PDF International

Game Master The Wyrm Ouroboros

PDF International on Google Drive
Some Information on the World of International
World Invasion Timeline
Wm Shakespeare's Henry V at the Folger Shakespeare Library - AKA your main text for Q1.

See the Campaign Info for PDF Ranks, Cadet Ranks, Insignia, and a quick primer on HERO System.


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While this is initially an interest check, I am all for conserving threads, and should there prove to be enough interest, I would turn this into the recruitment thread.

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The Invasion has happened; the alien 'Thunder' have gained a beachhead upon the planet, from which conventional forces have not been able to dislodge them. Thunder forces hold hundreds of waterfront cities across the world, from New York and Los Angeles to Tokyo, Hong Kong, and others. They are strongest in pure-salt-water cities, such as Los Angeles; they are weakest in pure-fresh-water cities, like Chicago. It is self-evident that the Thunder utilize seawater in their fuel processes, and possibly in their life-cycle as well; whether it is the salt mixture, the trace metals and minerals, or some other combination the scientists have yet to discover. It is notable, however, that the Thunder struck and seized cities, and not relatively bare portions of coastline; it is likewise notable that in the six years since the Invasion, a noticeable amount of what used to be humanity's hives have been consumed and reused.

The Thunder hold the high ground; communications, observation, weather, and spy satellites lasted for a few weeks at most. Ground-based telescopes have verified that there are approximately a score of Thunder armed colony ships in orbit. Nothing launched since the invasion has managed to make it out of the stratosphere; nuclear payloads were similarly somehow detected in transit, whether by conventional aircraft or ground-hugging Tomahawk-style missiles, and were destroyed by massive area-effect mass-drive bombardment. Clearly the nuclear payload is keyed to, as conventional cruise missiles (though not high-ballistic - medium, intermediate, long-range, or intercontinental) were not destroyed, and were able to advance into the target zone before being detected, deployed against, and often (though not always) destroyed. Even outside the 'threat zones', however, air travel remains risky, as one never knows if any particular aircraft will suffer either a kinetic bombardment elimination, or be suddenly targeted by planetary forces for elimination.

Humanity, however, holds the 'low ground'; though the enemy has at-will control over the air across 65% of the planet's land mass, they do not appear to possess sub-marine technology. The United Nations Planetary Defense Force now controls nearly every submarine in existence, and though those submarines have executed tactical and strategic strikes of surpassing genius, they are virtually irreplaceable - and vulnerable to surface attack if they venture within twenty-five or so meters of the surface. Resupply and crew exchange operations are among the most highly-secured and -classified operations in the ongoing war.

The Thunder themselves wield technology that is considerably higher than humanity has been able to achieve, utilizing high-energy plasma weapons on individual, rocket/missile, and gunship scales. Though these weapons have not been deconstructed, analyzed, and reproduced at the level where the common trooper is equipped with them, certain hurdles have been leaped due to a biological one achieved by a certifiable mad genius - but his success was the key to others.

Two years after the Invasion, with humanity being gradually but implacably driven away from the oceans that still feed a vast amount of people, the German genetic genius Professor Karl Schein offered the combined defense forces a radical proposal - genetic alteration of volunteers from the Armed forces. His serum, he stated, would 're-Thread' the subjects' DNA in order to greatly enhance their strength, stamina, resistance to damage, rate of recovery, reflexes, speed, perception, and all in all turn soldiers into super-soldiers. He refused to volunteer any information regarding his methodologies, and in fact had concealed all of his research data before presenting his findings, his offer, and his further research demands to the PDF.

Caught between a rock and a maybe-not-so-hard-after-all place, the PDF gave Prof. Schein all he demanded. But the DNA of adults has stablized, and all of the many military volunteers died, went mad - or worse. It wasn't until six months later that Schein, during illegal (but, due to his carte blanche blanket permission, permitted) experimentation upon adolescents, discovered the key to success. Schein discovered that during puberty, children's DNA was in flux - very slight, but enough for the numerous 'KS serum' variants to gain a foothold.

The KS serum's 'Threading' of adolescent genetics has worked far beyond even the PDF's wildest dreams. The teenagers so enhanced possess not only the assured abilities, but powers beyond human capacity - the ability to fire bolts of energy, to generate shielding, to run at racecar speeds, to leap tens of meters at a time, even to fly.

While seventh through ninth graders across the world volunteer (with the permission of their parents or guardians) for military schools designed to turn them over to the national militaries as trained soldiers once they graduate, others volunteer for the United Nations Planetary Defense Force fill schools that will turn them into soldiers for a global cause. Since the UN holds the KS Serum, only these latter undergo the injections. Just under 3% of them prove reactive to the KS Serum. 30% of thsoe die due to complications; 10% adapt powerfully, but suffer psychotic breaks and must be put down. 55% receive a slight boost to their natural potential; 4% receive significant increases in their natural abilities or minor superhuman enhancements. Only 1% both fully Thread and retain psychological stability.

Do you feel lucky?

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The inspiration for this game comes from various 'earth-invasion' manga, as well as the movie 'Battle: Los Angeles'. You may think of the latter as a documentary on the first few days of the Invasion. This is a Teen Champions game, albeit with a purpose. Your character enters the game at age 13, 14 or 12 with a really good story. You are a true volunteer; there are no victims of 'pressured into volunteering' here. If your Threading fails, you will go back to your ordinary life. If it fails catastrophically, you will die, or turn into a monster and die. If it succeeds, you will become a movie star who regularly risks particularly brutal death in order to try to turn the tide on a decade-long war of survival.

This is a HERO 5th Edition (revised) game. It is a one-source world, i.e. all characters receive their powers via KS-Serum-sourced DNA Threading. There is no magic, no normal-person-piloted power armor. (Yes, there is mecha of a sort, but it's very much in the testing phase, and isn't likely to come into the game world except via news reports.)

Knowledge of the HERO system is (obviously) very useful, but not necessary, so long as you can clearly describe what your adolescent 12-to-14-year-old is like. (13-year-olds preferred.) While initial pre-Threaded characters can/will be built by the players, in order to preserve the suspense and wonder of discovering what you can do, the GM will be building your heroic power suite - though not without being guided by the character build and the player's preferences. (Doesn't necessarily mean you'll get all you want, or exactly what you want, but something similar is likely.)


How "minor" are these superhuman enhancements? Are we talking juggling refrigerators or benching freight trains, dodging bullets or outrunning laser beams, lifting a table with your mind or stopping all the bullets from a firing squad?


Count me in!


Sounds cool, I especially like the idea that you don't have full control over what your character gets from the threading. I mean how many super heroes actually get to pick what their powers are?


The 4% who receive significant increases in their natural abilities or minor superhuman enhancements become adults who can bench press 400kg (that's almost 900 lbs), run at a dead sprint for an hour straight, juggle 3 balls plus 2 plates plus 4 pins, or compute a moon shot in their head. If it's a minor superhuman enhancement, they can perhaps breathe water (or not need air at all), see three minutes into the future, or telekinetically move 10-20 kg of weight. All examples of this level of enhancement take time to develop, typically 3-5 years.

You would not be one of the 4%; you would be one of the 1% of the 4% who volunteer - the lucky 0.0003%, the 1 in 340,000 kids of volunteer age in the region of North America who has volunteered for the PDF and hit the Threading jackpot.

Of the successful (1%) Threadings, an average of 32% come from the USA, 30% from Canada, 9% from Northern Mexico (everything between Mexico City and the Panama Canal is virtually cut off from the rest of the world), and almost 29% from Hispanola - Haiti and the Dominican Republic, mostly due to the sheer number of children from the island who volunteer for the PDF (mostly in order to get OFF the island and out of the abject poverty that still reigns there). An occasional one comes from Cuba, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and the rest of the Caribbean, but the frequency is low, in part based on their far lower population.

The powers, however, still take time to develop; this is a story about getting used to being superhuman while also facing the fact that you still have a very good chance of dying before you're 25 because you'll be headed into battle. You are aged 12-14, with 5 years in the 'battle school', which is where most of this takes place. You will start with increased strength, agility, and durability - increased, that is, compared to your early-teen body. You will have received the injection in the last third of your thirteen-week-long 'teen boot camp' experience, and presuming enough interest, the game will start for each player at the point where their character Threads - because I've discovered going through that process is a very ... formative experience for your characters.

However, your teenage character will not be juggling refrigerators, bench-pressing freight trains, outrunning lasers, or stopping bullets - not yet, anyhow, and whether or not they do any particular one of those is dependent on the character and the player ...

Psycho Effer wrote:
Count me in!

*smacks* Fine, you're in, if we get enough interest. Sticking with Mei? (Note that the starting point is going to be different than what we did on HC, in part because this fits the overall situation better. We'll redo at least the Threading; not sure about whether or not to have the Interview.)


The Wyrm Ouroboros wrote:
*smacks* Fine, you're in, if we get enough interest. Sticking with Mei? (Note that the starting point is going to be different than what we did on HC, in part because this fits the overall situation better. We'll redo at least the Threading; not sure about whether or not to have the Interview.)

I'm open to rolling with Mei again, or a new character if it serves the story better. What do you think?


We'll see. May have to go with the HeroGames site; not a lot of interest here so far.


Psycho Effer pointed me in this direction... what are you going to be using to run this? :) Tis Trickster Priest, from way back when.


Heh. Hi, TP. The usual - same rules as before. Still a matter of whether or not there's enough interest.


C'mon, folks! If you like super-powered teen battle school type Anime and immersive PbP role-play, this is the game for you!


Hi; I'm interested, but I have little/no experience with PbP/PbEMail games (HC went down as I was becoming interested in the format, so I don't have many examples to learn from). With that caveat, if you're willing to have me.... If you don't want a tyro, I'd still like to watch, if that's ok.


I'm willing to give it a try, a very long term comics and manga reader, so I know the genre pretty well.

I last did superhero role playing with Gurps though. So what edition of the hero system are you using?


Lectryk, newbies would be welcome.

DBH, 5E Hero System. While a few things they did with 6e are good, there are IMO a lot more bad ones. That the GM would be building characters' power suites helps in the 'can I do this' department. ;)


The Wyrm Ouroboros wrote:

Lectryk, newbies would be welcome.

DBH, 5E Hero System. While a few things they did with 6e are good, there are IMO a lot more bad ones. That the GM would be building characters' power suites helps in the 'can I do this' department. ;)

OK, so do we build a possible character and send it to you?


Hold off on that for now; not sure there's a sufficient number to open recruitment. If you're wanting to think about a character, start imagining what it's like to remember only a world at war - while your oldest memories may be of a time when there were no aliens, the war has been a fact of existence for most of your life. Think about how it's affected you - where in North America you grew up (not likely in a coastal city), where your family is from, why you're joining the UNPDF instead of the US Armed Forces, that sort of thing.

Silver Crusade

I'm interested and have played 5th ed.

Hows Australia and recruiting from Australia?


Australian students go to the school there; there are six schools, essentially one per continent. The game takes place at the North American school / campus / however you want to phrase it.


I was interested until I learned that I would be playing your superheroes.

Setting rules on power levels/limits and letting players select/design their own woudl likely increase interest.

Not many people like to be handed a character sheet to play, especially with pbp with its inherent time frames that can allow for much better review and control of acceptable characteristics.


Thanks / no thanks for the 'advice', especially since you clearly didn't read what's been written above and thus are utterly incorrect in your assumptions and beliefs about the game.


Quote:

"the GM will be building your heroic power suite - though not without being guided by the character build and the player's preferences."

Significant difference between what I imagine/want and what you hand me.


The Wyrm Ouroboros wrote:

Lectryk, newbies would be welcome.

Add me to the count. How many interested people before you go to recruiting stage?


First, fnord, learn how to quote. Like this:

fnord72 wrote:

Quote:

"the GM will be building your heroic power suite - though not without being guided by the character build and the player's preferences."

Significant difference between what I imagine/want and what you hand me.

Second, the part you put into bold is intricately linked with the part you didn't. Your interpretation is that there will be a significant difference. While this may be true, it won't automatically be so - because, y'know, I'm being guided by the character and the player.

How I'd be running the game isn't up for debate; if you don't want to play in it under those guidelines, then get out of my thread.

Lektryk, I'd like to get 10-12 expressing interest, in part because I suspect we'll lose at least one or two of them just between that expression and actually opening recruitment.


I'm interested in trying new games, but I do have some questions

  • How "high school" is this? Is it more in reference to our characters age or will we be having to juggle high school schedules and responsibilities?
  • How much input can we offer on powers? Can we create a suite or profile that represents the ideal? Can we object if we get saddled something that we don't like?
  • How have our characters been raised at this battle school? Is it more JROTC or SPARTAN?
  • How are the south pacific islands doing?


  • Good questions, JC.

  • 'High School' describes your age (starting at about 13), as well as your surroundings. The characters are in a structured military-school environment not unlike the Citadel (or West Point, for that matter) and are learning standard education points - mathematics, literature, sciences (especially those they seem to have an aptitude or 'power' for), possibly another language or two (French and Spanish are frequent at the school, while Russian, Chinese, Spanish, and Arabic are the 'core' languages of the PDF's other Enhanced schools). Along with these things, however, you are learning applied physics (how six strong kids can cooperate to throw a half-ton rock 50'), small-unit tactics, and the like. Characters will have already gone through a thirteen-week version of boot camp.

    Characters will be played in both straight-up classroom ('discuss how weather affected the Battle of Agincourt') as well as 'enhancile' situations ('race through the maze as fast as you can').

  • Understand that the full suite of powers (in HERO terms, the point where you're a 150/100 character) is a long time in coming. Players can absolutely put together a power suite/profile that represents what they as a player want the character to have; I have, however, had only one disappointed player and character who wanted flight but instead possessed running at Threading. (Most characters possess only one movement power at start, but ALL characters DO possess at least one significant movement power.) Notably, by the time the full power suite was to be released to the character, he would have possessed several versions of enhanced running, swimming, wall-climbing, and invisibility, and - since that's the point the character's powers are fully given over to the player to develop - could thematically have gained the Flight he'd wanted.

    Remember also that 'lightning bolt' is not a power, while 'energy blast' is - focus on 'what the power does', not 'what the power looks like'. You can certainly object, but since I take your desires (and your character's written background and baseline 'this is who my kid is' build - which is something you do, if you know how) into account, I personally doubt that there'll be any real issue.

  • Up until 13 weeks ago, your characters were standard kids, from any and all walks of life. In my last game, I had as characters a refugee camp kid, a war orphan, a gamer geek, two different versions of military brat, a politicians's kid, and an almost xenophobic Native American. One of the military brats had been in military schools since he was 6; the gamer geek was joining because he wanted to become the character he'd been playing in the world's most popular MMO, 'Take Back the Planet', aka 'TBP'. You will have gone through PDF Boot, but that's only been the last 13 weeks of your life. If you want to know more about that, read any book that covers Boot Camp for the United States Marine Corps; my personal reference is 'Boot', by Daniel Da Cruz. (PDF Boot is based off USMC Boot Camp.)

    PDF International as a school, however, is JROTC with a touch of SPARTAN.

  • The South Pacific Islands are in a hell of a lot better shape than just about anywhere else; not having either a huge population or a massive infrastructure, their standard of living is as it is in 2016, if not somewhat better. Their contact with the rest of the world can be fragmentary, but for the most part they're alive and well, and contributing to the war effort in their own ways. PDF inductees from the South Pacific Islands go to Australia.


  • Ok, two follow-up questions:

    Firstly, how much actual fighting can we look forward to in this game? Not just simulations or training. The reason I ask is that I'm usually not into the typical highschool romp. If it's injected with more fighting aliens then that's more my speed. I'm not looking for hardcore gritty or whatever, but it also seems that our characters be given experience with firearms for example. If that makes sense.

    Secondly, I'm not sure if this was answered yet but are we allowed to play "international" students?


    Depends on how you mean actual fighting. You will have had training with firearms, like any other Marine (as it were), and you'll continue to use them for now. You will have 'field training' exercises, meaning that you'll go out and shoot at both mechanized targets and other PDF trainees using 'light' rounds that can knock you out (and even potentially injure you), but trainees - who are, after all, only 13 years old!! - are not intentionally put into direct combat situations with the Thunder until their 'Field' quarter at the end of their 4th year out of 5. It can (and will) happen, though, because you are PCs, and there ain't nothin' more exhilirating than being shot at - and missed. Or shot at and hit, but surviving anyhow.

    In regards to the 'international' flavor, students will be from North America - north of Mexico City, and from the northern parts of the Caribbean. If your parents happened to be from somewhere else, and were on a business trip / family vacation / whatever in that area - you're originally Tongan, but on Invasion Day you were visiting relatives in Salt Lake City, for example - then that's fine. It's otherwise quite difficult for you to be from anywhere else.

    As a side note, I may be moving the timeline down a bit - about 1-2 years - so you aren't likely to ever remember teh aliens not being here.


    Barrier here. Count me in!

    Having have played one of the military brats (Corwin) in the original HC game, I look forward to playing in this campaign again, even if I can't play him again.

    Sorry it took me awhile to catch up over here.

    Niee to hear from you again, TP!


    The Wyrm Ouroboros wrote:

    Depends on how you mean actual fighting. You will have had training with firearms, like any other Marine (as it were), and you'll continue to use them for now. You will have 'field training' exercises, meaning that you'll go out and shoot at both mechanized targets and other PDF trainees using 'light' rounds that can knock you out (and even potentially injure you), but trainees - who are, after all, only 13 years old!! - are not intentionally put into direct combat situations with the Thunder until their 'Field' quarter at the end of their 4th year out of 5. It can (and will) happen, though, because you are PCs, and there ain't nothin' more exhilirating than being shot at - and missed. Or shot at and hit, but surviving anyhow.

    Mmm, I suppose it depends then how quickly we move to the last stage.

    Count me in, anyways.


    This is not, however, a combat-heavy game, JC. There will be action, but much of the gameplay is designed to be social, to explore the transformation from 'normal human kid' to 'superpowered inhuman soldier at war', explore how well characters keep themselves under control, mesh with others, and retain their humanity. The PCs WILL, even in the 5 years of school the game will follow, make discoveries and advances against the Thunder, as well as find things out that their own people are trying to keep under wraps ... but it is being touted as a battle school game. So if getting past the TBP 'newbie section' and on to the full game beyond is what you're after, this might not be for you.

    Oi, Barrier. We need is Selyna now. Can't have anything happening without an annoying cat, y'know? ;)

    YOWLP!!


    Sounding more and more interesting, young heroes interacting with each other, going from normal to weird and stressful is always a good story done right.

    The early 'New mutants' when it was more a school featuring kids with newly awakened powers was a fun time.

    I was looking at a young version of Oni Lee from the web novel Worm as a character, minus the mind wiping everytime he teleported.

    Personality would be quiet and polite, a model student. But with a worrying lack of self preservation when fighting due to a past trauma and the effect of their power.


    As something of a warning - when you think about your potential characters, ask yourself why they would volunteer - at age 12, 13, or 14 - to go into the armed forces during wartime. There are plenty of people who are not part of the military; everyone is doing their part. What makes you 'join up'? Just as important, what makes you not join your country's armed forces, via JROTC or some such?


    How much longer are we waiting?


    Ok.

    1 - 70 male. 71 - 100 female.

    gender: 1d100 ⇒ 66

    Daniel Morgan.

    Dan (never Danny!) is a military brat, his family has always had someone in the Army, Navy or Air force.

    It's a proud tradition that he always wanted to continue, until many of his immediate family were killed by an alien strike.

    Daniel grew even more determined to serve, and accepted the chance to join the school.

    While he's a military brat Daniel has been educated in civilian schools up until now, his family never wanted to force their children to conform to a set way of thinking.

    So he's familiar with military life, but isn't hardcore, or right wing.


    Putting this here because the answer is useful (and applies) to everyone.

    JohnnyCat wrote:
    I have a hard time reconciling the idea of the two (of a massive war vs. a take-your-time battle school), personally. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense to me that there's a huge warfare with a ton at stake but we're also not being rushed out the door.

    There IS a huge war. We have lost over five billion people due to the war, disease, and starvation in the last twelve years (invasion in 2065, current game time 2077), there are still almost eight billion people on the planet. (It helps that the birth rate is waaaay up.)

    However, humans are still humans, and only the most callous leader would send children - 13-year-old children - into battle with comparatively minimal training, especially when there are still millions of adults who can fight. It doesn't matter that the kids possess abilities above their age, even superhuman abilities, or the fact that even straight out of Threading, they are incredibly durable; that amazing durability is not nearly as effective against the acid-plasma weapons the Thunder use.

    Plus, the longer the adolescent develops, the greater their power grows, and the better their training will make them. If, after two and a half years (which is when Dr. Schein presented the superhuman-level children) the Thunder had still not wiped humanity off the map completely, then there must be a reason - and though the pressure of the war was high, the powers-that-be decided that if they were going to kill a hundred thousand children worldwide every year by injection in order to find enhanced solders - 10,000 minor enhanced and 2500 with the potential to radically change the war - then they were going to give those 2500 the five years necessary to develop their powers and the skill in their use.

    ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

    Current Interest:
    Derz (maybe)
    Psycho Effer
    Arcturas Advent (maybe)
    Trickster Priest
    Lectryk
    DBH
    Tharasiph
    Johnnycat93
    Barrier

    So that's 7-9 at the moment. I'd like to see a minimum of 3 others showing interest before getting into the full-bore recruitment/character generation.


    Pshhh, maybe? More like definitely interested. Anyways, could we get a more in depth timeline? Like we know that it was two and a half years after the invasion that child testing took place, and that it's been twelve years since. How long have these children been being enhanced on a wide scale? Have any finished training and actually gone out to fight?

    I've been toying around with the idea of a character joining up to try and reconnect with a sibling who had threaded years beforehand.


    I'm recompiling my timeline; it's slow work, at least to make it look pretty. Threading (and the PDF Schools) has been operant since autumn of 2067; you will be the 41st class in the autumn of 2077. 20 classes have graduated so far, one every three months. The oldest PDF-trained Threaded (not Dr. Schein's 'second batch', or Toliver Fisk, the first-ever Threaded) are 24 years old.

    Some quick notes that might be of interest:

  • The 20 classes of the North American school ('PDF International') held 1378 Threaded, an average of 65-66 Threaded per class.
  • Of the 1378 who entered the school, 697 graduated; the others (681) were killed during training or during field experience. Students do not have the option of 'washing out'; you graduate or die trying.
  • Students receive two home leaves: one at the end of their second year, and one immediately preceeding their field deployment.
  • After five years in the field, only four of the 62 initial (30 graduating) members of PDF International Class 1 are alive.
  • The odds of a teen successfully Threading are 1 in 342,363. For two non-identical-twins siblings to Thread, the odds rise to over one in 117 billion. While these are better in a genetically diverse society with a high quality of life, the odds do not improve significantly.

    Status of North American Cities:

    If a location is indicated as 'Abandoned' but not 'Abandoned; Occupied', the city has been effectively destroyed, but is subject to human salvage operations (extracting high-value alloys, steel, etc. from destroyed buildings, that sort of thing) and Thunder attacks. Frequently the surrounding areas of such places - both Atlanta and Chicago are good examples of such - are still inhabited, just not at 'urban density'.

    Canada:
    Calgary: Assault, Active
    Montréal: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Toronto: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Vancouver: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied

    Cuba:
    Havana: Assault, Active

    Dominican Republic:
    Santo Domingo: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned

    Haiti:
    Port-au-Prince: Assault, Active

    Mexico:
    Ciudad Juárez: Assault, Active
    Guadalajara: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    León: Assault, Active
    Mérida: Assault, Active
    Mexicali: Assault, Active
    Monterrey: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Puebla: Assault, Active
    San Luis Potosí: Assault, Active
    Tijuana: Assault, Active
    Torreón: Assault, Active

    Puerto Rico:
    San Juan: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied

    United States:
    Atlanta: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Austin: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Baltimore: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Boston: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Charlotte: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Chicago: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Cincinnati: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Cleveland: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Columbus: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Dallas–Fort Worth: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Denver: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Detroit: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Houston: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Indianapolis: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Jacksonville: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Kansas City: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Las Vegas: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Los Angeles: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Louisville: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Memphis: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Miami-Ft. Lauderdale: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Milwaukee: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Minneapolis–Saint Paul: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Nashville: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    New York City: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Orlando: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Philadelphia: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Phoenix: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned
    Pittsburgh: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Portland: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Providence: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Raleigh: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Richmond: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Sacramento: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Salt Lake City: Assault, Active
    San Antonio: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    San Diego: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned; Occupied
    San Francisco–San Jose: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Seattle: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    St. Louis: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Tampa–St. Petersburg: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned; Occupied
    Virginia Beach-Norfolk: Assault, Abandoned; Occupied
    Washington, D.C.: Kinetic Strike, Abandoned


  • What's the date Detroit got whacked?
    The current game year is 2072 (5 year school, back from 2077)?

    Just starting to work out my characters background.

    Maybe this question can wait - should we build to the 150/100 you mentioned, with you modifying/changing powers and abilities, or should we build to a lower level (like 50/50 or something) with a projection indicating what we would like to take it to the total? Do you see any disads as 'mandatory' (Subject to orders, public id, whatever)? Should we design powers with limitations, if we're presenting a wish list character?


    I still have my reservations but I think it's something I would be able to better express in-character. Speaking of, I'd really like to get to work before anyone accidentally poaches my concept. Hopefully the missing three will make appearances sooner rather than later.


    The invasion (the movie 'Battle: Los Angeles') occurred on 16 November 2065. Reinforcements in the form of 50km-long 'motherships' arrived in orbit 20 November 2065. The vast majority of population-targeted kinetic strikes took place on 8 Deceber 2065, now known as the Day of Fire.

    Timeline wrote:

    140 of the world's 400 largest cities are subjected to what is known as 'kinetic strike bombardment' -­ asteroids and similar massive objects are 'shotgunned' at dense concentrations of humanity across the globe.

    Over a billion people die during those 7 hours.

    The PC's first day at school is in early September 2077, having gone through a version of PDF boot camp since about June. Dates may be a little off; each quarter is 91 days long, so they don't match exactly to start-of-month.

    In regards to character building, not really wanting to get into it yet, but you should build a real 12-14yo kid, a 0/50 individual, with 20 disad points already assigned. Teen attributes average 6, so think carefully before blowing attributes out of the water; I will veto significantly high attributes (15+). You are building a standard baseline human teen; you don't need to spend all your points, either.


    Hello all! So I've never, I repeat, never have played this game system before but this sounds very in depth and interesting.

    I would definitely be interested in playing but you would have to deal with a complete noob to the game system so I will let you decide as I understand that can be taxing for a group or GM.

    If you decide to work with my I have a few questions.

    My one question is about the process of selecting candidates.

    Basically from start to finish how does it work?
    Are there qualifications or prerequisites?
    Are there ever people forced to apply?
    Are there officials that can abuse there power to accept and reject applicant's?
    Are there any safe guards to insure that the applicant is doing this of their own free will or something to that effect?

    I wont do it if you don't want someone messing with that, but the reason I ask is because I have an idea for a character but I want to make sure it's possible for it to happen before I go any deeper.


    TT, as I said, system experience is not necessary; a PBP is probably the best place to try out a new system. You would also not be the only one - there are, after all, two other such people interested. :)

    Barrier, Psycho Effer, having gone through the Interview yourselves, care to weigh in on the other questions?? ;)

    The only real prerequisite is that the individual is under the age of 15, over the age of 11, and undergoing puberty. Technically, one could say that they need basic physical wholeness - they can't be missing an eye or a limb, and have full-range movement, which means they can't be para- or quadriplegic - but that's kind of obvious.

    A fair number of children are persuaded, coerced, or forced to apply by the parents/guardians who really want their kid to join the services for whatever reason - patriotism, ambition, envy, whatever. Both the PDF and national defense forces have psychologists interview candidates in private, to analyze whether or not the child has been coerced in some way - or rather, to definitively determine whether or not it is the actual desire of the youth to go into the military at this time. (These interviews are ... not pleasant, though not physically painful or damaging.)

    While the national militaries are more lenient about such things, the PDF is not, and are more than pleased to make examples out of parents who do this to their kids - 'examples' being criminal charges which typically result in sentences of anywhere between 90 days and 3 years at hard labor in salvage teams. For obvious reasons, this isn't usual.

    There have been cases - primarily in Third World countries such as Haiti and the Dominican Republic - where an orphanage proprietor or local government official would encourage a woefully-ignorant child to volunteer, then donate nearly the full amount of their earmarked funds to the orphanage or a fund managed by the official in question. This sort of abuse, when discovered (and since money handled by the PDF is almost entirely electronic, it has always been discovered within a year of such abuse beginning), results in life at hard labor in a combat-zone salvage team, along with other hardened criminals, such as murderers and rapists. The life expectancy of a member of a combat-zone salvage team is ninety days; most don't make it past thirty.

    As the actual Threading is absolutely under control of the injectee's envirogenetics and not a bureaucrat, (or any other sort of human, for that matter), someone trying to 'bend the rules' or 'stack the deck' to build themselves a private superpowered army is for all practical purposes impossible.

    I hope that answers your question.


    The Interview is an adversarial process where the interviewer challenges the candidate to demonstrate their commitment to undergoing the Threading process. The interviewer will have extensive background information on the candidate; personal history and psychological evaluations, et al. The interviewer will try to push the candidate's buttons to make sure that they discover their true motivations for applying for the process. If those motivations are deemed inappropriate - or not truly owned by the candidate - they will be rejected. It's not likely that a kid who's doing this on a dare, or is put up to it by his/her parents is going to get through this. The powers that be are not taking any chances with granting potentially world-changing powers to someone who is not psychologically capable of handling it in an acceptable way. The changes caused by Threading are tough enough for well-adjusted teens to handle.


    I'm interested, and also a former Marine, and -also-a Chicago native.

    I am entirely without HERO system books, however.

    If I recall correctly, you ran that Chalion based game for a while. I played Horst Ironbrow in that campaign.

    Silver Crusade

    So just to make sure I've got the idea.. base stats 6... 50 pts to spend.. assign 20 pts disads but you get no points for the disads?

    I think I'll make an Australian who was holidaying in USA with his parents when the invasion occurred. They had to make a life in the USA from nothing etc..


    Also still learning the posting formats on here so bear with me.

    The Wyrm Ouroboros wrote:
    As the actual Threading is absolutely under control of the injectee's envirogenetics and not a bureaucrat, (or any other sort of human, for that matter), someone trying to 'bend the rules' or 'stack the deck' to build themselves a private superpowered army is for all practical purposes impossible.

    OK this I'm not 100% sure what you mean by this. So does this mean there is a machine that does the "Threading" process or the volunteer injects themselves? Sorry I just need a little clarification.

    Psycho Effer wrote:
    The Interview is an adversarial process where the interviewer challenges the candidate to demonstrate their commitment to undergoing the Threading process. The interviewer will have extensive background information on the candidate; personal history and psychological evaluations, et al. The interviewer will try to push the candidate's buttons to make sure that they discover their true motivations for applying for the process. If those motivations are deemed inappropriate - or not truly owned by the candidate - they will be rejected. It's not likely that a kid who's doing this on a dare, or is put up to it by his/her parents is going to get through this. The powers that be are not taking any chances with granting potentially world-changing powers to someone who is not psychologically capable of handling it in an acceptable way. The changes caused by Threading are tough enough for well-adjusted teens to handle.

    Ok that part I understand but let me ask this (not to you directly PE since you may not know but just in general to the forum) Who are this interviewers? Can they be corrupt or at the very least prone to emotional outbursts and bad decision making like any other person? Or are they super highly trained personal who have no attachment to anyone or anything beside the PDF?

    Let me give a small summary of my idea for a character and you guys can tell me if it's possible or not.

    Basically I would like my character to be a street urchin type who hustles people on the street until one day they hustle the wrong person of something really important. This could be The Official, as I will call him, or someone important to The Official. After doing this he/she is caught, but instead of being put into the appropriate punishment The Official (using Official as a broad term here for anyone who could do this) put them into the selection process knowing that the mortality rate is...... what 95% if I remember correctly? To The Official worst cause scenario the kid dies immediately. Best cause they go crazy and they get to kill him/her with permission from his superiors. Of course it goes completely sideways once the kid not only survives but is one of the 1% who get fully threaded. So not only is this kid not fully convinced about this cause they will now be forced to fight for, but he's also has a giant target on his back because The Official definitely wants him dead for multiple reasons.

    So with all of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ that in mind. How likely is this to ever happen? And if not possible would you at least agree that is a pretty BA background for a character?


    Hmmm.

    Derz (maybe)
    Psycho Effer
    Arcturas Advent
    Trickster Priest
    Lectryk
    DBH
    Tharasiph
    Johnnycat93
    Barrier
    Theta Thief
    GoatToucher (Hi, GT!)

    All right, I think that's enough interest to get actual recruitment underway.

    ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

    This is a HERO 5th Edition (revised) game. It is a one-source world, i.e. all characters receive their powers via KS-Serum-sourced DNA Threading. There is no magic, no normal-person-piloted power armor.

    For Those With HERO Experience:

    PCs are initially built as 0/50 characters, being between 12 and 14 years old.

    You do not have to spend all your points; points unspent will likely result in higher, or more broad, powers post-Threading.

    I expect internally-complete characters, even at this point. Create a realistic 13-year-old. You don't have to be ultra-gung-ho, spending your entire life focussed on saving the world and gaining skills for that; you already have that drive above and beyond most others, enough to risk the 40% death and 59% minor-effect rate. To give perspective: 1 in 10 adolescents are put up to applying. 4 in 5 of them don't really want to, and are dismissed. Just to have overcome the very real fears of likely imminent death, you are 1 in 50. You don't need to be a little warrior yet, especially since that's what boot camp is there to start you with, and this school is meant to complete.

    ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

    ATTRIBUTES:
    Standard attributes for average NPCs of your character's age is 6.  For comparison, most human adults possess attributes of 8, while 'active humans' - typically cops, hikers, rock-scramblers, etc. - have one or two physical attributes at 10, while managers, salesmen, and the like may have one or two mental attributes at 10.

    PCs have minimums of 8 in Dex and 10 in Int. More than 1-2 points higher in either of those (or other attributes above 8-10) are significant, even astonishing individuals for their age.

    In regards to Ego: though 6 is the average for an adolescent of their age, a 7 ego is the absolute minimum for this game.  An 8 is the maximum, with the following additions:

    • If your background is free of personal encounters with / personal loss caused by the Thunder, i.e. your desire to undergo threading is not somehow based on revenge, both technical minimum and maximum are raised by 2.
    • If your background lacks a 'combat bunny' nature - by which is meant a lack of martial arts, most/all weapon skills, and/or primarily-combat-applicable skills - your technical minimum and maximum are raised by 2.

    These additions stack. If you lack the above two elements in your background, your minimum Ego is 10, maximum is 12. This helps to describe in game statistics how determined you have been to persuade your parents to let you risk a 40% death rate for the 1% chance to become a superstar.

    A special note on Comeliness: For the purposes of this game, comeliness is interpreted as 'sexual allure'.  A 12-year-old _might_ be attractive to a few people, but the general viewpoint is 'off limits' - therefore, a 12-year-old's COM is going to run around 5-7.  For each point above 5, roughly 10% of those attracted to your gender will find the character sexually attractive.  At a 15, pretty much all guys are going to think a woman's attractive.  Go above that, and even some not-normally-sexually-interested women would 'turn bi for that', so to speak.  A 'developing' young woman might have an 8 to 10.  Going above that will result in very real issues for the character, and I would rather not go there.

    For all other attributes, characters should not vary by more than 2 points lower than the average; see also the notes on attributes.

    All other Characteristics, including Running, may be sold back to the above minimums, with the understood common restrictions (only one Figured Characteristic sold back), as appropriate to your character.

    ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

    SKILLS:
    Standard HERO Modern Everyman (NOT Dark Champions) skills are applicable, changing the motor vehicle for bicycles (two-wheeled muscle-powered vehicles).  Most skills should be set at 11- at the most, with 10- Competence or 8- familiarities being more appropriate.  Anything over this will require GM approval, and will likely receive a restriction of one sort or another, e.g. Navigation (Mountains Only) or Tracking (Deer Only). As compensation, this'll probably save you a point.

    ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

    DISADVANTAGES:
    20 of your starting 50 disad points are accounted for:

    • 5 points: Social Limitation: Minor (Under 18) (Occasionally; Major; Not Limiting In Some Cultures)
    • 15 points: Psychological Limitation: Save Humanity (Common; Strong)

    Decide what represents the other 30 points' worth. DNPCs are frowned upon, as they are a) vanishingly unlikely to come into play, and b) may be worth no points, as they may be more powerful than you, have NCI, etc.

    If you question the psychological limitation, remember that your character is possibly 12, certainly 13, and 14 at the oldest, and is risking a 4 in 10 chance of death. Only a strong drive to help save humanity is going to cause them to not only volunteer, but persuade their parental unit to acquiesce.

    Characters will gain additional disads in school.

    ========= ========= ========= ========= ========= =========

    POWERS AND TALENTS:
    No powers at game start; talents only by persuasion.

    Do not be misled; I will be designing your character's power set. I will, however, be led by your character's personality, concept, chosen skills, outlook, history, viewpoint, etc - in other words, the 0/50 character you built at game start. I will even be led by what you would like to see in your character's power-set - but understand that certain abilities and levels will be designed to fit in well with the other PCs, so while you may get a lot of what you want, you are exceedingly unlikely to get exactly what you want.

    You can, if you wish, include a powers build to help give me an idea of what you-the-player would like; the desires of the character should be found in the character writeup, eh?

    ==================================

    For You Newbies to HERO System:

    Congratulations on daring to get involved with the HERO System. I personally enjoy HERO because it is balanced; one character is generally equal to any other character of the same point value. They may not be equal in the same areas - the close-combat monster may be great in a fight, but in a technical setting it's the guy who spent a few points gaining some abilities besides 'I hit him' who will shine. I also like the system because you can do virtually anything with it.

    What I need from you in order to build your character is for you to give me as complete a writeup of your thoughts about the character as you can. For their age, are they strong? Fast? Smart? Stubborn? Charming? Do they play video games? (Almost everyone who games plays 'Take Back the Planet', at least to an extent; it's notable that TBP is a purchased game which is otherwise free - but which has in-game purchaseables, of course - whose profits all go to the Red Cross and organizations like Wounded Warrior.) Are they sporty (and which sports), what are their other interests?

    Characters have eight primary attributes:

    • Strength (1 pt/pt)
    • Dexterity (1 pt/3 pts)
    • Constitution (1 pt/2 pts)
    • Body (1 pt/2 pts)
    • Intelligence (1 pt/pt)
    • Ego (1 pt/2 pts)
    • Presence (1 pt/pt)
    • Comeliness (2 pts/pt)

    Baseline is 10, so these PC youths get to 'sell back' attributes to 6, gaining points which can be spent elsewhere - skills, for example. PCs, however, do have minimums of 8 in Dex and 10 in Int.

    Characters also have six secondary, also known as 'Figured', characteristics:

    • Physical Defense (PD): STR/5 base, 1 pt/pt. Resists standard non-lethal physical attacks, punches and the like.
    • Energy Defense (ED): CON/5 base, 1 pt/pt. Resists standard non-lethal energy damage - holding on to an ice cube, a hand over a candle flame, etc.
    • Speed (SPD): 1 + (DEX/10) base, 1 pt/10 pts. In combat, only the whole number is used - so a 1.9 SPD is treated as a 1. How often you go in a 12-second Turn.
    • Recovery (REC): (STR/5) + (CON/5) base, 1 pt/2 pts. How much Stun and Endurance you recover every 12 seconds, or if you specifically take a rest.
    • Endurance (END): CON * 2 base, 2 pts/pt. How long you can go without exhausting yourself.
    • Stun (STUN): (STR/2) + (CON/2) base, 1 pt/pt. How much of a beating you can take.

    Characters can 'sell back' only one Figured characteristic. SPD, REC, END, and STUN cannot go below 1. Characters also have Running (6", or12m), Swimming (2"), and Leaping (STR/5 in game-inches), which they can sell back to 0.

    So saying your character is a football linebacker would suggest to me that they have a good STR, CON, and BODY, have a skill about Football, maybe an additional point or three of STUN. Saying your character is a football (soccer) forward lets me know that they've probably got a good DEX and CON, as well as a good END and maybe a bit more Running, not to mention that skill about non-American Football.

    Characters also have negative aspects - disadvantages. At this point, these are usually social or psychological, though if you have something else strange or distinctive (a scar, tattoo, or port-wine stain on your body, a way of carrying yourself, an unusual and distinctive accent, or you have a medical issue) those would apply as well. (Note that the medical issue MAY make you ineligible to join at this time, so it's best to just go with something else). Social limitations can be a matter of being part of a disliked or legally-restricted minority ('greasers', 'Native Americans', 'nerds'), being poor, or something that is relatively obvious just by looking at you, which makes it tougher to deal with some social social groups; all characters will start out with a social limitation of being a legal minor, since they're between 12 and 14. Psychological limitations are a character's 'buttons' - a strong feeling of responsibility, a desire for vengeance, prejudice, arrogance, patriotism, etc. - and if a situation arises that hits that button, the character may be unable to stop themselves from making ... 'sub-optimal choices', shall we say.

    So tell me who your character is - what they like, don't like, are into, do for fun. Give me as good of an idea of who they are, and I'll do my best to cast that into game terms.

    Do not, however, say 'oh, he's like X person from X movie/anime/manga/book', because I may well have not read it or seen it, and this should be YOUR character, not someone else's. Play Pablo Hernandez, not Harry Potter.

    ==================================

    On the Meaning of Characteristics:

    Average characteristics of 6 - what I've put down for the 'starting 13 year old' - is exactly that, an average, what a standard 13-year-old is like.

    If you're smaller than the standard, you should have less BODY, etc. Remember - understand - that the Standard Ordinary Adult has 8 for their attributes. 10 in an attribute represents an average someone who relies on that attribute for a living - either on their body's ability to move well, or someone who isn't going to stand down at just a casual threat, someone who does manual labor, or keeps track of inventory, or is a salesman.

    Look at your character in any particular statistic, and think - 'am I going to be better than my parents in this? Better than a cop?' In certain areas you should be well ahead of the curve.

    When it comes to Dexterity (8) you are someone who is quicker than most 13-year-olds, on par with most adults, and if you go up to 10, as quick as the common soldier. If you know any sleight-of-hand, your magic tricks fool almost everyone. If you play sports, your ball-handling skills are sure to be the best in your class, and maybe the best in the school.

    In regards to Intelligence (10) you're probably the smartest (not necessarily best-grades, but smartest) kid in your class. You leave your parents behind. You can make decisions, though not always the right one, from what information you have with pretty good speed and confidence. You notice things most other kids (and many of the adults aroound you) miss, and make connections they need to be led to. You are on par, on a raw knowledge and decision-making capability, with a typical store manager or a beat cop.

    If you have an increased Ego, your Ego (let's say a 12) is that of someone determined to make their viewpoint be the one that gets carried out.  You tend to win arguments, presuming they don't descend into fistfights or a plea to authority of 'I'm the adult, so we do it my way', not only with your classmates but with your teachers, your parents, and most adults.  You have a drive that gets noticed.  You don't take 'no' for an answer very much, or if you do, you figure out a way around it.
    On the other side of the coin, there are things that improved levels will imply.

    A Strength higher than 6 - a 7 - will mean working out, early puberty, and the like. 8 means you give your father a run for his money when you arm-wrestle. A 9 or 10 is extraordinary for your age - you're sure to be the star varsity football linebacker, even as a freshman. Anything higher is well and truly incredible, and you'll be an internet phenomenon freak of nature.

    A Dex higher than 10 again puts you a cut far above the rest. You're already at least as good a shot as standard cops and soldiers; going to 12 or higher puts you into local sharpshooter competitions. A 15 lets you win them regularly.

    A Body and/or Con at 7 means you're among the last to fall out during the mile run; in fact, you probably complete it. At an 8, you keep up with your parents on the long nature hikes and can take any dishing-out your fellow 13-year-olds can manage. At a 9 or a 10, you can not only hike them into the ground, you're the local distance-running or boxing champion. Above that and you've garnered statewide attention for being able to take a licking and keep on ticking.

    Higher Intelligence than 15 and you're entering into certified genius ground. Take a science, and have at least one of your online IDs known for insightful commentary on that science.

    Higher Ego than 12 and you should be successful in something - a business making money, whatever. Your drive accepts you being second to nobody.

    With a Presence higher than 6, though, you can charm your fellow students better than most; going above an 8, and you are one of those who can sweet-talk your teachers and parents into giving you what you want. At or above 10, and the force of your personality makes you a fantastic (even if untrained) speaker, someone whom everyone says 'is a natural leader'. In fact, you're probably captain of the sports team, leader of the debate team, or the leader of your local gang of punks.

    Comeliness is, in my mind, less 'cute' than it is 'sexually interesting'. Babies and toddlers are usually cute; we humans are hard-wired to think that. Yes, the 'standard characters' place small children at a 10; that's a 4-5, +5-6 that's linked directly to people's innate protective instincts; otherwise, how is it you lose 2 points just by growing up? For purposes of this game, Comeliness is a measure of how sexually attractive you are generally considered. Most adults (8) are attractive to a certain number of people, but not everyone. Models (18) are considered sexually attractive by just about everyone. 13-year-olds (6) aren't thought of as ugly, but they -are- considered 'off limits'. If you have an 8, you're a blossoming young woman, or a sort of hunky guy; at a 10, you're definitely an early bloomer. Above that, and the pedophiles are lined up taking tickets in order to get a crack at you. Sorry to have gone there, but this is how these things work. Spend a point every now and then to indicate your developing sexuality and attractiveness.

    If you have questions, sing out. If you're a newbie who needs to give me your character information, send it via PM.


    Tharasiph - recognize that with your maximum age being 14, and the war having started 12 years ago, you will have at best only very vague memories of grandparents and Australia. Raised in the US, or Canada, or Northern Mexico, or where-ever means that your accent may possess a strong tinge of 'Australian' in it, but it'll primarily be that of where-ever you grew up.

    ====================================================

    Answers for Theta Thief:

    Theta Thief wrote:
    OK this I'm not 100% sure what you mean by this. So does this mean there is a machine that does the "Threading" process or the volunteer injects themselves? Sorry I just need a little clarification.

    Entrance into PDF International (or any of the other five UN PDF Enhanced Schools) is a nine-part process. (Note for those who played in my game on HeroCentral - this is somewhat different than previously, so pay attention.)

    1: Application. The teen must apply, in person at a PDF recruitment station, or online.
    2: Psychological Testing. The teen answers a very large list of questions, a list which has been designed to give the PDF the clearest baseline understanding possible of the teen's psychology.
    3: Interview. Two psychologists, one from the PDF and one from the national government, interview the teen. This interview is extremely psychologically gruelling for the youngster, as the psychs are deliberately trying to crack the teen's shell to get at the truth. Attempted assault, screaming, crying, and other such reactions are commonplace; a teen taking this with equanimity is a sure sign of a psycho- or sociopathic personality.
    4: Physical Exam. The teen's basic physical capabilities are measured - see MEPS for a pretty good idea of what is done. A baseline sample of the teen's genetics is taken and sent to the region's PDF Science office.
    5: Boot Camp. Depending on the distance needed to travel, the teen is sent either straight to boot or else home (to report for movement later). PDF Boot runs 91 days - 13 weeks.
    6: Injection. On or about Day 70 of Boot, the teen undergoes a two-hour series of tailored injections of the K-S Serum - potential mutagens tweaked by the scientists at the PDF Science office to hopefully increase the chance of the successful alteration of the teen's genetics, a process called by the creator 're-threading'. The process is now known simply as 'Threading'. In addition, a biomonitor 'seed' is injected at the joining of spine and skull, to monitor the teen's physical information in real-time.
    7: Threading. At some point between Day 77 and Day 91 of Boot, approximately 1 in every 36 teens (2.81%) experiences some form of Threading.

    • 55% receive a slight enhancement to their genetic code - a sudden slight but noticeable increase in some basic physical or mental capacity.
    • 30% experience a transformation so radical it kills them outright.
    • 10% undergo successful transformation, but certain alterations in brain chemistry cause an intensely negative psychological response - they go insane, and must be killed (usually because they're doing something destructive, such as killing someone with their bare hands).
    • 4% experience a more significant enhancement than the 55% - again, noticeable but only borderline superhuman.
    • 1% undergo a completely successful Threading on both physical and psychological counts. This is typically discovered by extraordinary movement - leaping over an obstacle without effort, running at triple their previous sprint speed, teleporting, flight, etc.

    8: Retardation (Varies). If the teen has Threaded any earlier than within Weeks 12 and 13 of Boot, they are treated with a program of chemicals designed to slow down the Threading process. They then complete Boot up until the point where they must leave for PDF International - the start of Week 12 at the very earliest, for those individuals in the Carribean Islands.
    9: Movement. The new Threaded travels with a military escort (typically of at least platoon size) to Chicago, IL; the game starts here.

    Theta Thief wrote:
    Ok that part I understand but let me ask this (not to you directly PE since you may not know but just in general to the forum) Who are this interviewers? Can they be corrupt or at the very least prone to emotional outbursts and bad decision making like any other person? Or are they super highly trained personal who have no attachment to anyone or anything beside the PDF?

    The psychologist representing the local nation in Step 3 ('Interview') above might be corrupt in some manner; they can certainly be 'prone to emotional outbursts and bad decision making like any other person', but between random assignment and their PDF counterparts, it isn't likely there'd be a bad decision made here. The 'national' psychologist generally wants to prove that the kid wants to join the national armed forces; the PDF psych just wants to prove that the kid is a real volunteer. Both psychologists analyze the teen's Psych Testing profile, and select a methodology of breaking down the teen's barriers and getting to the absolute, raw truth without the slightest veneer of self-control or civilization.

    That said, because this is a PDF process, blatant screwing-up or actual (instead of acted) emotional imbalance on the part of the national psychologist will get them dismissed from serving in the PDF Interview process; actual corruption will lead to arrest, trial, and sentencing, which process usually takes no more than five or seven days. The offender is then sentenced to life at hard labor on a combat-zone salvage team.

    Simply put, the PDF doesn't f*ck around with this sh!t. In reality, most other governments don't either; screwing around with the survival of the species means you don't want to survive, so most governments make sure that a) you die, but b) you do so in the service of your fellow man in some manner.

    Theta Thief wrote:

    Let me give a small summary of my idea for a character and you guys can tell me if it's possible or not.

    Basically I would like my character to be a street urchin type who hustles people on the street until one day they hustle the wrong person of something really important. This could be The Official, as I will call him, or someone important to The Official. After doing this he/she is caught, but instead of being put into the appropriate punishment The Official (using Official as a broad term here for anyone who could do this) put them into the selection process knowing that the mortality rate is...... what 95% if I remember correctly? To The Official worst cause scenario the kid dies immediately. Best cause they go crazy and they get to kill him/her with permission from his superiors. Of course it goes completely sideways once the kid not only survives but is one of the 1% who get fully threaded. So not only is this kid not fully convinced about this cause they will now be forced to fight for, but he's also has a giant target on his back because The Official definitely wants him dead for multiple reasons.

    So with all of ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ that in mind. How likely is this to ever happen?

    Essentially only the very first portion of this is possible. It is more likely to occur in Third World countries, i.e. Haiti, the Dominican Republic, and Northern Mexico - which is to say, the 'Official' could push the kid into applying (#1). If the kid really didn't want to get off the street, get a solid three meals a day, somewhere dry and warm to sleep, etc. etc., then he'd get kicked free after failing the Interview (#3), with a reminder to report to his assigned orphanage.

    However, if the kid has any sort of brain at all, during the psych testing (#2) he might wake up and smell the coffee, and realize that instead of living a very bad hand-to-mouth existence (which is what he would be doing, presuming he hated his assigned orphanage or his parents or whatever and never went there), he could have at least 6 or 7 years of a decent life, and decide to actually bull through the Interview (#3) by saying the street urchin version of 'I got no place else to go'.

    Simply put, however, the fact is that if you actually don't want to be there, you won't be. You might go into that nation's version of JROTC, but there are no 'reluctant heroes' here. If the kid doesn't want to fight and kill the aliens that are attempting to eradicate humankind - to kill him - then the kid ain't going into the PDF, period.

    This ain't 'a cause'; this is survival. A character who wasn't up for that ... wouldn't even be brought back into the interview room.

    As for 'The Official' wanting him dead for multiple reasons (why besides the kid tried a petty scam or thievery on him?) ... well, it's possible. Stupid of the guy, but possible.

    Theta Thief wrote:
    And if not possible would you at least agree that is a pretty BA background for a character?

    Is 'BA' shorthand for 'bada$$'? If it is ... I think I'll decline to answer the question.

    ====================================================

    Stuff to keep in mind with me:

    • When it comes to chargen, if I say something isn't working or that it's not acceptable, please realize that there are reasons behind that. I will work with you as much as my world-concept allows; work with me, and understand that not all concepts will fit.
    • I'll always listen to an argument against a ruling - once. If you've stated your case and I continue to rule it the way I am anyhow, don't continue your argument, accept it; that's what I do as the GM. Always be willing to try; I don't know everything, and I may agree that your way is cooler. And always be willing to try again, because my thoughts on the matter on go-round #2 may be different than the first time, presuming it isn't five game-minutes later.
    • I play to write, and to read good writing. Check your spelling, your punctuation, your composition, etc. Follow the rules of written English. Write well. If you can't be bothered to do so, I can't be bothered to run you; find your entertainment elsewhere. After character generation, table-talk and questions should be found in the Discussion thread; game rolls and technicals should be placed inside spoiler tags. For gods' sake, there's a 'how to format your text' spoiler tag right below the place where you write your replies, so there's really no excuse. The only thing that should be outside spoiler tags in a gameplay post is in-character writing - period.
    • I am less than fantastic at keeping combat moving. I will try many things here, in part because this is a super-supery game, where if you get knocked back for 10d6 damage into a brick wall, your Threaded body isgoing through. I will try to keep combat moving quickly; if I am not here, or stuck, and you are not involved in the combat, help each other out. There are several HEROphiles here; you lot should be able to adjudicate a little combat here and there. (Besides, the PDF has some pretty good information on the opposition, so I'll be posting opponents there won't be any questions about.) If someone wants to volunteer as assistant-combat-GM, I will be pleased for the help.

    Other stuff as I think of it or remember.


    Again sorry still learning the formats so I'm trying them out here just in case I do get picked. I would rather figure them out now rather than be yelled for not using them later.

    Thank you for that well thought out and thorough reply. Here is mine.

    Reply to The Wyrm Ouroboros:
    I am willing to work with the background a bit if you are willing to help me fit at least some of the original concept. I would like to make my character unique to a certain degree and one I would be happy to play.

    I understand that that the human race is under attack, but I would just like to say the the depths of human apathy and desire for freedom has always been historically deep if not wise. Bad things have been happening for as long as man has been around and their are always those who did not care at the time. Even if it brought their own downfall in the end. In the same vein people have suffered through lots of hardship just to retain whatever semblance of freedom they had (or thought they had).

    I'm not saying my character would be a reluctant hero, since that seems to be deal breaker for you, but I would say that it's more along the lines of the streets have been their whole world until now and they had more important things to worry about such as food, protection from gangs, and the safety and health of what little friends they have.

    I would be willing to give The Official some kind of leverage to coerce make the character go through the process instead of physically forcing them like I thought (Again was just spitballing ideas) such as a dirty secret or a kidnapped friend. However once he is in and Fully Threaded he is all for it! Like you said three square meals and a roof can be powerful motivators, especially if it means rubbing it in the face of the person who thought he would fail.

    Lastly the hustling part can be changed. All I'm really looking for is an action of some kind that would push The Official into going through all this just to see the character suffer. Shooting them would be easy having them suffer through boot camp, Threading, and finally off to fight the Thunder takes a really deep seated hate. I would suggest maybe the character sleeping with a child of his (they are both the same age whatever that may be) or maybe breaking into his house and stealing something that could end his career. Such as evidence of wrongdoing or illegal items.

    Side note to The Wyrm Ouroboros:
    The Wyrm Ouroboros wrote:
    I play to write, and to read good writing. Check your spelling, your punctuation, your composition, etc. Follow the rules of written English. Write well. If you can't be bothered to do so, I can't be bothered to run you; find your entertainment elsewhere. After character generation, table-talk and questions should be found in the Discussion thread; game rolls and technicals should be placed inside spoiler tags. For gods' sake, there's a 'how to format your text' spoiler tag right below the place where you write your replies, so there's really no excuse. The only thing that should be outside spoiler tags in a gameplay post is in-character writing - period.

    If this is in direct reference to me and how I write then please tell me now. This is about as good as my writing gets. If it is not satisfactory now then I should probably not go any further trying to enter this game.

    Thanks for all your help and time.


    So, to be clear, we start out with 50 points to spend and base 10 stats. We then "sell" our stats down to 6, which is the average score for a 13 year old. We then buy back up, with certain minimums and maximums as determined by the nature of the applicants, requirements of the Battle School, and physical and intellectual limitations of young teenagers.

    We can then modify some hybrid statistics and purchase skills (the skill list and point buy costs are unclear). The more points we leave unspent, the more potentially powerful out superhuman abilities will be when they manifest.

    What exact superhuman abilities will manifest, and their power levels, will be determined by you, guided by our character backgrounds and our direct, OOC stated desires.

    Is this correct?

    Sczarni

    Very interested in this game.

    I have no experience with this system, but that seems to be a low barrier to entry for this particular game experience.

    The Great All Consuming Wyrm wrote:
    What I need from you in order to build your character is for you to give me as complete a writeup of your thoughts about the character as you can. For their age, are they strong? Fast? Smart? Stubborn? Charming? Do they play video games? (Almost everyone who games plays 'Take Back the Planet', at least to an extent; it's notable that TBP is a purchased game which is otherwise free - but which has in-game purchaseables, of course - whose profits all go to the Red Cross and organizations like Wounded Warrior.) Are they sporty (and which sports), what are their other interests?

    I am envisioning a young-looking 13 year old East Coast kid. He's a good student, but not spectacular, with the exception that he excels in science class (especially Chemistry) and Art (with a particular talent for drawing/sketching.)

    Outside of school, he prefers to get around on skateboard as much as possible, or bicycle if he's going more than a few miles. He's adapted his school bags to attach his helmet & board to it, and has learned to repair and tune up his gear over the years. Physically fit but not particularly strong, he avoids conflict and tries to stay friendly with everyone as much as possible.

    As far as media/games, he'll play if there are others around, or sit down and devour a book when the mood strikes, but getting outside and physical is where he gets his joy.

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