| From: | TalonMail@***.com TalonMail@***.com |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Questions of great importance (Steve, Jon, RA:S people |
| Date: | Thu, 2 Sep 1999 10:54:53 EDT |
>>>1. What constructions materials are used in the Shadowrun era? Have
there been any great advances in this direction?<<<
Well, we often refer to "ferrocrete" and "plasteel" in fiction, so we
can
infer there are some more advanced construction materials in 2060. I imagine
most construction advances are a result of greater and greater computer
processing power for things like CAD/CAM design of buildings, allowing
architects to "virtually" design a building in the Matrix, even "walk
through
it" and test its design with the right algorithms. In fact, having a team of
runners "acquire" the virtual model of an existing structure from the
architect's files might make an interesting prelude to a shadowrun : )
>>>2. What are the colours of the UCAS army dress uniforms and
fatigues?<<<
I suspect Jon Szeto could answer this one better than I, but I've always
assumed they're the same as the old United States Army. Bob Charrette's last
Shadowrun novel (the name escapes me at the moment) might also have some
information, since the Army is fairly heavily involved.
>>>3. Are there any cultures with legends of "mystic rituals" or the
like
that a) involve human sacrifice and b) grant whoever conducts the
sacrifice great power?<<<
Honestly the "sacrifice people to gain great magical power" thing is largely
a combination of urban legend, Hollywood horror, modern fantasy literature
(filled with evil priests and wizards), and leftover memes from a European
culture influenced by the Inquisition looking to burn "witches." Human
sacrifice is always a religious ritual in the culture that practiced it
(including the Aztecs and the Celts), a means of placating and "feeding" the
gods.
Of course, in the Sixth World, there's nothing to say that Hollywood culture
and urban myth WON'T influence the Awakened. If (say) a corrupted magician
seriously believes in the "oooh scary black magic Satanism" found in the
horror movies (or the Chthulu Mythos, or something similar), then that sort
of "window dressing" may be a valid magical tradition for him. Many of the
magical serial-killer types in SR get their start this way, it's pretty much
how I imagined Azroth (from Awakenings).
Hope that helps,
Steve
Talon Studio
http://members.aol.com/talonmail
