 The 411 on the UB, Origin, methods, ultimate fate? |
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 Dec 8 2006, 04:09 AM
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#1
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Runner  Group: Members Posts: 2,656 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731  |
From references in Awakenings and Bug City, I gather that the Universal Brotherhood was (is?) the primary front organization for insect shamanism in the Sixth World. Where can I find more detailed info?
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Dec 8 2006, 04:37 AM
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#2
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 903 Joined: 7-February 03 Member No.: 4,025 |
The published adventure "Missing Blood." If you can find it.
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Dec 8 2006, 04:40 AM
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#3
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Origin: small pseudo-religious charity organization.
Methods: delicious and nutritious soup served at soup kitchens, patience, understanding, and kindness for many homeless and SINless, a warm bed during the bitter cold winter months at the shelters. Ultimate fate: framed for the VITAS outbreak in Chicago. ~J |
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Dec 8 2006, 04:52 AM
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#4
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,379 Joined: 16-April 02 From: the LI shadows Member No.: 2,607 |
Also the reason why they nuked it.
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Dec 8 2006, 04:52 AM
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#5
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Runner Group: Members Posts: 2,656 Joined: 29-October 06 Member No.: 9,731 |
VITAS outbreak? Was that the UCAS official line to explain the Quarantine? I could have sworn the insect invasion was public knowledge.
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Dec 8 2006, 05:40 AM
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#6
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 147 Joined: 4-December 06 From: Chicago, IL Member No.: 10,193 |
Hehe, our game is set in Chicago. In our RL neighborhood. Inside the containment zone. |
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Dec 8 2006, 09:05 AM
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#7
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
They were Scientologists.
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Dec 8 2006, 09:31 AM
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#8
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Mystery Archaeologist Group: Members Posts: 2,906 Joined: 19-September 05 From: The apple tree Member No.: 7,760 |
The basic pre Bug City scoop on them in the (slight give away in the title) Universal Brotherhood adventure/source book, available on PDF from the usual suspects.
Check out any of the other bug adventures like Queen Euphoria etc. If anyone knows the full list post away. Then check out Bug City for the rest (also on PDF). |
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Dec 8 2006, 12:40 PM
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#9
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 903 Joined: 7-February 03 Member No.: 4,025 |
The "VITAS outbreak" cover-up worked, but only for a while. I don't remember UB getting blamed for it though. |
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Dec 8 2006, 12:55 PM
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#10
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 858 Joined: 25-August 03 From: Braunschweig, North German League, Allied German States Member No.: 5,537 |
In the beginning, yes.
Afterwards. |
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Dec 8 2006, 01:20 PM
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#11
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,577 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Gwynedd Valley PA Member No.: 1,221 |
The UB was not blamed for the VITAS outbreak.
The UB was, correctly sumized, a front for insect hives that found a way to interact. They took over a small CFS self empowerment cult and grew from there. They spread quickly through the world by a word of acceptance of marginalized people (runners), self empowerment (corp wage slaves) and through charity work (free clinics and soup kitchens)it drew in the street meat. At the first level it actually did a lot of good. BUT it was all priming the pump, looking for candidates. For the second level which was infestation by bug spirits. Street meat became the bulk of hive members but well placed corp personel became agents for the hives. Most people saw the UB as either niave do gooders or actually a good cause. But in the shadow lands rumors started to leak out about the turth. The UB agressively hunted these down and it's ICE was leathal. When the truth finally broke out the UCAS and other governments came down hard on them. strika teams and the like, claiming there were tax cheats and irregularities destroyed many hives. People who were only at the first level felt devistated that this 'wonderful' organization was taken from them. What happened in Chicago was after the UB was destroyed. Some hives escaped destruction. Ares tracked the largest surviving Hive to Chicago where they went in with an attack team. It didn't realize how huge the situation was and got overwhelmed but the hive feeling threatened "swarmed" out into the open and spread through Chicago. UCAS gov't quarentined the area claiming it was an out break of VITAS that needed to be contained. The nuke that went off, the Ceremak blast, was the survivors of the Ares team gonig back in with a tactical nuke to try and destroy the newly formed hive with in the containment area. |
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Dec 8 2006, 02:08 PM
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#12
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 151 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Reutlingen.de Member No.: 677 |
Also try to find Double Exposure a SR2 adventure set that deals with erm, yeah, the exposure of the UB's secrets. Chronologically set a few months before the events detailed in the novel Burning bright which describes the chain of events that lead to the outbreak in Chicago (Bug City is the follow up sourcebook to the novel). Doubkle Exposure marks the beginning of the UB's downfall.
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Dec 8 2006, 02:17 PM
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#13
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Lies. The bugs were clearly an Ares research project gone bad. That they pinned the blame on the most effective charity in the UCAS just points to how despicable they are. ~J |
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Dec 8 2006, 03:02 PM
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#14
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Running Target Group: Members Posts: 1,070 Joined: 7-February 04 From: NYC Member No.: 6,058 |
The VITAS outbreak story certainly held up for a while, since a pretty tight containment zone got thrown up, and all communication links to the city cut. (at least assuming our game is sticking to canon fairly closely, as I have been forbidden to read any of the sourcebooks on the subject of bugs)
Although, since we're speaking of Bug Spirits... What is it that, as far they're concerned, makes you a prime candidate for being... Infested? Implanted? Whatever the hell they do? I ask because our group came across an insect shaman, and he seemed to want my PC alive, for some reason. (a street sam, nothing particularly unusual about him aside from a Charisma of 5 and a Willpower of 8 ) |
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Dec 8 2006, 03:11 PM
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#15
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
The containment zone goes up in late August. It takes until December for Shadowland to learn about the insect spirit plague, though the VITAS story was cracking earlier.
~J |
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Dec 8 2006, 03:12 PM
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#16
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 475 Joined: 17-June 02 From: Concord University, Athens, WV Member No.: 2,880 |
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Dec 8 2006, 03:38 PM
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#17
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Mystery Archaeologist Group: Members Posts: 2,906 Joined: 19-September 05 From: The apple tree Member No.: 7,760 |
Being useful, in your case your a hard street monster... Secondly the UB people want good merges that look like the host, to have that occur you need a high Willpower, lucky you ;) |
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Dec 8 2006, 05:32 PM
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#18
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Creating a god with his own hands Group: Members Posts: 1,405 Joined: 30-September 02 From: 0:0:0:0:0:0:0:1 Member No.: 3,364 |
aw man, I came here just to post that. |
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Dec 9 2006, 09:51 AM
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#19
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 732 Joined: 1-December 06 Member No.: 10,116 |
EDIT: DOH! Had BLT chip :spin: (would also help me to put the edit note in the right dang spot. *sigh* Yeah thats actually one heck of a combo. Your not only a wired street sam that tough but you've got more than enough willpower to almost -guarantee- a good merger. There's also additional information on the bugs in the novel 2XS. The basics of it was that a new type of BTL chip that was quite lethal was making the rounds and alot of those that survived it started dissapearing. Only to eventually be found by the protaganist as victims of a hive in a corp research compound. Basically all those that survived the chip had a high willpower and thus were 'excellent' targets for merges. |
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Dec 9 2006, 10:02 AM
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#20
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Moving Target Group: Members Posts: 475 Joined: 17-June 02 From: Concord University, Athens, WV Member No.: 2,880 |
Honestly, I was surprised it wasn't in the first three replies. |
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Dec 9 2006, 03:16 PM
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#21
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,577 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Gwynedd Valley PA Member No.: 1,221 |
It depends on what they are looking for. A good merge- someone who can pass for human needs a high will on the target. For a 'pure' insect form it needs the target to have a low willpower. Most of hives are flesh forms. Horrific blends of humanoid and insect. Mostly made of street types that no one will miss. Good merges are used for undercover work- for example think of a police captain who can redirect investigations. A journalist or newsreader who can give good PR or better yet the editor who can kill a story unfavorable. In the run "First Blood' the team is hired to find a girl who disappeared with an expensive gift. Along the way they find she was a member of the UB. The UB thought she'd be a good merge but she wasn't. |
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Dec 9 2006, 04:15 PM
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#22
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Midnight Toker Group: Members Posts: 7,686 Joined: 4-July 04 From: Zombie Drop Bear Santa's Workshop Member No.: 6,456 |
Am I the only one who looked at that page and thought "Oh my God! It's a cookbook! Serving From the Heart is a cookbook!"? |
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Dec 9 2006, 04:19 PM
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#23
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Manus Celer Dei Group: Dumpshocked Posts: 17,010 Joined: 30-December 02 From: Boston Member No.: 3,802 |
Well, I thought they should change the title to "To Serve Man", but close enough.
~J |
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Dec 12 2006, 01:54 PM
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#24
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Prime Runner Group: Members Posts: 3,577 Joined: 26-February 02 From: Gwynedd Valley PA Member No.: 1,221 |
Tanegar- did we get all your points ok?
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Dec 12 2006, 06:47 PM
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#25
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Target Group: Members Posts: 24 Joined: 9-October 04 Member No.: 6,740 |
OK Please for the love of all that is good on this earth that organization doesnt really exist.
Its a fan site right LOL |
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