The body of this FAQ was compiled by James Fullerton, and previously hosted at the Department of Misinformation. Since the disappearance of that site, it was continued at i20 and has now moved to Fractal Silence. Much of the material in James' version is still accurate. Originally composed as a reference document for the Station Analysis mailing list, the only change that has been made is to make this version more centred on SLA in general. In addition, a small bit of editing from the i20 version has occured. Most of the changes is to remove sections that only made sense under the i20 format.
1.1 Introduction
This is the SLA Industries FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions). SLA is the techno-horror role-playing game originally released by Nightfall Games Ltd. This FAQ has been created to answer those questions which are frequently asked about the game. This FAQ also includes the game erratas as well as some of the system queries that can arise. This FAQ is unofficial.
1.2 Game Background
For over 900 years, the universe known as the World of Progress has been ruled by SLA Industries (SLA is pronounced "Slay", not "Ess-Ell-Ay"). Keeping a close check on growth and expansion, the vast corporation oversees the gigantic open market. All possible goods are produced by SLA Industries, from food and housing to guns, drugs and luxury toys. Its customers are the planets and societies of the World of Progress, and its sole owner is the immortal company director, Mr. Slayer. Free thought is discouraged, information is suppressed and curiosity is not a survival trait. SLA Industries has a lot of skeletons in its past, and Mr. Slayer would like them to stay there.
The capital of the World of Progress is Mort City on the planet Mort, a roughly circular sprawl some two thousand kilometres in diameter. The planet Mort is similarly vast; the city is all but lost in the expanses of the factory wastelands, blasted test areas and warped production zones that cover the globe. It is also totally dead. Pollution killed all natural life long ago. The same pollution also destroyed the atmospheric system. The planet is always wrapped in thick, black clouds. The rain never stops. Never. Mort is the black jewel in the tarnished crown known as the World of Progress. A city where serial killing and prime-time carnage are the best career options. The heart of SLA Industries.
Mr. Slayer's office building dominates SLA corporate HQ, set in the gleaming splendour of the district known as Central. Only SLA's corporate employees and Operatives can be found here. Elsewhere, the grimy civilians walk nervously through the revolting, labyrinthine streets of Downtown and the nightmarish spaces beneath. Outside the city walls lurk the hellish Cannibal Sectors, terrifying areas of devastation packed with deadly, loathsome inhabitants.
For you, the Operative, it's just like the adverts. You're a hero, a media darling, climbing the ladder to the top. Doing well in the World of Progress means following Mr. Slayer's Big Picture and oh, what a picture it is! Life is so "pleasant" for the bulk of the population that SLA have employed you as part of their special troubleshooting forces. There are millions of you for Mort City alone, elite agents trusted to make sure that everything runs smoothly, and the Company doesn't get... embarrassed.
The capital of SLA Industries is resplendent in its decaying glory, a planet where a frantic struggle to survive is the only way of life. Life is cheap here; knowledge may cost you more than you can possibly imagine.
1.3 Product Background
SLA Industries was created by Dave Allsop, and written with Jared Earle, Anne Boylan and Morton T. Smith (along with many others) in 1993 in Glasgow, Scotland. Shortly followed by the supplement Karma it was heralded as one of the best first-time RPG's to be released by a British company. Following their success, Nightfall went into strategic partnership with Wizards of the Coast in 1993. Unfortunately due to several reasons only two supplements (the Mort Sourcebook and a GMs Screen) were released before Wizards of the Coast decided to discontinue the product line.
In January 1996 the IP of SLA Industries was transferred with Dave Allsop's direction to an American firm called Jageeda, comprised of Wizards employees who had worked on the game during its stay there. Unfortunately no new products were released. After two years of inactivity, a clause in the contract between Jageeda and Wizards reverted the IP ownership back to the latter, and SLA once more was shelved.
In 1998, Wizards confirmed that they were never going to develop the game, on the grounds that its setting was too dark to be incorporated into their existing game lines. They kindly gave the IP to SLA Industries, with no strings attached, back to Dave Allsop, who with Jared Earle and Tim Dedopulos re-formed themselves as Nightfall Games.
In November 1999 Nightfall Games signed an agreement with Hogshead Publishing that would allow Hogshead to become exclusive publishers of the SLA Industries RPG worldwide. This agreement allowed Nightfall to concentrate on the development of the product line whilst Hogshead dealt with the publishing side of things. Hogshead made available the previous supplements as well as releasing a revised main rule book and "The Key of Delhyread".
In February of 2003, Hogshead Publishing closed its doors, and SLA entered yet another hiatus.
In November of 2003, it was announced that Nightfall Games would be partnering up with Cubicle 7 Entertainment to produce new supplements, including the long awaited White Earth.
In August of 2004, Dave Allsop announced that he had resigned from Nightfall Games, and was taking a step back from active development of the game. Cubicle 7 confirmed that he would be involved as a consultant.
As of March 2006, no new supplements have been published for SLA Industries, though the next two supplements are meant to be "Cannibal Sector One" and "Soft Companies".
The following is a list of the current products issued as a part of the SLA Industries RPG line.
SLA Industries v1.1 Main Rule Book
A dark, futuristic horror game set in a universe of crushing oppression and media manipulation, SLA Industries is designed for the mature gamer. As special agents for the company, the characters must outwit serial killers, street gangs, terrorist rivals and Internal Affairs while making sure that things run smoothly... whatever the cost. This new edition features a stunning cover illustration of Halloween Jack, and includes several new pieces of fiction and artwork, a quick-start introduction to the game, and a complete index.
SLA Industries
The Dark RPG of Futuristic Urban Horror
Writers: Dave Allsop, Jared Earle, Morton T. Smith, Anne Boylan and Tim Dedopulos
Artists: Dave Allsop, Stuart Beel, Brian Dugan, Clint Langley, Steve Luke, Pol Sigerson, Adrian Smith and James Worrel
Cover: Glenn Fabry
Format: Book, 8.5" x 11", colour cover, b/w interior
Pages: 304
ISBN: 1-899749-23-3
Stock code: HP500
Price: $29.95/£19.95
The MRB is the core book for SLA Industries and has recently been revised by Nightfall. It is the equivalent of a version 1.1 rather than a version 2.0 as there are only a few things which have changed.
The errata and a list of the changes from the original version are available here.
Karma Sourcebook
The success of SLA as a corporation is built on the genius of Karma Laboratories and their disturbing biogenetic creations. This sourcebook expands the SLA Industries game universe in a daring and innovative style. Presented as a magazine that the inhabitants of the World of Progress could purchase, Karma is packed full of equipment to quite literally die for, all-new character types including the Vevaphon, Xeno and Chagrin, and tons of useful reference material -- an invaluable source guide for SLA Industries.
Karma
A Sourcebook for SLA Industries
Writers: Dave Allsop, Jared Earle, Morton T. Smith and Anne Boylan
Artists: Dave Allsop, Stuart Beel, Brian Dugan, Clint Langley, Steve Luke, Pol Sigerson and James Worrel
Cover: Phil Bond
Format: Book, 8.5" x 11", colour cover, b/w interior
Pages: 156
ISBN: 1-880992-56-6
Stock code: HP501
Price:$22.95/£14.95
Karma is the excellent supplement for SLA Industries which includes more detailed information on Mort as well as show casing the extent that BioTechnology has changed the WoP.
The errata is available here.
Mort Sourcebook
The capital planet of the World of Progress, Mort is the home base of SLA Industries. Everything you could need to know about Mort can be found here, from the layout of Mort City and the nightmares lurking in the Cannibal Sectors, to the Pit, the biggest, loudest and coolest nightclub there is. Featuring a stack of BPNs (fully-annotated scenario outlines), heaps of information on life in Downtown, everything you need to know about Shivers, and full details on the cities of Meny and Orienta, the Mort Sourcebook will fascinate all SLA players.
Mort Sourcebook
Writers: Roy McRonald, James Lennon, Morton Smith, Lynne Wilson, Karen Newis and Tim Dedopulos
Artists: Dave Allsop, Stuart Beel, Jon Beeston, Malcolm Davis, Brian Dugan, Clint Langley, Steve Luke, Stuart Mack, Pol Sigerson and James Worrel
Cover: Clint Langley
Format: Book, 8.5" x 11", colour cover, b/w interior
Pages: 144
ISBN: 0-9522176-6-X
Stock code: HP502
Price:$22.95/£14.95
Mort details more about life in the capital city of the World of Progress, giving more of an insight into Shiver life, Meny and also the biggest night-club of all - The Pit.
Key Of Delhyread
The Key of Delhyread (pronounced Deh-LEE-Ree-Ad) is a frenetic scenario for the SLA Industries role-playing game. Although designed for starting characters, its fast-paced blend of intrigue, murder, investigation and media manipulation will challenge the ingenuity and courage of experienced players and newcomers alike. Full NPC bios and stat boxes, detailed descriptions of all important locations, extensive timelines, interesting new rules innovations and other goodies will give GMs everything they need to run the scenario smoothly, with the minimum of fuss and preparation. When the dust settles, the large cast of NPCs and extensive aftermath notes will provide you with a solid basis for an enduring campaign backdrop - if the characters survive, that is!
The Key of Delhyread
Writers: Liam Wickham
Artists: Dom Reardon, Jock Simpson, Stuart Beel
Cover: Rik Martin
Format: Book, 8.5" x 11", colour cover, b/w interior
Pages: 32
ISBN: 1-899749-24-1
Stock code: HP503
Price: $7.95/£6.95
The Contract Directory Sourcebook
Exotic media-darling maniacs, Contract Killers are the superstars of the world of progress. Life as one of SLA's tame murderers is just a heady blend of fame, fortune and adoring fans -- except for Hunter Sheets, Slayer's dirty work, sponsorship duties, lethal secrets and desperate fights to the death in dingy alleys.
* What is a Contract Killer? Public perception of a Contract Killer, what it really involves - the truth therein and the bits that are hidden.
* Types of CK: Media Star, Bounty Hunter, Skirmish Packs -- and their lifestyles, as well as how Killers function within SLA and earn money.
* Classified Information: The Killer's Handbook and BPN Exemption, Hunter Sheets, Factory Levels, Deep Wilderness, Deep-sea Installations, Aerial Platforms, Lost Zones, eyes-only cases.
* Playing Games: Uptown Circuit with Matches and Venues, Uptown Games, The Downtown Circuit with Matches and Venues, Street Circuit -- Covert and Open Games, The Ladder.
* Life in the Public Eye: Spycams and handlers, camera crews, media events -- Gorezones et al, Sponsorship Deals, Agents.
Star Profiles: Killer NPCs, Agent NPCs, Third Eye NPCs
* Feeling the Strain: New Madness System, Derangements
* Equipment to Die For: New Weapons, New Armour, New Gadgets & Drugs, New Skills and Rulings.
* Exotic Animals: New Gribblies, Alien Species, Mysteries.
* Playing the Field: New rules -- how to work CKs into your game, missions using new terrain types, etc.
* Stats: NPC Stats, Derangement Stats, Equipment Stats, Creature Stats.
The Contract Directory Sourcebook
Writers: Dave Allsop, Max Bantleman, Chris Cotgrove, Glenn Berry, Tim Dedopulos, John Dodd, Derek Dow, Jared Earle, James Fullerton, Ed Handley, James Lennon, Canis Lupus, Roy, McRonald, Adam Page, Leath Sheales, Morton Smith, Mark Whittington, Liam Wickham, John Wilson, Sue Wilson, Rob Wood
Artists: Dave Allsop, Stuart Beel, Derek Dow, Brian Dugan, Jon Hodgson, Clint Langley, Steve Luke, Dom Reardon, Pol Sigerson, Jock Simpson, Mark Tedin, Damon Wilson-Hart
Cover: John Beeston
Format: Book, 8.5" x 11", colour cover, b/w interior
Pages: 160
ISBN: 1-899749-29-2
Stock code: HP504
Price: $22.95/£14.95
Concealed by 900 years of lies, Mr Slayer has many secrets that he wants to remain secrets. The World of Progress has been carefully guided so that its main activities act as a diversion from what is really going on behind the scenes. Mr Slayer's Bigger Picture is exactly that and few know the Truth behind his company.
Aspects of the background to SLA Industries are contained in the Nightfall Writer's Guide to SLA Industries. This document contains articles that are specific to the Nightfall Intellectual Property and discuss some of the characters and activities that are happening behind the scenes in the World of Progress. Nightfall Games has allowed some members of the list to gain a copy of the Writer's Guide (sometimes referred to as 'the Truth' or 'The Bible'). If you want to try and persuade them to let you have a copy the best way is to privately email them at enquiries@nightfall.co.uk Pestering those members on the list that you think may have a copy of the Truth will not help as they have all agreed not to distribute any copies of the Writer's Guide following a request by Nightfall.
Bear in mind that the Writers Bible is now a good six years or so out of date, was never intended to be released to players or GM's in its "current" form, and it has been stated by numerous sources that it will be rewritten pending a re-release of the game - making possibly all of the background material contained within it obsolete.
In the absence of an official continuing storyline, what may be best for a SLA GM (novice or otherwise) is to define their own Truth for their version of the World of Progress based around the headings contained here. If you think of the Truth as either one fact or a series of facts covered up by layer upon layer of conspiracy, the game gets very interesting, going well beyond the "big guns" image that it commonly attracts. Who are Stigmartyr? What is the story of White Earth? Who is Slayer? What is the White? These questions, when answered to fit your own "Big Picture" of your SLA campaign, can define a unique story for your players to explore.
At the end of the day, the official story remains untold, and will have to wait until SLA is back up on its feet again.
What are Brain Wasters and Necanthropes?
There is a lot of hypothesis on the list about the true nature of the Brain Wasters and the Necanthropes. Many believe that the Necanthropes are a form of corruption on the Ebons and not the true evolvement that they make themselves out to be. Although their powers and abilities are similar to the Ebons, they have a much darker outlook on life, treating Ebons almost as second class citizens rather than their own children. With the first Brain Waster appearing at the same time as the Preceptor, many view Brain Wasters as proof of this corruption, the Necanthrope influence clearly affecting the normal Ebons quite severly. Many of the pople on the list believe that the general population of Brain Wasters is growing as the Necanthropes gain more of a foothold in SLA society.
What is the White?
Viewpoints differ as to whether the White is a true evolutionary process for the Ebons, whether it is a link to White Earth or whether is is a link to an alien place where unknown beings fuse with the dead Ebon bodies to form Necanthropes. All that is known is that those who enter are irrevocably changed and not always for the better. It is unknown whether to survive the White is to succeed or to fail in its purpose.
What are Stigmartyr?
Stigmartyr are a top secret covert-operations agency. Acting unseen by the majority of the public, their methods are extreme and deadly as they execute the will of Mr. Slayer. Those who have seen them in action talk about beings as powerful as the Kilneck were and yet disguised as normal people. It seems as if their main purpose is to suppress any knowledge about The Truth or White Earth and ensure the smooth running of SLA Industries. No-one is safe from their grip.
What happened to the Kilneck?
The seven Kilneck members (Venom, Temp, Mitz, Tapestry, Silhouette, Babble and Mirage) left the World of Progress after the Deathwake Abomination. They were rumoured to have travelled to White Earth and the area that lies beyond White Earth. It is believed that they will return to the World of Progress should their sect-leader Intruder ever need them.
What is the Deathwake Device?
The Deathwake Device was created by Senti using the Deathwake skill that Intruder had taught her. The purpose of the device is to allow the Stormers to be sentient creatures rather than mindless automatons. As long as the Deathwake Device is operational, SLA Industries can continue to produce its shock-troops. It is generally believed that Digger, the Manchine that lives in Salvation Tower is either the guardian of Deathwake or the device itself.
Why is Digger so impossible to kill?
Either due to his closeness to the device (if he is the guardian to it) or because he is the Deathwake Device, Digger is believed to be invulnerable. The largest of all Manchines, it is unknown what abilities Digger has gained from his close proximity to the Deathwake energy, but all who have tried to fight him have failed.
Why is Halloween Jack so impossible to kill?
As with Digger, many have tried fighting Halloween Jack and have failed. Weapons that should slice through him seem ineffective and bullets don't even slow him down. In the short time that Halloween Jack has been around he has gained a reputation as the most feared Serial Killer on Mort, with many people dying each year futilely trying to fight for their lives. Halloween Jack gains his strength and abilties from Bitterness.
What happened to Wave Lyndsay?
Wave Lyndsay disappeared on the night that Integration 20 was due to be released. In a short story that Dave Allsop wrote he revealed that Intruder reluctantly killed Wave, before burning the offices of Integration 20. After Intruder left, Wave Lyndsay was reincarnated by Bitterness as Halloween Jack, created as another thorn in Slayer's side.
Who is Bitterness?
Also called the Bloody Walker of the Sands, the Walker, or just Walker, Bitterness is the nemesis of Mr Slayer. Little is known about him, only that he lives and rules White Earth. His actions in the World of Progress are carried out through Monitors like Halloween Jack as well as other minions and servants. It is Bitterness that appeared on the original front cover of SLA Industries and he also appears in the short stories on the inside cover of each book. In the Mort Sourcebook he refers to Slayer as his brother, although whether this is just figuratively speaking or not is unknown.
What is White Earth?
A semi-mythical place in the World of Progress, White Earth is covered in sand dunes and strange servants of Bitterness. Occassionally people from the World of Progress are allowed to enter the planet, but all are changed irrevocably by their visit. It also marks the last known point of the World of Progress, forming a boundary to the area beyond White Earth that the Kilneck, Cadavar and the FoldShip Yung disappeared in to many centuries ago.
The Style Guide is taken from the first section of the Truth and details some of the behind the scene activities in SLA. It also gives answers to a few sections that have not been properly discussed in any of the released books. This information is very much GM's info only, and preferably should not be read by those who are only players of SLA Industries. Originally TimD gave permission for this to go on DoM but it has now been added to this FAQ.
There are several additional articles that describe aspects of the World of Progress. The majority of these were written some time ago and might not actively reflect the current official view of the World of Progress, however they do give an insight in to some of the possible backgrounds to key events and people.
Halloween Jack
Halloween Jack (the truth) was written by Dave Allsop and describes the events leading up to the creation of Halloween Jack by Bitterness.
Cherish
Cherish was also written by Dave Allsop whilst he was at Jageeda Publishing. It describes an "Ethereal" called Apathy who is interrogated by a Stigmartyr agent.
The Journal of Nikita Oblong
Written by Jared Earle the Journal of Nikita Oblong is a short internal memo from Stigmartyr outlining survival essentials on White Earth and then describing one woman's view of events that she has witnessed on White Earth.
Stigmartyr
Stigmartyr was written by Nightfall (Morton Smith and others) whilst at WotC and describes the background, structure and some of the past events that have happened to Stigmartyr. However, Tim Dedopulos has since stated that some aspects of it may be different from the current (2000) Nightfall view.
The Structure of SLA Industries
Written by Tim Dedopulos, the Structure of SLA Industries is not technically a Truth article although it does give a real world comparison between the different enforcement agencies in the World of Progress. It can also be found in the Style Guide.
The Johannas
Again not a strict Truth item The Johannas is a short summary of the most feared DownTown gang. Although written by Morton Smith, it includes ideas from several of the (current and previous) Nightfall members.
This Style Guide is taken from the first section of the Truth and details some of the behind the scene activities in SLA. It also gives answers to a few sections that have not been properly discussed in any of the released books. This information is very much GM's info only, and preferably should not be read by those who are only players of SLA Industries.
SLA Industries is about horror, paranoia and oppression. The guns just up the stakes. We do not want to write SLA as a gunfest, and material which focuses heavily on combat, the war worlds or plain violence will, in all likelihood, be rejected.
Don't refer to Mr. Slayer by name unless it is directly appropriate; refer to the company instead. Mr. Slayer (only his enemies call him just 'Slayer') makes 4 or 5 public appearances a year. These are usually on the Vid.
Submissions are often informal and personalised. This is OK in small doses, but the feel of the material should be dark and oppressive, not witty. One further thing to bear in mind is to avoid sounding judgmental about any aspects of life - quotes about 'scummy unemployed', 'how sad, he still lives with his mum' or other things of that nature are offensive to many people.
Remember that the Operatives (Ops, Slops) aren't perceived by the general public to have much in the way of authority. OK, they can kill you due good reason, but if an Op told a civilian (Civvies, Civs) (or a Shiver!) to clean his shoes, he'd be told to "piss off". If he then got violent, it is likely that Cloak Division would take an unhealthy interest in this budding new Serial Killer.
Often, there is a strong element of comedy in text. In many cases this would be fine. However, in SLA, any humour has a dark, unfunny side to it. The World of Progress is a dark place of no hope. Joy and happiness come in short supply - a cigarette after sex, a too- short orgasm, a cold beer, that double chocolate cookie, these are the only real forms of happiness to be found; five seconds here and there before the oppressive world of progress comes crashing back in.
Corporates do not get involved with the Black Market or with Soft Companies, except in *very* unusual circumstances. Yes, in general, they're treacherous, supercilious and think that Ops are cattle. Yes, in general, they'll stab the Ops in the back if they think it is appropriate. Some are honourable. A few are actually pleasant. Very, very few are stupid.
Not all Ops are callous, cynical and greedy. Do not encourage this attitude in the form of general statements; specific statements (or moans from Civs/Shivers) are fine, but don't give the reader the impression that s/he has to play a cold, greedy, species-ist psychopath. Ops are not mercenaries, they are elite police trying their best to do a very hard job in a basically hostile environment.
Operatives do not have total control over the civilian population of Mort. The only reason the civvies do as they are told is because the Op is carrying a gun - wouldn't you?. In the World of Progress, the population has the illusion of free will & choice, including any interest in or loyalty to SLA. Civilians have little (if any) respect for the Ops and show this in their treatment of them. This comes from the hatred of the Shivers that maltreat and abuse civilians for a number of reasons. Shivers work for SLA. Operatives also work for SLA, therefore Operatives and Shivers are the same and should be treated the same.
Operative attitudes - particularly human ones - vary considerably. Do not say that all Ops are "greedy, cold, bigoted bastards", because that is giving the players strict - and unwanted - instructions. As a rather contradictory statement, please also note that all non- human NPC characters should fit their general racial stereotypes. In particular, remember that Ebons are ALIENS. They are NOT human, and they do not see the world with anything even faintly resembling a human mindset.
"Shivers just seem to be there for target practice" Try it, and you may find yourself in serious problems. If you screw around with Shivers, then remember that there are several million more of them than there are of you. Some of them - particularly Enforcer Shivers - are also going to be considerably more dangerous. OK, they resent the higher rank & status of Ops and the requests that Ops can make of them, and they can be extremely obstructive and irritating. They are still SLA employees, and are ordered to report maltreatment to their superiors. Bully them, and you'll get stonewalled. Harm them, and you'll be up in front of Cloak Division before you can say "Eat HESH, you Shiver Scum".
Third Eye (3ird Eye) news teams are not at the "disposal of the Ops". The news teams make the news. If they don't like what the operatives are doing then the cameras go off. If the operatives try to complain, then "Freedom of the press" is the battle cry for all Third Eye news teams and they are right - 3ird Eye teams normally hold good SCLs to make sure that they have the complete freedom to report what they want. If a squad is trying to hunt down a serial killer then there is all the more reason for 3ird Eye to be with them all the time. Serial killer hunts make good TV.
Nearly everyone hates a particular type of BPN. Personally, I dislike Yellow operations. However, you should never refer to any BPN type in a scornful or offensive manner.
"...stare at vid screens mindlessly until you see a BPN you like."
The whole process is nowhere near that easy. Forms have to be filled in and much waiting done. The halls are really dark, depressing places that demoralise.
We see it like this:
The queue of Operatives seems to stretch out forever, the shifting mass of bodies slowly shuffling forward to the reception area, to be met by the smiling faces of the corporate clowns that operate the authorisation system for the BPN circus.
To get a BPN, you must have the correct paperwork which consists of a number of forms that must be completed in triplicate. These forms all have the same questions, just set out in different formats to fool people into thinking they are all different and all necessary. These crucial forms can only be obtained by the Operatives at the front desk, which is currently a long way away at the front of that long queue.
The air in the long, tunnel-like hall is damp and musty, filled with the stale smell of cigarette smoke and the overly sweet odour of Slosh. Operatives move to and fro, impatient in the bureaucratic limbo of the BPN office. Fast food couriers filter in and out of the waiting room with deliveries for those long suffering Ops who have made it past the red tape of the front desk. The more artistic pessimists adorn the floor and walls of the hall with personal messages of dissatisfaction at the administrative arrogance of the corporate management.
Having eventually reached the front desk, obtained the right forms and an eternity of form-filling later, you are allowed through into the waiting room, where - if past experience is any guide - they will spend the rest of the afternoon.
Ah, the waiting room.
This is the last bastion of bureaucratic irritation before Operatives are free to leave with the rewards of their ordeal - a BPN. Scattered across the hall like unwanted toys, the Operatives huddle round tables - some two to a chair in the crush of this demoralising delay. The smoke of a thousand cigarettes hangs above them like a pall, a visible expression of the aura of depression that fills this gallery of gloom. And alongside it all, the smell of cold food, stale smoke and muddy, oily rain. The litter bins are overflowing with cans, cigarette stubs and food cartons.
Stormers lumber back and forth, impatient at this enforced inactivity. Brain Wasters look from side to side, hoping to meet the gaze of an unsuspecting Operative and relieve their boredom with a diverting interval of violence. Wraiths scan the hall, trying to look as though they are above the boredom and frustration suffered by the other races. Frothers sit, stand or stagger in the drugged state of delirium that helps them survive the waiting. Ebons gather in huddles, preferring the company of their own kind to that of the unenlightened. Soft chants and mutterings emanate from the Shaktars who sit here and there, deep in meditation and beyond the reach of time, boredom and frustration. Humans mingle and merge into every corner of the hall, taking on all of the aspects of the other races in the blind confusion known as mankind.
The doors that line the back of the hall are lavishly adorned with the angry graffiti of aggravated Operatives. The lights above them flip constantly from "Enter" to "Busy" and back again. The high-pitched squawk of the PA cuts through the general drone of conversation regularly, tinnily announcing the office numbers allotted to those lucky squads whose wait has ended. Its voice seems to have been tuned to the precise pitch of fingernails on a blackboard. It all just adds to the happy, friendly atmosphere.
Tempers fray easily here, and fights are common. The long wait, the endless red tape, the air and the overcrowding can work on an Op's nerves after hour upon hour of enforced idleness. Most disputes begin with small things, like taking someone else's seat, jumping the queue, or simply having a face or an attitude that someone doesn't like.
Fighting in a BPN office is discouraged, and can lead to the Operatives involved acquiring a no-good BPN, or none at all. If things get serious, the guards (provided by Cloak Division) will step in, and some serious hurting will be done by all participants. All Ops know this, and they also know that at least some of the corporates who work in the BPN halls get their kicks out of pushing Ops to the limit to see if they'll crack. Sometimes, however, you just don't care.
When you finally get to chat to an official, he'll be contemptuous, sneering and offensive. If you do anything other than grovel, he'll generally give you a sewer BPN. Be pleasant, polite, and grateful for small mercies.
When you're finally out, you can get to work. At last.
These worlds are not like Vietnam. You sign up for a 6- month tour (or are built by Karma to fight until dead), unless a particularly evil Green/Black/Platinum BPN takes you to one of them. Troops have an average survival time of 28 hours on a war world; very, very few make the whole tour. Those who do are left insane, usually crazed psychopaths (on what they see as a holy mission for SLA) who are dropped in the Cannibal Sectors with all their armour and weapons. People on special missions may survive longer, but will pick up several ranks of psychoses. Not even NPCs flit in and out of War Worlds. Do not use them much, unless it is absolutely appropriate - a bit like Mr. Slayer.
Why War Worlds at all? Well, there are several things to bear in mind.
A few planets have unique resources, such as: Ores that can't be found elsewhere; special biomystical/ebb fields; a certain chemical, polymer or gene pattern in the biosphere; special environmental conditions; or some other such unrepeatable bonuses. Other planets are intrinsically ordinary, but one of the three powers builds a key base deep underground, or in some otherwise super-safe location. Finally, some planets manage to just piss off the three major powers, like Cross.
Any one of these planets can become a war world.
A war world occurs when a planet holds some element so vitally useful to one major power that one or both of the others cannot tolerate allowing that element to fall into the current occupier's hands. When that element is important enough to defend -- huge labs the size of a planet's core developing a new super-weapon; a unique ore of key importance; &c -- and the planet is not already defended with heavy-duty defences (to keep it low profile), a war world can result.
In some cases, the element in question will be destroyed and rendered obsolete. At this point, the war on that world will cease. In others, it does not lose it's value, and the war will continue. Some war-worlds, like Dante, have been going on long enough to see continual intensification of the fighting to the point where it is simply not possible to cram any more ordnance on to it, and the average survival time is measured in minutes; in others, like Charlie's Point, the war is much lighter, and takes the form of continual skirmish and ambush. Occasionally, sometimes, one of the powers even manages to dislodge its enemy/ies for long enough to seize the resource they were after; more often, it is simply obliterated or fought over so long it's no longer important.
You can guarantee, though, that for every war world that is finally abandoned, another will suddenly fall into the spotlight.
Doobries are a semi-humorous background addition to the World of Progress that will probably never make it into a product and should not really be mentioned directly, but it may be useful to know what they are. Biogenetic Karma pets, about 6" high, they are made out of leftover Vevaphon material and forced into permanent shapes, then programmed accordingly. You can buy lots of different generic human doobries, ebon doobries, wraith doobries, &c &c; also celebrity doobries like HJ, Mr. Slayer, Delia, and so on. They look like little dumpy manga cartoon versions of the thing or person in question. They're semi-intelligent, will show affection and interest, they'll tidy up rubbish and dust the place for you, pretend to be the thing they look like -- little BW doobries will pretend to formulate, for example -- and generally be cute and irrelevant. Once a month or so, they'll find a copy of the Karma Doobrie catalogue that comes with each one, flick through it, pick an item on the accessories list -- everything from handbags to trampolines and climbing kits -- and then let you know about it and sulk horribly until you buy it for them. The celebrity ones act in accordance with their namesake's personality; the HJ doobrie has a little working chainaxe and will murder its way through the rest of your doobries. The Slayer one (which is a foot tall) will organise all the others into little work gangs and get them to build him a pyramid of whatever bits and pieces are lying around, then sit on top of it glowering out at them and making them work more efficiently. They range from about 25c for a basic 'generic human' doobrie up to tens of thousands of creds for a rare, special limited edition model on the collector's market. Like Stormers, doobries do not age and regenerate minor scratches and cuts.
Cloak Division are the _only_ public face of the entire wing of spooks. Dark Finders are their elite trouble- shooters, Internal Affairs are a rumour, and Stigmartyr are a barely-whispered source of terror. No IA agents will identify themselves as such - they'll normally say 'Cloak Division' if they have to say anything. Internal Affairs are called in by Cloak Division when things get really serious - not just naughty or mistaken, but actively corrupt.
If either division decides that a hit is necessary, or if a situation is going to be particularly dangerous, then the Dark Finders are sent out. Specially enhanced by Karma, Dark Finders have little in the way of feelings, and feel only an intense loyalty to SLA. They are extremely dangerous, and outrank both Shivers and Ops.
Stigmartyr deal with the suppression of the Truth and related subjects, powers and entities. To see them, in general, is considered fair warning that your life expectancy is down to about 2 seconds. Many Ops wonder what they look like - those that do find out are unable to spread rumours. When they want to look obvious, Stigmartyr Agents wear (clean) white Dogeybone with a red Templar cross stencilled over the breast. The armour is pretty pointless compared to their abilities. When they want to look subtle, you wouldn't be able to pick them out of a crowd they wanted to blend into.
Like any machiavellian governmental system, SLA has several fairly discrete tiers of power, each tier having its own cabals and jyhads (to use a couple of funky words with little provocation). At the top is Slayer, assisted and advised as appropriate by his little coterie of thugs, Teeth, Taarnish, Intruder and Senti - but particularly the good Preceptor. These are the people who don't need an appointment, who hold SCL1 and know the Truth.
The first real tier of power lies beneath these legends, with the important departmental heads, planetary and system-wide governors and region coordinators, and other movers and shakers; Matt Cradle, Jacob Vayde, Alexander Xavier, Ernest Strand, Max Hagen and others. These are people who get to talk to Slayer in person, if it's been a very bad week. Like any circle of councillors, they are not friendly with each other, and spend a lot of time trying to undermine each other while they jockey for position. I classify these people as Illuminati - the people behind the scenes, making the day-to- day decisions. Only when stuff gets fucked up does Slayer take much notice. This tier includes aides of each of the major players; even if the aides have no actual influence per se, everyone needs advisors. Illuminati have mighty SCLs, but they don't actually know the truth.
Beneath them are the influential - lesser department heads, important subordinates, the Deans of the universities, governers of cities, Lord Shahantian, major media figures, brilliant scientists, and so on. These are the great and the good, the highest tier to which any PC could ever aspire. They would not ever have contact with Head Office, unless Slayer summoned them.
The last rank of corporate influence is made up of everyone else with any faint sniff of power; middle managers, foremen, minor celebs, news editors, professors & head researchers, &c &c &c. These are the insignificants. They are the tier with which the vast majority of game-to-game plotting will take place.
So, in order of decreasing influence, we have legends, illuminati, influentials, and insignificants.
The different security forces have similar roles, but with different mandates, and they tend to work at cross-purposes. I'll start from the bottom and work up, trying to compare the different forces to real equivalents. If you haven't read the section above, "Who outranks whom?", then please do so first.
Monarchs are store guards and mall security; little people with nothing to say who are nevertheless determined to say it as loudly as possible. They're controlled by anyone and everyone.
Shiver units & SCAFs are county police. They deal with the community, keep it doing more or less what it is supposed to, and make sure that the good citizens feel that they are being protected on a day to day basis. Like most fictional local police, they are at the beck and call of the Insignificant power tier.
Ops are the FBI, but gone freelance. They're there to take care of the big things that we all know and love, like riots, subversives, killers and the like. They're the meat and bones of society's defense structure, not SLA's. They too are at the beck and call of the Insignificant power tier, even if they don't much like the fact.
Cloak Division is the CIA. They're there to take on the jobs that require a degree of central coordination, need sensitive handling, or are supposed to be kept secret. Also, like the CIA, they are in charge of operations which the "unenlightened" man on the street might consider detrimental to the public at large - the SLA equivalent of running drugs to the Contras, for example. Everyone knows they're sneaky and nasty, and they exceed their mandate. Although they are represented in the Illuminati, they work with the Influential. Their mandate is very broad indeed.
Dispersal Shivers are the national guard - they are there to maintain peace and order in the face of severe public disturbance. The Influential have a degree of control over them - that is the tier they are responsible to, in effect - but their mandate is narrow: keep the public in their place.
Enforcer Shivers are more like a Black Ops hit squad. When someone or something everyday needs to be destroyed in the interests of the greater good, they get the job. They answer to the Illuminati, and don't really possess personalities. Think of them as drones.
Internal Affairs are the NSA. In _theory_, they're supposed to make sure everyone is a good, loyal little citizen. In practise, they take care of Black projects, internal surveillance operations, monitoring and control of destabilising groups, and jobs which are not so much detrimental to the man on the street as fatal to him. They are more or less controlled by the Illuminati. They're secret in the same sort of way as MI6 is - It doesnt exist, but everyone knows where their offices are anyway.
Dark Finders are field agents; they are, in effect, to Cloak and IA investigators as the Ops are to the Shivers - the ones who get it done. They're the being in the field who gets to do what the planners and intelligence agents have decided is necessary. They are also responsible for sensitive assassinations; the Enforcers are not used where secrecy is required. Some Dark-Finders are recruited and bio-enhanced from other services, while others are vatgrown. For real emergencies, there are rumours of a Darkfinder vatgrown variant that stands some 15-20 feet tall. Either way, part of the conditioning involves psychological manipulation to ensure loyalty and obedience. They do not know the Truth.
The Ebon Guard are little-mentioned, but they're the special Ebb-using forces. Their deathsuit helmets are modified to ensure SLA loyalty and obedience, and they are highly enhanced beings. This makes them the Ebb equivalent of Darkfinders. In theory, they too are field agents for Cloak and Internal Affairs, but the nature of modifications made tends to divide the two forces into the Karma - Dark Lament rivalry. They are _not_ Necanthropes - Neccies in the Intelligence community work for Cloak, IA, Stigmartyr or the Black Chapter only - but their powers, augmented by their training and special kit, are Necanthrope grade. They report to Teeth, but are at the disposal of the Illuminati. They do not know the Truth.
Stigmartyr are more like the British military's special intelligence taskforce code-named SI-8. They're so secret that almost no-one has even heard of them, and those that have don't know what it's all about. Even within the Illuminati, information about them is very scarce indeed. They report directly to Teeth, and hold a James Bond style 000 rating - they can kill, destroy or sieze anything they want to at any time without any shred of proof whatsoever, and don't even have to give a reason. All Stigmartyr agents know the Truth; all SLA-loyal individuals who know the Truth - apart from the Legends - are Stigmartyr agents, or dead. There is no middle ground. Stigmartyr's sole concern is to keep even the slightest hint of the Truth suppressed.
Finally, the Black Chapter are Slayer's private force. Their mandate is to do whatever Slayer wants them to do. They are all fanatically loyal and ludicrously dangerous, but whether they actually have minds or not is open to question. They won't talk to anyone else who isn't Slayer, let alone take orders from them.
Instability in the fabric of reality.
The potential caused by probabilities that didn't happen, or by uncertainties in the universe that are not resolved (ala Shroedinger's Cat). Collectively, they contribute to a vast universal sea of flux that sits just behind and outside of reality.
The Ebon mind is able to subconsciously perceive the uncertainties and probabilities of the universe and tap into that quantum uncertainty for its own ends. The mind can handle certain amounts of that uncertainty before collapsing, and rest allows it to recharge that capacity. Drawing too much flux (ie beyond your limit) would destroy the mind completely, which is why the subconscious only allows the Ebon to draw as much as she can handle. Devices help by providing a reservoir of certainty to counterbalance the flux. Non-Ebons successfully opening their mind to such quantum uncertainty would have their brains turned into protein broth as cell atoms became non-determinate.
With the aid of a glyph that feeds the necessary environmental factors and channels to the Ebon's mind, she calculates the probability of what she desires being actual rather than potential, and the effects that would be required to bring that probability into existence, and their probabilities, and then having calculated all that information into a path for reality to move down, channels the universal uncertainty (up to their limit) to bring that event into causality.
But the fact that the formulae are well-founded and have a long historical heritage makes them far more probable than just the calculations they involve would permit. Billions of people *know* the equations work, so the universe is prepared to let probability be warped into their paths. Trying a related calculation without that weight of knowledge -- trying to invent a new formula, in other words -- is incredibly hard. It would have to be built up painstakingly by teams of Unions from tiny first principles that were already probable in their own right, and practiced time after time at each stage to bed the formula's elements into reality before moving to the next stage.
For example (and a rather poor example too *grin*), if Dark Lament wanted to develop a formula for creating food, they would need to start off with something like the probability that, having called a pizza delivery, it would be delivered to the research lab within a tight but reasonable time limit, and group-formulate that particular calculation 4000 or 5000 times before it became acceptable to the universe. Then they could slowly bring the time limit in tighter and tighter -- when you have your pizza being delivered within 5 minutes as acceptable, having it delivered in 4 mins 30 becomes reasonable, even though the rest of the city has to wait half an hour -- until delivery was instantaneous after making the phone call to order it. Then they could start working to have it mis-delivered as a result of someone else's call so it didn't need ordering, and, finally, (because it would now be acceptable to have your correct pizza mis-delivered to you instantaneously) work on the chances that it would be able to arrive without delivery or payment. At that point, other types of food delivery could be pushed down the same process (which would be getting easier all the time), and finally you'd arrive at a situation where the universe accepted that it would be reasonable for food to appear in front of an Ebon. The whole process would take about a hundred Necanthropes about 50 years, involve hundreds of millions of take-away dinners and a billion credits in fast-food alone, and piss off all the Necs totally as they don't eat any more (can you imagine the stench of a hundred million pizzas, in their boxes, rotting in the corner over 50 years *GRIN*? Just think of the cockroaches...!) Hardly justifiable to save some poncy brain-waster the 5c for a Meat Feast, which is why it hasn't been developed, and why I get twitchy about Feral Ebons producing random effects as they see fit 'with the power of their emotions', rather than with the Glyph Cards they're supposed to use *g*.
It does also mean though that there may be all sorts of ancient, suppressed formulae that were considered too dangerous lurking around to be found, because they would already be bedded in to the universe.
Incidentally, I've talked about the WoP as finding things acceptable. That isn't to imply that the universe is sentient, rather than as an event happens, it leaves behind a degree of probabilistic residue that makes it slightly easier for an almost identical event to happen again. Another part of the reason why formulae have to be so precise.
Other probabilities are too strong for the Ebb-user to overcome, and the probability she has channeled flux into fizzles.
You could work it so that an unbounded mis-calculation (ie a calculation based on a glyph with open environmental variables -- a glyph card rather than a DeathSuit, which is fully bounded -- causes all sorts of probability effects and/or brain-turning-to-mush effects, which is what makes Glyph Cards so dangerous. One of the reasons DeathSuits are so big is that they contain all possible bounding variable data items padding all the various formula glyphs. A glyphless formulation would contain no variable data at all, and so immediately spin away from the Ebon creating all sorts of completely random effects and dealing incalculable (ie immediately lethal) damage to the Ebon's mind. Psych blocks to prevent this are installed during training. Untrained Ebons that somehow learn how to formulate either get the hint, or die immediately on their first -- foolish -- trial formulation.
The Ebon does not really have the flux per se. It might just be possible (theoretically) to over-ride the self-protection mechanism, channel too much flux, and be destroyed. It is not possible to draw too little flux. An Ebon in a dead zone (zero-flux area) will be in extreme pain and be disorientated, but will not deteriorate or otherwise come to lasting harm.
It is an automatic effect kicked up by the passage of time and by random events. If it has any other purpose, it is unknown.
No, not at all. The Flux is entirely different, a normal and inherent part of any universe, and nothing to do with the Truth.
The errata issued by Nightfall that explains the changes between SLA Industries 1.0 and 1.1. Below are attached scans of the official errata and there is a text from the errata after the jump.
In the chain of command on page 42-43, the Department of Shocks, Shares and Bonds should read Stocks, Shares and Bonds.
The Stormer's Movement Rate listed on page 149 is correct, giving Stormers a movement of: Walk:1 Run: 2.5 Sprint: 4.
Rival Company (KNOW) skill description is not mentioned in the SLA Industries rulebook. The description is as follows:
"This skill represents the characters knowledge of the companies who oppose SLA Industries. This is a generic knowledge of company workings, recognition of company figures and associated symbols and equipment used by these companies."
Electronic Forgery (DIA) skill description is not mentioned in the SLA Industries rulebook. The description is as follows:
"This skill is the next step up from Manual Forgery. It allows the character to create fraudulent documents which will fool most humans and some machines, eg credit cards and electronic lock passes for door entry systems."
The money mentioned under the Advantage/Disadvantage of Finance should be in Credits, and not Unis as stated.
The Vehicle Advantage can be taken and the character can then sell the vehicle but only Ranks 1 to 3 as the other ranks are vehicles which are only leased to you from the company and therefore are not truly owned by you. This rule was being taken to the extremes in some cases with Players taking Vehicle Rank 10 and selling it, then starting play with Dogeybone armour and 17mm rifles!
Ebb Ability Blast: Rank 5 (Blast 3) should cost 5 Flux and not 4 as listed.
The Thermal Gauge functions in the same way for both Thermal powers (Blue and Red), as the Flintlock does for Blast (page 222 SLA Industries rulebook).
The need to give this weaponry recoil was not needed as it was being wielded by troops in power assisted armour which due to its size and strength effectively reduces the recoil to zero (the armour can take the kick back with ease) and most of the weaponry of this type is actually powered by the armour instead of having a separate power supply. Some of the weapons however are independent of the suit and could be picked up by a player in a gun battle situation, these weapons and their recoils are as follows:
Sheer 0023/B1 Assault Rifle (TH.BLA.0426-88B) Recoil: 12
Flay Auto 1701/C6 Automatic Pistol (TH.BLA0473-94f) Recoil: 9
Vaph III 0600/C12 Assault Cannon (TH.BLA0422-44A) Recoil: 21
Cover (now a pic of Halloween Jack by Glenn Fabry) & Spine.
Credits, thanks and contents updated to reflect modifications.
"Digging Up The Dirt", "Mr Slayer: A Profile", "Intruder: The Man", and the orthographic projection picture of Mort on 78-79 replaced variously with "Death in a Handful of Truth" by Matt Grau, and "An Interview with Mr. Slayer", "Digging Your Own Grave", and "Nature, Red in Tooth and Claw".
Character Sheet on pages 297-298 replaced with a full index.
Contract of Employment on page 299 replaced with a Quick Start Intro to SLA for players in a session who don't know what it's about.
"Fanboys" by Chippy on p290 and the forms on p291 replaced by new Dava artwork.
Tek Trex Ammo stats put in place on p282.
Disadvantages tweaked as below.[1]
Several small typos corrected -- I didn't make a note of them.
The Formulae rules have been made consistent. I'm pretty sure it's been set to 'GM Only', but I don't have the revises in front of me.
[1] Sterile to a flat _1 pt_ disadvantage, and Bad Housing and Arrogant are now worth 1pt/rank.
Xenos and Chagrins regenerate as they are both variants of the Stormer and as such are extremely similar in genetic make-up (even though they radically differ in physical appearance!).
The Xeno's and Chagrin's claws are identical in every respect to the claws of a Stormer 313 (PEN:1 DMG:1 AD:0). The only difference is the amount of physical strength of the wielder.
The Chagrin's tusks have PEN:2 DMG:2 AD:0.
The Xeno should have the Detect skill at Rank 2. Add this to the list of Racial Skills for the Xeno.
Stealth is listed under skills for the Vevaphon Character Class. This is a typographical error, replace the word Stealth with Sneak.
The weapon description of the FEN 25 (04) Warmonger (page 133, Ex-War Criminal description) should read as follows:
FEN 25 (04) Warmonger
"Standard FEN 24 with underslung 40mm gauss fed and fired grenade launcher."
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
| MRB & Karma Errata | 4.37 MB |
| MRB & Karma Errata Low Res | 255.22 KB |
The following are some general supplemental rules that have been issued.
Ebons without the ability to manipulate the Ebb
Ebb-free Ebons are full canon, and most of them are mad to the point of full psychosis. They're known as -- and literally considered -- 'dead' by the Ebon races, who are disgusted by them. Their families hold funerals for them, then never speak of them again. They are the objects of a hell of a lot of hate and scorn, and other Ebb users won't voluntarily stay in a room with them. Most of them are heavily sponsored and equipped by Karma, 'cos they can use implants as they don't give a shit about their Flux. That means Dark Lament particularly loves them getting killed, and the Contract Killer ones tend to be very high profile + very dangerous with all top Karma tech, in constant battle with DL-sponsored Killers. 'Dead' Ebons don't get to pump formulae unless they do their own training + research -- no-one would ever teach them, and they can't learn through practice.
Falling (and Grenade) Damage
I'm not sure if we have a firm policy, but I assign falling damage as a D10 per ten feet. A successful STR roll will cancel out one D10, and a successful DEX roll will cancel out a second D10, but after that, there's nothing to be done. Work out the distance, and roll the damage. If it's onto sharp or very broken ground, the damage is maxed. It is taken from current total HP to ascertain survival; it is applied against each body location to ascertain broken bones. It ignores armour, but is also applied to armour seperately. FYI, I handle explosives damage in exactly the same way.
Example:
Ebby the Ebon falls 60 feet off a walkway onto a street two levels down, not having any Flux for Porting. He makes his DEX (10) roll easily, but fails his STR (8), so the fall is worth 5D10 damage. That 5D10 are 6, 2, 7, 9 and 4, for a total of 28 HP. The damage is transmitted straight through Ebby's deathsuit. Ebby is on combat drugs, so he only actually takes 14 hits of damage. He has 17 hits normally, so is on 3 Hits and actually survives the fall. His torso can withstand 17 hits of damage but has been asked to cope with the effects of 28 points of falling, so he has cracked ribs and a fractured spine. His arms and legs can withstand 8 and 9 hits respectively, and all four are broken; I'll arbitrarily decide that the break in his left leg is a compound fracture, his right hand is shattered like an egg-shell, and his right arm is broken in 8 different places. His head, coping with 5 damage, is badly hurt; he'll lose 3 points of charisma and all of his Good Looks for the next six months, and he'll be comatose until he receives proper medical attention regardless of the amount of Kickstart pumped into him. His Deathsuit, which had seen some damage earlier, takes 28 ID and is destroyed/killed. Given the gravity of his wounds, he'll need medical attention soon. Ouch. Still, falling 60 feet, he's lucky to be alive, even through UV. If he'd been falling onto rubble, he'd have received 50 Dam and would be dead, even through drugs.
As I said, I treat explosive damage in the same way. A R10 Blast Grenade does 10pts of damage, then checks that 10pts against each body location for breaks/unconsciousness and for Armour shredding. Lob two or three into the room and most people will be pretty fucked up.
Gauss Rifles have negative PEN values, how does that work?
Treat it the same as any weapon. If someone is in no armour, they take DMG 3. If they are in PV2 armour they take DMG3 - (PV2 - (-4)) = 0 damage.
The coding is designed so that if you have any armour you'll just get hit by bruising damage, but no wound. If however you're wearing nothing, then expect a broken limb.
Stormers, Necanthropes and Shaktar are considered to have PV1 when attacked by a Gauss Rifle (ie: it does no damage against them except through possible bonus damage from a high hit score of 20+)
Issuing BPNs
Who can issue a BPN?
You need to be a representative of a Department or subsidiary company, with sufficient budgetary authority to pay for the BPN at credit cost, plus the same again for admin to either 3ird Eye or Station Analysis, plus 100c per .1 SCL increase.
Are BPNs filtered before being issued?
Legit BPNs are lodged with the 3ird Eye or Station Analysis control departments before issue -- any queries or refusals will come up then.
Alternative Thresher Armour Values
When discussing Thresher, members of the list will occasionally refer to, "alternative armour values," or "Gent's armour values." These are replacements for the PVs given for Thresher armours in the MRB in order to make Thresher armours act more like their book descriptions. They were written by Dave "Gentloser" Crowhurst.
Endeavour: 13
One Way: 17
Close Nitt: 22
First Step: 30
Sarge: 34
Repairing Armour
Official Answer from Jared, posted on 02.10.1995, via Gent:
The repair of armour was missed from SLA (sorry), but this idea looks like a good one to me. My players don't get shot that often and can keep armour in mint condition for quite some time. The grading of cost by how good the armour is works well. I use a similar system myself.
Armour Cost & Notes
Striker: needle and thread
Flak Vest: 1 credit per point of ID
Body Armour: 1 credit per point of ID
Exo, Base: 1 credit per point of ID
Exo, Heavy: 2 credits per point of ID
Exo, Stormer: 2 credits per point of ID
HARD: 3 credits per point of ID
Powercell: 4 credits per point of ID
Crackshot: 3 credits per point of ID *
Dogeybone: 5 credits per point of ID
Silverback: 6 credits per point of ID
Shock: 8 credits per point of ID
*Because of the similarities with it and HARD
The following is a list of press releases issued by the IP holders of SLA Industries. This list is hardly complete. Though I might update it every once in a while, it is mostly here as a record of what was posted on Integration-20.
17th October 2004: Dave Allsop leaves SLA
Angus Abranson announced: Many of you will already know that Dave Allsop, the creator of SLA Industries and my partner in Cubicle 7 Entertainment, has stepped down as a director in both Cubicle 7 and Nightfall Games so he can pursue other ventures. This has caused a slight change in our production schedule as you can imagine.
Dave is still going to be working with Cubicle 7 on a freelance basis and is indeed currently working on one of our titles which will now be released in 2005. Dave will also be involved as the main consultant on SLA Industries 2nd Edition, of which more will be spoken about later in this newsletter. So fans of Dave’s work will be pleased to know that he’s presence will still be felt and you’ll even get to see his warped imagination at work in both the written word and artistically in future Cubicle 7 products – SLA Industries and beyond. Dave’s fans should also keep an eye out for the forthcoming ‘Book of Unremitting Horror’ by Pelgrane Press which was designed and illustrated by Dave and written by Adrian Bott. Dave also has an ongoing story arc called ‘The Ocean Game’ which he is writing on his Live Journal (http://www.livejournal.com/users/daver2323/). Adrian also has a Live Journal which can be found at http://www.livejournal.com/users/cavalorn/
Everyone at Cubicle 7 Entertainment and Nightfall Games wishes Dave the best of luck in his future projects and I look forward to working with him in his freelance capacity for many years to come.
Monday March 27th 2006 : Integration-20.com goes live
We continue to make waves...
31st October 2006: Cubicle 7 appoints John Dodd as Line Developer for SLA Industries
John Dodd, a veteran contributor of SLA Industries and head of Team 8 (http://team8.co.uk/forum/index.php), has come on board as Line Developer for SLA Industries. John’s appointment has been made after many years of working on SLA Industries and keeping the game alive through a whole range of support activities including the immensely popular Team 8 Forums and Team 8’s extensive convention support. John was selected as the best man for the job due to his knowledge of the game and his ‘no nonsense get things done’ attitude. John is currently putting the finishing touches to the long overdue Cannibal Sector One sourcebook and has also devised the product schedule for 2007 onwards.
Friday 13 September 07 : Dave Allsop returns to SLA Industries
Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd has confirmed that SLA Industries creator Dave Allsop has decided to return to SLA and take over as Line Developer from this point forwards. John Dodd will remain involved as a writer and Cubicle 7 Entertainment Ltd would like to thank John for his invaluable work in reviving the game. The SLA release schedule is currently being revised, and will be announced during the autumn.
----
Time for a wee note here. Dave's return to the game has been met with a mixed reception; while some are glad to see one of the game's original creators back at the helm of the RPG, others are convinced this will yield a return to the "bad old days" of SLA where supplements took years to produce and release, with no fixed or reliable schedules. Dave is after all a very talented artist and in high demand, so one has to wonder what time he will have to devote to developing the SLA Industries line going forward.
Almost universally, the departure of John Dodd from the position of Line Developer for SLA is seen as a tremendous loss; John has worked hard to revive the game, frequently answering questions at the Team8 forums, spearheaded the release of two supplements in a relatively short time span (Hunter Sheets, CS1) as well as working to integrate fan support in the form of fan-produced supplements (which have now all been shelved; not a great sign). Everything that John worked on was aimed at building a solid future for the RPG, and the SLA community owes him immense thanks and recognition for his incredible efforts during his time as Line Developer.
As of 11/17/07, there has been no updated release schedule posted on the Team8 boards, Nightfall site (which still has received no update for some years), Cubicle 7 site, or the Topica mailing list. Watch this space for more news as it develops.
By Glenn "Carnage" Berry (Station Analysis List Admin)
Station Analysis is a mailing list dedicated to the discussion of the role playing game SLA Industries (pronounced SLAY not SLAH). The list is hosted by a company called Topica, their website is here.
There are really two ways to be subscribed to a topica mailing list one way is to just send an e-mail to station-analysis-subscribe@topica.com, this will subscribe you to the list and you will receive mailings as per any other subscriber. You will, however, be unable to view the archives or use any of the other funky topica facilities.
The second, and in my view preferable, option is to register with Topica and obtain a login to their site. You will then be able to subscribe by sending a mail to station-analysis-subscribe@topica.com, or by navigating to http://www.topica.com/lists/station-analysis and clicking on subscribe to this list, you will now have access to the archives and there's some jolly decent stuff in there.
List Traffic
Okay now when some people subscribe to the list they don't read things like this paragraph, "It's a mailing list how hard can it be?" Well the list generates traffic of up to 100 mails a night, if you don't think that your facilities can cope with this, or your delete key is insufficient then you have three options:-
Subscribe using the digest option
Subscribe using the Web Mail/Web Read option
Get someone else to subscribe for you and pester them for details
This is further complicated by the fact that the first two options are available only to members of topica.
On Topic/Off Topic/?
This list has been around in a number of incarnations since the dawn of time, oh alright since the game was bought by WoTC which is still quite a while. As with all mailing lists it's gone through a number of stages in it's life cycle and it's now in the "We're all mates, well all except him in the corner over there, and we'll talk about what the hell we like." Whilst this sounds horrific it's actually the good stage of a list, it's where you talk about the game but the talk then spins off in a direction completely out of control. I very rarely have to rein it in and sometimes it's fascinating.
Topica as Timelord
If you're the kind of guy who likes his e-mails in the order they were sent everytime all the time [Hi Ed :-)] then Topica is likely to be a bit disappointing, the mails can get mixed up and sent out of order, it doesn't happen to me all the time, but some people moan about it incessantly. [You know who you are-->
Topica as Caring Supplier
Topica like to perform regular maintenance on the mailling list servers, this is a good thing, they just neglect to mention it to their list administrators, this is a bad thing. What it really means is that sometimes you'll hear nothing from the list and then all of a sudden there'll be a flood of out of sequence mails as the servers try to process the queued messages, a lot of which go something like this:-
Topica as Saatchi & Saatchi
The e-mails you will receive will probably have some advertising on them sometimes the top and sometimes the bottom, this is the price we pay for a free mailing list service.
Topica as Omniscient being
Right because Techies are a strange bunch, sometimes your system administrators will have a number of domains that they can send and receive e-mails with, so far so good, however they will tell you that your e-mail address is something like, oh how about j.fullerton@ex.ac.uk This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it and whilst e-mails will get to you if they're sent to that address, when you send e-mails they're actually sent using j.fullerton@exeter.ac.uk as an address. This is fine as it stands and real people will have no trouble sending you e-mails but Topica will get in a real mix up, you'll send messages that will bounce because you're not subscribed and receive messages from the list or you'll be able to send messages to the list but will receive nothing back, if you get problems like this contact me and I'll try to sort it out for you.
Topica as...
A number of issues have occurred since we moved from majordomo.net none of which have been really serious they've just been annoying and niggardly, if you get any problems please do not hesitate to e-mail me at J.Full^H^H^H^H^H sorry I mean Glenn Berry
Payment
None of the people who bring this list to you makes any money, with the notable exception of Topica who are a business and fully justified in making money off of it. There is a payment scheme based on the adverts in the e-mails but it gets used to promote the list to other users, or rather it will when there's enough cash in it.
Nightfall Crew
There are a number of people on this list who are current members of Nightfall Ltd, these people are on the list because they are fans of the game, not as official arbiters of all things SLA, they will sometimes make an official pronouncement or clarify the way things are in Canon WoP. It is best if any questions are asked on the list in general. There are a number of people on this list who were previously members of Nightfall. Again it is best to ask more general questions on the list rather than pestering the individual unnecessarily.
Flaming
Sometimes tempers get frayed and people start to abuse each other using the list as a medium, there's only so much of it I will put up with before I step in and pull the plug on both parties. [You have been warned-->
Democratic Process
This is not a democracy, [Democracy doesn't work--> however sometimes I will put stuff to the list, this is not really voting, look upon it as an opinion poll, don't expect to get something you want by suggesting it and then calling for a vote.
Snippage
Please Snip all the gubbins and irrelevant stuff from your replies, it can triple the size of the message without adding a jot of value.
Netiquette
Section 8.0 has more information about Net-Etiquette.
The Sin Bin is Glenn's list of email addresses that are temporarily banned from the Station Analysis list. Normally this is because the email account has problems, which in turn cause emails to and from Station Analysis to bounce. To prevent everyone on the list receiving the error messages from this, Glenn stops the account from receiving or sending emails from Station Analysis using ebb abilities that only high level Administrators know about. So that people have a warning that their account has been deactivated, he also maintains a list of these sin-binned emails on his website. Those people on the sin bin list can then contact Glenn to find out what their account problems are, so that they can fix them and regain access to the list.
If you are temporarily unsubscribing - for example going on holiday- the best bet is to use the Web Mail/Web Read option at topica.
However, if you are leaving us for good there are 3 options:
Selecting unsubscribe option from the topica website.
Sending a mail from the address you are subscribed at to station-analysis-unsubscribe@topica.com Sending a email from any other address to majordomo@topica.com with "unsubscribe station-analysis [The email address you want to remove]" in the body.
NOTE: Though Hogshead Publishing is no longer the publisher of SLA Industries, and the current publisher, Cubicle 7 has given little direction regarding IP issues, it would still generally be a good idea to follow the guidelines as they were the last official statement on the matter.
Extended discussions have taken place between Hogshead Publishing and Nightfall Games regarding unofficial publication of SLA Industries material, and guidelines have been drawn up. Note that under the terms of the agreement between Hogsead and Nightfall, Hogshead have the sole and exclusve right to publish SLA Industries role-playing material in all forms. The following guidelines are effective immediately:
1. No material disclosing, drawing on or alluding to the SLA Industries back story or any other privileged, confidential or sensitive game information ("The Truth") may be distributed or published in any form, including -- but not limited to -- unofficial publications, fanzines, web sites or anything else.
2. Copyrighted Nightfall Games material may not be reproduced, distributed or published in any form.
3. Unofficially produced material for SLA Industries may be freely distributed on the Internet via Websites, FTP and other means providing:
(a) that items (1) and (2) above are not contravened,
(b) no charge is made for access to the material,
(c) a standard disclaimer and copyright notice is included with the material, and
(d) the material is clearly labelled as unofficial.
4. Unofficially produced fanzines -- specifically, magazine-style publications of varied content -- may be produced and sold providing:
(a) that items (1) and (2) above are not contravened,
(b) the fanzine is not professionally distributed to the roleplaying industry without a license from Hogshead Publishing Ltd,
(c) a standard disclaimer and copyright notice is included with the material,
(d) no more than 1,000 copies of any one issue of the fanzine may be produced for sale without a license from Hogshead Publishing Ltd, and
(e) the cover of the fanzine clearly states that it is an unofficial publication.
5. All other unofficial game supplements, scenarios and other role-playing items referring to or making use of the SLA Industries rules, setting, characters or IP that are not covered specifically in items (3) and (4) above are strictly forbidden, and may not be produced, distributed or commercially exploited in any way without a license from Hogshead Publishing Limited.
6. Non-RPG uses of the SLA Industries setting, rules, characters and IP are strictly forbidden, and may not be undertaken, produced, distributed or commercially exploited in any way without a license from Nightfall Games Limited.
7. Any persons or firms seeking to purchase a license to produce official SLA Industries game material should in the first instance contact Nightfall Games to obtain a release form. All license applications should be made to Hogshead Publishing Limited, and must be accompanied by a signed release form and a full synopsis and three sample finished spreads for the proposed project.
Tim Dedopulos, Director, Nightfall Games Limited
* Don't touch the truth, thanks.
* Don't OCR/scan/type up bits from the books for the web (or anything else).
* Writing or drawing stuff to put up on the web is fine -- as long as it's clearly not official, doesn't give away our secrets, and you're not charging for it. Chatting on mailing lists/chatrooms/whatever is fine too, obviously.
* Fanzines are OK. Fanzine supplements, like standard supplements (and including scenarios) are not.
* 'Fanzine' means a standard issue of a regular fan-produced magazine with miscellaneous, varied content. Hint: if all the content is on just one or two topics it's probably a supplement, and that's not OK.
* Non-RPG stuff -- fiction, comics, computer games, &c -- for anything other than putting up free on the web is not OK. Computer games are out full stop, even freeware ones, but MUDs and MUSHes are OK as long as you clear them with Nightfall first.
* Anything printed, sold or both, other than a fanzine, needs a license from Hogshead. Hogshead will require a license fee (of three to five digits depending on the project), and a royalty will be payable too. Serious enquiries are always welcome.
* The standard disclaimer for all websites, fanzines and other material is: "SLA Industries and all characters, settings, images and other intellectual properties pertaining thereto are (c) 1993-2000 Nightfall Games Limited, and are used without permission. No challenge to those copyrights is intended or implied." In addition, all fanzines should clearly and legibly bear on the cover the line "This is an unofficial SLA Industries fanzine". No unofficial material may claim to be official or to be produced by Nightfall or Hogshead, 'natch.
This section was originally included to cover posting guidelines for the Station Analysis Mailing List. It is included here for the sake of completeness.
A general guide on netiquette is available at www.albion.com/netiquette/ .
This Netiquette summary is © 2000 Jukka Kolehmainen and is used here with permission.
A more general rule for netiquette on the list is to not make comments that are specifically aimed at provoking someone. Everyone on the list welcomes constructive comments of their work, but just stating that someone's ideas are rubbish is no help to anyone. Additional examples of provoking someone include criticising their nationality, their sexual preferences or their beliefs. These sort of comments should on the whole be kept away from the list. People who persist in offending others out of spite will find themselves forcibly unsubscribed by Glenn, as part of his duty as List Administrator.
The preferred format for posting in is Plain Text. The reason for this is that using HTML (so called Rich Text) in a post causes problems for those whose mail readers can't decipher them. It also causes problems with the digest. When a previous post is replicated as a reference, any irreverent sections should be removed. Duplicating a whole message just to add a one line comment is a waste of bandwidth and is annoying to most people on the list. Care should also be taken in criticising people's spelling. There are people of all nationalities on the list and also some who are dyslexic, so exercise a little patience.
Finally there are several members of Nightfall Games on the list as well as several people who have been involved with Nightfall in previous years. Although they are all willing to assist people's enjoyment in the game they should not be pestered unnecessarily. People seeking more information about the background to SLA Industries will find more information in the SLA Industries Background section of this FAQ.
All posts have [sla] in the header added by Topica to allow people to filter the newsgroup emails away from their general email. More specific subjects which can be added in the header are:
Over the years, the Station Analysis list has developed its own abbreviations for subjects that are repeatedly discussed. More specific terms appear in the list which include: