MonSTeR

Good Point DragoonCav I think that's partly what Rtal was trying to get at with "StreetSlang" the mishmash language. But yeah Spanish may well be extremely prevalent in 2020's california.

yep the rules are pretty much as you've stated there but it's a system that sucks.

It says that any language you know at +8 gives you +4 in the remaining languages in it's linguistic family. Which basically states that any character that starts with say English +8.. ie most characters of American decent (black/white/asian etc...) automatically can read a written form of Danish, Dutch, German, Swedish, Norwegian and Yiddish!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I tend to apply this rule to languages OTHER than the first language. As if to say if you've picked up a little french (say +4  enough to read a little) means you'll probably be able to ham out a little Italian or at least work out a few key words.

It's one case where I think I'd love some detailed linguistic family trees to determine just how close certain languages are.

However, in a slightly more superheroic rather than real world game... The system works fine. (especially with my little mod )

The traffic thickens the further North you get, the further away from the combat zone. The van glides up into the "old Down Town" area of Night city. This used to be the heart of town, these days the place looks like the heart is about to have a coronary.

DaSilva Electronics is situated on North Mall and A Street. The neon sign out front indicates the place is well maintained and the lights from inside mean that Paulo's is still open for business.

The mexican Restaurant is around the corner to the South East.

Meanwhile in the back of the van Jin recorks the champagne. And switches off the assaying equipment connected to her Laptop computer.

"for all intents and purposes, this is the real thing" she says, "there's no trace of any enzymes, or poisons that I can detect and certainly no explosives. I think it's real french Champagne!"

Yeah I'm gonna send BIG Kudos to all the special forces guys around the world. These folks put the "special" into "special forces". They're some extreme guys

I think that most PCs though, when they have high levels of "strength feat" and a high "body" tend to be represented as having a physique more similar to someone like Schwartzenegger rather than the less sculpted guys in the "strongest man" competitions.  

Don't forget Cyberpunk's ethos is style over substance

Absolutely Hanns:)

There probably isn't a very good "famous" example in the real world of a real person with "body 10" As it encompasses so many attributes including physical strength, endurance, constitution and so on.

The guys who win "worlds strongest man" type competitions have trained thier bodies to have a very different physique and physiology from bodybuilders or endurance athletes such as those who compete in triathlons or from someone's grandmother who has lived to 110 years old (a real "endurance" feat;) ).

I was using Ronnie Coleman as an example simply because he is famous (in the world of bodybuilding" and he represents the almost stereotypical image of a character with a very high body stat.

I don't know what Ronnie can bench-press but I dare say its more than your average guy on the street, even if he's not (by a long way) the strongest man in the world. I just think his type of physique is what most people who play cyberpunk think of when they see a high "BOD"

Visit Ronnie on the web at...

Http://www.bigroncoleman.com

Despite the wallowing ride given by the van's suspension on these unmaintained streets Rat studies the import documentation on the french wine. Everything seems legitimate, export from Marseille arrival in New York, cross country to LA and then the SoCal/Norcal shipping papers. This may well be how Franko covers his "special" deliveries, as a "wine merchant".

The 32nd Street divide is coming up soon and unless you want to risk the 28th Street Underpass at this time of night it might be an idea to head westwards soon.

Paulo's is in the Old downtown area of the city, the rundown ramshackle buildings stand in the shadow of the stadium. DaSilva Electronics is just off Sterling so it's on your way to the docks, where this deal's Mr-Smith has his base of operations.

Thumper you didn't know the guy in the brown coat. His nod goodbye was probably just professional courtesy and a little acknowledgement of your position in the cover of the building and a way of indicating to you that he had seen you there.

The way I work the system I feel reflects what many body builders feel about physique. Part of it is genetic, part of it is exercise (and the associated nutrition etc).

I run the game so that strength is an average of body type and the strength feat skill.

Only when you get 10 points in each of these attributes do you look like Ronnie Coleman

I let characters get past 10 for body with drugs (read steroids) as well as cyberware

I've sent you guys private messages

But I'll say here what I said to them.

Currently there aren't places in the game but who knows what the dark future holds??!?!

I guess this is now the unofficial  MonSTeRPunk Waiting List thread ;)

Rat appraises the Champagne turning the cold bottle slowly in his hand whilst with a semi glazed look to his face, he translates the French on the label. It's good quality stuff. Franko may well have either being trying to earn a favour or pay a debt with this stuff it's probably cost him a pretty penny. There are a dozen bottles of the stuff in total, including the one you opened and handed to Jin

With the team safely inside, Bloodbath swings the wheel of the van around to head north into the city towards Paulo's and a taco stand. The deal with the big Texan couldn't have gone any smoother.

As the van heads towards more civilised areas of the city the supermarket's car park once again stands abandoned. No trace of the transaction remains save for the tiniest warming of the tarmac under the vans' engines, heat that is soon disipated by the cool wind blowing in off the bay.

Quote from eraser, posted on Nov. 07 2001,19:19

(ooc)Sorry Eraser, I was just letting time elapse whilst Shrap scanned for a while. My mistake, I should have let you know it's taking a while and the techscanner is not giving you any indication of tracers or bombs.

Shrap's search of the crates both electronically and manually fails to detect any bombs tracers or other electronic devices. It does getting packing material over the floor of the back of the van though

Franko takes the paper fromRat and briefly studies the directions just to make sure he knows where he's going.

The man in the brown coat moves back to the van and stands outside the open cargo door, followed by the black clad nomad, who ungainly clambers inside stooping as he does so. He leans over the front seats and says something into the ear of the driver who nods slowly in acknowledgement of what he's just been told.

Franko slowly lowers the paper and smiles. "The Black Hole.. In 3 hours." he checks his watch and his gaze meets Rat's, his smile broadens.

"Good doing business with you y'know"

He nods at the the rest of the team and turns back to the van walking around the front. As he passes, with his right hand he thumps the hood twice signalling their departure and waves the impromptu map up over his head in his left.

"Three hours"

He gets into the passenger seat as his driver revs the engine slightly. The man in the brown coat nods first at Rat then the team and lastly at Thumper still concealed in the darkest shadows of the building across the street.

I still use a pencil and paper to draw out my maps. Sometimes I'll also use photo's I obtain from the net to give a location some more definition. Photoshop/Paint or whatever can be used to enhance these hand drawn maps or alter photos to change company logos etc.

Oh and I'm currently fighting with my webspace to get the maps up for the online VftE MonSTeRpunk, but I think so far we're doing OK without them

The two of Franko's men and Shrap move the boxes from one van to the other without a hitch. Looks like this deal has gone nicely.

Franko smiles his big smile and toys with his beard.

"Hey man y'know that sounds cool" he nods slowly and positively "What say we meet at one of your clubs in say a a couple of hours y'know? Gimme a chance to take care o' my finances"

Quote from SpiderMurphy2020, posted on Nov. 03 2001,03:40

I'm not cooking the curry as well as running the game

Quote from psychophipps, posted on Nov. 02 2001,04:21

while it isn't anime, i'm reading the Appleseed TPB series again as a prep to restarting my CP-esque spec-war game.  i had almost forgotten how killer that manga series was!  next is the manga version of Ghost in the Shell(much better than the anime, btw).

 

*bows to Masamune Shirow, the gawd of CP comics*

Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )

I always keep Appleseed close at hand. And I was reading book 2 last night But although I bought the VHS tape of the movie...I kinda wished I hadn't

Quote from psychophipps, posted on Oct. 19 2001,06:41

the fact that the Osprey has recently been scrutinized by Congress for falsified readiness and repair logs, i think that it wouldn't be used too much by 2020.  the frackin' thing is a BIG-TIME POS!

 

Mark(psycho)Phipps( HAHAHA! )

But surely the fact that it already has Corporate vs. Government issues including falsified documentation suggest it'd be more likely to be seen in CP2020

Bloodbath survey's the driver of the other team's van. the viking starts a sudden intake of breath and then settles back down behind the wheel.

Temper and Shrap  survey the scene. Temper seems to be taking particular note of the blonde man with the crew cut wearing the trenchcoat whilst Shrap is concentrating on the van's interior and the goings on there.

Rat fumbles around in the crate and removes some samples taking them over to Jin before returning to station with Franko.

Franko starts up a conversation to ease the obvious pressure here. He's easy going by nature but also a cool enough pro to be able to sooth most tense situations.

"It's real, y'know the champagne" His texan drawl still not quite lost during his time in Cali. "I heard your Mr.Smith had a passion for this stuff and this lot's legal."

He turns towards the back of the van and the nomad who has just finished with the crates hands him a manila envelope. Franko reaches inside and pulls out forms and certificates with stamps and seals on them.

"A little gift y'know, sweeten the deal"

He smiles a coy smile and strokes his beard.

"Are we cool?" He shouts to Jin in the back of the van.

Jin finishes up her small tests on the packs of stim Rat selected.

"We seem to be cool" she replies.

Franko's smile widens and he holds his arms out in front of him gesturing at Rat.

"I've shown you mine!" he says with a grin.

Rat's instinct's and experience in this sort of situation tell him that Franko may well be hiding something. But he doesn't seem sinister enought to be about to blow the deal and therfore his reputation. Maybe he just used the run for a little personal business as well as this, his primary deal.

Shrap's teleoptics and low-light show nothing in the back of the van. THe driver iis reciprocating your groups actions and is seemingly checking out your party. Your glances meet and he nods at you acknowledging your presence.

OOC I'm a softee on the called 3 round burst, for simplicity's sake I say all or nothing. If you hit, up to 3 (1d6/2)rounds hit. If you miss all rounds miss. If the other's don';t have mastoid commos I guess Thumper is out on his own as the only one who's tuned in..

Franko approaches Rat still as friendly as he was when he stepped out of his ride.

"Rat man... You know me. I'm a little late but we had some black and white company I thought bettter we made this a private party, y'know?"

He turns his back and walks over to his Van and bangs on the cargo door. The door slide open from the inside to reveal 2 figures lifting a wooden crate from the very back of the van to the doorway.

The first wears all leather, biker boots, jacket and trousers. He may well be somehow connected to the driver... Possibly they run with the same nomad pack.

The second guy is more smartly dressed. A long brown trenchcoat over a black suit. he has close cropped blonde hair and chrome optishields.

The leather clad passenger pops the lid off the crate with a crow bar to reveal what looks like bottles of wine.

Franko " see the good stuff is on top... the *merchandise* is underneath."

He gestures to leather-guy, who lifts one of the bottles out and set's it down on the floor of the van. he moves the packing straw aside to reveal large foil packages.

Bloodbath's smartgoggles magnify the standard white van as it approaches. There really is nothing spectacular about it. As it draws closer the team can make out what Bloodbath has seen for a while. The stock white cargo hauler is being driven by a swarthy guy in his late 20's he looks of italian origin. Next to him sits what looks like a 40 year old beach bum with curly blonde hair and a goatee beard.

The white van draws up in front of the team with it's passenger side facing away from you. As it slows to a stop the passenger side door opens and the blonde guy gets out. He's over 6 feet tall and weighs about 250lbs. He wears blue jeans and a brown distressed leather jacket over a bad hawaiian shirt. He strides around the front of his van towards Rat with his Arms open wide as if to greet an old friend.

Thumper You have an excellent view of the rear of the van.

team you have a view of the drivers side.

Temper's scan of the surrounding area reveals just how abandoned the neighbourhood is. The supermarket is as dead as the rest of the area and, save for a few pigeons, the rooftops are clear.

Thumper moves across the street into the concealing darkness of the entrance of the vacant building accross the street to the west and vanishes from view as the team's van throws a plume of exhaust fumes into the calm night air.

Headlights come over the horizon a few hundred yards to the south. It seems as if this is what you've all been waiting for.

Bookwyrm Rat picks up the traffic/weather from down south. There's a jam clearing on I-1 but it's more likely your guys have come in on I-828/I-5 (the Oakland Road) which is less direct and less patrolled.

The police reports for this area are concentrating on the explosion you heard earlier off to the west. Seems they're debating whether it's even worth investigating. Whatever they decide it's unlikely it was the unmarked white van you've been waiting for.

Group The sound of a big V-8 can be heard from the south. If you want to get into position now's the time... this could well be them.

Thumper, the nearest tall buildings are accross the street to the west about 30 to 40 yards away. to the south is a gas station (again abandoned) and to the north, low level residential apartments. The car park itself measures about 60x60m with the store itself in the SE corner occupying a quarter of the space.)

Your lowlight seems clear and thermograph show a few heat traces in the buildings over the road to the west, probably squaters rather than "bad men doing bad things". The gas station is clear.

eraser The passing glance at the IR reveals nothing you wouldn't expect and nothing to worry about, apart from the obvious lack of your contacts.

Yes I have a problem with it and maybe it should slow a character down. The question is where do you draw the line with encumberence and movement. I think interlock's simplicity wins out here and only when say a mad dash sprint for cover or to catch the moving car is involved would any real movement penalties apply and this can be taken into account by the use of an "athletics" skill check, which will include the EV penalty, to see if the character can cope with wearing the armour and doing track and field at the same time.