OOC Chapter 3 Lone Wanderers

Gimmerlings

Actually I like the idea of introducing new monsters but I honestly am lacking the creativity for it these days. I really enjoyed Stranger's plot development with bio-technology before the caravan got going.

The Shrillers were actually based on a critter in Philip Dick's The Dragon and the George, basically a rodent-like beasty that drove you insane with its screams while circle around you and just out of range. The best defense, mean dogs.

The Gimmerlings are actually out of ADD 1st edition Fiend Folio, I think. Not exactly, but close enough. Reaper's first post made them seem like cannibalistic ghouls and I think something is coming up with cannibalism elsewhere and didn't want to overdo that. I was originally thinking about some kind of liquid beast, perhaps a corrosive slime with some level of intelligence that the League troopers had inadvertently released. But I think this is working well as is.

The Gimmerlings are called that based, perhaps on a legendary beast or maybe someone in Fallout came across an AD&D book and said, "Hmmm looks like this!" but basically I am thinking that they are mutant beasties that escaped military fertility labs and went underground. The problem is the genetic engineering has allowed them to consistently give birth to multiple children and because they mate at young age, genetic mutations have become breed in. And there isn't that much to eat underground.

One might also think of the Trolls in the recent Layton's Lonesome October book (can't recall the title).

Never did play Arcanum, Is it good?
 
Underground

Not sure how long this train thing will be. Not very, I would guess.

We still have other things to find, possibly a new character to meet and then there is Caleb and Grey Cliffs.

Oh Rogue's new buddy is probably one of the survivors of FitzGerald's squad.
 
Hope me having that guy still alive was ok. It seemed better than just having Rogue trapped from both sides so quick by Gimmerlings. Plus, gave me somthing to work with :)

Hehe, passed my drivers test. I can now officially drive so if any of you ever come to the great North East then watch out for a red saxo driving badly!
 
Congrats on the driving test. I got very angry when, despite being oe of my instructor's better students and a pretty good driver, I seem to lose all that skill in test and fail. It pissed my off royally, but as Marcus Aurelius said, Temperance and wisdom are two of the greatest virtues. I must not be angry and i must learn from y mistakes.

Most people understand that it is hard not to be angry when you know you should have passed. THat sounds stupid, but you know what I mean. You could drive perfectly well before your test but with some strange person sitting beside you it all changes.

So well done Rogue. It can be damn hard.
 
I've read the Dragon and The George and thoroughly enjoyed it because of the acknowledgement that the longbow is originally a Welsh innovation (silly Brits, give credit where it is due!).

I don't really care about the plausibility of new "monsters". It's a decent change of pace from raiders and slavers. So go nuts.

And LOL, Rogue Hex. I'm sure glad I live in California and far, far, far away from any possible fender-benders (I am, of course, just kidding). Personally, I've only just received my permit and it'll be three long years before I can get a license.

So the walking pedestrians are safe for now.
 
Cheers guys...

Actually i did all right on my test, only 3 miners! Could have been worst, alot worst!

Reaper, i know what you mean about the difference bettwen your lessons and the real test. I'm a pretty confident driver and can drive without being worried at all but when it came to my test and the guy called my name i actually felt really nervous. When i got in the car i nearly forgot a few things that i woulnd't normally even dream about forgetting. Guess it's just the thought that your getting tested and not just driving.
 
Oi, oi! What's all this talk of silly Brits? THough not normally particularly patriotic I am incensed that some 'colonial' has the nerve to talk like that about their betters.

Deary me.

However, you are correct that the Longbow was a Welsh invention. But it didn't protect them from English conquest, hence the adoption of the technology by the English military all the way back in the 13th cantury I think it was. I believe Eward Longshanks - the guy from Braveheart - conquered Wales. He was a famous warrior king. Still, the Welsh are British, so the Longbow counts as a British invention and as we rule them now we can take a little credit. It came from inside what little empire we have left.

Mel Gibson sure don't like us English folk - first he is slashing us up in Braveheart, then shooting and stabbing our noble soliders in the Patriot - but then he is an American who was raised Australian - hard to get much more anti-English than that.

Ah, I'm sure he doesn't really mean it. He better not, or he should avoid coming to my neck of the woods cause there's gonna be an asswupping waiting for him.

Ah, bless him.
 
Mel and Dragon

You know, my wife and I were watching Mel in the Patriot and we came to the same conclusion, Mel doesn't like the Brits.

Actually, from what I understand, a lot of Aussies don't like the Brits.

One might venture it might have to do with being a colony. But the thing is Americans, by and large, love (and I mean absolutely love) the Brits. I think the Brits are more popular in the US than the Americans are in England, to be honest.

In fact, the only folks I can think that Americans don't like, on a regular basis, are the French. And they helped us out in kicking the Brits out! Personally, I love the French, but one hears anti-French blather every once and awhile.

Gosh I remember reading the Dragon and The George. Not a great book, but I loved it. I've often said that if I could write a book as enjoyable as that, I would be very proud of myself.
 
Are the British really that popular in America?

I know lots of people over here who do not like Americans but I think that is based on envy of what the US has achieved since breaking free - The US has risen to completely eclipse its former masters and I think many English folk are still sore about it.

Also, the isolationist appearance of the American mindset puts people off. There is a view of Americans as a people who do not value anything if it is not American.

I have met few Americans and I like most of them, so it difficult to generalise.

Everyone hates the French. Maybe not on a personal level but if you ask people which nations they dislike, France will come up. They just have a knack for pissing people off.
 
Actually Americans are a bit critical of the Brits for that, and the Japanese too. But that's a consequence of living on an island leading to a sense of "exceptionalism" as an understanding of history.

But yes, people love the Brits. I know girls who will chase a guy just because of his accent. Generally most Americans would give the Brit the benefit of the doubt that he's cool. If he's unliked, it might be because he's an asshole.

But generally Americans are pretty friendly with most Euros. I think there's a bit of reluctance to engage with Asians (probably a language and culture thing) and a bit of fear with middle easterners.

But generally, I think at least, Americans are pretty warm with just about anyone foreign. It's a throwback thing perhaps. We are all folks who came from somewhere else, and being more or less on an island (for most Americans Mexico and Canada are easy neighbors but we don't know much about them- who is the PM in Canada?) anyone foreign is like a vingette of a foreign nation, and its better than TV.

So yes, currently I can't really think of any nationality that suffers animosity. Some folks are a bit pissed off by the French, but even most folks don't take that too seriously.

I think it's just not cool to be pissed off with someone because of where he comes from. Let him prove he's an asshole and then you can dislike him.
 
With regard to the story At this point the issues for the main group will probably be:

(1) Virgil in the Control Room facing off his attackers.
(2) Wounded Rogue getting out of there.
(3) Talon being able to get the grate away so he can rescue the unknown person.
(4) Grim and Jim finding either Rogue, Virgil, or Talon.
(5) Gabriel getting back down the tunnel to find any of the above.
(6) Getting out before they get trapped and gas.

I figure that game time in this is about 45 minutes max before the gas is released and charges blown - either of which would basically doom the party.
 
I like the Janassaries (sp?) bit very much, Welsh. The ideal of recruiting a foreign power source and raising them as elite warriors seems very...Leaguish.

That's what I want to clarify, once more, since I think the League and the Others have gotten mixed up again. Sorry if this sounds like a broken record. I'll just say what is each group's motive and let Welsh have his say about their politics, since he's the creator.

The League of the Four Horsemen: Basically, the first "bad guys" we encounter. They want to take over the whole of America before the Others come. So it's a mad scramble to make the towns into bastions and powerhouses in order to succede in the ensuring war. And they'll do anything to claim a town, whether using coercion, diplomacy, or just plain hostile take over. They are the ones who hired on the raiders as the prelminary attack against Tabis and equipped them with high-tech weaponry. After that failure, they managed to corrupt the infrastructure of the Slavers Guild and basically use the slavers as their own expendable forces, i.e. as border guards and cannon fodder (such as sending Jeeva and his commando into the fortress). They aren't necessarily bad guys, but their methods are extreme. Just now, we've come to discover that the League has their nose in the underground network of trains. They are the ones with high-tech machinery.

The Others: The folks coming from the south. Viable as the most "evil" of the enemy (in my opinion, that is). They've somehow managed to apprehend horses and have employed their own war dogs, the Oprezki. Currently, they're hounding Don Pablo's people somewhere to the south of America, possibly in the Mexican borders or even into California. We have yet to feel the full onslaught of the Others but the Blades at Grey Cliffs have sign tentative signs of a camp being built. The assumption is that the Others are attempting to dash through America, laying waste to whatever gets in their way, so that they can get into Canada where rich deposits of Uranium lay in wait. There is a rumor going about that the Others may have a hand in the Slayer's corruption.

So, I hope that clarifies some issue rather than further boggling them down. Welsh, O Omnipotent One, is there anything else that I missed? Since your the man behind the controls, you probably have more elaborate plans for the Others and the League.
 
Spoilers here

This and Gunslinger's post really is a set of spoilers. If you are more into the mystery, here ya go.

Gunslinger is pretty much on except for a couple of things.

For the characters at least, the Others are a vague presence. Except for a few hints (Sanchez for instance) the characters don't really "know" about the Others yet. As writers we have been afforded some hints, but they are still over the horizon.

But the Slayers (or a faction of Slayers) is actually in league with the League. The reason being is that the Slayers are fundamentally a "high tech" outfit, but somewhat isolated. They dominate through technology and not numbers, and therefore are willing to go to great lengths for the acquisition of technology.

Why should the Slayers play for the League and not the Others. Part of this is ideological. The Others, and their forward scouts the Oprezki, rule by destroying present orders and replacing them through rule by terror. The Others would not tolerate an elitest, technologically superior force as the Slayers. The Slayers would be too much of a local threat. But the Slayers, fearing the coming of the Others, would find the divisions of "Fang's World" too unsettling and themselves unable to build the alliances needed to defend it. So they would look to allies also capable of working in secret.

If we go back to Chapter 1, the only chapter where we see the Slayers, there are hints that things with the Slayers are more complex. Fang himself may, or might not, have known about the Slayer program, but its very suspicious that his colleagues are aware. They are the ones that eventually locate the ghoul base and betray the ghouls as well as delay responding to the Kroeger-McKinner meeting that would lead to the eventual capture of Tabis.

Why? Because the Slayers would want to break up the ghouls presence while appearing as allies. This may have to do with control of the reactor. The Slayers could not allow an independent party control of such technology. Furthermore, the Slayers may also be reacting to Kroeger's technology. IN Chap 1, Kroeger (who is assassinated by a Slayer to cover up the failure of the Tabis op) had discovered a treasure trove of weapons to the West. This is an old army base which has resurfaced in Chapter 3 as the Western destination for our train network.

In Chapter 2 hints of the Slayer conspiracy rise again. For one, we get the order from the Slayers to whack Caleb. Caleb, as the only Blade still operating in the Tabis area, had frustrated the Four Horseman's plan and perhaps knew of their conspiracy. Thus Caleb needs to be eliminated. A further hint comes in the destruction of the Blade base. The Blades were destroyed by what a raider described as thunderous roaring, continuous lightning from the sky, and the smell of gas. The Oprezki, using horses, lacks that kind of technology, but the perhaps the Slayers and the League do. What is that technology- poison gas and probably a one or two gunships. That would outside the Others main base, far to the South and below the jungles of Central America.

So who are the League? We have hints that the League is based on a community of Vaults to the East that have been trying to rebuild. But they aren't very nice folks. Hungry for slaves to work their factories, farms and to serve as soldiers they are attempting to manipulate events in Fang's World for their ends. The Raider blocades of the different cities was an attempt by the League to cut off each of the communities for later conquest. The League operates by secrecy and conspiracy in Fang's World. But yes, their motivations are primarily defensive. They know the Others are coming.

Who is worse? That's hard to say. Neither faction is seeking the betterment of mankind. The Oprezki are merely the forward elements of the Others, and they rule by terror much like the Mongols and other groups of horsemen to rise out of Asia. Indeed the name Oprezki may have links to that area. They are moving North and will sweep any opposition they come across. One can imagine the Others as part Mongols, part Khymer Rouge. Not nice folks. The League, which relies on slavery for labor and resorts to force over diplomacy is more an oligarchy of a few folks who really believe that repression and force are the way to go. Think Blood and Iron. They are fairly ruthless and as we may see, rather prejudicial. I imagine the League to be more like post-apocalyptic Nazis.

So there we are, between a rock and a hardplace.

The central question for the characters of this story. Lately we have been talking about the problem of "who are you, really?" for these characters. Each one of the characters that have come over from Chapt 2 are dealing with some variation of that question. New characters are still getting caught up in the story.

But the next question is "what do you do?" Are you going to join one or other faction, will you try to hide, or will you try to stop them through some other way. Who you are should shape what you do. Good stories require both interesting plot but also good characters.

This is a lot of spoilers which I was hoping to reveal slowly, but ok, its important for us to know who is who.
 
It is nice to have mystery but because we don't have a 'storyteller' like pen and paper RPs, we all have to contribute to the writing and that requires foreknowledge of the plot. Still, there is room to maneouver so we can each add our own mysteries in the details.
 
iOh a further response to Gunslinger- One of the subplots of this story is the search for fuel. Right now there are four stories going on regarding fuel. One, the one we are most familiar, concerns Yacob and the use of deathclaws for fuel. The second, Gunslinger has told us about before- the Others are going North for uranium in Canada. Why, is a story yet to be uncovered and relates to the origins of the Others. THird the ghoul reactor, and finally is the story of GreyCliffs. The Others are primarily a power that relies on horseback. They wouldn't be chasing Don Pablo if they has gas. The slayers are interested in nuclear power. But there is also a fuel power issues in Grey Cliffs. In Tabis the fuel is an burning source, but Grey Cliffs has the ability of making a limited supply of vehicular fuel. THat's an interest of the League.

In response of the Reaper- I agree that mysteries are fun, and to be honest, I didn't want to reveal so much so soon. There is a section concerning Marcus coming up as well as a bit with Don Pablo's clan, and that would have helped capture all of that.

But since this is a cooperative venture, its better that cards are laid out. THere is more to the Others as with the League, and there is now a new faction as well (although very very distant).

As for adding, changing, yes- its a cooperative effort. But at the same time we can't be telling different stories and recreating the story as we, individually, want it to be with consideration of the other characters or the development of the plot. One can think of the many stories or shows that have been made which really twisted the plot around until it became inconsistent and so silly.

It's very easy to build an imaginary world, its less easy to change it and its very dangerous to contradict it. The world is the structure in which we live, and if changes are made ad hoc, there can be no end to it. The story needs to remain consistent and we, as writers, need a consistent world view. It might be slowly revealed to our characters and made complex, but the complexity should not run counter to what we have established.
 
Yes, my orignal statement was unclear on that. Together we have a singular world view that must be kept consistent and the plot which is closely linked with the setting must likewise remain consistant. I was referring to our ability to make the revelations to our characters interesting by controlling how the details are slowly revealed.

We are telling the same story but not always from the same perspective.
 
^Sorry for the above spoilers, folks.

Hopefully our readers (haha, how conceited to think we've got an audience) doesn't read the OOC posts.
 
Finishing up the train

Hey, maybe an audience is not so surprising. We got two characters waiting to join up the caravan (Wasteland-Blade's bounty hunter/merc and another ghoul). Maybe someone is reading this.

I'd also like to hear if anyone has some ideas for encounters along the caravan route. I have a couple in mind, but the variety can grow. If you want to keep it a secret, send it by PM.

LEts wrap this train thing up so new characters can join up.

Cheers!
 
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