Do Levels equal social rank or fame?

Ive had a few discussions of late about how common people with levels are, do aristocats require high levels? How well known is an adventurer?

So in the Worlds of Elfmaids & Octopi levels are not commonplace. Most humans are zero level with a d4 or d6 HP for the fighty ones and would find kobolds, goblins or a rabid dog a menace. Many humans reach 1st level and stay there on the first level of 1st Tier and are considered tougher than most people professionals. A group of d6 militia and bandits working a while with some life-threatening adventures go from green fighting folk to 1st level veterans. In a squad of 12-24 troops you would get a few guys with an extra level or two in charge like corporals and sergeants. There are also various grades of elite troops who are at higher level led by bosses with one to two levels more.

Officers may be hardened battlefield promotions or have had to fight others to get there and could be higher level than their troops. It's also possible they are a corrupt aristocrat. May have formal training that potentially helps them reach a higher level but the odds are many won't survive and will die on battlefield of up front or be killed by their own subordinates.  

The idea all aristocrats and land owners are high level isn't really believable most of the time. I prefer to say people who fought their way to high levels are granted honourary titles and obligations to hobble them and make them fit into traditional power bases. Some aristocrats fight their way to the position or had to kill siblings and fight to get their stuff and ought to be considered dangerous. Once they have the title their children may not be so murderous or brave. Later generations of nobles might snub people who had to get dirty with blood to get status. In my city state bronze age game barbarians take over every three generations and as descendants become city folk they in turn are taken over by their rustic cousins. In a war like setting where kings rely on support by a bunch of warring maniacs who rob and sabotage each other it is more likely nobility actually have ability.

In a more civilised age you might get incompetent officers who believe they are superior by birth and lead their troops to failure. Some nobles might even buy their ranks and titles as commissions. If these incompetent officers are in charge the overall troop quality will decline and morale will drop. Morale is also discipline so you men might be more prone to crime and vice or cowardice. Competent troops are more likely to be given to a superior officer and have serious deployments. Poor quality forces and leaders are placeholders to sacrifice if needed and have safe posts.

Fame is another concept that affects all this. Titles and status may earn some fame and reputation but a similar rank person who is a veteran fighting person will probably have more fame. Especially high-level persons are famous for victories and strength in the way a privileged appointed brat can have. Someone with rank above their deeds may be demoralising to subordinates or will have discipline problems. A fancy toff might survive and gain levels and gain respect. They will probably change in other ways.

In many of my games, I make some villains recognisable to everyone or sometimes to members of a specific occupation who might know the person's reputation. It's good to meet enemies and know of their past deeds. Makes fights more personal as your histories interweave. If they lose do they die or escape or get raised by a maniac?

Tier 0
Nobody ordinary people only known by local peers dealt with 
Tier 1 (Lv 1-4)
Quality fighting folk, some locals might have heard of deeds or quality
Tier 2  (Lv 5-8)
Master of renown, start gaining followers and students, nobles have heard of you
Tier 3 (Lv 9-12)
Hero of the realm, interact with rulers, deeds save the kingdom, granted lands and titles by rulers to keep you close to the nations power
Tier 4 (Lv 1-4)
Have visited other worlds and are watched by the gods for your awesome deeds and the awesome monsters you kill. Mortals who know of you gush a bit at your name and follow your wondrous deeds. A ruler may really want to be a friend or might really hate you as a possible threat
Tier 5  (Lv 17-20)
Demigod tier and your actions with gods and other planes make you known on other dimensions. Powerful beings may help or hinder you reach the hood. Some shun the attention of planar beings and avoid apotheosis to godhood. When you die people build shrines to you and prey to you 

d12 Uselss Posh Officers
1 Inherited job evokes reputation of deceased parent authority

2 Friends with boss and appointed job, will evoke make of boss 

3 Convinced is superior due to breeding over troops and enemies, destiny on my side

4 Bribed to get the job and keen for glory in a heroic charge

5 Inexperienced and poorly trained, makes wrong orders at the wrong time in panic

6 Related to someone famous and threatens sub-bosses and is incompetent

7 Has never seen death or blood, prone to panic or abandoning troops

8 Boss is blind and drunk to face the enemy, belligerent and looking for a fight

9 believe they are an uncanny diplomat and offers to talk to all foes, give away secrets and sure negotiations worked. Tries to talk enemy to surrender 

10 Deranged cultists wants to wade in blood and gore, encourage looting and murder

11 Has read lots of war books and sure a direct charge will work always

12 Cowardly and equips and trains minions to use a dirty trick or extra item of equipment and seen as dirty tricks. Hurling wasp nests, drinking potions, poison, burning oil, plague victim faeces, pets, etc. Others of own kind are disgusted by them and the leader will flee if things look bad

Marvel 1952

Managed a long game of dudes playing my retro super hero games where we hop years at least monthly.

Starring:

Dr Kronos the time travelling scientist called the team together and even more heroes arrived at the meeting spot in Civies than expected. Recently battled the Rogue Vatican time traveller and helped the operation sending Nazis to their doom on Mars following the doomed to faim Von Braun colony mission,.Wants to visit the former base for clues. 

Stretcho the rubbery detective adventurer really a woman and part alien. On way she checked out a haunted house on her street.

Shadow Shot the super soldier sniper with futuristic technology
Has been hunting a man size preying mantis that can hurl cop cars

Digger a nationalistic super soldier who is actually not really a human and alien powers more visible 
Fighting slime mutant creatures in industrial swamp

Blackjack the mystery man who knows men's minds and is a living supernatural shadow. Was helping a thinktank develop a a safe atomic power supply

The gang had own cases to resolve but Dr Kronos insisted they go to Danger Island and search the base as he was sure was responsible for everything,  Went to see two mummies being studied in university library and Blackjack scanned the auras of the lab crew and discovered a Lemurian spy from an underground mutant civilisation. Trapped him in time bubble and party inside managed to get some info about a Antarctic Nazi ww2 base. Shadow Shot pointed out there was some stuff outside happenings dropped the field and saw two reptilian mummies attacking lab staff. They held a lab tech and drew violet energy snakes from his eyes and ate the, 

DrKronos ran for his time sphere at super speed to see if he could go back in time to help the techie, There was a long scary fight with soul draining skeletons nut turned out the power was finite per person per day and heroes were life force enables well. It was a vicious fight and the Lemurian was handed to APIS agents. Managed to revive mummy victims but was impressive and had heroes scared.

Flew in a plane to Danger Island near Antarctica and dropped the Time SPhere for final trip through the storm barrier to the monstr and mystery filled Island. Found the German war bas where one of their five 60 times a Saturn V size rockets was launched. The base was meant to be destroyed by somehow vast ruined factories 120 layers deep exists still. Heroes went down and found trails of a human and robot soldiers marching.

Managed to kill some robots and rescue a tortured mind from a machine body designed to feel pain. Used it to help research and it begged to be saved from the base of torment. Removed the brain and broke into a observation tower to jack into the computer. Discovered more mummies were in this base in deeps and information on them. Wentto investigate after destroting robots and used the brain to break into the cryovault. Inside had all the b-list brains the nazis left behind on their doomed trek to mars. Six vaults with mummies and data lab was found and they managed to snpershot a human scientist in lab with a boomerang from digger and a laser blast.

As they were looting informed intruders coming by the rescued brain. The visitors were three comunist Russian metahumans. Commisar, Soviet Super Soldier and Iron Curtain. Heroes hid except DrKronos who told the sovits off and declared this site in the name of River CIty University. He then sensing they didt take him seriously he used his cone effect time ray to slow them. The heroes beat on the frozen commies and punched Soviet SUper SOldier out of the time field and he injured a few heroes. Stretcho destroyed the commisars gun and Shadow shot with his hige ray rifle stunned the Iron CUrtain then seemingly killed him with a head shot. Doc eventually dropped the time field and they calmed Comisar down. As the fight started the vaults began to open from the inside. Docfroze a door, Blackjack tried to hold one, STretcho and Digger held two more. Managed to open doors briefly and shoot or punch mummy inside then throw in grenaides and shut the door. Managed to kill most of mummies but 4 and fled with damage packs after badly wounded commies fled. 

Demolitions trapped the mummies and crushed them. Once in complex they set of caches of solid rocket fuel and demoltions charges and grenaides they captured. Managed to shut down all the robots and ustomated tanks then destroy many of them and take tank shells which helped destroy the base.They let Russian Helicopter escape and they cot out the complex to the Time Sphere. Base was heartily destroyed and they had plans for german flying saucer prototype, a ruined city location in Antarctica and notes on managing the vampire lizard mummies. 

Back home the Lemurian was broken out of a secret APIS prison by MIB who walk through walls.      

2024 Projects

From my secret frog bunker of solitude

Recent Stuff
One stalled project i need to kill. One drama of trying to make publishable books is making them resolved and usable and sometimes complete-ist because i don't wanna make splatbooks based on works id rather just revise them. Though a second Broken Hill book is possible and i have lots of art I paid for ready for it.

My players actually asked for me to expand my hilarious tpk alignment system and tie it into the leveling-up system more. One player uses them in their game and Has various oaths in different shrines you have to find and choose which is pretty interesting. One suggested quests for oaths. This might tie up game time a bit from my stories and would shift the dndn dungeon looting for power towards RuneQuest finding subcults for power. It could make campaign mythology more important which is nice. Im considering this as I prepare to re-write my basic rules system bit by bit and may incorporate these ideas and mutate away from D&D as is the fashion of the Zietgiest.

Chagrinspire has had lots of hits and the most comments this year. I will compile it all but no hurry. A new setting was the furthest in my mind. Extra comments and feedback have helped me make more so thanks. It is designed to plop into a setting but i do refer to Auldwood to east, the remains of the Empire to the south east and Exili Island to the north. Exilon was north west and predated Chagrinspire like my Stone Age setting which is in far north and has not changed. My setting has always been a post-apocalypse one like the Bible and Middle Earth. My WW1 horror book might end up having content adapted for Chargrinspire.

Chagrinspire was born from a game of Turnip 28 and a thought experiment of can I make a more grimy more horrible setting that makes other "grimcore" clones wet their pants like little pathetic babies. Maybe some more metalhead retro-clones might enjoy it. It's also influenced by my previous work on Hell and WW1. I've mixed in my retro-clone with science fantasy like Psychon before. Psychon made all magic is science and wizards and priests have brain implants. My Broken Hill stuff is a bit more explicitly science over magic but has typical Gammaworld & Hiero's Journey tropes. It does have my Psionics spell list available though. These settings used mutants and robots as a class which Chagrinspire is making me update. Alchemy will feature lots too.

Upcoming Chagrinspire
D100 Magic Crap
D100 Subterranean Ruins
D100 Dungeon Decor for Chargrinspire
D100 Hazards for Chargrinspire
D100 people to meet, kill or eat

Hex map - fill in as they go around the Mountains you can dump on any poor campaign world. Pregenerate your own wasteland hexes or roll them as you play.

Hexcrawl - encounters and ruins d12 tables for each terrain type

Alchemist Class - I might strip all my alchemy skills from my current rules

Mutant Class Revision - I cracked up editing my last effort at a mutant book and came away unhappy with the results and I stopped making books for a long time after doing one a month for a while. I'm feeling better I guess and feel I need to print out my d100 mutation tables and compile them into a database to compare or print them side by side on accordion folding paper like the 80s so I can lay out all side by side. More mutation tables I could do but as the system grows you need to cross-reference with all prior work and that gets slow and more like work. Maybe a setting mutation table mashing up the Xor Psychon and Plant tables or something. Mutations let you mess up normal monsters too.

Robot Class Revision - will be renamed Automatons so you can be a golem or a scarecrow instead or a 50s wind-up toy. If you cross class with a robot you're possibly a cyborg. Or maybe cross-class automaton with mutant for those tech mutations. 

A series of 10 surface-based minidungeon 3folds

A megadungeon project - level by level

EMO Elfmaids & Octopi retro-clone homebrew revision
I hope to start running Chagrinspire later this year and have some new character options. While I stupidly have shotgunned my readers with choice I also have been working with quickstart options so players can jump in when they arrive late to a new game. I could make a version with less classes and levels to start but its intended to reach 20th level. I have jumping years in my Marvel games recently too. Maybe something like level training a week per level from a school or a master to level up too. As I don't use xp maybe this could all work smoother than I think. Maybe only zero level noobs can level to One in the field everybody else needs time to be committed. No dragonlance epic railroads on the move constantly would work

Some ideas and consequences

Oaths linked to level gain? - no instant level up in the field which changes the flow a bit of game. I do like the Pendragon approach of one adventure a year. At high level some new followers are your children

Tweaks to spells and descriptions especially the higher-level ones, slower progression for spell gains for some classes. Possibly my average civilian priests more like sorcerer than clerics.

I have arms & arts skills and possibly magic skills might be separated from arts as a category and it could include more class-specific weird skills. Fighters would have to be the worst at this type

Level titles are cool but in a crappy world where untalented people might get best jobs through nepotism, inheritance or murder they wouldn't work so well. I think of more your hiercahy better acknowledge you as this just from your power level. Maybe important people shouldn't have free power levels and die from a knife. A fresh from military school captain doesnt get a high rank and levels in his diploma bt maybe helps the possibility the get to a high level. Im more leaning to the ideas characters are heroic standouts and most people are zero level. Some with experience like a green trooper going to vet get to level one. The slightly tougher career guys and sub-boss types might get to second. Elites might be 3rd and CHampions 4th which is pretty close to your orc management style. A king who fought wars and struggles might have levels, the too busy having poetry orgies and cake parties types might be zero. In my game at Lv20 you must actively resist being deified which can hurt and remove all your agency.  

Recalcitrant Corner
I'm late on a review and two scenarios gigs and other stuff
Plus I have all art assets and unfinished book mostly ready just trauma made it hard to work on from other peoples goal post and ethical shifts. It should be the sort of thing I could put on drive-through but Im much less competent than I was at Publishing (I ran several small culture newspapers and done DIY press since I was 10). Maybe some of my Latin speaking chums in america's might help me resolve this.

Long Lost Projects
(I would consider trying to finish if there is interest)

Hell - an adventure to escape hell with built-in eternal recursion - it's replayable again and again and a great way to mess with High-level players. Possibly could play as a Solo or DM-less. It's a bit of snakes and ladders so you can wind up back at the start. Maybe reaching demigod status Lv20 is a way out.

Revise Stone Age sorcery a bit - just add some content really

Revise Broken Hill or do a Volume 2

Xor Book

Frog Book

d100 Chagrinspire Rumours

This series seems to be doing well and got me lots of new comments
Comments help me make more stuff so please do

A few other sources of Inspiration:
dungeonofsigns.blogspot.com
The Nightland by William Hope Hodgkinson
The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
Nomad of the Time Stream
Anomalous Subsurface Environment by Andy Taylor
Dr Who - The War Games
Turnip28 a wargame of apocalypse and mud
Great Weird War my booklet for CoC
Films: Trench 11, Beneath Hill 60
PC Games: Trenches looks sweet

I would say newcomers will be armed as traditional adventurers and fantasy civilisations. Muskets here are a surprise at first but used quite a bit in the villages. More advanced weapons should be alien and hard to fathom. Despite the mention of 19th and 20th-century tech, Napoleonic is the base advanced technology with most of the world between medical and renascence.

d10 Quick Types
1 The Apocalypse War

2 The Black Sphere

3 Cults of the wastes

4 Technology

5 Treasures of the mudlands

6 Flatspur

7 Shankheim

8 Ruins of the wastes

9 Strangers

10 Inside the mountain

d100 Chargrinspire Rumours
01 The apocalypse war ruined the world and established our current age of misery and despair

02 The great war brought all kinds of normally hostile peoples to unity with even angels and devils fighting together against the forces of the Null Sphere

03 The war raged for centuries and civilisation went from an age of magical wonders to enemies hurling rocks at the end

04 The ravaged realm around Charginspire is poisoned by thousands of years of war and the terrible weapons of the ancients

05 During the war every nation sent troops to die in the awful muddy trenches to save all creation from nullification  

06 While the muddy wastelands around Charginspire from the worst of the war remain today, the conflict struck nations around the world with hellfire and ruination

07 The war depopulated the world of intelligent life and many peoples and species never survived the war 

08 The monsters of the world proliferated during the war as many were created to be used as slave soldiers to be slaughtered in the thousand years of bloody conflict

09 Many non-humans remember the war in more detail than humans and they never recovered their numbers and are deeply bitter about it 

10 Did the apocalypse war really end? Or is it starting again? The signs are here 
11 The cult of the Black Sphere was made up of human alchemists and bitter gnomes from the Underland who planned to nullify all existence.  

12 The Null Sphere is still under Chagrinspire and some say it can still be activated and destroy everything that ever existed. Various cults seem still interested 

13 Some say the sphere is working but it just taking its time to destroy everything

14 The great sphere is built in a vast chamber in Chagrinspire but no living persons know have ever seen it 

15 Approaching the sphere causes headaches, hallucinations, bleeding from eyes or ears or nose, diarrhoea and hair loss

16 The presence of the sphere keeps the wastelands poisoned, spawning hideous mutations and insanity

17 Prophets and seers across the world have been seeing visions of the Sphere, just like those that mobilised the world against Chagrinspire long ago

18 The gods fear the Null Sphere but cannot stop it. Its Eldritch power was conceived to kill all gods so they cannot recreate or repair the world. Some say the sphere stops gods from manifesting in person so they can only appear as weaker avatars or act through heroes

19 Some say the Sphere is alive and an evil malignant force tainting all creation

20 The Sphere left this universe after finishing its growth and its true location is another reality

21 Daemon cults with to re-start the apocalypse again but make it last forever rather than end reality and they have aided those for and against the Black Sphere at times

22 The cult of Xor attempts to bring the universe-eating world of flesh to our world to destroy it and the sphere. They say this will save the multiverse

23 Devils will give you terrible powers, teach you wizardry or even wishes if you wage war on the Black Spere's Minions

24 Alchemists Guilds from civilisation send agents to recover lost technology and exotic materials from Chagrinspire. Some claim to be inheritors of the ancient lore of Chagrinspire, most deny this dubious honour

25 The Black Sphere cult of long ago has spawned many imitators all whom claim to be the one true cult and thus must seize the Null Sphere for themselves

26 The Star Brethren commune with star spirits and beings who live in the celestial dome of night. Some of these are abusive star fairies or grey gnomes in their magical vehicles deceiving earthly dupes and kidnapping them for labour

27 Knights of The Black Circle a cult of wizards knights from Auldwood who claim to be a lost millitary force of the Chagrinspire. In centuries they have become a sinister order of masked robber knights and demonologists secretly members of the aristocracy. From caves and ruined castles, they engage in fearsome rivalry and deranged feasts mocking the courts of kings

28 Lords of the Outer Void serve the old ones with subgroups following the hungry horrors beyond creation who await the time they may plunge into our world to devour everything. Even they seek to destroy the Chagrinspire for it would deprive their gods of food and existence. They also feel betrayed as some secrets of making the Null Sphere came from their forbidden books

29 The Plague Horde fester in the wasteland because their old gods were summoned in the Apocalypse war and most were killed or banished from our world. A cult seek to spread sickness and famine. Their stinking cauldrons of pestilence kill plants and farm beasts and humans. Cultists have disgusting plague mutations they use to kill for their god

30 The Cult of Chaos have opened portals and called daimon and demons to serve them. Mutagenic weapons and mutant cultists thrive in the wastes and alchemy-polluted wastes. They don't agree on why they are here but they do wish to sew disorder in any grand schemes in the region. Humiliating order and grinding down civilisation are the main vague goals
31 Gunpowder was invented in the Apocalypse war by deep gnomes and then dwarves but now humans have discovered the lost art by digging in the ruins around  Chargrinspire

32 The ancients drove horseless carriages and flying machines

33 The ancients used weapons that killed cities and turned survivors into mutants

34 The arts of alchemy in the cities of the world are remnants of the alchemists who helped wreck the world in the apocalypse war

35 The ancients had various golem-powered machines in their homes working as servants, stoves and water carriers. These devices made heat or water on command. Other homes used captured elementals or demons

36 The great rusted hulks on the mud fields were once mobile vehicles with terrible weapons that could walk through castle walls unharmed, Some even flew or burrowed in the earth or underwater 

37 By the end of the war improved muskets could shoot hundreds of bullets or explosive pellets of burning metal or liquid fire. The last great weapons were terrible rays that could slice metal war machines in half or kill soldiers with a touch from hundreds of yards 

38 Many ancient machines and devices were powered by weird poisonous minerals created by alchemists that left tainted soil and water and air. These materials were mostly depleted halting the war machines of the ancients and their factories. After machines went backwards

39 The ancients didn't just make strange machines they made monsters and people to be slaves and soldiers. They made slimes, killer plants and fungus and even mechanical troops and other horrors still swarming around the world

40 The grey gnomes of the deep were masters of magic machines and had already the seeds of Chagrinspire's strange machines. Some say they not only flew and sailed under the sea but gnomes also explored other dimensions, the moon and invaded the celestial cities of the star spirits to plunder their secrets of the universe. Some say they even came from the moon or colonised it

41 Even metal scrap from the ancients is purer steel than living people can make and is of value to civilisation

42 Beware digging in the mud for the perils of ancient traps like explosive mines or unexploded bombs

43 If you can find the alchemist's fuel source of their machines you will become rich

44 Muskets are common finds and gunpowder can be made from minerals in the wastes. The more advanced firearms are rarer and intact ammo for them is quite rare 

45 Some collectors want ancient uniforms, helmets, medals and other trinkets of the war

46 Digging in the wastes risks exposure to poison, disease and its best to cover your face with at least cloth to reduce exposure from even the dust. Some old scrappers die horribly or even become mutants

47 Any documents of the past can be valuable relics but many were just empty propaganda for the troops and filled with lies. The ancients invented imaginary leaders and enemies to motivate other vat grown soldiers who believed they were defending their homeland

48 Some have managed to operate briefly some ancient machines but their fuel cells are mostly depleted or exploded long ago. Intact ones would be worth a kings ransom

49 Lost relics of many heroes who vanished in the war can be found and their homelands may pay well for them

50 When scavenging dress to blend in and its best to hide of flee. You are unlikely to meet friendly or trustworthy people. Even other scavengers you don't know are possibly monsters or bandits
51 Flatspur is growing and now with farmers and some order may grow into a proper community. There are opportunities to grow with it

52 The priests of the Church of Light have helped protect the town from evil infiltrators and the worst scum who usually go to Shankheim

53 Best behave in Flatspur as if you are banished you will have no safe place to explore from

54 Mudhogs are all around the Flatspur are always wallowing and eating the awful weeds and bitter gourds that grow in the region. Their flesh has a muddy taste a good cook can remove this taint  

55 Farmers who moved to Flatspur were desperate outcasts from the old empire and fled the mad ruler. They are wary of strangers but welcome money. If you commit some crime gold can make things better 

56 The cabbage beer of Flatspur makes you flatulent and the turnip wine gives terrible headaches 

57 Sometimes scavengers lose everything but those who gave to the Church of Light can expect some charity like a floor to sleep on and some turnip porridge

58 The walls of Flatspur are made from junk and machines of the ancients and are constantly growing as the village grows

59 There are plenty who lost their parties of scavengers you can hire as guides or followers in Flatspur

60 Items like food or beer from civilised lands or quality weapons are overpriced and often unavailable in Flatspur
61 Shankheim was started by murder hobos who were tamed when the guild arrived to take control. None dare cross the Guildmaster

62 Any who offend the guild of Shankheim can expect to be murdered or enslaved

63 If the guild offers to lend you money you will be their slaves for life

64 The guild takes all salvage to study and secure and forbids any from hoarding or studying found relics. They will offer money for them and you had better take it 

65 The only healer in Shankheim is a witch who fled Auldwood and has a price on her head. The guild protect her 

66 If you stay here you'd better like eating rat and crow. Some say the cabbage beer made here causes diarrhoea and gassy bloat. Stick to imported foods is best

67 At least in Shankheim there is a whorehouse and drugs are available everywhere

68 If you really get the guild mad they will give you to rat farmers as feed for their giant rodents 

69 You can always make money as a pit fighter in Shankheim and possibly it is safer. If the guild master says throw a fight you'd better obey

70 Cults thrive in Shankheim and monsters infiltrate occasionally. The village lacks walls as the guild make deals with local monsters. The guild often employs orcs to keep the peace but many troublemakers are found stabbed in the back
71 Burried trenches often have long buried dugouts but beware undead soldiers trapped for centuries in them

72 Many intact ruins are occupied by gangs or monsters and have been well picked over. You can still find hidden treasure or dig for scrap in them once inhabitants driven off

73 Buried buildings are often intact with treasures of the ancients

74 Ancient wards and magical traps keep many ruins intact but expendable livestock or prisoners can be driven in to set these traps off

75 Cults often occupy sites they believe have clues or documents they find of interest

76 Its best to grab what you can carry and get out quick as you won't take everything. Occupying the ruins as a base is possible but you will need to fight to hold it

77 Sometimes when digging you find buried buildings or tunnels you could be lost in forever

78 If the ruins are smoking they are occupied

79 Some of the ruins are flooded which is bad but also unlooted already if you can make the effort

80 Many ruins contain vast machines nobody can fathom the use of
81 Hooded strangers come daily from civilised lands seeking occult secrets 

82 Famous bandits from Auldwood or the Empire come to hide here and prey on explorers and scavengers. They often use ruins as a base 

83 Adventurers come to plunder the ruins more and more but most just die 

84 Scholars come seeking relics and documents to study but beware they don't have secret agendas

85 Spies come here to watch the progress of scavengers and villages reporting to distant rulers. Some seek to detect any threats of ancient powers or actions obtaining dangerous weapons

86 Traders come for relics and ancient steel and guns but some have ulterior reasons

87 Many dangerous shapeshifters, evil spirit folk and mutants try to infiltrate settlements and guards may demand strangers are searched for plague, mutations or other signs

88 Many who live in waste have resorted to cannibalism and eating anything they can catch. I guess rat gets boring quickly

89 Strange peoples from Underland kingdoms have been appearing on the surface and often they have cruel alien customs and attitudes 

90 There are shifty strangers who offer money for information and regular informants. Its free money who knows why they want to know stuff?
91 There is part of a plateau against the mountain of Chagrinspire with ancient ruins intact and a broken aqueduct releases a river from inside the mountain forming a fog-shrouded lake

92 One of the lesser mountains next to Chagrinspire is Mount Slime and some say is a vast machine spawning oozes and contains imprisoned gods

93 The mountain is a vast dungeon complex and somewhere is the vast chamber of the Null Sphere which is dangerous to be near

94 Gnomes in the mountain have advanced guns, automatons and vehicles. Their flying machines are sometimes seen over the mountain

95 The mountains are riddled with shrines to the old ones the ancients exploited to create the sphere. These attract cults who resent the abuse of their horrible gods

96 Machines with bound demons and elementals can be found beware you don't release them when taking treasure

97 Very few adventurers have returned from the mountain but hundreds have gone missing

98 Some of the vast tunnels under the wastes connect to the mountain complex

99 Passages deep under the mountain are still linked to Underland gnome civilisations

100 The wizards of the outer void and the alchemists in the old order of the black sphere died off long ago but the grey gnomes still live and are near immortal survivors of the Apocalypse war. Their underground cities and lunar colony helped them survive the massacres of the apocalypse war. Maybe this was their plan all along to outlive their former allies

d100 Terrible Encounters For Charginspire

I will make sets of d12 encounters for the terrain types of terrain around Charginspire and the mudland wastes. These are probably worse, being dangerous foes that make locals worry and are distinct to the regions. Previous posts in this series should help you customise equipment and stuff.

My players realised in this setting you don't need to be good or worry about innocent non scum being heard. If everyone agrees on the mission alignments wont matter and maybe that is one of the doomcore elements of this setting/

The previous post was more to cover a wide weird range of possible gangs. This is more for a wide variety of threats and more detailed. Undead, devils, angels might all use muskets.

I would roll for a 1in12 chance per hour in the wastes but that's probably too mean so once in 4 hours is more reasonable if travellers are careful and quiet. There in a 1in6 chance another encounter is in the area also. Perhaps both are fighting or stalking each other. This is a weird location and you might see a paladin, a devil cultist and a dragon all fighting the forces of the Null Sphere then turn on each other. Might be a good lesson for a party to see. On a roll of 2-3 you might want to roll here.

d12 Close Call to an Encounter
1 Fresh footprints
2 Distant screaming or roaring
3 Distant flying monster or flying machine (best to hide)
4 Hear gunshots in the distance
5 Hear clanking machinery in the distance or underground
6 Fresh chewed up corpses

7 Trail of blood or slime from injured creature

8 Hear the distant sound of vehicles

9 Hear an explosion in the distance

10 Lone scout of a larger group carefully investigate for enemies

11 Trap left by creature as an alarm to alert them

12 Trap left by creatures like snare or landmine with bait

d10 Quick Types
1 Beast abhuman warbands

2 Humanoids warbands

3 Demihumanoid warbands

4 Human warbands

5 Cult pilgrims

6 Vermin

7 Animals

8 Biohazards

9 Mechanisms

10 Monsters

d100 Terrible Encounters For Charginspire
01 Ape abhumans riding mutant horses with muskets and armour, if they see weaker targets they will attempt to capture slaves with nets and lassos. They may try to make humans come peacefully but most like being violent to damned dirty humans

02 Hyena abhumans with a shaman with undead servants. They laugh and howl from a distance when they see you and just want to kill and eat you or make undead portable larders from your corpse. Leave diseased and cursed treasures in front of enemies paths. They make stone tools but steal anything they want including muskets

03 Frog commandos well camouflaged and lurk near water or mud. Sometimes they fake sound of a screaming person to lure enemies into quicksand or traps under the waterline. They will use missiles and flee long before any risk of being harmed. Flooded tunnels they easily squeeze through with false trapped passages makes them hard to catch

04 Rat abhumans will scavenge any tech from stone and to common human or muskets. Will have a boss, a priest to the plague gods, an alchemist and other specialists. These include trench fighters, scouts, snipers, sappers or others. Often have a pet rat swarm and giant rats and in rare cases riding rats as big as dire wolves and quite clever. All carry disease and some leave plague-tainted food and treasure for enemies 

05 Vulture abhuman warriors with great composite bows and swords. The boss will also have a vulture wizard or changeling who will in turn have several student magicians. These arrogant cursed creatures are widely hated and known to seek power over Charginspire. They find ancient bog meat for provisions and will experiment with ancient technology and firearms 

06 Worm abhumans lay in the earth and ambush enemies. They may even burrow under a campsite and attack with short blades or chains. They are wary of situations that cannot burrow or squeeze out. They dine over bog meat of the midlands but like the variety of fresh food or anything edible. Some have trained giant war beetles or riding rhinoceros beetles. Worm alchemists control many giant insects with alchemical scents. They often lair inside giant monster carcases and move on when eaten

07 Wasp abhumans are greedy nasty winged insect folk who kidnap victims with paralysing stings and use to feed their young in a clay cell with an egg. They are interested in any food for their colony but also gather mud or water. Their demon wasp god teaches all the universe is their food bequeathed to them by their ancestors

08 Mole Abhumans dwell under the wasteland and inside the mountain and were made to mine and build by alchemists to labour for them. Now they have occupied many buried dungeons but send expeditions to the surface to kidnap slaves or kill any worm-related creatures. Each has a veteran leader usually a priest and some pet creatures like bugs or worms. They burrow under sleeping people and snatch them 

09 Reptilian abhuman adventurers with various lizard, snake, turtle and draconic humanoids with specialisations like warriors, scouts and wizards. Dragons and snakes tend to quarrel and specialise in magic and shapeshifting. They are here to investigate reports of increased life in the cursed lands, kill monsters for glory and find magic lore or items. They may communicate with humans 

10 Raven abhumans serve a death god and enjoy the well aged carrion of the ancients in the midlands and bogs. Their god has bidden they kill alchemists and any who know of the alchemists of the null sphere in the forbidden mountain. For decades they assumed humans were all cultists here to finish the apocalypse. They have adapted to modern equipment and will use ancient weapons on the provision they use them to kill their enemies off forever and then destroy the weapons. Normal birds often swarm around them carry messages and scout for them. Priests ride giant birds and drop banes and blessings from above. The older and more powerful ones can even fly unaided 
11 Brotherhood of Black Orcs a strong breed of grey-skinned, all-male orcs that don't shun the sun. Were made by alchemists to wage war long ago from pits of exotic materials and rituals. Even other orcs hate them and nobody is spared their sadistic delights. Many wear horned helmets and carry spears, pikes, falchions, crossbows or muskets. They are imperious and martial and may have some goblin thralls who are bat or wolf riders as scouts. They are very rigid dependent on their boss and sub-boss to keep order

12 Chaos Orcs came here long ago and thrived in the mutagenic muck breeding and growing more hideous. These greenskins have minor mutations and worship violent demons who grant wishes for more mutations. Leaders and their supporters are berserkers and they prefer to charge with no plans or tactics. They love the swampy or polluted wastes the best

13 Kobold Swarm a mobile clan of hunters who travel in large amounts and are infamously vicious. They will use bows, javelins and incendiaries to attack foes. They will feint a withdrawal if attacked and then swarm. They willingly will sacrifice half of any group against an enemy and 90% if a blood enemy they already hate. Their thriving demon god hates humans. They leave egg clutches everywhere and easily replace themselves from hatchlings or recruit feral children

14 Goblin Riders from a wolf or bat clan who sweep over the area raiding and harassing enemies but avoiding losing numbers. They live in caves with fungus gardens and grow magical fungus for medicine and war. They came here long ago as scouts but liked it

15 Goblin gang, a mix of regular, hobgoblin and bugbear types who use their strengths against enemies. Goblins are more scouts, animal handlers and magicians. Hobgoblins will be the bulk of warriors and uniformed formation fighters. Bugbears are for heavy support for the others via stealth or information. All carry bows and use sound tactics

16 Gremlins are tiny mischievous unlucky pests that will swarm from tiny burrows to attack. Will use traps and crude mechanical siege-like weapons to entrap victims they can torment and eat slowly. Some colonies keep swarms of rats or flies or ferrets as allies they can even ride. They may sneak in packs and try to sabotage spell components, holy symbols and magic items or weapons

17 Zvardt are bluish ice-loving goblins of the north who come down from the glaciers and sometimes stay a few years. They come to worship the Black Sphere of the mountain. Their wizards may use various elemental cold powers. They are hateful of all life and may be impressed by alchemists or wizards who promise to take them to the Null Sphere or help the Apocalypse hurry up. They wear horned caps and love spears 

18 Norkers are brutish throwback goblinoids extinct in most lands. Here they survive by brute force with stone tools, wooden clubs and throwing sticks. They are larger and tougher and may even nip foes in melee. 

19 Boggles are creepy creatures who live in swamps, some say they are moon creatures, and others say they are faerie and mature willo-the-whisp. They creepily like puppets and stare at people with their googly eyes. They repeat phrases with their creepy sleepy voices and might even be brave enough to kill and rob strangers

20 Nilbogs agents of the lords of chaos provoke violence and march backwards and randomly. Their unnatural condition is from a mirror universe a wizard discovered and now they lie here. They talk backwards and occasionally work with real goblins

21 Dark elves, bored and in need of torture or an orgy or both to cheer up. When they detect foes will try to use ambush and magic and some of their awful pets including monsters or giant animals. They prefer to win with magic and archery if possible and will flee if anyone hurts them

22 Bright elves here to kill any life they find in the cursed lands. May have a unicorn, winged horse or griffon for their leader. They come every century to see if the old evils have returned. If you can convince them you won't trigger the apocalypse or aid the alchemist cult of the Null Spherethey might talk

23 Morlock dwarf clan from the deep seek slaves and machine parts. May have a war machine for transport and some repaired automaton soldiers. They regard other races as cattle they can take to their home base 

24 Derro dwarf clan who served the Null Sphere creators and sought to activate it and start the end times. They use many spells and ray weapons that derro uses to paralyse or control victims or make people fight each other so derro can crush the survivors. They have secret elevators to a secret tunnel network all over the wasteland. Captives are tortured or face dissection or lobotomized for slaves

25 Dark Dwarves were hateful and spiteful but loved to hate and didn't want the apocalypse. They came to kill any they felt might be smart enough to help the forces of the apocalypse. They will utilise the ancient mechanised vehicles and muskets as familiar to them but they often have their own golems and self-propelled abelasts

26 Mountain Dwarves here on a quest to kill chaos and evil for glory. Anyone in the region they assume are cultists or evil but they could be convinced otherwise. They have no plans on returning if they do not have enough glorious battle

27 Halfling spies live in a secret burrow but will follow strangers in the region to see if they are cultists or other enemies. Cultists they ambush and murder, others are ignored or may be contacted if they seem to be allies. If you perform a task for them they will offer local knowledge and how to find caches of food and water

28

29 Changeling loner (an animal spirit or planar hubrid) who visits to kill local horrors every few decades in revenge for loved ones killed centuries ago

30 Grey Gnomes in a mechanised vehichle or airship, with automaton soldiers and small fighting machines. They are interested in curious strangers and recovering lost treasures. Mostly they are indifferent and ignore others and don't want to talk. They serve the Black Sphere of the Apocalypse and were part of the Alchemist alliance of old. They are gloomy and melancholic and sure the end is coming to the universe soon. They casually use ancient technology with a few living meat or crystal items
31 Battered knights on a quest with servants and pack animals. Mostly they have met enemies so far and are wary. They may make enquiries about their quest and offer some aid if it does not risk their goal

32 Barbarians here to kill chaos and spell-using witch folk to save the world. Even literacy is too dangerous and believe city folk are weak and prone to chaos. Burning and decapitation are too good for wizards. May have dangerous pets or mounts

33 Ranger band scouting area for signs of evil returning. Will question strangers after spying on them for signs of evil first. Will have various pets and possibly some monsters or faerie allies who may be hidden 

34 Crusaders with templar priests seeking chaos, cultists, witches, undead or any evil they can destroy. If convinced a party is worthy they may aid them 

35 Adventurers here to plunder and murder for profit. Possibly might be tempted to rob rivals or at least yell abuse and insults at them. They might attack a weaker party or beg for help from a stronger one

36 Scavengers from a local community looking for valuables in the mud, wary of strangers and want to avoid fights, might even scatter in a panic or hide if they see you first

37 Bandits of most desperate and despicable types who take no prisoners, some are famous c

criminals with bounties on their heads that even regular criminal guilds hate
38 Berserkers are kill crazed maniac barbarians here to fight to the death for glory. May be friendly at first offering to cooperate or buy beer or meat

39 Cannibal mutant gang starving and vicious, know normal people hate them

40 Mutant soldiers still serving ancient orders with scraps of ancient uniforms and tech but cobbled together and poorly repaired, mostly wear rags, leaky bandages or hooded robes that easily blend in with rubbish

41 Devil cultists here to sabotage the null sphere cultists from destroying the world. Will appear as adventurers but most have imps and pacts with devils

42 Daemon cultists here to help the apocalypse start again but also want to prolong it to last forever so suffering is eternal. Want the war of the wasteland to cover the world. Appear as adventurers but with daemonic pacts 

43 Necromancer cult with death templars and wizards here to raise an undead army then return home. Hostile to the forces of Charginspire and the black sphere alchemists who will make even death die. All in black adorned with skulls

44 Chaos cultists, mutated violent maniacs often led by a champion with wizard or priest allies. May have pet slimes and oozes or mutated creatures. Here to kill the forces of Charginspire who plan to flatten all probability to zero 

45 Demon cultists here exploring, curious about the powers of the ancients but masters are wary of their abuses to demon kind in the past. Each cult has its own patron demon and varies and many will fight each other. Wear robes but each sect has other decor and colours preferred. Some have normal clothes to get supplies from non-cults 

46 Machine cult here to restore ancient vehicles and weapons and restore lost technology. Despise those afraid of the powers of the ancients and keen to take discoveries back to civilisation. Desperate to understand the power source used that polluted and despoiled the wasteland

47 Fungus cult here mostly to eat and establish fungus forests. Many are infected by exotic spores with fungal mutations like mushrooms growing from their bodies. Some have mobile pet fungus monsters of goblin spore masters to help manage these monsters and plant new fungus forests. Not very interested in fighting but are interested in corpses left on battlefields to make spore zombies

48 Alchemist guild masters with mercenaries here to recover lost secrets of alchemy and hope to explore Charginspire. WIll parley and trade with civilised people but know even the most despicable groups in the waste hate and fear them for their similarity to the ancients. Will used guns, grenades and incendiaries and other alchemy weapons and ancient tech

49 Cult of the Black Sphere Alchemists with uniformed thrall mercenaries, automaton troops and some grey gnome allies to work on machines. May have an armoured vehichle. Looking for materials needed to repair the Null sphere to destroy everything that ever existed. DOnt want to jepordise mission with risks but if they think adventurers have ancient fuel cells or useful tech will attack

50 Black Sphere Assassins who serve the ancient alchemists of Chargrinspire but more secretive, pretending to be scavengers and adventurers to spy on communities. May be friendly to gather information and then betray new contacts if they cant get useful information. May give away free poisoned food or addictive healing potions
51 Swarms of rats or possibly just lots of giant rats carrying disease

52 Swarms of flies or possibly just lots of giant flies

53 Swarms or ticks or possibly just lots of giant ticks carrying disease

54 Swarms of beetles or possibly just lots of giant insects, varieties vary

55 Swarms or worms or maggots possibly just lots of giant ones

56 Swarms or harmless toads or possibly just lots of dangerous giant ones

57 Swarms or centipedes possibly just lots of giant ones

58 Giant scorpions hunting or possibly whip scorpion or solifuge

59 Giant spiders d4 1=black widows 2=tarrantulas 3=trap door 4=crab spiders

60 Giant mantis well camouflaged to life in trenches and fly well
61 Pack of weird d4 1=dire wolves 2=winter wolves 3=devil dogs 4=hell hounds

62 Pack of scavenging d4 1=dogs 2=wolves 3=jackals 4=hyenas

63 Pack of mutant hounds d4 1=scorpion tales 2=hairless and scabby 3=tentacles and slimy 4=infested with maggots and swarm of flies

64 Mutant bear covered in sores, tumours and parasites. Often have tentacles or other unatural features or hybridisations 

65 Giant lizards or newts are often good at hiding in the waste and ambushes

66 Trench Cephalopods are menacing land suid and octopi a kind of undersea faerie being that has adapted to land life. Wear steel helmets, carry guns and  crossbows swords and spears and follow an ancient cowardly code on combat teaching ambush attacks, hiding and disguise. WIll use missiles and spells and flee if anything looks dangerous. There are also ammonite tribes, nautiloids, cuttlefish and other tribes have quarrels since before land was a big deal

67 Manticores, most are pathetic flightless type but some have bat wings or scorpion tails with poison darts. They can talk but are horrible human eaters who delight in tormenting prey with abuse

68 Chimera (various hybrids possible) horrible murderous hybrids who hunger for untainted human flesh

69 Rust monsters busy eating old scrap but might be tempted by other metals. They wont risk too much harm as easy meals everywhere. Possibly eating some valuable item of interest to adventurers

70 Cateoblas love the corpse-filled midlands and thrive, often may have children near
71 Slime-infested zombies spreading their awful condition 

72 Slimes or jellies eating corpses but moving living bodies are delicious also

73 Zombies overgrown in roots and plant matter, where they die vegetation grows including possibly deadly musk flowers that make more undead

74 Ghoul clan live in some buried trench out to feast on the dead, usually to busy eating ancient battlefield corpses and ignore the living, but will attack any who threaten them

75 Wight warriors from some barrow killed in ancient war, now crave living to kill and enthrall as minions to wage war on the living

76 Mobile fungoid humanoid zombies in ancient uniforms spreading spores over the dead to spawn more of their kind

77 Strange trees with hanging rotting corpses in branches, will release these as zombies to bring new unholy fruit to the tree to be reanimated as servants

78 Pod plants are defended by emotionless fake humanoid plant creatures who seek to capture and replace humans with more pod plant people. Sometimes will follow people and wait for them to camp and leave some pods close to replace them. Some locals trick the plants and eat them and the pod people for food

79 Flying burning skulls stretching and looking for victims or intact skulls that can carry to their creators lair

80 Undead animated by colonies of worms which they fling or vomit up on enemies
81 Crab Mines are walking iron crab automatons that explode when a target is in range and can hide in mud

82 Iron Warhounds are iron automatons the size of dire wolves that can track and fuel themselves on meat or any organic material. Some have heavy weapons mounted in them or room for a passenger inside its body. Some act as mounts or guards or scouts. Understand complex orders and descriptions of targets

83 Clockwork Soldier with a musket and a bayonet, officers instead have a cutlass and may have drummers, cannons and cavalry riding Brass Warhound automatons. Serve some ancient faction here to wage war and very Lawful and just following orders given centuries ago

84 Iron Soldiers, musket wielding infantry like a walking potbelly stove also armed with swords and sometimes a pistol. Each has a functioning furnace and requires fuel like oil or coal or shale. They produce smoke which is dangerous to allies in a confined space and helps enemies target it. May explode if killed. Simplistic and follow instructions of creators or their nominated delegates 

85 Iron Pillbug a giant bug shaped automaton scuttles across battlefields harvesting recyclables but also have build in self losing muskets and come in small, medeum or large. Good at sneaking

86 Battle Sphere a one man gyrostabilised monocycle in an armoured sphere with a light machinegun that can be operated by a person or an undead or automaton driver 

87 Thrasher a large slow traction engine with a rotating drum with chains on the front to flail mine fields and the back has a dozer blade. Many are covered in improvised scrap armour and operated by a crew of up to six wasteland maniacs of a machine cargo cult, Armed with d4 1=black powder harpoon gun 2=abelast on swivel mount 3=rack of six muskets on a mount can be swivelled and fire one at a time or all at once, slow to load 4=small blackpowder cannon or swivelgun

88 Scrap Miner, machine size of several houses processing solid and digging and making an efficient patterned mess. Will fire light machineguns at intruders or crush them. May have automaton or humanoid crew

89 War Machine a sentient tank automaton with light machinegun and small artillery piece. Crew can be 2-14 depending on size and purpose and additional weapons. They are gross inside and has choking fumes. The crew are veteran trench fighters or sappers and might belong to various factions. May try and intimidate for information or food or fuel. Often has regular soldiers with it as support who ride on outside 

90 See a moving magic megastructure in the distance, a citadel with locomotion d4 1=walking 2=wheels or tracks 3=levitating 4=on monsters back inside it

91 Undead dragon, skeletal or zombie, mindless killing horror, sometimes has necromancers or death templars as escorts or controllers

92 Basilisk territory, area is corrupted and foul by the basilisk poison nature and it rules over the area killing any life it can. Cockatrices are a good substitute

93 Shoggoth digging a trench or other task may react to intruders or might be too busy

94 Doppelgangers pretending to be adventurers to get close. Will take their time to betray victims and spend time forming perfect identities to delude companions using their ESP powers. They serve the Black Sphere cult and bring them documents they find on victims

95 Wyverns in a pack attack from air and will do flyby poison tail strikes if cautious and curious but if hungry will land to use all attacks or may try to snatch a victim and fly off with them

96 Guargantuan Vulture by day or bat by night keen to gobble up tasty people

97 Giant with troll and ogre followers here to kill alchemists and eat little people 

98 Gargantuan giant insect or other invertebrate digging up corpses to eat. Often ignore people by carrying parasites like giant ticks or stirges

99 Dragons, of all kinds might fly through here just to kill anything that might be connected to their ancient enemy the alchemists of Charginspire. Some may bring draconic templars and reptilian troops to assist them

100 Planar being usually demons or daemons often bound within an area by warding stones or a circle to guard a location or just to stop them escaping. Some may make bargains for freedom. Angels, arkons, elementals and other beings can be encountered like this also and some may be warped by their bitter experiences here and have different personalities than you might expect like evil angel or a demon who wants revenge on the cult of the black sphere

Marvel 1951

Want to finish Cthulhu SF Campaign stuff I wrote and then will run my retro-clone edition in the setting I'm blogging about. Players realise they could all be awful characters because there are very few innocent people in the setting.

So we skipped a year as 6 weeks since most players were together at once. Since most of the worlds nazi villains escaped to mars on their Von Braun mars colony ships and died on arrival, villains had been slow. The old Department of Superhuman Affairs was dead and Sir Reginald had retired. The new org APIS Australian Paranormal Intelligence Service seemed more about power, salvaging black science and watching heroes for unheroic or communist activity.

Rather than face the Unheroic Affairs Committee all had quit their millitary jobs. Except for Ace who is a sort of mercenary working for governments and worthy causes.

Digger the super soldier had quit the millitary and became security director of Space Security Commission which operated a radio telescope, a supercomputer and a traditional observatory. Working with the director a good friend and Digger seems to make intuitive leaps about space stuff. Digger is fast, regenerates and is armoured with high attributes, combat skills and utility belt. 

Stretcho the detective quit the spy business and started a nightclub run by sidekick Lavender Lass inher public ID. Stretcho ran his detective office from the club and when in private reverted to her true female form. She and Lavender Lass had been married by Venusian Amazons and had their honeymoon there in secret. When they help ladies flee deadbeat husbands they send some to Venus via saphic super science. Stretcho has a plastic stretchy body and is a super strong former spy and expert wrestler. 

Blackjack the mystery man who knows all had never worked for the government and had grown his spy organisation of street contacts. Mostly focused on crime fighting with some occasional supernatural foes. Blackjack can turn into a living 2d shadow and is telepathic.

Ace of Aces had been fighting Mig15s in Korea in his new custom BAC Electric Lightning fighter and had also been performing rescues and trying out helicopters. Has been expanding airfield mobile island fleet. Also can fly, has super senses and regeneration.

Blakjack used his new aura sense stunt on the party and revealed Stretcho is part alien and Digger is alien and not like all the other government super soldiers. Ace was of course dropping test atom bombs to get his powers. Digger the character doesnt know anything about this. 

We had another new player with Blackjack play on public holiday. Another mystery vigilante with super soldier stats and an advanced sf ray gun and gadgets.

I made players roll up two d100 tables one for crime and a weird mystery table.

So to start Stretch was investigating missing ARcheologists from a side with a burned crater nearby. On the way back from the lab with a ginger counter was chased by two cars. Blackjack had joined Digger escorting a v2 rocket to Woomera and miraculously saw Stretcho's car being chased on the underpass. He leaped out his car and his driver stayed with the convoy. He skillfully jumped from the overpass onto a pursuing car bonnet. He reached through the window and grabbed the wheel steering the car ap an embankment and the driver braked. A passenger shot hm in the face.

Blackjack tried same and landedon the road and tried to grab the car and got hit instead nut he was made of shadow at time. Stretcho got her lover Lavender Lass to stop the car and ran with super long legs to join the fight and reached into the car Digger attacked and plucked out the boss. The gang surrendered. Turns out their gang had been paid to stop Stretcho from returning to the archaeology camp.

On way back to camp some heard weird noises and Blackjack saw a light streak into the sun. Turns out the "scientists" from River City U were crackpots looking for Atlantean giants when really they were digging up an alien UFO wreck. They found the crater had been filled in with lots of documents missing and typewriter ribbons stolen. Radioactive footprints were around the site and the landfill was radioactive. Ace arrived in a primitive Sikorsky helicopter and searched from the air and found hole where the landfill came from also radioactive.

So also found two unconscious bodies of missing men. Stretcho used her bio healing powers from her plasmoid hybrid body and while Blackjack did first aid finding them cool and slow heartbeat, did an aurascan. Discovered they were some kind of alien psuedo lifeform replicants. He exposed this secret and told them to give up. They fell over dead and melted. 

So the gang contacted various friends like a Strategic Wing Commander of the Air Force and some APIS agents and millitary and they also enquired about Blackjacks current case. Why he was consulted Digger for at his new job at the space centre. Apparently, genetically modified super locusts had been stolen. Blackjack also had an incident 200 pigeons in co-ordinated flight over him and a police sarge and covered them in shit. Something controlled them he didn't know what. Wondered if the super locusts were connected. There had also been ghost and UFO sightings around city and using past recordings at the space centre found the same force that replaced the scientists had been visiting the agricultural research station where the weaponised super insects had been developed. Party got paperwork from the Wing Commander to inspect the base security based on a possible leak. All in civies and Stretcho as a lady secretary.

Got through elaborate security and found the lab and the frozen bug vault armoury. They had a major and 4 security guards showing g them the lab. Got to see some educational films explaining Commies were weaponising insects so we have to do it do it to defend ourselves. The Ag Lab claimed to be working on pest control in giant domes. Originally Exotech corp plan was the footlong bugs would eat crops then fly into a protein refinery and added to food, saving millions in fuel, transport and farm machines. The millitary planned to steal enemy crops or defend against enemy bugs at first. There was a genetic switch to make them sterile so as not to breed out of control and another to make them deadly flesh-eating monsters with metallic chitten. 

Turned out the major was an alien replicant. There was psionic static in area from the huge bug domes above the lab sub-levels on the surface. Blackjack failed to warn everyone so waited on the tour for the right time. That was when in the cryovault where the theft happened Ace saw a secret door and opened it revealing an alien comms room with a box of whiskey and Cuban Cigars and a nightclub matchbook. They rapidly took out the soldiers and Stretch impaled the major replicant with her arm and lifted him off the ground. Had a laser pistol also and an armband with symbols. Ace gutted the computer. They gang went up the lift shaft and set off an emergency evacuation alarm. Escaped using the Majors ID to open the gates and get back to their vehichle and comedicly huge piles of guns and utility belts they couldn't carry into the black lab under the bug domes.

They called their higher up millitary contacts and military evaced personnel on surface, The heroes saw a car trying to escape with three replicants and stopped them. Then the sound of Ace's Canberra Bomber crewed by his Island base team drowned out everything and dropped several tonnes of napalm on the base destroying all the bugs and burning into the lower levels. This was followed by his buddy flying is BAC Lightning fighter tired missiles opening the black lab superstructure to fire. After all this Ace had to go back to Korea to fight commies.



Party decided to investigate club affiliated with gang that was related to the pigeon shit incident where they were shat on arresting gang members. Sarge advising their plan of action whispered "the pigeons are watching us everywhere". Blackjack had detected a hive mind like the insect swarm ones. Party decided to infiltrate the club and try to capture the gang boss Bugsy North and find out about his alien and tech links.

They all dressed up and Stretch came in a glamourous evening dress and the rest in smart tuxedos and suits. Digger wasn't allowed in but they were very welcoming of Stretcho and Blackjack in his alter ego as a playboy philanthropist. Digger sneaked around the back and used hyperspeed to sneak in and grabbed a box and entered the bar. The others with free drinks met and could see a flight of stairs 30 foot up to an office overlooking the club dancefloor stage and casino. Briefly Blackjack caught odd glimpses of activity inside. 

Blackjack tried to get thugs to let him meet the boss using his streetwise and savoir fair. Reading their minds they were looking for assassins and had extra guards pl7us the boss was awaiting his own assassin to arrive. The discussion broke down and Blackjack became a shadow and smacked them as they shot at him. Stretcho used her grotesque biohealing touch to save one mangled gangster, Digger ran upstairs super speed and looked through the window and saw boss, 4 goons and humanoid insect creature. The gang burst in and the boss tried to exith through a door and drew a laser pistol. The goons had tommyguns and a lewisgun.   

Sadly due to terrible rolls, Digger tried an areas effect charge and missed and bounced off a wall and fell three stories to the club dancefloor. Blackjack tried a charge at the boss who evaded making Jack hit a wall and the boss got into the next room. Amazo smashed a hole in the club wall for patrons to escape. She reached to the office and grabbed the bug and dropped it to the lower floor and immobilised the bug on the floor. It tried sonic attacks while Stretch crushed the bug. Both were losing a few Health points a round so was slow. As they went to get the gangster boss two weird men in black with weird black designer glasses and hats walked through a wall. Blackjack charged them and felt he had slightly hurt the phantoms and then tried a mental attack which didn't harm one of the MIB. They reached inside the mob boss and he exploded in a shower of red. Digger came to help bash the bug monster held by Stretcho and the press got photos. The MIB walked through a wall leaving no trace.

Meeting up at the space centre with the various anti-alien allies they concluded these MIB may be real aliens and possibly only two of them making replicants and probably have a base in the city area and not commuting to space, With captured alien tech and past recordings they will be able to track it. Players want ray pistols which in most super games would be a problem. Ace is the only tech guy in the party and his more a gifted tinkerer-mechanic. Nobody knows how to reload the lasers. 

Will be morphing ideas from the Dark Future RPG, 2000ad comics Vector13 and a Martian Manhuter series from 90s American Secrets. As ever ROM too and I used Dire Wraiths in a campaign for years as a player's personal enemy.