XXVc Notebook- Needle Gun Plus

XXVCR2 Earth in the 25th Century introduced the darter, weapon of choice for the discerning Cannibal of Tomorrow and perhaps the stupidest weapon in the game. It is certainly insulting, along the lines of giving American Indians "futuristic" tomahawks* that shoot lasers or explode. 

While the idea on the whole is awful, the darts used are still interesting and worth using somewhere else. But where? Join me now as we take a journey into the Future to find out....

The idea that those poisons used in those darts are only found in Buenos Aires and Guyana (?) and are unreproducible with 25th century science is also pretty stupid. It's not like it's Haitian voodoo powder or something.

Here are the different varieties of darts available:

Type A- A strong nerve toxin, which paralyzes the central nervous system, inhibiting all movement for 1d8 hours. Save vs Poison at -2; successful characters are slowed, capable of only half movement.

Type B- A mild soporific; save vs poison or sleep for 1d12 turns.

Type C- An alkaline which causes 1d8 damage on contact, no saving throw applicable.

Type D- A highly toxic substance capable of 1d6 points of damage and inducing convulsions for 1d8 rounds (save at -2 for limited duration of 1d4 rounds). Convulsing characters drop everything in hand and are immobilized, save for seizures.

Would these unbalance the lowly Needle Gun? In a setting that allows for man-portable particle accelerator guns and gamma ray lasers that can deal horrific damage, would a few non-lethal darts (and a lethal one) really throw everything out of whack? Put too much power in one character's hands? I don't think so. 

I would make them hard to come by, though. In my game, not every weapon is available at your friendly, local Ammu-Nation. I would say those darts are normally only available to military and para-military organizations (a local police department, for example) and would have to be acquired on the black market like some of the other death-dealing guns in the game. 

In addition, I'd require the civilian needle gun to be modified to accommodate them, rendering the gun useless for standard needles. Considering the ease in procuring a needle gun, it would be much easier to mod one than to acquire the military version.


*For the record, I have no problem including in a Buck Rogers High Adventure Cliffhangers game, since that kind of malarkey is not uncommon there.

XXVc Graphics

So, this is pretty simple. I had written about the Solar Alliance and felt that they should have been presented as more of a present threat on Earth than portrayed in the game. In particular, there was no identity to them- everything is RAM all the time. And, yes, RAM controls the Solar Alliance, but they, in turn control Earth. They needed a face.

That lead me to make some images for the players to hang their eyeballs on. It also doesn't hurt that I enjoy doing this sort of thing and so here they are.

I may do more later on, but for now, enjoy these-

Solar Alliance Uniform Patch

The next one is supposed to be kind of an all-purpose logo. Special branches of RAM might use different colors or a different design altogether.

The next two for a sinister genetics firm. I don't know anything about them besides the name, which I liked enough to create the following-

Click to see full size

NOTICE: These are free for personal use only. Any other use is VERBOTEN.

Rocketship Round-up

The following is wholly the work of someone other than myself and I take no credit whatsoever for it. I present it here only as a service to players and GMs of the XXVc game.

XXV: SPACE SHIPS

  Compiled By: Dave "Serpine" Rosson

  Last Update: 02/06/2000

The following is a collection of all the space ships found in any

and all of the XXVc resources, including the modules and

supplements (indicated by product number) and the computer games

(indicated by 'MC').  In several cases the ship class names and

some other stats not found in the origional had to be fabricated. 

A few ships were dropped (like the 30 ton pleasure yacht in

XXVCA2 which is almost point to point identicle to the 35 ton

Princess of Mars, save for an extra 5 tonnage).  At least one

ship was invented totally (the 'Hades' class Ringer transport for

big mineral hauls), and several ships experienced tinkering: Even

if you sacrificed every inch of cargo the Venusian Battler II

from XXVCS3, revised as the more properly designed 'Mirage' class

here, would not have had the weapon spaces for its origional

list.  Also notice there is no 'Pirate' category, since they tend

to use whatever ships they get, and remember that most ship types

are available on the market so they can be found used even in

rival groups to their origin.  This is especially true of NEO

which scavanges or buys most of its ships.

=================================================================

                        Basic Format

class name { type, (source in game)

Names: names of the some ships of this class.

 Tons: tonnage, Lng: length, Wd: width, Crg: cargo

 HP = ( H: hull hp, S/C: sensors/commo hp, C: control hp,

       LS: life support hp, F: fuel hp, E: engine hp )

 AC: base armor(armor modified by speed defence bonus),

  Crew: standard crew, Speed: speed,

  RB: reaction bonus, DB: defense bonus

 Weapons(number of weapons): list of weapons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                        Independent Vessels

Campbell { Asterover, (3562 sheet)

Names: U of Deimos.

 Tons: 20, Lng: 40 ft, Wd: 10 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H: 80, S/C: 20, C: 20, LS: 40, F: 60, E: 60 )

 AC: 8(6), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(1): 1 Pumped Laser

Jane { Light Stock Freighter, (3562 sheet)

Names: Lady Jane Gray.

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 15 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 8(6), Crew: 3, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Gyrocannon

Shroeder { Long Range Scout, (XXVCS2 p30)

 Tons: 50, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 25 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 200, S/C: 50, C: 50, LS: 100, F: 200, E: 150 )

 AC: 8(8), Crew: 12, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Beam Laser.

Aphid { Asteroid Miner, (XXVCR7 p38)

 Tons: 60, Lng: 130 ft, Wd: 90 ft, Crg: 30 tons

 HP = ( H: 240, S/C: 60, C: 60, LS: 120, F: 180, E: 180 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 18, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(6): 2 Beam Lasers, 2 Missile Mounts,

             2 Lt Acceleration Guns

Raptor { Pursuit Cruiser, (XXVCA2 p46)

Names: Kiss of the Falcon.

 Tons: 70, Lng: 140 ft, Wd: 45 ft, Crg: 45 tons

 HP = ( H: 210, S/C: 70, C: 70, LS: 140, F: 210, E: 210 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 18, Speed: 4, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(7): 2 Beam Lasers, 2 Gyrocannons, 1 Pumped Laser,

             1 Missile Mount, 1 Lt Acceleration Gun

Luxus { Interplanetary Spaceliner, (3562 sheet)

Names: Luxis Triplanetary.

 Tons: 550, Lng: 1,100 ft, Wd: 225 ft, Crg: 305 tons

 HP = ( H: 2,200, S/C:   550, C:   550,

       LS: 1,100,   F: 1,650, E: 1,650 )

 AC: 8(10), Crew: 25, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(3): 3 Pumped Lasers

 NOTE: Can support 275 passengers.

Jovian { Deep Jupiter Miner, (XXVCR7 p39)

 Tons: 8,000, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 1,000 ft, Crg: 3,000 tons

 HP = ( H: 32,000, S/C:  8,000, C:  8,000,

       LS: 16,000,   F: 24,000, E: 24,000 )

 AC: 8(12), Crew: 1,600, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +4

 Weapons(7): 5 K-Cannons, 2 Heavy Missile Mounts

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           LUNA (LSS)

Copernicus { Scout Cruiser, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 25, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 12 ft, Crg: 12 tons

 HP = ( H: 100, S/C: 25, C: 25, LS: 50, F: 75, E: 75 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 9, Speed: 5, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Gyrocannon

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                             MERCURY

Flame { Light Cruiser, (XXVCA2 p51)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 80 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 120, E: 120 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 10, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(4): 2 Gyrocannons, 1 Beam Laser,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

Maximus Argyre { Med Cruiser purchased from RAM, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 150, Lng: 300 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 75 tons

 HP = ( H: 600, S/C: 150, C: 150, LS: 300, F: 450, E: 450 )

 AC: 6(7), Crew: 50, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(10): 5 Beam Lasers, 3 Gyrocannons,

              1 Hvy Acceleration Gun, 1 K-Cannon

 NOTE: Most weapons behind retractable panels.

Sun God { Assault Cruiser, (MC)

Names: Flare, Corona, Hermes, Osiris, Apollo.

 Tons: 200, Lng: 400 ft, Wd: 100 ft, Crg: 100 tons

 HP = ( H: 800, S/C: 200, C: 200, LS: 400, F: 600, E: 600 )

 AC: 4(5), Crew: 67, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(20): 10 Missile Mounts, 10 Beam Lasers

Chryse { Heavy Cruiser purchased from RAM, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 500, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 250 ft, Crg: 250 tons

 HP = ( H: 2,000, S/C:   500, C:   500,

       LS: 1,000,   F: 1,500, E: 1,500 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 135, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(20): 5 K-Cannons, 5 Heavy Missile Mounts,

              5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Gyrocannons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                      Nautilus Submersibles

Triton { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 6 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 9(7), Crew: 2, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Heavy Missile Mount

Aegir { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 70 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 120, E: 120 )

 AC: 9(8), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -1

 Weapons(3): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Heavy Missile Mount,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

Enki { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 50, Lng: 90 ft, Wd: 25 ft, Crg: 14 tons

 HP = ( H: 200, S/C: 50, C: 50, LS: 100, F: 150, E: 150 )

 AC: 9(9), Crew: 6, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(3): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount

Rudra { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 55, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 27 ft, Crg: 16 tons

 HP = ( H: 220, S/C: 55, C: 55, LS: 110, F: 165, E: 165 )

 AC: 9(10), Crew: 8, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(3): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount

Ahto { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 60, Lng: 110 ft, Wd: 30 ft, Crg: 18 tons

 HP = ( H: 240, S/C: 60, C: 60, LS: 120, F: 180, E: 180 )

 AC: 9(11), Crew: 10, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(4): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

Tefnut { Submersible Cruiser, (XXVCR7 p44)

 Tons: 65, Lng: 128 ft, Wd: 32 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 260, S/C: 65, C: 65, LS: 130, F: 195, E: 195 )

 AC: 9(11), Crew: 12, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(4): 2 Heavy Missile Mounts, 1 Missile Mount,

             1 Light Acceleration Gun

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           NEO/Phoenix

         (NOTE: Scram Rockets use only half normal fuel)

F-66 Starfire { Multi Purpose Fighter, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 15, Lng: 30 ft, Wd: 7 ft, Crg: 7 tons

 HP = ( H: 60, S/C: 15, C: 15, LS: 45, F: 45, E: 45 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 1, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(1): 1 Light Accelerarion Gun or 1 Gyrocannon

X-23A Krait { Stolen Mars/Space Stealth Fighter (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 10, Lng: 20 ft, Wd: 5 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 40, S/C: 10, C: 10, LS: 20, F: 30, E: 30 )

 AC: 6(1), Crew: 1, Speed: 7, RB: -3, DB: -5

 Weapons(1): 1 Gyrocannon

 Electronic Stealth Cloak: When in motion AC improved by -6.

Ln1 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 20, Lng: 40 ft, Wd: 10 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H: 80, S/C: 20, C: 20, LS: 40, F: 20, E: 40 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 2, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 2 Beam Lasers

Ln2 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 25, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 12.5 ft, Crg: 12.5 tons

 HP = ( H: 100, S/C: 25, C: 25, LS: 50, F: 25, E: 50 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 2, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(2): 2 Beam Lasers

Ln3 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 15 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 30, E: 60 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 3, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Missile Mount

Ln4 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 35, Lng: 70 ft, Wd: 17.5 ft, Crg: 17.5 tons

 HP = ( H: 140, S/C: 35, C: 35, LS: 70, F: 35, E: 70 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 3, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Missile Mount

Ln5 { Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 80 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 40, E: 80 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Heavy Acceleration Gun

Ln6 { Experimental Stealth Scram Rocket, (XXVCR7 p42)

 Tons: 45, Lng: 90 ft, Wd: 22.5 ft, Crg: 22.5 tons

 HP = ( H: 180, S/C: 45, C: 45, LS: 90, F: 45, E: 90 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 4, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -4

 Weapons(3): 2 Beam Lasers, 1 Heavy Acceleration Gun

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                            RAM (RMS)

F-66 Starfire { Multi Purpose Fighter, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 15, Lng: 30 ft, Wd: 7 ft, Crg: 7 tons

 HP = ( H: 60, S/C: 15, C: 15, LS: 45, F: 45, E: 45 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 1, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(1): 1 Light Accelerarion Gun or 1 Gyrocannon

X-23A Krait { Mars/Space Stealth Fighter (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 10, Lng: 20 ft, Wd: 5 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 40, S/C: 10, C: 10, LS: 20, F: 30, E: 30 )

 AC: 6(1), Crew: 1, Speed: 7, RB: -3, DB: -5

 Weapons(1): 1 Gyrocannon

 Electronic Stealth Cloak: When in motion AC improved by -6.

*Scorpion { Earth/Space Capable Krait Version (XXVCR1 sheet)

  AC: 6(2), Speed: 6, RB: -2, DB: -5

X-12a TAV { Trans-atmospheric Vehicle, (XXVCR7 p41)

 Tons: 22, Lng: 44 ft, Wd: 11 ft, Crg: 11 tons

 HP = ( H: 88, S/C: 22, C: 22, LS: 44, F: 66, E: 66 )

 AC: 7(3), Crew: 3, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(2): 1 Missile Mount, 1 Pumped Laser

Hellas Breame { Long Range Scout, (XXVCS1 sheet)

 Tons: 25, Lng: 50 ft, Wd: 12 ft, Crg: 3 tons

 HP = ( H: 100, S/C: 25, C: 25, LS: 50, F: 140, E: 75 )

 AC: 6(4), Crew: 9, Speed: 5, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Gyrocannons, 1 Missile Mount

Cassini Royale { Security Scout, (XXVCS1 p32)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 15 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 3, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(2): 1 Heavy Acceleration Gun, 1 Missile Mount

Coprates Star { Executive Scout, (XXVCS4 p29)

Names: Princess of Mars. 

 Tons: 35, Lng: 70 ft, Wd: 17 ft, Crg: 17 tons

 HP = ( H: 140, S/C: 35, C: 35, LS: 70, F: 105, E: 105 )

 AC: 8(6), Crew: 8, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

 Weapons(3): 2 Missile Mounts (Retractable), 1 Beam Laser

Arsia Mons { Support Scout, (XXVCR1 p41)

 Tons: 40, Lng: 80 ft, Wd: 20 ft, Crg: 20 tons

 HP = ( H: 160, S/C: 40, C: 40, LS: 80, F: 120, E: 120 )

 AC: 6(2), Crew: 10, Speed: 5, RB: -2, DB: -4

 Weapons(2): 2 Pumped Lasers

*Ascraeus Mons { Escort Scout, Arsia Mons Version (XXVCA2 p37)

  AC: 6(4), Crew: 15, Speed: 4, RB: -1, DB: -2

  Weapons(3):1 Hvy Acceleration Gun, 1 Gyrocannon, 1 Beam Laser

Hubble { Combat Scout, (CTD)

Names: Van Allen, Copernicus, Kepler, Goddard.

 Tons: 50, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 25 ft, Crg: 25 tons

 HP = ( H: 200, S/C: 60, C: 65, LS: 100, F: 160, E: 150 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 20, Speed: 3, RB: -1, DB: 0

 Weapons(4): 2 Missile Mounts, 2 Beam Lasers

Mediabloc { Spy Cruiser, (XXVCS3 p6)

 Tons: 100, Lng: 200 ft, Wd: 50 ft, Crg: 50 tons

 HP = ( H: 400, S/C: 200, C: 100, LS: 200, F: 300, E: 300 )

 AC: 6(7), Crew: 30, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +1

 Weapons(5): 2 Beam Lasers, 2 Pumped Lasers, 1 Missile Mount

 NOTE: Added sensor packages.

Argyre { Medium Cruiser, (3562 sheet)

Names: Julius Raurus, Adder, Viper, Anaconda, Sidewinder.

 Tons: 150, Lng: 300 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 75 tons

 HP = ( H: 600, S/C: 150, C: 150, LS: 300, F: 450, E: 450 )

 AC: 6(7), Crew: 50, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(10): 5 Beam Lasers, 3 Gyrocannons,

              1 Hvy Acceleration Gun, 1 K-Cannon

Efficient Commerce { Transport, (3562 sheet)

 Tons: 300, Lng: 600 ft, Wd: 150 ft, Crg: 440 tons

 HP = ( H: 1200, S/C: 300, C: 300, LS: 600, F: 900, E: 900 )

 AC: 8(8), Crew: 3, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(1): 1 Gyrocannon

Alba Patera { Heavy Versatility Cruiser, (XXVCR1 p40)

 Tons: 450, Lng: 900 ft, Wd: 225 ft, Crg: 225 tons

 HP = ( H: 1800, S/C: 450, C: 450, LS: 900, F: 1350, E: 1350 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 350, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(30): 10 Hvy Missile Mounts, 5 Lt Acceleration Guns,

              5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Beam Lasers, 5 Gyrocannons

 NOTE: Carries 1 fighter (Maximum 10 Tons)

Chryse { Heavy Cruiser, (3562 sheet)

Names: Sahara, Gobi, Mohave, Outback, Kalihari.

 Tons: 500, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 250 ft, Crg: 250 tons

 HP = ( H: 2000, S/C: 500, C: 500, LS: 1000, F: 1500, E: 1500 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 135, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(20): 5 K-Cannons, 5 Heavy Missile Mounts,

              5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Gyrocannons

Memnonia { Tanker (refuels 200 units/rnd), (XXVCS3 p31)

 Tons: 1,000, Lng: 2,000 ft, Wd: 600 ft, Crg: 10 tons

 HP = ( H:4000, S/C:2000, C:1000, LS:2000, F:75,000, E:3000 )

 AC: 6(9), Crew: 100, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +3

 Weapons(20): 20 Pumped Lasers

Phytus { Fighter Carrier, (XXVCS3 p32)

 Tons: 5,500, Lng: 11,000 ft, Wd: 2,750 ft, Crg: 2,250 tons

 HP = ( H: 22,000, S/C: 5,500, C: 5,500,

       LS: 11,000,   F: 8,500, E: 8,500 )

 AC: 8(10), Crew: 300, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +5

 Weapons(30): 30 Pumped Lasers

 NOTE: Carries 120 fighters (Maximum 15 Tons each)

Tharsis { Battler, (3562 sheet)

Names: Acidalia, Pallas Athene.

 Tons: 5,000, Lng: 10,000 ft, Wd: 2,500 ft, Crg: 2,500 tons

 HP = ( H: 20,000, S/C:  5,000, C:  5,000,

       LS: 10,000,   F: 15,000, E: 15,000 )

 AC: 0(5), Crew: 1,700, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +5

 Weapons(240): 100 Pumped Lasers, 50 Heavy Missile Mounts,

               50 Gyrocannons, 20 Missile Mounts, 20 K-Cannons

*Hellas (modified Tharsis) { Transport Battler (XXVCR1 p40)

  Replace the K-Cannons with 20 fighters (Maximum 10 Tons each)

Nereidium { Heavy Battler, (XXVCR1 p40)

 Tons: 7,000, Lng: 14,000 ft, Wd: 3,500 ft, Crg: 3,500 tons

 HP = ( H: 28,000, S/C: 7,000, C: 7,000,

       LS: 14,000, F: 21,000, E: 21,000 )

 AC: 0(6), Crew: 1,900, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +6

 Weapons(315):100 Hvy Missile Mounts, 50 Hvy Acceleration Guns,

              75 Pumped Lasers, 50 Gyrocannons, 40 K-Cannons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                             RINGERS

Vulture { Ringer Planetary Transport, (XXVCR7 p45)

Names: Buzzard, Hyena, Packrat, Scavenger.

 Tons: 70, Lng: 100 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 50 tons

 HP = ( H: 280, S/C: 70, C: 70, LS: 140, F: 210, E: 210 )

 AC: 7(7), Crew: 4, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(2): 1 Light Acceleration Gun, 1 Light Blunderbuss

Hades { Ringer Interplanetary Transport, (Extrapolation)

Names: Lugh, Nephythys, Volos.

 Tons: 700, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 750 ft, Crg: 500 tons

 HP = ( H:2,800, S/C:700, C:700, LS:1,400, F:2,100, E:2,100 )

 AC: 5(8), Crew: 150, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +3

 Weapons(36): 20 Missile Mounts, 10 Light Acceration Guns,

              5 Heavy Blunderbusses, 1 K-Cannon

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                        VENUS (SI & IMF)

Spirit { Venusian Fighter, (Armageddon Off Vesta)

 Tons: 10, Lng: 10 ft, Wd: 10 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 40, S/C: 10, C: 10, LS: 20, F: 30, E: 30 )

 AC: 5(2), Crew: 1, Speed: 5, RB: -3, DB: -3

 Weapons(1): 1 Lt Accelerarion Gun or Gyrocannon or Beam Laser

 NOTE: Do to peculiar spherical design called shots

       against these have an additional -3 penalty.

Good Hope { Armed Freighter, (XXVCR3 p51)

Names: Dray.

 Tons: 80, Lng: 160 ft, Wd: 40 ft, Crg: 40 tons

 HP = ( H: 320, S/C: 80, C: 80, LS: 160, F: 240, E: 240 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 20, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(8): 4 Beam Lasers, 4 Lt Acceleration Guns

Valor { Heavy Cruiser, (XXVCR3 p51)

 Tons: 500, Lng: 1,000 ft, Wd: 250 ft, Crg: 250 tons

 HP = ( H:2,000, S/C:500, C:500, LS:1,000, F:1,500, E:1,500 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 400, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(32): 10 Pumped Lasers, 10 Gyrocannons, 5 Catch Nets,

              5 Beam Lasers, 2 K-Cannons

*Zephyr (Modified Valor) { Blockade Cruiser, (XXVCA2 p52)

Names: Home of the Magnificent Wind.

 AC: 6(8), Crew: 350, Speed: 1, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(34): 10 Beam Lasers, 10 Gyrocannons, 5 Pumped Lasers,

              3 Hvy Acceleration Guns, 2 Heavy Missile Mounts,

              2 Acceleration Guns, 1 K-Cannon, 1 Missile Mount

Pennant { Star Carrier, (XXVCR3 p51)

Names: Charge, Last Rite, Our Lady of Sorrow.

 Tons: 5,000, Lng: 10,000 ft, Wd: 2,500 ft, Crg: 2,500 tons

 HP = ( H: 20,000, S/C:  5,000, C:  5,000,

       LS: 10,000,   F: 15,000, E: 15,000 )

 AC: 0(5), Crew: 1,800, Speed: 1, RB: +2, DB: +5

 Weapons(225): 100 Beam Lasers, 100 Gyrocannons,

               19 Pumped Lasers, 6 Heavy Acceleration Guns

 NOTE: Carries 50 Fighters (Maximum 10 Tons each)

*Herald (Modified Pennant) {Star Battler, (XXVCS3 cover)

  Remove Fighters, Crg is now 3200, and replace weapons with:

  Weapons(220): 100 Pumped Lasers, 50 Heavy Missile Mounts, 

                40 Gyrocannons, 15 Missile Mounts, 15 K-Cannons

  NOTE: Often used to transport goods, supplies, and troops.

*Mirage (Modified Pennant) {Heavy Star Battler, (XXVCS3 cover)

  Remove Fighters, Crg is now 1,500, and replace weapons with:

  Weapons(325): 100 Pumped Lasers, 75 Heavy Missile Mounts,

                75 Gyrocannons, 50 Missile Mounts, 25 K-Cannons

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                         Unique Vessels

Rogue { Stealth Scout, (3562 sheet/Armageddon off Vesta)

 Owner: Killer Kane, Mercenary (usually for RAM)

 Tons: 30, Lng: 60 ft, Wd: 15 ft, Crg: 5 tons

 HP = ( H: 120, S/C: 30, C: 30, LS: 60, F: 90, E: 90 )

 AC: 6(1), Crew: 3, Speed: 6, RB: -2, DB: -5

 Weapons: 1 Lt Acceleration Gun, 2 Beam Lasers

 Electronic Stealth Cloak: When in motion AC is improved by -5.

Maelstrom Rider { Combat/Science Cruiser, (MC)

 Tons: 150, Lng: 300 ft, Wd: 75 ft, Crg: 55 tons

 HP = ( H: 400, S/C: 300, C: 150, LS: 600, F: 600, E: 600 )

 AC: 6(6), Crew: 6, Speed: 3, RB: 0, DB: 0

 Weapons(7): 2 Missile Mounts, 2 K-Cannons, 3 Beam Lasers

 NOTE: Has all 4 advanced sensor packages from XXVCR7,

      not to mention the standard ones from XXVCR1.

      The ship also has a computer system capable of running a

      mid-level DP (but only the one it was designed for).

C-17 Shroud { Mute Cruiser Prototype, (XXVCS2 p31)

 Owner: NEO, who have it under field testing.

 Tons: 200, Lng: 400 ft, Wd: 100 ft, Crg: 50 tons

 HP = ( H: 800, S/C: 400, C: 200, LS: 400, F: 600, E: 600 )

 AC: 4(5), Crew: 60, Speed: 2, RB: 0, DB: +1

 Weapons(15): 5 Pumped Lasers, 5 Beam Lasers, 5 Missile Mounts

 Muting: Total ummunity to missiles, and invisible till

        detected changing course or firing. After this, ships

        with appropriate sensors can maintain a lock (but an AC

        bonus of -4 still applies).

Free Enterprise { Black Brotherhood Flagship, (3562 sheet)

 Owner: Black Barney, master pirate of the Black Brotherhood.

 Tons: 300, Lng: 600 ft, Wd: 150 ft, Crg: 150 tons

 HP = ( H: 1,200, S/C: 300, C: 300, LS: 600, F: 900, E: 900 )

 AC: 4(6), Crew: 90, Speed: 3, RB: +1, DB: +2

 Weapons(10): 5 Heavy Missile Mounts, 2 K-Cannons,

              2 Hvy Accleration Guns, 1 Gyrocannon

 Starfield Cloak: This device makes the ship 90% invisible to

              all scanners and gives a -10 AC bonus versus all

              weapons but missiles and K-cannons.

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                           BLANK FORM

xxx { xxx, (xxx)

 Tons: x, Lng: x ft, Wd: x ft, Crg: x tons

 HP = ( H: x, S/C: x, C: x, LS: x, F: x, E: x )

 AC: x(x), Crew: x, Speed: x, RB: x, DB: x

 Weapons(): x

-----------------------------------------------------------------

                            LEGAL

This document is intended solely as a quick reference for those

who already own the various XXVc materials, and is not intended

to infringe on any copywrites or trademarks on this now long-dead

game. I encourage everybody to hunt down any of the XXVc material

spawned by the collaborations of the Dille Family Trust,

TSR/WotC/Hasbro, SSI, and others that they can.

Here's a thing you can watch

XXVc Miniatures!

I was browsing the goods on Shapeways.com and ran across some minis that look suspiciously exactly like some of the ships in the Buck Rogers XXVc rpg.

For example, here's the F-66 Starfire

...here's Admiral Duck Sauce's F-44 Buck

I'm pretty sure this is the actual product...

...and here's his F-69 Starfang

...but this is just a CG model

There are a number of other familiar designs available, in addition to ones that appear to be based, I believe, on Space Cruiser Yamato and they're for sale at Admiral Duck Sauce's shop, so go check 'em out. He also has some sci-fi rpg minis available in different scales, but none that are based on XXVc designs (none that I can tell, anyway.)

There are a bunch of other shops that are of interest to the Ol' Eyeball, but I'll get to them another time.

Buck Rogers High Adventure Cliffhangers

Recently I grabbed a cherry copy of the Buck Rogers Adventure Game (or High Adventure, not sure which) on Amazon for what seemed like a reasonable $25.

TSR seems to have produced a number of really innovative games that for the most part went underappreciated, unnoticed or simply disliked back in the 90's and this is, I think, one of them. Although it's understandable why there is no love for this game (the Williams Taint again) and it came off to most gamers of the day, myself included, as pretty bizarre considering the failure of the previous Buck Rogers game.

XXVc Notebook- Saving the Earth

As anyone who has read the XXVc World Book and/or Earth in the 25th Century knows, Mother Earth is in dire straits is 2456 AD. Pollution, disease, warfare (including conventional, nuclear, biological, chemical, etc), a depleted ozone layer... the list is a long one and each has taken a heavy toll. Add to that a drastically depleted human, animal and plant population and you have to start to wonder how it could ever be possible for Earth to recover.

From where I'm sitting, Earth couldn't, especially not with RAM's continued efforts to annihilate the planet's inhabitants. As far as I know (and I'd love it if someone showed me different) no solution is given in the published material beyond the efforts of certain groups such as NEO to throw off RAM's oppression. After that? Who knows. The obvious answer, to me, is the same process that made Mars a more or less livable planet and that is terraforming. Conditions are so bad on Earth that it would take the same colossal effort that made the other planets inhabitable to revive the near-fatally damaged ecosystem.

Failing that, who knows? Say your campaign goes as planned and eventually Mars is defeated or at the very least made to look elsewhere for plunder. Then what? How does NEO even begin the effort? Personally, I never got past the idea of  terraforming, so I have no other answer to give, but I'd like to know what plan the two of you that read this blog would have NEO and friends set into motion. Maybe there is something obvious I'm overlooking. Maybe something not so obvious and I'm just a dumbshit.

Thus I put it to you, dear and loyal readers. How would you handle the situation in your game?

XXVc Notebook- Firefly, part 2

Here's the second half or the crew. I basically gave up on River when it occurred to me that she was not much more than a plot device. I'm sure that would have changed had there ever been a second season, but as she is in the show and movie... plot device. 
As with the part one, some skill are followed by a question mark. Those are ones that I debated were necessary to play the character. I don't think there's a need for a huge list of skill for characters. This is XXVc not GURPS.
 

Inara Serra
6th-level Rogue

STR: 8

INT: 14

DEX: 10

WIS: 15

CON: 12

CHA: 18

TECH: 9

AC           hp

Career Skills
Fast Talk/Convince
Notice
Hide in Shadows
Move Silently

General Skills
General Knowledge
Law?
Literature
Memorize
Act
Distract?
Etiquette
Speak/Read Chinese

Kaywinnet Lee "Kaylee" Frye
12th-level Engineer

STR: 9

INT: 15

DEX: 13

WIS: 12

CON: 14

CHA: 15

TECH: 18

AC           hp

Career Skills
Jury Rig
Notice
Repair Electrical
Repair Life Support
Repair Mechanical
Repair Nuclear Engine

General Skills
Bypass Security
Physics?
Programming?
Ship Lore


Dr. Simon Tam

8th-level Medic

STR: 11

INT: 18?

DEX: 12

WIS: 14

CON: 11

CHA: 12

TECH: 17

AC           hp

Career Skills
Diagnose
Treat Critical Wounds
Treat Light Wounds

Treat Serious Wounds

General Skills

Biology?

Chemisty?

LST

Treat Disease

Treat Poisoning

Treat Stun/Paralysis

Etiquette

River Tam

12th-level Warrior+Rogue+Rocketjock+Engineer+Medic+Scout/Assassin+Technician+Commando+Astronavigator

STR: 10

INT: 22

DEX: 18

WIS: 8

CON: 9

CHA: 8

TECH: 9

AC           hp

Career Skills
All of them

General Skills
All of them

Derrial Book
15th-level Rogue

STR: 15

INT: 16

DEX: 14

WIS: 18

CON: 15

CHA: 12

TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Bypass Security
Fast Talk/Convince
Move Silently
Notice

General Skills
Unarmed Combat
Cryptography?
General Knowledge
Literature?
Library Search?
Act
Etiquette?
Intimidate

XXVc Notebook- Firefly, part 1

Okay, here are the crew of Serenity. It was taking me too long to finish these, so I'm just putting them up as is. Everyone's Armor Class would probably all be in the 9-7 range, I figure, since they always just wore regular clothes. Hit points... who cares?

The next thing I'd add would probably be weapons, but there aren't any gunpowder weapons in XXVc. Anyway, here's the first half, the second to follow shortly. Feel free to critique them, I'm sure there are problem areas.

Malcolm "Mal" Reynolds
9th-level Warrior/Rogue

STR: 14
INT: 12
DEX: 16
WIS: 12
CON: 15
CHA: 17
TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Battle Tactics
Leadership
Zero G
Notice

General Skills
Brawling
Animal Riding
Drive Jetcar
Intimidate
Astrogation
Animal Training?

Zoe Washburne
9th-level Warrior 

STR: 14

INT: 14

DEX: 15

WIS: 12

CON: 16

CHA: 12

TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Battle Tactics
Demolitions
Zero G
Notice
Repair Weapon

General Skills
Brawling
Drive Jetcar
Treat Light Wounds
Intimidate

Hodan "Wash" Washburne
10th-level Rocketjock 

STR: 10

INT: 15

DEX: 16

WIS: 16

CON: 11

CHA: 14

TECH: 16

AC 10         hp

Career Skills
Drive Jetcar
Zero G
Notice
Pilot Rocket

General Skills
Commo Ops
Jury Rig
Repair Computer
Repair Electrical
Sensor Ops
Astrogation

Jayne Cobb
10th-level Warrior 

STR: 18

INT: 9

DEX: 14

WIS: 8

CON: 18

CHA: 10

TECH: 10

AC           hp

Career Skills
Demolitions
Zero G
Move Silently
Repair Weapon

General Skills
Brawling
Drive Heavy Groundcar
Treat Light Wounds
Intimidate
Economics
Tracking

XXVc Notebook- Animal Apercu: Osquip

I'm favoring the old Fiend Folio write-up for the Osquip with this entry and so am only dealing with the six-legged relative of the rat, not the 2e decapod beaver.

OSQUIP

http://www.lomion.de/cmm/ratosqui.php

CONCEIVED PURPOSE: Experiment (failed)

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Warrens, Ruins, Sewers

FREQUENCY: Uncommon

ORGANIZATION: Pack

ACTIVITY CYCLE: Night

DIET: Omnivore

INTELLIGENCE: Animal

Genotype: Mole rat, shrew and bulldog

Habitat/Terrain: Originally, the osquip was an early experiment in genetic hybridization, with an eye towards creating arable land- the osquips were hoped to build warrens in relatively lifeless soil, breed in large numbers and quickly die, leaving their remains to fertilize the area. However, the best laid plans of osquips and men often go awry, as they say and elements of the bulldog strain became dominant. They eventually escaped into the wild and the rest is history.

Ecology: Osquips were originally conceived as strict carnivores, in the hopes that they wouldn't harm surrounding plantlife, but nature had other plans and they quickly adapted to whatever food was available. They are a common sight in the larger sprawls as well as the occasional orgzone sewer system. In most regards they are like the giant rats they appear to be, avoiding lit, open areas, nesting dark, enclosed spaces and living off whatever source of nourishment they can find. Luckily, osquips were never able to breed any more frequently than the common canine from which they derive many of their characteristics.

Osquip meat tastes like shit, but their hide makes for good leather.

XXVc Notebook- The Curators: The Adventure Continues

So, the short, simple adventure I'm running is called, unofficially, The Curators as it deals with a group of academics that are attempting to counteract RAMs attempts at rewriting Earth history.

The lineup changed and now features Rad Randy and his fellow mutant and newfound friend Kim, a mutant traveller from the radioactive hell of eastern Europe. The tinker, who at press time still did not have either a name or a proper character sheet, accidentally stepped in front of an oncoming bus and that was that for him.

Rad and Kim made their way down the St. Lawrence river from Montreal, where they received their mission, to the rough and tumble org called Ottawa. Their celcomp in hand, they made their way into the surrounding sprawl to locate a possible untainted source of historical information.

On the way they avoid an encounter with a RAM patrol and their pet saluqi (q.v.) As the session comes to a close, the mongols (Terrans that work for the Han) are closing in quickly on our intrepid heroes.

And that's all for Friday's game.

XXVc Notebook- more etcetera

Global Warming

I felt like the map in the Earth in the 25th Century supplement didn't quite reflect the effects that global warming could have on the Earth and so I did a little research in that area. So, we can say goodbye to Southern California, The Gulf Coast, at least half of the South, and a lot of the East Coast.

I got to thinking that losing those big cities would kinda suck from a game aspect, but a couple of things occurred to me. First off, Earth and the US aren't the only settings in XXVc (far from it) so it isn't like I'm losing out on much. Plus, it's 500 years in the future- just what of today's cities are going to remain by then, anyway? They're going to be completely different, even without the devastation that occurs in XXVc's future history.

The other thing is that SoCal, Texas, and the South can go eat a radioactive dick. Fuck 'em. Good riddance. There's a nice irony to a post-nuke Southern California- the sea level may rise, but their source of fresh water will have long been cut off to them. No point in moving inland, because there's even less water there, and since they've been stealing water from their neighbors to the north for decades (and probably for another few decades to come, if not longer,) their gravy train will most likely come to an abrupt halt once the Big One hits.

The Return of the Han

I'll bet Flint Dille and Mike Pondsmith were kicking themselves for dropping China as the Earth's main aggressor in favor of the Soviet Union. Just one year after the game was published, the Soviet Union collapsed. Of course, like most folks, I'm sure those guys had better things to do than keep tabs on the state of Mother Russia's governmental health. And so, like Twilight: 2000 we're left with something of a relic of old Cold War thinking.

Obviously the same thing could have happened (and still can happen, I suppose) to the United States and the People's Republic of China, but it hasn't and so we get to do with them as we like.

So, what I'm thinking is China, having bowed to the might of RAM (but still one of the biggest dogs on the block,) was granted the western half of North America and control was given to the Han Chemical Group, a vast and ancient conglomerate, to oversee the bleeding dry of the old US of A.

The Han, as they are commonly known, has their own agenda, of course. This is most visible in the Americas in the form of Han Intercontinental Airlines (aka Han Air and, of course, "The Han") who provide luxury aerostat (dirigible) services almost exclusively to the arcologies (and one or two orgs) and also provide "hunting parties", wherein wealthy patrons can pay to fire high-energy weapons at "wild Americans" in the sprawls and wasteland. Sometimes they will act on orders from RAM to go on bombing raids over orgzones that RAM has deemed "uppity."

As a result, most of the inhabitants of these areas have a genuine fear of airships and will flee like rabbits whenever they think one might be overhead.


Why Dirigibles?

Because resources on Earth are rare, in particular oil, of which there is simply none. Oil reserves would have been long gone by the time 2456 rolls around, something I think even the most in-denial, dumbshit "Conservative" Republican would have to admit. The successor to XXVc, the High-Adventure Cliffhanger game, based directly on the Buck Rogers strip, reasoned that the appreance of crappy old biplanes in the 25th century was attributed to their general ease of use and simplicity of manufacture, but I just can't see crop dusters running on solar or atomic power in this particular future.

So, balloons it is. Before the Hindenburg disaster, hydrogen balloons were all the rage. Clean, efficient and... okay, slow, I can easily see their return in a post-nuke Earth. Thanks to a program I saw on just why the Hindenburg blew up, we now know it wasn't because of the hydrogen gas cells igniting, it was because of the peculiar formula of the paint used to coat the envelope (the gas bag.) According to the guy that was investigating the disaster, those brilliant Nazi bastards covered the thing in what amounted to rocket fuel. I kid you not.

In any case, whatever problems may have plagued hydrogen dirigibles in the past would have been long overcome in 2456 AD. So, we have a cheap, eco-friendly, cheap and easy to produce (also safe) mode of transportation. 'Nuff said.

Eight Trillion Chinamen Can't Be Wrong

I wanted to bring the Chinese back into the setting because 1) I'm a traditionalist and 2) it just didn't make sense to me that the "sleeping giant" would still be asleep after all this time. Also, Firefly had more than a little to do with it, in particular giving me some nice visuals to go with and the notion that Chinese would be the lingua franca of the future. Just makes sense to me.

Concerning the term "mongol" as it was used in the comic strip- it's kinda hard to tell if it was ever meant as a racial slur or if that was what they called themselves (in addition to "Han," of course) or what. the protagonists also threw around the term "halfbreed" a lot, which may go back to the original novel, where the Han are possibly the product of alien/human breeding. The thing is, it never really goes beyond "Look! A halfbreed!" and it's not too long before the reference is dropped entirely. I guess the brisk pace of the strip didn't allow for much explanation of little details like that or maybe Phil Nowlan just assumed that people had read his two short novels and it didn't need to be explained.

In my XXVc game, a "mongol" is a Terran who works for the Han. A traitor. The word has no other meaning to Americans in 2456 and the original meaning is long gone. In my first adventure, the players are hassled by a few mongols and will most likely encounter a lot more as the game progresses.

XXVc Notebook - thinkin'

Just some thoughts I've been kicking around the past few days-

I believe it was in Phil Nowlan's short story Armageddon 2419 AD that it's mentioned that Americans are able to converse on a radio frequency that the Han can't pick up. I think I'm going to translate that into my XXVc game as Americans rediscovering Ham radio or maybe shortwave radio (I'll have to look those up first) and the Martian/Chinese/"Mongol" technology is too advanced to pick it up.

I recall hearing that, back in the 80's, Russian electrical systems were archaic enough that an EMP from an air-burst nuke would have no effect. I don't know if that's true, but it's an interesting notion- crusty, old technology as a defense against the shiny, new stuff. It works well for Buck Rogers, at any rate. Witness the use of biplanes in the early days of the strip.

XXVc Notebook: Animal Apercu

I'm going through the AD&D 2e Monstrous Manual/Compendium to find appropriate monsters and animals for populate the planets with. I'll add them as I use them, so this list will expand over time. To avoid information overkill, I'm just listing the bits that pertain to XXVc, since all that other info is available elsewhere.

SALUQI

http://www.lomion.de/cmm/dogsaluq.php

CONCEIVED PURPOSE: Hunting dog

CLIMATE/TERRAIN: Mars, desert and plains

Genotype: Greyhound

Habitat/Terrain: Bred by RAM scientists as hunting dogs, the saluqi quickly fell into favor with Martian prisons where they are used by guards to track escapees. They are also used by high ranking RAM employees in hunting human prey (typically Terran) for sport. Saluquis are best suited to the desert-like environment of Mars and are thus suited to any arid, sandy environment.

Ecology: Saluqis' superior eyesight is ideally suited to the thin Martian atmosphere, where sound carries less well than it does on Earth. Their eyes were crafted using DNA from Boa Constrictors, allowing them a high degree of night vision as well as the ability to see heat signatures.

More to come!

XXVc Notebook

William Tracy... J'ACCUSE!

I noticed that, somehow, the supplement The Inner Worlds, by one William Tracy, managed to break not one, but three cardinal rules of XXVc. Let's have a look at them, won't we?

First we have the appearance of telepathy. Now I have nothing against psionics, but part of the draw of XXVc is that it's hard sci-fi. Yes, it is. That means everything should have a basis is scientific fact. Telepathy is not one of those things and I'm not really sure why they decided to allow it in the game at such late date. Maybe they had a change of heart due to low sales. Who knows? In any case, the telepathy-that-should-not-be is strangely implemented in the game, which I'll get to next.

The second offense is Stupid Mutation and is directly related to the appearance of telepathy. You see, it turns out that the "background radiation" on Mercury has caused a mutation in, get this, the cat and rat population. Yes, that's right- Itchy & Scratchy have psychic powers. This is just plain silly for a number of reasons. Maybe the author foresaw an adventure wherein the heroes have to stop the overthrow of Mercury by the Rat Empire. Also surprising is that some very nice groundwork was already laid for mutations in the earlier Earth in the 25th Century supplement, where they explain that, in effect, this ain't Gamma World*.

The third problem with The Inner Worlds is the startling introduction of artificial gravity. The original authors go to great lengths to accommodate for the fact that arti-grav (wink) is, so far as is known by modern science by me, an impossibility and no amount of clever technobabble is going to change that. The basis of the rocketship rules lay in that fact. The effects of zero gravity on the human (and not-so-human) body is even taken into account in the main rules. In other words, artificial gravity could literally break the game.

Luckily, all of these offenses are easy enough to remove. And so, I shall.

*I'll be looking at XXVc's relationship to Gamma World in a later post.