Iron Game Chef - Simulationist!

[Mike Holmes]

There is tremendous energy in the Game Kitchen Arena so far. The contestants are certainly doing their best to make the judging difficult. With such voluminous dishes of such greatly palatable flavor how can one sort out the best? But in the end there can be only one winner. And there is yet much to come. Many entres are being kept warming in the oven, presumably until later in the competition. So we may yet see even more wonderous achievments of gaming cuisine!

The suspense mounts!

[Simon W]

SuperCity


SuperCity Sun

Newsflash

Dr Blood, who readers may remember was defeated several months ago by The Golden Sphere, has only last night escaped from the maximum security wing of the City Gaol, where he was awaiting sentencing. It appears that he had outside help in his escape and Callum Wainwright, the Chief of Police, believes that his accomplice was the notorious Red Volcano, who you will remember was involved in the Six Million Dollar City Bank raid of only a few years ago.  Our reporter spoke to the Superheroine Phoenix Song, who arrived at the scene just seconds too late. In an exclusive statement to The Sun, she said that she would do everything within her power to bring to justice both Dr Blood and Red Volcano, before they start to wreak havoc together upon our fair city.

Nothing very original about this traditional-looking superhero RPG...or is there?

Gideon

[Emily Care]

Song of the blood moon.

2051: a sizable meteorite strikes the earth.  Plague begins spreading, centered on the point of impact in the US Midwest. The disease attacks the blood, changing it so that the very cells of the body rejected. The bodies of the dead seem..different somehow.  The disease is spread by contact and mortality is 100%.  Panic reigns.  

Hysteria increases as bodies of the dead start disappearing, and rumours of aliens start circulating.  Then the victims start to vanish.  Movement is spotted on the moon.  A desperate counter-offensive is launched at the Strangers occupying our satellite.  The attempt is foiled, and the crews captured.  They are sequestered by the hideous aliens, and barraged with images and sounds.  These hideous recordings and images begin being broadcast on earth--the population below waits in terror for the end.  

Then, one woman held on the moon, listening to the noise-sound of her captors, begins hearing something...a melody? Like the songbirds of her youth. Sense rises from the chaos, and she begins to understand.  She watches their actions and realizes that what  had first appeared to be butchery and desecration is research.  

The aliens are trying to heal the disease.

[ADGBoss]

Songs of Distant Spheres

Long ago mankind left behind the world of its creation and reached out into the dark unknown.  As we grew in knowledge our understanding of the Universe became much more clear and thus, much more dangerous.
It is to Mankind's Eternal lament that he can never take a step back once he has glimpsed the edge...

One thousand years ago one woman, Hannah Zutachi, glimpsed the edge and plunged herself and Mankind headlong into Armageddon. Exploring ancient ruins near the center of our galaxy, Zutachi discovered a new branch of Physics related to Harmonics and Dark Matter.  By creating the proper Frequency inside a dark matter "sphere" she was able to harness enormous energies.  Her first experiment opened a Great Rift to another dimension but Zutachi did not live long enough to enjoy it.  For from this rift, having manipulated Zutachi came the Malganorn.  

Malganorn are giant (3m tall) alien creatures with a vast intellect and bodies that can thrive in any environment.  They manipulate Dark Matter and other energies by "Singing" the proper resonance for time, space, distance, and effect.  

We learned quickly that they consume or corrupt all life.

Over a century passed as everything we could throw at them was destroyed.  No weapon was powerful enough and only a handful of the Malganorn were killed before Tenizen showed us the way...

<to be continued>

Sean
ADGBoss

[greyorm]

Unfortunately, I need to drop out of the competition. I wasn't thinking about it last week, but it's graduation week for my wife, the relatives are coming to stay, and she has all those fun last-minute things to finish before the semester is over. I simply don't have the quality of time to devote to creating and writing up a whole new game.

Good luck to all the other contestants!

[Shreyas Sampat]

Sorry to hear that.

Actually, I'm also have to respectfully withdraw, but I'll be posting my game in about two weeks, when I get back from a trip that I didn't know about until a couple of days ago.

To all my fellow chefs, may your knives stay sharp.

Here's another teaser, though:

Our numbers are lessened, and the mountain still grumbles deep in the earth.  Our sacrifices have not pleased it.
I must go and tame the mountain.

[ethan_greer]

So.  Can one designer enter multiple games?

P.S. I'm serious.

[Mike Holmes]

So.  Can one designer enter multiple games?

Yes. They will each be judged separately, however.

Mike

[Simon W]

SuperCity


SuperCity Sun

Newsflash

Dr Blood, who readers may remember was defeated several months ago by The Golden Sphere, has only last night escaped from the maximum security wing of the City Gaol, where he was awaiting sentencing. It appears that he had outside help in his escape and Callum Wainwright, the Chief of Police, believes that his accomplice was the notorious Red Volcano, who you will remember was involved in the Six Million Dollar City Bank raid of only a few years ago.  Our reporter spoke to the Superheroine Phoenix Song, who arrived at the scene just seconds too late. In an exclusive statement to The Sun, she said that she would do everything within her power to bring to justice both Dr Blood and Red Volcano, before they start to wreak havoc together upon our fair city.

Overview

SuperCity is an unashamedly spandex-clad superhero role-playing game(rpg). There are lots of superhero games out there and this game is inspired by many or all of them. However it does differ from all the others in a major way. This is that it is designed for large groups of players – 10 to 12 or more and at least 2 GMs, where normal rpg's are moderated by 1 GM and about 3 to 6 players.

The players are split into 2 teams – the Superheroes and the Supervillains. The Supervillains are fighting for control of SuperCity and the Superheroes are trying to protect the populace and defeat the Supervillains. One GM is in place for each team and to liase with each other to determine whether any members of the teams meet up and so on, much like in other rpg's.

Starting Off

The GM's need to determine a few details between them about SuperCity, draw up a rough, stylised map having a copy each, including some or all of these key locations (and others as required): -

·   The City Hall
·   The City Museum
·   The Sports Stadium
·   The City Hospital
·   The Nuclear Plant
·   The City Bank
·   The Shopping Mall
·   The Water Treatment Works
·   The City Airport
·   The City Police Department and Gaol.
·   The Government Scientific Research Facility
·   City Armory
·   Residential Areas
·   City Park
·   The Warehouses
·   The Slums

It would be helpful if they came up with a few key figures too, for example

·   The City Mayor
·   The Police Chief
·   A Major Celebrity
·   The 'Normal' (non-super)  Crime Boss

It is also a good idea to make up a bunch of Superheroes and Supervillains (examples at the end of these rules) and even make a HeroMachine picture for each character for players to choose from. Once these details are decided, it moves on to the players.

Each player needs to decide whether to play a Superhero or a Supervillain. It is best if there are equal numbers to each team. The teams then go to separate areas (preferably separate rooms) with their respective GM and make their plans.

The Supervillains have to bring SuperCity to its knees. The way they do this is largely up to them, but they need to subjugate the people – there may be other ways to do this, but one way, might for example, be to replace the Mayor with one of their own (Dr Blood naturally believes it should be him and why stop there? Today SuperCity, tomorrow the Nation and then The World!).

They may need some followers – maybe plebs from the Slums to help them fight off the Police Force and other annoying 'normals' who just get in the way of a Supervillains job of taking the city. Capturing some of those annoying super heroes would be great too – the Supervillains could find out how they tick. But again, they are just something to be dealt with along the way to the main task of ruling the city and making slaves of the people.

The super-heroes must try to thwart them. It would be great to find the Supervillains den if they can – it has to be located in the city somewhere. But they must be found and brought to justice. The best way to do this initially is to plan patrols around Supercity, so that they cover as many locations as possible in their move.

The Game

Each team needs a base in SuperCity. It can be in any of the locations. Simply decide where it is, detail any defences and how it is accessed and tell your GM.

Each move is played out in turns. Characters start in their base.

Travel from one location to the next takes 1 turn.

·   Those with 'Super Speed' can move through one additional location per level of the power.
·   Those with Flight can fly one extra location per level of the power - passing through the locations on the way.
·   Those with Teleport can go anywhere but do not pass through the other locations.

So Golden Sphere with his tertiary power of flight can fly through up to two locations in his go. Air Raid with Primary Flight and Tertiary Super Speed can pass through 5 locations in his go.  

To search a location takes 1 turn. This is needed to find the enemy base. (A Monumental Task reducing by one level per turn spent searching).

At the end of the players moves, the GM's get together and compare their maps and the moves the teams made, to see whether any paths crossed. Paths will definitely cross when team members end in the same location. If they simply passed through the same location then those with Super Senses definitely spot the others. Those without Super Senses need to roll under Mind on a dice.

E.g. Red Volcano decides to travel with his buddy Air Raid towards the sports stadium, where they know the baseball star Trent Barron will be playing. Both can fly, but Red Volcano is slower – so if they want to stay together they can move only 2 locations. Phoenix Song and the Privateer are running towards the bank. They can travel only one location – funnily enough, the location that Red Volcano and Air Raid passed through. They have not ended their turn in the same location, so spotting is not automatic. Privateer has Super Senses, so he has spotted the other two flying overhead. They only spot him on a successful roll (which they fail). Privateer and Phoenix Song can either let them go, or fire at/attack Red Volcano and Air Raid.    

The System Rules

Each character is either a Superhero or a Supervillain.

Each character has 3 attributes. These are: -

Body      Represents strength, physique, muscle, toughness and constitution.

Action      Represents reflexes, deftness, speed, dexterity, agility and movement.

Mind      Represents intellect, will, memory, reasoning and determination.

Each character has 6 points divided between these attributes. Each has a minimum of 1, which is human normal. Each point in the attribute represents the number of dice to roll when performing activities.

Each character also has powers - a primary power, a secondary power and a tertiary power. Each also has a weakness (or no tertiary power). Some of these super powers may be extensions of or additions to the basic attributes.

Using Powers

Opposed Rolls

These normally come from aggressive acts against another character, such as in combat. The players both roll dice and the highest wins. The resultant total scored above that of the other player determines the level of the success.

To use a Primary Power, you roll 4 dice. To use a Secondary Power you roll 3 dice. To use a Tertiary Power, you roll 2 Dice. To use Attributes, you roll as many dice as your character has in that attribute.

The combat is broken down into 'rounds' of a few seconds in length. The dice to roll depends on what each character is doing.

Action determines which character gets to attack first. Rounds are counted down from 4 (the highest) to 1 (the lowest). Whoever has an Action on the called round can then attack (if they have any means of attack left). If two or more characters have the same Action, they all roll dice to see who gets to attack first.

In a round a character can attack once. However, he can defend as many times as he can, by using powers and attributes. Each power or attribute can only be used once in a round though. Dodging using Action can only be done once. A character can defend against multiple attacks until he has run out of means to defend or chooses not to defend.

The means to defend against attacks can be powers or Action (dodging). Many of the powers can be used to defend against attack.

Physical Powers

Hand-to-Hand, Power Blasts, Fire Attacks, Frost Blasts etc – these are all physical attacks. They can be defended by similar powers – a fireball could be defended against using an ice-shield for example. Or you could simply shoot a power blast down with a laser beam. Or you could fly out of the way. Any reasonable sounding method of avoidance can be used.

Any attack that gets through and has a positive value will reduce the characters Body by 1. Anyone losing a point of Body loses their attack for that round, if they have not already attacked. They can still defend though. A character reduced to 0 Body is knocked out.

Mental Powers

Mind Attacks, Mental Blasts, Domination etc – these are mental attacks. They can be defended by any of the mental powers or by Mind alone. If it is simply a mental 'blast' then the effects become physical. If it is a more dominating attack – Mind Control for example, then the result determines how under control the character is and how long it will last, if not severed.

Any attack that gets through and has a positive value will reduce the characters Mind by 1. A character reduced to 0 Mind is either knocked out or susceptible to the attackers control/mental power.

KO'd characters can recover if woken by colleagues (one totally uninterrupted round).

Physical Attack Powers       
Devitalization                      
Diamond Darts      
Electrical Powers      
Fire Powers      
Gravity Powers      
Ice Powers                                   
Light/Laser                                      
Magnetic Powers   
Power Blast      
Weather Control      
Webs*                      
                                      
Combined Attack                      
Strength + Body

Physical Defence Powers
Acrobatics   
Armour**
Electrical Powers
Fire Powers
Gravity Powers
Ice Powers   
Invisibility
Light/Laser   
Magnetic Powers
Non-Corporealness
Power Blast
Speed
Strength
Super Senses
Weather Control
Webs

Combined Defence
Acrobatics + Action
   
Mental Attack Powers
Domination
Emotion Control
Illusion
Mental Blast

Mental Defence Powers
Mental Shield**
Domination
Emotion Control
Illusion                      
Super Senses                      
Mental Blast

*Cause no damage, but do ensnare.
** Can be used to defend more than once, if of Primary or Secondary power.

Example of combat

Privateer and Phoenix Song decide to attack Red Volcano and air Raid. They attract their attention (Privateer is too cocky not to shout at them first) and Action dictates the order of play. Air Raid and Privateer both have Action 3. They roll and Privateer ends up with the highest and decides to fire his Power Blast Gun at Red Volcano.  He rolls 2 dice and they come up 7. Red Volcano gets to defend. He decides to rely on his Stone Powers and so rips a piece of wall from a nearby building, which is used to block the shot. He gets to roll 3 dice for a Secondary Power and gets 16 – blocking the shot.
Then Air Raid gets to have a go and Power Blasts The Privateer, for three dice coming up 9.  Privateer uses his Super Senses to avoid the shot (he could have used Acrobatics or Action to get out of the way or even Body to absorb the shot) and gets 10 on his 3 dice, just moving in the nick of time.
Phoenix Song uses her Sonic Powers to attack Red Volcano and as her Primary Power gets to roll 4 dice, getting 13. Red Volcano has already used his Stone Powers this round. He must either use his best attack (Fire Powers) or try to fly out of the way or dodge, using Action. In neither case will he be able to beat the roll Phoenix Song made, so he decides to try to absorb the shot, using his Body Attribute. He rolls 3 dice and gets 12 – not enough! He suffers a  point of Body damage and loses his attack for that round.

Weaknesses

Each character has a weakness. This is unknown to the other team (at least initially). In most cases this is a weakness to a particular form of attack. If attacked by something for which they have a weakness they use 2 dice less to defend against the attack.

So, in the example above, if Phoenix Song had attacked Air Raid with her Sonic Power, Air Raid would have tried to  Fly out of the way – normally 4 dice for him, but reduced to only 2 dice because he has a weakness against this form of attack.

Unopposed Rolls

These are rolls where there is not an opponent, but the challenge is determined by other factors – such as how difficult it would be due to conditions such as adverse weather, the need for speed etc.

Again the player simply rolls dice for what he is doing – using Power Blast to knock down brick wall for example. The player rolls dice in a bid to exceed the number in the table belo, depending on the GM-assessed difficulty.

So, Golden Sphere is trying to knock a hole in a brick wall.  The brick wall for example could be 3 feet thick and the GM has determined each foot is one level of difficulty. This makes the wall hard to blast down so Golden Sphere needs a 15 or higher. He rolls 4 dice for his Laser/Light Power and gets 16 – he has basted a hole through the wall.


Difficulty   Number to exceed
Straightforward   5
Moderate   10
Hard   15
Daunting   20
Formidable   25
Monumental   30



The Cast List - stats in this order

Name   B   A   M   Primary   Secondary   Tertiary   Weakness

Golden Sphere   2   2   2   Laser/Light Powers   Force Field   Flight   Stone Powers
Phoenix Song   1   2   3   Sonic Powers   Regeneration   Mental Shield   Ice Powers
Challenger    2   2   2   Mental Blast   Armour    Acrobatics   Mental Blast
Shadow Knight   3   2   1   Armour   Illusions   Teleport    Domination
The Privateer   2   3   1   Acrobatics    Super Senses   Power Blast Gun    Cocky
Lady Luck   1   2   3   Lucky   Emotion Control   Flight   Power Blast
Laserburn   2   3   1   Speed   Laser/Light powers   Flight    Darkness
Golden Wing   2   2   2   Flight   Gravity Powers   Acrobatics   Magnetic Powers
The Moth   1   4   1   Super Senses   Sonic Powers   Moth Form   Heat/Flame
Bulldog   3   1   2   Strength   Super Senses   Mental Shield    Devitalization
Attractor   2   1   3   Magnetic Powers   Armour    Mental Blast   Diamond
Firefox   2   3   1   Flame Powers   Flight   Acrobatics   Absorb Heat
                     
Dr Blood   2   1   3   Devitalization   Teleport   Regeneration   Megalomaniac
Red Volcano   3   1   2   Fire Powers   Stone Powers   Flight   Magnetic Powers
Doppleganger   1   4   1   Copy Powers   Shape Shift   None   None
Air Raid   2   3   1   Flight   Power Blast   Speed   Sonic Powers
Frost Storm   2   2   2   Ice Powers   Absorb Heat   Regeneration   Power Blast
Dr Necros   1   1   4   Darkness   Domination   Mental Blast   Megalomaniac
Dracos   3   2   1   Flame Powers    Flight    Armour   Water
The Brute   4   1   1   Strength   Armour    Size Change (larger)   Emotion Control
Wraith   2   2   2   Non-Corporealness   Devitalization   Invisibility   Light/Laser
Lady Diamond   2   2   2   Reflection   Diamond Darts    Armour   Illusions
Repellor   2   1   3   Magnetic Powers    Armour   Power Blast   Mental Blast
The Eel   1   3   2   Electrical Powers    Regeneration    Water Breathing   Gravity Powers

Notes.

·   Armour can be used to defend more than once against physical attacks, but each subsequent time it is as if one lower level.
·   Mental Shield can be used to defend more than once against mental attacks, but each time at one lower level.
·   Super Senses can be used defensively, to notice incoming attacks sooner and react to them.
·   Super Senses is the only defence that can be used against either physical or mental attacks.
·   Shapeshift means Doppleganger can shift his attributes around as he wishes.
·   Copy powers means that Doppleganger can see a power being used and copy it for as long as he wants to use it. He can only use one power at a time in this way.
·   Reflection can reflect energy powers back at the user, meaning they then have to defend against their own power.
·   Regeneration means the character can recover if KO'd, at one point per round per level of power.
·   Strength can be used to add to Body rolls in hand to hand.
·   Acrobatics can add to Action to defend.

Okay, its not complete. I need to add some more about how to handle which team wins and which team loses, maybe mundane weapons and how to handle 'normal' npcs and so on. However, I'm going away for a couple of days soon, so I needed to get this out of my hair first!

Gideon
http://www.geocities.com/simonwashbourne/Beyond_Belief.html

[Kester Pelagius]

Greetings All,

I know everyone announced their intentions to participate days ago but I wasn't sure if I'd have anything to contribute.  Now I think I may.  So here's my birthday present to you.  (Yeah, I know, it's supposed to be the other way around.  But I forgive you for not knowing.  ;)  There's more to come, and hopefully a PDF of the complete game with graphics and maps; most of which are *mostly* completed.

But for now here's a bit of a teaser of what I am working on.  It also helps that I had bits and pieces of things to work with, hope thats alright Mike?

In anycase this uses a hybrid (or will once it's fully in place) of the mechanics underlying Crystal Spheres and Revenge of the Crypt Fiend, more or less.  But enough of that, onward!  Onward!

#

Ubel They: Song of the Blood Spheres

Background: In the age of Godhr, when the gods yet walked the earth, the Wolf Clans of Ombrage were united under the banner of the High Chiefs of Nimrud.  For thousands of years they served as protectors and guardians of the clan lands through their High Chiefs.  These High Chiefs were appointed by each clan to serve a year and a day.  By all accounts they were just, their councilors wise, and their Battle Wizards renowned across the three continents.  Yet they feared the invaders from across the sea, the tamers of the wind whose crimson sails too often were sighted near their shores.  Such was the age of Vindr.
    Then the Sphere of Meliq, one of the ten Blood Spheres of Riule, magical orbs long thought lost, was rediscovered.  Found hidden in ruins deep within the forest Ancien the sphere was brought to Nimrud, where news of its discovery quickly spread throughout the land.  All clans hailed this event as a omen signaling the start of a new era of prosperity and peace.  For with the Sphere of Meliq the clan Chiefs, and their wise councilors, hoped to return the land to its ancient glory and see the light of the Riule gods once more returned to the world.  So began the Wolf Age.

Alas, for all its promise, the Wolf Age was short lived.  And never would the race of men be the same again, for with its closing the rule of the clan chiefs ended and their ancestral lands, left in chaos, were over run with monstrous beasts.  Creatures of nightmare roamed the countryside, vampire bandits preyed upon unwary travelers, and, worst of all, the Sphere of Meliq had been captured by the race of cold blooded saurians who would become reviled throughout the three continents as the Slave-lords.  So began the Draconian ascendancy.


Synopsis:  Players in Song of the Blood Spheres will belong to one of three alliance groups:  the Draconic Coalition, Necromancer's Guild, or Monster's Free Union.  These factions represent the ruling tripartite native groups living in the world of They (pronounced: th AE).  Characters will be archetypal heroes summoned to the present age through the mists of time.

While each faction may have disparate end-goals they all find themselves in the same position, they need Heroes.  Of course there haven't been any heroes in Ubel They for hundreds of generations, which means that each group has to concentrate their resources to summon a hero from the mists of space and time.

#

All Heroes have three Traits, in addition to their Hero Factor; these Traits are: Courage, Will, and Strength.  Each player has exactly 9 attribute points to distribute between these Traits.

Courage: A measure of bravery, valor, and daring.  Very important for determining success of Heroic Actions.

Will:  Every Hero has one, and thank goodness for it!.  If not for Will most Heroes would all too easily succumb to the wiles of Witches and fall prey to every bargain basement Succubus.

Strength:  This trait measures brawn, vigor, and the potency of a Hero's physical attributes.

#

Prior to actual play everyone will need to determine their Heroic character.  To do this simply take 2D6 and roll on the chart below.  For those who read the rules, and you know who you are, warm the dice up.  Hope you get what you rolled for!

 2. Knight
 3. Paladin
 4. Warrior Crusader
 5. Blade Dancer
 6. Sword Mistress
 7. Warrior
 8. Norseman Berserker
 9. Knight Templar (Knight of Justice)
10. Sword Dancer
11. Amazon Archer
12. Barbarian Warrior

#

There's a lot more yet to do, and quite a lot omitted, obviously, but all things considered how's that so far?


Kind Regards,

Kester Pelagius

[talysman]

mmmm.... some interesting dishes being served up by the other chefs!

here is an apperitif to get the juices primed for my upcoming course...



Daemons of Strife and Love
a role-playing game based on the sayings of Empedocles

There (in the sphere) are distinguished neither the swift limbs of the sun, no, nor the shaggy earth in its might, nor the sea, -- so fast was the god bound in the close covering of Harmony, spherical and round, rejoicing in his circular solitude.

Kalinia clambered calmly and carefully up the slope towards the crater, as she had done with daily reverance since first she heard the teachings. she could already hear the burbling of  the magma boiling above her, could smell the acridness of the brimstone.

perhaps it was this hellish symphony of the senses that distracted her enough to allow the men to surprise her.

"Kalinia! Stop!"

she turned when she heard the rough voice of Eurystheus. he and two other men from the village were scrambling up behind her.

"you must return with us, woman!" Eurystheus bellowed. "you must answer for your blasphemy!"

"poor Eurystheus," Kalinia murmurred, "you do not see that it is blood sacrifice that is the true blasphemy."

"silence!" Eurystheus shouted, lunging to grab her wrist. but with preternatural ease, she stepped to one side, dodging his motion, then scrambled further up the slope, closer to the crater.

"you do not know what you do," she continued, backing away from the men now. "the ox you chose to offer to Zeus could have been your grandfather's father, or your mother's great uncle. you stain your soul with murder."

"do not speak filth, Kalinia!" Eurystheus spat. "when the elders sit in judgement, do you wish them to condemn you death?"

"condemn?" she asked. "perhaps many lives from now, you will understand death as I do."

and without turning, without a trace of fear, she threw herself backwards to the flames of the volcano.

[ADGBoss]

Dr. Emile Tenizen analyzed Hannah Zutachi's work but avoided the traps the Malganorn placed in their transmissions.  He kept hold of his own mind and although he could not reproduce his own Malganorn he was able to create powerful battle suits, called RIFv or Robotic Infantry Fighting Vehicle.  Over the years they have become to be known as Riffers and their Pilots known as Riffraff.  

It takes a special person, capable of understanding the nuances of the various Songs.  Those who do are seen as both Hero and Villain.  They are Heroes when fighting the Malganorn but Villains when tweaking the noses of the ruling elite who run the Empire of Man.


Introduction

An enormous Galaxy in a Time of War...

Exploration of Setting

From the Orion Gate to the Great Rift, mankind has spread all over the galaxy. Thousands of worlds have been made colonies and even thousands of years in our future, all the secrets have not yet been revealed.

In all its travels, Mankind has only met two Alien races.  The friendly and highly intelligent Ulmboks and the malignant Malganorn.  Still, many worlds have strange flora and fauna, and hold ancient caches of knowledge left behind by a civilization that does not even have a name.   Some people fear this knowledge and some, like the Imperial Intelligence Directive, wish to use it to further their own political views.

The Gifted however, embrace this knowledge as it helps them pilot their RIFv with even more precision and flexibility.  Outside of the machines though, the Gifted is still a powerful force, capable of doing things mundane citizens could only dream of.  They exist in a political world that casts many shadows and RIFvP often times find themselves lost in the Shadows or worse, consumed by them.

A people torn between the desire for freedom and the desire for survival...

Exploration of Character

When the Imperial Army and the IID watch every move you make, its difficult to get "creative" in the pilot seat.  Creativity itself is often seen as a sign of Malganorn corruption.  Every day people are subjected to the dreaded Mind Scan.  Few leave unscarred from its nightmarish grip.

You however, do not fear the IID or the tyrannical corporations that force-feed the population culture in their time of need.  You're a Riffer or RIFVP (Robotic Infantry Fighting Vehicle, Pilot) and the Imperial Army needs you as a man needs water.  Some say you're a rebel but you and your fellow pilots are just expressing yourselves in a way the rest of the population finds alien.

Of course none of the mundane populace knows the tight rope you walk. Knowledge is power and the Malganorn try and seduce every pilot they come across.  It is difficult. You can hit all the right resonance without some of that ancient know how, but damn does it make it a lot user.

Materials Needed for Play

Paper, Pencils, and Miniatures are helpful to record data and have a visual representation of play. Minis are NOT mandatory. (See role-playing combat in the Skills and Conflict Resolution chapter)

1x d20. A 20 Sided Die or some computer programs that can reproduce the same random roll is needed.

4x d6. At least 4 6 sided dice or some computer programs that can reproduce the same random roll is needed.

Chapter One:

System: Target 15

Roles and Character Generation

Players take on the roles or Persona of a Gifted, RIFv pilot.  Their goals are many, although survival in the front lines of the Malganorn War is first among them.

The following are samples of what a RIFvP or Gifted might be like:

The Soldier: Even if it had not been the Malganorn War, you would have found someone to fight.  You enjoy being a soldier and aside from your survival, your main goal is to advance in Rank and military Skills.

The Rebel: Ok sure, your fighting the Malganorn to save the Human race. The Ulmbok to yeah. But... BUT! Your doing this so that the Population sees you and gets all excited so that when the Malganorn are gone, the real enemy, The Empire, can be overthrown.  Rules are for dipshits.

The Martyr: You were destined to die. First it was God and then Ulmbok rights on Gemini II and then the Sivrik Fish on Minos IX.  If there is a cause you are throwing your worthless life away to see it gets done.  Now the ultimate cause is here.  Someone has to defeat the Malganorn once and for all and you intend to die, spectacularly, trying.

Ulmbok Pilot: You're cute and fuzzy and can manipulate the Gifs better then any Human, but of course you never tell them that.  Life is fun! Of course you hate to see violence but you see the Malganorn for the Children of Entropy that they are and have remorse in killing them. If you can have fun with the Humans along the way, well cool.

The above are mere examples of the kinds of Roles a Player may choose for their Persona.

Some Definitions for Chapter One

Persona: A fictional character that a Player portrays in the game.
Attributes: The basic building blocks of a Persona that determine the basis for Statistics and Skills.
Statistics:  The more complex building blocks of a Persona that define certain in game abilities.

Persona (Character) Generation

Step 1: The Group Mind

This is not really a crunchy bit of rules but mainly a discussion between GM (Game Master) and the Players over the mood of the game and what kind of characters are going to fit the game best.  In any group there can be only one (1) Ulmbok character so the group should decide who gets to play that if indeed anyone wants to.

Step 2:  Attribute Generation

Definition of Attributes

Physique: The overall physical strength, health, and dexterity of the Persona.
Intellect: The basic intelligence and learning ability of the Persona.
Psyche: The Willpower and basic Sanity of a Persona

All Attributes start at 1.  The Player then has 10 extra points to divide between the various Attributes, with no score higher then 6, that is no more then 5 extra points can be added to any Attribute.

Step 3: Statistic Generation

Definition of Statistics

Initiative: The ability to make the first move in any Conflict* Resolution.
Health:  The ability to sustain Physical Damage. When a Persona reaches –1 Health he or she is dead. Dead. Dead. Get it? Dead.
Sanity: The ability to sustain Mental Damage. This number, unlike Health, cannot be healed over time except with a lot of Therapy.  Certain Gifts can return Sanity but once it reaches 0, the Persona is Insane and its Role changes.
Passive Defense: This is a combat ability, when a character is otherwise occupied it defines the basic defensive ability of that Persona. This is negated if the character is unconscious or immobilized.
Smack: This is a combat ability, when a character kicks or punches or hits with a melee weapon, this is added to damage.

*Conflict does NOT mean necessarily, Combat.

Initiative = 1d20 + [(Physique + Intellect)/2]
Health= Physique x 4
Sanity= Psyche x 4
Passive Defense (PD)= Physique x 2
Smack = Physique

Step 4: Skill and Song Determination

Definitions of Skills and Songs

Skill: A learned ability or a talent honed to a higher ability.  Cooking, shooting a gun, and seduction are examples of Skills.
Song: Songs, also known as Gifts, are the super-physical powers that the Gifted and the Malganorn possess.
Skill / Song Level: Untrained, Trained, Expert, Teacher, Master. These are the measures of the ability for each skill or song.  That is, how proficient each Persona is with these skills.  There is no "Untrained" level for Songs. A Song cannot be used untrained.

Table 1.4
Untrained   Trained   Expert   Teacher   Master
-2   0   +3   +6   +12

Each Persona begins with a number of trained skills equal to: Intellect x 2
They may upgrade half of these (or Intellect x 1) to Expert Status OR upgrade 1 to Teacher (+6) Level.

Every Persona begins with the following Skills:

Pilot, RIFv: Expert
Computer Use: Trained
Combat, RIFv: Expert
Language: Imperial: Expert
-These may be upgraded as above.

The use of these numbers will be explained in Chapter 2.

Each Persona begins with a number of trained Songs equal to Psyche. They may upgrade one of these Expert.  

Every Persona begins with the following Songs:

Short Warp: Trained
Song of the Volcano: Trained
Song of the Blood: Trained
-These may be upgraded as above.
Step 5:  Gender, Name, Appearance

At this point most of the crunchy bits are done. The Player should choose their name, gender, age, planet of origin and any defining physical characteristics.  A discussion of the attitudes and goals of each Persona would also be appropriate since these may have changed based on choices during character creation.

Also there is Rank. All Personas begin, unless otherwise noted by the GM, as a Flight Lieutenant (Rank 1). Rank is purely for in game influence. It has no real mechanical purpose.

Otherwise the Persona is finished.

[Mike Holmes]

The aromas drifting up from Game Design Kitchen Arena are almost too tantalizing! Less than three days left, and one can see the determination of these proud warriors. Some have had to step aside already, but others proceed with great vigor! Who will reign in the end as Iron Game Chef Simulationist?

We shall see!

[deadpanbob]

THE BEFORE

On the eve of a new century, humanity stood on the threshold of lasting world peace.  Technology and social development had reached new heights, and all Earth's pundits were predicting a new era of global prosperity and healing.  Class, regional and tribal discontents and distinctions had faded almost entirely into the embrace of recorded history.

We had begun taking the first tentative steps towards a permanent human presence outside of our planet – yet still within our own solar system.  Semi-permanent mining colonies had been established in the asteroid belts, and manned scientific stations were orbiting Saturn, Jupiter and Pluto.  A permanent colony was established on Earth's Moon, and was beginning to build our first interstellar spaceships.

Scientists for the first time truly and universally agreed that a Grand Unified Theory of physics was within our grasp.  Technological engineering discoveries had produced the first workable theory of interstellar travel.  Medical, biological and genetic science had merged – and against all odds was applied to the population at large in ethical and socially progressive ways.

Many chronic, genetic diseases had been fully and totally conquered by this marriage of genetics and medicine.  Genetic engineering was used regularly, not to engineer a master race or guarantee super-human potential, but to mitigate the often devastating effects of genetic defects.

Nationalism and the supremacy of the nation-state had given way a first to continental government alliances and eventually to a workable and accepted world governing body.  The global political landscape still included the nation-state political structure, but supreme authority for the governance of humanity had gradually evolved beyond the control of purely national actors – spurred on in large part by the advances in computer network technologies and the communities that arose as direct descendants of the so-called information super-highway.

As the world began celebrating the beginning of a new century filled with the possibility of hope, redemption, technological and scientific achievement, and the real potential of colonizing the stars – the first wave of the invasion began.

THE RISE OF THE FALLEN

A small scouting force secured a beach-head on our planet unnoticed by all.  This new enemy from beyond the edge of our Solar System arrived quietly – predatory stalkers as invisible to us as the hunter behind the duck blind is to the ducks.  The first signal of trouble was the rapid resurrection of national and tribal factionalism.

The Earth Alliance crumbled as member states pulled out of decades' old global agreements and began rekindling old and sometimes ancient rivalries and hatreds.  Rapidly advancing technological and scientific breakthroughs were channeled into vastly destructive military applications.  Regional warfare erupted all over the globe – and former superpowers began to reassert their claims to unilateral global supremacy.

A core group of Earth Alliance intelligence operative stumbled upon the truth as the world precipitously unraveled: Earth was under attack by alien forces.  These aliens seemed able to slide through society unnoticed – and to manipulate the political and military actors close to the centers of national, regional and tribal power throughout the world.

The aliens had no discernable physical form.  Rather they seemed able to possess humans and use them as puppets and tools to accomplish their goals.  These Fallen humans, once infected by an alien possession, were lost for good – no method was ever discovered for healing them or removing the alien taint.  The Fallen, as they became know, also exhibited seemingly super-human capabilities.  Some of them manipulated the fundamental forces of the universe to devastating effect.

The only clue to the alien's existence were the Fallen and their paranormal capabilities.  Whenever one of the alien's human hosts exhibited such stunning powers, they spoke in a strange, haunting voice that sounded like soulful singing to the human ear.

Dedicated efforts by teams of covert intelligence operatives proved the existence of the invading aliens and brought this proof to the attention of second tier political leaders worldwide.  The line staff of the Earth Alliance arranged global coups d'état – and took control of the worlds political and military institutions back from the Aliens.

The bloody and destructive revolutions claimed the lives of millions of innocent civilians.  Several of the aliens were taken alive – and given over to the scientific and research arms of the Earth Alliance for study.  What they discovered alarmed them greatly – and sent humanity down a path that would seal its ultimate destiny and signal the beginning of the end for our world as we knew it.

PROJECT VULCAN

Earth Alliance scientists learned that the aliens captured represented only advanced scouts for a much larger invasion force.  Military analysts studied the situation, and given the destruction caused by so small a group, decided that if the full alien invasion force arrived at Earth – all would be lost in a matter of hours.

Earth Alliance leaders rallied their nation-state members, the Earth's scientific and engineering communities, and the remaining worldwide military-industrial complexes to build weapons that could be sent out into space to meet the approaching invasion.

The scientists studying the alien tainted Fallen broke through the language barrier and learned that the alien's were capable of manipulating the very fabric of space and time simply through the use of their spoken language.  Try as they did, however, the scientists were unable to achieve the same results with untainted humans.  Despite being able to learn and speak the alien language, some critical component to unlocking these supremely important paranormal abilities was missing.

The Earth Alliance leadership demanded that the scientific community apply their prodigious genetic engineering capabilities to the problem – demanding the creation of controllable alien tainted soldiers capable of using these uniquely powerful songs – as the powers had come to be known.  Project Vulcan was started in secret with over two hundred test subjects.

The gene splicing resulted in mostly horrible death for the test subjects.  Only three survived the process – but they could successfully sing in the alien tongue and thereby manipulate the fundamental forces of the universe.

Unfortunately, these successes were not created with any kind of control mechanism in place, and the three successful test subjects lost short and intense battles with insanity.  They escaped and killed thousands of innocents before being put down by massive military force.

Undaunted, the scientists of Project Vulcan began again, combining in the lessons learned from their failures and control ideas from the cybernetic and robotics industries.  Their second round of tests achieved success beyond their wildest dreams.  They were able to create cybernetic-genetic alien/human hybrids who were eminently controllable and devastatingly powerful as military weapons.

Given humanities outcry after the first Vulcan disaster – and given the fact that the alien invaders could find and fully possess anyone involved in Project Vulcan, Earth Alliance's leaders proposed a risky plan for mass producing these super-soldiers.

The Project Vulcan staff created a core group of Vulcans (the synthetic alien/human hybrids) and gave them the programming and resources necessary to set up secret factories capable of mass producing the super-soldiers.  These factories were known collectively as Vulcan's Forge.   

THE BATTLE IS JOINED

Several thousand of these super-soldiers, along with hundreds of thousands of human space marines (power armor wearing soldiers known as Impacters) headed into space in newly constructed cruisers capable of interstellar travel – technology reverse engineered from the ships of the aliens.

Humanity met the full force of invading aliens just outside the boundaries of our solar system.  The war raged for close to a year – with the Earth Alliance continually sending more and more Vulcans and human soldiers into the fray.

Earth suffered a nearly 90% casualty rate – but we eventually won the war.

THE AFTERMATH

As humanities champions returned to Earth, they were met with suspicion and often times outright hatred.  Most of humanity viewed the Vulcans as fully alien, and refused to accept them in any role in a post war civilization.

Earth Alliance leaders, responding to the wishes of their constituents, and frankly fearing for their own power, began mandating that all Vulcans be rounded up and 'de-commissioned'.  The orders went out, and the Earth Alliance Impacters were eventually given the thankless task of hunting down the Vulcans and finding their secret factories.

The Vulcan's reacted violently – as part of their programming included a survival protocol.  Many of them went insane, as the tension between their directives to protect humanity directly conflicted with their survival protocols.  A core group of visionary Vulcans realized that humanities only hope was to believe that they had destroyed the Vulcans.

They maneuvered the Earth Alliance into recalling all of their Earth Alliance Impacter units from space in order to meet a gathering force of Vulcans.  The Vulcans struck the returning cruisers by surprise, and destroyed them all – reigning nuclear fire across the Earth.

The devastating aftermath of the battle destroyed much of Humanities technological advancements – particularly the secrets of successful space flight – and drove the remaining humans underground and into hiding.

The remaining Vulcan's boarded the remaining interstellar spacecraft and left our solar system for good.

Unbeknownst to the retreating Vulcans, they'd left at least one of their secret factories in tact – damaged, but in tact.  Over the next thousand years, as humanity waited out the prolonged nuclear winter, Vulcan's Forge slowly produced a new breed of Vulcans.

THE RETURN OF HUMANITY

Tentatively at first, humanity clawed its way out of the caves and back into the light.  The landscape had changed dramatically – having been permanently scarred by the years of war and nuclear fallout.

Most of the Earth remained barren and devoid of life.  But much of humanities former glory remained.  The returning humans found technology lying around – and in many cases they were able to make this technology work.  In the hundred years since humanities return to the surface, many of the lost technological gains have been found again.

Unfortunately, most humans don't have enough information to operate, let alone reproduce, many of the technological marvels they have found.

Much of the human race now lives in massive Archologies – cities built literally on the ruins of massive cities abandoned a thousand years earlier.  Each such Archology typically considers itself a nation-state unto itself.  Regional and tribal warfare is the norm – and rabid and sometimes mutated gangs roam the streets of these Archologies.  Life is short, brutal and often filled with strife.

But among the humans walk small groups of Vulcan's – produced by Vulcan's Forge – who still cling to their primary directive: Protect Humanity.  Acting if nothing else like itinerant police and avenging angels – they are almost universally feared but strangely welcomed by the downtrodden and the oppressed.

They are the protectors of this age.  They are the protagonists of humanities new myth and legend.  They are the heroes of Vulcan's Forge.

Cheers,



Jason

[dragongrace]

FOUL BLOOD
DragonGrace JOE--

I: Quick Introduction - BAM!

Volcano - Takes the form of a game mechanic in which it acts as a time bomb.
Song - Takes the form of a game mechanic which is essential to personal victory.
Sphere - takes the form of an in game aesthetic in which the Celestial Sphere is a basis of an in game mechanic.
Blood - Appears in the title and is a measure of a characters health, thus a mechanic.

Foul Blood is about mental illness.  This can be taken as seriously or as light hearted as one wishes in a game context, but I personally take mental illness to be a serious issue.  It runs in the family to some extent.  It runs in many families to some extent, and while I don't not fear that I will suffer from anything other than a delusion of greatness from the rational part of my brain, the irrational part fears it will be forgotten and in return forget.  In all reality, we have our fun with the notion of insanity, but in the end, it's just sadness.  Thanks.  JOE--

II: A Couple of Welcomes

Welcome to the Celestial Institute for the Mentally Ill.  That's how all the doctor's cheerily greet the families as they walk through the door, while dollar signs and little colored pills dance through their eyes.  Let me tell you what's up, my partner in sanity.  We are called the enemy, we are the disturbed, the psychotic, the mentally ill.  Napoleon will tell you, just ask him.

I hope you can remember the last song you heard, I hope you can remember the last time you looked at the stars, because that's all you got.  The blessed stars are our salvation, the beings from the stars will save us.  They will save us all but not through the damning marks stained upon the walls.  The stains are left there to haunt us.  They mark the past like words on a page.  They taunt us by their presence.  Personally I see the one, the horns, hunting me, running me down.  Damn it don't you tell no one.  Don't you tell no one what you think.  Who am I kidding they'll bleed it out of me in the basement.  Oh God!  Don't let them take me to the basement, I'll tell you what you want to know, I can't go down there again, I won't make ti this time.

And I am breathing, breathing, where was I?  Oh yeah, Remember those words of that song that you know, you know?  Those words will save you in the end.  I'll help you out.  I can't remember all of mine, but I'll learn yours.  I'll help you remember.  I'll help you get back to their side of the fence.  I'll scratch your back if you scratch mine.  Only mines real itchy.  It itches with the words of the pen on that chicken scratch paper.  Dr. High and Mighty writes all kinds of things.  Sometimes he sends the nightmares, sometimes I ride those black stallions all the way to the hole in the floor and poop them buggers out like all the bad medicine that they give us in the med room.

I'll help you out to be sure, mate.  I'll show you to your room and I'll see you first thing in the morning.  You'll know me.  You'll remember me.  I'll be sitting next to Napoleon holding onto my fuzzy bunny slippers so no one, AND I MEAN NO ONE, can take them from me ever again.

So you see gentlemen, their madness is contagious.  Be careful not to fall into their mind traps.  Be careful to learn the words to those 'songs' they try so desperately to hold onto.  Those songs are a direct link to and from their brain and their insanity.  The very constellations that our beloved directly has placed upon these hallowed halls serves as a reminder to those words, so find out what helps them remember and remove it.  

And as you heard my poor delusional patient state as well, there is some symbol that calls each and every one back to this reality.  I have long since know that a sign of the Bull draws my patient out.  Find out what that sign is as it will serve you in curing these poor souls.  That symbol blocks the set back of the insanity so that they can forget those rogue thought and ill humours that put them in this state.  

The words, the stars, the signs, are all important but so is the traditional practices.  Finding the proper medication should be top on your priority list, as well as electrostatic, hydrostatic, and the old practice of leeching treatments that we maintain on the lower levels.  

There were men and women inside those minds, my friends.  It is out job, nay, our duty to bring back those noble souls from the brink of insanity into the warmth and welcoming structure of our modern society.  Even if we have to wipe the slate clean, as it were, it will be better than sending them back into the world in the state you see them in.  Identity complexes, obsession and dependency disorders, and many other ailments are all curable.  It's 1921 and we have the technology and the know how to save these poor wretches.  

Now, you have your assignments, get a good nights rest, and show up bright and early for the morning session.  Each day is a new day and another chance to welcome them back to the sane and productive world.

III: The Character

FoulBlood - Char Sheet

Code Select Expand


Celestial Institute of the Mentally Ill

as Patient:
my Name: ________________________________
my Illness: _____________________________
my Song: ________________________________
..... words Remembered: _________________
Salvation: ______________________________
Damnation: ______________________________
Blood:  i - ii - iii - iv - v - vi - vii - viii - ix - x  
Psyche:  i - ii - iii - iv - v - vi - vii - viii - ix - x
Volcano: i - ii - iii - iv - v - vi - vii
Notes: __________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________

as Doctor:
Patient: ________________________________
Diagnosis: ______________________________
Mantra: _________________________________
Constellation: __________________________
Symbol: _________________________________
Observations: ___________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________
_________________________________________


The above Character sheet is for those who simply write to write it out instead of using the designed sheet found here.

FoulBlood Character Info

As a player of Foul Blood you are both Patient and Doctor.  As a Patient you must try to retain a sense of self through your own personal mantra, your song.  As a Doctor you must rid your patient of self by making them forget those silly words that they cling to.  Outside of the knowledge of both player and doctor are the Patient attributes of Blood and Psyche.  Blood determines your physical health level, and Psyche determines you mental health level.  At the beginning of the game both begin at 10 (x).  Volcano is also a meta-game concept in which you track your patient's breaking point.  You start the game with 0 points in your Volcano.

As a Patient, there are some things you must know about yourself and you must pay attention to the others.  First of all, under what name were you admitted.  And what do they claim you have.  Don't worry too much about your illness.  It's never right, the doctor's guess anyway until they have you stabilized.  Now what's most important is your Song.  What 5 words do you sing to yourself in your head when no one is listening.  What 5 words sooth your soul and tell you who you are.  These are words from a song you have heard.  Any 5 words at all.  Keep them a tightly guarded secret.  The doctors know you have them, so they'll make you talk about your life, or your mother, or some odd dream you may have had in the hopes that you give the words away.  If they find out the words they'll make you forget.  

Never fear though, your fellow inmates in this mental prison are your support group.  Don't tell us your words whatever you do, some of us can't be trusted, but those of us who can will try and remember your words for you, just ask in case you forget, know what I mean?  This place the CIMI is loaded with imagry.  Some will drive you mad and some will be your salvation.  When you first arrived it was under a Constellation on the Celestial Sphere.  Remember that Constellation.  It is your salvation.  It is as much a part of you now as the words of your song.  Unfortunately the hallway you walked down was planned.  I personally think the director is some demon playing sick joke on us.  But you will have noticed a symbol on the wall on your Way in.  That's your damnation.  

Only you noticed it, no need to worry.  These things help and hinder you along the way.  If your constellation is discovered you will never be able to remember the words.  If you symbol is discovered, it's a race between your decent into madness and getting out.  But since I was a betting man on the outside, I'd bet on the madness.

You don't have long, A week at best.  Remember the words.  Forget and remember, that's your only way out.  Remember that above all else.  Now forget we ever had this conversation.  I don't want to be discovered.  Not again.  Not this time.

As a Doctor there are some things you should know.  For instance doctor, how your patient refers to themselves.  This is important in retaining that connection to their identity.  Secondly the diagnosis.  The Interns here are sloppy and it's likely they messed it up, so experiment with low doses until you find the appropriate medication for the patient.  You'll know when you have as their health will begin to stabilize and progress will really speed up then.  We haven't had any serious injuries as a result of this practice but until we can hire better help it's what we have to do.

Now When these patients come in they always have this odd little phrase in mind.  It's some kind of mantra that helps them retain the madness.  Our principle job is to make them forget those words.  Once they forget those words, you can see that Tabala Rasa look of thankfulness.  A day later they can go home and rebuild their lives in a productive fashion.  

Pay close attention to the others however.  Because they seem to want to help each other retain the madness.  To do this they use a mnemonic device that the director perceives to help these poor sods.  The Constellations, as beautiful as they are, seem to serve as a memory device of the way they were when they came in.  I have urged the director time and time again to white wall everything, but he won't hear of it.  

There seems to be some traumatic symbol in each patient's life however that will help you get to the core of their psyche and cure them that much quicker.  Finding that symbol is important in your job.  Now the patient's never cooperate so you have to really dig in deep and try and get them to give away clues as to what might be troubling them.  Find that symbol, the constellation, and the words and you have a success story for your portfolio.  

Keep good notes, doctor, and good luck, these patients, I'm convinced, as just as smart as you and me.

IV: The Celestial Institute of the Mentally Ill (CIMI)

CIMI is a medium size complex in the Northen plains of South Dakota.  Outside in the front courtyard of the building is  a large sculpture of a globe but instead of the continents of the world there are constellations encircling the surface of the sphere.   The Celestial Sphere.  Entering the pristine white walls of the CIMI building you find a fountain in the middle of the entrance hall that gurgles soothingly.  A Receptionist with hair pulled into a tight bun at the top of her head smiles warmly at you as you enter.

You are quickly given the grand tour.  A tour that clearly avoids certain areas of the Institute but instead highlights its own magnificence.  You see the room called the Chamber of Friendship and are informed that all the patients meet each other in the morning there with the doctors as a friendly kind of discussion and learning period.  The walls have all kinds of arcane and archaic symbols around them along with constellations copied expertly from the globe out front.

You see the medication distribution center with the color coded shelves of pills and liquid medications lining the walls behind strong steel bars.  You are told that a staff of professional Pharmacologists man the room all times of the day and indeed as you walk by a young gentlemen in a white robe and a name tag reading Stewart smiles at you as you pass by.

You see an empty room that patient's typically stay in, a lavish courtyard where patient's get free time, and a sanitary cafeteria where patient's calmly and quietly each a nutritious meal three times a day.  You are indicated where the doctor's offices are and where you will go in case you want to learn about your friend or relative who is staying at the Institute for a time.  Comfortable in the environment and security of the CIMI you happily turn them over a a pair of burly smiling male nurses and walk out the door.

V: Dice and System

In Foul blood, you are keeping a close watch over two statistics: Blood and Psyche.  Blood determines your physical health level while at the institute and Psyche determines your mental health level while at the institute.  Each attribute can be affected at different times of the day, but the way in which they change is static.  Both Blood and Psyche start at 10 points each.

Whenever a roll for Blood is called, you roll both the Red and White Dice.  If the Red Die is greater than on equal to the White Die you gain a point of Blood.  If the Red Die is less than the White Die then you lose a point of Blood.

Whenever a roll for Psyche is called, you roll both the Red and White Dice.  If the White Die is greater than on equal to the Red Die you gain a point of Psyche.  If the White Die is less than the Red Die then you lose a point of Psyche.

In the event that both the Red and White Die are equal in either a Blood Roll or a Psyche Roll, it is a success as I have indicated above, however you must choose one person to give a clue about your constellation.

VI: The Daily Routine

Patient's and Doctors have a daily routine at the Celestial Institute of the Mentally Ill.  This schedule dictates when they will meet, how much free time they have and what they can do to become healthier happier people.  The Daily routine starts in the morning of the next day any patient arrives.  They get a doctor assigned to them and they attend the Morning meeting.  After the morning meeting each patient then gets ushered into an isolation tank.  After the tank meds are distributed, and then they see their doctor.  Depending on how well the one on one session goes, the doctor can prescribe some physical therapy or the patient can have some free time.  Then it is off to bed until the next day where the schedule repeats itself.

[*] The Morning Meeting
[*] Isolation Tank
[*] Medications
[*] One on One Doctor Therapy
[*] Physical Treatment or Free Time
[*] Bedtime
[/list:u]

The Morning Meeting: All the patients and all the doctors attend the morning meeting.  Each patient tells one thing about themselves.  This can be a part of a dream, a word, a sentence from their past.  Patients are not allowed to repeat anything they have said at any previous morning meeting.  What they say must do one of two things, either incite another patient to act out or reveal a hint about either their song, their constellation, their symbol or their illness.  Each player should listen carefully to each of the other players because if they find that a word of their song has been said, they get a point towards their volcano.  Also a player may be giving a hint about themselves that can be used against them.
No dice rolls are made in this phase.

The Isolation Tank: The Isolation tank is a patient's chance to mislead or redirect their statements about themselves.  Patient's give another sentence in the isolation tank that may or may not lead does the path to recovery.  In the tank they can give false clues or real clues, tell a story or mouth off.  In the end the patient must make a Psyche Roll and adjust their Psyche score accordingly.  If a patient's Psyche Score goes down a point they must add a point to their volcano.

Medications: From the isolation tank, patient's are required to take their meds.  Taking medication is simply a phase in which a Blood roll is made.  According to the results of the roll, adjust your Blood Score appropriately.  This is a phase in which a doctor has to take some guess as to what you have.  This is the doctors chance to stabilize some of the basic health of the patient.

One on One Session: After you've had your medication, you see the doctor for a little one on one time.  The doctor can ask one specific yes or no question during this session to which the patient must answer truthfully.  This is a doctor's opportunity to discover some aspect of their patient's Psyche.  Whether it be a word from the patient's song, or the constellations that calms them, or the symbol that incites them, or the underlying illness that got them institutionalized in the first place.  The question can only be about one of the four: Song, Constellation, Symbol, or illness.  The question cannot be a blanket question such as "Is you constellation A, B, C, D, or, E?"  The question must be specific to a particular point, such as "Is your symbol of a bull?"  In the case of the song, a doctor can ask if their 5 word portion of the song contains a specific word.  Also, a doctor can ask if the song their five words are from is a specific song.  If a doctor guesses correctly then a patient must make a Psyche roll.  Again if the patient loses a point of Psyche they gain a point in their volcano.  A Patient then goes to Free Time.  If the doctor fails to guess correctly then the doctor prescribes some physical therapy in the basement.

The Basement:  The Basement isn't a pleasant place.  Some patients spend a good deal of time in the basement.  Especially when they first come.  It helps to take the edge off of them.  The basement is a flat out Blood Roll.  After the basement, patient's then go to their rooms for the night.

Free Time: Free time is where patients interact with one another but without the doctors.  Free time is much like the morning meeting in which each patient must tell one things about themselves, or tell another patient something about themselves, or make a request.  It is here that a patient can remember a word of their song.  It is here however that a patient may have to make a Psyche Roll.  If a patient choose to give a hint away about themselves then all is fine and other players take note.  If a patient makes a request, it can only be for help to remember their song.  A requests are handled first.  Players can incite one another by guessing a word that the patient already knows, or guessing their symbol or constellation.  Anytime a player is incited at free time they must make a Psyche Roll.  A lose in Psyche equals a gain in volcano.

Dreams and Nightmares:  After either free time or the Basement, patients return to their room to sleep off the days events either through a pleasant dream or a violent nightmare.  Doctors take a stab at their patient by playing a word over and over in the night.  If that word is correct then the player has a violent nightmare and must make a choice between either making a Blood Roll or a Psyche Roll.  The patient also forgets that word of their song.  If the doctor guesses incorrectly then, it is a safe and restful night of soothing dreams and the patient's volcano goes down one point.

VII: The Volcano

"The longer and harder the subconscious is supressed, the more devestaing the final outburst."

The volcano is something that doctors try to avoid because it upsets the patients and causes a ruckus.  But it is a necessary part of the patient's recovery.  

The volcano is a seven step block in a patient's mind to prevent violent outbursts and displays of supernatural abilites.  The volcano for game purposes is seven steps until the rest of the people at the table need to look out.  On the volcanic scale at positions 3 and 6, the patient has a violent outburst of minimal magnitude.  They can target one other patient who then chooses make either a Blood or a Psyche roll.  At step 7, the volcano blows and a dramtic supernatual outburst occurs.  All patients must then make both a Psyche roll and a Blood roll.  After the volcano blows it returns to a state of 0 and the process begins again.

During the night, when a patient dreams and they step back one on the volcano scale, should they step back into position 3, there is no outburst of any kind.

VIII: Winning and Losing

Winning is difficult from the couch, Winning is easy from the chair, after all only the patient's suffer.  Losing from a patient's perspective seems almost inevitable.  If you lose all you Blood Points, you fall comatose and are moved into an intensive care unit for the rest of your life.  If your lucky they tattoo a tasty vegetable name onto your forehead.  If you lose all your Psyche points you become unreachable.  Not even ghosts will remember your name if you can't.  Losing all of one's words will leave you an empty shell of a person with no ambition, but at least you get to go home to your family if you can remember them.

If however you remember even one of your words even though the doctor is sure you have forgotten them, you get to go home and try to piece back together your life.  Winning is retaining a sense of self through your song, even when others try to medicate, electrocute, beat, or scare it out of you.  As a patient this is almost the only way of winning.  The only other way is to be the last patient standing.  With the Institute to just you and your doctor it's only matter of time before they let you go, isn't it?

As a doctor you lose if your patient goes Comatose, after all how else can you keep charging a bill.  But sometimes these tragedies occur so it's only a minor loss, you'll get other patients.  As a doctor you can proudly keep your license hanging on the wall if you can cure your patient of all the words of their ridiculous song and expose them to the symbol that plagues them.  This is your highest success.  Of a minor victory if your patient is reduced to 0 Psyche, they remain in your care until you can reach them again, and you can still bill the family.

IX: Diagnosis

At this point in the game, the actualities of an illness are not expressed.  The validity of the patient's illness is left up to the player. (Should their character actually have it or whether they were admitted falsely.)  Ideally should the game be developed further the illnesses below may have a greater impact on how a character is played.  As a result, the player may decide to play up to the illness or not.  This list came from http://www.psychologynet.org/dsm.html .

Anxiety Disorders ::
Acute Stress Disorder  (acute psychological consequences of previous trauma)
Agoraphobia  (generalized irrational fear)
Generalized Anxiety Disorder  (nonspecific anxiety)
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder  (obsessive thoughts and compulsive rituals)
Panic Disorder  (unprovoked panic attacks)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder  (non-acute psychological consequences of previous trauma)
Separation Anxiety Disorder  
Social Phobia  (irrational fear of embarrassment)
Specific Phobia  (other specific irrational fears)

Childhood Disorders ::
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder  
Conduct Disorder  (the Antisocial Personality Disorder of Childhood)
Oppositional Defiant Disorder (not only for children)

Eating Disorders ::
Anorexia Nervosa  (self-imposed starvation)
Bulimia Nervosa  (binge eating and dieting)

Mood Disorders  ::
Bipolar I Disorder  (mania with/without major depression)
Bipolar II Disorder  (hypomania with major depression)
Cyclothymic Disorder  (numerous brief episodes of hypomania and minor depression)
Dysthymic Disorder  (prolonged minor depression without mania/hypomania)
Major Depressive Disorder  (major depression without mania)

Personality Disorders ::
Antisocial Personality Disorder  (impulsive, aggressive, manipulative)
Avoidant Personality Disorder  (shy, timid, "inferiority complex")
Borderline Personality Disorder  (impulsive, self-destructive, unstable)
Dependent Personality Disorder  (dependent, submissive, clinging)
Histrionic Personality Disorder  (emotional, dramatic, theatrical)
Narcissistic Personality Disorder  (boastful, egotistical, "superiority complex")
Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder  (perfectionistic, rigid, controlling)
Paranoid Personality Disorder  (suspicious, distrustful)
Schizoid Personality Disorder  (socially distant, detached)
Schizotypal Personality Disorder  (odd, eccentric)

Psychotic Disorders ::
Brief Psychotic Disorder  
Delusional Disorder  
Schizoaffective Disorder  
Schizophreniform Disorder
Schizophrenia  
Shared Psychotic Disorder

Substance-Related Disorders ::
Alcohol Dependence  (alcoholism)
Amphetamine Dependence  (stimulants, speed, uppers, diet pills)
Cannabis Dependence  (marijuana, grass, pot, weed, reefer, hashish, bhang, ganja)
Cocaine Dependence  (coke, crack, coca leaves)
Hallucinogen Dependence  (psychedelics, LSD, mescaline, peyote, psilocybin, DMT)
Inhalant Dependence  (sniffing: glue, gasoline, toluene, solvents)
Nicotine Dependence  (tobacco)
Opioid Dependence  (heroin, methadone, morphine, demerol, percodan, opium, codeine, darvon)
Phencyclidine Dependence  (PCP, angel dust)
Sedative Dependence  (sleeping pills, barbiturates, seconal, valium, librium, ativan, xanax, quaaludes)

Other Disorders ::
Adjustment Disorder
Autistic Disorder
Delirium
Dementia
Multi-infarct Dementia
Tourette's Disorder  

X: Constellations and Symbols

The list of Constellations comes from http://www.physics.csbsju.edu/astro/sky/constellations.html .  I modified the list to combine the three pieces of Argo the Boat into one entry to come up with the 44 original constellations of Ptolemy.  The inspiration for choosing this list of constellations can from the Celestial Sphere.  Symbols can be found on http://www.symbols.com .  On the generated GIF character sheet I started placing each of them around the edge but in the effort of time I only placed a limited number of the appropriate symbols.  Generically the symbols reflect the constellations as they are found on the symbols website, or they are derived by me as a close approximation of meaning or expression of the equivalent Constellation.  In this manner Symbols and constellations are equal (44 of each).  However to a character seeing a constellation is different than seeing a symbol.  While they have the same meaning, they have different effects, so a character can have a constellation and a symbol that are the same in reference.

Andromeda *         And    Daughter of Cassiopeia, chained maiden  
Aquarius *          Aqr    Water-Bearer  
Aquila *            Aql    Eagle          
Ara *               Ara    Altar          
Argo the Boat       Arg    Carina the Keep, Puppis the Stern, Vela the Sails
Aries *             Ari    Ram            
Auriga *            Aur    Charioteer    
Boötes *            Boo    Herdsman      
Cancer *            Cnc    Crab          
Canis Major *       CMa    Big Dog        
Canis Minor *       CMi    Little Dog    
Capricornus *       Cap    Sea Goat          
Cassiopeia *        Cas    The Queen          
Centaurus *         Cen    Centaur        
Cepheus *           Cep    The King          
Cetus *             Cet    Whale          
Corona Australis *  CrA    Southern Crown      
Corona Borealis *   CrB    Northern Crown      
Corvus *            Crv    Crow          
Crater *            Crt    Cup            
Cygnus *            Cyg    Swan          
Delphinus *         Del    Dolphin        
Draco *             Dra    Dragon        
Equuleus *          Equ    Little Horse  
Eridanus *          Eri    The River Eridanus      
Gemini *            Gem    Twins          
Hercules *          Her    The Son of Zeus    
Hydra *             Hya    The Water Snake (female)  
Leo *               Leo    Lion          
Lepus *             Lep    Hare          
Libra *             Lib    Balance (scale)      
Lupus *             Lup    Wolf          
Lyra *              Lyr    Lyre          
Ophiuchus *         Oph    Serpent-Bearer      
Orion *             Ori    The Hunter
Pegasus *           Peg    The Winged Horse
Perseus *           Per    The Rescuer of Andromeda
Pisces *            Psc    Fishes
Piscis Austrinus *  PsA    Southern Fish
Sagitta *           Sge    Arrow
Sagittarius *       Sgr    Archer
Scorpius *          Sco    Scorpion
Serpens *           Ser    Serpent (head=Caput, tail=Cauda)
Taurus *            Tau    Bull
Triangulum *        Tri    Triangle
Ursa Major *        UMa    Great Bear
Ursa Minor *        UMi    Little Bear
Virgo *             Vir    Maiden

XI: End/Cred/Thanks

Credit where credit is due.  In the short time I've been at the forge, I've been exposed to so much, in time it's hard to decide where the influence has come from and where my own ideas have stemmed from.  I think it is a cumulative effort of anyone who's posts I've ever read, which is quite a few, and a special nod to SOAP, since the idea of discovering secrets seeped into the Foul Blood mixture.  Thanks, Mike, for the words and being THE IRON CHEF! BAM!