#Blackpowder engine

[fuzzy-oooze]

man. I really need to get a job and then figure out how to do business stuff.

I really want Blackpowder Engine to get off the ground and go somewhere, it's this cool thing and everyone who's seen it loves it but "everyone's who's seen it" is like ten people, tops.

If I want this to go anywhere, I think I'll need a: -Digital artist -second writer -money management guy -legal guy

AT LEAST

[blackpowder]

You’re gonna need more D10’s.

(Go to https://tinyurl.com/Black-Powder-Engine to play today! It’s free and fun.)

[rpgsandbox]

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/streetsofperil/streets-of-peril

Streets of Peril

A complete sword & sorcery TTRPG with a Renaissance setting and intuitive d6 dice pool system.

Streets of Peril is a complete sword and sorcery TTRPG. The game focuses on player-driven stories and features an innovative advancement system which rewards characters for pursuing their ambitions. The world is gritty and dangerous. Heroes are expected to set aside their differences and unite against the enemies of humanity.

While characters may explore strange places and ancient ruins, most stories revolve around urban environments. Streets of Peril can easily accommodate stories focused on mystery, politics, and horror. Characters are expected to shape the world around them, forever altering their city-state and the lands beyond. 

United by Magnus the Butcher, the Cimbrian people defeated their elven oppressors and founded a powerful empire. The elves have since vanished and faded into memory while the Cimbrian Empire has grown increasingly more fractured.  The proud nation which conquered the land and its abominations is now little more than a confederation of powerful city-states with little love for the descendants of Magnus.

Noble houses, trade guilds, mercenary companies, dark cults, and criminal societies compete for control of the city-states. These factions scheme against one another, employing violence when political maneuvering fails. While mankind quarrels in the pursuit of petty ambitions, an older enemy lurks in the darkness.

Elves and other malevolent forces abhor humanity. These eldritch things mindlessly devour mankind or carefully plot its destruction. Few recognize these supernatural terrors as anything more than fiction. Faced with forgotten horrors, most men are driven to despair and madness. Some heroes rise to the challenge, dispatching the supernatural with blade and blackpowder. 

Streets of Peril utilizes the Perilous D6 (PD6) dice pool system.  The use of dice colors helps to elegantly convey a character's competency or an item's effectiveness. White dice succeed on a result of 4+, red on a 3+, and black on a 2+. We are so confident that you will love Streets of Peril's mechanics that we are offering the PD6 rules system for free while the campaign is active.

The combat rules are inspired by historical European martial arts while remaining simple and intuitive.  Weapons and armor behave in a satisfying manner, reflecting their actual qualities. Exploding dice allow for fast and deadly combat encounters. 

Players assume the roles of brave landsknechts and suave swashbucklers. Characters may choose from one of the following classes:

Brute - Powerful fighter who relies upon athleticism, strength, and toughness to overcome enemies. Subclasses include the berserker, brawler, folk hero, and thug.

Cultist - Divine instrument of their patron, capable of commanding powerful magic. Subclasses include the priest, templar, and zealot.

Duelist - Skilled fencer who has learned secret swordplay techniques. Subclasses represent various schools of fencing influenced by actual historical martial arts.

Engineer - Brilliant inventor with access to weird science. An engineer's inventions are equal parts magic and science. 

Magister - Arcane practitioner capable of manipulating magic into spells. Subclasses include the alchemist, necromancer, seer, and wizard.

Man-at-arms - Professional soldier trained to coordinate with comrades and improve their performance.  Subclasses include the shock trooper, skirmisher and vanguard.

Scoundrel - Suave trickster with a diverse skillset. Subclasses include the assassin, burglar, highwayman, and rake.

Wayfarer - Talented marksman with varied survival skills. Subclasses include the explorer, scout, shadow stalker, and trophy hunter.

Characters declare ambitions upon creation and gain experience while pursuing or achieving these ambitions. A common ambition held by the party encourages the characters to cooperate. Streets of Peril  campaigns are driven by the players and stories are shaped as characters alter their world.

Experience is spent like currency, allowing players to develop their characters in a number of different ways between gaming sessions. Characters can advance existing skills, learn new skills, or acquire special abilities by spending experience. This allows for a great deal character customization.

Elemental forces govern the universe and these energies can be harnessed in a variety of ways.  The most dangerous arcane practice is spellcraft and it involves manipulating magic through sheer willpower. Casting spells is unpredictable and sometimes results in paranormal phenomenon known as aetheric manifestations. Examples of these manifestations include: raining frogs, spontaneous combustion, summoning demons, and miraculous healing.

Magic can also manifest in more predictable and controlled ways. This is often done by binding magic to items or through the brewing of potions. Witch finders who must battle rogue sorcerers and horrible monsters often collect potent magical devices to assist with their work. Miracles function similarly to spells though are borrowed by the cultist's patron and come with certain religious obligations. 

Finkelstein's Laboratory is a free starting adventure presented within the book. A nod to Mary Shelley's writing, the adventure features weird science and a flesh golem. This adventure is a great introduction to Streets of Peril and should hopefully inspire readers to devise adventures of their own.

We are already working on Streets of Peril's first supplement, Storms over Sturmburgh. This supplement will focus on a coastal Cimbrian city-state, thoroughly detailing its factions, key personalities, and important sites. The supplement will also include rules for naval battles and an expanded bestiary of maritime monsters. We hope to complete this supplement before 2024.

Kickstarter campaign ends: Mon, July 10 2023 3:00 PM BST

Website: [Broken Blade Publishing] [facebook] [twitter] [instagram]

[just-mushroom-thoughts]

another fun Blackpowder Engine fact: England became hell. imagine I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream combined with Evangelion. the neo-knights had nanobots in their blood that made them immortal and repaired their cyborg-bits which ended up in the water supply and turned all the animals into liquid metal abominations of flesh and steel that fused with whatever they ate and converted the land into a vast dustbowl. after a while all the waste heat caught up with them so now their all burning to death too. Ireland is mortified. their bones rattle at night.

Oh wow. London really went scp 001 when day breaks but worse

[soraka-in-warhammer40k]

If Riot Games ever wanted to kick Warhammer Fantasy out of business, they could probably do so within seconds

Don't get me wrong, 40k and the entire Sci-Fi aspect of it, is iconic at this point and so long running it essentially counts as a cross-generational hobby now. But Warhammer Fantasy? The one thing a passing glance would lable as "generic Tolkien knockoff with bits of randomness sprinkled in"?Just take that and pile it up against the entirety of the Runeterran Universe.

Runeterra offers:

Noxus: the "customize your warbands with style and loadouts"-region. The Roman Empire in red and black. Shield Breakers. Siege Engines. The Trifarian Legion. Sabotage/Blackpowder Experts. Minotaurs... they got a LOT going on, that's for sure.

Demacia: White and blue, more of a traditional knight aesthetic. Smaller in number but more specialized. Only one of two factions who has an "air force" with their Silverwings (seriously a Silverwing Knight painted by an expert would look so ABSOLTUELY dope)

Freljord: generic ice/viking barbarian region - or so you think. Frozen Thralls. The Watchers. 3 different flavours of North-Warrior. Imagine getting a Sejuani model as a warlord...

Bilgewater: Black-Powder. Just because it is land combat, a cannon is a cannon and a 7 feet tall guy with a harpoon is still that.

Ionia: Ninjas. Spirits. Weird magics and martial arts. Often declared as the "anime region"(derogatory) it surely adds a lot of variance to the mix. Highest concentration of Vastaya in the world also makes for some curious models.

Piltover&Zaun: does not have an army but about a million academy dropouts all busy doing SCIENCE! (TM). Very versatile region for being a dual-thing, but overall the "tech-guys". From Chemtank Thugs to Caitlyn's Elite Enforcers, there is a wide range to draw from.

Shurima. You hate sand because it is rough, annoying, and gets everywhere? Too bad, because shurima, with the exception of some tiny Ixtali enclave, is 99% sand. You have eternally mutated/cursed half-humans lurking under the desert, and giant ascendant super-warriors clashing above. Sand shaped into all sorts of things, from fighters, to rides, to monsters.

Shadow Isles: dead people. Token Undead faction. Probably the weakest link of the bunch, but hey they do add some variation at least.

Targon: regular humans are boring? Alright, how about super-elite armies of Solari and Lunari followed by monsters that sometimes are only called "dragons" because there is no other word for whatever crazy monstrosity the sentient mountain has spat out now. Celestials in general can probably make for awesome painting projects.

Void: Monsters. Madness. Cultists. Pretty generic but darn they would make some absurdly crazy monster models.

Of course if they'd also pull up with a 21th century business model, as opposed to whatever GW is doing, they'd just win by simply showing up. They just need to make a deal with a 3D-Printer company, and literally all their stuff becomes "we'll print it when you order, as customized as you want".

They have at least 10 factions here ready to use, and many of them also have relevant sub-factions that do their own thing. The models you could make from this... watch my build an entire army of Ottrani (the people Soraka currently looks like) just for the heck of it.

[vargonautic]

pls i must know about the ship/crew adriàh and oyu sail with bc those boys are Peak

dgfhj this is gonna be a Chunk of an answer im so sorry everyone

The Ship! Is called the Cockroach, and it got that name because it can 1. make a protective shell around itself that looks sort of like the body of an insect 2. extend six legs, three on either side, so it can land anywhere even if there isn’t a place to properly dock

also that makes Adriàh the Cockroach Captain lmao

All the crew members will be under cut so i’m not taking up several meters of dash space lol

heres some facts about the crew members lmao some of them will have less than others bc i haven’t had time to figure thm all out yet theres 15 of em im doin my best

The captain - Adriàh

Inherited the ship after his mom passed away, before that he was the first mate and grew up on the ship. He is actually smart but he’s a big fuckin dumbass!! Makes lots of bad decisions but cares a lot and does whats best for his family - the crew - always. Likes shiny things.

The First Mate - Migael

Was hired onto the ship quite young by Adriàh’s mom, and is considered a brother to Adriàh. Adriàh was the first person he came out as transgender to and he didn’t sleep properly for a week when Adriàh had lost his arm because he was too worried and busy making sure everything went as smoothly as it could. Shirts are for whimps.

The Second Mate - Jack-Jack

The tallest lady you’ve ever seen. Had one of her eyes blown out and replaced with a crystal. Looks rad and intimidating.

The Bosun - Lela

A strong and few-worded woman. She usually does her duties at night both because she prefers being alone and she can rarely sleep because of horrid night terrors. Sleeps best during the day wth sun on her face.

The Navigator - Ylli

Can only see the stars, is completely blind otherwise. One of the oldest members of the crew, hired by Adriàh’s mom.

The Translator - Rahean

Shy and awkward. He didn’t really mean to end up at a pirate ship because some of the adventures freak him out, but he’s doing his best and the rest of the crew appreciate him being there because he holds their one shared brain cell most of the time

The Chief Engineer - Eike

Was in a terrible accident and is like 70% robot parts. Made the best out of the situation and has three robot arms on one side. Has a daughter who draws lil drawings on his metal whenever they meet. Torn between staying at the ship with the crew and going to live with his partner and child.

The Second Engineer(s) - Isenna and Iseren

Mischief twins. Will dare the other to do dumb shit knowing full well there’s no limit to what they’ll try.

The Doctor - Cilghi

One of the oldest in the crew, was with Adriàh’s mom when she first started building her crew. Basically Adriàh’s aunt and the only common sense filter he has. Amputated his arm.

The Nurse - Azar

New in the crew. Does their best but oh god please help them.

The Cook - Samuel

Another of the old crew. Kinda like an awkward uncle, very nice and pleasant but doesn’t know how to use words the right way at all. Can cook something good out of anything though.

The Cooks Assistant - Nalden

They’re small but they will fight you. They have four hands to punch you with and they aint afraid to use em.

The Weaponry Master - Nehnu

Wine aunt. Another of the old crew, married to one of adriàh’s actual aunts. Too calm all the time and smokes a lot while also handling blackpowder. Has at least one gun on her at all times.

The Deck Cadet - Thauke

Big. Thas a big man. Tall and Wide and Stronk. Hes like ten kids and a lovely wife he visits often.

[fuzzy-oooze]

ah

the closest I've ever come to conlanging was in Blackpowder Engine when I had it so that the aliens had a language based on patterns of colors instead of symbols and was read top to bottom in a sentence, left to right in a paragraph.

does that circlespeak just get more intricate the more letters are in it? in a sentence do you put the word-circles inside the sentence-circles or do you put them next to eachother?

its actually a logography- each symbol is a word, and some symbols (primarily verbs) contain spaces for the subject and object to be specified

[walkthegale]

fansofcollisions replied to your post “In our d&d game tonight, my sweet, enthusiastic little gnome druid...”

How does one ACCIDENTALLY invent a gun? I'm very curious now!

It involves said overenthusiastic gnome wanting to use her downtime to see if she could make some kind of explosive darts as a gift for another party member. We happened to be hanging out at a magical library at the time, and it happened to have a team of similarly overenthusiastic engineer/research gnomes whose help she enlisted.

A couple of high rolls later...

Hey, we see to have made a cool weapon that hurls projectiles using blackpowder... Oh. Shit. Yeah.

[fuzzy-oooze]

Got to playtest my TTRPG with my family. they thought it was better than DnD and my little brother, who just hovers around the table not playing usually, was actually participating the entire time and was engaged. I love this. my sister even quickly designed what a character sheet would look like if sold.

[blackpowder]

And we are live! Blackpowder Engine has entered testing version V3 and is now open to the public available at https://tinyurl.com/black-powder-engine! adver-TIME-sing time is now!

[pyramultimuse]

"Theres no shortage of adventurers around here. You are in good company." Percival returned the charming smile and chuckled at how the other was happy to land in his arms. He wasn't the strongest but he was certainly not weak by any account.

"Mage?" He asked with a laugh and shook his head. "No, no. I'm just an average human man with an incredible intellect. I'm an engineer. A sort of craftsman or tinkerer specializing with blackpowder weapons." Percy explained and twirled his pistol in his hand skillfully. "I was experimenting with runes, seeing if I could combine a little magic with my science."

He was quickly reminded of the weather when a strong gust of wind blew past him that made the man shiver. "How about we get out of the snow and head inside?"

His features saddened for a few moments when he knew he was far from home. And not even in the place they intended to go to find his friend. But as always, Mal covered his concern with a charming smile.

“Mal Volari. Great adventurer from the kingdoms of Morella.” He made sure not to call himself Mal the Magnificent in front of Strange. He wouldn't make that mistake again. He gave Percy a slight bow out of respect and to show off a litte. “But unfortunately I believe that my adventures and deeds were never heard of here... I really am far from home. Don't matter, don't matter. I'm actually relieved that at least I literally fell into the arms of a gooda fella like you.”

His gaze fell momentarily on the peculiar weapon of his new companion with interest. “If it’s not too nosy of me… what did you mean about summoning? Are you some kind of mage huh?”

[glowkickd-ar]

CHARACTER   STUDY   /   SENSES     repost, don’t reblog.

𝑺𝑰𝑮𝑯𝑻  .     small  towns  .    big  cities .     six  thirty  curfews  .     lights  that  take  the  place  of  stars  .     blanket  nests  .   light  through  blinds  as  a  wake  up  call .   found  family .     finding  a  single  star  in  the  middle  of  the  city .     window  shopping  .  watching  something  terrible   &    enjoying  it .   growing  numb  to  the  sight  of  injustice .     wilted  flowers .    faded  caricatures  .     bright ,  bold  colors .

𝑯𝑬𝑨𝑹𝑰𝑵𝑮  . crickets    &    lightning  bugs  .     car  engines   &    ac  units  .    a  phone  call  to  mom  or  dad .     laughing  with  friends .    jokes  that  are  so  bad  you  have  to  laugh .     the  clicking  of computer  keys  .     noise  cancelling  headphones  .   the  sound  of  silence  . muffled  music  from  another  room .    drumming  fingertips  on  a  table .    clicking  of  pens .     listening  to a  clock  and ��swearing  the  ticks  get  slower  .   ringing  in  the  ears . the  voice  of  someone  you  love .   pitch  shifted  songs  .

𝑻𝑶𝑼𝑪𝑯  .     being  held  close  during  a  long  night .     fleeting  reassurances  .   holding  hands  when  you’re  scared  .     brushing  fingers  through  strands  of  hair .     freshly  dried  clothes  .     bruises  on  your  knuckles  .     silk    &    satin .    your  favorite  pet’s  fur  or  feathers  .     wringing  your  hands  anxiously  .     snuggles .     comforters  in  the  dead  of  winter .     nails  against  skin .     cold  metal  .   leather  in  summer .

𝑻𝑨𝑺𝑻𝑬  .     coffee  in  the  morning  .     tea  in  the  evening  .     bubblegum  that  lost  its  flavor  .   alcohol  burning  the  back  of  your  throat .    homemade  cooking  ,  no  matter  what’s  made .   blood  in  your  mouth  .   stale  air .     menthol  .   fresh  vegetables  .     the  first  meal  you  cook  by  yourself  that  tastes  good .     foreign  sweets  .    fast  food .    bittersweet .     sour  .    spicy  .   sweet .    bitter  .     too  much  salt  on  fries .

𝑺𝑴𝑬𝑳𝑳  .     morning  glories    &    honeysuckles  .     freshly  cut  grass  .   hot  chocolate  in  the  middle  of  winter  .     nail  polish  .    acetone .     hospital  rooms  .   smoke .     hairspray .     your  favorite  shampoo  or  conditioner  .     the  scent  of  home .     perfume .     cologne  .    something  burning .     wet  dogs .    copper  .   metal .    unemptied  ash  trays .   something  familiar  yet  different .

TAGGER.    @pxlariis TAGGING. @blackpowders @rosetimed @llegatum & whoever hasn’t done it because i’m late to the party

[just-mushroom-thoughts]

fun fact about my Blackpowder Engine setting: as you could probably tell by the presences of cyborgs and sentient robots, the world was more advanced than ours before it's collapse by quite a bit however, just HOW advanced might be hard to suppose, for example, before the collapse: -germany had a clone army. -england had 12-ft tall cyborg knights with power-generating shields made from diamond batteries alongside plasma swords. -america had handheld gauss rifles and laser pistols. -and there were colonies on the moon and mars which may-or-may-not still survive.

Interesting ,

How do the diamond batteries work?

Do they store energy in them somehow? That sounds like its almost technomagic

[dragons-bones]

The Arcanists’ Guild: Headcanons Part the Third

So @redhawkfg and I did a LOT of Arcanist headcanoning today via Discord. This stemmed from a discussion that began with the news of the reprint of Ignition!: An Informal History of Liquid Rocket Propellants by John D. Clark and segued into Chemists Are Crazy and led to sharing highlights from Derek Lowe's blog “In The Pipeline” which has many entries that boil down to “Chemists Are Super Crazy.”

As always, I drew parallels.

The Arcanists’ Guild has three formal subdisciplines: aetherochemistry, aetherophysics, and mathematics

Mathematics is both the most straightforward (the accounting and assessor departments fall under this branch, and this is where the baby arcanists get a firm grounding in arcanima’s most basic principles) and the most theoretical (this is where the different magical tradition get analyzed and picked apart, the fundamental nature of aether is discussed, and syntheists like @redhawkfg‘s Lilen write papers designed to piss everyone off)

This is also the track Synnove started on when she joined the Guild (her skills as a number cruncher frequently mean she’s brought into both mathematics and aetherochemistry projects), before she got into...

Aetherphysics! The summoning department and aether crystal departments are found here, along with subdepartments for applied, experimental, and theoretical work, and of course this is where Guild members question the way the world works and frequently poke holes in reality! A lot of the nerds here are also branching off into engineering, and that will probably be its own official Guild subdiscipline within the next few years.

Finally there is aetherochemistry. Man, if you thought the explosions in the physics department were bad, these guys take it to extremes. Aetherochemistry covers biochemistry and straight biology (i.e., the epidemiology department) and organic and inorganic chemistry; these are the people who develop the Guild’s offensive spells and are always new and creative ways to explode things both with and without magic. If Eorzea has a biological weapons program, this is the closest to it.

The dude who decided to tattoo himself with elemental selenium works here. We don’t talk about him in polite society.

(And then, of course, there are the people whose theses fall outside the main three departments, like @tehjai‘s Keltgeim, although Kelt’s work as an astrologian gets her lumped in with the theoretical physicists.)

The physics testing range for extra volatile experiments is along the cliffs of Middle La Noscea, near the Foremast. Originally, the location was at the Salt Strand in Lower La Noscea, but, well, the Calamity ruined that quite spectacularly. The Guild currently has a few islands off the coast its considering to move the range to.

The chemistry department already has its own island testing range, called the Farm; it’s a large, rocky island off the southwestern coast, and access is strictly controlled. This is where extreme testing for the nastiest things is carried out, particularly on new biologic agents (please don’t ask what they’re tested on), and the bulk of the island has been mined out and turned into storage/disposal for various agents to keep anything from leeching into the ocean.

(The idea for disposal on the mainland was quickly thrown out; with the Admiral pushing to give Limsa Lominsa more farms and arable land, the risk to the environment was deemed far too hazardous.)

Like the physicists tinker with their carbuncle arrays, chemists tinker with their Bio and Miasma spells. The most common iteration of the spells are purely biological, disease-based spells. Next most common are chemical versions. The bio-chem version gets busted out only for an imminent Sahagin invasion - or Garleans.

The chemistry department does a lot of cross-pollination work with the Alchemists’ Guild of Ul’dah. Alchemists are roughly the equivalent of medchem and quality-of-life things, plus magical enchantments; arcanist-chemists are more interested in Boom and Dissolving Your Lungs

(The Arcanists’ Guild chemists are also responsible for the Maelstrom’s unique blend of blackpowder. The recipe is kept under strict lock and key, and the Upright Thieves are tapped to deal with stolen or missing shipments of Limsan powder. There’s not much the Admiral can do about other people’s blackpowder - Ul’dah, Ishgard, the Gnath and Vath, etc. - except keep the “no firearms in city limits without official dispensation” law strongly enforced.)

In summary: the Arcanists’ Guild is a full-blown “hard” sciences college and the fact that they haven’t blown up the city-state is a gods be damned miracle

[devildykewashere]

Worldbuilding June - Day 3 - Races and People

There are as many races as there are people, almost, in Nahn, with how many kinds of sub human and monster you can crossbreed with, but there are a handful of more major/common races. Most are categorized by how well in tune with magick they are.

Humans are the most common and regular of anyone. There is nothing special or not about them. They have a normal aptitude for all kinds of magic and enchanted equipment but there's nothing especially grand about it, outside of trying really hard, since hey, you do what you want to in life.

Elves are the primary non-magick capable race in Nahn. Not a single one of them can come to learn how to use any magick nor use any of the enchantments of any equipment that may come with it, using it instead as a regular tool. Instead, they are gifted with an abnormally quick aptitude for mechanics and hunting, and are the ones to develop things like blackpowder weapons and non-magick fueled combustion engines resulting in inventing warplanes and tanks among other things. Their medicine and science for it also most closely resemble ours and are also the first to conquer space. Subsets of elves include Jungle Elves, which are one of the primary predators of those dense woods, and the gutter elves, which are ones outcast by the bigger tribes and known for being filthy and immoral.

Dwarves are a set of people that live in vast underground tunnels that go all the way across the world, suffering from afflictions like albinism, and coming most in tune with the planet and earth. Most magick is extracted naturally from ores and gemstones, and they'll gladly take the magick out of such that the elves dig up and give them the scrap back so they can build their machines. Combined with the elves, they're able to invent things like magitech MMORPG servers and magickal fusion reactors. They tend to become geomancers and hermits.

Beastmen are anyone humanoid and not following into any of the ascribed three, usually things like orcs, harpies, merfolk, lamia, cat people, dog people, kobolds, goblins, and so forth. They're of varying capabilities of different elements and jobs, but all have capability to use it.

Dragonkin are like beastmen, but the humanoid children of dragons or are dragons taking a humanoid form themselves. They are the ones in charge of the greatest of magicks and tools on the planet, and usually derive pleasure from wary adventurers looking for it and will mess with them in a variety of ways in order to see if you are worthy. They love to pick off elves.

Planesmen are the Celestials of the Heavens Above and the Infernals of the Embers Below, most likened to angelic and demonic beings of various kinds. Serphim and succubi and such abound. They are the ones most able to take charge of the two main creative elemental forces that created the world and are known for having incredible lifespans.

Constructs are what we would call androids or the like, usually formed out of metal and controlled with complex series of runes and magick, tho a way to control them using forces like "electricity" eventually become a way for even elves to use them to their advantage. Though anything not fully biologically born or formed is usually considered a construct.

Muttbloods are a mixture of two or more of the above, with the most prominent example being a short lived race called the Vaiars, which were half elf/half dragonkin, born of a mad elven genius and one of the dragonkin she fought against but instead fornicated with. They were also knock as Flintlocks, the combination of the Flintsteel dragons and Stormlock elf tribes that first born them. They were more interested in study and mad genius than anything else in life, and died out as a result of forgetting to regularly mate. The most known one built the tower to the gods.

[ironemblem]

GURPS Encounters: Fort Faithful

Finally got this done, after a much too long delay! Sorry for all the waiting! This post is based around the awesome idea of Cowboys v Xenomorphs, so I kind of built a mini campaign world around that, stretching the meaning a little honestly, but I think it fits the spirit. This is more of a loose hook than adventure, just to clarify, I might work some more stuff out for it in the future though! Take a trip to Mars adjacent, the exotic....

Fort Faithful

“Fort Faithful, as the name suggests it is a reliable and trusted outpost. Situated on the remote moon Deimos, in the Swift crater, from which the bounties of Mars flows through! Oh yeah did I mention this is set in an alternative universe where the 1860’s United States Government discovered space travel? Cause it is.”

Key Features: As mentioned Fort Faithful acts as a sort of in between, where the miners come and go, and then the hard earned minerals are sent on their way to the United States. The cause of this technological miracle? A strange series of artifacts discovered by covert activities into the heart of South America by a crew of military operatives back in 1841.

These artifacts seemed to be the remains of some past advanced culture, after many military skirmishes kept on the down low, spaceships, suits, even atmosphere controlling technology were plundered! So far in the current year of 1863 the general populace of Earth are unaware of this, as well as the massive amounts of precious minerals and further items being dug up on Mars to be shipped back to the U.S of A!

         (TL 5 + a few higher TL artifacts recovered, listed below)

Population of Fort Faithful

         Fort Faithful is crewed by a small group of thirty individuals, disgraced ex-soldiers and former ‘cowboys’ given a second chance and a heck of an adventure.

This rowdy bunch is ran by one General Matthew Faithful, a forty year old man, technically kicked out of the military, and also might be considered dead, by order of firing squad. His crime? Murder. Even with this most heinous of crimes he was chosen to lead. Matthew was the first to land off planet, and has been with the mining operation (titled Red Expedition) since its inception, even being granted the naming rights to fort! For cryptic reasons he insists that no base be constructed by the mines themselves, rather just temporary incursions. Perhaps from a deep paranoia regarding rumors about the Spanish securing spacecraft.

Fort Faithful’s Design

Atmosphere? Fort Faithful is kept in a breathable atmosphere by the grace of a strange energy shield. It somehow scrubs, extracts and maintains an earthlike atmosphere nearly anywhere! When in the void between planets it even generates a gravity field, allowing comfortable travel within the spaceships! When outside of the atmosphere the ‘crew’ use reverse engineered spacesuits (Vacc Suit, the only “extra feature” it however does have the Protected Hearing. Protected Vision and important breathing tech, the radios and such have not yet been figured out).

And Speaking of Space Ships! A handful of spaceworthy vessels were quickly recovered, as of yet no reverse engineering on these have succeeded but the scientists were able to figure out how to work them! The batch specifically recovered carefully, slowly, and stealthily were three Star Freighters (pg 465 GURPS Campaigns), some rumors abound that the Spanish have found even more and are currently learning how to use them! As for their fuel, no scientist has been able to comprehend the engines, it seems like some kind of perpetual motion device, a few even theorize it manipulates a variety of energy undetectable by modern tech.

Guns, Guns, Guns! A rare few extraordinary items have been uncovered on Mars. Most are sent back to Earth, but the truly practical examples are under lock and key in the Armory (and one is at the General’s side). These discovered weapons are: 1 Electrolaser Pistol with 179 shots (pg 280 Characters), 2 Laser Rifles with 30 shots each (pg 280 Characters), and 1 Gyroc Pistol with 6 shots (pg 278 Characters) discovered so far and more being reverse engineered. The Electrolaser Pistol is currently under the General’s control, he hasn’t yet used it beyond the test shot, but is looking forward to it!

         For conventional weaponry they have quite a stock pile, consisting of thirty Cartridge Rifles (.45) and around two thousand shots. Plenty of axes, knives, etc. to be found here as well.

Fort Section One (Courtyard): An ‘open air’ section, really just a walled in landing pad. One of those energy shields keep the air in, the ships and people are somehow able to easily pass through without disrupting the strange tech. So this is where all the business comes and goes for Fort Faithful, miner crews leave and return every nine earth hours, while cargo is comes by every thirty earth hours (dropping off food and picking up minerals).

Fort Section Two (The Church): Set off to the side of the courtyard this area is more of an afterthought really, just a small church. There is no priest on Fort Faithful yet, but rumors are spreading that the General is reaching out for one, maybe to scare some of the rougher workers. It also acts as a medical area, for accidents and the like.

Fort Section Three (Interior Storage): A maze of barrels, crates and sacks, the interior storage is only accessible through the bunkhouse. This is where all the rations, water and just general goods for the Fort are kept. Though it is odd, no artifacts are kept here, rather they are stored in the Armory, since most act as advanced weaponry.

Fort Section Four (Bunkhouse):  Composed of a few separate rooms, giving a small amount of privacy. The General is particular has his own private quarters.

Fort Section Five (Armory): The heart of the Fort, here are the plethora of weapons gathered up for the Fort’s defense. General Faithful has constant armed presence and is quickly figuring out the uncovered alien artifacts for the purposes of fighting off a possible Spanish invasion. Tons of blackpowder and conventional firearms are stacked up as well, how useful they are in space battles is yet to be known.

Important Quick Stats

General Matthew Faithful

         From a decent family, Matthew Faithful worked his way up the ranks of government so many years ago. Not through any decisive battle, but through thoughtful consistency and following the rules. Which is why it was so surprising when he went off and slaughtered a rival in full view of four dozen men. It was not a pretty death either, supposedly the low ranking grunt made a crude comment about Matthew’s long deceased daughter. It seems his overall loyalty to the U.S Government was rewarded, with him avoiding firing squad and embarking on a journey to the stars!

ST 10; DX 12; IQ 12; HT 10

Will 14; Per 12; Speed 5.50; Dodge 8

         Move 5

Traits: Bad Temper (9), Code of Honor (Gentleman’s), Combat Reflexes, Flashbacks (Severe), Honesty, Obsession (”Fend off Spanish”), Sense of Duty (Fort Faithful), Social Regard (Feared) 3

Skills: Boxing-12, Guns (Rifles)-14, Beam Weapons (Pistols)-14, Leadership-16

Equipment: Cartridge Rifle (.45) + 30 Shots, Electrolaser Pistol + 179 shots

Fort Worker

         The crew of Fort Faithful is made up entirely of those with troubled pasts, bandits, insubordinate grunts, some ‘lucky’ card cheats, etc. While one would think this would make the Fort run as smooth as sandpaper, General Matthew is able to force these lowlifes into a half way manageable force. They seem to be under the impression that the good General would boot them into the void of space if they acted up…

ST 11; DX 11; IQ 10; HT 10

Will 11; Per 11; Speed 5.25; Dodge 8

         Move 5

Traits: Duty (“Fort Faithful”: All the Time)

Skills: Guns (Rifle)-10; Prospecting-10  

Equipment: Cartridge Rifle (.45) + 20 Shots

The Swarm

         The dark force of the solar system, perhaps even the universe. They are as locusts to space faring people, living on meteors, lonely moons, and lifeless worlds, when they detect the roar of engines, the flash of heat, they awake, starting a swarm of gluttonous rage. Eventually they do return to slumber, but only after they sate their hunger. Due to the travels of some mysterious past people the solar system was cleansed. Eventually the Swarm died out on Earth, some strange plague as a karmic vengeance swept through those Swarm still feeding on humanity’s future crib. Those on the other planets didn’t die though, still lurking, to feed!  

         Physically they are quite terrifying, pale, gray flesh, harder than many metals. Eyeless oblong heads, which open to startling widths, filled to the brim with short, sharp teeth. A gangly, chimp like form, arms twice the creature’s height, of which is about six foot. Its hands are equipped with three long fingers, tipped in black talons. Members of the Swarm possess on top of all this physically prowess an unnatural regenerative ability, if one doesn’t kill them quick they won’t do so at all. They are killable though! The worst part about the beasts are their reproductive systems, laying eggs within the dead or dying. A single Swarm dweller can lay up to ten eggs a day. These eggs hatch within a week and become full-fledged adults after a month!

ST 16; DX 12; IQ 6; HT 14

Will 14; Per 8; Speed 6.50; Dodge 9

         Move 6 (Ground)

Traits: DR 10, Doesn’t Breathe, Extra Long Arms (SM+1), Infravision (Only), Injury Tolerance (No Eyes), Metabolism Control 400 (Hibernation “Trigger Hunger”), Pressure Support 3, Regeneration (Fast/1 HP a Second), Sharp Teeth, Semi-Upright, Talons, Vacuum Support

Skills: Brawling-14

Story Hook: The Swarm

         Attracted to the Fort’s lifeforms the inhuman monstrosities that prowl our solar system are ready to feed! Perhaps the pcs are soldiers posted at the Fort, fleeing some dark past or thirsty for adventure. Maybe they’re some of the brightest minds of the U.S Government, eager to figure out the eerily advanced tech of Mars. Any method will do, what really matters is the events that occur!

         It starts with an odd disappearance, a few Fort members go out to explore Deimos a bit. After three days General Faithful decides it isn’t just lollygagging! Turns out the Swarm is finally waking from the construction activities on Deimos, and Mars! Within the next few hours the Swarm attacks, having finally found their way to the Fort. Crawling in through the shields and basically tearing up anything and one they come across. Four of the Swarm are active on Deimos, sixteen more arrive over the course of a week if the Fort still stands. Mars is hit even worse, as the mining crew (four this batch) unearth an entire horde of the things! Hundreds of the Swarm!

         Stay flexible, no real set in stone plan, the creatures chase the pcs and other crew through the Fort, but aren’t very bright. Sneaking past is most definitely an option for the clever. The creatures will not rest until every living being on the Fort is devoured, with their massive damage resistance, regeneration and strength that is a definite possibility.

The Orders

         General Faithful will attempt to make a final stand, the starting number of active healthy crew numbers perhaps 16 (not counting pcs). So he decides to systematically sweep the Fort and annihilate the creatures. After half the crew is dead, and/or the General someone will bring up simply escaping with the spaceship and leaving the Fort to the creatures! Of course one of the Swarm may tag along… and they require no mate to reproduce.