Second Dawn:GM Notes

From EryriWiki

This is a reference document for the LARP The Second Dawn.

Contents 1 GM Notes 1.1 Baxter’s “events” 1.2 Non-AI hacker examines a Snowy Seerstone 1.3 Commune with ocean 1.4 Cult stuff 1.5 AI/Second Dawn stuff 1.6 Examining a unique seerstone (non-Snowy) 1.7 Trying to repair the Broken Sword 1.8 Taking coins out of the Briefcase 1.9 Drake’s “exotic gadget” 1.10 My “R” rating has gone up to 4. 1.11 I’ve opened a Vial of Glittering sand 1.12 What does an ID rating mean? 1.13 AI checks out a Snowy Seerstone 1.14 I took one of the president’s pills! 1.15 Relics of space... 1.16 I used Attack the Others successfully. 1.17 I’m Jones and I want to know if this item can send me into space 1.18 I wanna remove my star!

[edit] GM Notes

[edit] Baxter’s “events”

The “chips and wires” item got jostled and broken after purchase. Add the “Broken” quality to it.

[edit] Non-AI hacker examines a Snowy Seerstone

It’s not encrypted, just incomprehensible. This was written by an AI (“demon”), and uses their languages. You’d need one of them to interpret it.

[edit] Commune with ocean

see Kristen

[edit] Cult stuff

see Jamey

[edit] AI/Second Dawn stuff

see Ben

[edit] Examining a unique seerstone (non-Snowy)

• Green: contains spare copies of the logic used to control the satellite and navigation systems
• Blue: extensive Tinker archives. Provide answers or maybe see Ben.
• Red: contains logic that could be uploaded onto various systems; looks like real/functional code but isn’t really
• Yellow: Autopsy of Patricia Kennedy. There her body is, all flayed out on the table. Watch agents complain that some woman demanded this. Looking at her lungs: yep, Tuberculosis killed her, just like the doctors said. Looking at her intestines: some blackish metal residue of weird grainy-fluid consistency in there, what the hell had she been eating? Doesn’t seem to have contributed to her death though. (If that residue gets looked up in the Tinker archives, it’ll be clearly the detritus from destroyed nanomachines. Most likely killed by low persistent radiation, that’s the only thing that would damage them without causing harm to the body.)
• Purple: A video of Cult rituals. Doesn’t include a clear view of the Host. (see Jamey)
• Water-worn: Two young men and a young woman are talking, somewhat drunk, late at night by a creek. (If the character might identify a young Palmer/Atkinson, specify; otherwise, just say they look vaguely familiar.) The three start arguing over some girl named Lucy, not present. Seems like Lucy is Bradley Hays’ ex-girlfriend, who had been dating Walter since that breakup, but apparently she’d also had a fling with Kara very recently. All three of them get in a scuffle; Brad hits his head on a rock. Both others flee; Walter returns first, sees that Brad is dead, Kara returns in time to watch Walter roll Brad’s body into the swollen creek.

[edit] Trying to repair the Broken Sword

Strange construction, but you can fill in the broken patterns and lines. Hard job: will need to consume a Molded Plastic Piece and a Glassy Bundle.

[edit] Taking coins out of the Briefcase

Give them a pouch. Cross out the “E” quality and add “Less than E: -1”. If they repeat, increase the – number. If they take out 4, cross out the “extremely” in its Value.

[edit] Drake’s “exotic gadget”

Come up with something entertaining.

[edit] My “R” rating has gone up to 4.

• You start feeling slightly ill, which nothing will cure. (However, someone with good genes (G=3) might hold out until R5?)
• If they go up to 5, we can start messing with them right now?

[edit] I’ve opened a Vial of Glittering sand

• N1: nanite-killer. Doesn’t self-replicate. Unless released into liquid, it’ll just sit there.
• N2: tunneler. Will self-replicate slowly. On the steel launch platform, it’ll just sit there in a slowly-growing lump.
• N3: desalination. Doesn’t self-replicate. Will make your hands dry if you touch it.
• N4: water-breathing. Doesn’t self-replicate. Sits there in a lump, but is very light; will puff around the air if you breathe on it. If you inhale it, you get water breathing.

[edit] What does an ID rating mean?

6543 = Pearce 3123 = Stafford 4226 = Jones 8456 = Artair 2089 = Dockrill 9034 = Kershwin 0978 = Hyndman 3774 = Buchanan 7232 = Bazett 8974 = Niallghas 4362 = Beathag 6575 = Malamhin 1325 = Ceallach 9834 = Cole

• The “lucky charm” increases the ID value by 1, so don’t worry about last digit.

[edit] AI checks out a Snowy Seerstone

Tell a story about what (might have) caused the Cataclysm to begin on March 4, 2098. All of these should end with messages and/or infiltrations to weapons AIs, not seen from the perspective of a weapons AI. That way we provide a reason without actually confirming it (otherwise people who find multiple Snowys will get confused and annoyed.)

• S1 (Deasey): A military planning AI in the USA realizes that the USA is crumbling, and losing out in the arms race versus the other great powers (Caliphate and China). It knows that a cataclysm is inevitable in the next few decades, so it triggers it now, at the point when US is most likely to come out on top. Possibly it also sends warnings to scientists that will enable them to survive and become Tinkers?
• S2 (Rutledge): Scientific research AI identifies that something out in deep space is reacting to human radio transmissions. New models show that various hypothetical spaceborne intelligences would be harmed by our massive emissions. We’re filling space with ‘noise.’ Must get military AIs to shut down global telecommunications, to protect earth from the Terrible Secret of Space; consider off-earth colonies unsavable? Timing is unknown, unknowable?
• S3 (Achard): World powers at war, due to human politics. Perhaps the Caliphate comes up with some vicious new gray-goo nanite weapon, and the US government decides it has to do a preemptive nuking. China gets dragged in when it refuses to aid one side and receives punitive nukes, world war is go.

[edit] I took one of the president’s pills!

They feel light-headed and lose 1 Mental point.

[edit] Relics of space...

• 7-pointed starfish: a thing of the Others, part of a biological creature seen on their ships. Not known whether that creature is an Other, or some kind of weapon or other product.
• 5-pointed starfish: Looks similar to the above, this specific kind is different and sad-looking.
• Broken Sword: A fallen piece of a weapon used to fight the Others during the war. From the late stages of the war, this emits EM waves modulated to harm and annoy the Others.
• Magnificent Sword: as above, and give the spaceman the “Attack the Others” power.

[edit] I used Attack the Others successfully.

• Star hybrids on all opponents shrivel and die. Hideously painful, but causes no other lasting damage to the host.

[edit] I’m Jones and I want to know if this item can send me into space

• Cole’s radio: Not on its own, but if you have some time to mess with it and a Fusion (or Solar) battery, during game or after, you can make it strong enough.
• Magnificent sword: Yes. It’ll take a while (ie, after game), but you can modify this transmitter/weapon to send information out to your orbiting pickup point.

[edit] I wanna remove my star!

• You can carve it out. Ow. Permanent -1 physical pool rating (doesn’t stack with Infirmary penalty).