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Message no. 1
From: JSB@**************.net (JS Bracher)
Subject: What is inside the pyramids?
Date: Tue, 17 Sep 2002 12:51:50 -0700
Hello,

I'm delurking, and responding to questions for a new topic....

I'm also mostly new to SR. I've read many of the novels and the rules and
some supplements, but haven't played (but -finally- will play soon).

So here goes...

National Geographic had a special on last night. On which, they opened the
casket of a foremen for a pyramid building crew, and had a robot climb up a
160'? 8"x8" tunnel and drill a hole in a "door" in the shaft and poke
a
camera through.

I won't spoil the surprise for anyone who cares what was found.

Some thoughts:
What is the SR perspective on the Pyramids? I've never heard mention of
them or their role in the 6th world.

While there were many "previously recorded" segments in the program, the
key bits were labeled "live". Yet it was dark out in Egypt, and there were
references to midnight. I saw it at 8pm PST. That is 6am in Cairo. That
should be dawn or after. Who were they trying to kid (according to a
friend, this was the premeire performance, not a "recorded earlier" thing.

When the pretty faces doing the narration kept looking all bright-eyed and
excited about the discoveries to happen (and when the guy talking about the
casket opening asked the archaeologist about viruses and curses in the
tomb), I kept hoping to see tentacles slither into view and drag them
screaming off.

So what if runners had to break into a tomb? Instead of geeks and robots
(no flames, I'm a proud geek), we'd have riggers and drones. No trolls,
they are too big for the crawl-ways. Mage's? Don't think so. The
chambers are small, and corridors narrow. By the time a mage could see
something, they'd be monster-chow. Bullets would ricochet all over, and do
lots more harm than good (good thick walls are great for that).
Message no. 2
From: danturek@*******.com (Dan Turek)
Subject: What is inside the pyramids?
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 11:23:24 -0400
>From: JS Bracher <JSB@**************.net>

>National Geographic had a special on last night. On which, they opened the
>casket of a foremen for a pyramid building crew, and had a robot climb up a
>160'? 8"x8" tunnel and drill a hole in a "door" in the shaft and
poke a
>camera through.
>
>I won't spoil the surprise for anyone who cares what was found.

Just tell me this, was there anything, or was it like the Geraldo thing with
Al Capone's vault?

>What is the SR perspective on the Pyramids? I've never heard mention of
>them or their role in the 6th world.

They're big tombs.

If you use ED history they could tie into the kaer concept - maybe at one
time the idea was it could be a place for everyone to go inside and escape
nasties (the passage to the next world). Assuming something was flawed (as
is often the case) nasties still got inside and killed a bunch of people.

If you like shedim, survivors that make it out would think entombing a bunch
of corpses/shedim is a good thing. Doing that might even make more sense
than burning the bodies since you now have the ability to trap it in a
sarcophogus that it shouldn't be able to open until well into the next
world.

I'm not sure if you are allowed to take out all the organs and use a
flammable/explosive embalming method, so if a shedim does take over you just
chuck a torch at it. Just an extra precaution I would advise.

>So what if runners had to break into a tomb? Instead of geeks and robots
>(no flames, I'm a proud geek), we'd have riggers and drones.

And at least one hot busty babe in shorts and two heavy pistols.
Though for some reason they wear armor jackets in SR :)

>No trolls, they are too big for the crawl-ways.

But they can push the stones, are more than heavy enough to set off most
traps and may be able to shrug off the damage. I guess dwarves could do that
too, but for the Indy style
climb-the-top-of-the-statue-and-swing-on-it-until-it-falls-over-and-collapses-a-wall
method of archeologic escape, a troll would have a definite advantage.
Actually, a troll could probably reach the escape hatch and avoid doing the
whole thing, but that wouldn't be nearly as cinematic.

If you have a drone, then no sane person would want to enter a crawlway
unless it was obvious it couldn't take the drone's weight. Sometimes being
big keeps you alive by preventing you from being too stupid.

> Mage's? Don't think so. The
>chambers are small, and corridors narrow. By the time a mage could see
>something, they'd be monster-chow.

That's why astral projection is a good thing. Go scout it out and see where
things are, then go back to your buddies with low power concussion/frag
grenades, flamethrower, or whatever your choice is for such cramped
conditions. Remember, high power explosives are bad, and gas grenades will
take forever to disperse inside a tomb.

Not sure what domain would be inside a pyramid/tomb. I'd assume some kind of
spirit of man. Ancestor spirit comes to mind, but most PCs don't get that
type. Of course, elementals are always good and even a watcher can look
around a corner.

Never underestimate the importance of illusion and detection spells.

> Bullets would ricochet all over, and do
>lots more harm than good (good thick walls are great for that).

Sometimes ricochet is a good thing, especially if you hit your target first
and then bounces around at his friends. If you have a AR with standard ammo
(at least not AP or EX) I think you might be able to bounce some
bullets/shrapnel around corners, and definitely down long corridors. Rubber
bullets would rock!


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Message no. 3
From: incubus@*********.zzn.com (James Zealey)
Subject: What is inside the pyramids?
Date: Wed, 18 Sep 2002 23:22:50 -0000
>>What is the SR perspective on the Pyramids? I've never heard mention of
>>them or their role in the 6th world.
>
> They're big tombs.
>
> If you use ED history they could tie into the kaer concept - maybe at one
> time the idea was it could be a place for everyone to go inside and escape
> nasties (the passage to the next world). Assuming something was flawed (as
> is often the case) nasties still got inside and killed a bunch of people.

Actually I recall that in the theran empire book, they detail egypt a bit. They've got
some mega-horror (a giant maggoty thing) guarding the gates to the egyptian afterlife,
which means a lot of people who die turn into undead critters (zombies or mummies). I
think the pyramids and other heavy-duty tombs are supposed to be so that the dead can't
escape and wipe out the living. Since I didn't get much of a chance to read the book, I
can't really help you out beyond that.


"Your gun has 'replica'
written down the side, mine
has 'Ares HVAR'..."

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