#Savage Rifts House Rules

[homebrew-rifts]

Savage Rifts Crafting Rules v1.0

I have created a Crafting system to work with the Downtime Setting Rule (Variations of which can be found within the Fantasy and Horror companions at the moment). 

My initial system (and the one I like the most) does utilize a single crafting roll, which sets it apart from other Downtime activities, so I also created a non rolled variant for people that prefer.

The system currently right now focuses on traditional crafting of technological devices, however the system could easily incorporate TW, magic and other devices (and likely will as I expand it)

The system currently includes 10 Edges Taking you all the way up to Heroic level.

Savage Rifts Crafting (Single Roll)

Savage Rifts Crafting (No Roll)

[delphic127]

Human

Chapter 9~

The Game Plan

human m.list

Previous l Next

word count: 847

A/N: hehe now i shall unveil everything hehe, also thank you to everyone for waiting while there were some bumps in the road!! i love y'all. anywhoo, happy reading!!

content warning: implied homophobia, swearing, adult themes in general.

remember you control the media you consume, if you think this might be triggering in any way, don’t read it, your mental health comes first

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Three people running, three people trying to change their sealed fates.

Ami to outrun the nightmares that haunted her.

Jahani to save her love.

Reya to heal the rift between her and her daughter.

They were all sinners and lowly peasants in the eyes of society.

But these lowly sinners jumped through hoops to keep each other safe.

These dirty savages had more courage and love and hope and passion than any person who had been born into power and wealth.

They all knew what they had to do to keep each other safe, they all knew that it was time for an uprising. 

Now staging a coup is not something easy, it never is. Unfortunately, there is no ‘how to’ guidebook on overthrowing a government. But a grief-stricken mother bent on revenge, a genius girl seen as the perfect role model, and a stubborn, hard-working farm girl seemed like the perfect fit for the job.

When Reya found Jahani’s shredded book she went straight to her daughter’s room and pounded on the door. “What is this?” Reya had questioned carefully, she wasn’t angry. Reya just wanted to understand.

Jahani found the situation almost comical, she had always been so careful and it was her who was found out first, not Ami. “It’s um- well it’s my journal,”

“I know that” Reya stated dryly, her eyes flicking up to Jahani “But, these are love notes, and poems and plans and- and..” Reya trailed off, but the words hung in the air, slicing truth into the silence.

These are blasphemous.

Jahani knew, which is why she was so shocked that her mom hadn’t run all the way to the Capital with this beat-up notebook, and she was wary because she knew the deeply private information that the journal housed.

So Jahani sighed, looked at her mother, saw the deep-set wrinkles etched on her face, and spilled everything. Everything she had ever hidden from her mother. And she talked and talked, and talked, and she didn’t stop.

Ami awoke suddenly, but for the first time in forever, it wasn’t night terrors that ended her slumber but tapping on her window.

A tapping? 

No, it was the sound of tiny pebbles striking against her window. This got Ami to bolt upright, who in the world would be outside of her home breaking curfew?

In her entire life, there was the only person that she had ever met that would dare to break that rule. 

Jahani.

Ami slipped on a sweater over her nightdress and peered down into the pitch blackness that was the front garden, sure enough, she make out from the faint glow of the moonlight a face that Ami would recognize anywhere. 

At first Ami, almost didn’t want to go down there, show Jahani it was going to take a lot more apologizing and groveling to get Ami back. But before she knew it, her feet carried her towards the invisible that she loved so much.

Ami crept out of the house and down into the depths of the garden.

Jahani kept a close eye on her and whispered “I’m sorry, I know you need more than that to forgive me, but we don’t have much time”

Ami almost snorted, no shit they didn’t have much time, the clock had already struck midnight. Curfew was always from midnight to six a.m.

“Meet me at the apple orchard tomorrow, my mom’ll be there too, bring a pen, and a ton of paper, be discreet, okay?”

“Fine, but-” Ami started

“I’ll tell you why tomorrow, get back to bed, meet us at 12:30” Jahani breathed, “Just tell your mom you're going out to lunch or something”

Ami nodded, she didn’t need to be told twice, something inside her told her that this was the beginning of something new.

It was bright and clear when Ami made her way to the apple orchard, she took an old wicker basket with her to make sure that she made good on her promise to her mother that she would come back with plenty of ripe, delicious apples. 

Reya and Jahani were already seated in a clearing a little ways off, they looked up as Ami approached and quickly beckoned her to join them. The exchange of greetings was rather rushed, and Ami wasn’t fond of Reya inhibiting the precious time that she and Jahni had together.

Jahani rolled out a map, then looked at Ami and said, “We are going to bring down the capital, you, me, and my mom,”

So that’s why Reya was there.

Ami nodded, she was sick and tired of their unfair and horrific regime. She was ready for war.

Both Reya and Jahni had a game plan, and this time there was no backing down.

They carefully and quietly explained the plan, how they were going to get the Capital’s attention first, and then the world’s.

There were others in on the plan, Nakoa, Jahani’s confidante was among them.

This plan was intricate and beyond dangerous.

Reya was going to go right behind enemy lines claiming to have found her daughter’s ripped-up notebook, Ami was going to fake an illness, and Jahani was going to, well, do her thing.

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taglist: @motskkyu, @jootskoot

(don’t hesitate to message me if you want to be added to the taglist of this story, so you’ll be notified the next time i put out another chapter!)

[laresearchette]

Monday, June 13, 2022 Canadian TV Listings (Times Eastern)

WHERE CAN I FIND THOSE PREMIERES?: MAKING MODERN WITH BROOKE AND BRICE (discovery +) INTERVENTION (A&E Canada) 9:00pm     THE GREAT GIVEBACK WITH MELISSA MCCARTHY AND JENNA PERUSICH (HGTV Canada) 10:00pm DIGITAL ADDICTION (A&E Canada) 10:00pm

WHAT IS NOT PREMIERING IN CANADA TONIGHT?: FEAR THY NEIGHBOR (TBD - Investigation Discovery)

NEW TO AMAZON PRIME CANADA/CBC GEM/CRAVE TV/DISNEY + STAR/NETFLIX CANADA:

NETFLIX CANADA CHARLIE’S COLORFORMS CITY: MIGHTY MOVIE ADVENTURES CHARLIE’S COLORFORMS CITY: MISS WEATHER AND FRIENDS THE GREAT CANADIAN BAKING SHOW (Season 5) PETE DAVIDSON PRESENTS: THE BEST FRIENDS

IIHF U18 WOMEN’S HOCKEY (TSN2) 4:30pm: Bronze Medal (TSN3/TSN5) 8:30pm: Gold Medal

MLB BASEBALL (SN1) 7:00pm: Orioles vs. Jays (SN Now) 10:00pm: Twins vs. Mariners

QMJHL HOCKEY PLAYOFFS (TSN) 7:00pm: Charlottetown Islanders vs. Shawinigan Cataractes - Game #6

VEGHEADZ (CTV Life) 8:30pm: Chef Pino Di Cerbo creates a menu featuring golden yellow veggies.

NBA BASKETBALL FINALS (SN) 9:00pm: Celtics vs. Warriors - Game #5

SCOTT'S VACATION HOUSE RULES (HGTV Canada) 9:00pm: Anita's dad's Muskoka cottage has strong bones but is very outdated, so she wants to turn it into a place that will both honor his legacy and generate an income so the family can hold onto the property.

MARRY ME NOW (OWN Canada) 9:00pm: Brandon and Shana have been together for seven years, and they have never talked about marriage; Shana's surprise proposal and wedding might be too much for Brandon; Shana attempts to heal the rift with her mother before the big day.

JANE BY CHARLOTTE (Crave) 9:00pm:  With time passing, actress Charlotte Gainsbourg starts to look at her mother, Jane Birkin, in a way she never did, both overcoming a shared sense of reserve. The mother and daughter explore their relationship.

WHL HOCKEY PLAYOFFS (TSN) 9:30pm: Seattle Thunderbirds vs. Edmonton Oil Kings - Game #6

OHL HOCKEY (TSN4) 9:30pm: Hamilton Bulldogs vs. Windsor Spitfires - Game #6

PEOPLE MAGAZINE INVESTIGATES (Investigation Discovery) 10:00pm (SEASON PREMIERE):  A savage killer goes on a homicidal rampage and then abducts two young siblings from their home in the middle of the night; the children quickly decide they will do whatever is necessary to survive.

ROAST BATTLE CANADA (CTV Comedy) 10:30pm (SEASON PREMIERE): Featuring comedians Salma Hindy, Sophie Buddle, Jean Paul and Ron Josol.

[wearesorcerer]

In my experience, there are two types of people regarding PF 2E: people like the above who champion it (and are a minority) and the people who played 1E but revile 2E (the vast majority). I put it that way because I work at a game shop that was a flagship PF store and we have struggled with 2E -- people don't buy it (we struggle to sell Core Rulebooks!), Society broke up over it, etc. All those troubles started at debut: it failed to launch well before the pandemic hit. (5e sales have grown, by contrast.) That's not to say that it is a bad system, just that "widely loved by the community" is not an accurate review unless by "the community" you mean "the people who stayed with 2e."

Other games to try:

Paranoia: The computer is your friend. You must protect it from commie mutant traitors. Wait a minute: you are a commie mutant traitor! Your replacement clone will arrive in five minutes. The current edition (I believe it was a Kickstarter project) comes in a white box with booklets and dice (like OD&D) and WET (or maybe dry) ERASE CHARACTER SHEETS.

Legend of the Five Rings: Samurai, shugenja, and the Shadowlands. Great Clans. Bushido. Need I say more? Okay: it got ported from a card game, D&D 3.0's main setting was it (instead of Kara-Tur, which no one liked anyway), and it then got a full campaign setting book and several sourcebooks made for it. I forget which edition is current.

GURPS: For perspective (and licensed Discworld RPG goodness, if you can run that). GURPS is very mathy; it is not the mathiest game out there, but it's up there. I wouldn't recommend it for most groups, but try making a character in it just to say you have had the experience.

To elaborate: it's a completely point-based system designed to let you make ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING (no exaggeration), but tailoring a character's advantages and disadvantages involves percentages. And that's before you get into how the main rules (like combat) work.

Mutants & Masterminds 2nd edition (we're currently on 3rd) was basically GURPS d20. It somehow worked.

Genesys, Savage Worlds, etc.: Generic RPGs with their own systems. They're kinda the tier down from 5e in popularity, meaning they need some love.

Rifts: There are two things I can say about this game. First, it is a fantasy/sci-fi kitchen sink and so is over the top; you can play nearly anything in this setting and make it work. Second, the rules are bizarre because it's mainly the work of one guy (who doesn't play well with others, or so his reputation goes) and his weird no-longer-house-rules-because-they're-published. The joke there is that no one plays Rifts as it is printed.

But there are a millionty RPGs out there: Blue Rose, Exalted, Shadowrun -- really, you name it, there's probably an RPG out there for it that doesn't run on 5e (though you have a strong chance of hitting d20/3e-modeled systems, like Etherscope).

Also while i'm here; go play something besides 5e. Broaden your horizons. Try something new. Hell, even older editions of D&D would be good. Try Basic/Expert, try AD&D- learn about THAC0 and exploration turns. Just do something besides 5e and see what other games have to offer, you might find a new favorite system.

[asktheadeptus]

House Cadmus

"He must be humble of heart, strong of arm, Be savage in war, loyal to hearth, And follow deeds of Glory. He must keep honour with all, Banish cowardice from his doings, And bring his House no shame. He must serve the Emperor, And defend the Imperium. Thus should a Knight rule himself."— The Chivalric Duty, Aquitainus Malory Cadmus, M31

House Cadmus is a Loyalist Imperial Knight House which formerly had strong ties to the Adeptus Mechanicus. House Cadmus hails far to the galactic south from the heavily forested Knight World of Raisa. Proud and autonomous, the Knights of Raisa have only ever accepted allegiance with the Imperium as equals, never considering themselves completely beholden to the High Lords of Terra. When the first Rogue Trader set foot upon Raisa he received a cold welcome from its nobles, and it was many years before the first tentative alliances were formed. They were equally resistant when forced to accept oaths with the Forge World of Gryphonne IV, in return for skilled Sacristans and the secret technologies of the Mechanicum. Despite the enduring independence of its nobles, House Cadmus has always honoured the Imperium's call to arms, and has ferociously fought its foes for millennia. In recent times, the fighting strength of House Cadmus has suffered greatly in defense of Gryphonne IV, supporting its Titan Legion, the Legio Gryphonicus, after it was overwhelmed by Hive Fleet Leviathan in 997.M41. The Forge World's destruction has, in turn, freed House Cadmus from their obligations to the Tech-Priests. The current High King, known to all on Raisa as Baron Roland of Swinford Hall, has embraced this change of allegiance, and his Knights now go to war whenever and wherever their lord wishes it.

House History

The remote world of Raisa was isolated from Mankind for thousands of standard years, perched on the edge of the galaxy and staring off into the void. This sense of far frontier is brought home each night to the men and women of Raisa when they look up and see one half of the sky glittering with stars, the other a void of empty space. For centuries only the Knights protected the people of Raisa from the dark things that crawled, stalked and slithered through its arboreal forests, and at night even the nobles retreated to their plateau fortresses, leaving the wilds to the beasts and other, fouler things that prowled in the murk. Most feared of the denizens of the dark Raisan woods were the golems. Elemental creations of wood and stone, each golem was a tangle of sentient vines and trees given life by strange energies from the void. With granite fists and obsidian talons a golem was capable of punching through the carapace of a Knight and tearing out its pilot. The only way to kill a golem was to rupture its stone heart, the living rock at its center in which the resonating energies that held it together dwelt. In a standard century-long conflict known as the Golem War, the Knights hunted down and vanquished the terrifying beasts, shattering the resonating spires from which they were birthed. It was from this war that Golem Keep, House Cadmus' ancestral home, earned its name -- its thick granite walls constructed from the dead stone hearts of the slain creatures.

The Cull

With the golems gone, races of primitive Abhumans flourished in the forests of Raisa. Though these were little match for the nobles astride their Knights, in large numbers the creatures could threaten the houses and their provinces if left unchecked. At times, whole communities would disappear overnight to the depredations of the mutants, who would melt back into the forests before the vengeance of the nobles could find them. So it is that now, on Midsummer Eve each year, the nobles gather at Golem Keep to take part in the great hunt known as the Cull. Born of necessity, the Cull was at first a way for the nobles to ensure that nothing ever again challenged their mastery of Raisa, as the golems had done in times past. The Abhumans were the primary target of the Cull -- though primitive they would occasionally raid the edges of the plateau cities. Where these Abhumans came from is unclear, though there are tales told by superstitious peasants that they are a debased off-shoot of the original human settlers, sharing a distant if dubious ancestry with the noble houses. Whether there is any truth in this it does not stop the nobles culling their numbers, the highborn families content not to speak of such matters or to consider what they might mean.

The Cull has been undertaken for thousands of standard years, and is at the core of Raisan society. In the early hunts the nobles would crash through the forests in their Knights, guns lighting up the shadowy paths and clearings as they cut down anything larger than a vine-vole. At the end of the hunt the nobles would recount their kills, though there were never any true way of knowing how many actual Abhumans had been slain as little remained after Battle Cannon rounds and Reaper Chainsword blades had done their work. Over time the Cull evolved and became more efficient, especially once alliance was made with Gryphonne IV. The use of sophisticated Augurs and bioscanners allowed the Knights to detect the Abhumans through miles of shrouded woodland, and kill-counters were added to the Knight suits to remove any doubt as to who reaped the greatest tally. Eventually the Cull grew in importance to become the means by which the ruling lord of the house was chosen. This developed as a result of the favor bestowed upon the noble who claimed the most kills, and the subsequent influence he had on Raisa politics. The reasoning was to formalize this recognition by granting him lordship, with the understanding it would last for only a standard year until the next Cull. For the last thirty-two years Baron Roland of Swinford Hall has led the tallies of the Cull -- a feat unprecedented in the annals of the event. The other nobles of Raisa have recently entered into a rare accord, questioning whether it is right that prowess in the culling of base Abhumans should determine political might at all. To these dissenters Baron Roland has been heard to say that if they care so much who has lordship they should simply perform better in the Cull. It is well that a leader of such experience still rules, for the fighting strength of House Cadmus has suffered greatly in defense of the nearby Forge World of Gryphonne IV against the xenos menace of Hive Fleet Leviathan.

Hunting Lances

The nobles of House Cadmus have a reputation as peerless hunters, and there are few other Knightly Houses that can boast the same level of skill when it comes to running prey to ground. The development of hunting skills is a necessity in the wilderness of Raisa, and Cadman nobles are experts in controlling their Knights in dense surroundings like jungles and woods. The thickly forested continents of House Cadmus' homeworld are the proving ground for its Knights, the huge green-armoured walkers crashing through the foliage and sending wildlife scurrying off in all directions. From above, the Knights are difficult to distinguish, their Adamantium plates blending in with the forest canopy, and making them appear like the ominous shadows of undersea predators gliding through dark waters.

Young nobles sometimes disappear for solar months hunting in the woods of Raisa, taking with them a small company of retainers and a favored Sacristan. This can become a rite of passage of sorts, as the noble catalogs his kills and tries to out-do his peers by delving deeper into the wilds of the Knight World. Even in a Knight suit there are places that fathers warn their sons not to tread, though more often than not this only makes such sites more enticing. The Tangle is such a place, a briar patch of twisted trees and knotted undergrowth so thick it can snare a Knight. Rumour has it that in the wake of the Golem Wars not all the beasts were slain, and some survived by fleeing into the farthest regions of Raisa. Some families believe that there is a nest of golems within the Tangle, and more than one young noble has tried to find the truth for himself. Such hunts usually end with the Knights returning to Golem Keep, covered in mud and broken vegetation but empty-handed, though always with tall tales of "things" glimpsed through the trees or just on the edge of Augur range. These stories do nothing to sate the nobility and only ensure that a new generation of nobles will take up the quest.

Even when on campaign, House Cadmus Knights will engage in hunts, forming what are informally known as Hunting Lances to track and kill local creatures. On the Death World of Dynak, Knights of House Cadmus aided the Catachan 217th in defeating a major assault by Eldar Corsairs from the nearby Carrion Rift. After the Eldarhad retreated back into the Rift, the nobles heard tales told by the Catachans of a great beast sighted deep within the swamp-caverns of Dynak. The nobles immediately boarded their Knights and set off on a hunt that would take them across the drenched surface of the world and down into the vast network of fetid sunken caverns. Eventually the Cadman Knights cornered a gigantic leech-serpent, defeating the beast in a battle that raged for over an hour. The Catachan commander could only nod with approval when the Knights returned dragging the stinking, fanged head of the beast with them.

Edge of the Galaxy

Raisa rests upon the edge of the known galaxy, with nothing but darkness staring back at it from the intergalactic void beyond. It is little wonder then that it has suffered strange visitations from out of the Veiled Region. Over the centuries there have been scores of phenomena recorded by House Cadmus, each encounter or event carefully written down in the great Tome of Years held in Golem Keep. In the Year of Dark Rain, millions of obsidian meteors came hurling out of the galactic void, crashing down into the jungles of Raisa. Men foolish enough to try and drag the meteorite fragments back to their homes -- thinking they might have some worth -- grew sick and died, terrible black lesions covering their flesh. Eventually House Cadmus decreed the meteors forbidden and gathered together all they could find using Knight suits, sealing them in the depths of Golem Keep. However, those few men who looked upon one of the meteorites and lived whisper that they were covered in strange script and the crudely carved images of Knights.

During the Year of Haunted Worlds, a light fell from the heavens and landed deep in the woods of the Arborous Basin. That same night the baron left Golem Keep with a few of his men and took their Knights down into the forest. Rumours among the servants of the keep tell of the baron returning with a luminous casket of strange and alien design. Through its transparent lid a willowy woman could be seen, slender of limb and fair of hair with gracefully pointed ears. The same servants say the sleeping maiden was carried down into the vault to be hidden among the most sacred treasures of House Cadmus.

In the Year of Shrouded Stars, a huge comet filled the skies of Raisa wreathed in blue and white fire. As it passed near the Knight World tiny burning stars broke off from the comet and fell through the atmosphere. As they fell into the forest the stars resolved themselves into the broken wrecks of voidships, the comet itself an ancient and decaying Space Hulk. From within each vessel alien monsters and mechanical devils crawled out into the forests. That year the Cull hunted metal men and green-skinned xenos. Stories of the contents of Golem Keep have even reached the ears of the Inquisition. When Inquisitor Grumund took refuge on Raisa before travelling on into the Veiled Region, he casually asked Baron Roland about these whispers of alien objects and unknown obscura. Roland's response was merely a smile across the feasting table and a gentle reminder to Grumund that he was there as a guest, and should not trouble himself with the gossip of peasants. Glancing around at the room filled with House Cadmus nobles, all with eyes on the Inquisitor, he wisely chose not to press the point.

Notable Campaigns

The Death of Traitors (c.M31) - Horus lies dead at the hands of the Emperor. But so high is the cost of victory that many seek solace in hounding the fleeing Traitors across the stars rather than face the task of rebuilding the shattered Imperium. This campaign of vengeance is known as the Great Scouring. The surviving knightly houses with the strength to fight unanimously join in this crusade of retribution. Believing the honour of the many to be stained by the treachery of the few, the Imperial Knights hunt down the knightly houses that sided with Horus with extreme prejudice, seeking to redeem their tarnished reputation. Filled with righteous indignation, a combined strike force of Knights from Houses Cadmus, Terryn and Borgius annihilates the turncoats of House Devine as Imperial forces reclaim Molech.

Sport for Commorragh (154.M41) - A Dark Eldar raid captures a House Cadmus Knight for bloody sport in the arenas of Commorragh. He bravely duels the creations of the Haemonculi for thirty solar days before eventually being rendered down by three Engines of Pain.

Disaster on Nalibraxis II (632.M41) - During the Yoladrian Crusade, detachments from House Cadmus land upon the swamp world of Nalibraxis II. Marching in support of Catachan Jungle Fighter infantry regiments, the Knights are caught in a sorcerous ambush by the forces of the Thousand Sons Traitor Legion. With the Catachans dead or devolved into mindless Chaos Spawn, the remaining handful of Knights resolve to fight their way back to their extraction point. Power armoured automata and scuttling Daemon Engines surround them, yet the surviving nobles fight their way to freedom. After the battle, House Cadmus vows revenge upon the forces of the Thousand Sons, determined to expunge this stain upon their honour.

On the Trail of Traitors (883.M41) - Three entire knightly houses join forces with the renowned tank ace, Commander Pask, and his Cadian 423rd to exterminate a Renegade Titan Legion. All of the Knights at Pask's disposal are deployed in one of the largest armoured conflicts in the Imperium's history. Knight Anthonis, of House Cadmus, wins much honour during the final battle, preventing Pask's Leman Russ tankfrom being crushed beneath the mighty tread of the Traitor Warlord-class Titan Endless Hate by blasting apart the war engine's descending leg scant moments before impact. Pask survives to lead his force to a great Imperial victory.

Notable House Cadmus Knights

Coward's Bane - Baron Orlando's Imperial Knight Warden

Hunter's Fury - Baron Roland's Imperial Knight Errant

The Beast Killer - Sir Malcolm's Imperial Knight Errant

Hound of Raisa - Sir Roderick's Imperial Knight Paladin

Bloody Broadsword - Sir William's Imperial Knight Paladin

Notable Personnel

Baron Godfrey - From the foundation of their knightly house, the nobles of Cadmus were a fiercely independent breed, each family proud of their honour, deeds and heritage. It was this fact that made it all the more surprising when, in the early years of the 31st Millennium, Baron Godfrey signed a concordat swearing fealty to the nearby Forge World of Gryphonne IV. Their ruler's decision was met with unanimous uproar throughout the noble families of House Cadmus, who deemed the treaty to be a heinous betrayal of all that they stood for. Godfrey's most damning act of all was in changing the heraldry of House Cadmus. According to the knightly house's new patronage, it now bore the cog of the Adeptus Mechanicus at its heart. With the full might of the Cult Mechanicus behind him, none dared to oppose Godfrey openly, and he lived out his days like a feudal king.

Baron Orlando - Orlando is next in line to become one of the Twelve Barons of Raisa, and would likely be considered a rival to the ruler of House Cadmus. However, his disregard for the Cull -- the yearly event in which Raisa's Nobles hunt their planet's mutants -- ensures that he could never claim lordship of his house. For Orlando, slaying the beasts is an everyday task, not a sporting event. Thus, Orlando is content as ruler of Patton Hall, a keep in the most isolated province of Raisa. When called to war, Orlando pilots Coward’s Bane, his Knight Crusader. One of the eldest of Raisa's Knight suits, Coward's Bane still flashes emerald when its ancient ion shield repels a powerful incoming shot. Orlando’s Nobles all know well the thunderclap roar emitted when his Knight's gauntleted fist strikes home. It is a sound heard often enough, for Orlando is tasked with leading many campaigns -- a tribute to his fighting prowess.

Baron Roland of Swinford Hall - The current ruler of House Cadmus hails from Swinford Hall, a cavernous and luxurious wing of Golem Keep. Born of an old and powerful baronial family, Roland is an uncompromising man who does not lightly suffer the presence of fools. His courage in the face of adversity is legend. Baron Roland is a bold explorer and peerless warrior among the people of his homeworld, often spending long solar months on campaign. At his heart the old noble is a hunter and will seek out any chance to hunt a new prey or test his skills, even taking up alliance with the Adeptus Mechanicus despite his fierce independence. In times of war, Roland leads the Knights of House Cadmus from the front, resplendent in his modified Knight Lancer armour, to lay low all who oppose him. Unusually, Roland chooses to pilot a suit of Knight Errant armour when competing in the Cull, unwilling to claim an unfair advantage over his rivals by using the bespoke suit of armour afforded him by his rank. However, his unbroken run of thirty-two victories has long since silenced any critics who claimed he did not take the Cull seriously.

Sir Malcolm - One of the few surviving veterans of the war on Gryphonne IV, Sir Malcolm was instrumental in the defense of the Forge World's manufactorum district, eventually holding out alone against wave after wave of Tyranid assaults long after the Skitarii phalanx stationed alongside him had been overwhelmed.

Sir Roderick - Sir Roderick is a skilled and pitiless hunter, and the favoured lance-brother to Lord Roland. Though he has yet to beat Roland's impressive tally in the Cull, this noble has consistently ranked second behind the master of House Cadmus. This could be attributed to Roderick's unusual upbringing. Many years ago, Abhuman savages killed Roderick's noble parents while they were travelling to a council at Golem Keep. The young Roderick alone escaped to be raised by a hermit in the wild Raisan woods. For over a decade Roderick learnt to survive with only the weapons he could fashion form wood and stone. He was eventually rescued by Roland during a Cull, where the noble lord mistook him for an Abhuman and almost killed him. Roderick went on to reclaim his birthright and has risen to a prominent position within the Knights of House Cadmus. Roderick has put his hunting skills to good use on dozens of worlds, using his Knight to hunt down the foe relentlessly. The skills he learnt against the Tyranids on Galfranus would later serve Roderick well during the defence of Gryphonned IV. He would be one of the few survivors of that war, taking a heavy toll upon the Hive Fleet.

Sir William - When a Noble joins with the Throne Mechanicum especially young, as William did, it can alter his temperament, the feeling of invincibility that comes with being in command of a Knight suit filling his young mind with visions of glory. William's reckless nature brought him close to defeat numerous times -- his actions during the defense of Gryphonne IV against Hive Fleet Leviathan won him great glory but almost cost him his life. Having learnt little from the fall of the Forge World, William would repeat his mistakes on the Hive World of Vaen while fighting against hordes of Orks. Supporting a force comprised of Dark Hunters Space Marines in a first strike against ruined Hive City of Hyrdaxion, at first, they faced no resistance. Instead, they were lured into an uncanny trap located into a great central vault, where the whole structure was rigged into a vast mechanical slaughterhouse. Though William and his Knight suit Bloody Broadsword laid down a devastating barrage against the charging Ork mobs, there was no chance of victory. Only warning whispers from his Throne ultimately saved William and the Space Marines. Turning his gun on the hive wall, he blew a hole out into the dusty plain. At that moment the commanding Space Marine Captain ordered an orbital bombardment. William leapt his Knight clear at the last possible moment, crashing to the ground, shattering its legs and knocking himself senseless. When he came to, the voice of the Throne was for once blissfully quiet, and he enjoyed the sight of the xenos-infested hive burning brightly against the sky.

House Appearance

House Colours

The arboraceous Knight World of Raisa undoubtedly inspired the bottle green of House Cadmus' livery. The Knights are difficult to spot from above as they stride beneath the vast forest canopies of their homeworld -- an advantage they have utilised whenever faced with the threat of invasion. However, should Hive Fleet Leviathan ever encroach upon Raisa, not even the forests will offer the Knights sanctuary.

House Arms

When Badron Godfrey signed a concordat swearing fealty to the nearby Forge World of Gryphonne IV in the early years of the 31st Millennium, their coat of arms was changed, to bear the cog of the Mechanicum at its heart. They bore this symbol for the next ten millennia. However, the recent demise of Gryphonne IV beneath the onslaught of Hive Fleet Leviathan in 997.M41, has somewhat freed House Cadmus from their obligations to Tech-priests. To the horror of Raisa's Sacristans, but the delight of its noble families, Baron Roland has since reinstated the original heraldry of House Cadmus, replete with wings and the crest of a slain mutant.

Source: http://warhammer40k.wikia.com

[savetopnow]

2018-04-01 22 GAME now

GAME

Attack of the Fanboy

Counter Strike: GO Gambling in Jeopardy After Valve Passes New Trading Rules

Xur Exotic Items and Location in Destiny 2 This Week

God of War Reviews Set to Arrive on April 12th

New Uprising Event in Overwatch Dated For April 10th

Life is Strange Episodes 4 and 5 Come to iOS Devices

Brutal Gamer

April’s PS+ freebies include Mad Max, Trackmania, and more

Xbox Games With Gold For April: The Witness, Assassin’s Creed: Syndicate, Cars 2, And More

Koshchei the Deathless #3 and #4 (Comic) Review

New Terminator series to debut at Dark Horse with Brian Wood attached

The Benson sisters take over Green Arrow this summer, and introduce him to Amanda Waller

Game Banshee

Pillars of Eternity II: Deadfire Backer Beta Update 3 Released

Michael Cranford's Classic Game Postmortem: 'The Bard's Tale I and II'

Path of Exile: Royale Available

Wolcen: Lords of Mayhem Update #76

Middle-earth: Shadow of War - The Desolation of Mordor DLC Releases May 8

Game Informer

Super Replay – Killer7 Episode 5

Path Of Exile Adding Battle Royale Mode For April Fool's Day

Where The Water Tastes Like Wine Sells Far Below Expectations, According To Creator

See How The Mario Party 8 Mini-Games That Tear Friendships Apart Are Put Together

League Of Legends Getting Pizza And Fried Chicken Skins For 'April Foods' Day

Game Watch

New Trailer for Pathfinder: Kingmaker reveals features for the upcoming cRPG

Far Cry 5 - How To Find All Vietnam Lighters

Far Cry 5 - How To Find All Easter Eggs

Railway Empire releases Transcontinental Content Update DLC for free

Batman - The Telltale Series Season 2: The Enemy Within Review

Gematsu

The Good Life ‘A Walk Around Rainy Woods’ tech demo gameplay

A Magical High School Girl coming to Switch

April Fools’ Day 2018 compilation

Fighting EX Layer adds Sanane and Hayate

Amazon Canada lists The Banner Saga Collection for PS4, Xbox One

IGN

Sea of Thieves: Xbox Game Pass Access Issues Fixed

Fortnite Battle Royale Week 6 Challenges: Mountain Peaks and More

Where to Find Every Vietnam Lighter in Far Cry 5

Sea of Thieves: This Is What Happens When You Become a Pirate Legend

Sea of Thieves: How to Beat Skeleton Forts

Niche Gamer

Sanane and Hayate Confirmed for Fighting EX Layer

Conan Exiles Hands-on Xbox One X Preview – Me Want Murder for Dinner

Guacamelee! 2 Gets a Simultaneous PC Version

Arc System Works Possibly Teasing New RPG Project Reveal

Let It Die Spinoff Let It Date Announced

Nintendo Life

Leaked Labo Toy-Con Concepts Suggest Nintendo is Serious About Cardboard

Guide: Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games And Accessories For April And May

Talking Point: What Games Are You Playing This Weekend?

Review: Tesla Vs Lovecraft (Switch eShop)

Feature: A Tour Of Game Bar A Button, Tokyo's Treasure Trove Of Gaming Kitch

PC Invasion

The 2018 April Fools Video Gaming Japes – Updated

Oculus Rift support added to L.A. Noire: The VR Case Files

Watch the Star Citizen Character Customiser in action

Star Citizen 3.1.0 alpha update is now live

PUBG’s third map codenamed Savage testing next week

Playstation Blog

The Drop: New PlayStation Games for 4/3/2018

Share of the Week: Action Shots

PlayStation Blogcast 286: Triple Preview

Introducing a New TV & Video Discovery Experience on PS4

Take to the Skies with Guns of Icarus Alliance, Out May 1 for PS4

Reddit Gaming

The more you know 🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈

Found this gem in a Tennessee game store

Empty

Helping my fiancé go through her grandfathers house after he passed away and found this.

Games logic

Xbox News

New Preview Alpha 1804 System Update – 3/31/18

Next Week on Xbox: New Games for April 3 to April 6

Experience the Off-road Extreme Driving of Gravel on Xbox One

This Week on Xbox: March 30, 2018

New Preview Beta & Delta 1804 System Update – 3/30/18

[templardragonknight]

The Stormcloak Bible DEBUNKED PART 7 (Stormcloaks Are Wasting Skyrim’s Resources?)

In the seventh part of this “bible” (http://colonel-killa-bee.tumblr.com/post/152901379035/stormcloak-bible-part-7-stormcloaks-are-wasting) the author talks about if the stormcloaks are wasting Skyrim’s resources or not, about if Ulfric was the true cause of the war and even about the Thalmor. Lets get started.

"From the Imperial perspective, Ulfric is causing this war by revolting, and they’re keeping the Thalmor out of Skyrim by fighting Ulfric and preventing Talos worship." it is extrenely funny how he distorted the imperial arguments in this part (and I can already say that distorting facts to support his position is a characteristic of the author) because imperials do not say that the empire is keeping the Thalmor out by fighting Ulfric, they say that Ulfric's rebellion is actually preventing the Empire from rebuilding itself effectively and deal with the Thalmor as soon as possible. Also saying that the Empire is preventing Talos worship and not the Thalmor shows eighter ignorance or dishonesty from the author having in mind how:

> The Thalmor had to come personally to demand Ulfric's arrest after they found out the imperials were trying to secretly allow Talos worship in Markarth;

> There are no legionnares guarding the Thalmor Embassy or Northwatch Keep;

> Imperial soldiers are not sent to help Thalmor Justiciars around;

> The Thalmor Dossier about Ulfric reveals that they wanted to intervene in the war and save Ulfric from being executed, wich means that General Tullius refused to allow Elenwen to enter Helgen;

> If the player ends up becoming an enemy of the Thalmor to the point of the Thalmor sending troops specially to kill him/her, the Empire does not give a shit and does not send soldiers to assit the Thalmor;

Then he says that Ulfric was not the true cause of the war, what is already nonsense. First the war did not start when Ulfric killed Torygg, it became WORSE after that. Hadvar, Vuwulf and Solaf reveal that the war was already going on years before the return of the dragons and Hadvar specifically reveals that Torygg died months before Alduin attacked Helgen. And even if the war started when Torygg died: it would have never happened if Ulfric tried to use diplomacy instead of violence since Torygg was open to debate (if you say this to the author he will probably cry about how talking to the High King at "the belly of the beast" would be foolish... but KILLING the High King at the "belly of the beast"? Totally wise I suppose).

Now talking about the laws thing: Solitude was under IMPERIAL control, and by the imperial laws, the nords are allowed to follow their traditions IF such part of the tradition does not hurt anyone (that is why the nords are allowed to visit the Hall of the Dead, make war paints, have long hair and beards, worhip Shor, etc), so this already makes Ulfric’s action illegal. “But it not part of Skyrim’s laws” well this is the main problem with most stormcloaks: they do not distinguish law from tradition. Just because something is tradition it does not mean it should be a law (or that it would make sense to make it a law. Like forcing people to visit the Hall of the Dead would be just ridiculous). And being or not na actual law, such act is nonsense and savage as only the dumb brutes try to solve everything by using the sword. The art of ruling men (and also mer and beastfolk) is not just about battles and wars (that is also what dictatorships often do), it is more about debate and diplomacy, about trying to solve a problem without causing the deaths of many. All of this without mentioning that your physical abilities (and in this case magical abilities as well, since Ulfric used the Thum’m to unfairly kill Torygg) have absolutely nothing to do with your intelect and your efficiency in diplomacy.

The author says that "Skyrim law allows the Jarls to challenge the king or queen of Skyrim to a duel, and if the King is slain, a moot is called and then a new king or queen is decided" but as it turns out it is another arrow on his own knee. While it is true that the moot should be called when a king dies without direct heirs (https://www.imperial-library.info/content/pocket-guide-empire-first-edition-skyrim in the fourth paragraph), if by nordic tradition the king's widow is a direct heir Elisif should automatically becomke High Queen. If the widow is not considered a direct heir, the moot should be called with or without a war on (as the book does not mention any exception), but Ulfric not only does not want such Moot to happen (during the quest "The Jagged Crown", at least if you joined the Stormcloaks, he can be heard screaming "And Damn the moot!" when Galmar tells him that the jarls are upset and demand the Moot) and even says that it will not elect Elisif as long as HE has any say in it (and the tradition does not say the Jarl of Windhelm has any priority, you know). Ulfric's actions actually go AGAINST the nordic tradition.

When the author says "You might think that Empire law automatically overrules Skyrim law, but consider that in the Empire, slavery is illegal, and yet the Dunmer of Morrowind were allowed to continue the practice regardless" he shows ignorance regarding Morrowind's history, as slavery (that was actually outlawed by the king of Morrowind during the events of TES IV http://elderscrolls.wikia.com/wiki/Slavery “By 3E 433, it is mentioned that Helseth Hlaalu, the king of Morrowind, has outlawed slavery.[5]"* https://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Helseth "Subsequently, he renounced the slave trade, setting the remaining Houses of Indoril and Redoran against him in a bloody civil war. Helseth emerged from the war battered, but without the loss of his essential powers, leaving the slave trade generally destroyed, and slavery without a foothold in all of Tamriel, although the practice persists in remote areas away from Mournhold") was allowed in Morrowind thanks to something called the Treaty of the Armstice (http://en.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Armistice) and the terms of the treaty allowed Morrowind to retain a high degree of self rule and allowing things that were not allowed in other imperial provinces in exchange for giving the Numidium for Tiber Septim and allowing the imperial forces to act in the province. Skyrim has no treaty like that.

Then he talks about the Thalmor (typical). Lets see what he says: “And if they did secede, the Thalmor would be removed from Skyrim altogether, and anyone that’s read my previous entries know that logistically, the Thalmor cannot invade Skyrim anyway, so the Empire do not in fact keep the Thalmor out, they are in fact the sole reason the Thalmor are there in the first place” you mean when you said that the Aldmeri Dominion can not invade Skyrim thanks to how treacherous the Sea of Ghosts is (and fuck the fact that the Atmorans, who did not have the same technology the Aldmeri Dominion has, have dominated such seas and used them to travel to Tamriel and raid it for centuries) while you said that the Empire could send reinforcements to Skyrim trough SHIPS (you know: passing trough Dominion controlled seas, going all the way from Hammerfell's to High Rock's seas only to reach the Sea of Ghosts in northern Skyrim)? Or how you mentioned that mountains would prevent the Thalmor from reaching Skyrim, even tough the Empire has managed to overcome that obstacle for centuries (with Tullius even saying that controlling The Rift would secure their communications with Cyrodiil during "Season Unending")?

Without mentioning that saying that “Empire do not in fact keep the Thalmor out, they are in fact the sole reason the Thalmor are there in the first place” is actually not true (it may look like a fact, but it is not), for this we just have to take a look at the so called "Markarth Incident" itself: Jarl Igmund and Cedran reveal that the Thalmor themselves demanded the Empire to arrest Ulfric, with Cedran even saying that a whole group of them personally came to Markarth for it. If by 4th Era 201 the Thalmor are directly acting in Skyrim, personally hunting arresting Talos worshippers, while a short time after the end of the Great War they did not personally do it, the Empire itself is not the (only) reason of why they are acting in Skyrim (and the only faction that could have made it worse by revaeling the Thalmor how Talos worship is strong in Skyrim is the Stormcloaks thelselves). The fact that the Thalmor were not present in Skyrim right after the Great War is also revealed by Alvor: en.uesp.net/wiki/Skyrim:Alvor "It's from that treaty that ended the Great War, remember, when the Emperor was forced by the Thalmor to outlaw Talos worship. We didn't pay much attention to it when I was a boy - everyone still had their little shrine to Talos. But then Ulfric and his "Sons of Skyrim" started agitating about it, and sure enough the Emperor had to crack down. Dragging people off in the middle of the night... one of the main causes of this war, if you ask me." Alvor basically reveals that everything was just fine before Ulfric and his followers began agitating. If we take these clues and combine them, it becomes clear that, altough the Thalmor would be allowed to do it, the Dominion did not immdediately come to imperial lands to hunt down Talos worshippers, hoping the Empire would arrest them by itself and only after the events in Skyrim (in other words: the Stormcloak Rebellion) clearly showed the Empire was not doing it so the Thalmor decided to hunt Talos worshippers all by itself.

Then he talks about how the empire left Morrowind at it’s own during the Oblivion Crisis. *Sigh*, how many times will I have to refute Part 2? If the empire was having trouble protecting Cyrodiil, how in the name of the Aedra would the imperials be able to protect Morrowind? The best chance Morrowind had was being helped by the empire AFTER Cyrodiil defeated Dagon’s forces, otherwise both provinces would be weak against the daedra at the time (it is also funny how he blames the Empire for not helping Morrowind when the heart of the Empire is under attack, but does not give a shit about how Ulfric sends most of Windhelm's guards to the war to the point of them being barely able to investigate murders in the city, or about how Ulfric does nothing about bandits that do not threaten nord land as it is revealled by Brunwulf. Hypocrisy again). And at the moment he citated Adril Arano he shot himself (AGAIN). How? Due to what he previously said about slavery in Morrowind: if there is really slavery being illegally practiced in Morrowind, and House Redoran supports it form some reason, the currently weakned empire would face difficulties trying to find the slaves and their owners in Morrowind.

Then he talks about how the Empire “abandoned” Hammerfell (*sigh*, this post is gonna be just an enhanced Part 2, but that is okay). If the empire did not care about Hammerfell, then how can we explain General Decianus' decision? In the book it is explained that "In Hammerfell, General Decianus was preparing to drive the Aldmeri back from Skaven when he was ordered to march for Cyrodiil. Unwilling to abandon Hammerfell completely, he allowed a great number of 'invalids' to be discharged from the Legions before they marched east. These veterans formed the core of the army that eventually drove Lady Arannelya's forces back across the Alik'r late in 174, taking heavy losses on their retreat from harassing attacks by the Alik'r warriors." and this eventually helped to weaken Arannelya's army, what obviously helped the redguards of Hammerfell when they fought the weakned forces of Lady Arannelya to a standstill for five years. And if one still thinks that the empire really betrayed Hammerfell (in other words: if the empire had other choice), then it is worth mentioning another part of the book: "there is a great difference between agreeing to such terms under the mere threat of war, and agreeing to them at the end of a long and destructive war. No part of the Empire would have accepted these terms in 4E 171, dictated by the Thalmor at swords-point. Titus II would have faced civil war. By 4E 175, most of the Empire welcomed peace at almost any price." and having in mind how I previously showed that the empire was in no shape to fight by 4E 175, then seeing the sign of the concordact as a betrayal is foolish (what would not be the case if it was signed by 4E 171).

Then the author says “And yes I know they say they can’t because they’re watching their southern border, so their answer instead is to run Skyrim’s economy and resources into the ground to protect their own interests, at the cost of Nord lives and money with little or no sacrifices of their own?” I think he never read Hadvar's dialogue in the UESP. Hadvar explains that the Empire only had it's attention caught after Ulfric killed Torygg, wich means that the Empire barely cared about Skyrim and it's resources for most of the war. And this contradicts what the author himself revealed in his post about the conversations in the Blue Palace, as one of the conversations there shows that Solitude alone has had more efforts towards the war than Cyrodiil itself (Bryling: “Simple. Let the Empire fight its own war, with its own funds, and without hijacking our supplies and soldiers. Let Haafingar rebuild.”), and it is dfinitely not like the imperial supporting provinces were just trying to protect themselves from the Stormcloaks.

About the rest of the dialogues dialogues: I already talked about them in Part 6 and showed that his observations about them are biased and nonsense. Also what he says here: “ If they really wanted to do what was best for the greater good and to defeat the elves, they’d have let the moot take its course, and unite with an independent Skyrim if Ulfric won, having an ally against the elves with full resources and a full army free of the casualties of a civil war because the Empire couldn’t let go of their source of free silver and bodies to protect themselves.” is nonsense since I already explained how the one preventing the Moot from happening is Ulfric, not the Empire.

Now to end this post: I already showed that the empire is not wasting Skyrim’s resources as they need such resources not only to continue to make Skyrim a good place to live, but also to rebuild themselves for an eventual second war against the Dominion… and the empire is now forced to use part of these resources for a war started by the Stormcloaks.

Well, the author already cried about this critique, saying that Tullius stuck in a stalemate with him until the dragonborn gets involved (and fuck the fact that this is just part of the game’s mechanics, to prevent any side from winning before the players joins one of them... and it is definitely not like Hadvar says that Tullius has turned things around for the Empire), saying that Rikke struggles to make Tullius take the rebels seriously (yet this is just a proof of what I said as a great imperial general would only underestimate his enemies if they were no match for the imperial legion if the legion decided to use everything it has), about how many rebels are former leggionaires (even tough they still not use the strategies the legion taught them) and also crying about the nords being the bulks of the empire (and fuck the fact that one can not win a war only with brute force, as strategy is also extremely important).

*oh wait, it appears that all I said is irrelevant because The Stormcloak Guy says the Wiki is full of misconceptions and that my points are irrelevant simply for using it. It is argumentum ad hominem but you know, someone that is biased does not care and fuck if the UESP, that the author heavily relies on, says the same.

[homebrew-rifts]

House Rule: Group Barrage

This is something I put together specifically for Savage Rifts due to the adjustment of numbers with many Frameworks and Creatures, modifying the Group Rules concept abit.

Any number of extras with ranged weapons can concentrate fire on a single enemy. Only one of these extras roll (using Group Roll rules, so gain a d6 wild die), every additional attacker also deals an extra +1 damage.

SDC Weapons can, of course, not increase the damage of MD weapons, and vice versa. Supporting Weapons do not get their special effect (it burns!, etc).

This provides two main benefits, the first is Speeding things up, the second is allowing smaller threats to pose a minor threat to some of your moderately powerful units, but get enough of them together and a you may be able to even shake a dragon hatchling :P

Of course your Dragons and Power Armor Aces should feel powerful a lot, so don't always use this, but even when you do use this it allows them to shine as the extras are gonna be easily wiped out reducing that benefit and providing a real feeling of effecting the battlefield.

[ciathyzareposts]

Game 341: Shape Shifter (1992)

           Shape Shifter

United States

Independently developed and released as shareware

Released in 1992 for DOS

Date Started: 17 October 2019

Date Finished: 18 October 2019

Total Hours: 4

Difficulty: Easy (2/5)

Final Rating: (to come later)

Ranking at time of posting: (to come later)

Some years ago, I modified my rules to allow myself to reject independent games “if they are clearly amateur efforts with no innovations or accolades attached to them.” I have never invoked the rule. The problem with the rule is that it almost seems like there’s at least one innovation to explore. It’s only after several hours, when you’ve committed to the game (or else you’ll have nothing else to publish), that you realize that you’ve been hoodwinked.

In the case of Shape Shifter, the element that sucked me in was right there in the title. You play a non-human character who can polymorph from a tiger to a snake to a mouse. The tiger, we learn, is strong and good at combat, but also slow and obvious, thus inviting more encounters. The snake avoids most combat, the mouse almost all of it. I figured the game would feature some interesting puzzles and encounters that relied on the ability to shape-shift.

             The game opens with the player as a tiger.

            The manual establishes the land as Vor Terra. Creatures of Chaos are invading the world via a rift in the space-time continuum. To face the threat, Lord Drelx Axtvqar created the Absomal Fxile, a council of the most intelligent (which, ironically, the manual repeatedly spells as “intellegent”) creatures in the land. The Absomal Fxile sequestered itself in an impenetrable palace. “It is the goal of every living creature,” the manual offers, “to one day join rule with the Absomal Fxile,” whatever that means. To gain access to the palace, the character will need to significantly increase his knowledge and solve a variety of puzzles.

               I explore another part of the world as a snake.

          Character creation asks only for a name, after which the character begins in tiger form. Statistics are strength, knowledge, speed, and health. The numbers redistribute every time you change forms; for instance, the starting character has 55 strength and 25 speed as a tiger, 25 strength and 45 speed as a snake, and 20 strength and 55 speed as a mouse.

        Checking my statistics on a city street.

            As you explore the land, random encounters mess with your statistics. Angry gnats, chill winds, and snare traps sap your health. A “horrible darkness” decreases health and knowledge. The goddess Sona Luna might suddenly decide to increase your health and knowledge, or “friendly wicker people” might give you a boost to strength, speed, and knowledge. Two of the cities have temples to gods who alternately boost and decimate your statistics.

             A random event costs some health.

            There are also combat encounters, and here the developer shows something of Chuck Dougherty’s (Questron) inventiveness with monster names–if Dougherty had endeavored to make them all unpronounceable. You face off against Illio Mucks, Nubliagg Frimuth Teroptts, MetzoBraums, Altzo Mafts, and Thraxiax Runners, among others. You and they do an amount of damage determined by your speed and strength. You get “credits” with every victory.

           Combat is a rote exchange of blows with weird creatures.

          The game takes place on 9 adventure screens arranged 3 x 3. The palace is in the far northwest. There are five other cities and towns to enter, each consisting of a single street of structures. Some of them are random buildings that you can search and talk to the residents. Others are more classic RPG facilities like taverns, healers, temples, and shops selling potions that temporarily increase strength and speed. There are no explicit weapons or armor in the game.

An all-keyboard interface works reasonably well, with arrows for movement and the occasional use of easy-to-remember commands like (E)nter, (I)nventory, and (U)se. The screen shows your available options in special circumstances.

                  Getting a clue from a tavern patron.

              So far, none of this sounds too bad, but the game simply doesn’t add up to anything interesting or enjoyable. The world is extremely small, and you can explore the 9 screens and 5 cities and towns in significantly less than an hour. There are no puzzles in these locations. You have to acquire an inventory of artifact items, but you simply find them on your first search of the houses in which they’re secreted. (And in a bit of amateur programming, you keep finding them every time you search the houses, even if they’re already in your inventory.) There are also clues to find, but you get them by simply hitting T)alk in obvious locations.

              A magical ring just laying about in an abandoned house.

              Worse, there’s really no reason to use the titular shape-shifting ability. No puzzle or encounter requires you to be a particular animal. (I think there’s one tavern where they don’t talk to snakes, but that’s it.) You might want to swap out of tiger form to avoid combat, but combat is how you earn money, and as long as you replenish hit points by paying for healing, combat isn’t all that dangerous.

Over the course of the game, you learn that a key artifact–the Crystal Heart–is in a tower in the southwest part of the map. To enter the tower, you need three keys. Two of them are found in deterministic locations in cities, but the third appears as part of a random encounter in the wilderness, meaning you have to wander around until you get it. By then, you’ve probably assembled most of the other items and clues you need to solve the encounters in the palace. 

          Only one thing to do in the “tower.”

         You encounter one odd issue in that once you achieve a certain speed threshold–around 25–you successfully avoid all encounters. The problem is that a few key items and clues only appear with random encounters, so you can character-develop yourself out of victory unless you get lucky and pray to a god who takes umbrage and busts you back below the speed threshold.

                   One of the keys needed for the tower only appears as a random encounter.

         The hardest part of the game is finding the Fire Lizard’s Bladder that you need to–uck–eat to immunize yourself to a poison mist that surrounds the palace. It only shows up in random encounters, possibly after a certain knowledge threshold, and I began to despair that I would ever find it. I finally got it after wandering and fighting for about an hour.

Part of the endgame sequence involves dealing with Earth Demons . . . 

. . . and crossing a “Rainbow Bridge.”

               The endgame takes place at the palace, where you have to use all your artifacts in sequence. You eat the bladder to escape the mists. You use the “silk wings” to get over the wall. You use the Ring of Flame to destroy some Earth Demons. You use an Amulet of Knowledge to safely cross a Rainbow Bridge. You appease a guardian by giving him the Crystal Heart. Finally, you speak five words of entrance at the door to the Absomal Fxile. All of these solutions are provided in very straightforward clues throughout the game.

It would be easy to make a typo on this final screen.

         The final message tells you that you have achieved the honor of joining the Absomal Fxile, “the most prestigious council in the land.” A final victory screen precedes the DOS prompt.

             I can’t decide if it sounds more like a weapon or a tumor.

             With 1s and 2s across the board, Shape Shifter earns a 17 on the GIMLET. It’s ultimately too trite and unchallenging, and it fails to live up to the promise of its premise. 

The game’s author was Jeffrey P. Kintz of Waukegan, Illinois. (He goes by “J. Kintz” in all the documentation.) A 1999 biography indicates that Kintz was 19 when he wrote Shifter. He claims his primary inspirations as the Ultima series, Moebius (1985), and the adventure game Below the Root (1984), although it’s hard to see the influence of any of them in his own work.

Shifter was his second game; his first was a horror-themed adventure game called Dismal Passages (1992) in which a protagonist tries to avenge his family’s death by tracking down a wraith. Over the subsequent decade, he would churn out half a dozen games, including The Dark Convergence (1993) and its sequel (1994), Elkinloor (1995), a 1995 remake of Dismal Passages, Vor Terra (1996), Borderworld (1996), The Darkest Night (1997), Savage Future (1999), and Lost Infinity Part 1: Roquan’s Farewell (2001). All of them except Vor Terra seem to be adventure games, although some of them are set in the same world as Shape Shifter. Enough feature non-human protagonists that it seems to have been something of a thing with Kintz, and in his bio he brags about the appearance of several of his games in a “Furry Video Game Database.”

         A shot from Dismal Passages, which appears to have no character creation.

            He sometimes published under the label of Aries Software and sometimes Midlothian Software. Although there are signs that his games do get better, Kintz strikes me as one of those Ed-Woodish creators (see this entry for more on Wood and developers I associate with him) whose enthusiasm for making games far surpasses his skill. I tried to see what he’s been up to in the last couple decades, but my search led me down some weird paths perhaps best left undiscussed in case I accidentally picked up the trail of the wrong Jeff Kintz.

Apparently, registering Shifter got players a free copy of a sequel called The Sun Demon in which the character faced the origin of the Creatures of Chaos. I was unable to find an extant copy.

If nothing else, an independent one-and-done is a good way to build some momentum after a long break. We’ll continue with Fantasyland 2041 soon. For those of you wondering about The Magic Candle III, for some reason I was unable to muster any enthusiasm when I fired it up the other day. I figured I’d best table it for a while longer and play a few games that intrigue me more.

source http://reposts.ciathyza.com/game-341-shape-shifter-1992/

[onthegoinmco]

Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Orlando returns to Universal Studios Florida to take fear to the max on select nights September 6-November 2, 2019.

During this year’s all-new Halloween Horror Nights, the 80’s return with a vengeance bringing with them some of the biggest frights of the era with 10 totally terrifying haunted houses, five pulse-pounding scare zones, and outrageous live entertainment.

So let’s star this year’s HHN season with a look at everything you will encounter during the event!

Halloween Horror Nights Haunted Houses

Enter ten terrifying haunted houses, inspired by the biggest names in fear. You’re never quite sure if your spine is tingling with dread or sheer excitement.

All-New STRANGER THINGS

Prepare to go even further into the chilling world of the Upside Down as STRANGER THINGS returns to Halloween Horror Nights in an all-new haunted house. Experience the most terrifying moments of STRANGER THINGS 2 & 3 as you face snarling Demodogs and scream through iconic scenes from Hopper’s cabin to the Starcourt Mall.

Us

Jordan Peele’s new original nightmare comes to life as the Wilson family faces the ultimate opponent: themselves. Enter the funhouse on the Santa Cruz Pier where you’ll experience the horror of little Adelaide Wilson when she comes face to face with her menacing mirror image. Freeze in terror and disbelief as the Wilson family—and you—are hunted at every turn by terrifying doubles of themselves known as the Tethered. If you’re seeing double, you’re in trouble.

Universal Monsters

Frankenstein. Dracula. The Wolfman. The world’s most terrifying monsters have come together to tear you apart. Flee through a dark Bavarian forest as the savage Wolfman grows ever closer. Try to escape from the manmade monster within Dr. Frankenstein’s laboratory. Face the fanged terrors in Dracula’s castle. And encounter other untold horrors. It’s the more, the scarier.

Ghostbusters

A rift between worlds has opened, releasing apparitions of every shape and size. Step right into the original film where Slimer and other ghoulish spirits, specters and ectoplasm-dripping phantasms materialize where you least expect. Your screams are going to be big. Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man big.

TM & © 2019 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Killer Klowns from Outer Space

If ever there was a reason why people are afraid of clowns, this is it. The Killer Klowns from Outer Space have landed in an all-new haunted house. Don’t let them encase you in one of their cotton candy cocoons or you could end up as a gooey snack. These Killer Klowns won’t make you scream with laughter–just scream.

House of 1000 Corpses

From “Captain Spaulding’s Museum of Monsters & Madmen” to the home of the psychotic Firefly family, Rob Zombie’s epic horror masterpiece comes to life. Scream all you want, you won’t find any mercy at the decrepit Firefly house. After all, what’s one more corpse when there are a thousand others inside.

Depths of Fear

A deep-sea mining company has built an installation deep in the ocean, but the waters are infested with parasitic Mouthbrooders. They soon slither inside the mine and spew acidic eggs upon unwilling human hosts. You’re paralyzed with horror as the infected are driven to violent madness. The pressure is building. Implosion is imminent. The creatures are everywhere. There is no escape from your watery grave.

Graveyard Games

Enter the gates of a cemetery in the dead of night, where disrespectful teens have awakened vengeful spirits. Ghosts rise to torment those who disturbed them. Skeletal beings send fear into your bones. The rictus smiles of ghastly apparitions match the screams frozen on your face. Don’t be caught dead here after dark.

Nightingales: Blood Pit

Ancient Rome has suffered its worst drought in centuries. A ruthless emperor has declared the gladiatorial games will continue nonstop until the rains return. The nightingales, a grisly race of creatures, are drawn to the dead and dying. You enter the fray just as the rain begins to fall, recoiling with fear and disgust as the ravenous nightingales feed. Try to survive alongside gladiators, but with nothing to protect you, you’re history.

Yeti: Terror of the Yukon

In a remote part of Canada that’s all but uninhabitable, loggers and trappers seek refuge from the cold. But there is no escape from beasts as brutal as the winter. Enter a logging camp that’s been torn apart. Cringe at the trail of blood leading to caves no humans have lived to see. You’re in Yeti territory, and they’ll stop you cold.

Halloween Horror Nights Scare Zones

Surrounded in shadow by screams and mad laughter, face nightmarish creatures on streets twisted into sinister scare zones.

Zombieland Double Tap

“Check the Back Seat.” “Beware of Bathrooms.” “Always Double Tap.” Obey every rule if you don’t want to end up a zombie snack. Welcome to the United States of Zombieland. You may know the first movie, but you gotta make it through the sequel, too. Can you survive while everyone around you becomes meat?

Rob Zombie Hellbilly Deluxe

Step into the heavy metal horror of Rob Zombie as many of his most popular songs have come to life. Zombie’s haunting lyrics and pulse-pounding music crank up the intensity as you and your pursuers are driven to an adrenaline-fueled frenzy of ragining madness.

Anarch-cade

A sinister 80s-inspired arcade has taken over the Avenue of the Stars and you only get one life. Blacklights. A gang of neon slashers. Laser lights. It could be a party, except for the chainsaws. Once you scream, it’s game over.

Vanity Ball

Your flesh is the canvas in Hollywood. Rabid fans cheer as their favorite blade-wielding artists slice up willing participants into horrific living works of art. And they can’t wait to take a scalpel to you.

Vikings Undead

Brutal, horn-helmeted warriors have risen from the grave and laid siege to Central Park. Barred from Valhalla, the Viking paradise, these skeletal fighters have channeled their vindictive rage into an endless onslaught of gore. Bloodlust never dies.

Halloween Horror Nights Live Entertainment

Lose yourself in outrageous live entertainment filled with diabolically entertaining surprises.

Halloween Marathon of Mayhem

A monstrous new show is rising from the depths of Universal Studios’ lagoon with a spectacle of screaming neon and synth. Pounding electro music, giant water screens and piercing lasers combine for a twisted new take on Stranger Things, Ghostbusters, Killer Klowns from Outer Space and Universal Monsters. This all-new show is a largerthan-life mix tape of retro mayhem.

Academy of Villains: Altered States

This wicked talented group of artists is back for an all-new, bigger and better performance featuring a killer mix of dance and theatrics.

Rides & Attractions

Escape to some of Universal Studios’ most exhilarating attractions where heart pounding takes on a different meaning.

Here is a list of attraction open on event nights:

Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts*

Revenge of the Mummy

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack

Fast & Furious: Supercharged*

TRANSFORMERS: The Ride-3D*

The Simpsons Ride**

*Closes prior to event end.  **Open select event nights only.

From cinematic screams to the most horrifying cult classics, there’s no escape from the decade that just won’t die.

We are excited to bring you all sorts of Halloween Horror Nights coverage and frights, so for the latest make sure you are following @onthegoinmco on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook!

Follow us for more updates:

The post Halloween Horror Nights 2019 Line-Up appeared first on On the Go in MCO.

[oneguywithaniphone]

July 11, 1804: Burr slays Hamilton in duel

In a duel held in Weehawken, New Jersey, Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and the chief architect of America’s political economy, died the following day.

Alexander Hamilton, born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, came to the American colonies in 1773 as a poor immigrant. (There is some controversy as to the year of his birth, but it was either 1755 or 1757.) In 1776, he joined the Continental Army in the American Revolution, and his relentless energy and remarkable intelligence brought him to the attention of General George Washington, who took him on as an aid. Ten years later, Hamilton served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and he led the fight to win ratification of the final document, which created the kind of strong, centralized government that he favored. In 1789, he was appointed the first secretary of the treasury by President Washington, and during the next six years he crafted a sophisticated monetary policy that saved the young U.S. government from collapse. With the emergence of political parties, Hamilton was regarded as a leader of the Federalists.

Aaron Burr, born into a prestigious New Jersey family in 1756, was also intellectually gifted, and he graduated from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) at the age of 17. He joined the Continental Army in 1775 and distinguished himself during the Patriot attack on Quebec. A masterful politician, he was elected to the New State Assembly in 1783 and later served as state attorney. In 1790, he defeated Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law in a race for the U.S. Senate.

Hamilton came to detest Burr, whom he regarded as a dangerous opportunist, and he often spoke ill of him. When Burr ran for the vice presidency in 1796 on Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican ticket (the forerunner of the Democratic Party), Hamilton launched a series of public attacks against Burr, stating, “I feel it is a religious duty to oppose his career.” John Adams won the presidency, and in 1797 Burr left the Senate and returned to the New York Assembly.

In 1800, Jefferson chose Burr again as his running mate. Burr aided the Democratic-Republican ticket by publishing a confidential document that Hamilton had written criticizing his fellow Federalist President John Adams. This caused a rift in the Federalists and helped Jefferson and Burr win the election with 73 electoral votes each.

Under the electoral procedure then prevailing, president and vice president were not voted for separately; the candidate who received the most votes was elected president, and the second in line, vice president. The vote then went to the House of Representatives. What at first seemed but an electoral technicality–handing Jefferson victory over his running mate–developed into a major constitutional crisis when Federalists in the lame-duck Congress threw their support behind Burr. After a remarkable 35 tie votes, a small group of Federalists changed sides and voted in Jefferson’s favor. Alexander Hamilton, who had supported Jefferson as the lesser of two evils, was instrumental in breaking the deadlock.

Burr became vice president, but Jefferson grew apart from him, and he did not support Burr’s renomination to a second term in 1804. That year, a faction of New York Federalists, who had found their fortunes drastically diminished after the ascendance of Jefferson, sought to enlist the disgruntled Burr into their party and elect him governor. Hamilton campaigned against Burr with great fervor, and Burr lost the Federalist nomination and then, running as an independent for governor, the election. In the campaign, Burr’s character was savagely attacked by Hamilton and others, and after the election he resolved to restore his reputation by challenging Hamilton to a duel, or an “affair of honor,” as they were known.

Affairs of honor were commonplace in America at the time, and the complex rules governing them usually led to an honorable resolution before any actual firing of weapons. In fact, the outspoken Hamilton had been involved in several affairs of honor in his life, and he had resolved most of them peaceably. No such recourse was found with Burr, however, and on July 11, 1804, the enemies met at 7 a.m. at the dueling grounds near Weehawken, New Jersey. It was the same spot where Hamilton’s son had died defending his father’s honor in 1801.

There are conflicting accounts of what happened next. According to Hamilton’s “second”–his assistant and witness in the duel–Hamilton decided the duel was morally wrong and deliberately fired into the air. Burr’s second claimed that Hamilton fired at Burr and missed. What happened next is agreed upon: Burr shot Hamilton in the stomach, and the bullet lodged next to his spine. Hamilton was taken back to New York, and he died the next afternoon.

Few affairs of honor actually resulted in deaths, and the nation was outraged by the killing of a man as eminent as Alexander Hamilton. Charged with murder in New York and New Jersey, Burr, still vice president, returned to Washington, D.C., where he finished his term immune from prosecution.

In 1805, Burr, thoroughly discredited, concocted a plot with James Wilkinson, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army, to seize the Louisiana Territory and establish an independent empire, which Burr, presumably, would lead. He contacted the British government and unsuccessfully pleaded for assistance in the scheme. Later, when border trouble with Spanish Mexico heated up, Burr and Wilkinson conspired to seize territory in Spanish America for the same purpose.

In the fall of 1806, Burr led a group of well-armed colonists toward New Orleans, prompting an immediate U.S. investigation. General Wilkinson, in an effort to save himself, turned against Burr and sent dispatches to Washington accusing Burr of treason. In February 1807, Burr was arrested in Louisiana for treason and sent to Virginia to be tried in a U.S. court. In September, he was acquitted on a technicality. Nevertheless, public opinion condemned him as a traitor, and he fled to Europe. He later returned to private life in New York, the murder charges against him forgotten. He died in 1836.

from History.com - This Day in History - Lead Story https://ift.tt/MgY50U

[homebrew-rifts]

I grew up on Palladium (especially Rifts), I still own like 30 Rifts books and a ton of Rifters despite not touchibg the system for 20 years, and they and the world of Rifts holds a ridiculous amount of sentimental value to me.

So I'm stoked that next week I begin my first Savage Rifts game, which of course means now im making a ton of homebrew Iconic Frameworks and Races.

I'll be sharing those and other Savage Rifts info and updates here ^^

Have any conversion requests? Ask me!

General Play Advice

One Simple Trick To Speed Up Combat

Iconic Frameworks

Turbo-Jockey (Phase World)

Races:

Noli Bushman

Wolfen

Equipment:

G-10 Gurgoyle Power Armor

Coalition IAR-2 Abolisher Robot

House Rules:

House Rules: Group Barrage

House Rules: Downtime Crafting Activity

[oneguywithaniphone]

July 11, 1804: Burr slays Hamilton in duel

In a duel held in Weehawken, New Jersey, Vice President Aaron Burr fatally shoots his long-time political antagonist Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton, a leading Federalist and the chief architect of America’s political economy, died the following day.

Alexander Hamilton, born on the Caribbean island of Nevis, came to the American colonies in 1773 as a poor immigrant. (There is some controversy as to the year of his birth, but it was either 1755 or 1757.) In 1776, he joined the Continental Army in the American Revolution, and his relentless energy and remarkable intelligence brought him to the attention of General George Washington, who took him on as an aid. Ten years later, Hamilton served as a delegate to the Constitutional Convention, and he led the fight to win ratification of the final document, which created the kind of strong, centralized government that he favored. In 1789, he was appointed the first secretary of the treasury by President Washington, and during the next six years he crafted a sophisticated monetary policy that saved the young U.S. government from collapse. With the emergence of political parties, Hamilton was regarded as a leader of the Federalists.

Aaron Burr, born into a prestigious New Jersey family in 1756, was also intellectually gifted, and he graduated from the College of New Jersey (later Princeton) at the age of 17. He joined the Continental Army in 1775 and distinguished himself during the Patriot attack on Quebec. A masterful politician, he was elected to the New State Assembly in 1783 and later served as state attorney. In 1790, he defeated Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law in a race for the U.S. Senate.

Hamilton came to detest Burr, whom he regarded as a dangerous opportunist, and he often spoke ill of him. When Burr ran for the vice presidency in 1796 on Thomas Jefferson’s Democratic-Republican ticket (the forerunner of the Democratic Party), Hamilton launched a series of public attacks against Burr, stating, “I feel it is a religious duty to oppose his career.” John Adams won the presidency, and in 1797 Burr left the Senate and returned to the New York Assembly.

In 1800, Jefferson chose Burr again as his running mate. Burr aided the Democratic-Republican ticket by publishing a confidential document that Hamilton had written criticizing his fellow Federalist President John Adams. This caused a rift in the Federalists and helped Jefferson and Burr win the election with 73 electoral votes each.

Under the electoral procedure then prevailing, president and vice president were not voted for separately; the candidate who received the most votes was elected president, and the second in line, vice president. The vote then went to the House of Representatives. What at first seemed but an electoral technicality–handing Jefferson victory over his running mate–developed into a major constitutional crisis when Federalists in the lame-duck Congress threw their support behind Burr. After a remarkable 35 tie votes, a small group of Federalists changed sides and voted in Jefferson’s favor. Alexander Hamilton, who had supported Jefferson as the lesser of two evils, was instrumental in breaking the deadlock.

Burr became vice president, but Jefferson grew apart from him, and he did not support Burr’s renomination to a second term in 1804. That year, a faction of New York Federalists, who had found their fortunes drastically diminished after the ascendance of Jefferson, sought to enlist the disgruntled Burr into their party and elect him governor. Hamilton campaigned against Burr with great fervor, and Burr lost the Federalist nomination and then, running as an independent for governor, the election. In the campaign, Burr’s character was savagely attacked by Hamilton and others, and after the election he resolved to restore his reputation by challenging Hamilton to a duel, or an “affair of honor,” as they were known.

Affairs of honor were commonplace in America at the time, and the complex rules governing them usually led to an honorable resolution before any actual firing of weapons. In fact, the outspoken Hamilton had been involved in several affairs of honor in his life, and he had resolved most of them peaceably. No such recourse was found with Burr, however, and on July 11, 1804, the enemies met at 7 a.m. at the dueling grounds near Weehawken, New Jersey. It was the same spot where Hamilton’s son had died defending his father’s honor in 1801.

There are conflicting accounts of what happened next. According to Hamilton’s “second”–his assistant and witness in the duel–Hamilton decided the duel was morally wrong and deliberately fired into the air. Burr’s second claimed that Hamilton fired at Burr and missed. What happened next is agreed upon: Burr shot Hamilton in the stomach, and the bullet lodged next to his spine. Hamilton was taken back to New York, and he died the next afternoon.

Few affairs of honor actually resulted in deaths, and the nation was outraged by the killing of a man as eminent as Alexander Hamilton. Charged with murder in New York and New Jersey, Burr, still vice president, returned to Washington, D.C., where he finished his term immune from prosecution.

In 1805, Burr, thoroughly discredited, concocted a plot with James Wilkinson, commander-in-chief of the U.S. Army, to seize the Louisiana Territory and establish an independent empire, which Burr, presumably, would lead. He contacted the British government and unsuccessfully pleaded for assistance in the scheme. Later, when border trouble with Spanish Mexico heated up, Burr and Wilkinson conspired to seize territory in Spanish America for the same purpose.

In the fall of 1806, Burr led a group of well-armed colonists toward New Orleans, prompting an immediate U.S. investigation. General Wilkinson, in an effort to save himself, turned against Burr and sent dispatches to Washington accusing Burr of treason. In February 1807, Burr was arrested in Louisiana for treason and sent to Virginia to be tried in a U.S. court. In September, he was acquitted on a technicality. Nevertheless, public opinion condemned him as a traitor, and he fled to Europe. He later returned to private life in New York, the murder charges against him forgotten. He died in 1836.

from History.com - This Day in History - Lead Story http://ift.tt/MgY50U