Delvers to Go!

 The latest project for GURPS from Gaming Ballistic Delvers to Go! has just 4 days to go. Its met its opening goal but ity would be great if it hits some stretch goals.  So what is it?

Well its basically a quickstart supplement for creating dungeon fantasy characters in just a few minutes. The author has explained and listed some great examples on the kickstarter and his blog over at Gaming Ballistic.  Creating charecters in GURPS can be slow, especially when your new to the system and need to read the books to be sure you grabbed everything you wanted and could afford. Likewise, even for a GM creating a NPC on the fly because the players did something unexpected can pause the game.

This is a great help for both those situations, and for teaching or introducing new players to your games.

Go back it now!

Affinity (Cybertronics)

A friend asked me to create spells for hacking, I think it was a joke since hes trying to convert Shadowrun, but what the heck - Challenge accepted! 

He is going to have to read his players copy of the rules to see the details (such as FP cost) and a few of those would require a bit of fiddilng since I hadn't thought of this application for my homebrew magic system. For most readers this is not useful info, but consider it a teaser for a possible upcoming project.

Affinity (Cybertronics)

This affinity includes all electronics and computer technology, including software.

Flash Sale!

Mandala (Allure) Affinity-5

Creates a flashy banner or ad that lures those nearby into the data node.  Handy for getting visitors to your website.

Awaken A.I.!

Mandala (Awaken Spirit)

Cyber Trap

Mandala (Binding) Affinity-5

Traps an A.I. or hacker for the duration.

Hackers Helper

Mandala (Bonus) Affinity-4

Grants a bonus to Computer Hacking for the duration.

Cyberlink

Mandala (Communication) Affinity-4

Allows the subject to communicate via network interface with another user or system.

Covered Tracks

Mandala (Concealment) Affinity-4

Hides the subjects electronic signature, making them harder to spot.

Control Computer

Mandala (Control Machine) Affinity-4

Hadnt gotten around to writing this one up yet, but M2 sounds right.

This would be pretty much the bulk of what a hacker would use and is basically M9ind Control for machines. Handy if I wanted magical hacking to be as simple as casting a couple of spells but if I wanted hacking to be a minigame I would need to do more with this technique.

Counter Hack!

Mandala (Counter Magic) Affinity-4

A blocking spell to counter a hackers spells, such as Control Computer.

Create Program

Mandala (Create) Affinity-5

Commonly learned for a few specific programs, though it can create any program the caster can fully visualize and code.

Create Daemon

Mandala (Creation) Affinity-6

Creates a simple specific volitional program that can act on its own. Examples include spiders that search a database, collate the desired info, and then go copy it somewhere for later review.

Heal Data

Mandala (Healling) Affinity-5

Heals a program or database from damage and degradation, though it wont repair a destroyed program or recover lost data.

Excellent Search

Mandala (Information) Affinity-3

Preforms a quick but widespread search for information.

Afterwards

Ok, that took about 30 minutes and admittedly not all of those techniques are written up enough or in a manner that would clearly apply to this application but not too bad for an improvisational system.

RPM would have taken me longer for similar results.

ATTG Session 1 The Gathering

 GM Recap

Casting

• Adelphin "Adel" Jean-Baptiste (Laurie) Domains (Death and Magic), child of  Werethekau and Baron Samedi. Machiavellian meddler. Power unto herself. Adelphin can kill with a glance, manipulate magic as if she were born to it (she was), and doesn't seem to be able to actually die. Tagline: "I'm not the devil, but betray me and I will show you hell".
• Liam O'Shea (Randy) Domain (Strength) and child of Dagda. A huge, powerful, and deadly warrior. A druid and generally a likeable guy. Taught the old ways but is comfortable with the modern. He's traveled much of the world and is looking to see even more. Tagline: "I told you I wouldn't fit."
• Mitzidu Ito (Rory) Domains (Business, Hearth/kitchen), child of Inari and Kojin. The teams business guru, event planner and entertainer. Taglines: "Life never tasted this good before!" and "The Hearth is the heart of the home, but food is the soul of a community"
• Suveer Patel (Christian) Domain (Clearing Obstructions), child of Ganesh.  Martial artist and student of a thousand styles, Suveer is one of the teams upfront fighters with fists or his gauda (mace). He can get past any obstacle put before him. Tagline: "You are in front of me and no obstacle can stop me. Find a better place to be."
• Yannis Papadopoulos aka The Courier (Chris D.) Domains (Communication, Secrets, Rainbows), child of Harpocrates and Arke. Team sneaker and postman. If you see him, its already too late, your package has been delivered. Tagline: "The thirty minutes or less policy is for those that like to live dangerously."

This was the first game in the new campaign and I felt it went pretty well. Think of Highlander, except the contestants are children of deities (or theogenic buds) and every hundred years or so there is a culling called a harrowing and every thousand years or so a great harrowing.  This campaign starts off just before a great harrowing and all have received the call and are congregating in 

Los Vegas, Nevada where it will take place. A feature of a great harrowing is that gods come down in avatar form and are also vulnerable, though still substantially harder to kill than others.

As godlings start to congregate one of the characters (Adelphin) who owns a hotel that is neutral ground decides to host a party for the players to meet and look each other over. This session was that party.

Notable Highlights

• Adelphin was the hostess of the party and if it wasn't clear before it was much more so afterwards that shes someone to be careful of. She is pretty much a god in her own pantheon, though has alliances with several others such as the Loa and Celtic pantheons
• Ares: An early arrival who complained rather boisterously that there was no bacon, though he ate the cajun food that was the menu provided. Mitzidu, the head chef popped into the kitchen and created a plate of ground beef in the shape of a warriors helmet and laid out on a bacon pizza with bacon tator tots made to look like skulls to molify him.  Then told the staff to keep the tator tots coming, though they didn't need to carve them into skulls. The gift was gratefully accepted and Ares stopped fussing as much as he dove in.
• Poseidon: Sidled up to Yannis as he was waiting to deliver a package and informed he knew what was in it and that Yannis was a blood traitor. Yannis did deliver the packet later to an unknown woman and helped her avoid being accosted outside the hotel on her way to the MGM Grand.
• Maki Enko: A 9 tail kitsune delivered a gift to Mitzidu from his mother - a finely crafted silver ring of a fox chasing its own tail. Unfortunately his mother (Inari) could not make it.
• Angus Ho, kind of the ill reputed hanger on in Liams extended family was seen making side eyes at Liam much of the evening.  He have nothing better to do at a party? No wonder he is a loser!
• Medusa showed up in shades and dressed quite elegantly.
• Suveer got to spend some quality time with his father Ganesh, though perhaps not as much as he wanted.
• Ganesh enjoyed the party and hobnobbed with quite a few, but the highlight was an eating contest ...
• Liam mingled then went out and danced before going over to Ares and sitting down for a plate.  Sensing a challenge Ganesh joined them and Mitzidu quickly headed to the kitchen where he spent an athera point on his domain (Hearth) to create 3 sides of beef, well prepared and seasoned for the three to eat their fill. Liam (a big man at 7 foot five inches) was the first out but made a very impressive showing - earning points with Ganesh and perhaps Ares.  Ganesh handily won the contest and Mitzidu was pleased they all enjoyed the meal.  Also, he organized a side bet on Ganesh and won a decent amount, despite giving good odds. Calypso was impressed with Liams stature and prowress and they later had a pleasant conversation. However upon findiing out she was with the Greek pantheon he demured, feeling that lot is too kinky for him.
• Goose made side eyes at Adelphin and later complained to Mitzidu about how she ignored him - suggesting alternate approaches like changing into a shower of gold. Mitzidu remarked "Doesn't Poseidon have the hots for her?"  Instead of being deterred his eyes glittered and it appears he took it as a challenge. If Los Vegas turns into the next battle of Troy, he wont accept the blame!
• Loki showed up with a godling for Adelphin to babysit and protect through the harrowing.  Apparently the child of Odin (Or Odins avatar, he does like his little games).
• Dionysus made a spectacle of himself, finally ending up dancing naked on a table.
• About 200 other demigods were present and other notables such as Anansi and Huse.

Liam is the only one on the team new to Los Vegas and Mitzidu, having just met him in Mexico got him a room in the hotel for the moment.  They hit it on well to start and, both being children of gods with agriculture in their portfolio appreciate good food.

Suveer and Yannis both work (at least part time) for Adelphin and everyone has a place at the hotel, though Mitzidu also has a mansion in Sumerland a Los Vegas suberb.

Afterthoughts

We had a fair amount of cross talk during the session and some reverb and background noise that made it hard at times to hear what was going on. A common disadvantage of online gaming. However, everyone seemed to have fun and everyone had some meaningful interactions.

At least two of the highlights are clear future plot threads, and hopefully more of the interactions will bear later fruit.  This is supposed to be primarily a social campaign with lots of intrigue and of course the occasional beheading. Everyone has some Charisma as part of the godling template and most have additional social skills and advantages, there is no single "face" on the team.