The Armys robot mule: Amazing Robot Tech

Nils sandte mir aber dieses Video zu:

[youtube b2bExqhhWRI]

Danke, Nils!

@Nils: Wäre nett, wenn du und ich bald mal wieder zusammen zocken könnten. Und: Sag mal, hast du noch die buildnotes zu unserem Hovercraft? Und das Bild? Bald ist ja Nordcon

Cyberpunk Abenteuer: Fully Chipped

Dies ist das erste von mehreren älteren Cyberpunk-Abenteuern, die ich mal geschrieben habe und die ich euch gern zur Verfügung stelle. Jedes der Abenteuer benötigt noch ein bisschen Feinarbeit, da ich i.d.R. die Maps des Abenteuers nicht mehr habe, aber das ist dank Google ja an sich kein Problem mehr.

Vorgeschichte:

Seji Okano* ist Leiter des Night City Büro von Diverse Media Systems (DMS). Vor kurzem führte DMS eine Black Ops gegen Verkäufer von DMS-Raubkopien durch, bei der 50.000 eb an Chipware sichergestellt werden konnten.

* Seji Okano ist ein Charakter aus dem CP2020 Kaufabenteuer LAND OF THE FREE, das ich im übrigen jedem nur wärmstens ans Herz legen kann. Da Okano das Kampagnenabenteuer überlebte und von den SCs leidenschaftlich gehasst wurde, habe ich ihn eine Weile lang als “Feind” der Charaktere im Spiel gehabt. Statt Okano kann natürlich jeder x-beliebige andere Name/Charakter verwendet werden.

Der Fixer Sandman und der größte Teil von dessen Organisation wurden von dem DMS Black Ops Team unter der Solo Paulinda Moore getötet. Beim Verhör des sterbenden Sandman erfuhr Moore von einem weiteren Lagerhaus der Raubkopierer, in dem das Copy Equipment und Raubkopien im Wert von mehreren hunderttausend eb gelagert sind. Dies vermeldete sie an Okano.

Okano sieht in der Situation eine vortreffliche Möglichkeit, schwarz etwas Geld für seine privaten Ambitionen bei der Kirche der Unsterblichen** zu machen.

** Nebenplot, der mit diesem Abenteuer selbst nichts zu tun hat, aber indirekt in ein anderes Abenteuer weiterführt (Ruhe Sanft). Die Kirche der Unsterblichen stammt (glaube ich) aus dem Quellenbuch DARK METROPOLIS und eignet sich sehr gut als obskure Sekte für erfolgreiche Konzerner, die nach der (endlich erreichbaren!) Unsterblichkeit gieren. In dem Quellenbuch, in welchem die “Church of the Immortals” auftauchte, wurde sie zunächst als Hoax entlarvt. Laut Hintergrund folgte auf die Aufdeckung der Tatsache, dass die Kirche nicht das liefern konnte, was sie versprach (nämlich Unsterblichkeit) der weitgehende Zusammenbruch. Zu jener Zeit übernahm ein neuer Kultführer die Reste der Kirche, der außerhalb derselben nur als “der Rabe” (the Raven) bekannt wurde. Dieser schloss viele der Zentren der Kirche und errichtete mit den so frei gewordenen Ressourcen in Night City eine Pyramide als neues HQ der Kirche. In meiner Storyline hat die Kirche der Unsterblichen Continue reading “Cyberpunk Abenteuer: Fully Chipped”

Robot Tank guided by an Xbox 360

DARPA (who accidently invented the internet) has spend millions to create autonomous vehicles. Their newest toy is the crusher:

Crusher Robot Vehicle
Carnegie Mellon University/National Robotics Engineering Center

Itf weighs nearly 7 tons, has a top speed of about 25 mph (its engine is a diesel from a VW Jetta!) and is designed to be totally autonomous, but can be operated remotely if necessary, foxnews.com writes.

It can go from one point to another useing its GPS sensors and internal maps to plot out a route. Only obstacles over six feet tall or deep force it to detour. With a camera it can spot troops 4 kilometers away.

[Otherwise, its a nerds dream. You] “drive” it with controllers for racing video games. A hacked Apple iPhone gives remote updates of the Crusher’s internal diagnostics. And a standard Xbox 360 controller raises the mast antenna, rotates the cameras and, given the situation, fires the weapons.

Good job news for xbox gamers, I would say.

Have a look at the vids.

Cyberpunk Art 4

marc taro holmes is a great artist and fellow wordpress.com user. Always on the prowl for some pics to help find the right mood in a cyberpunk 2020 rpg session, here are some very useful (and beautiful) ones:

Faces This picture can be found at art theft as exercise and immediately inspired several NPCs and a character concept. Great work!
China Town SF Chinatown is a cool background for Triad action! Some more pictures (and this one) in greater resolution are to be found at 17th international sketchcrawl! Chinatown SF

Programming 107

Programming 107

Medusa
CLASS: Anti-Personnel COST: 11,250eb
STRENGTH: 5 MU: 7
PROGRAMMING: 258 DIFFICULTY: 43
FUNCTION(S): Anti-Personnel
OPTION(S): Movement Ability, Recognition, Conversational Ability, Pseudo-Intellect, Contextural Icon
COST MULTIPLIER: x25 (Anti-Personnel x25)
ICON: A lovely young woman dressed in an elegant evening gown and the snakes that pose as her hair pulled back into a topknot. She speaks with a sultry voice, alluring the ‘runner to glance upon her magnificient beauty.
DATA: This was truly an interesting program to put together. She does 8d6 points of damage to the ‘runner while turning him/her Icon into a stone statue that will remain in the matrix where it was frozen.
Netmare
CLASS: Anti-Personnel COST: 7,000eb
STRENGTH: 6 MU: 4
PROGRAMMING: 168 DIFFICULTY: 28
FUNCTION(S): Anti-Personnel
OPTION(S): Contextural Icon
COST MULTIPLIER: x25 (Anti-Personnel x25)
ICON: Whatever you’re afraid of, this program will construct an Icon to resemble that special someone or something that haunts your dreams. And in some cases, your every waking moment.
DATA: Everyone is afraid of something. This program will search your psyche until it uncovers that special something that causes even the most stout of heart to cringe in fear. For us netrunners, this program can be particularly unsettling. It can cause us to fear interfacing with Ma Matrix. Personally, if I can’t feel the loving touch of Ma Matrix at least once per day, I get mighty cranky. Whomever has fallen victim to this program must make a roll: Difficulty vs. 20. If the roll is failed, the person is incapable of performing their so-called duty for 1d10 minutes. Once this period has passed, a second roll is made. If this roll is passed, the person can perform as normal. If the second rolled failed, there is a 50% chance that that person ain’t nothing more than a blabbering idiot on the floor for 6d10 minutes. Or that person will become extremely violent for 6d10 in an attempt to escape his/her fear. Oh look. Here comes Max-Tac to handle your little psychotic episode.Whenever the victim of this program comes across the situation/person/what-have-you he/she/it fears, he/she/it must make a roll: Difficulty vs. 20. If the roll is passed, the victim can perform the task at hand. If the roll failed, the victim cannot perform the task needed to be done until they recover: Difficulty vs. 25. Awww. Havin’ another psychotic episode? Here comes Max-Tac to deal with it permanently.
Hydra of Domain
CLASS: Anti-Personnel, Detection COST: 24,000eb
STRENGTH: 5 MU: 8
PROGRAMMING: 288 DIFFICULTY: 48
FUNCTION(S): Anti-Personnel, Detection
OPTION(S): Movement Ability, Auto Re-Rez, Endurance, Contextural Icon
COST MULTIPLIER: x50 (Anti-Personnel x25, Detection x2)
ICON: A contextural Icon of an enormous creature with five heads and a twin tail.
DATA: This is a program that you don’t wanna be on the recieving end of. The program starts out with five heads and each auto re-rez causes a new head to grow. Example: the program starts with five head, then you hack one off. If the program re-rezzes, the original head and a new head will appear. Thus making a total of six heads. Each additional head after the fifth adds +1 to the program’s current STR. Six heads, STR: 6. Ten heads, STR: 10. There can only be a maximum of ten heads and a maximum STR of 10. Each attack against the netrunner will produce 1d6 per head. Oh my! That’s gonna leave a mark!
Wyvern
CLASS: Anti-Personnel, Detection COST: 22,500eb
STRENGTH: 5 MU: 7
PROGRAMMING: 270 DIFFICULTY: 45
FUNCTION(S): Anti-Personnel, Detection
OPTION(S): Memory, Endurance, Photorealistic Icon
COST MULTIPLIER: x50 (Anti-Personnel x25, Detection x2)
ICON: I took great pride and joy in creating this Icon. It is an adult wyvern. It looks as good as any tri-vid image you’re gonna find in the movie industry or generated on the Net.
DATA: What can be said about such a magnificient creature? Noble and majestic. Arrogant, proud, and aloof. Lord of all they survey and master of what they keep their lairs. They will do 5d10 points of damage to the netrunner that disturbs its lair.
Cloak of Invisibility
CLASS: Stealth COST: 540eb
STRENGTH: 4 MU: 4
PROGRAMMING: 162 DIFFICULTY: 27
FUNCTION(S): Stealth
OPTION(S): Invisibility, Superrealistic Icon
COST MULTIPLIER: x2 (Stealth x2)
ICON: A cloak made of the finest cloth euro can buy.
DATA: The best way to sneak around on the Net is not to let the enemy see ya.

Please also repeat lessons:

Trends for Cyberpunk | Arranged Marriages

In ToC, we examine up-and-coming trends that just might have made into common western culture by 2020 and beyond. And this is what FOX thinks will be the Next Big Thing:

Because Mom Said So: Are Arranged Marriages the Next Big Trend?

“The best way to find your partner for life could very well be the oldest: the arranged marriage, according to one trend exper: ‘Today is the era of the arranged couple who fall into love around the birth of the first child,’ said Marian Salzman, co-author of “Next Now: Trends for the Future.”

“It sounds traditional, but in some ways so much of the future is back to the past, turbo-charged,” she said.

Arranged marriages have been part of many cultures for thousands of years, primarily born out of the desire and/or need for a financial, political or property-based partnership. As America expanded multi-culturally, this custom filtered through as certain ethnic groups sought to preserve cultural and class traditions.

But, contrary to the “old” arranged marriage, in which children are forbidden from choosing their own partners, the modern arranged marriage is not about being forced into federation. It’s about relying on the matchmaking mastery of Mom and Dad.

“This is about picking a marriage partner — not about falling into bed for a world-class romance,” said Salzman, whose trend forecasts are based on pattern recognition and what stylemakers are talking about. “There is a newfound interest in letting someone else solve the love dilemma,” she explained. “We’re on option overload, and we’re maxed out in terms of time, and we’d all love a partner. So it makes sense to enlist those who know us best to forge a proper and satisfying match.”

One such woman who has been happily hitched for 14 years — thanks to her folks’ marriage pick — is 38-year-old Tomoko Chibana. “I always knew my parents would find me a lovely gentleman, so I was able to concentrate very hard on my professional studies while at university*,” said Chibana, who was born in Japan and now lives in New York City with her husband and their three children.

*Now replace “parents” by “corporation” and you know where this might have evolved into by 2020…

I never had to waste time looking for love. After graduation I started working, got married and had a family.”

*Scarily effective from a mega-corporate point of view, indeed

Chibana believes that one of the primary misconceptions of arranged marriage is that just because it is a traditional concept, it must mean traditional male/female duties. “I am more than just a housewife,” she declared. “I am a career woman who has traveled the world and built my own fortune independent from my husband as well.”(…) Most experts believe arranged marriages will never be commonplace in America.
“We’re too individualistic, too much into personal freedom,” said Dr. Robert Epstein, a visiting psychology scholar at the University of California, San Diego, and host of the satellite radio program “Psyched!”

“On the other hand, I think the way we seek love will change, in part because of what we can learn from arranged marriages in other cultures. We leave love entirely to chance, but in many arranged marriages, people deliberately learn to love over time.”

So is it really possible that just by giving it a go, a solid relationship can grow out of an arrangement?

“There have been many arranged marriages that started out as being for the family, power, property and procreation, and love grew out of that bond,” Veshinski said. “It is believed that assisted marriage is about having others help to go through the stack of potential spouses to find those that meet the criteria for top-10 status, so that the potential bride or groom can have a smaller but more appropriate pool to choose from.”

Salzman said arranged marriage makes sense in a world in which the search for “the one” has disappointed so many people.

“I think of so many of my friends who married for lust or ‘true love,’ and most are now divorced, cheating or lost in therapy,” said Salzman. “Who knows what true love is? Thus we seek true partnership — and we rely upon others to help us pick suitable partners.”