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Message no. 1
From: willemj <willemj@******.NL>
Subject: More toys!
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 20:21:28 +0200
ssssss
ssssssssss
sss
sss h d
sss h d
sss h aaaaa ddddd ooo w w y y
ss hhhh a a d d o o w w y y
ssssssssss h h a aa d dd o o w w w y
ssssss h h aaa a ddd d ooo w w y

ssssss
ssssssssss
sss
sss
sss t ff ff
sss ttt u u f f
ss t u u fff fff
ssssssssss t u uu f f
ssssss t uu u f f
____________________________________________________________
Ahh, Hello
Because everybody appriciated my last posting so much, I
decided to post something again. I also decided to make
something new. Something I liked very much was the idea for
R360 degrees spatial awarenessS wich I would prefer to call
RCyberRadarS and give a nice brand name. O yeah, before I
start one thing, some guy named Fu posted :
Hi !
Your items sound funny (I only read the first...) Very cool idea...

Please send them all to me and to the list... It could be very good...
Or run them on SHADOWTK...

Can you give me some input about Nederland in 2054 ?
Did a fanzine publish anything specific ?

In advance thanks !
Fu.

Well, Fu,(Thank you for the compliment!) about campainging
in Nederland, I did think up a little bit about the current
political state in North-Western Europe, and about a
neighbourhood in Amsterdam, part of wich I will put down
later in this message. About the rest of what youUre saying,
IUm an Internet analphabetic (Subscribing to this list, wich
I did about a week ago, was my first action on the Internet)
and donUt understand a thing of what youUre saying about
RRunning them on SHADOWTKS so I will send them to the list.
Well, letUs start

Ares* Wiremasters* LookAround*
Finally itUs here, the first cybernetic radar ever! Brought
to you by Ares* Wiremasters*, the new LookAround* system is
simply the best. To have the LookAround implanted, several
elektrodes are placed around the head, that connect to
several parts of the brain. To use the LookAround* a special
headband must be worn. The headband is avaibable as a
RsweatbandS to people who like to be discreet. The
LookAround* can detect all animal lifeforms in a 50 meter
radius and most vehicles too! The LookAround*, Like You Had
Eyes In The Back Of Your Head !*
{The LookAround*Us rating is used against vehicle
signiature}
NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
LookAround* .4 4 100.0004 8/48 hrs 1.5
CONCEALABILATY (Sweatband worn/Not worn) 10/6

Here is another thing that some of you might find too
advanced for 2053. Maybe it is, but if you like it, who
cares?

Herr Doktor Starbenson's ExoArmor* Treatment
Want to be as tough as a troll? Herr Doktor Starbenson's
ExoArmor* Treatment is the answer! The ExoArmor* Treatment
is a new chemical and cybernetic treatment wich pushes your
toughness above the limits imposed by Dermal Plating! The
ExoArmor* Treatment comes in 2 forms. 1. combined cybernetic
and chemical treatment, or 2. sole chemical treatment. The
first combines special, high quality dermal plates with a
new chemical treatment designed to let the patient grow a
light exoskeleton! This is NOT cosmetically obvious thought
a inspection by touch will easealy reveal the skeleton.
Doktor Starbenson's, Always The Cutting Edge In Medical Tech!*
NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
Full Treatment 1 4 150.0004 8/12 days 1
Chemo Treatment 0 1 25.0004 8/12 days 1


These are some things I thought up so the magicians in my party (There's lots of 'em!)
could create their own magic items, like they were used to in other (non-cyberpunk) rpg's
we play.
-NOTE : I do NOT own The Grimoire, so everything I say here could be total nonsense, but
if you don't own the Grimoire (Or if you do, but you think : Who cares?

Good Luck Charms
Charms have the effect of upping EACH of your dice pools by one dice while worn. These
are, as you notice, very powerful, and the ingredients are hard to aquire as well,
requiring a run or 2 to aquire! This is the way to make one, according to an recipe fo
Message no. 2
From: willemj <willemj@******.NL>
Subject: More toys
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 20:36:36 +0200
ssssss
ssssssssss
sss
sss h d
sss h d
sss h aaaaa ddddd ooo w w y y
ss hhhh a a d d o o w w y y
ssssssssss h h a aa d dd o o w w w y
ssssss h h aaa a ddd d ooo w w y

ssssss
ssssssssss
sss
sss
sss t ff ff
sss ttt u u f f
ss t u u fff fff
ssssssssss t u uu f f
ssssss t uu u f f
____________________________________________________________
Ahh, Hello
Because everybody appriciated my last posting so much, I
decided to post something again. I also decided to make
something new. Something I liked very much was the idea for
R360 degrees spatial awarenessS wich I would prefer to call
RCyberRadarS and give a nice brand name. O yeah, before I
start one thing, some guy named Fu posted :
Hi !
Your items sound funny (I only read the first...) Very cool idea...

Please send them all to me and to the list... It could be very good...
Or run them on SHADOWTK...

Can you give me some input about Nederland in 2054 ?
Did a fanzine publish anything specific ?

In advance thanks !
Fu.

Well, Fu,(Thank you for the compliment!) about campainging
in Nederland, I did think up a little bit about the current
political state in North-Western Europe, and about a
neighbourhood in Amsterdam, part of wich I will put down
later in this message. About the rest of what youUre saying,
IUm an Internet analphabetic (Subscribing to this list, wich
I did about a week ago, was my first action on the Internet)
and donUt understand a thing of what youUre saying about
RRunning them on SHADOWTKS so I will send them to the list.
Well, letUs start

Ares* Wiremasters* LookAround*
Finally itUs here, the first cybernetic radar ever! Brought
to you by Ares* Wiremasters*, the new LookAround* system is
simply the best. To have the LookAround implanted, several
elektrodes are placed around the head, that connect to
several parts of the brain. To use the LookAround* a special
headband must be worn. The headband is avaibable as a
RsweatbandS to people who like to be discreet. The
LookAround* can detect all animal lifeforms in a 50 meter
radius and most vehicles too! The LookAround*, Like You Had
Eyes In The Back Of Your Head !*
{The LookAround*Us rating is used against vehicle
signiature}
NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
LookAround* .4 4 100.0004 8/48 hrs 1.5
CONCEALABILATY (Sweatband worn/Not worn) 10/6

Here is another thing that some of you might find too
advanced for 2053. Maybe it is, but if you like it, who
cares?

Herr Doktor Starbenson's ExoArmor* Treatment
Want to be as tough as a troll? Herr Doktor Starbenson's
ExoArmor* Treatment is the answer! The ExoArmor* Treatment
is a new chemical and cybernetic treatment wich pushes your
toughness above the limits imposed by Dermal Plating! The
ExoArmor* Treatment comes in 2 forms. 1. combined cybernetic
and chemical treatment, or 2. sole chemical treatment. The
first combines special, high quality dermal plates with a
new chemical treatment designed to let the patient grow a
light exoskeleton! This is NOT cosmetically obvious thought
a inspection by touch will easealy reveal the skeleton.
Doktor Starbenson's, Always The Cutting Edge In Medical Tech!*
NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
Full Treatment 1 4 150.0004 8/12 days 1
Chemo Treatment 0 1 25.0004 8/12 days 1


These are some things I thought up so the magicians in my
party (There's lots of 'em!) could create their own magic
items, like they were used to in other (non-cyberpunk) rpg's
we play.
-NOTE : I do NOT own The Grimoire, so everything I say here
could be total nonsense, but if you don't own the Grimoire
(Or if you do, but you think : Who cares?

Good Luck Charms
Charms have the effect of upping EACH of your dice pools by
one dice while worn. These are, as you notice, very
powerful, and the ingredients are hard to aquire as well,
requiring a run or 2 to aquire! This is the way to make one,
according to an recipe found in "Magical Matter" by the well
known Amsterdam mage, Xitraz. To make magical items mages
should be in a hermetic circle of at least rating 4 with
acces to a sorcery library of at least rating 4 as well.
Shamans should be in a medicine lodge of at least rating 4.
"To start with one should find a stone toad's stone and cast
an Armor spell over it {Note that the spell should have at
least 4 successes} then cast a hole trough it with any
pysichal, non area-effect spell. Then pull a string of {that
otter like animal from Paranormal beasts of europe} leather
trough the hole. Then take 6 dragon teeth and make holes in
them as well. Put the teeth on the string as well, 3 on each
side of the stone, then continue the chants listed in
appendix B for 2 hours. After this one should bond it to the
future owners soul by relaising magical energy from oneself
{Requires 2 karma from THE MAKER only NOT the user}
then the charm should be ready for use"

"Magical Matter" also contains information for the creation
of several potions, 2 examples are listed here, maybe more
will be put on the list at a later date, but if everything I
say is made obsolete by the Grimoire, please tell me.

Potion of Power
This potion is relativaly simple to make, and also not so
powerfull. It increases the drinkers Strength by two for 3
hours. To make it, you should take the horn from a wild
unicorn, and pulverize it. Then you should mix it with a mix
of 1 part alcohol and 1 part water. Then magically ignit the
mixture. The substance that remains, is the potion.

Potion of Spell Casting
This potion enables the user to cast one spell, at a magic
and sorcery rating of 6, without any drain, even a non spell
caster. The potions ingredients vary with the drain level.
Light and Medium : The pulverized horn of a unicorn
Serious and Deadly : The egg of a griffin mixed and cut to
pulp.
The ingredient should be mixed with non filtered, clean
water (Hard to find in 2053!) and the spell should be cast
over it, with at least 2 successes. Note that the spell will
not have it's normal effect on the potion.

Well, this is it (for now)

Maybe I should copyright my words? Know what, to be on the
safe side, I will. All of the above is copyright of Eric van
den Berg. Corporate prosecutors will be killed, others
maimed. (To the extent law permits)
Greetings...
__________
Eric van den berg
Amsterdam
willemj@******.nl.
Nice quote : "Wisdom lies in paradox"
P.S. The 4 is a nuyen sign the U an apostrophe and the * a trademark
oh **** I forget the Amsterdam and Nederland info ! Well, it will come later. An
ehhm sorry for my cloting up of the list, something went terribly wrong there
(Maybe the computer didn't sent the fAilures, maybe it did)
Message no. 3
From: Micah Levy <M.Levy@**.UCL.AC.UK>
Subject: Re: More toys
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 21:10:42 +0100
willemj <willemj@******.NL> wrote:

[Annoying 20 line header which could have been put in the subject line
deleted]
>Ahh, Hello
>Because everybody appriciated my last posting so much, I
>decided to post something again. I also decided to make
>something new. Something I liked very much was the idea for
>R360 degrees spatial awarenessS wich I would prefer to call
>RCyberRadarS and give a nice brand name. O yeah, before I
>start one thing, some guy named Fu posted :
>Hi !
>Your items sound funny (I only read the first...) Very cool idea...
>
>Please send them all to me and to the list... It could be very good...

I agree that they sound funny. Are they all meant to be serious? The anti-
gravity one had me chuckling though.

>Or run them on SHADOWTK...
>Can you give me some input about Nederland in 2054 ?
>Did a fanzine publish anything specific ?

>In advance thanks !
>Fu.

>Well, Fu,(Thank you for the compliment!) about campainging
>in Nederland, I did think up a little bit about the current
>political state in North-Western Europe, and about a
>neighbourhood in Amsterdam, part of wich I will put down
>later in this message. About the rest of what youUre saying,
>IUm an Internet analphabetic (Subscribing to this list, wich
>I did about a week ago, was my first action on the Internet)
>and donUt understand a thing of what youUre saying about
>RRunning them on SHADOWTKS so I will send them to the list.
>Well, letUs start

Shadowtk is a list like Shadowrn. Subscribe to it in the same way.

>Ares* Wiremasters* LookAround*
>Finally itUs here, the first cybernetic radar ever! Brought
>to you by Ares* Wiremasters*, the new LookAround* system is
>simply the best. To have the LookAround implanted, several
>elektrodes are placed around the head, that connect to
>several parts of the brain. To use the LookAround* a special
>headband must be worn. The headband is avaibable as a
>RsweatbandS to people who like to be discreet. The
>LookAround* can detect all animal lifeforms in a 50 meter
>radius and most vehicles too! The LookAround*, Like You Had
>Eyes In The Back Of Your Head !*
>{The LookAround*Us rating is used against vehicle
>signiature}
>NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
>LookAround* .4 4 100.0004 8/48 hrs 1.5
>CONCEALABILATY (Sweatband worn/Not worn) 10/6
>
>Here is another thing that some of you might find too
>advanced for 2053. Maybe it is, but if you like it, who
>cares?

>Herr Doktor Starbenson's ExoArmor* Treatment
>Want to be as tough as a troll? Herr Doktor Starbenson's
>ExoArmor* Treatment is the answer! The ExoArmor* Treatment
>is a new chemical and cybernetic treatment wich pushes your
>toughness above the limits imposed by Dermal Plating! The
>ExoArmor* Treatment comes in 2 forms. 1. combined cybernetic
>and chemical treatment, or 2. sole chemical treatment. The
>first combines special, high quality dermal plates with a
>new chemical treatment designed to let the patient grow a
>light exoskeleton! This is NOT cosmetically obvious thought
>a inspection by touch will easealy reveal the skeleton.
>Doktor Starbenson's, Always The Cutting Edge In Medical Tech!*
>NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
>Full Treatment 1 4 150.0004 8/12 days 1
>Chemo Treatment 0 1 25.0004 8/12 days 1

Hold on...Is this right? For 1 point of essence they are going to
have Rating 4 Dermal Armour!!
Which muchkin wouldn't have this then?

>These are some things I thought up so the magicians in my
>party (There's lots of 'em!) could create their own magic
>items, like they were used to in other (non-cyberpunk) rpg's
>we play.
>-NOTE : I do NOT own The Grimoire, so everything I say here
>could be total nonsense, but if you don't own the Grimoire
>(Or if you do, but you think : Who cares?

Ah well, the Grimoire actually has full rules for Enchantments,etc
but let's see what's on offer...


>Good Luck Charms
>Charms have the effect of upping EACH of your dice pools by
>one dice while worn. These are, as you notice, very
>powerful,

Yup. In fact, I'd be interested how good luck affects a Hacking Pool.
If anything, luck in Shadowrun is represented by Karma so maybe it should
just add 1 to the Karma pool (but not continuously...that's just like
giving extra Karma to a player.)

>and the ingredients are hard to aquire as well,

Now that's a relief.

>requiring a run or 2 to aquire!

Doesn't sound too hard for something that powerful.

>This is the way to make one,
>according to an recipe found in "Magical Matter" by the well
>known Amsterdam mage, Xitraz. To make magical items mages
>should be in a hermetic circle of at least rating 4 with
>acces to a sorcery library of at least rating 4 as well.
>Shamans should be in a medicine lodge of at least rating 4.

Any particular reason why the number 4 was chosen?

>"To start with one should find a stone toad's stone and cast
>an Armor spell over it {Note that the spell should have at
>least 4 successes}

Again, why 4?

> then cast a hole trough it with any
>pysichal, non area-effect spell. Then pull a string of {that
>otter like animal from Paranormal beasts of europe} leather
>trough the hole.
>Then take 6 dragon teeth and make holes in
>them as well.

Hah! Obtain 6 dragon teeth in 'a run or 2'. Sounds eminently
munchkinous to me. I'm sure the dragon in question wouldn't appreciate
that too much

> Put the teeth on the string as well, 3 on each
>side of the stone, then continue the chants listed in
>appendix B for 2 hours. After this one should bond it to the
>future owners soul by relaising magical energy from oneself
>{Requires 2 karma from THE MAKER only NOT the user}
>then the charm should be ready for use"

>"Magical Matter" also contains information for the creation
>of several potions, 2 examples are listed here, maybe more
>will be put on the list at a later date, but if everything I
>say is made obsolete by the Grimoire, please tell me.

Okay, yes it is as far as magical procedures go.

>Potion of Power
>This potion is relativaly simple to make, and also not so
>powerfull. It increases the drinkers Strength by two for 3
>hours.

That seems pretty powerful to me. Let me see...Is there any drain
afterward? Is there any penalty?

>To make it, you should take the horn from a wild
>unicorn,

What? I thought you said it was easy to make! Hey, you did.
I guess that there must be a helluva lot more wild unicorns
in your neck of the woods than there are in mine.

> and pulverize it. Then you should mix it with a mix
>of 1 part alcohol and 1 part water. Then magically ignit the
>mixture. The substance that remains, is the potion.

>Potion of Spell Casting
>This potion enables the user to cast one spell, at a magic
>and sorcery rating of 6, without any drain, even a non spell
>caster.

What???? Is there some kind of rationale behind this. If so, I'd
be interested in hearing this. And would this spell have to be learnt
or does it come free wth the potion?
Well, let's see what's needed...

>The potions ingredients vary with the drain level.
>Light and Medium : The pulverized horn of a unicorn
>Serious and Deadly : The egg of a griffin mixed and cut to
>pulp.
>The ingredient should be mixed with non filtered, clean
>water (Hard to find in 2053!) and the spell should be cast
>over it, with at least 2 successes. Note that the spell will
>not have it's normal effect on the potion.

The bit that I find worrying is that never mind the fact that unicorns
and griffins are endangered species in 2055, it's the clean filtered water
(which is actually not difficult to obtain at all) that we get the
'hard to find' note.
IMHO, both these potion ideas and the armour idea are munchkinous in that
they are unbalancing; the lengths that need to be gone to in order to
obtain the potions is ridiculous in and of itself.
'Hey we've run out of Dragons Teeth. Lets go get some more'
And, worst of all, the potions seem to be completely arbitrary with no
rationale behind them.

>Well, this is it (for now)

Whew.

>Maybe I should copyright my words? Know what, to be on the
>safe side, I will. All of the above is copyright of Eric van
>den Berg. Corporate prosecutors will be killed, others
>maimed. (To the extent law permits)
>Greetings...
> [Signature deleted]

Yeah, right.
I'm not just being contrary for the sake of it.
What do others think?

Micah Levy
Message no. 4
From: PAUL DOYLE EDWARD <DOYLE@********.ICS.HAWAII.EDU>
Subject: Re: More toys
Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 16:35:52 -1000
> Ares* Wiremasters* LookAround*
> Finally itUs here, the first cybernetic radar ever! Brought
> to you by Ares* Wiremasters*, the new LookAround* system is
> simply the best. To have the LookAround implanted, several
> elektrodes are placed around the head, that connect to
> several parts of the brain. To use the LookAround* a special
> headband must be worn. The headband is avaibable as a
> RsweatbandS to people who like to be discreet. The
> LookAround* can detect all animal lifeforms in a 50 meter
> radius and most vehicles too! The LookAround*, Like You Had
> Eyes In The Back Of Your Head !*
> {The LookAround*Us rating is used against vehicle
> signiature}
> NAME ESSENCE COST RATING COST AVAIBABILATY STREET INDEX
> LookAround* .4 4 100.0004 8/48 hrs 1.5
> CONCEALABILATY (Sweatband worn/Not worn) 10/6

Why can't you just have the sensors on a belt instead and have a
datajack or special link (like a smartgun link) to the belt? Kinda
like that lady samurai in the book _Fade to Black_....

Further Reading

If you enjoyed reading about More toys, you may also be interested in:

Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.

Thwap!