Storm Front is out!, Leading to SR5! Options

[Pepsi Jedi]

First Among Equals

[ Spoiler ]

Reads as pure setup, but I'd like to point something out - one of the princes is a J. Foster. Frosty's real name is Jane Foster. Has she been a Tír Prince this entire time and I just didn't know it, is this new, or is that a different J. Foster?

I'd say no. In the Denver chapter, a beautiful elf woman with silver hair ran out and spoke to Harle. Sunshine had the news feed. Sunshine is a reporter. That feed probably earned him loooooots of money when he had it aired. If Frosty was a Prince, it'd have taken them about half a second to have made the connection.

Likewise, Fastjack has met Frosty in person. he'd know if she were a Prince. Likewise 20 years of her 40 were apprenticed to Harle. That's a huge gaping hole of life that politicians can't have. Your opponents would find it with effortless digging and you'd get called on it.

Artful Dodger

[ Spoiler ]

Another one that reads as setup - I'm guessing for something involving the old-school AI's coming back on the scene, which could be very interesting.

Not sure. On the one hand might be intesting. On the other. "Been there, done that". And the old school AI's were akin to virtual gods. That danger has been 'Met and put down'.

Sleeping with the Enemy - just want to echo that this one was a very good read.

[ Spoiler ]

I really think pretty much everything in this book that isn't wrapping up an existing plot is setting up a new one. All the "fear the night" stuff, and the exposure of De Vries, could go to interesting places. I do think they should have contracted some Game Information for this chapter - details on the change to Infected Allergies, rejection of 'ware, that kind of thing. I mean, I'd like to be able to use some of this transitional plot to run a transitional game, but that leaves me with a lot to do on my own, ya know?

On the one hand, I agree. On the other hand.. I'd rather get an entire book on it. So this one I can let it lay for a bit. The redeeming factor is that SR5 is supposed to land in Spring. (( Today's the first day of spring!) Or Summer. So not a long wait. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[sk8bcn]

The people in the real world already have a very low attention span. How do you think it will be in the 6th world where you are bombarded by ads every second of the day and instant gratification becomes even more exploited by the companies?
Besides, you do not throw your old Ares gun into the recycler because the new one is a pile of crap. No, you do something far worse (from Ares pov). You keep it and don't buy a new one. They do not make any money with that. Or you go to the competitor when you need your "gun fix". People who bought Ares for their whole life would now look what the competitors have to offer.

Probably like how, IRL, nobody will buy Microsoft again with their 360 Red Ring of Death, or Windows Vista?

Or like anybody will ever buy a Mercedes again with their Class A first model failure?

IRL at least, you need a streak a poor quality product to hurt a compagnie's rep'

[sk8bcn]

One needs to ask themselves:
If this gun has a 1 in 6 chance (or 2/3rd in SA mode) to work properly ... HOW in the name of all that is Quality Assurance, did it even get into production? The premise is just plain stupid.

Totally agree.

Whatever is written to explain that, it's just idiotic.

But I guess it's easy to adress IG: that malfunction starts to occur after a month of use for exemple (or less in case of intensive use).

[RHat]

Actually, it makes sense.

[ Spoiler ]

Someone inserted a message saying that it was to go to manufacturing in its current state, and that they'd fix it there. Noone told manufacturing.

In other words, it didn't get through QA, but someone caused it to be released anyways.

[sk8bcn]

Because, you have like million products done day 0? Failure at serial number xxx, call them back and change them with fixed product.

[RHat]

Because, you have like million products done day 0? Failure at serial number xxx, call them back and change them with fixed product.

So the manufacturing order was messed with too to ensure a massive initial production run. Not that hard to imagine.

[bannockburn]

Yes. Yes, it is too hard to imagine. Hence, the statement that the premise is stupid.
It requires a massive amount of suspension of disbelief and only works in the pinkest of mohawk worlds.

[RHat]

So, they can cause the product to be sent to manufacturing, but influencing the size of the manufacturing run is too much?

It's not a massive suspension of disbelief. Someone hired a hacker for the specific purpose of inserting communications (and probably keeping questions from reaching the wrong place) to cause the Excalibur to go to a large production run. What's so hard to believe about that?

[bannockburn]

Because it is not a small arms producer. It is ARES. A megacorporation that is apparently first incapable of communicating with a load of production sites, THEN can't pull a flawed production before churning out billions of guns that can't shoot straight, and THEN selling a shitload of them, and is THEN incapable of giving out a product recall.

If you seriously don't see the flaw in this line of thinking, I recommend taking off your rose tinted glasses.

[Mach_Ten]

**EDIT**

snip - talking bollocks

entirely plausible and possible that Ares didn't consider a faulty line to be worth a full recall.

but agree with all above, no way a AAA takes a dive over a fault, there has to be more to it

[bannockburn]

edit: redacted, was in reference to bollocks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)

[RHat]

Oh, I'm sure that they COULD have done a recall - they clearly chose not to, because it wasn't their cheapest option (seriously, recalls are only done when they're cheaper than the price of not doing one). Once a shitload of the things were made, it seems a business decision was made to attempt to recoup as much of the cost as possible through large volume up front sales. Or do you seriously think they wouldn't have tried to get some of their money back?

Additionally, there is literally no such thing as perfect system security. And because there isn't, it's entirely possible that someone (or a team) extremely capable found their way in; after which they took extremely low grade actions that wouldn't likely be noticed in security audits because they look like normal behaviour for whichever user. Maybe Horizon used some of their brainwashed technomancers.

I think you've misidentified who has the overly rosy view here.

[bannockburn]

Sure. Rationalize lazy writing all you want.
The fact remains, it is a gun that is working correctly in only 1 of 6 cases.
If you intend to fire such a gun in a combat situation anywhere, you, as the end user, first test it (which means, btw, firing it). Then you realize it's shit, take it back to the shop and say "I want my money back".*
Just look at the internet shitstorms that happen today already over faulty products that are way less likely to kill you.
A load of examples have been already stated and Apple is still not going down for almost killing people with their maps (Australian police warned about the app being a health hazard for leading people into dangerous wilderness).
If you want, you can make it work. Sure. But the mohawk is pink, and nothing you can say will change that.

*This does not count if you're an army. Then you take that shitty M-16-SA-80bur and give it to your soldiers.

[Mach_Ten]

*This does not count if you're an army. Then you take that shitty M-16-SA-80bur and give it to your soldiers.

That part was not bollocks (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) damn their eyes.

it does strike me as a bit of a far fetched "We need something big to shake up the setting, We've had dragons, we've had meteors ... I Know ... lets kill off ARES!"

can you imagine the looks of "WTF?!" at that creative writing meeting ?!

[bannockburn]

I have no problems with a megacorp going down, tbh. It has been done before. The falls of Fuchi, Cross Applied Technologies and Novatech were a lot more plausible and well executed.

But having people not buy cereal anymore after ALL OF THE guns failed in some PR spawned Desert Wars somewhere in the middle east? Yeah ... No.

[hermit]

Like the dragon conflict, the Amazonia/Aztlan war, the Denver shakeup, and the artifacts plotline, the Ares plot is a good idea by itself. Absolutely nothing wrong with making a mega shake or even fall. But there's ideas and there's their execution, and CGL again shows it cannot deliver there (orr ather, certain writers seem to be too lazy to deliver). Like all the other ideas, it is turned into a train wreck by lazy writing and nonexistent content editing and care for the line.

[Sengir]

Actually, most corp contracts are not even that easy to get out of.

Exactly. Large-scale procurements constantly end up with enormous cost overruns and arrive years late, but it's not like the company which did not deliver in time gets fired. In fact it does not even have an effect on future offers or public reputation, the company/consortium pays a token amount in damages ("if you fine us too much we'll have to lay off people") and that's it.

[hermit]

Weapons are as highly political business anyway, and weapons procurement programs often more economic stimulus than actual transactions on a free market. Even weapons performance often is secondary to them being produced by producers favored by the governent (or local manufacturers, if present). See the M-16, F-35, Rafale, A400M ...

[Wakshaani]

Because it is not a small arms producer. It is ARES. A megacorporation that is apparently first incapable of communicating with a load of production sites, THEN can't pull a flawed production before churning out billions of guns that can't shoot straight, and THEN selling a shitload of them, and is THEN incapable of giving out a product recall.

If you seriously don't see the flaw in this line of thinking, I recommend taking off your rose tinted glasses.

Well, there's always this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1u0LlIDQKM

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[bannockburn]

Good point, Wakshaani (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)
On the other hand, Portal is a mohawk game in a crapsack world and Aperture is an always 2nd place kind of corporation that's not even that big in the context of said world (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif)
But hilariously insane (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Critias]

First Among Equals

[ Spoiler ]

Reads as pure setup, but I'd like to point something out - one of the princes is a J. Foster. Frosty's real name is Jane Foster. Has she been a Tír Prince this entire time and I just didn't know it, is this new, or is that a different J. Foster?

Yes, it's a different one with unfortunately similar initials. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wink.gif) Prince Jake Foster is an ork, born and bred in Portland's orkish ghettoes, and a major liberal/progressive reformer in current Tir politics. Land of Promise outlines the various Princes in the months leading up to the election, Storm Front had to handle their election itself (to keep things sympatico with their election schedule and where it fell on the timeline, it couldn't be in LoP or even Dirty Tricks).

[Smirnov]

I find it hilarious that people who critisize CGL over one sloppy book argue that a company can't lose it's face and reputation over one sloppy product.
And yes, i understand the difference between small publishing company and transnational megacorp. Still, the irony is sweet.

[Patrick Goodman]

@Patrick, Bad things in correlation to the direction you want to take with the infected, or just bad for them?

Not 100% sure I understand the question, but it's been that kind of a day so far.

Much of the bad stuff for the Infected, as far as the disease is concerned, have happened and are filtering down. There are still bad things happening to individuals, of course, and some communities are facing issues. There's the deal in Asamando to deal with, and that could get ugly fast. Fear the Dark is still out there (and we get to meet the lady who coins that term in "Sail Away Sweet Sister," if I ever get the chance to finish it with all the other stuff going on right now), so that needs to get resolved. Something happens in a small town in Texas at some point down the road. Thomas McAllister has a tough row to hoe coming up. Infected rights has taken a good solid shot to the tender parts.

As far as what I'm doing to the Infected, I think the worst is over. I could be wrong, but I'm thinking that it's time to try and clean up.

Also Im starting to suspect Nath is an AI, the amount of hard raw data you produces is scary...

Oh, hell, we could have told you that....

I agree you'd think the Azzies would be the ones to play with that fire. With their (word I don't know) for dangerous magic.

I think the word you're looking for is "penchant." I could be wrong, but don't think I am.

Sleeping with the Enemy:

Patrick. Good work man.

Thanks; glad you enjoyed it.

How much worse? I could be a real jackass and make it a lot worse, but as I said elsewhere, I think we're getting close to the bottom on that ride. I'm much more about rebuilding than tearing down, in spite of what some people might think about me and what I'm doing.

As for a non-feral wendigo: Most of them aren't, but yeah, I'll see what I can do.

Sleeping with the Enemy - just want to echo that this one was a very good read.

Again, thanks. Glad you enjoyed the ride.

[ Spoiler ]

I really think pretty much everything in this book that isn't wrapping up an existing plot is setting up a new one. All the "fear the night" stuff, and the exposure of De Vries, could go to interesting places. I do think they should have contracted some Game Information for this chapter - details on the change to Infected Allergies, rejection of 'ware, that kind of thing. I mean, I'd like to be able to use some of this transitional plot to run a transitional game, but that leaves me with a lot to do on my own, ya know?

Yeah, looking back, I probably should have done something about that for Storm Front, but I'm not thinking it should be anything horrendous to cobble together for transitional purposes.

[ Spoiler ]

All the Infected are more sensitive to sunlight now; bump their Allergy up a notch. If you're a nosferatu, stay the frag out of the sun since I don't have much in the way of rules support for bumping things past Severe. Or half the time it takes to take damage for Severe; that makes it every 30 seconds, if memory serves. As noted in "Sleeping," Regeneration doesn't heal damage caused by sunlight, but it does respond to magical healing.

Regen's gotten to be a bear with implants. Cyber is expelled; bio is absorbed/rebuilt over the course of time. Both processes are probably painful, but the expelled cyber's a lot worse. Either way, enhancements stop working. While it's lethal to the poor NPC in the story, it shouldn't be for PCs, at least not automatically. There's a certain amount of hand-waving that's going to have to be done, but as a GM, you have to do that sometimes anyway.

Does that help? It's not official, but it's how I'd wind up house-ruling it.

[hermit]

Question: How old is /dev/ by Storm Front?

[Smirnov]

She was born in '57 (according to Artifacts Unbound), it's '75 in Storm Front, so she's around 17-18. Way to go for a teen to track down Kane

Edit: confused the book, the date still accurate