Michael Silverbane

The choice between sandbox vs adventure path or some combination thereof for me depends on the specific campaign and its goals. I've got two games in the planning stages right now, one being more on the sandbox end of the spectrum and the other being almost a pure adventure path. For the sandboxier game, the player characters will be able to travel pretty freely between points of interest (planets), and each point of interest will have a few extant plots going on for them to choose to engage with. Alternatively, the player characters can probably start up their own plots at a point of interest. If they choose to do so, that will push the game even more into the sandbox realm. For the adventure pathier game, player characters will be presented with an episodic series of mysteries to solve, which will push them toward a more or less predetermined end-game conflict with an insidious cabal of bad criminals. Or whatever.

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Excellent, thanks!

Machiavelli also has an "," which is less general than the Sun Tzu treatise of the same title. It is geared more toward the style of warfare being practised by the Italian City States of the early fifteen hundreds, which is pretty ideal for D&D style warfare.

The User Guide says that editing the first post allows you to edit the thread title, but that appears to no longer be the case. How to edit?

The User Guide says that the Thread Title can be changed by editing the first post, but that does not appear to be the case. I've posted the question in the "How do I?" thread.

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith nods, then shrugs after a moment, "Hopefully they'll be somewhat less loose tongued about us once we warn them about their impending troubles. I'd suggest that the... least conspicuous of us... should hand off the note to whomever passes for the authority here, and let them know what we surmise about this 'Runt.' He may be a necromancer, or in the company of one, and he may be an orc, or in the company of a band of orcs. Is there anything else that we can add to that?" OOC Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

I am interested in - but have not played - Savage Worlds, and am also interested in the supers genre in general. Does that count?

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith looks over the note, "This 'Runt' must either be the necromancer, or be working with the necromancer that animated poor Vordie and his friends, here. It would have been nice if his comeuppance came at the hands of his own zombie. Although, it doesn't appear that he is very good at following direction, he may not even be headed to Artonsbrueck," he scoffs. OOC Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith makes a face, "If only there were some strong and tireless tool that could be used for all this heavy lifting..." OOC Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

Somehow, I did not even realize that there was a separate Game Advertisements listing page.

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith shrugs, "If you all truly feel it necessary to destroy this valuable tool which has so conveniently fallen into our laps, I suppose there is nothing to be done about it." he turns to the ex-Vordie, "Kneel down, and raise your chin. Then do not move." He gestures with his withered hand to the zombie, who is ready for execution. "If we still wish to question his spirit as to who was behind this attack, if there were any captives taken from among their number, or any unfinished business, that will take me some time. Otherwise, it is probably best to burn the bodies. Though it would require significant effort to raise them again, it is not entirely outside the realm of possibility." OOC Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7) Active Effect: Control Zombie (Vordie - MoS 3)

And Miscellaneous is for traditional game systems that aren't on the list. As extensive as the list of game systems is, it would be impossible to have every game system on it.

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith puts on a disdainful expression that says, 'I know darn well what you mean' and goes on to make disparaging remarks about 'backwards, superstitious, bull-headed louts', but he responds with, "I'm not sure what you mean, a thing like this. But as far as questioning it... Yes. And also no. This is merely an empty husk, animated by negative energy. We'll question the spirit of the man who previously resided in it." He turns back to Rindo before continuing, "His name was Vordie, I think? You don't happen to know his full name. That would be very helpful." OOC Nobody else wants to yell at Kelarith about his new best friend? How is he going to be turned away from his dark path if no one ever smacks his nose with a newspaper, or whatever (I may have mixed some metaphors). Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7) Active Effect: Control Zombie (Vordie - MoS 3)

He'd prefer to let the barbarian hit him with a zombie.

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith backs away from the docile zombie and the dangerously uncivilized barbarian, "There's no need for that. Now that it is under my control, it is no more dangerous than a shovel." OOC Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7) Active Effect: Control Zombie (Vordie - MoS 3)

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith waves off Amira, "That won't be necessary. I've usurped this one's controls. It is no threat." He rubs his face with his good hand, and turns to Rindo, "Am I to understand that you knew the person that this was? That will make it much more convenient, if we still wish to question him." OOC Kelarith smudges the ashen symbol that he had drawn on his face, so as to less incriminate himself. Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7) Active Effect: Control Zombie (Vordie - MoS 3)

So, I have had some difficulty with the new site that has prevented (or delayed) me from running a game, as well. But I have come up with a potential solution to that. I went ahead and created a game, but left it closed or private or whatever, meaning that there's no ad and people won't stumble on it randomly. I have used that game forum to just kind of poke around, get used to the way things lay out and how they function, while doing some light planning in preparation for one day getting some players and opening up the game for real.

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith completes the chanting and gesticulating required by his ritual again, taking another slow step toward the zombie. Feeling his spell wrestling with the energies of the original Zombie spell, he pumps his fist dramatically and commands the zombie, "Come to me!" As Kelarith intones this command, the zombie that was once Vordie, turns its head to look at him, clearly ready to disengage from Rindo and come toward him. OOC Kelarith repeats the second Concentrate maneuver to finish attempting to tap into his own mana reserve to fulfill the requirement of his spell. He steps to the south-west as part of the maneuver. GM NOTE: GM edited results directly into this post. Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

Yes to both. The setup has quite a lot of potential for different types of adventures, from straight up dungeon crawls, to mysteries, horror, political intrigue, and spycraft. And lots of opportunity for overlap. Of course, the breadth of possibility is also a bit of a problem. How to narrow the focus without unnecessarily curtailing character... stuff. Hooks, possible concepts, or whatever? I already know that I want to start off with all the player characters being, 'baseline human,' that knocks out a big chunk of possible characters already. I also know that I want The Dungeon to be a bit of a meat grinder, so characterization will be somewhat less important to that leg of the campaign (I think I may have each player be the members of a separate squad with identical stats, and they can just embody whichever member of the squad isn't currently getting killed, but I'm not totally sold on this idea). Anyway, that is all to say that I'm still in the very early planning stages, but its in the works.

A few months ago, I read a couple of old threads on RPGnet called "Voices From Below and the Long Stairs" which was primarily described through in-universe emails, memos, and reports. It detailed a modern-day earth in which one or more holes had been poked in reality leading to a fantastical dungeon like one might find in an old school dungeon crawl. I thought it would make an excellent setting for GURPS, able to spawn games of all sorts. Here's the intro text (some stolen from the aforementioned threads on rpgnet, some stolen from the setting information of the old GDW game Dark Conspiracy) for the campaign that I have been thinking about since I saw those threads. This campaign would (probably) be split into two parts. One dealing with a group of soldiers or mercenaries engaged in exploration, resource extraction, and other operations within The Dungeon, and the other dealing with so-called Fortean Phenomena (ghosts, monsters, magic) in the real (game) world. Things That Go Bump In a world much like our own, there are things that go bump in the night. The world as we know it is a fragile place. And worse, when it breaks there's another world beyond it, a world filled with horrors and wonders that defy rational explanation. Those who know about it variously call it The BASEMENT, Downstairs, or even the, "Subterrestrial Operational Theater." In 1958, under the code name Operation CANDLELIGHT, The Department of Energy conducted an Underground Weapons Test of an undisclosed device using the methodology developed for and as a result of the Operation PLUMBBOB Rainier Nuclear Weapons Tests. The resultant detonation stabbed through the fragile skein of normal spacetime the whole visible universe occupies, and opened a hole into something stranger. The Department of Energy put a door and a lock onto the hole - ninety tons of steel and titanium strong enough to bounce nukes. They kept it secret too. The place the hole opened into was just too weird for people to know about or deal with. But it was too valuable to leave alone. In the late 70's, one of the young computer boffins working on the project called it, "Gygaxland." By the 90's, everyone was just calling it, "The Dungeon," despite the term being officially verboten. The name fits though. Under reality, in realms so strange they defy scientific models to explain, someone or some thing built tunnels, chambers, traps, lairs... but also filled it with wonders and treasures - including objects and devices which can, quite simply, do the impossible. Operation LONG STAIR was born. Efforts to map The Dungeon proved difficult (and extraordinarily dangerous) for the Marine and Special Forces survey teams sent down during initial forays. The place seemed to change, slowly but inexorably, and entirely unpredictably. Maps go stale, get rancid. The dangers from the cruel and arbitrary traps (and the constant minefield stress they engender) is bad, but the inhabitants of the dungeon are worse. There's no other word for them but monsters. Alright, there IS another word - "Xenofauna" - but nobody uses that except in reports. Contact between Deep Operations Group personnel and Xenofauna has invariably been classified as, “Hostile,” resulting in a variety of bizarre casualties. Some of these casualties come back changed, infected, or otherwise compromised. The Americans poured money and men into The Dungeon, extracting from it miracles. Impossible devices. Unique wonders. After JFK's assassination, every US president wears a talisman which renders him practically immune to gunfire. Reagan's near-assassination was the result of its removal at the behest of Jerry Falwell, who declared it to be ungodly. Reagan’s tendency to let slip information about LONG STAIR was a constant source of aggravation for the project’s controllers, but the president loved the project and pushed his allies in Congress to fund its cover programs massively through his two terms. His fear of what the Russians might do if they had access to The Dungeon drove him. And with good reason. LONG STAIR wasn't the only place The BASEMENT impinged on normal reality - the Soviets punched a similar hole in 1969 under Degelen Mountain. Then, through the 60s, 70s, and 80s, following close on the heels of nuclear weapons proliferation, new portals to the Dungeon were opened in China, France, and the UK. Following on their heels, Israel (though, never officially confirmed), India, Pakistan, South Africa, and North Korea all opened Breaches of their own. The secret proliferation of Xenoartifacts (dungeon devices, monster tech, or ‘magic items’) has flowed out through the military industrial complexes and intelligence communities of the nations controlling Dungeon access - scrying bowls guide missile strikes, rings of invisibility hide black-ops wetworkers, and in top secret labs teams of specialists work to unlock the secrets of artifacts of such wonder and power that they defy imagining. The collapse of the Soviet state saw huge stockpiles of Dungeon artifacts broken up, looted, stolen, sold off. Perhaps worse, every breach into the Dungeon has been followed by an increase in so-called Fortean Phenomena. Nothing as overt as monsters in the street, but cases of probable hauntings, psychic events, missing time, UFO sightings, and even some semi-credible cryptozoology continue to emerge. The most common are the voices - weird, semi-audible hallucinations which almost make sense. Those who hear them are usually labeled schizophrenic, but they don’t respond to medication. And every year, the voices get a little louder, and a little more intelligible. Those who recognize them as a Dungeon-linked phenomena are extremely worried. The world is getting stranger. After a number of incidents with the Code Name SITUATION PANDORA, Operation LONG STAIR was quietly “shut down” in 2001. Those in the know understand that such a Breach is nearly impossible to close, and that LONG STAIR was not the only Gate in the US, let alone the world. Increasingly, rumors of objects with strange properties, horrific creatures, and people with wild abilities are becoming more difficult to cover up or to pass off as the mad ravings of the mentally ill, or even as viral marketing for a new big-budget movie. The dangers of The BASEMENT are not the world's only problems. Throughout the 90s, 00s, and 10's, the world seemed to stand poised on the brink of the abyss. Global population approached critical levels. Socialist nations were imploding economically, placing a major strain on the rest of the world's financial institutions. The capitalist West engaged in a succession of reckless investments. Internationally, hundreds of billions of dollars had been loaned to governments with soaring deficits and that now faced insolvency and default. Domestically, economic bubbles burst one after another, all leading to a series of recessions that left large swaths of the population homeless, out of work, and without hope. Then came the wars - Wars over diminishing oil supplies in the Middle East. Wars over land in the Indian subcontinent. Wars over nationality in Europe. Wars over drugs in Central and South America. As economic and social ruin outstrip the ability of governments to deal with them, traditional institutions which promote order begin to break down. Governments still exist in name, but unable to effectively maintain a monopoly on force, they become little more than paper tigers. The world is learning that there are things that go bump in the night, and it is little prepared to deal with them.

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith grimaces, mentally chastising himself, 'You've flubbed the ritual, you idiot! They're going to be too far away!' He clinches his fist and begins again. OOC Kelarith repeats the first Concentrate maneuver of his spell to begin tapping into his mana reserve. He will take two seconds to do this. Step to the south-west as part of the maneuver. Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith completes the measured chant and the carefully enacted gestures, tapping into his meager mana reserve to enact the ritual. Taking another step toward the restless corpse menacing Rindo, he completes the ritual, issuing a clear command as he pushes the force of his magic against that of the spell that animated the slain merchantman, "Come to me!" 'And stop trying to murder our payday,' he continued silently. OOC Kelarith does the last Concentrate maneuver of his spell to finish tapping into his mana reserve. Step to the south-west as part of the maneuver. And... He failed it. Such a good job. Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith swears, "Rindo, Back away!" He hopes that will be warning enough to get all of his companions to avoid the zombie that he's attempting to enspell. They do all seem to be regrettably heroic. Taking a deep breath, he steps toward the walking corpse and begins his chant, taking the time to focus, enunciate, and gesticulate with care. Ideally, everyone else will move away, and the zombie will turn to face him. He only hopes that the thing doesn't get a chance to grab at him before he finishes. OOC Kelarith does the first Concentrate maneuver of his spell to begin tapping into his mana reserve. He will take two seconds to do this, and then even if everything goes to plan (doesn't seem likely), it may not even work. So... we'll see what happens. Step directly to the south as part of the maneuver. Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)

Kelarith, Human Warlock STATISTICS ST: 9 DX: 11 IQ: 13 HT: 10 HP: 12/12 FP: 10/10 DMG: 1d-2/1d-1 BL: 16 PER: 14 Basic Speed: 5.25 Dodge: 8 Basic Move: 5 Encumbrance: 16/32/48/96/160 Age: Adult Appearance: Average Culture Familiarity: Bandit Kingdoms Languages (Spoken): Common (Native), Suloise (Broken) Languages (Written): Common, Suloise (semi-literate) Advantages: Blessed, Doesn't Sleep, Ritual Magery 1, Night Vision 2, Ritual Adept (Space), Ritual Adept (Time) Amulet Disadvantages: Lame Hand, Secret, Skinny, Vow Quirks: Dislikes Bright Light, Minor Addiction, Proud, Uncongenial, Unnatural Pallor Skills: Acting 13(+0), Area Knowledge (Bandit Kingdoms) 13(+0), Cloak 10(-1), Crossbow 13(+2), Detect Lies 12(-1), Filch 10(-1), First Aid/TL 3 13(+0), Hidden Lore (Magic Writings) 12(-1), Hiking 9(-1), Holdout 12(-1), Meditation 11(-2), Observation 12(-1), Occultism 13(+0), Riding 10(-1), Ritual Magic 17(+4), Scrounging 13(+0), Search 12(-1), Stealth 11(+0), Survival (Plains) 12(-1), Thaumatology 10(-3) Spell Colleges: Illusion & Creation 13(+0), Light & Darkness 12(-1), Mind Control 14(+1), Necromantic 16(+3) Kelarith turns around, and seeing the zombie crawling towards Nessia, gives a frustrated groan, "You're going the wrong way, you stupid corpse!" Taking the ash that he scraped from the burnt portion of wagon, he paints four vertical lines over his left eye, preparing to begin a magical ritual of some sort. OOC Kelarith uses the Ready maneuver to put four ashen lines over his eye, turning around to face the zombie as his Step. Active Effect: Ritual of Obscurity (Margin of Success equal penalty to Sense rolls to notice - Mos 5, Rindo's Ritual MoS 7)