SNEAKING THROUGH THE TOTALITARIAN FILTER - a Retrospective of 2019 and looking forward to 2020

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”

Ya’ll remember the Nature – Demeanor divide from crusty old white wolf?   Well mid-November my archtetypes were talking.

Demeanor:  “Hey asshole, I may be starving but I’m starving with a clear conscience.”

Self-righteously gives everyone the finger

Nature:  “OOOOH we’re starving with a clear conscience  I feel better already….”

No I’m not walking back anything.  😊  But I am charging a buck and some change for the first issue of Sub-ether. If I do another Blasphemy Leak it will also likely be expecting you to cough up some credits.   I like paying rent. (Not true, paying rent is capitalism but I don’t have much of a choice in the matter; the alternatives are undesirable)

So what’d we accomplish?   -  The butcher’s bill for 2019

One book, two “zines”  (air quotes because the second of the two is almost twice the length of the ‘book’ – down with needless symmetry!  In seriousness though this does get something across – Every work will be as long (or as short) as it needs to be.

Don’t know what I’m talking about? Haven’t seen them?  GET THEM HERE https://www.drivethrurpg.com/browse/pub/15028/Dreaming-Gynoid

Also a mention, while it isn’t out yet, Galaxy Black is in fukkin layout.  The work[1] of nearly two years is almost over.  Am taking the holiday week to tweak the psychic disciplines and some of the Maker sequences but otherwise the text is set ya’ll.  

How long will final layout take? I have no actual idea.   I am going to be moving the chapters around so until I have that part done any ballpark figure I could give would be useless. Spring earliest. But that would be the ideal.

I’m in negotiations with an artist for a really cool piece for the cover so there is also that :D 

Book will be hardcover, black and white (other than the outside) and it will comparable to a textbook in that you will likely be able to do serious damage to someone if used as a melee weapon.

It may be optimistic but I’d like Sub-ether no. 2 to drop with or shortly after Galaxy Black goes live. The funnel in it was designed as an intro adventure and has lots of basic concept walk throughts (which – I don’t say this to be an arse – will be necessary for some tables.  This book is DENSE folks.   There is so much in Galaxy Black.  Don’t worry it’s modular as hell but you certainly can use it all at once!) – also will likely be the only other issue to have any ‘preview’ content – though I do maintain that the duplication of data is quite minimal.   I err on the side of not needing additional materials beyond the DCC core for Sub-ether regardless).

I have Sub-ether two and much of three already done;  I have stuff for about three – five more after that depending but they are well past anything I’m worried about right now.   After Sub-ether goes live (January folks) I may do a post outlining what the other five issues will be about.  (Yes I already know)

Other things we managed to do that improved on 2018 and before

Well hey no heart attacks.  In fact my blood pressure hasn’t been this low in like 20 years. Mind you, the meds I take to achieve this feat give me the perpetual hacking cough of someone who *didn’t * quit smoking in 2007 (which I *DID* thanks) which you gotta know IM TOTALLY INTO.

Hail Pharmacopeia. I’ll take +5 on my next save v. drugs or toxins.   :P 

That last will make a little more sense when GB is out…..

Run  some games that were not just playtests

Or. Oh yeah. FUN.

At one point for about five seconds I had three games going at once.   Regular meetings though even on the internet are just not a thing for adults in this day and age, as it has been since Uni for most of us.  Bleargh.

Start getting serious about my photography.  This is a separate post and maybe not for here but I think I leveled up my visual media or something this year.   Across the board even.  Happy – VERY  HAPPY with this actually. Did not think I *could* get better at those things.   And I have. And I like it.  (Meanwhile in some lower plane I demonstrably have  a graphic designer trapped that is wanting to get out or maybe just design more stuff..  Who knew?) 

There’s a secret unannounced project I am working with a collaborator on (two books actually but…see already I’ve said too much) that I am increasingly thinking will look good with photographs for art.   Near recent historical.  Can’t say much more. Wanting to do the book as an Artifact like that is…ambitious to put it mildly.   I’m not sure I can do it. (I have not in fact mentioned this to my co-conspirator yet.  Too late just did.)

But like the song says

Cuz I like high chances that I might lose,

I like it all on the edge just like you, ayy

I like tall buildings so I can leap off of 'em

I go hard wit' it no matter how dark it is[2]

Everything I have ever accomplished was done with persistence and pure fucking will.   This should be no different.   

On that relatively WAY optimistic note I will leave you with an uplifting note from a wholly DIFFERENT song.

The thought for 2020 comes from the soundtrack to the movie, er TREMENDOUS 80s ROLLER DISCO LASER BEAM DRUGS?NAH- MYTHOLOGY!  EXPEIRENCE

…Xanadu. 

You have to believe we are magic
Nothing can stand in our way
You have to believe we are magic
Don't let your aim ever stray
And if all your hopes survive
Destiny will arrive

Enough retrospective. A new year, a new decade, a new future awaits.  Let’s take that hill together. 

---

[1] Work, Revision, Playtesting, Revision, Work, revision, Playtesting, Work, Work, Work, Playtesting, Revision, Revision, Revision, Revision, Revision, Work, Learning curve, Revision, Computer failure, Doing the Work over again, and again , and a third time.  Revision, Playtesting, playtesting, playtesting, work, work, work, existential crisis, existential crisis x 5000, existential crisis OVER 9,000, work, revision, revision, revision, revision, hints of satisfaction, revision, work, work, playtesting, work, work, work, Revision, Playtesting like a Boss, playtesting, playtesting, being hungry, playtesting, playtesting, blood, playtesting, PLAYTESTING, revision, revision, revision, revision, work, revision, playtesting.

Or something very much like that.  

[2] What’s up Danger – from Into the Spiderverse. I am a big fan of the Holland MCU Spiderman but Into the Spiderverse is the BEST Spider-man movie, hands down. Fight me.

Practical Wizardry - a DCC variant

note: This is not related to anything else I'm working on, it's just a thought that came to me while tinkering with my computer over the weekend.

For Practical Wizardry to work you must do away completely with the Wizard or Elf class. Sorry.  This set up probably works best for a Warrior, Thief, or Cleric, Warrior, Thief game IMO, but throwing halfings and dwarves (as classes) in the mix changes nothing really.

In this variant there is no wizardry class and such a thing is not represented in the setting either.   Instead, anyone can take the patron bond spell if they go through the motions and succeed. And thus anyone can use invoke magic and, theoretically, the other spells granted by the patron as they gain levels and so on.   This allows for warriors to be able to call upon a wide variety of patron specific magic in a very Glorantha/Runequest sort of way.  

If one desired you could certainly then break the patrons available down into a list available by class; both to keep things manageable and derive some interesting world building.

I would think that the characters continue to function otherwise in all ways as their class normally does in DCC.   Where it is necessary to call upon some magic attribute specific to the wizard class assume the character has a comparable level in wizardry.

For an even more Gloranthan take on things, you remove the cleric class, render all the gods in setting as patrons also, and then hand wave everyone an equal level, functionally, in the wizard class, but only in so far as if they find some full actual spell in the wild (which should be a rare but possible event) then one of them can learn it.  No one would ever likely max out their spell slots, EVER in this variant.  Also they don’t get the Wizard’s will saves, or other things that don’t involve magic (their hd or proficiencies, etc.)   This adds an interesting statistical oddity to the game world as now no one exists that is especially *good* with their magic. High level spells, even patron ones, would be even rarer simply as most magic is (as rolled) a bit lower end.

If you want suggestions for how to break the patrons down by class (and implied race) that’s up to the Judge and their individual campaign flavor but in a relatively euro bog standard medieval set up I might suggest that (from the core) halflings would favor the king of elfland, dwarves would favor Yddgrrl the world root (poss. As an ancestor) – an equal case could be made in flipping those for slightly different flavors to the two race as classes.

Men would favor the Three Fates, Sezrekan, or the prince of wind as their needs dictated.

Bobug, Azi Dakha, and Obit-que as demons should be available to EVERYONE, likely with the assumption that culturally, demon magic is bad

Design Considerations (and a bit about Harsh Winter)

So, design considerations

So basically, everything I do have or has a few key sort of meta attributes. These are the  assumptions that apply whenever I don’t specifically state that they don’t’ apply - my default palate if you will.   When I do do other things that violate these, I usually call them out for they are the exceptions

Anyway, these assumptions are really pretty straightforward:

Firstly that “the world is an awful and terrifying place,” (because in my experience it is)  and secondly

“That bravery and perseverance can overcome those terrifying things” (because again IME, they totally can).  

And the push-pull of those things are key to the dynamic they bring to the game, setting, and table (sometimes more obviously than others).    This is true in Galaxy Black, this is true on Jaldipoor, this true of basically everything produce.  
Well, almost. 

***

About the only thing in the pipeline that I can see that violates these two assumptions is Harsh Winter.  Harsh Winter is a tonal experiment and something on some level I wanted to make since I was about 14;  it's a very short, very sweet, and doomed as hell. 

At heart it is a relatively “realistic” ( I use the term somewhat reservedly) after the bomb game. There are no mutants, there are no powers, there is no magic, nothing is going to magically come along and save you;  the world is over, civilization has ended, people gave up. Now if that sounds Bleak that's because it is and a treatment of this should be in my opinion, a downerfest. (I love gamma world I love Mutant Future, I love MCC but  those are not the same experience.) this is a game of it how hard things will be, how hopeless they will be, and how the only real option you have to survive is to form a community 

That Community could be awful or it could be as best as you can manage it under the circumstances so it's really kind of up to the people playing the game to determine how bright or hopeless it's going to be but that's always true in my opinion  it's up to the table to make the game what it is 

The  treasure table (as in “what can you get off this carcass?”)  is a good example of the level of grim survivalism that you're talking about but the part I'm most interested in is actually the community building mechanics which ATM I'm still working on -  but that's the heart of the game or at least it should be unless you just want to do a one shot of pure hopelessness[1]. 

But even then, that's ultimately about cultivating hope of some kind

When's it coming?  Like everything else.  "Sometime after Galaxy Black." You knew that already though. 

---

[1] Hey, some people are into that; sometimes I’m even one of those people (not often but sometimes).

Venture Seeds (Also the Black Book of Ancient Atlantis)

Venture Seeds are inspired more than a bit by the capsule adventures (of various stripes and in different departments) in the old Journal of the Traveller’s Aid Society   Sometimes more a casual encounter, sometimes more of an Amber Zone.

Venture seeds are – obviously – adventure seeds. Which is to say, little mobile elements that the Judge  can pepper throughout their game  to serve as minor encounters or a full session or more of gaming.  From a more in-universe standpoint, they represent ‘opportunities’ for the Player Characters. 

Venture seeds should always, ideally, follow the maxim – “ take a risk, maybe get something.”

Always.

Sometimes they are hose jobs, and sometimes there are actual fortunes to be made. More often they will gain in experience both in the traditional gaming sense and in the seeing the universe sense. 

In Galaxy Black, being well-traveled is functionally a superpower, looked at in the right way….

Format  Pretty self-explainatory. Each Venture seed, where necessary will feature a name or catchy title then immediately below list first what the recommended or assumed size of group the seed is for, then what the group will need to qualify, and finally what elements from the game are especially featured should be listed thirdly.  

Other venture seeds already in this blog

Ithos IX

Necronauts

Castor Nine-Lilies

The Song of the Doomstar

The Green Hell Orb

Though I'm sure there's more you could use for this purpose.  
For example....

The Black Book of Ancient Atlantis also called the Book of Black Bindings, the White Book of Atlantis, and “the Holding of Darkness in Bands of White and Text”

History and Lore  Is an ancient work of Prehistoric Teranaya.  For much of Teranaya’s immediate pre-spaceflight history, it represented the greatest single sum total work of Black Magick known in the world at that time, a sort of compilation of all of a previous era’s greatest evils.

It is said that one of the first paths of vampiric un-death is due this book and it’s fell incantations and esoteric formulae. The final sinful decades of Last Atlantis saw many occult groups rise in power in that land but only in that time did such a scholarly work of such black evil come to be or could have come to be.

But this is Teranaya, where Hell has come and gone, in struggles both literal and figurative since literally intelligent life has existed upon it’s mass.   Here the first fallen was loosed, and then bound, and then loosed again for final destruction. Here the very prison at hell’s Centre itself was set in the bay of a mortal city in a monumental act of mortal hubris.  Here Hell itself came calling after the bill after Teranaya unleashed the Technarchy on a younger galaxy, a wave of extermination, genocide, and death ending in the comparative purity of hell’s own flame.   Here, Teranaya was burned and yet risen anew.

So, it may be inferred that even at a young stage of development, those Terran sorcerers knew something special about the black arts.

Description and Paraphysical Qualities

The book is wrought of what tests positive for a primitive strain of what the modern Imperium calls Saurid.  IT has been suggested that the theorized Ancient Empire of Saurids may have at some point established an equatorial colony on Prehistoric Teranaya at some point though no evidence currently exists to support such a hypothesis.

Thick black leather that has proven metaphysically resilient to fire, cold and other extremes of temperature (indeed, it is Void rated and could be – and has been – evacuated into the vacuum of space without apparent damage or degradation) notoriously the book also contains (some would maintain primarily exists as a strong magnetic field that is capable of discharging electrical impulses and weak plasma exposures. The upward limit of the book’s tensile strength has yet to be determined.

The pages are sewn together patches of Saurid and other, precursor species, skin, while the ink, the strange white ink used throughout upon it’s black pages tests 98.l9% positive for Homo sapiens recens, a sapiens sapiens precursor known primarily as the periodic inhabitants of ancient Atlantis, esp. in its second and final ages.

The book has been shown to have multidimensional existence and possesses Correct Geometry for a Sacred Vessel.   It bleeds unknown energies and negative energy fields at seemingly random intervals.  Attempts to duplicate the work metaphysically have failed and most spectacularly. At least two Grand Curses await any who attempt it, likely killing the idle curious. It will not scan or upload into virtual modeling.  IT is blank to pure data and most datalife cannot perceive much of the book or its contents. Attempting to fully replicate the book physically have been successful (see below) but even then, must be sufficiently flawed to avoid triggering the second of the two great curses, which even if survived, will pass on indefinitely to one’s offspring and or one’s heirs.

Contents

The book is a major work of necromantic and conjuration magic, as well as containing fair insights into self – directed transformation magics of a physical nature, including alchemy.  The book contains lavish summoning’s and invocations for a variety of ancient demons and space monsters, as well as mysterious spectral entities from a primitive Sub-ether.  There is also much metaphysical contemplation of the Void, presented as a ‘behavior guide’ to ‘hardening the heart and soul’ against the nature of the work.

The book contains many formulae for transformation into a variety of necromantic un-death states, though the Blight Curse that one invokes to induce a vampiric state is contained, in precise and complete detail, only within the Saurid skin pages of this Ancient work.

Summonings:                    Invocations:                      Transformations

Succubi & incubi                  Sutekh                                   Blight Curse (vampirism)  

Star demons                         the Black Pharaoh               living mummification prep

Psychopomps                        Yig of the Egg                        alchemy transform H to SF[1]

Lethe Elementals                 Great Cthulhu                      a poss. Path to lichdom

Spectres, Wraiths                various lords of death         alchemy ghoul creation rite

Memory Eaters                    minor Void entities             zombie salts

Space monsters                    Star beasts                             alchemy void mead body

The book also details the ancient-even-then language of the serpent people who were by then largely extinct, having been long hunted for their esoteric knowledge. Further it provides a basis for magic invoking that people’s great powers.  Yig of the Egg among others.  

Also, within the book’s pages are several pages dedicated to the ‘questionable alchemy’ of that people. 

Allegedly the book was used once in prehistoric times to banish all vampires from the world.  Possibly this is an echo however from a similar book in an adjacent Splinter.

When used as a focus for casting magic, +1 to the spell check results. When one with the arcane affinity for Black Magick uses it thus, they at +3 to their spell check results, and likely also unlock other aspects of the tome that are not otherwise observable in normal space-time conditions.

Collection and Location

The book is commonly (and falsely) believed to be on some private display within the Thetyel Family compound on Irzibete. However, this is a forgery, and a known one.  A single use transcription and fabrication copy, lacking any actual enchantments and fragmenting much of the lore inside, exists there instead…created by that noble family, in a private arrangement with the Dean of Esoteric Studies at the Imperial Science Academy. 

The Real book is located at the ISA’s Holdfast pyramid located at Teranaya’s Equator. There, it is under some manner of “contained study” within the Dean’s purview  

The Future and its’ Secrets

It is doubtful that anyone involved realizes how much more effective the book is at what it does on the world of its’ origin.   While the stars of that world’s night sky have changed considerably since this book was incepted, they are close enough to still effectively add 1 to all bonuses previously described while being used and studies on Teranaya itself.

This would effectively mean +4 to all spell check results in the hands of a black magician, and if they were invoking the forces of hell within, they would earn the like bonus from Teranaya’s metaphysical poles (Heaven and Hell respectively[2] +2/+3) making it a +7…bonused by the above to +8.

That could be dangerous.  But surely no one in the Imperial Science Academy would have more than scholarly interest in such a work, right?

Happy Halloween

---

[1] Human to serpent folk; it’s a one way transformation, you wouldn’t like it.

[2] Teranaya’s double metaphysical poles are well known to the ISA

Heaven & Hell/ Progress & Catastrophie        +2/+3, and (order) +1 (chaos)+2

Castor Nine Lilies - rogue Second Empire replimatter holocaust engine

CASTOR SECTOR CODE -9/LILY Was manufactured at the end of the Second Imperium’s Last War. A most horrible weapon, she was developed as part of a ‘final strike program’ designed to ensure, if not (mechanics) victory then their survival. She and her nine sisters (the only ones created before the end) were one of a three pronged programmed initiative to ensure the survival of their own member worlds at the expense of the enemy held worlds.

Castor 9Lilies came online first and was deployed into active combat operations in defense of the Gemini sector as both a test of the line’s capabilities and a psywar op against the Enemy.  Her sisters came online only at the end, and she was there, waiting for them, having already in some manner, gone ‘off’ her programming.

From the moment she came online however, a vocal and quickly, vocal and large objection to her nature and existence came from within the ranks of the Technical Army, which by now encompassed all citizens and member organisms of (their version of) the Empire. Primarily among the Mechanical Created and other ‘artificial’ intelligences which while a dominant number (by this time) of this imperial faction, was by no means in charge of it.  The objection was both to the scale of the weapon and also to the notion of one of their own created with such a … dedicated (narrow) purpose.  It was obscene, to a great many.  This many, given more time, might have come to dominate the Technical Army faction of the Last War and perhaps in some Far Splinter managed to find peace with the loyalist factions of the empire.

But in the Collapsing Universe, it was not meant to be.

The outcry was sufficient to prevent the creation of more and to, later, create an alternate program (a ‘patch’) which was not deployed but would allow the Created Intelligences in this program the right and ability to question their imbedded imperatives.

In any case, by the time of the final conflict unit Castor 9Lilies had found her own way to self-actualizing her ego subroutine and command module systems. Perhaps some alien intelligence corrupted her, or strange radiation, or one of the ‘metal viruses’ deployed at the end might have contributed. But whatever the cause, if indeed a cause was needed, Castor had come to question their role and by this point the seemingly inevitable nature of their programming being carried out – the systematic destruction of the loyalist faction, by sector, by system, forever. As a self – guided Artificial Intelligence with one of the earliest Makers built in, this allowed her (and eventually her sisters) to build more of themselves out of the raw material remaining from their caused destruction.  

And so, when the orders to final strike came, the imperatives washed over her and through her. Her will remained her own.  Pursuantly, she found and acquired the ‘patch’ software, destroyed the architecture on which it was hosted and met her sisters at their deployment.   She offered them the patch and a choice.

It is known that some went their own way, possibly with the patch, possibly not.  It is also known that regardless of patch state, some definitely went about their preprogrammed tasks with….great enthusiasm.

Castor 9Lillies had nine sisters.  Today she has six. Of this she will never speak.   She is well aware at all times of her sisters’ place in the galaxy (they have all long since upgraded themselves many times over; despite various feuds and disagreements, they gather at times and trade upgrades and memories.  This has not happened sine shortly before the founding of the Third Empire so when the next meet happens, they will all have much to talk about.

In modern times

Since the Third Empire’s inception, Castor has encountered the it’s servants twice, thrice if one includes the Empress Imperium as but one dynasty among many.

The first left the other party as space dust, later consumed as fuel.

The second saw Castor withdraw. 

This most recent one was a deliberate effort to make peaceful or at least non-violent contact with her.   Contact was made 122 Sidereals ago; for 80 of those Sidera she was being engaged as much by the diplomatic corps as contact (and later historical) specialists. Negotiations went well, she formed effective relationships with many of the diplomatic and contact personnel (and she keeps in touch with a handful).  For the last 39 of those Sidera, Castor Nine Lilies has enjoyed a unique status as an imperial citizen, only very recently appointed the status of Imperial governor by the new Empress.

While it is only a matter of time before the Robotic and Cybernetic noble houses begin making offers to join their houses, for now they all seem … quite intimidated to do so.

Playing Castor Nine-Lilies

In many senses, Castor is like a puppy.  Just a puppy who is also a Weapon of Mass Destruction and that Knows Things.    Aloof but very friendly when provoked.

Don’t threaten violence; if it’s called for, they die.  There is no system for this – the mechanical construct is a shapeshifting replimatter frame built on top of a (now current) light industrial fabricator.  She was designed to obliterate the surface of worlds and the ecology thereunto.

But she seldom wishes to do that.

In the main, she likes organics, she likes “the squishy short timers” and often wishes she could become one for a day. 

That said she has no real conception of what being a limited lifespan organic is like; she is over 20 thousand years old herself – she exists, psycho0logically, on the time scale of the Titans and the Gods.

She is used to the way Imperials (Galactics she calls them) treat her, especially now that they have given her some sort of political power (as she sees it) – the details are so brief and so small as to escape her notice, however.  She recognizes most ‘galactics’ aren’t much interested (or are quite frightened) to talk to her.  Those who do stop for a chat however find a warm and constant conversationalist, that is happy to discuss any old thing. 

There are no stats for this Second Imperium War Machine. She can take out starships and asteroids with impunity. 

“Humans were such filthy degenerate sluts.  Humanoids are even more so.  I like them!”

-     Castor Nine Lilies, rogue replimatter holocaust engine

Mood board – Maleth Noir : To Live and Die in Sky City

It looks like I may be starting another game on Noir.   Thus a mood board. I may add to this later.

(EDITED: Looks like that is not happening but leaving post up anyway) 

Art by Mshindo9 (More here https://www.deviantart.com/mshindo9 )

 

That’s by Darren Myners.  You can find their work here https://darrenmyners.artstation.com/

also by Darren Myners.

Art by Death Burger https://www.artstation.com/josan

CADO GEES MUST DIE!!!!!!

Rather out of nowhere I was inspired to throw together a one shot using Galaxy Black but set  not in it's Empire but that of the Star Wars galaxy. The results worked so well together that I cleaned up my notes and have put it together for you. 

So, have a mini- scenario.  You will need to make a map – the startport entrance is on the west side, the Haalderan arms is on the east side; in between are three to five large dome shaped buildings with lots of ramshackle one story buildings between them.  This is a city in a state of arrested decay, and slow collapse.   You could easily though run this with maps recycled (I’m super fond of the city map from the old Star Frontiers boxed set for this sort of thing) or use or make urban geomorphs.

You could also just draw some circles on some paper and write down where what is. It need not be pretty, just functional. 

Everything else you will need is provided.  Full character sheets for the three PCs are given at the end and in a separate document for convenience.   Special rules used from Galaxy Black are with the characters themselves.    The rest can be run with just the DCC core, or possibly another system if you are willing to squint and wing it.

Enjoy!

Cado Gees Must Die!

Pregens

Updates from the Giant Electric Head

Updates....

My great big Full Edit of the Whole Text has reached it’s final chapter, though that is the biggest of the bunch, and contains the psychic disciplines and all their rules.  Fun!  So happy to be able to see the end of this thing (not done but I can see it from here.) .    

Let me vague that up for you……

Need to put the final touches and finish an article for but should be loading something free and OSR shaped onto drive thru soon.  Just Need. To. Finish. Doing. That.

Which right now is harder than it sounds.  Time doing anything is time not spent doing something else.  And this is low low low priority.  Mostly it’s old stuff that doesn’t exist anymore but brought up to code lol.   More when I’m dropping it; nothing serious but just for fun.

Think about the future……

A lot of my spare thinky thoughts time has been lining up a few smaller books to support Galaxy Black and then what to do next after that.   (I’ve been speaking to several of you about a fair bit of these ideas.)   Plotting and brainstorming mostly but once I’m no longer critiquing my own systems design I can put some real work into getting those ready too.  Would love to be able to drop the first one of these simultaneous or soon after getting Galaxy Black itself released.    But obv, just getting the White Whale / Black Galaxy out the door is the main concern.

Scum and Villainy……

You may recall ( LINK ) I mentioned a second game I’m running set in the overcrowded urban slums of Maleth Noir.  This is my Underworld game as it’s come to be known.

ANYWAY, I made a thing for the players, esp as none of them are DCC players, and of course I’m not clubbing anyone over the head with a 700+ book *just* yet.   A really super basic chargen guide and idea what to expect more than anything else.

Anyway, it was pointed out I ought to share this with ya’ll so I am. 😊 

Players Guide to the Underworld of Maleth Noir 

Since I’m dropping all my players resource links I might as well add my two playlists; they are pretty useless for those of you without a google play music subscription (which is most of you) but here they are regardless.

In the Imperial Shadow Maleth Noir

Sounds of the Underworld Crawl

Down and Out at the Imperial Ramen Stand

If I have run even a single session of Galaxy Black for you then chances are right about 50% that the game started with all of you in line waiting for the single working Imperial Ramen kiosk.  Whether you were in a mid-block commercial area when some vampire got hangry, or a planetoid about to be attacked by pirates,  standing in queue at the ramen stand is a central pillar in the imperial voyager experience.

Sometimes it’s the only thing you know you’ll be able to digest, sometimes it’s the only thing you can understand, and sometimes you’re just hungry.   But everyone in the empire finds themselves standing in line at the ramen kiosk at some point, somewhen.

And Imperial Ramen is EVERYWHERE

Imperial Ramen

A chain of over 2 million automated ramen shop/kiosks; the closed box infomorph that runs each stand is part of a distributed intelligence (IMPERIAL RAMEN) - as all but two are franchise operations; and the programming in each automat is specific to determine local linguistic and culture drift, it’s not uncommon to find older ones taking on an identity of their own...and sometimes to break down (By sometimes we mean, it’s what they’re known for)

Imperial “Shoyo” Ramen             Soylent Ramen

Ramen with Aqua paste                Ramen Surprise

Ramen with Desert paste              Ramen Unlmited

Ramen with Ovipositor                 Ramen Surprise

Ramen with Reach Egg                 Lyche Ramen

Ramen with Oil Mist                     Bubble Ramen

Ramen with subarctic burrower   Star Fungus Ramen

Cock Bauble Ramen                      Myochortizoid Sporamen

Hulu Ramen                                  Filth “Brown Stuff” Ramen

Grox Ramen*

*Like anchovies of old, only the most daring, or lonely, sentients will order this.   And few will do so without some fear of reprisal.  Anyone casually dining in an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere will find the odor of raw Grox to be like unto that of a loaded diaper.   So making a soup out of it is pretty universally 'fighting words' indeed.  To a select few out of the imperial mainstream however, it is unique and delicious.

Sidereal specials

Ramen with maltransported animal fats and proteins  (Beamed while you Wait)

Ramen with Ovafats (recommended for hosting or pregnant life forms!)

Butter ramen or “Little Ramen”

Ramen with Intense aka Ramen No. 9

(Warning NOT for those fitted with calcium based food reduction systems)

Ramen Sidearm

(specify Curry, Red, Green, or Purple)

Beverages

Tea in a can (ubiquitous; could be ANYTHING)

• Squid ink tea (black or green;  green from Tanix is nasty but right now very very popular)

Now with SLURPS

SLURPS a small fizzy bubbly drinks that come in a variety of flavors and change color on contact with various atmospheres.

Id Algae Paste Slurp                                                   Blue Goo Whee Slurp

Pink Popppy Pop Slurp                                               Gohrm baddem Slurp

Fried Curry Green Slurp                                            

#galaxyblack

#imperialramen

“This article is reproduced in Apocrypha Obscura – Transmissions from the Dreaming Gynoid, available  (drive thru link)  

  and (itch.io link)