From: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org (deltagreen-digest) To: deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Subject: deltagreen-digest V2 #51 Reply-To: Delta Green List Sender: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Errors-To: owner-deltagreen-digest@nocturne.org Precedence: bulk deltagreen-digest Friday, September 3 1999 Volume 02 : Number 051 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:47:16 EDT From: Appelion@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: Emerald Hammer All-Call no, I sent 10 or so. I've recieved far more. Thanks Agent Xavier Kickin' 'em where it hurts ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:53:44 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: DG: the Mi-Go, the Greys, and surviving MJ-12 On Fri, 3 Sep 1999 MSubias@ix.netcom.com wrote: > K E E P E R S' E Y E S O N L Y > > > > > > > > > > Hello, > > First off, it seems to me that the Mi-Go are formidable, and once they > started using the Greys they would have stayed well in the shadows. So > my first question is, why would anyone ever run into the Mi-Go after > Roswell? Their control of the Greys is limited to a range of POWx100 yards. This could be subject to interference from Crystal Matrix AI's, Telepaths, lead lined walls or who knows what else. The Man in Black is : Kenneth Scroggins Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 03 Sep 1999 17:58:20 -0400 From: Daniel Harms Subject: Re: DG: the Mi-Go, the Greys, and surviving MJ-12 KEEPER'S EYES ONLY The best way to reveal the Greys are Mi-Go, IMO, is to do so at the height of a raid on one of their labs. The mi-go, for some reason you decide, cannot escape in their Grey bodies, so they do some emergency surgery, start the lab on fire, then make their getaway. Through the flames, the PCs see the corpses of several Greys, all with their skulls cut open and no brain inside. A table next to them remains empty, and perhaps one or two of them catch a glimpse of the beings in their true bodies returning to Yuggoth. BTW, got Countdown. Wow. Yrs., Daniel Harms dmharms@acsu.buffalo.edu "I had come frighteningly near to the capture of an old secret which ventured close to man's haunts and lurked cautiously just beyond the edge of the known. Yet in the end I had nothing." - H. P. Lovecraft and Robert H. Barlow ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:01:55 EDT From: Appelion@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use I had 80% rifle, and was otherwise OK. But your right, I often wished that I had realized that almost all of the shooting I would do would be A. At point-blank range blowing full clips into Stewards, or B. at around 100 yards, aiming one round and firing the next. I should have taken 50% and put the rest to Throw, for grenades. This would have saved 5-10 New Age types last adventure. Agent Xavier Unloading 22 incendiary rounds where they hurt. PS: MIB, what's the latin in your sig mean? ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:11:27 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: DG: RE: Sniper rifle use On Fri, 3 Sep 1999, McGloin, Michael wrote: > Marine sniper school is intense with a very high failure rate. The > character should have excellent 95% in rifle and 80-90% sneak, hide, spot > hidden, survival and usually handgun. In terms of pure statistical percentages these skill levels are about right. If you interpret the rules as "body of knowledge" then they are way off base. By "Body of Knowledge" I mean that someone with a 99% Rifle has learned all that there is to know about shooting a rifle and is busy making up more and learning new tricks. Such a person would be among the top 1% in the world, if not *the* best. Someone with a 50% Rifle would have half the knowledge/experience that exists about pulling that trigger, and would be considered quite excellent. Remember that the situation can change the dice roll significantly (either up or down) and that a 50% shooter could be aiming and using a scope and get all sorts of bonuses. While the best in the world could be in a moving helicopter shooting at a moving target in a high speed (and armored) vehicle, in the rain, while under hostile fire from nearby rooftops. What I'm trying to say here is that the rules can be interpreted in any number of ways. Not all of them mutually exclusive. The Man in Black is : Kenneth Scroggins Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:20:43 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: Skill levels (was DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use) On Fri, 3 Sep 1999 MSubias@ix.netcom.com wrote: > Shane Ivey co-opted my brain: > > "I consider any skill > to be the character's chance of success under very difficult conditions, > like when you're being shot at and your brain and body are telling you it > would be better to stop all this aiming business and run and hide." > > For example, for a Marine sniper pc I'd give bonuses based on > intelligence info on the operations area, good topographical maps and > weather reports, time spent in the area in advance of shooting which > allows the pc to become comfortable with his environment, and similar > factors. I'd also probably give benefits to the roll based on his having > the proper camo pattern on his clothing for the environment, plenty of > time to put on and/or alter his body paint and other camoflage aids, and > other such things. Also helpful would be custom weapons the shooter is > very familliar with, scope quality, having a bipod, and possibly other > hardware related bennies. As Shane says, extra shooting time helps a > great deal too. Then again, a high skill in this area might preclude this sort of know-it-all affair. What if a 16 year old gamer wanted to play Marine Sniper? The Man in Black is : Kenneth Scroggins Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:20:21 EDT From: Appelion@aol.com Subject: Re: Skill levels (was DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use) read your SAN guide. 85+ is expert level, 97-99 is genius level. It also depends on the skill. Driving takes less skill than shooting, which takes less than h-t-h, and so on. Agent Xavier Runnin' 'em over where it hurts. ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 04 Sep 1999 00:19:13 +0200 From: Davide Mana Subject: Re: DG: Different rules systems... Greetings. Just a precisation >> All this, of course, just to offer a second opinion. >> [I came to GURPS too late in my life to be able to fully appreciate it, I >> guess] > >Look at it this way. Windows (non-microsoft) is less of a game-system than >a philosophy. You can run any RPG in this manner. With GURPS the hardcore >mechanics are there if you need/want them, and the worldbooks are >superlative. My fault, I did not make myself clear - I share the opinion on GURPS worldbooks; I own a few - including an old GURPS China that's a beauty - and they are excellent. I'll have to inflict GURPS Goblins on my unsuspecting Cthulhu team one of these nights. It's the game system that's too heavy for my tastes. But as I said, it's a matter of habit (hey, I still _like_ the Basic Roleplaying engine powering Cthulhu). >The same cannot be said for Windows. Too true. >Sometimes you want a >system that's easier to teach to newbies, I recommend D6 or Storyteller >for this purpose. I know D6 - used it to adapt games with great background and impossibly silly systems (Deadlands, Shadowrun 3rd Ed.). Designed my own games, too, but they were shelved due to loss of enthusiasm (and lack of time). Nice, flexible. Lacks a bit in the personality department, but it's still a fine tool. Storyteller is something my brother dabbles in - and I'm just too happy to let this state of affairs continue unaltered. But I guess you all know my problems with the Albino Fleabag. And here I stop. Take care. Davide Mana Torino, Italy doctor.dee@iol.it The Ice Cave - http://www.fortunecity.com/tattooine/leiber/50/ice_cave.htm ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:40:26 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: Skill levels (was DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use) On Fri, 3 Sep 1999, Eckhard Huelshoff wrote: > and I give > bonuses to skill rolls if he pc has lots of preparation > time and/or useful > equipment or other > paraphenalia. > > How far do you go with your boni? Personally, I'd never raise a skill over 5% or > 10 % under EXTREMELY positive conditions. It depends on how much I want the roll to succeed or fail. > And other fields are so large that even the best can't be over a certain > value. For example: One of my professors once said that nowadays it is > IMPOSSIBLE for any German lawyer to know EVERY German Law. I agree. > Therefore my limit for even the most talented lawyer and professor on > the skill "German Law [ complete ]" would be 60%. Nope, as this is... AGAINST THE RULES~! And from a lawyer too. For Shame! It really matters little what law skill is all about unless the campaign is based around a Law Practice. If it is, then the Law skill needs to be expanded (as you have done in your "Make my own stats" luxury) This would allow some mega-shyster to acquire 90% Tax Law, which would almost certainly involve either money laundering or anti-moneylaundering. Or viewed another way, a lawyer with over 60% has more organizational backing and contacts. A well-respected law Professor with a College full of Students to handle research might have 70%. An Asst. District Atty. with prosecutors and legal secretaries might have 75%. A District Atty with many ADA's and political contacts might have 80%. The head of the most expensive law firm in the country might have 90%. The Man in Black is : Kenneth Scroggins Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 18:47:53 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: DG: RE: Consistancy is the hobgoblin... On Fri, 3 Sep 1999, Daniel "the minivan is almost ready" Harms wrote: > >Nope, because they were satirizing Cthulhu and pals, and not Satan >and > pals (except in the form that Satan worship is a lie). > > >From my reading of the trilogy, I thought they were more background > elements than things being satirized, but I think there's different ways > to read this. I was talking about INWO. Although name-dropping might be construed as satire. Not very subtle satire, but there it is. > >Then *all* locations will have to be, uh, "re-evaluated." > > Of course, that would require the MIB to be at all locations > everywhere at once, and that device won't be finished for another > six months. Whoops, I don't think I was supposed to mention that. > Never mind. I was just going to ask YOG-SOTHOTH do it for me. Great guy that YOG-SOTHOTH, shame about the blue balls... The Man in Black is : Kenneth Scroggins Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:03:29 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: DG: the Mi-Go, the Greys, and surviving MJ-12 On Fri, 3 Sep 1999, Daniel "I love Minivans" Harms wrote: > KEEPER'S EYES ONLY > > > > > > > > > > > > > The best way to reveal the Greys are Mi-Go, IMO, is to > do so at the height of a raid on one of their labs. The mi-go, for > some reason you decide, cannot escape in their Grey bodies, so > they do some emergency surgery, start the lab on fire, then make > their getaway. > > Through the flames, the PCs see the corpses of several Greys, > all with their skulls cut open and no brain inside. A table next to them > remains empty, and perhaps one or two of them catch a glimpse > of the beings in their true bodies returning to Yuggoth. I had always assumed that the Greys were not "shells" for surgically altered Mi-Go, but merely empty puppets. Everything I've read suggests this. Mi-Go are fat, Greys are skinny; don'cha know. Not to say the scene you perpetrate isn't Kewl, but it goes against my grain. Then again, Mi-Go can be chopped down to 12% and still go on. And now I'll tease my Braincase to Grey slave theory. It makes perfect sense for the Mi-Go to implant Greys with the stolen brains of cultists. These volunteer greys might be the force that sends certain humans to Mars when the ENDTIMES arrive (I place this at maybe 2050-2100 or so, almost a post cyberpunk age). The human colony on Mars would be chosen for certain characteristics (probably psionic). So you would have empty Greys, Fungi Greys, Braincase Greys, and quite possibly "free range" Greys that the Mi-Go have made as another servitor race. I'm still thinking about other categories, but I think I'm starting to fall into Dragonitis (Red Dragon, Blue, Gold, Indigo, Sapphire, Shadow, Brown, Grey, Quasar, What's New, Plaid, Turquoise, Fuschia ect.) The Man in Black is : Black, not grey. Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 4 Sep 1999 01:15:08 +0200 From: EHuelshoff@t-online.de (Eckhard Huelshoff) Subject: Re: Skill levels (was DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use) The Man in Black schrieb: [ snip] > > > And other fields are so large that even the best can't be over a certain > > value. For example: One of my professors once said that nowadays it is > > IMPOSSIBLE for any German lawyer to know EVERY German Law. I agree. > > Therefore my limit for even the most talented lawyer and professor on > > the skill "German Law [ complete ]" would be 60%. > > Nope, as this is... AGAINST THE RULES~! And from a lawyer too. For Shame! > It really matters little what law skill is all about unless the campaign > is based around a Law Practice. If it is, then the Law skill needs to be > expanded (as you have done in your "Make my own stats" luxury) This would > allow some mega-shyster to acquire 90% Tax Law, which would almost > certainly involve either money laundering or anti-moneylaundering. > > Or viewed another way, a lawyer with over 60% has more organizational > backing and contacts. A well-respected law Professor with a College full > of Students to handle research might have 70%. An Asst. District Atty. > with prosecutors and legal secretaries might have 75%. A District Atty > with many ADA's and political contacts might have 80%. The head of the > most expensive law firm in the country might have 90%. Well, I can follow your arguments and I agree...partially. I just chose the Law skill as an example for a skill that covers an extremely wide area of knowledge. I'll try another example: Take the Art / Literature skill. If you consider the skill value as the percentage of what you know about that topic, this would mean that your skill would show the percentage of what you read of all the stuff that has ever been written. I just wanted to point out that there are certain fields of knowledge that are that vast that a normal human being would or should be not be able to reach extremely high ratings in, like +70% or somethhing. ECKHARD ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:16:16 -0400 (EDT) From: The Man in Black Subject: Re: DG: Different rules systems... On Sat, 4 Sep 1999, Davide Mana wrote: > It's the game system that's too heavy for my tastes. That's the point. When running GURPS, the normal game mechanic is "Roll 3d6 vs X" sometimes there's even a "Roll 3d6 vs X-y" That's 90% of play in GURPS. It only gets heavy when you do character creation. This is not a bad thing. It forces you to define your character. Usually I have players write up a short background and description before letting the Character Points loose. Vehicles OTOH, is a whole 'nother ball o' wax. I wing it with the Basic 3rd rules. How anyone has time or engineering skill for GURPS Vehicles I'll never know. > But as I said, it's a matter of habit (hey, I still _like_ the Basic > Roleplaying engine powering Cthulhu). Yuck! No Advantages/Disadvantages, you're nuts! The Man in Black is : Kenneth Scroggins Novus Ordo Seclorum : Annuit Coeptus : E Pluribus Unum Code Z: 233,1,42; 140,39,23; 91,3,7; 5,52,3. http://www.carnwyffa.u-net.com [EMERALD HAMMER] ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:22:37 EDT From: Appelion@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: Emerald Hammer All-Call If you hit option-j on a Mac you get a delta. AOL will turn it green. BTW, I think a lot of your links to chapter drafts of the EH website are broken. If you need anything on Seattle (Aryan Nation is in Idaho, Pagan is based here, some good New Age stuff going on, occult/wicca/witchcraft common, no-one is serious, not really, but still), I'd be happy to do it as soon as I can get Countdown (soon). Agent Xavier Now plotting and quite liking it. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:57:36 EDT From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: DG: FICTION: Forrest Lawn (Part 3) Forrest Lawn - Part 3 FORREST: (voice-over) Boot Camp got a lot easier after that. [MUSIC: Age of Aquarius] [MONTAGE] Boot Camp activity. Cleaning showers with toothbrushes, pushups, folding uniforms, pushups, being verbally abused by bellicose noncoms spraying much spittle, and pushups. A continuing motif is rain, mud and recruits running until they puke. FORREST and BUBBA run shoulder-to-shoulder, trampling weaker teammates underfoot. During the PT sequences, we see a CHAIN-SMOKING MAN in the background. He wears a raincoat; his face is almost always obscured by wreaths of cigarette smoke from his seemingly endless supply of Marleys. FADE TO [BARRACKS. NIGHT] [MUSIC continues] FORREST: (voice-over) Now we had time to study philosophy. The recruits are in their skivvies and laying at attention in their bunks. They hold their rifles at port arms. RECRUITS: (in unison) This is my rifle. There are many like it but this one is mine. My rifle is my best friend. It is my life. I must master it as I must master my life. Without me, my rifle is useless. Without my rifle I am useless. I must fire my rifle true. I must shoot straighter than my enemy, who is trying to kill me. I must shoot him before he shoots me. I will. Before God I swear this creed; my rifle and myself are defenders of my country, we are the masters of my enemy, we are the saviors of my life. So be it, until there is no enemy, but peace. Amen. FADE TO [PUGIL STICK TRAINING RING. DAY] [MUSIC continues and fades] FORREST: (voice-over) And then learning got fun. SGT. MARCELLUS is in the center of the ring, surrounded by RECRUITS standing at attention outside the ring's perimeter. He is well muscled, leathery and scarred. He has a gravelly voice. He doesn't wear a standard issue haircut; he has a swimmer's cut with short bangs in the front. He is wearing body armor over his uniform. SGT. MARCELLUS: (to RECRUITS) A rifle is only a tool. It's a hard heart that kills. If your killer instincts are not clean and strong you will hesitate at the moment of truth. You will not kill. You will become dead Marines. And then you will be in a world of shit. Because Marines are not allowed to die without permission! Do you maggots understand? RECRUITS: Sir! Yes, Sir! SGT. MARCELLUS: (pointing at Forrest with his baton) You! Front and center! FORREST: (leaping to feet) Sir! Yes, Sir! FORREST comes to attention before SGT. MARCELLUS. SGT. MARCELLUS: This is your enemy. (points at FORREST) He wants to kill you. I will show you how to kill him first. SGT. MARCELLUS goes to the edge of the ring where he has placed buckets of paint. He returns with a long handled brush covered in white paint. SGT. MARCELLUS: Your enemy wants to maneuver around you to get in position to kill you. Your enemy wants to attack you with his feet or knees. You will deny him the use of his legs by striking him here, or here, or here. SGT. MARCELLUS slaps white paint on FORREST at shins, kneecaps and hamstrings. SGT. MARCELLUS: You will reduce his ability to maneuver by striking him here, or here, or here, or here. SGT. MARCELLUS slaps white paint on FORREST inside thighs, to the outside of knees, back of thighs and coccyx. SGT. MARCELLUS: Your enemy wants to kill you with his hands. He wants to use his weapons against you. You will deny him the use of his hands by striking him here, or here, or here. SGT. MARCELLUS slaps white paint on FORREST at wrist, elbow and shoulder. SGT. MARCELLUS returns the white paintbrush, then resumes with a brush dipped in blue. We see BUBBA happily reciting the attack points to himself. BUBBA likes lists. We see FORREST has seen this from the corner of his eye, and he smiles. SGT. MARCELLUS: Your enemy wants to kill you with any means at his disposal. You will incapacitate him and make him think of other things by striking him here, or here, or here, or here, or here. SGT. MARCELLUS slaps blue paint on FORREST at liver, kidney, groin, face and lower ribs. SGT. MARCELLUS returns the blue paintbrush, then resumes with a brush dipped in red. SGT. MARCELLUS: If your enemy is given a chance to heal from his injuries, he will try to kill you again. The best way to avoid this is to kill him first. FORREST is looking at BUBBA who is now in list heaven. SGT. MARCELLUS: (continuing) Strike your enemy here -- what are you looking at Private? FORREST snaps to attention. SGT. MARCELLUS: (continuing) Were you looking at another recruit? Do you like snails as well as oysters? Huh? CUT TO [BUS STOP. NIGHT] FORREST: I'm not sure I know what he meant by that. UL GUY: Yeah, that was about 6 point 5 Millers on the Obscurity Scale. Oooo, and that was at least 8 point 2. FORREST: -- UL GUY: So you were learning how to kill. FADE TO [PUGIL STICK TRAINING RING. DAY] [MUSIC First notes of something loud and dynamic] We see FORREST putting on body armor and helmet and taking up a pugil stick. RECRUITS are cheering and gesticulating. During voice-over, we see FORREST assume a berserker face and lunge as soon as SGT. MARCELLUS signals Go. FORREST: I had found my Special Purpose. SNAP BACK TO [BUS STOP. NIGHT] UL GUY: I didn't say anything. FORREST: -- CUT TO [PUGIL STICK TRAINING RING. DAY] [MUSIC Star Trek Fight Music (dut dut Dah-Dah-Dah DAH dutdut DAH DAH)] Interrupted lunge continues. FORREST leaps offscreen leaving the cheering RECRUITS. There is a meaty THWOCK! And all the RECRUITS heads simultaneously track something offscreen to the ground. Thud. RECRUITS: (A beat, then cheering) Go Forrest go. Go Forrest go. Go Forrest go. [MONTAGE. PUGIL STICK TRAINING RING. DIFFERENT TIMES OF DAY] [MUSIC continues] RECRUITS cheering "Go Forrest Go" continues throughout. Each shot is in time to the cheer. Each shot starts with a loud THWOCK, WHAP, or SPLAT on the first "Go" and ends with the OPPONENT hitting the ground with a loud THUD on the second "Go". We don't see FORREST who is offscreen throughout. OPPONENT 1 flies across screen flat on his back. OPPONENT 2 flies across screen doubled over. OPPONENT 3 flies across screen as if doing a backflip. OPPONENT 4 flies across screen clutching testicles with both hands. POV changes to behind OPPONENT facing FORREST. The pace picks up as we see the blows without the landing. Each shot is of a different OPPONENT. Now it's a THWACK on each "Go". Each strike is from a different direction in rotation. Left, right, up, down. Left, right, up, down. At each blow we see that, indeed, for each action there is an equal and opposite reaction. POV changes to MEDIUM CLOSE-UP behind OPPONENT facing FORREST. Each shot is of a different OPPONENT. The equal and opposite reaction intensifies with each "Go". THWAP to the left and the head is lying parallel to the shoulder. SMACK to the right and the head snaps around farther than it should. RECRUITS: Stop Forrest stop. Stop Forrest stop. SPLAT upwards and the head snaps to whiplash position. CRUNCH downwards, driving the head into the shoulders like a nail. Sequence ends with OPPONENT X running for his life with FORREST in hot pursuit. FADE OUT FADE IN [PUGIL STICK TRAINING RING. DAY] The ring is now surrounded by bleachers full of cheering RECRUITS. Several platoons are present, each cheers their own champion. CUT TO [UNDER BLEACHERS. IN SHADOW.] FORREST and PVT."BUNNY" sit facing each other. PVT."BUNNY" stands 5' 8". Weighs 155 lbs., has black hair and gray eyes. His perfect pearly white teeth flash in his cadaverous grin. "BUNNY" has a narrow jaw, pointed chin and nose, and high cheekbones. His skin appears both sallow and tight, like the skin of a drum. Through gaps in the bleachers, we can see a fight commencing in the ring. FORREST: My name is Forrest Lawn. People call me Forrest Lawn. What's your name? PVT."BUNNY": You don't want to know my name. I don't want to know your name. FORREST: Just a friendly question. PVT."BUNNY": Marines shouldn't make friends. Someday, I might have to kill you. CLOSE-UP FORREST watches the fight end through a gap in the bleachers. The loser is dragged from the ring as the RECRUITS cheer wildly. PAN TO PVT."BUNNY" is grinning like a skull. CUT TO [PUGIL STICK TRAINING RING. DAY] SGT. MARCELLUS: Next two. You're up. CUT TO [UNDER BLEACHERS. IN SHADOW.] [MUSIC Sergio Leone Western showdown music. Deep male voices going Hoo! Haa!, excited feminine voices on the verge. Tolling bells. FORREST and PVT."BUNNY" rise and head to the ring. POV TRACKS the two as they enter the ring. RECRUITS: (FORREST supporters) Go Forrest go! Go Forrest go! RECRUITS: (PVT."BUNNY" supporters) Kill-er Bun-ny. Kill-er Bun-ny. Kill-er Bun-ny. FORREST and PVT."BUNNY" take ready positions at opposite sides of the ring. In the next sequence, everyone remains motionless. Only their eyes or fingers twitch. Just think of the final gunfight in The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly. Quick cuts, close-ups that get closer and closer with an accelerating cadence until we are cutting from one pair of squinting eyes to another, as the deep male voices go HOO! HAA! and the excited feminine voices whip themselves to a frenzy as each quick cut is marked by the clang of a cathedral bell until the pent-up tension becomes unbearable. CUT TO EXTREME CLOSE-UP of SGT. MARCELLUS SGT. MARCELLUS: Fight! CUT TO CLOSE-UP of PVT."BUNNY" WHAP! He is smacked across the face so fast we don't see what did it. His head snaps from face front to profile with no transition. His mouth is contorted in a Jerry Lewis fashion. His eyes roll up and he topples like a felled tree. CUT TO MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of FORREST as he tugs a human tooth free from where it has become embedded in the end of his pugil stick. CUT TO MEDIUM CLOSE-UP of CHAIN-SMOKING MAN, who has been watching from between the bleachers. He is a sphinx wreathed in smoke. FADE TO [BARRACKS. DAY] [MUSIC Pomp and Circumstance] SGT. HARTMAN: Today you people are no longer maggots. Today you are Marines. You're part of a brotherhood. I will now call out your colorful nicknames and give you your duty assignments. You will fall out, grab your gear and follow your orders. As SGT. HARTMAN calls out each colorful and witty nickname the summoned RECRUIT comes to front and center, salutes and is given his orders. SGT. HARTMAN: Private "Brooklyn" -- Grenade Repair (PVT."BROOKLYN" is a lanky cowpoke with a cowlick) Private "Texas" -- Artillery Fodderman (PVT."TEXAS" is a scrappy little wiseguy with a pompadour) Private "Bunny" -- USMC Sniper School, Camp Pendleton, California. (PVT."BUNNY"s three gold teeth flash in his cadaverous grin) Private "Big Doodyhead" -- Officer Candidate School CUT TO [MUSIC continues] BUBBA: Forrest? FORREST: Yes, Bubba? SGT. HARTMAN: (offscreen) Private "Mister Smartypants" -- Intelligence. Get that smirk off your face! BUBBA: Which one's for fighting and which one's for fun? SGT. HARTMAN: (offscreen) Private "No Nickname" -- Sentry School. FORREST: This is for fighting (gestures with rifle) This is for fun (squeezes crotch) SGT. HARTMAN: (offscreen) Private "Weird Loner" -- Bell Tower Observer. BUBBA: Are you sure? SGT. HARTMAN: (offscreen) Private Bubba, Private Lawn. Report to headquarters, Room 23. FADE TO [OUTSIDE THE DOOR TO ROOM 23] FORREST knocks on door. LIAISON OFFICER: (from other side of door) Enter. POV TRACKS FORREST and BUBBA as they open the door and enter the room. The CHAIN-SMOKING MAN is leaning against some cabinets in a corner; his face is obscured by smoke. In the center of the room is a desk with the LIAISON OFFICER seated behind it. He has a cigarette burning in his ashtray. The only light in the room is the LIAISON OFFICER'S desk lamp. Between the smoke and the dramatic lighting, the room is stylishly noir. FORREST and BUBBA come to attention before the desk. FORREST: Privates Lawn and Bubba reporting for duty, sir! LIAISON OFFICER: At ease, Privates. Congratulations, you will be continuing your education at one of the finest schools in the world. Just sign here. And here. And one right there. And initial here, here and here. And sign the donor card there. And this waiver. And the suicide note. And on this page here and here. FORREST: (voice-over) That GI Bill was really something. CUT TO EXTREME CLOSE-UP of the form that FORREST is signing. Our POV is directed to duty station. School of the Americas, Panama. End of Part 3 Mark McFadden ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 17:17:18 -0700 From: Joseph Camp Subject: DG: Microsoft in bed with NSA >News item from today's slashdot -- apparently the NSA has installed a >backdoor into the CryptoAPI of every copy of Microsoft Win95/98/NT/2K. >It was discovered by Cryptonym because microsoft apparently failed to >strip the symbol-table information from the Service Pack 5 release of >Windows. > >More at > http://www.cryptonym.com/hottopics/msft-nsa.html I've read through the above-referenced article. It's not a pretty picture. Agents and COs with Windows 95/98/NT/2000 systems are urged to use the software provided by Cryptonym to disable the NSA backdoor. be seeing you, Alphonse ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 19:19:30 -0500 From: "Shane Ivey" Subject: RE: Skill levels (was DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use) <> Every Keeper needs to plan for such a contingency, though. I guarantee you, if I was a player in that scenario I would appropriate the closest sniper and do exactly that. It's just good tactics. C.O. Christopher's Aphorisms of Keeping: Never plan your game around the players' being unprepared, being bad tacticians, or having a sense of mercy. The trick is to set up your storyline so the players will have some incentive to get their hands dirty, either before or after they snipe all the cultists into oblivion. SHANE IVEY, Editor and Webmaster, www.zealot.com This week at Zealot.com: Will DC Lose Superman?? Plus: Zealot looks at the filming of LORD OF THE RINGS Zealot: Sci-Fi News, Reviews, and Interactive Fun ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:50:48 EDT From: LizardRoi@aol.com Subject: Re: DG: SLANG: George Kaplan In a message dated 9/3/99 2:26:31 PM Pacific Daylight Time, mib@cyberspace.org writes: << But enough. What about money? How much would a Kaplan cost to keep active. What about actual legwork. Do DG agents receive inexplicable orders to check in and out of Motel Hell but not to stay there? Do the DG agents end up keeping Cary Grant/Kaplan alive? Maybe Majestic is running some Kaplans and DG is chasing them. >> Since maintaining a Kaplan doesn't require classified knowledge, the legwork could be outsourced. Sure, your gofer knows he's up to something shady, let him think it's criminal activity. For that matter, hire criminals. On the West Coast we utilize the services of Moriarty, Lime, & Wolf, Expediters. No task too weird, no fee too large. Discretion guaranteed. The Regional Manager, Mr. Verdi, looks like Christopher Walken in True Romance. He keeps things copacetic. Mark McFadden A subsidiary of Sosa, Int'l. We bring g-, uh, things to life. ------------------------------ Date: Fri, 3 Sep 1999 20:41:32 -0500 (CDT) From: MSubias@ix.netcom.com Subject: Re: Skill levels (was DG: RE: RE: Sniper rifle use) ECKHARD said.. "Some good comments, Mr. S!" Thank you sir. ...and I give bonuses to skill rolls if he pc has lots of preparation time and/or useful equipment or other paraphenalia. ECKHARD said.. "How far do you go with your boni? Personally, I'd never raise a skill over 5% or 10 % under EXTREMELY positive conditions." That is a great question, and something I'm trying to figure out before my campaign starts next week. When I used to run CoC set in the 1920s I sometimes made players roll half their skill under unusually difficult circumstances, and on rare occasions made them succeed only on an impale when I though the chances of success nearly impossible. Right now I'm inclined to allow a skill up to half again its base percentage as a bonus in the best cases. One of my players has a pc who is a military intelligence officer, and who has History as a skill, but is mainly a military historian. I plan on giving him a bonus of either 20% or possibly half again on purely military matters, but for art history, womens' history, and other largely unrelated areas I plan on cutting his chance by 20%, or possibly by half. I have not yet decided this though. Even this presents some problems on a few levels. For example, the base range of an M21 sniper rifle in the DG rule book is 110 yards. According to the CoC rules shooting a 440 yards can be done at one-eighth normal skill. This means without generous extra bonuses from various sources even a godlike Marine sniper with a skill of 100% only has a chance of about 12% to hit a target at 450 yards under the best of circumstances. My knowledge of firearms, snipers, and spec ops is pretty limited, but I believe that some snipers have a very good chance of hitting a target at well over 500 yards. I suspect that other CoC skills have similar problems. Of course, the converse problem also exists. Nice keepers than I could be tempted to give too generous skill bonusues. Here is a related problem. When I did electronics in the Air Force we used an electronic test station to which we hooked up failing component from an F-111's radar system. The test stations sent signals identical to those the F-111 produced to the unit under test, and this helped us _greatly_ in finding problems. As a matter of fact, the test stations had computers inside them, and based on the sort of signal that was there (or absent), could often diagnose the actual problem. We were all still quite capable of doing electronics without these test stations, but they gave us a huge bonus to our Electronics skill. I would say most of us had Electronics skills in the 15-25% range, but we could diagnose most problems pretty easily with the stations. With only a 5-10% bonus, the test stations would have been a waste of money and space. "I'd do it the other way round. Knowing your weapon, material and your surroundings, being extremely well camouflaged, and know about the weather [ especially the wind ] are just bare necessities [ sp? ] for any sniper. [ I did a very brief -5 days- introductory course for snipers that accompany light infantry platoons during my service. I no way comparable to the USMC Sniper training, but interesting anyhow. ] Therefore: If the sniper lacks anything of the above I would reduce his skill." Hmmm...maybe, but _sniper_ is not a skill in CoC. _Rifle_ is. But maybe that's not relevant here, so I'll drag myself back on track. What about the other factors though? What if the sniper spent enough time to camp out in the area, and learn his way aound every stump and gully? What if he was raise in a very similar sort of environment? Would you give a bonus for that? What if he had access to data from satelites? Some of the things I mentioned might be what you need for your base roll, but certainly there are things that would boost your chances above this? "And those super-skills bear a chance to ruin scenarios:. For Example: Just take some introductory scenario that has his climax in the raid of some cult's temple [ without any magic or mythos-being involved ]. If there's one of those super-skill-snipers in the group, the PCs tactic could be simple: Set the temple on fire, wait until the cultists flee the building and have your sniper blow their brains out one by one." It's even worse if you have a super-hacker. "I agree on that evaluation of skills. Just think about your own job or hobbies. How would you evaluate yourself?" "I think nobody would ever dare to give himself a rating of over 85% in his professional skill and even that value would be very brave. Personally, I would for example give me some of the following skill-percentages: Professionally: Constitutional Law: 50% Administration Law: 30% Tax Law: 08% Civil Law: 58% Criminal Law: 70% On the Hobby Side: B - F Movie Lore: 35% Tinto Brass Lore: 65% Judo: 65%" Mine is pretty off the cuff, but here goes a very rough draft... Drive Auto 25% I could be better than this, but then again, maybe I'm not. Electrical Repair 20% Electronics 12% I did electronics in the USAF, though I'm out of practice. First Aid 35% I still remember a fair amount of my annual military first aid and CPR training. History 45% I'm a history major, with a Master's degree. Law 10% I'm married to a lawyer, sometimes edit her papers, and often discuss cases with her. I've done a touch of legal history, and try to keep up with some current legal issues. Library Use 40% Martial Arts 25% Have done for awhile, and somewhat seriously for the last three years. I mostly focus on the Filipino martial arts (with a strong Silat influence) and Bruce Lee's fighting method. 25% is a guesstimate of course. Mechanical Repair 23% I have been taught a bit about auto repair, and used to be a Titan missile mechanic. Massage 45% I did this part time for four years at a chiropractic clinic. I still do it a bit. Occult 40% Long an interest of mine. Other Language Spanish 20% French and German at around 2% ("Voh is der badatzimmer?," Ein Bier bitta") Persuade 30% Some people tell me I argue well. I might even have a higher skill than this. Spoil Cats 25% _They_ probably don't think I'm that good. Swim 10% I have a very dense body, and don't float naturally. Writing 23% I've written _lots_ of papers. Rifle 27% Mostly due to annual military training. My Knife, Club, Fist, Kick, Head Butt, Grapple, and possibly other fighting skills are perhaps up to as much as 15% above base in some cases, though they vary in level (my kicking skills in particular are decicedly unimpressive, though better than those of the untrained). Plus, several I have some other skills including Roleplaying games, theology, cooking at various (mostly low) levels. I'm not sure that I can accurately guage my spot hidden, listen, sneak, and some other skills. Marco > Of course, some fields of endeavor are so small that even the best might not > be in the 90% > skill range. And other fields are so large that even the best can't be over a certain value. For example: One of my professors once said that nowadays it is IMPOSSIBLE for any German lawyer to know EVERY German Law. I agree. Therefore my limit for even the most talented lawyer and professor on the skill "German Law [ complete ]" would be 60%. ECKHARD I'd be more inclined to give bonuses and minuses based on one's specialty. Marco ------------------------------ End of deltagreen-digest V2 #51 *******************************