Prospero – lategaming

The Fantasy War – putting the War in Wardrobe

I wrote some notes a while ago so forgive me for brevity. This morning on the bus….I kinda expanded them. Images are placeholders, I’ve pinged my artist, Dino, to produce some nice original art.

The Long Stair was an internet thread on rpgnet which imagined, possibly to excruciating detail, what happens when a fantasy world crosses over with ours.

This was then followed up with crossing Forbidden Lands (Free Leagues flagship fantasy game) with Twilight 2000 (IMO the best evolution of the YZE).

Now, we had written stuff a while ago about Narnia which kind of tracked with this. (OMG that was 2008).

The idea what what would happen in our world if there was interaction between modern soldiers and fantasy races with magic.

Fantasy Races?

So, Twilight 2000 only really deals with humans. Sure you can get supplements (right here) that add in horrific monsters (in The Gloom) or Dragons (in Here Be Dragons) or mutations (in Enhanced) or Zombies (in Twilight Tangents) but we hadn’t covered Orcs, Goblins and Elves – the standard fantasy fare.

I use the word race very deliberately. There’s only one human race. There is only one surviving human species.

In this photo-fantasy world, they didn’t get humans, they got Orcs, Goblins and Elves. In the hominid evolutionary tree, Orcs are the descendent of ape-like ancestors similar to the modern day Earth Gorilla. Goblins too – descended from chimpanzee-like ancestors.

Rise of the Orc

The Orc is a tribal, aggressive species standing on average 1.8 metres (6’) though specimens are recorded much larger. In terms of body mass, the Orc is commonly up to 500 lbs (226 kgs) of muscle and bone. They have a characteristic gait with the heavily muscled arms reaching down to their knees and can reach a top speed of 40 km/h – fast enough to outrun all but the fastest sprinters. Physically humans are not a match one on one. They have astounding endurance and are very hard to kill.

Orcs are smart, maybe not human smart, but they can learn. They’re delighted to learn about new weapons and toys, new ways to create fire or explosions and they find slapstick humour, particularly where someone gets hurt, to be utterly hilarious. (Not so different from humans).

Orcs live in Prides, where the decisions of the family group are decided by the female Orcs. They’re responsible for food prep, for rearing young and also for the social order. All of the females in the Pride are related but many of the make Orcs will be “hangers on”, drawn by the “wealth” of the Pride (territory, conquests, potential for mates, charismatic leadership). The females select who is their mate (if any) this adds to the males prestige.

Orcs are opportunistic omnivores, able to digest everything from raw meat to tree bark. They are seldom cannibals but will consider humans and even Goblins as a valid food source.

Culturally, the Orcs will form war bands for conquest, based on loose alliances. They can, however be controlled by the Fein who have millennia-old spells to ensnare the mind of the Orc and turn them to war.

STR	AGI	INT	EMP
d20	d10	d6	d6
Close Combat d12, Stamina d12, Mobility d6, Ranged Combat d8, Recon d10, Command d10
Brawler, Melee, Killer, Load Carrier, Ranger
All Critical Thresholds are +1 when attacking Orcs. And their melee attacks Critical Threshold is reduced by 1
Equipment: Sword, Halberd, Mail Armour, Shield

The Goblins

Goblins are the arboreal equivalent of the Orc, weighing much less (50 kgs) and much smaller in stature (1.2m, 4 ft). Their arms are proportionally longer and well suited for moving through trees. On land they’re fast but not for sustained periods. Proportionally they’re stronger than most humans reflecting a life of action rather than sedentary life. Goblins are also smart tool-users, proficient at the bow and practiced with crossbows of their own design.

Goblins live in large community groups, each numbering around 100 individuals. Under normal circumstances, they hunt and forage for food but have been put to work in agriculture and war by the Fein.

STR	AGI	INT	EMP
d10	d12	d8	d8
Close Combat d8, Stamina d12, Mobility d6, Ranged Combat d10, Recon d12, Command d6
Brawler, Archer, Mountaineer, Pitcher, Combat Awareness
Goblins can move through the trees at twice ground speed.
Equipment: Short Sword, Long Bow, Leather Armour

The Fein

The Fein are a slender race of humanoid elfin vampires, reaching 2.1 metres (7 ft) in height. They wear long flowing robes and have golden adornments on their fingers, beck and ears, which are long and pointed. At some point in their past, the Fein developed a type of magic which extended their lives but required the living to sacrifice theirs. They will feed on any living creature, draining its life fluids (blood, sap, ichor) to sustain their own lives. This way the Fein can live for thousands of years. A human will sustain them for 1 month, an Orc for two months and a large tree for a year.

They still eat food for pleasure and sustain their lifestyles through the control of other races, notably Goblins for manual labour and Orcs for war. Their history is a long series of highly triumphant novels about how their intervention has been vital for the survival of all. The Fein worship their royal family, a particularly wretched line of vampires who only feed on other Fein. At some point in the past, they were creatures who lived commensally with the trees using magic to create song and great works, but over the years their lust for immortality drove them to use their magic to unnaturally prolong their life.

Culturally the Fein consider all races to be subservient, as they alone are uniquely long lived. Their methods are cruel and their magic is effective. They are often armed with a keen and slender needle rapier which is effective against armour, ignoring any protection provided by mail armour.

STR	AGI	INT	EMP
d8	d8	d20	d12
Close Combat d12, Recon d12, Command d12
Killer, Intelligence, Interrogator, Psy Ops, Fein Magic
With but a touch, the Fein can drain Hit Points from other creatures 1 per turn, healing their injuries. This operates through their Opifex
Equipment: Rapier, Opifex, Magic Scroll

Fein Magic

The Fein use Magic powered by their own life force and the life force of others. Each effect requires at least the expenditure of 1 Hit Point, which can be regained immediately using their Opifex. Humans can learn Fein Magic and use an Optifex.

The Optifex

The Optifex is a piece of magical technology resembling a pocket watch with an interior filled with glass, blood and some sort of insect-like creature. The Optifex cannot be dismantled without killing the creature. This technology enables the Fein to live effectively forever through the vampirism of other species.

Regent

The Fein have a complex ritual which is performed on every Fein. This causes every Orc and Goblin to be immediately subservient to Fein, effectively giving the Fein an extra d12 when using Command with Orcs and Goblins. It has no effect on Humans. Removing the Regent enchantment from a Fein is considered a serious punishment as these Fein are also vulnerable to the influence.

The Silver Gate

The caster can open an Schwartzschild Bridge (actually a Morris-Thorne Wormhole) between two locations. This spell creates a shimmering globe of silvery metal which, at the predetermined time, will transport anything that walks though it to the desired destination. The primary component is at least 200 grams of orichalcum (which may be re-used). Rather than being an unobtainable mystery substance, Orichalcum is a specific ore of copper and nickel (and can be manufactured).
The Bridge is opened above a specific pattern made in Orichalcum powder by the spell. To close the bridge, break the pattern. The pattern is automatically generated (similar to cymatics) depending on the destination and each pattern is unique.
There is no guarantee that anyone crossing a Bridge will survive. Sometimes they come out the other end ‘reassembled’ incorrectly and survival at the other end can also depend on the presence of life-sustaining conditions.

Rending

This spell exists in many forms across cultures. It causes direct harm to a target, Each Hit Point invested causes a point of damage and Stress may also be exchanged for enemy damage, point for point. The flesh of the target is scored and burned by the spell, including their internal organs. Cause of death will be inexplicable to normal medicine if it kills the target. The Caster may also choose to spend a Permanent EMP level to inflict an immediate Death Save on the target.
This spell completely ignores armour and can be cast line of sight or may have effectively infinite range if there is a sympathetic connection (hair, etc).

Place Stelae

The ritual for placing a minimum of three stelae to enable the forming of a dimensional chiasmata (the overlap of two dimensions) on the basis of a Silver Gate. Stelae must be forged from a conductive metal. The first three stelae must be placed within 16 hours of each other and the ritual performed over each one. Additional stelae can be added later. The maximum distance between them is 1.054 kilometres. If performed correctly, the next 32 hours will see the region within the stelae boundary change as the other dimension begins to write itself over Earth, changing plans, changing the air, even changing the sky.
The specific dimension is dictated by changing the directions within the ritual. If the stelae are destroyed, any areas not covered begin to revert though they will not be the same. For the chiasmata to maintain, there must be at least three stelae.

Resurrect

This spell takes the body of a deceased person and summons life back into it. Any decomposition will remain and can be healed (in theory). The spell does not remove the cause of death (wounds do not heal, cancer is not cured) but for the time being, they are alive again.
The spell also won’t heal any putrefaction processed (They’re still rotting). The Referee deducts 1 level from one Attribute, if it is from STR, AGI or INT, it’s likely decomposition. If it’s from EMP, it’s likely due to feeling the pull of death. If the target has an Attribute that was previously reduced to 0 due to another spell or injury, they retain that handicap.

Horror – Sids Story

I wanted to write a quick horror scenario which would fit in with pretty much any game and I figured that it couldn’t just be a magical teleporting serial killer, like Jason, Freddy or Leatherface.

Inspiration for this one is “Sids Story” from the Captain Britain trade paperback.
http://www.rambles.net/capbrit_88.html
http://marvel.wikia.com/Captain_Britain_Vol_2_4

Summary: A local homeless man is infected with an alien spore. It slowly transforms him into a monster but gives him unnatural urges, bouts of superhuman strength but when they recede, he’s just plain ol’ Sid. He’s driven mad by the spore and even sees himself only as a witness to the killings – so he becomes the primary contact for information. Eventually the horror cannot be hidden beneath his rags and cap and his urges drive him underground.

Sid doesn’t get any magical abilities. He’s just strong, streetwise, ashamed of his ‘condition’ and going quite mad – in utter denial of the situation.

Sequence of Events:

Establish Sid the Homeless Bum as a local contact.
A powerful shapeshifting beast is defeated by the heroes. You have to make it characteristic – like the creature eats a certain organ or attacks a certain way – perhaps it leaves needles from its back littered around, each covered by a nasty toxin. Perhaps in the purple bulbous nature of its malleable flesh. Whatever it is – make it a HARD battle – but an obvious, showy, non-secret one.
The creatures eggs were taken and eaten by some homeless people. Most died, Sid got sick – slowly.
Bodies show up and it’s assumed they died of exposure. No surprise as it’s cold out. Sid contacts them saying there’s a killer out there.
Bodies show up, gnawed.
Body shows up, rent from ear to spleen. Sid blames the killer. The PCs find the needles.
Let it die down. For a few sessions.
Bring it back. Sid is changing slowly, in constant pain and still in denial. He needs food constantly so the people attacked are other homeless, the workers in the soup kitchens etc and eventually some rich kid doing community service. Sid contacts them again, both putting them off the trail and telling them more about the creature.
Fight.

Star of the Commonwealth

Great Britain was, at the time, in the throes of a terrible war, a world war, which assailed them from without as well as within. While bombs rained upon London and young men lost their lives overseas in the pursuit of freedom, a frontier was breached. On a private estate in the English countryside, a connection was made, perhaps even re-opened, by a small party.

The incursion took place on the 9th February 1946. A battalion of rag-tag troops, hastily constructed from a score of regiments established a beachhead and within three hours (by our reckoning) had successfully conquered the land beyond.

During the next four weeks, rationing was abolished and the United Kingdom ushered in a new wealth and independence which changed the face of the world. The curious artifact of the new conquered land which permitted this was the difference in time flow. Years could pass in the conquered land and only hours would pass on Earth. The Government wasted no time in relocating farmers and their families and inviting captains of industry to build great factories. The country focussed their efforts on manufacture and export and quickly rebuilt the failing British Empire.

And of the conquered land?

HRH Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Narnia, sported a fetching maned cloak that following Winter

Two Worlds: A State of Frenzy

“We’re doomed I tell you. That planet is hurtling through space towards the Earth and we haven’t the power to stop it.”

Doctor Henry Warwick of the Royal Observatory could hardly have known that as he spoke, a rocketship sped through the ether towards the rogue planet on a mission to save the planet.

Doctor Alexei Zharkhov, a Russian emigré, had stolen the experimental rocket ship from NACA with his compatriots Flash and Dale and embarked on a mission to deliver a terrible weapon to the heart of the planet and save the Earth.

That was seventy years ago.

Two Worlds

What if Prospero didn’t just loop through time and space but also dimensions?

What if it revealed to the modern world the battleground of an unknown war, the genocides of a victorious hero, the possible fates of our world if he, and his two companions had failed in their attempt to stave off the destruction of the Earth.

We’ll start this story unexpectedly more than seventy years too late.

More to come soon.

One for the millennialists…

Mike Cane 2008 reports that NASA got it wrong and an asteroid that they reported to have a 1 in 45000 chance of hitting Earth actually has a 1 in 450 chance of hitting Earth. It took a 13 year old German schoolboy to validate the figures after NASA experts forgot to take into account the cloud of satellites which could cause the asteroid, called Apophis, to veer into Earth.

The date this is meant to happen is 2029. Now…here’s the math. In school, we had a class called Religious Education and one of the nuns who taught, Sister Mary-Jo, was one of the most progressive ‘persons of Religion’ I have ever met. She explained that the Bible was literal and also interpreted. That it was a historical document but not perhaps in the way it should be interpreted.

She believed that Jesus was real and God was real, that Jesus was born in some time around 3-6 BC and that he died on a cross, aged 33 and ascended to heaven.

If Apophis does hit Earth and cause the “End of Days”, in 2029, then it proves one thing. Chris De Burgh may have been right.

“And just before dawn at the paling of the sky,
The stranger returned and said “Now I must fly,
When two thousand years of your time has gone by,
This song will begin once again, to a baby’s cry…””

4 BC + 33 years + 2000 years = 2029 (or so, I’m not really clear on how to handle year 0)

I don’t know what’s more upsetting. That the world might end or that the Lord chose Chris de Burgh to be his prophet?

Of course, as a result I’ll have to tie this into my Prospero mini-setting…

[This is a hoax BTW. See NASA statement. But of course, to avoid world panic, they would say that…]

Fiction: Why the UK avoids the space race

BBC News Link:

The UK’s decision to shun human spaceflight was a mistake that needs to be changed, says Europe’s International Space Station programme chief … Alan Thirkettle, a Brit who left the country to head European Space Agency (Esa) projects.
…
“The UK has a long and noble tradition for exploration across our planet. It is time for a new vision and a more distant voyage.”

Today, the United Kingdom contributes less than 9% of the ESA budget with the majority coming from France, Germany and Italy. Why did things get to such a state? The truth, of course, is amazing.

It’s 1988. And you’re part of the Prospero Group

“Now my charms are all o’erthrown,
And what strength I have’s mine own,”

During the 1970s, the space race between the US and the Soviet Union cooled with the race to the moon being allegedly won by the US in their Apollo series. The ESA was quickly able to establish itself as a forerunner in space exploration and quickly became the leader in commercial space flights and payload delivery. Their delivery vehicle, the Ariane series, was proving successful despite negative PR following some flight failures.

The bulk of their rocket science was of course derived from post-war military science and focussed on the delivery of satellites. Prospero X-3 was the only British satellite to be launched by a British rocket and was launched with only a single experiment on board, an apparatus designed to test solar cells. After only two years component failure on Prospero resulted in the programme being labelled an abject failure. But the solar cell experiment was not the only equipment on board. Prospero can still be heard transmitting unknown coordinates and has a orbital lifetime of almost 100 years.

In The Tempest, Prospero was a deposed king who became a sorcerer, a godlike figure. The Prospero which orbits above us certainly has some such qualities.

Prospero can be described as many things. A vehicle. A weapon. A resource.

Prospero can transport objects from one place to another without them crossing the intervening space. Or time.

Prospero represents one of a few spatial and temporal man-made anomalies. On board was a smaller, more compact version of the devices which caused the Philadelphia Experiment and also used in the Montauk Project at Camp Hero. It was felt by the Prospero Group, part of the British National Space Agency, that building the device into something as cumbersome as a destroyer was pointless and keeping it on the ground was tantamount to useless as well as insanely dangerous. As a result, Prospero was launched into space.

Prospero can send people and objects to anything it can see. This includes places it can see in its past. So if you need to be in a certain place at a certain time, it will attempt to send you as close as possible before that time. This can also mean having objects sent into obscure places as they may need to lie undiscovered for days or weeks before being retrieved.
Coterminous places

Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, Philadelphia Pennsylvania,
- July 22nd, 1943
- October 28th, 1943
Montauk Point, Long Island, 1981-1983
Prospero Orbit, October 1971 – June 2064

Still needs filled out:
1. Where does Prospero orbit and what can it see?
2. We’ve got a very limited but very relevant time travel mechanism
3. Other co-terminous places may exist….