@ Patrick Goodman



Thank you very much. That helps.
Regarding the old Smartlink, in my gaming group it can be used with the SR3-Essence-cost and it's limitations and benefits. It is a houserule but it works.

De nada.

That pretty much meshes with what Tymeaus Jalynsfein said up there. I can probably make that work. Thanks to the both of you!

While it's not a full old smartlink system, in Runner's Black Book/Gun Haven there's mention of Smartlink Fiber Optic Cables, Data Translation programs, and the Vintage + Incompatible qualities for weapons

For reasons which currently elude me, I failed to do a Predator III writeup. When I do that, I'll be sure to include the appropriate qualities for the weapon.

I could've sworn that the PIII was in Gun Heaven, but I just went to look and it wasn't.

The Predator III just had the old fashioned looks again, and the Smartgun Link-II system (With rangefinder and other fiddly bits.). IIRC, at least.

Just thought of something Patrick...

Why did the vampire not sparkle?

Patrick, great story. I haven't enjoyed a piece of SR fiction that much since House of the Sun. A few questions regarding the story, characters, and equipment.

1. Is Thomas Mcallister a character that you have played before in any SR edition? And if so, is he one of your main characters. The same question goes for Lydia, Teresa, and Alice.
2. Do the wooden based ammo rounds only apply to the Ares Viper Silver Guns or can one also construct anti-vampire rounds using normal based ammunition or add it to something like EX Explosive Rounds?
3. When a vampire gets hit by the wooden silver rounds or the weaponized saw dust does it prevent them from being able to use mist form?


Thanks in advance.

PS -- Wouldn't mind seeing a part II to this story sometime in the near future.

Um...wow. That's high praise.

People keep saying things like that, my head's going to get bigger.

Thank you.

Thomas was a relatively minor NPC in a long-running SR3 campaign I ran. When I was starting the piece on the Infected that I did for Running Wild, I needed a voice, and I said, "Well, he's got some experience...I'll make up some more backstory and use him!" Prior to taking center stage in RW, he was not what I would describe as one of my main characters. He's fun, though, in a very dour and serious way.

Lydia didn't exist as a character prior to the beginning of work on this story. She has some similarities to a friend of mine, who's a cop in real-life.

Teresa likewise did not exist, per se, until I started work on this story. I've known about her for a lot longer, though; she's mentioned (though not by name) in Running Wild, which I first wrote back before SR4 even hit the shelves.

Alice was first mentioned in Spy Games, though just by name. I consulted with the character's creator, and was basically given free reign to develop her as I chose. To the best of my knowledge, there have been no threats against me for how she was portrayed....

The wooden flechette rounds, as I envisioned and presented them, could be used for any weapon that fires flechette ammo. I don't see why you couldn't construct wooden slugs with the same basic properties. Slug rounds probably wouldn't be quite so expensive since the machining wouldn't have to be quite so painstaking. I'd imagine they have the same AP and DV mods as the wooden flechettes, though.

Adding the wood to an EX-EX round...I don't think that would work, personally.

If I read the rules for Allergy correctly, yes, they do. I'd have to double-check, and it's late, so I'm going to say yes for now, and reserve the right to retract that later if it turns out I misread something.

Neither would I. It's one, maybe two, pieces down in the pile I'm working on at the moment. CGL has started talking to me about the possibility of the next one, too, which is a very gratifying feeling.

Thanks again for your kind words.

Don't worry, I'll insult you enough to keep you humble. And hopefully not too much that you start beating me with my own cane. Wooden rounds have existed IRL a few times, and are banned from the military by the Geneva Convention (The same rule that prevents soft lead rounds and hollowpoints, BTW.). Ironwood is one of the most common type of wood I've heard used for the bullets, and they would effectively function like Flechette Rounds, only with wood rather than metal. Possibly even less armor penetration as they're not metal like regular bullets are and still able to penetrate somewhat. Shotguns could load slugs or buckshot (Flechette in the rules) depending on how you set it up, and cased (shotgun shells) are probably the best way to go about this. (I've often thought of using an old nun's rosary beads in a shotgun shell against Hollywood "Hurt by Holy Things" vampires.).

If used against a non-vampire, and damage has been performed, First Aid and Medicine tests would be made at a major disadvantage as they splinter and go everywhere, and only "might" be picked up by an x-ray machine. They'll also fester (organic material) and infection is quite frequent. (There's a reason why they're banned.).

Before weird looks are thrown at me, I started thinking of Vampire Plans after I got bored with Zombie Plan #16.

Hope you survived your trip to Detroit, Janessa. I await your verdict on the story and the value of the package as a whole. (I am taking notes, for those of you interested.)

Okay, some of the art issues are, well...they're my fault. I felt bad that there wasn't a lot of art in the story and I went trolling through old books to find some mood pieces of Denver, or vampires, or other stuff.

The opening piece...well, I know there's not a troll in the story, and the picture is of a clear night and not a rainy one, as the title implies. But it is a picture of Denver, as found in Spy Games, and I suggested it to the art director. There is surprisingly little in the way of re-usable art in the Denver box. I know this; I looked through the whole thing, hoping to find a diner scene. Or rain. No dice.

The other full-page piece I found in Threats, from the "Vampire Conspiracy" section. While not specifically a pic of Teresa, it was close enough for government work as far as I was concerned, and it just oozed atmosphere to me. The troll pic I kinda regret, just because there aren't any trolls in the story. The Karl Waller piece with the vampire chick licking the katana? I campaigned for that one.

I love Peter Tikos' work, and the pic he did of Thomas was a great counterpoint, considering how serious he is in the story. The others I'm a little iffy on, especially Lydia's. They're good pictures, but they really weren't quite how I envisioned the characters. I chalk that up to artistic license, though; Peter's got his own take on things, and I feel overall that I was really lucky to get his art into my first solo piece.

I pretty much agree completely with Redjack's review. I think I'd only give the Additional Features a 2/5, simply because there are only 3 character write ups and a couple additional pieces of equipment. Not that the write-ups aren't good quality, it's just that I'd give Arsenal a 5/5 in this regard, and giving this 19 page PDF a 4 seems generous.

I agree that plot hooks and location write-ups would be welcome additions to future installments, similar to what we see in the Dumpshock Datahaven.

The short story was enjoyable. If it went on for another 5-10 pages to resolve the cliffhanger at the end, I think it'd have been a better value.

I see the promise of this product enough to keep my eye on future installments.

There are actually four NPC write-ups, not three, but I do see your point.


Thanks for the comments. The cliffhanger actually leads to at least two more stories, perhaps more. Resolving it all at once might not have worked as well. We shall see.

Glad you enjoyed it.

I have to pick up my copy yet-work has been just plain off the hook the lately (So much for if we give them taser's everyone will just stop trying to kill each other...), so when I get a minute I'll snag it and try to give a coherent review, or input.

I look forward to it, Paul.

Alright, I just finished ARN and since I'm procrastinating anyway I thought I'd share my thoughts.

First, I wanted to note that I purchased ARN despite a self-imposed moratorium on buying SR pdf's. Basically I'm trying to focus my limited gaming dollars on filling out my neglected dead tree collection, and the recent pdf releases (while entertaining) just don't have enough bang for my buck (especially when they get released in dead-tree compilations like RBB anyway). But I wanted to support Patrick, since I have enjoyed his past contributions to the game and to Dumpshock, and I appreciate his willingness to engage his critics. I hope more of his colleagues in the freelancer pool will join suit.

[As an aside I also bought Safehouses and Way of the Adept (albeit quite some time ago). CanRay and Critias deserve similar recognition].

Now on to the good stuff:

As a stand alone piece of SR fiction, I like it very much. The story is compelling and well written, and I especially like how un-stereotyptical the featured characters are. I also enjoy Patrick's narrative style (which is of course more subjective). However, what is most impressive about the fiction is that it shows an understanding of the world and solid grasp of the underlying game mechanics (important things that have been lacking in some recent products). He presents great narrative descriptions of things like spell effects and AR sculpting without breaking the forth wall or slipping into metagame terminology. Plus everything in the fluff is consistent with the crunch (at least on cursory review... the pre-wireless smartgun aside). While I think this is important for all SR fiction, it seems even more so in the context of enhanced fiction. I hope anyone who aspires to write enhanced fiction for SR is taking notes.

The crunchy bitz are well written as well. I like that Patrick didn't take this as an opportunity to make sweeping changes to the rules or introduce a bunch of crazy gear- the items and accompanying rules are just right to support the story, and I don't get the sense that its the other way around. I agree that some detailed locations and maybe maps would have been useful. With a few such added items, the stat blocks for Thomas and Lydia could have been used as PCs and the story could have been easily converted to a one-shot for use as an introductory adventure or on those nights when only 1-2 people can make it to a game. This brings up a few musings I had about the potentials and pitfalls of enhanced fiction but I'll save those for another day.

The art was, well... terrible. Sorry to say it, but I'm (apparently) not a fan of Peter Tiko's. As others have said, the recycled art, while nostalgic, didn't fit the piece very well. I would have loved to see a piece depicting the final fight scene... ah well.

And last but not least a question for Patrick: dog tags? Thomas doesn't seem like the military type?

[aside]

Thanks. Hope you dug it! We're working on at least one similar book, albeit aimed at a different archetype, and just for what it's worth, we are making it a little bigger (while still aiming for the same low price tag). No real word yet on the Options books being assembled into a dead-tree book, but we're adding more crunch to this next one to try and make it plenty appealing. Hopefully we'll continue to corrupt you away from your "no pdf" rule.

[/aside]

He's not. I never said they were his. They were his dad's, though I don't think I mentioned that particular detail in the stat block (though I probably should have). He's also got his sister's class ring in his list of trinkets.

Speaking of whom, I really need to finish statting her out....

Glad you liked the story, Method.

I figured as much.

BTW I wrote that review in kind of a neutral third person in case I need the text for any online reviews.

Well, get thee back to your purchase site and post it and your rating! What's your hold-up, dude?

Wait Patrick as author + vampires in plot ≠ crocodile tanks involved?

Why would there be croc tanks? I like vampires...that don't sparkle. This one doesn't.

Real infected should be almost impossible to kill and since killing them with fire is traditional you would need something that makes large amounts of fire.

Some Infected are immune to fire. Head shots are good, though, especially if the Infected in question is looking the other way....

"How'd you kill that Japanese Vampire? Have another bamboo dagger blessed by a Shinto Priest?" "Wood chipper." - Supernatural

Well, by RAW all you need is a Stunbolt...

Even better if they are tied down and immovable! (and not capable of Mist Form, of course...)

Fire may not kill them, but it'll give them a REALLY bad day!

EDIT: Monofilament Chainsaw and Bodily Dismemberment, only way to be sure.

Immunity to fire just means they get some armor all that means is you need more fire.

Ha! That should be a sig!

It would be poor form to quote myself.

Ok, it’s a bit late, but life has been more than bit traumatic lately. As promised, Patrick, my review:

It may interest you to know that, like the story’s protagonist, I too was on plane to Denver when I read it and wondering whether I was dressed warmly enough for the trip. Also like the protagonist, I really didn’t want to take the trip, but I had to. However, I was just changing planes to go to Detroit, he was hunting vampires (be vewy, vewy quiet), so it could have been worse.

Your modern Van Helsing seems to have his share of experience and creativity (both good things for vampire hunting), and you had the good sense to make him a magician as well; I honestly don’t know why anyone plays anything else in Shadowrun, well, ok, someone has to play the technomancer so you have matrix support as well. At any rate, hunting the Infected is no occupation for mundanes, so that was good. That said, I seriously wonder why he has no sense of smell – this is easily correctable by 2073, and is almost certainly covered by his health plan, as he’s a (presumably) tenured university professor.

In general, it was short, but I liked it. As you mentioned to me late last year, I did indeed enjoy this story and its portrayal of vampires. It was satisfying seeing the Infected portrayed as the sadistic monsters they truly are – evil, twisted cannibals who enjoy killing and torturing people just because they can and they enjoy it. Truly a welcome antidote to the touchy-feely “the Infected are cute, cuddly teddy bears and our caring friends!” garbage that infests SR4 at present. The only thing I would have changed is to call in more backup before confronting a vampire in her lair. At night. With only a mundane for backup. When she knows you’re coming. And it’s a trap.

I look forward to future installments, though I’ll echo previous reviewers and say that it certainly should be a bit longer next time. Keep up the good work – go monster hunters, go.

Sometime this afternoon, Another Rainy Night went "Silver" over on DriveThruRPG. Thanks to everyone who's gone out and bought it...and if you haven't, what the heck's keeping you?

Congratulations

I didn't buy it on that site though, I always use the battlestore

Wherever you bought it, you're helping it pay for itself. It's just easier for me as a writer to see that little badge at DriveThru.

I'm glad you enjoyed yourself with the story.


Abraham Van Helsing was a vampire hunter; he spent his time trying to kill them. Thomas...not so much. Yes, he was in Denver hunting one down, but it's not his life's pursuit; curing them is. He's after Teresa because she made it personal. He felt like he was responsible...and there's at least 23 murders on this particular spree that he feels responsible for, as well. God only knows how many she killed before.

So, Thomas and Van Helsing do have some things in common, but he's really not Van Helsing's modern-day successor. Martin de Vries is...sort of. We'll leave out the man's utter hypocrisy for the time being...he's one of the most pre-eminent hunters out there. He will probably not be in After Midnight (I need to come up with a better title once more of it's written), though the Guild probably will be.

I know Lydia's going to have a lot of reading to do.

I'm not entirely certain I agree with this statement, but that's neither here nor there at the moment.

It wasn't affordable when he was a kid growing up, when the accident happened, and by the time it was affordable, he had Awakened. Even relatively minor surgery has a risk of jacking with one's Talent, and he's personally just fine without it. He's been without it for...damn, something like 35 years. He's long since adapted.

Not all of them are sadistic. I'll grant you that, in most senses of the word, they're all monsters, but they're not all sadists. Teresa was, certainly, and Mr. Big may or may not be; he's certainly ruthless. Ms. Deacon, while not a vamp, is pretty ruthless. Most of my characters are far from sweetness and light, I think, but they're not all cast in blacks and whites. Even the monsters are gray. Sometimes a nice, deep charcoal gray, to be sure, but gray nonetheless.

Nothing's as simple as it appears, and I'm hoping my writing gets that across.

He knew her weakness. And sometimes, you just gotta play the cards you're dealt. Lydia did go on record as to the fact that it was stupid.

And Lydia may be just a mundane, but it's not nearly the death sentence you portray it to be. Mundanes outnumber the Awakened by a substantial margin (among the human population, something like 99 to 1).

Well, it's true the Awakened have get to their meatshields somewhere. Was it Ars Magica where warriors were a stat for magic-users? Heh.

I would like to see Metagenic Improvement: Posse

I'll be snagging my copies finally this weekend. As soon as I find my wallet and update my DTR account. Damned habit of not carrying anything on my person except my CCW, and a pen. (And a cuff key of course....)

They don't require you to carry some ID along with the CCW?

You'd think the CCW license, at least, would be a good idea.

But then, I only know about Kentucky and Texas. For all I know, Michigan hasn't got 'em.

Heh, yeah I always carry my departmental ID.

I thought your belt buckle worked as ID in the US?

Apparently today I had kick me written on me somewhere. And bite me. And spit on me in attempt to spread your contagious disease. And punch me....Needless to say things didn't work out for at least one party involved. There was an increased level of the possibility of someone, somewhere having their feelings hurt.

That's only in Texas.

Actually, it's also valid in Oklahoma, New Mexico, Wyoming, and parts of Arizona and Louisiana, if memory serves.

They got the idea from us, though.

I don't know about belt buckles but the CCW in Wyoming is a valid photo ID, and is essentially the same as the driver's license except for different wording and a watermark of a pistol. In fact, if you renew them at the same time, the state uses the same photo on both. People who don't know better seldom notice the difference.

I once needed duplicate photo ID for a federal background check related to work, but all I had was my DL and CCW. I handed these to a clerical dude and he ask "Why do you have 2 driver's licenses?"

So, Patrick, when do we meet this "Bella" chick all the vapid tweens are talking about?

As soon as I find a sufficiently satisfying way to mow her down.

Can't be done. You can only do it once, after all.

Cyberpunk: Encouraging ultraviolent positive female role models who look sexy since Pris.