream) might wear out in
that time period, if it was of sub-standard quality, but that's still a
minor repair.
In any case, the rules in the SSC for used cyberware failure are at
least as evil, if not as specific to the cause. They also strictly
prohibit any type of repair once the item fails...

Mongoose
Message no. 11
From: Gurth gurth@******.nl
Subject: A question for the lollipop guild...
Date: Thu, 11 Feb 1999 11:26:45 +0100
According to Mongoose, at 16:09 on 10 Feb 99, the word on
the street was...

> In any case, the rules in the SSC for used cyberware failure are at
> least as evil, if not as specific to the cause. They also strictly
> prohibit any type of repair once the item fails...

And a note to the GMs who haven't figured it out yet, you only know you
have second-hand cyberware if you _ask_ the doc for it...

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
If it's no use pretending, then I don't want to know.
-> NERPS Project Leader * ShadowRN GridSec * Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
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