Music Wars

All of this is just brain-storming. Making suggestions, feel free to add or edit what you like or don't like

Death Metal: A bomber fleet of old B-52's that plays very loud Death Metal while dropping JDAM's, MOAB's, and Fuel-Air explosives?, rumored nukes. Flame throwers for the ground troops. (It just seems appropriate) Terrorist attack style, mercenaries, will assist anyone (except Praise and Worship), for the right price, Rival of Praise and Worship

Country: 45 Colt revolvers, 30-30 Lever Action rifles, double barrel shotguns, Old West Shootout style combat, guerrilla warfare, can survive and live off of the land if need be, Rival of Rap

Rap: 9 mm pistols, AK-47s, Pump Shotguns Drive by shootings, gang warfare preferred attack strategy, guerrilla warfare, city dwellers, will invade a "Listener's" house for supplies if need be, thugs Rival of Country

Praise and Worship: Swordsmen, Holy Magic, Modern Holy Crusader fighting style, Imagine the Crusades taking place now. Funded by local churches, Rival of Death Metal

60s rock: Psionic powers, defense bonus for being on drugs, 32 caliber revolvers (I know a former 60s drug dealer, that's what he carried) Defensive style of combat. They are not very good at gaining a radio station, but once they have it, they have to be dragged from it, kicking and screaming, they can hold onto what they have, local marijuana and cocaine trade funds them, Rival of Extreme. They feel that Extreme took their music away from what it was intended to be, and are pissed about it.

Jazz: I'm thinking Gangster style weapons, 45 automatics, Tommy guns, Ya know, the Tommy Gun hidden in the violin case? Magic, perhaps their music possesses magical powers, heavy into underground liquor trade for fundage

One Hit Wonders: a little bit of it all, adaptable attack and defensive strategies, depending on who happens to be in charge of that particular conflict, unpredictable in combat, faced one on one, you don't know what he will pull out of his hat. Trying to moderate the conflict, since they hold members of all groups. Trying to unite them all, semi-friendly terms with most, but will engage in combat if provoked.

Extreme: High-Yield explosives, martial arts, they are more terroristic than most of the others. Instead of a direct assault, they use more terror attacks. Same with Death Metal, funded by fast cars, fast boats, sports gambling

Classical: High intellect, defense and attacks are well-planned, high psionic powers, aristocratic, air of dignity, The "Upper Crust" of society, rich beyond your wildest dreams, they hire Death Metal to do their dirty work on occasion, in exchange for funding of the nuclear weapons programs

Attack bonus for having their music playing during the attack. I mean that would really psyche up the soldiers

I don't know enough about the magic of Multiverser to offer much in the way of that, but I'm open to suggestions.

Why not change Death Metal to just Heavy Metal? I mean the two are kind of branches of each other. Just a thought.

Ever seen Six-String Samurai? From IMDB:

In a post-apocalyptic world where the Russians have taken over a nuked USA and Elvis is king of Lost Vegas, "Six-String Samurai" chronicles the tale of Buddy (Jeffrey Falcon), a hero who's a '50s rocker and wandering warrior rolled into one, too-cool package. Armed with his six-string in one hand and his sword in the other, Buddy is on his way to Vegas to succeed Elvis as King. Along the way, he saves an orphan (Justin McGuire) who decides to play tag-along to his rescuer. What follows is the road trip from hell.

Perfect plot to hang that background on.

Explanation for the Listeners is that they find safety in consensus. So the radio stations are the chief creators of consensus i nthe post-apocalyptic rubble of a half-blasted society--

Its half-blasted because the Star Wars defense program actually kind of worked. The Rooskies and the Han got blasted back to the Stone Age. Europe except for Berlin which is the capital of a Music Society got taken over by Rooskie invasion forces which then got cut off because their home society got wasted. Now Europe is ruled by Tank Commander This and Captain of Infantry That in a thousand little fiefdoms who all ignore each other except when the locals rebel against the new Rooskie ruling class.

Now pretty much no one has the ability to conduct large scale war anymore. Large gov'ts have collapsed.

The Interstates are toast, but Rt. 66 and its brethren survived the Big Blast as the Nuke war is called.

Due to all the nukes that got blown up high in the atmosphere by Reagan's Rockets, there is really, really beautiful sunsets.

Its a much more broken apart society with the only major gov't force that at all held together in the US being the FCC, the Federal Comm Control as its now called, or more colloquially, the CommCon although FCC shock troopers consider that rude, and usually engage in a little amateur dentistry if they hear it.

The FCC restricts itself to controlling radio stations because they lack the power to really put things back together again.

The rest of the world is worse...completely fallen apart. Any ambition to go and save the world is long gone. Saving one's own life and property is more important, and if you're really ambitious, you might think about saving your neighborhood, or joining one of the Music Societies which is where the socially active who want to move, and the idealists who want to fix society go.

Now technology is stuck below the computer age

Interesting concept Eric. I could really see something like that happening. People take solace in music and TV. The music survived, and people banded to it, joining groups, cliques, forming bands that play concerts. I really could see something like that happening.

As an aside, the Praise and Worship groups are working with the One Hit Wonders to bring about peaceful change, but the PaW believes that they should be united under PaW music. Everyone else is out for world domination. Eric, you have my email, let's get started. What do you think of my suggestions for the different groups?

Praise and Worship music is not all just church hymns. There's PaW Rap (DC Talk, Preachers In Disguise) PaW Metal (White Cross) PaW Rock (Petra) PaW Country (Randy Travis) PaW Jazz (Nothing specific that I know of, but I know it exists) and of course, PaW Classic, which is what we are all familiar with.

The PaW is working with the One Hit Wonders, and using this fact to try to unite the different groups, under their banner. Thoughts?

Praise and Worship works with the One Hit Wonders, to bring about a peaceful end to the conflict. Their beliefs of what should be done are close enough that they work well together, with only minor conflicts, mostly over leadership issues. One Hit Wonders wants them all to join as one, Praise and Worship wants them to join together and do Praise and Worship, in their own forms. (Praise and Worship Rap, Country, Rock, etc)

One Hit Wonders represent parts of all of them. It is a coalition of a multitude of groups. The rivalry between Praise and Worship and Death Metal is a thorn in the side of it all, which is why One Hit Wonders do not join directly with Praise and Worship, but only work together closely.

All of the nukes have either been shot off or destroyed. Metal is trying to rebuild one. They're anarchists. They just want to destroy the world. They are funded by, and often work for, Classical. Classical is just waiting for this to happen, so they can sit in their fortified fallout shelters while the world is destroyed, and come out when it is over, to rule what's left of the world. "It is better to rule in Hell, than to serve in Heaven" Milton.

I hate to add racism, but that is what fuels the rivalry between Rap and Country. (I mean let's face it, Rappers are mostly black, and Country folks are mostly racist) They will each settle for nothing less than the total annihilation of the other.

Praise and Worship are rivals with Metal. Metal, being anarchists, hate the unity and peace desired by the Praise and Worship. Metal is also associated with Satanism sometimes, so that adds to it.

60s Rock (Or just Rock) tries to keep to themselves, and mostly just tries to defend what they already possess. They are good at defense, and have to be beaten senseless. Extreme music kind of grew out of Rock, and the Rock folks are upset about that. Like how a father would feel if his son opened a rival business. The two engage in heated conflicts with each other. Extreme is the only group that the Rock group has been known to attack. Instead, Rock just tries to defend themselves and their territory. Primary enemies are the Extremes.

Jazz is more flashy. They're the Al Capones of this world. They are funded by alcohol, prostitution, gambling rackets. They are also mercenaries to an extent, supplying arms for a price, but mostly try to take control of as much as possible.

Extreme are terroristic, but not anarchists. They want the world to be as is when they take it over. Skilled in martial arts, hand to hand combat, explosives, demolitions. Some of them want to rejoin with the Rock group, but they can't work out the issues between them. Some on both sides are working for peace between them, but not enough to make a substantial difference in the matter.

Each group is trying for total control of the music industry. Praise and Worship, and One Hit Wonders trying to do it more peacefully, the others trying to do it by force.

Scott, you were kind of working with us here. Do you have any 2 cents to add? You have the best understanding of Multiverser of anyone I've seen, aside from MJ. I'd love to hear your thoughts.

I've got lots of thoughts, particularly concerning your decision not to divide Metal/Hard Rock in general from Death Metal and the level and role of magic and psionics in the scenario; I'll post 'em all as soon as I've got a block of free and creative time that I'm not devoting to updating my player's threads (one of whom has been waiting for over a fortnight). Quick comments about passing thoughts (kind of like this one) are easier to slip in than a larger post that really hits everything I want to say. With any luck, you'll hear from me tomorrow - and so will Paul, Graham, and MJ three times over.

Something I have found to help when I don't have a lot of free time, or a lot of jumbled thoughts. I write them into a word document in my computer, and save it. After much editing, and thinking on it for a while, I copy and paste it to the boards. That gives me time to think about things, if I don't have time to post them all at once. Hope it helps.

I have a hard time writing 'country are more racist'. I suspect that Yankees are more racist than Southerners.

And another point on the Rap-Country divide...

This is a world about music.

I'm thinking your Music Association wipes out other associations...

So you have Black country stars slamming on White rap stars. When the black guy in this situation uses the typical ephithet he means something different than what we mean. He knows he is supposed to be racist, but he doesn't really understand the concept.

Again, it all goes back to music.

The country guy sees himself as an ordinary working man trying to endure. He sees the rapper as a no-talent egomaniac blowing his own horn all the time.

The rapper sees himself as a hero in a world of the fearful who need to learn to be brave like he is. He sees the country guy as a man who is trying too hard to be normal, who is a kiss-up to the Powers that Be that are oprressing everyone ('the Man'), and is thus a whiny, cowardly kiss-up.

Well, you do whatever you want with it. It was just a thought that I had, of why they were rival groups. You know a lot more about these things than I do, so take it. I would like to read what you have when you're finished.

I'll be posting it up here when I get done.

What I post, I'll view as a Proof Draft which will give you a chance to go over any concerns you might have, and see if I need to make any changes.

It will also give any others the chance to do so....like MJ.

And then hopefully it can go up on the Valdron website.

Course, I need to finish Mountain Home for the Cthulu guy first (unfortunately, my latest draft seems to have been eaten by the computer which since it was nearly complete is problematic.) I'm going to try to get the Ladyfaire to look for it, and if she can't find it, and I can't find it among the other copies, I'll have to do it again.

Grrrrrr.

And after Music Wars, I want to finish off World of Bugs with McCallister.

Full schedule.

But I like to think of it as getting other players to join me in the game design biz.

Eric

Eric, when you get Music Wars finished, would you be needing volunteers to run through it as a forum game? I'd like to run through it, but only if you personally refereed the game. It sounds like a mindless, fun world, which is something I'd like to try for once.

Death Metal: A bomber fleet of old B-52's that plays very loud Death Metal while dropping JDAM's, MOAB's, and Fuel-Air explosives?, rumored nukes. Flame throwers for the ground troops. (It just seems appropriate) Terrorist attack style, mercenaries, will assist anyone (except Praise and Worship), for the right price, Rival of Praise and Worship

==Weapon: MOAB aka Mother of All Bombs is a 12,000 pound packet of high explosives. It does Obliteratory damage in the central area of a hundred yard circle. For the first twenty-five yards past that, drop the damage to Annihilatory, and at the next twenty-five yards down to Fatal, and so on down to Annoying which is from 226-250 yards from the center point of the explosion.

==Weapon: JDAM aka Joint Direct Ammunition is a bolt-on to 'dumb' bombs. It allows much greater accuracy when target information can be relayed to it. This is one reason that DM has not tried to knock down the satellites in orbit because GPS is needed for this system. This is a Tech 11@0 Computer Control System skill which offers a +25 sit-mod to hit.

==Weapon: FAE Bomb or Fuel-Air Explosive spreads a gasoline mist, and then ignites it. It does Annihilatory damage in the first forty yards, and then drops one damage level every ten yards further out in a circle from the center point.

==Weapon: Flamethrower: It does Lethal damage with a Dangerous rider every turn until the target is stopped from being on fire by a Difficult attribute check, or by a Fire-fighting skill.

Range is as follows: Point Blank N/A; Short--10 feet; Middle--25 feet; Long--50 feet; Extreme--70 feet.

Country: 45 Colt revolvers, 30-30 Lever Action rifles, double barrel shotguns, Old West Shootout style combat, guerrilla warfare, can survive and live off of the land if need be, Rival of Rap

==Weapon: .45 Colt Revolver with six bullets. It does Dangerous damage. Point Blank is 5 ft.; Short is 10 ft.; Middle is 20 ft.; Long is 40 ft.; Extreme is 60 ft.. Maximum rate of fire is one shot per two seconds.

==Weapon: .30-30 Lever Action Rifle can hold up to four bullets before requiring reloading. Point Blank is N/A; Short is 25 ft; Middle is 50 ft.; Long is 100 ft.; Extreme is 200 ft. Damage is Lethal. Maximum rate of fire is one per four seconds.

==Weapon: Double Barrel Shotgun loaded with Buckshot can fire once per two seconds maximum speed with two shots available before needing reloading. Point Blank is 5 ft.; Short is 10 ft.; Medium is 15 ft.; Long is 20 ft.; Extreme is 30 ft.. It gets a +15 sit-mod to hit due to the wideness of its spread pattern. Damage is Fatal, but any armor reduces that to Damaging.

Rap: 9 mm pistols, AK-47s, Pump Shotguns Drive by shootings, gang warfare preferred attack strategy, guerrilla warfare, city dwellers, will invade a "Listener's" house for supplies if need be, thugs Rival of Country

Praise and Worship: Swordsmen, Holy Magic, Modern Holy Crusader fighting style, Imagine the Crusades taking place now. Funded by local churches, Rival of Death Metal

60s rock: Psionic powers, defense bonus for being on drugs, 32 caliber revolvers (I know a former 60s drug dealer, that's what he carried) Defensive style of combat. They are not very good at gaining a radio station, but once they have it, they have to be dragged from it, kicking and screaming, they can hold onto what they have, local marijuana and cocaine trade funds them, Rival of Extreme. They feel that Extreme took their music away from what it was intended to be, and are pissed about it.

Jazz: I'm thinking Gangster style weapons, 45 automatics, Tommy guns, Ya know, the Tommy Gun hidden in the violin case? Magic, perhaps their music possesses magical powers, heavy into underground liquor trade for fundage

One Hit Wonders: a little bit of it all, adaptable attack and defensive strategies, depending on who happens to be in charge of that particular conflict, unpredictable in combat, faced one on one, you don't know what he will pull out of his hat. Trying to moderate the conflict, since they hold members of all groups. Trying to unite them all, semi-friendly terms with most, but will engage in combat if provoked.

Extreme: High-Yield explosives, martial arts, they are more terroristic than most of the others. Instead of a direct assault, they use more terror attacks. Same with Death Metal, funded by fast cars, fast boats, sports gambling

Classical: High intellect, defense and attacks are well-planned, high psionic powers, aristocratic, air of dignity, The "Upper Crust" of society, rich beyond your wildest dreams, they hire Death Metal to do their dirty work on occasion, in exchange for funding of the nuclear weapons programs

Attack bonus for having their music playing during the attack. I mean that would really psyche up the soldiers

==Skill: Loud Music Bonus Morale: If your sides music is louder than the other side's music, then you receive a morale bonus until the next major setback at which time another morale skill check can be rolled. This encourages more of the side to actually attack with enthusiasm and full skill instead of hanging back a bit, or tentatively attacking.
NOTE: It is possible for both sides to receive this bonus, because the sound level is relative to them at their position.
Thus it is customary for Music Societies to roll into battle with bandwagons loudly blaring their favorite songs. Its always interesting when "We are the Champions" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" are blaring out as the Sixties and the Praise & Worship forces duke it out, and windows a quarter-mile away are vibrating.

This is a Bump so that I can easily find this. Once something drifts off the main page, I have difficulties.

I am hoping to do a general reformation of the Music Wars world.

This includes info on this thread, info in my Earthlink emails (which I have to figure out how to open), and info on my lapto, and on my flash drive. A scattered mess you say, to which I say "So say we all!"

Music Wars
By John A1Nut and Eric R. Ashley

The chief creators of consensus in the post-apocalyptic rubble of a half-blasted society once called the Republic of Columbia are the radio stations which are licensed by the Federal Communications Council or Comcoo (with a long ‘o’). The FCC is the only major governmental force that survived the Big Blast somewhat intact since most of its leadership was skiing down the slopes at Vail singing little happy tunes to themselves when Washington got evaporated. The “Ninth Annual Leadership Conference for Telecom Executives at Vail” was very fortuitous for the FCC execs and managers.

Columbia is half-blasted because the Star Wars defense program actually kind of worked. The Rooskies and the Han got blasted back to the Stone Age as the reward for their treacherous sneak attack. Europe except for Berlin which is the capital of a Music Society got taken over by Rooskie invasion forces which then got cut off because their home society got wasted. Now Europe is ruled by Tank Commander This and Captain of Infantry That in a thousand little fiefdoms who all ignore each other except when the locals rebel against the new Rooskie ruling class.

Nowadays no one has the ability to conduct large scale war. Its not like the old days where a few nations could reach out and swat another nation. Its not even to the point where a nation can maintain internal coherence. Large governments have collapsed. This includes the Republic of Columbia which is gone. The Interstates are toast, but Rt. 66 and its brethren survived the Big Blast as the Nuke war is called.
Due to all the nukes that got blown up high in the atmosphere by Reagan's Rockets, there are really, really beautiful sunsets.

Its a much more broken apart society with the only major governmental force that at all held together in the US being the FCC, the Federal Comm Council as its now called, or more colloquially, the CommCoo although FCC shock troopers consider that rude, and usually engage in a little amateur dentistry if they hear it.

The FCC restricts itself to controlling radio stations because they lack the power to really put things back together again. As a strategy, they would rather focus on being utterly dominant in the single most important area of power, and ignore the rest.

The rest of the world is worse...completely fallen apart at best, and gone back to Stone Age tech and cannibalism at worst. Any ambition to go and save the world is long gone. Saving one's own life and property is more important, and if you're really ambitious, you might think about saving your neighborhood, or joining one of the Music Societies which is where the socially active who want to move, and the idealists who want to fix society go.

Nowadays technology is stuck below the computer age: the technology bias is 11@2. The Magic Bias is 3@2. The Psionic Bias is 3@2. The Body bias is 12@9 and dropping as some of the odd creatures like butterflies that supported the high Bod bias by their unusual Body skills are now dead, extinct, kaput.

The primary Music Societies are as follows:

1. Sixties Rock and Roll:

A. Rivals: Extreme. The Sixties feel disappointed in Extreme which branched off from them some time ago. They try to win them back to the fold by charm and by cannon. Such conflicts are as if a father had a son who opened a competing business in the same field. Usually contacts between these two groups start out amicably, but escalate to violence as opposing expectations of how the other should behave collide.

B. Weapons:

C. Special Skills:
1. Defensive Tactics: This is a Psi-based skill used by small combat units termed ‘bands’ which helps them choose the best way to defend an area. RS/10 Defensive Sit-Mod.
2. Strategic Defensive Generalship: This is a skill used by several of the best ‘superstar managers’ aka generals in the Rock High Command. The RHC is known for its brilliant defensive stands. Any time you hear about a fight with fifty casualties on one side, and a thousand on the other, its almost certain that someone was fooled into attacking the Rockers. RS/5 Defensive Sit-mod. It requires 10 + 2d20 hours of preparation, and at least fifty helpers to lay the barricades, establish fire zones, and lay out ruses and traps.
3. Military Engineering is a Psi-based skill used in building bridges, and in this case mostly forts and redoubts, and channeling structures to control the flow of battle to the advantage of the defender. Most of the old Corp of Engineers went to Rock, and those that didn’t found their skills not properly appreciated by their groups. The end result is that Rock has the best ‘groupies corp’ in the world.

D. Capital: Memphis is the Divided City shared by Jazz and by Rock. Graceland is the Capital Building and center point of Rock’s control. From here, the current King of Rock and Roll reigns.

E. Mindset: They have a large territory stretching deep into the South, and the Midwest, and over the Rockies and into Arizona with a small pod up in the Northeast around New York City. In total land territory, they are the second largest of the Music Societies behind Country, and in listeners they are the second largest behind Praise and Worship which helps confirm them in their basic defensive stance.

They try to avoid picking fights except with the Extreme.

They are very good about Standing their Ground. Once dug in, they are very hard to get out.

2. Extreme:

A. Rivals: Rock is their disappointed and over-controlling father who in addition is extremely boring. They have had many bitter fights. Extremists divide between wanting to 1) Make them leave us alone like they do everyone else. 2) Destroy them, and their precious Graceland with fire. 3) Take them over, and redirect that wasted energy.

B. Weapons:

C. Special Skills:
1. Rappelling--This is a Bod based skill.
2. Stunt Driving--This is a Bod based or a Tech based skill depending on the driver’s mental orientation.
3. HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) Skydiving--This is a Bod based skill.
4. Stealth--This is a Bod based skill.

D. Capital: Vail Colorado used to be the city of Vail in the state of Colorado, but states are done with in these new Music days. A cry ‘Vail!’ which is always delivered with verve and enthusiasm and challenge is the greeting call between Extremists.

E. Mindset: The Extremists is seeking to create a new, better human who is faster, stronger, and braver. They do not seek this through bionics (although they don’t discriminate against those who need this, but they discriminate against those who use this without need), or through drugs. And they need a soundtrack for the glorious bravery and insane skill that is meant to be their life.

They tend to elevate those of their ilk who achieve greatness to saint status.

Thus ‘Saint Vin Diesel’, and ‘Saint Evil Knievel’ are in their pantheon of heroes as early proto-Extremists.

Most of the Special Forces wound up in the Extremists although a fair number made it to Country and Praise/Worship.

3. One-Hit Wonders:

A. Rivals: They try to have no rivals.

B. Weapons:
They are extremely eccletic being able to use the weapons and magic skills of any group. In addition, they have some psionic skills of their own.

C. Special Skills:
1. Mediation--Some of the best mediators in the world work for the 1H or the Wonders as they are often called. They are very good at finding common ground between people, and helping to reach productive agreements.

One of their techniques is to charge a vast sum of money from both sides. If both sides agree that it is a good agreement, then both sides get ninety percent of their money back. If not, then the Mediators keep it.

2. Stage Dressing--Again, some very good stage dressers who can turn a stage from a Country Hoe-down to a dirty alley suited for Rappers in a minute flat work for the Wonders.

3. Empathy--The 1H tend to be able to read the real emotions of people. One common saying is “Never, ever gamble in Los Angeles because a bunch of angels did, and that’s how the place became Lost Angeles.”

D. Capital: Los Angeles. People come from all over the world seeking to become great. Many pay any price for just a touch of greatness, receive it, and find its not worth the price. Others have only one good song in them, but it’s a very good song, indeed. Some keep trying, and others go on to other things. But all of them are One-Hit Wonders.

E. Mindset: If people will put aside their hatreds and fears, a way can be found to work things out. Just a little trust, a little honesty, and things will get better which will lay the groundwork for a little more trust.

Sometimes they are too naïve for words, and sometimes that is an act. They are well aware that some people ‘need killing’, and they have people who can do that very well. But they think most people can be rescued, and that a little lie about how naïve they are is in a good cause. And they don’t mind lying in a good cause.

They work closely with Praise and Worship which is trying to reach out to everyone in a similar way. One issue they have with Praise and Worship is how the P&W folks treat the Death Metalists. They want the P&W folks to hold themselves defenseless to the Death Metalists in hope that this show of defenselessness and love will move the hearts of the Death Metalists.

Another reason why they don’t work closer with them is that both sides are infiltrated by secret agents bent on causing trouble between the groups.

4. Classical

A. Rivals: They divide their time between hating everyone in a quiet refined way.

B. Weapons:

C. Special Skills:

D. Capital: New York City.

E. Mindset:

5. The House of Jazz which is ruled by the legendary Bluesman although some say he is merely a figurehead for the Jazz and Blues Council.

A. Rivals: Classical and Rap are both rivals. The first for the technical virtuosity shown which pleases some people who think that a turn to a Technocracy would save the world, and the second group competes to be the Genuine Voice of the People’s Pain

B. Weapons:

C. Special Skills:
1. Spell of Confusion is cast on one opponent.
2. Eerie Synchronicity allows a group of Jazzmen to attack their opponents as if they were one man. This is a Body skill.
3. The Ole Black Magic inspires strong lust in a target. This is a Body skill.
4. Open a Door into the Nevernever allows the opening of a pre-existing magic gate into the Nevernever where magic creatures live. These creatures cannot stand the touch of sunlight, or too much materialist based or spiritual based logic. They thrive on irrationality and whimsy.

D. Capital: Jazz shares Memphis with Rock, but it shares Beale Street with no one. It is here, in one or the other of the fabulous night clubs that line this street that the Jazz and Blues Council meets. Jazz is not Blues, but Jazz owns the Blues as a subset of its power (although some Bluesmen dislike this, and the current leader of the Jazz is actually a Bluesman which bespeaks complicated, back room politics at its finest).

E. Mindset: Jazz started as the music of poor people, and of the Blacks, and of New Orleans. Indeed there is a substantial segment of its supporters who would like to move the capital to New Orleans, and ‘turn back the tide to the old days’. But it became the music of contemplative musicians of uncanny skill, and odd turns of thought that led them places that the common man had difficulty following them too. And thus it became the music of white music professors. It still has its roots, but they are thinner and weaker than they were.

It claims to be the music for all. It provides for the poor, and for the wise it claims.

6. Praise and Worship

A. Rivals: Death Metal is their rival. They honestly don’t want to fight them, but at the same time, they see the Dmers as determined to destroy everything they can lay their hands on. Plus the Dmer tendency to wear shirts proclaiming that “I worship the Prince of Darkness” or “Murder is my Hobby. Genocide is my sport. My job is Skateboarding.” does tend to be off-putting.

B. Weapons:
1. Longsword.
2. Pump Shotgun.

C. Special Skills:
1. The Sword of the Spirit has a more mundane metaphor for this group. This group has the best hand-to-hand combatants of any group. Such Swordsmen are also trained in singing, and witnessing to make them swordsmen of the heart as well.
2. Sword of the Spirit: It is rumored that some miracles have been observed where Swordsmen chopped through solid steel with a blade that was undamaged. This is a Magical skill.
3. Laying on of oil: This is a healing technique to help the almost dying to recover mildly. It is a Magical bias technique.

D. Capital: The Dual Capitals of Salt Lake City and Atlanta hold the affection of this group. In one year SLC holds the capital, and in the next Atlanta. The smoothness and equanimity of the transference of power is one of the great propaganda points of the Praise and Worship crowd. They can point out that they run a vast group with smoothness, and polite deference which does not break out into fistfights, and should they not be able to run the nation that way?

E. Mindset: “The closer everyone gets to God, the closer they get to each other.”

People are naturally scum, or sinners. But God and his agent, human government, and one’s peers can help the person who receives His grace to be closer to their original state before the Fall of Humanity into wretchedness.

Life is pretty good. The world is beautiful. Everyone ought to be grateful for every day.

The strategy of making a PW that goes with each group (that is a PW Country, a PW Classics, a PW Jazz) is based on the idea that if certain fundamentals of reality are accepted, then the rest can be negotiated. They hold this was the nature of the nation before the Big Blast.

7. Death Metal:

A. Rivals: They hate Praise and Worship considering them a bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites who should be hated because they seem to enjoy life when everyone knows life is terrible. They also have the nerve to claim they have answers which infuriates the Dmer, but they don’t have all the answers which also infuriated the Dmers as well.

B. Weapons:
1. They are trying to build a nuclear weapon, but haven’t yet succeeded.
2. They do own nerve gas (sarin) in artillery shells, and mustard gas that they have made.
3. They have a fleet of old B-52 bombers armed JDAMs and MOABS to drop on their enemies. These bombers are also equipped with very loud loudspeakers which play Death Metal at high volume.
C. Special Skills:
1. Rig High Explosives--Tech skill 1@5
2. Spot Weakness in Tech Structure--Tech skill 1@3. This allows the user to find the weak point in some complicated technical system like a car motor or an oil refinery in order to sabotage it.

D. Capital:
They have no capital being a set of underground cells. They do have various abandoned ghost towns they take over for a while to use as bases for their fleet. They prefer one’s with morbid names like “Tombstone”.

E. Mindset: Some of the Dmers actively worship the Powers of Darkness. Others worship the Norse gods as incarnations of strength. Still others, and that the vast majority, do not worship anything or anyone despite saying otherwise on their t-shirts as they are skeptical materialists.

The glass is not only half-empty, the water is an illusion, and we’re all so messed up that screaming and burning everything down is a normal reaction. Classics have got money and so they’re useful for now, and the Rappers have the pain but they want to fix things (losers!), and the Country are a bunch of bucktoothed morons dipping snuff, and the Praise people are purely evil. Praise worships a God who is not there, and if he was, He would be evil, and I hate Him is the rant of the Death Metalist. Logic is not a Dmers strong suit. The Extremists are a bunch of arrogant jerks with their washboard abs, and perfect tans--we hate them too.

8. Country
===========

A. Rivals: Rap.

B. Weapons:
==Weapon: .45 Colt Revolver with six bullets. It does Dangerous damage. Point Blank is 5 ft.; Short is 10 ft.; Middle is 20 ft.; Long is 40 ft.; Extreme is 60 ft.. Maximum rate of fire is one shot per two seconds.

==Weapon: .30-30 Lever Action Rifle can hold up to four bullets before requiring reloading. Point Blank is N/A; Short is 25 ft; Middle is 50 ft.; Long is 100 ft.; Extreme is 200 ft. Damage is Lethal. Maximum rate of fire is one per four seconds.

==Weapon: Double Barrel Shotgun loaded with Buckshot can fire once per two seconds maximum speed with two shots available before needing reloading. Point Blank is 5 ft.; Short is 10 ft.; Medium is 15 ft.; Long is 20 ft.; Extreme is 30 ft.. It gets a +15 sit-mod to hit due to the wideness of its spread pattern. Damage is Fatal, but any armor reduces that to Damaging.

C. Special Skills:
====Survival: Temperate Zone. This is a Tech 0@1 skill. They know how to camp, to fish, to hunt, and to trap. They are also good at finding water, and starting a campfire. The typical Country "Bumpkin" if you're being rude, or "Rifleman" if you're being polite has this skill at 1@10.

====Aiming and Sighting: This is a Bod 7@3 skill of Intensified Damage. Not to be rude, but many of the other groups seem to think of guns as magic items. You pull something, and someone dies. Country are taught how to shoot. And they are taught that if they have time, an aimed shot is far better than a haphazzard shot. This takes thirty seconds, and full body involvement as the shooter kneels to one knee, or lays on his belly to steady the rifle. At that point, he may fire with a +10 Sit-mod. Extra damage is a Damage Point Bonus.

====Aimed Intimidation: There are few things scarier than seeing a crack shot aiming his rifle at you in complete calm and focus. The reputation of the Country shooters has gotten around, and been exzaggerated in the process. Now, if the Country shooter does the Aim and Sight, he may choose instead of shooting to Intimidate. This is a Reduce Morale Mag skill of 1@1.

D. Capital: Nashville is the capital. The Grand Ol’ Opryhouse is the capital building.

E. Mindset: They are the most populist of the song types. At one time Jazz might have laid claim to that distinction, but its gone upmarket. The concerns of ordinary people with ordinary emotions which are sometimes incoherent, and sometimes bittersweet are mildly idealized unlike the other musics which are about people aspiring to be something they are not, or so the country guy sees it. Rock claims to be the people’s music, but its really the young, college guy’s music, and Jazz is for intellectuals and druggies, and Rap is for self-aggrandizing wannabees, and Classic is for snobs who never worked hard a day in their life, and Praise is for plaster saints.

Country is for ordinary people, and ordinary people are what will save the world because they always are even though other folk claim the credit.

9. Rap

A. Rivals: Country is their chief rival. Country keeps trying to go north through the Midwest, and it meets Rap going south. But they don’t much like Classics either which they tend to identify with The Man.

B. Weapons:

C. Special Skills:
1. Overawe--The rapper is able to by a recitation of his talents and achievements cause his opponents to need to make a simple difficulty check any time they act against him for the next RS/5 minutes.
2. Identify Fellow: A rapper is able to ask another rapper who he is, and receive a recitation, and then determine if the new guy is ‘authentic’ or a traitor or a spy. This is a psi skill.

D. Capital: Detroit, Michigan is the capital. The Murder Capital of the World its called. Its more dangerous than some gulags.

E. Mindset: Rap is about giving a voice to the voiceless, about finding a way for the helpless to organize, about style in the STYLE sense. Its about being big, and brave, and letting it all hang out in a world gone cold and cautious what with the near brush with total disaster. Its about fighting the forces of The Man who want to put you in line, use you, abuse you, and then spit you out, and blame you for their abuse. Rap is about hitting the LOUD button.

Classics is about deifying the oppressors, and Country is about whiny boys, and Death Metal are just freaks, and the Praise guys mean well but its easy to be happy when you got everything handed to you, and Jazz has sold out with its focus on technical virtuosity instead of speaking to the People’s pain.

ALL Music Societies have this skill:
==Skill: Loud Music Bonus Morale: If your sides music is louder than the other side's music, then you receive a morale bonus until the next major setback at which time another morale skill check can be rolled (Typically, the DJ puts on a new 'really, kicking song' to make the check). This encourages more of the side to actually attack with enthusiasm and full skill instead of hanging back a bit, or tentatively attacking. This is a Mag Skill 1@1 Bonus Morale.

NOTE: It is possible for both sides to receive this bonus, because the sound level is relative to them at their position. Also, the typical "DJ" or "Song Leader" has this Mag Skill at 2@5 level.

Thus it is customary for Music Societies to roll into battle with bandwagons loudly blaring their favorite songs. Its always interesting when "We are the Champions" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" are blaring out as the Sixties and the Praise & Worship forces duke it out, and windows a quarter-mile away are vibrating.

John,
1. I had computer difficulties which I think vaped the previous emails you sent me on this Music Wars. If there was any data in there for Music Wars, perhaps you could resend them.

2. I wonder if you could copy the above, and with some copy and pasting, put in the weapons from the 1d20 or something List of Guns, and anything else you'd like to have in it.

As you can see, I think most of it is done.

Beta tester is playtester to answer one query.

Eric, I can see that you've done quite a bit of work on this. I think though that the psionic bias and magic bias should be much, much higher. You (or anyone) cannot tell me that music hasn't made your mind feel really good, or made you feel almost magical. Perhaps those biases increase with loud music? I mean really, some songs just make my mind feel at peace and calm, and others give me almost a magical feeling. I think those biases should be a lot higher, for that reason. I'll check my email and see what else I have. I know you're missing quite a few of my ideas. Oh and do me a favor. Credit me as John "A1nut" Cross. Exactly as you see it there. That's how I am credited on all of MJ's pages, and I think it would be good to be consistent with that.

Eric, all of the guns and powers that I mentioned are at the top of this thread. You must have forgotten to recheck it. No big deal. Just go back to the top of the page, and you should have most of what I put down.

Eric, a note on the 30-30 lever action rifles. I thought 4 shots seemed kind of low, so I called one of my gunsmith buddies. He says that most 30-30 lever action rifles hold between 7-10 shots. Just to make the world more accurate.

John,
1. Thats a Mag skill you're talking about....maybe a Remove Fear, or a Bonus Morale.
2. I'll edit your name to be right in a second.
3. I'm asking you to do some of the work of that. You can make a copy, and paste the guns and powers into their appropriate places in a new post under this one. In fact, I'll let you do that with your name correction. I understand you can't go to a gamebook, but here, you don't need a gamebook.
4. Thanks. I'm glad to be more accurate. And :) Could you insert that in your new copy?

Sorry it's taken a day or two Eric. Just wasn't in the mood yesterday.

Music Wars
By John "A1nut" Cross and Eric R. Ashley

The chief creators of consensus in the post-apocalyptic rubble of a half-blasted society once called the Republic of Columbia are the radio stations which are licensed by the Federal Communications Council or Comcoo (with a long ‘o’). The FCC is the only major governmental force that survived the Big Blast somewhat intact since most of its leadership was skiing down the slopes at Vail singing little happy tunes to themselves when Washington got evaporated. The “Ninth Annual Leadership Conference for Telecom Executives at Vail” was very fortuitous for the FCC execs and managers.

Columbia is half-blasted because the Star Wars defense program actually kind of worked. The Rooskies and the Han got blasted back to the Stone Age as the reward for their treacherous sneak attack. Europe except for Berlin which is the capital of a Music Society got taken over by Rooskie invasion forces which then got cut off because their home society got wasted. Now Europe is ruled by Tank Commander This and Captain of Infantry That in a thousand little fiefdoms who all ignore each other except when the locals rebel against the new Rooskie ruling class.

Nowadays no one has the ability to conduct large scale war. Its not like the old days where a few nations could reach out and swat another nation. Its not even to the point where a nation can maintain internal coherence. Large governments have collapsed. This includes the Republic of Columbia which is gone. The Interstates are toast, but Rt. 66 and its brethren survived the Big Blast as the Nuke war is called.
Due to all the nukes that got blown up high in the atmosphere by Reagan's Rockets, there are really, really beautiful sunsets.

Its a much more broken apart society with the only major governmental force that at all held together in the US being the FCC, the Federal Comm Council as its now called, or more colloquially, the CommCoo although FCC shock troopers consider that rude, and usually engage in a little amateur dentistry if they hear it.

The FCC restricts itself to controlling radio stations because they lack the power to really put things back together again. As a strategy, they would rather focus on being utterly dominant in the single most important area of power, and ignore the rest.

The rest of the world is worse...completely fallen apart at best, and gone back to Stone Age tech and cannibalism at worst. Any ambition to go and save the world is long gone. Saving one's own life and property is more important, and if you're really ambitious, you might think about saving your neighborhood, or joining one of the Music Societies which is where the socially active who want to move, and the idealists who want to fix society go.

Nowadays technology is stuck below the computer age: the technology bias is 11@2. The Magic Bias is 3@2. The Psionic Bias is 3@2. The Body bias is 12@9 and dropping as some of the odd creatures like butterflies that supported the high Bod bias by their unusual Body skills are now dead, extinct, kaput.

The primary Music Societies are as follows:

1. Sixties Rock and Roll:

A. Rivals: Extreme. The Sixties feel disappointed in Extreme which branched off from them some time ago. They try to win them back to the fold by charm and by cannon. Such conflicts are as if a father had a son who opened a competing business in the same field. Usually contacts between these two groups start out amicably, but escalate to violence as opposing expectations of how the other should behave collide.

B. Weapons: Psionic powers, defense bonus for being on drugs, 32 caliber revolvers Defensive style of combat. ERIC, WHAT PSIONIC POWERS???

C. Special Skills:
1. Defensive Tactics: This is a Psi-based skill used by small combat units termed ‘bands’ which helps them choose the best way to defend an area. RS/10 Defensive Sit-Mod.
2. Strategic Defensive Generalship: This is a skill used by several of the best ‘superstar managers’ aka generals in the Rock High Command. The RHC is known for its brilliant defensive stands. Any time you hear about a fight with fifty casualties on one side, and a thousand on the other, its almost certain that someone was fooled into attacking the Rockers. RS/5 Defensive Sit-mod. It requires 10 + 2d20 hours of preparation, and at least fifty helpers to lay the barricades, establish fire zones, and lay out ruses and traps.
3. Military Engineering is a Psi-based skill used in building bridges, and in this case mostly forts and redoubts, and channeling structures to control the flow of battle to the advantage of the defender. Most of the old Corp of Engineers went to Rock, and those that didn’t found their skills not properly appreciated by their groups. The end result is that Rock has the best ‘groupies corp’ in the world.

D. Capital: Memphis is the Divided City shared by Jazz and by Rock. Graceland is the Capital Building and center point of Rock’s control. From here, the current King of Rock and Roll reigns.

E. Mindset: They have a large territory stretching deep into the South, and the Midwest, and over the Rockies and into Arizona with a small pod up in the Northeast around New York City. In total land territory, they are the second largest of the Music Societies behind Country, and in listeners they are the second largest behind Praise and Worship which helps confirm them in their basic defensive stance.

They try to avoid picking fights except with the Extreme.

They are very good about Standing their Ground. Once dug in, they are very hard to get out.

2. Extreme:

A. Rivals: Rock is their disappointed and over-controlling father who in addition is extremely boring. They have had many bitter fights. Extremists divide between wanting to 1) Make them leave us alone like they do everyone else. 2) Destroy them, and their precious Graceland with fire. 3) Take them over, and redirect that wasted energy.

B. Weapons:High-Yield explosives, martial arts, they are more terroristic than most of the others. Instead of a direct assault, they use more terror attacks. funded by fast cars, fast boats, sports gambling

C. Special Skills:
1. Rappelling--This is a Bod based skill.
2. Stunt Driving--This is a Bod based or a Tech based skill depending on the driver’s mental orientation.
3. HALO (High Altitude Low Opening) Skydiving--This is a Bod based skill.
4. Stealth--This is a Bod based skill.

D. Capital: Vail Colorado used to be the city of Vail in the state of Colorado, but states are done with in these new Music days. A cry ‘Vail!’ which is always delivered with verve and enthusiasm and challenge is the greeting call between Extremists.

E. Mindset: The Extremists is seeking to create a new, better human who is faster, stronger, and braver. They do not seek this through bionics (although they don’t discriminate against those who need this, but they discriminate against those who use this without need), or through drugs. And they need a soundtrack for the glorious bravery and insane skill that is meant to be their life.

They tend to elevate those of their ilk who achieve greatness to saint status.

Thus ‘Saint Vin Diesel’, and ‘Saint Evil Knievel’ are in their pantheon of heroes as early proto-Extremists.

Most of the Special Forces wound up in the Extremists although a fair number made it to Country and Praise/Worship.

3. One-Hit Wonders:

A. Rivals: They try to have no rivals.

B. Weapons:
They are extremely eccletic being able to use the weapons and magic skills of any group. In addition, they have some psionic skills of their own.

C. Special Skills:
1. Mediation--Some of the best mediators in the world work for the 1H or the Wonders as they are often called. They are very good at finding common ground between people, and helping to reach productive agreements.

One of their techniques is to charge a vast sum of money from both sides. If both sides agree that it is a good agreement, then both sides get ninety percent of their money back. If not, then the Mediators keep it.

2. Stage Dressing--Again, some very good stage dressers who can turn a stage from a Country Hoe-down to a dirty alley suited for Rappers in a minute flat work for the Wonders.

3. Empathy--The 1H tend to be able to read the real emotions of people. One common saying is “Never, ever gamble in Los Angeles because a bunch of angels did, and that’s how the place became Lost Angeles.”

D. Capital: Los Angeles. People come from all over the world seeking to become great. Many pay any price for just a touch of greatness, receive it, and find its not worth the price. Others have only one good song in them, but it’s a very good song, indeed. Some keep trying, and others go on to other things. But all of them are One-Hit Wonders.

E. Mindset: If people will put aside their hatreds and fears, a way can be found to work things out. Just a little trust, a little honesty, and things will get better which will lay the groundwork for a little more trust.

Sometimes they are too naïve for words, and sometimes that is an act. They are well aware that some people ‘need killing’, and they have people who can do that very well. But they think most people can be rescued, and that a little lie about how naïve they are is in a good cause. And they don’t mind lying in a good cause.

They work closely with Praise and Worship which is trying to reach out to everyone in a similar way. One issue they have with Praise and Worship is how the P&W folks treat the Death Metalists. They want the P&W folks to hold themselves defenseless to the Death Metalists in hope that this show of defenselessness and love will move the hearts of the Death Metalists.

Another reason why they don’t work closer with them is that both sides are infiltrated by secret agents bent on causing trouble between the groups.

4. Classical

A. Rivals: They divide their time between hating everyone in a quiet refined way.

B. Weapons: High intellect, defense and attacks are well-planned, high psionic powers, hire Death Metal as mercenaries on occasion.

C. Special Skills: High intellect, careful planning.

D. Capital: New York City.

E. Mindset: "We're better than you and we know it. Deep down inside, you know it too."

5. The House of Jazz which is ruled by the legendary Bluesman although some say he is merely a figurehead for the Jazz and Blues Council.

A. Rivals: Classical and Rap are both rivals. The first for the technical virtuosity shown which pleases some people who think that a turn to a Technocracy would save the world, and the second group competes to be the Genuine Voice of the People’s Pain

B. Weapons: 45 automatic pistols, Thompson machine guns.

C. Special Skills:
1. Spell of Confusion is cast on one opponent.
2. Eerie Synchronicity allows a group of Jazzmen to attack their opponents as if they were one man. This is a Body skill.
3. The Ole Black Magic inspires strong lust in a target. This is a Body skill.
4. Open a Door into the Nevernever allows the opening of a pre-existing magic gate into the Nevernever where magic creatures live. These creatures cannot stand the touch of sunlight, or too much materialist based or spiritual based logic. They thrive on irrationality and whimsy.

D. Capital: Jazz shares Memphis with Rock, but it shares Beale Street with no one. It is here, in one or the other of the fabulous night clubs that line this street that the Jazz and Blues Council meets. Jazz is not Blues, but Jazz owns the Blues as a subset of its power (although some Bluesmen dislike this, and the current leader of the Jazz is actually a Bluesman which bespeaks complicated, back room politics at its finest).

E. Mindset: Jazz started as the music of poor people, and of the Blacks, and of New Orleans. Indeed there is a substantial segment of its supporters who would like to move the capital to New Orleans, and ‘turn back the tide to the old days’. But it became the music of contemplative musicians of uncanny skill, and odd turns of thought that led them places that the common man had difficulty following them too. And thus it became the music of white music professors. It still has its roots, but they are thinner and weaker than they were.

It claims to be the music for all. It provides for the poor, and for the wise it claims.

6. Praise and Worship

A. Rivals: Death Metal is their rival. They honestly don’t want to fight them, but at the same time, they see the Dmers as determined to destroy everything they can lay their hands on. Plus the Dmer tendency to wear shirts proclaiming that “I worship the Prince of Darkness” or “Murder is my Hobby. Genocide is my sport. My job is Skateboarding.” does tend to be off-putting.

B. Weapons:
1. Longsword.
2. Pump Shotgun. WHY PUMP SHOTGUNS??????

C. Special Skills:
1. The Sword of the Spirit has a more mundane metaphor for this group. This group has the best hand-to-hand combatants of any group. Such Swordsmen are also trained in singing, and witnessing to make them swordsmen of the heart as well.
2. Sword of the Spirit: It is rumored that some miracles have been observed where Swordsmen chopped through solid steel with a blade that was undamaged. This is a Magical skill.
3. Laying on of oil: This is a healing technique to help the almost dying to recover mildly. It is a Magical bias technique.

D. Capital: The Dual Capitals of Salt Lake City and Atlanta hold the affection of this group. In one year SLC holds the capital, and in the next Atlanta. The smoothness and equanimity of the transference of power is one of the great propaganda points of the Praise and Worship crowd. They can point out that they run a vast group with smoothness, and polite deference which does not break out into fistfights, and should they not be able to run the nation that way?

E. Mindset: “The closer everyone gets to God, the closer they get to each other.”

People are naturally scum, or sinners. But God and his agent, human government, and one’s peers can help the person who receives His grace to be closer to their original state before the Fall of Humanity into wretchedness.

Life is pretty good. The world is beautiful. Everyone ought to be grateful for every day.

The strategy of making a PW that goes with each group (that is a PW Country, a PW Classics, a PW Jazz) is based on the idea that if certain fundamentals of reality are accepted, then the rest can be negotiated. They hold this was the nature of the nation before the Big Blast.

7. Death Metal:

A. Rivals: They hate Praise and Worship considering them a bunch of sanctimonious hypocrites who should be hated because they seem to enjoy life when everyone knows life is terrible. They also have the nerve to claim they have answers which infuriates the Dmer, but they don’t have all the answers which also infuriated the Dmers as well.

B. Weapons:
1. They are trying to build a nuclear weapon, but haven’t yet succeeded.
2. They do own nerve gas (sarin) in artillery shells, and mustard gas that they have made.
3. They have a fleet of old B-52 bombers armed JDAMs and MOABS to drop on their enemies. These bombers are also equipped with very loud loudspeakers which play Death Metal at high volume.
C. Special Skills:
1. Rig High Explosives--Tech skill 1@5
2. Spot Weakness in Tech Structure--Tech skill 1@3. This allows the user to find the weak point in some complicated technical system like a car motor or an oil refinery in order to sabotage it.

D. Capital:
They have no capital being a set of underground cells. They do have various abandoned ghost towns they take over for a while to use as bases for their fleet. They prefer one’s with morbid names like “Tombstone”.

E. Mindset: Some of the Dmers actively worship the Powers of Darkness. Others worship the Norse gods as incarnations of strength. Still others, and that the vast majority, do not worship anything or anyone despite saying otherwise on their t-shirts as they are skeptical materialists.

The glass is not only half-empty, the water is an illusion, and we’re all so messed up that screaming and burning everything down is a normal reaction. Classics have got money and so they’re useful for now, and the Rappers have the pain but they want to fix things (losers!), and the Country are a bunch of bucktoothed morons dipping snuff, and the Praise people are purely evil. Praise worships a God who is not there, and if he was, He would be evil, and I hate Him is the rant of the Death Metalist. Logic is not a Dmers strong suit. The Extremists are a bunch of arrogant jerks with their washboard abs, and perfect tans--we hate them too.

8. Country
===========

A. Rivals: Rap.

B. Weapons:
==Weapon: .45 Colt Revolver with six bullets. It does Dangerous damage. Point Blank is 5 ft.; Short is 10 ft.; Middle is 20 ft.; Long is 40 ft.; Extreme is 60 ft.. Maximum rate of fire is one shot per two seconds.

==Weapon: .30-30 Lever Action Rifle can hold up to four bullets before requiring reloading. Point Blank is N/A; Short is 25 ft; Middle is 50 ft.; Long is 100 ft.; Extreme is 200 ft. Damage is Lethal. Maximum rate of fire is one per four seconds.

==Weapon: Double Barrel Shotgun loaded with Buckshot can fire once per two seconds maximum speed with two shots available before needing reloading. Point Blank is 5 ft.; Short is 10 ft.; Medium is 15 ft.; Long is 20 ft.; Extreme is 30 ft.. It gets a +15 sit-mod to hit due to the wideness of its spread pattern. Damage is Fatal, but any armor reduces that to Damaging.

C. Special Skills:
====Survival: Temperate Zone. This is a Tech 0@1 skill. They know how to camp, to fish, to hunt, and to trap. They are also good at finding water, and starting a campfire. The typical Country "Bumpkin" if you're being rude, or "Rifleman" if you're being polite has this skill at 1@10.

====Aiming and Sighting: This is a Bod 7@3 skill of Intensified Damage. Not to be rude, but many of the other groups seem to think of guns as magic items. You pull something, and someone dies. Country are taught how to shoot. And they are taught that if they have time, an aimed shot is far better than a haphazzard shot. This takes thirty seconds, and full body involvement as the shooter kneels to one knee, or lays on his belly to steady the rifle. At that point, he may fire with a +10 Sit-mod. Extra damage is a Damage Point Bonus.

====Aimed Intimidation: There are few things scarier than seeing a crack shot aiming his rifle at you in complete calm and focus. The reputation of the Country shooters has gotten around, and been exzaggerated in the process. Now, if the Country shooter does the Aim and Sight, he may choose instead of shooting to Intimidate. This is a Reduce Morale Mag skill of 1@1.

D. Capital: Nashville is the capital. The Grand Ol’ Opryhouse is the capital building.

E. Mindset: They are the most populist of the song types. At one time Jazz might have laid claim to that distinction, but its gone upmarket. The concerns of ordinary people with ordinary emotions which are sometimes incoherent, and sometimes bittersweet are mildly idealized unlike the other musics which are about people aspiring to be something they are not, or so the country guy sees it. Rock claims to be the people’s music, but its really the young, college guy’s music, and Jazz is for intellectuals and druggies, and Rap is for self-aggrandizing wannabees, and Classic is for snobs who never worked hard a day in their life, and Praise is for plaster saints.

Country is for ordinary people, and ordinary people are what will save the world because they always are even though other folk claim the credit.

9. Rap

A. Rivals: Country is their chief rival. Country keeps trying to go north through the Midwest, and it meets Rap going south. But they don’t much like Classics either which they tend to identify with The Man.

B. Weapons: 9mm pistols, AK-47 assault rifle. Pump shotguns

C. Special Skills:
1. Overawe--The rapper is able to by a recitation of his talents and achievements cause his opponents to need to make a simple difficulty check any time they act against him for the next RS/5 minutes.
2. Identify Fellow: A rapper is able to ask another rapper who he is, and receive a recitation, and then determine if the new guy is ‘authentic’ or a traitor or a spy. This is a psi skill.
3. URBAN SURVIVAL
D. Capital: Detroit, Michigan is the capital. The Murder Capital of the World its called. Its more dangerous than some gulags.

E. Mindset: Rap is about giving a voice to the voiceless, about finding a way for the helpless to organize, about style in the STYLE sense. Its about being big, and brave, and letting it all hang out in a world gone cold and cautious what with the near brush with total disaster. Its about fighting the forces of The Man who want to put you in line, use you, abuse you, and then spit you out, and blame you for their abuse. Rap is about hitting the LOUD button.

Classics is about deifying the oppressors, and Country is about whiny boys, and Death Metal are just freaks, and the Praise guys mean well but its easy to be happy when you got everything handed to you, and Jazz has sold out with its focus on technical virtuosity instead of speaking to the People’s pain.

ALL Music Societies have this skill:
==Skill: Loud Music Bonus Morale: If your sides music is louder than the other side's music, then you receive a morale bonus until the next major setback at which time another morale skill check can be rolled (Typically, the DJ puts on a new 'really, kicking song' to make the check). This encourages more of the side to actually attack with enthusiasm and full skill instead of hanging back a bit, or tentatively attacking. This is a Mag Skill 1@1 Bonus Morale.

NOTE: It is possible for both sides to receive this bonus, because the sound level is relative to them at their position. Also, the typical "DJ" or "Song Leader" has this Mag Skill at 2@5 level.

Thus it is customary for Music Societies to roll into battle with bandwagons loudly blaring their favorite songs. Its always interesting when "We are the Champions" and "The Battle Hymn of the Republic" are blaring out as the Sixties and the Praise & Worship forces duke it out, and windows a quarter-mile away are vibrating.

Eric, as I am still not accustomed to the new coding, I tried to PUT IN CAPS things that you need to see. I'm not exactly certain what it is you wanted from me, so perhaps we can work on it a bit more. This is just a rough draft.

You did fine.

Pump shotguns...I thought that was your idea.

Talk to you more about this later.

No, I think the Praise and Worship pump shotguns was on you. I know I suggested Holy Magic for them, but I don't know enough of where to start with that. This is also why I wanted to have a higher psi and mag bias. Rap and Country fight with guns. 60's rock and P&W fight with psionics and magic. I thought it a way to balance the sides.

As Arnold said in End of Days "Between your faith and my Glock 9mm, I'll take my Glock."

Someone else might take the faith in God instead of the Glock.

Oh and don't take that quote from End of Days as a personal part of my philosophy. I'd like to think I would keep faith. My motto is "Trust in God, but keep your door locked and your 357 magnum at the ready." A variation of the Muslim saying "Trust in Allah, but tie up your camel."

If you could put in the Modern Crusader MA under P&W. Also under P&W if you could put the Arming Sword from the sword list instead of the longsword.

Also, I think somewhere we have stats for the .32 revolver so if you could put that in where needed.

You have a list of weapons under rap, if you could change that list for the actual weapons from the gun list....

That'd be a good start.

OK. Get rid of the pump shotguns under P&W.

So far I have nothing on psi powers for any group created. It'll wait. At some point, I need to write up the defensive bonus from rockers drugs, and the details of the jazzmen's spells.

Most of the Jazzmen's spells are not super obvious bolts of lightning. They are weird, uncanny stuff that you might not be able to swear in a court was real, but in your gut you know it was. When you talk about a higher magic bias for the P&W, what types of magic are you thinking of? Because, this setting in my opinion works best with some weirdness, but not full-fledged magic. I'd give the P&W people (and already did somewhere anyways) a 'safely alive if injured' miracle that would bring the dying back to injured status.

What about magic weapons? I just had a thought. Give the P&W people guns that, to all appearances, look like flintlock rifles, but they are actually some kind of magic "Thunderbolt From God" weapon. You see it, it looks like a 17th century flintlock, but it can unleash a hail of magic powers. I don't know if that was the kind of thing you were after, but I cannot think of any type of gun that would be appropriate for them, aside from something like that. Certainly shotguns are not something I would consider appropriate for modern day crusaders. If not a magic rifle, a bolt-action rifle. Just seems appropriate to me for some reason. A 30-06 bolt action. Or, of course, the magic flintlocks. Your call. On this one, I'm of the mind "If I can't do it better, I'm not going to tell you you're doing it wrong." I know I can't do this better, so I'm going to try not to tell you you're wrong with it.

I'm not clear on what it is that you want me to do with moving the weapons around from sheet to sheet. Since you could probably do it faster than you could explain it to me, why don't you just go ahead? If you need any stats or anything, I'll try to get them for you.

What do you think of the magic flintlocks for P&W?

Defensive bonus for rocker's drugs.... I've got a few thoughts. I've heard talk of a force field that would slow bullets and keep enemies at bay. It was an @1 psionic skill. Do you know what I am referring to? Perhaps the 60s rockers can only unleash this force shield when they are on some kind of spaced-out drugs. The drug changes their brain chemistry to where they can do it, but only while they are on that drug. Once the drug wears off, the shield drops. It's an @1 skill, so the world bias wouldn't affect it. Or would the world bias affect it? Or maybe that's why they need to be on drugs to do it??? Well, that's my thoughts. When I think of the 60s rock armies, I just imagine a bunch of burned out aging hippies in tie dye t shirts passing joints around. Leave them alone, they will probably leave you alone. But get in their way, and they will put a hurtin' on you.

I just want to keep the sides evenly matched. That's why I was so adamant against nukes for the Death Metals. I don't want one side to have too big of an advantage. If side A has guns, and side B doesn't, I want side B to have something just as effective.

hat about magic weapons? I just had a thought. Give the P&W people guns that, to all appearances, look like flintlock rifles, but they are actually some kind of magic "Thunderbolt From God" weapon. You see it, it looks like a 17th century flintlock, but it can unleash a hail of magic powers.

====This is definitely a cool idea for another world. Some high-magic, medium-tech world....you got me thinking Warhammer here.

I don't know if that was the kind of thing you were after, but I cannot think of any type of gun that would be appropriate for them, aside from something like that. Certainly shotguns are not something I would consider appropriate for modern day crusaders. If not a magic rifle, a bolt-action rifle. Just seems appropriate to me for some reason. A 30-06 bolt action.

====The bolt action will be fine.

Or, of course, the magic flintlocks. Your call. On this one, I'm of the mind "If I can't do it better, I'm not going to tell you you're doing it wrong." I know I can't do this better, so I'm going to try not to tell you you're wrong with it.

I'm not clear on what it is that you want me to do with moving the weapons around from sheet to sheet. Since you could probably do it faster than you could explain it to me, why don't you just go ahead? If you need any stats or anything, I'll try to get them for you.

====Well, part of what I'm trying to do is 1)Give you a chance to contribute as a creator. 2)Get you the skills to contribute aka this is a learning experience.

So, go up to a post labelled '1d20 List of Guns sorta' or something like that, copy and paste the .32 revolver stats to a new document sheet in Word, and then open the Music Wars post, and edit your previous post, and once its open and ready to be edited you can paste if you were quick enough the stat info under the rockers. If not, well you can copy from your Word document to the Music Wars post.

What do you think of the magic flintlocks for P&W?

Defensive bonus for rocker's drugs.... I've got a few thoughts. I've heard talk of a force field that would slow bullets and keep enemies at bay. It was an @1 psionic skill. Do you know what I am referring to? Perhaps the 60s rockers can only unleash this force shield when they are on some kind of spaced-out drugs. The drug changes their brain chemistry to where they can do it, but only while they are on that drug. Once the drug wears off, the shield drops. It's an @1 skill, so the world bias wouldn't affect it. Or would the world bias affect it? Or maybe that's why they need to be on drugs to do it??? Well, that's my thoughts. When I think of the 60s rock armies, I just imagine a bunch of burned out aging hippies in tie dye t shirts passing joints around. Leave them alone, they will probably leave you alone. But get in their way, and they will put a hurtin' on you.

====I might give them Defensive Quick Draw where if someone is about to attack them, they can jerk their gun out smoothly, and coolly shoot them first.

The idea of drug boosted psi is fine for them. It won't change the bias, but it does make them able to learn something easier than otherwise.

However, the psi skill you're talking about has me a bit confused, and I'm going to shuffle the question MJ's way.

I just want to keep the sides evenly matched. That's why I was so adamant against nukes for the Death Metals. I don't want one side to have too big of an advantage. If side A has guns, and side B doesn't, I want side B to have something just as effective.

====Good instincts. J, the GM who taught me much of what I know, was very serious about 'game balance'.

Eric, I'm gonna check on that probably tomorrow. I've been up for about 36 solid hours (Occasional insomniac) and I'm about to pass out. I'll get to it, but right now, I can't think straight. MJ, what psi shield as I talking about?

John doesn't know the bias of a psionic force shield because when he asked, it was so he would know whether his character should attempt to learn it, and that's not the kind of question I answer from players.

Suddenly he's a world designer, so he needs to know for reasons that have nothing to do with his character, who would be foolish to attempt to learn new psi skills in the present world anyway.

Physical forces are all Psi 10@ skills; those whose function is to be stationary relative to some object (the character or the universe, usually), and thus function as shields, are P10@1. There are many ways these can be configured, but it's typical for them to create a sit-mod against attacks, which effectively decreases the chance of being hit and reduces the damage of those shots which get through.

--M. J. Young

Hmmm, this is going to be way past the curve I'd envisioned for this world.

John, we might want to think about making another world after this with mondo high biases. I'm thinking something like Warhammer or Warzone.

A bunch of factions (similar to here), and each faction has its own set of powers.

In Warhammer 40K, you have Space Marines, Orcs, High Elves....all this in a far future SF world, but one where magic races and magic works....its really kind of bizarre.

You need a background as to why all the factions are fighting, and where they came from, and why they all have different powers than each other. But...I'd limit it to four factions to start with out of simple laziness.

What about a super-alien space station that tfour different aliens species have sent investigators to examine and loot. The space station is ancient, and apparently uninhabited. Greed and hatred of the freaky alien other kicks in. Soon Humans and three alien species are duking it out.

One of the alien species uses that Flintlock of Magic you talked about. Another uses Psi Defense....maybe its actually Dreamwalkers who live in their Astral Presences....and maybe another is some type of super spider that lives in outer space and is practically unkillable.

Meanwhile, the actual owners of the place are waking up from their ten thousand year sleep....

Llarry had this to say on the original thread that sparked this world....

Prog. (Progressive Rock, particularly '70s -- Yes, ELP, early Genesis, etc.). Not based in Czech area (Prague -- get it? Ha! I slay myself...) but rather in northern Italy. Flag has a silhouette of a Dinosaur. Main battlefield weaponry is huge, ponderous tanks (think Soviet T-35 or German Maus), the most common design looks like the armadillo/tank from the cover of ELP's "Tarkus". Generally speaking, their equipment is bombastic -- loud, powerful, complicated -- but not all that effective. They have managed to stay free largely because they don't have anything that the masses really want, and they've even managed to hold onto a reasonably sized enclave in East Anglia (Norfolk, England area). Most people disregard them as being irrelevant, but there are those who seek out their enclaves as a place of refuge. Some magic, but it's mostly concerned with communication, but the results aren't clear and require significant interpretation by the receiver.

====What we might want to do is stick this in the background of the world without detailing things by the rules. Frequently in game design, the last few things at the edges are sketched in.

Tad, you are missing the entire point of this world as I envisioned it. What I wanted was all four bias areas at war with each other. Tech versus Bod Versus Psi versus Mag. I wanted all four bias groups to be competing in the fight. Some music makes me feel transported to another place. All four bias groups have some form of transportation skill. Everything from teleporting machines, to having super agility to get there on foot almost as quickly. All of the biases have transportation. I feel transported by some music.

Some music gives me a very magical feeling. Certain times, certain music make my mind feel really good. I'm listening to one of those songs at the moment, btw. I think that's what made me think of this.

I wanted high biases in all four groups. I don't know what psi skills levels 1 2 and 3 have, but I'm betting not much that could be used as an offensive weapon. I don't know exactly how to put this into words, but just some music does certain things to me. I'm sure you know what kind of a feeling I'm talking about. I wanted high EVERYTHING!!!!! I wanted an all out war between the biases. Representing the way that music makes people feel. What people associate with music. Let's say you're listening to the Rolling Stones. Some of their music makes me feel transported to somewhere else. I would call that a magical transportation/teleport skill. Some music gets me hyped up and ready to fight. I would call that "Massive Martial Arts Bonuses." The back to the future soundtrack makes me want to drive. It turns me into an ace driver (at least in my own mind) I want to drive. "Bionic Ability Enhancers." Do you see where I'm going with this? Does this make any sense? This is the kind of world I wanted to design. I just had something that I couldn't put my finger on that I didn't like, so I turned on some music to think about it. It all just came to me, just know. What do you think? Scott, you're kind of working with us on this, what do you think?

I'll work with you on it even. Perhaps we could have a beta version of the world you're designing? My version is the beta world. I'd like that a lot. I could listen to some music and see what kinds of feelings I get. Then try to base the biases around that. Any thoughts?

How it is was 60's rock. That's magical. 15@10 magic. Not much else in the way of weapons.

Extreme: Vin Diesel. Kick your ass and won't think about it. Martial arts, perhaps bionic enhancements. Not a lot of guns. (I mean XXX didn't know how to use an M-16, just a revolver) Explosives though, lot's of explosives.

Classical: The top end. The thinkers. This also applies to movie soundtracks, such as John Williams, Alan Silvestri (Wrote The Back to the Future soundtrack, if I'm not mistaken) That type of music. High psionics. Thinkers. Highly Educated people perhaps. High driving ability (See Also opening scene of The Transporter), probably not a lot of hand to hand. Weapons would be small pistols. Gentleman's guns, I guess. Small swords perhaps.

Jazz: I associate that with the blues, 30's gangsters, prohibition, that kind of thing. They're the original gangsters. Packing lots of firepower. (Tommy guns, what we have) Some magic. That's pretty close.

Country is close, but not quite. I'll get back to you on that.

Rap is close, but not quite either.

I'll get back to you on it.

I think I smell an Alpha and a Beta. Two worlds, same root concept, with wildly different biases and, as a result, wildly different everything else. Mary Piper Alpha and Beta show how similar two scenarios can be despite a change in setting and tech bias; this one would show how much difference bias can make to a concept and a setting.

Both worlds would need a lot of work, and I think Tad would enjoy working primarily on the low-bias world, while you would enjoy working mostly on the high-bias one, but I think you two could still cooperate on the common aspects of things.

In Tad's world, Music Wars Alpha, things are grittier, more realistic; the holocaust has seriously shattered society, and this is what's growing up from the pieces. Warfare between the scattered, borderless factions is carried out mostly with firearms and loudspeakers, but there are rumors of strange abilities among the skilled musicians of the enemy . . .

In John's world, Music Wars Beta, things are wilder, more fantastic; the holocaust has reshaped the world and changed what it means to be human. Music is everything, the key to reality itself, and what's left of society revolves around it. Everywhere, followers of the myriad genre-factions do battle, each in the hopes that his own vision of what the New World should be will take hold once his own genre dominates the globe. Powerful musician-champions on every side wield incredible abilities in defense of their music and ideals, each one attempting to lead his people into a new Golden Age of [Insert Genre] . . .

Nifty? Or not so nifty?

(If not, it's okay. I enjoyed writing that anyway.)

_
Edit: In the twenty minutes it took me to post that, John posted twice. Oh, well.

Scott, you just hit the nail right between the eyes buddy!!!!!!!!!!

Kind of like mutants. This person was hit by radiation from the blast, whist listening to Classical music. He kind of "Became" Classical music. This person "Became" Extreme music. I don't know. No, that's not what I was thinking, but something like that. Just throwing out ideas. I do like how you put that though. Perhaps my world is the future of Tad's world. Just a thought.

Scott Wrote: "Edit: In the twenty minutes it took me to post that, John posted twice. Oh, well."

What does that mean? I liked your ideas. Perhaps you could design a Gamma version of it? That doesn't sound quite right for some reason, I don't know.

What does that mean? I liked your ideas. Perhaps you could design a Gamma version of it? That doesn't sound quite right for some reason, I don't know.

Sorry, I just meant that it made my post look a little silly; you suggested an alpha/beta at exactly the same time as I was. I put in the note to let folks know that I'm not blind, I just missed your posts while I was typing. I'm glad you like the idea. I was pretty sure you would.

Kind of like mutants. This person was hit by radiation from the blast, whist listening to Classical music. He kind of "Became" Classical music. This person "Became" Extreme music. I don't know. No, that's not what I was thinking, but something like that.

I know what you mean. I thought of Gamma World once or twice while I read your post and while I was writing mine. Have you heard of Gamma World? Old post-holocaust game put out by TSR in the early eighties; humanity in the 2300s lives in a technological utopia, but for some reason blow themselves to bits with weapons that make nukes look about as advanced as a sharp rock. Somehow life survives, but the physical and psionic mutations are pretty wild, bordering on ridiculous. We don't want that, exactly, but I think we want the holocaust to be the cause of an enormous bias shift; I'm picturing a world that shares a history with Alpha right up until the cataclysm, with Alpha and Beta being alternate aftermaths. In Alpha, it's a more mundane apocalypse, and there's only a very slight shift in bias; in Beta, it's something stranger, and the rules of reality warp almost beyond recognition.