So, as promised, I played another game of Star Wars Minis with The Boy this morning. He's no stranger to gaming, needless to say, but he's hardly sophisticated. Last night's game largely boiled down to his normal tactic (take a bunch of droids, including the biggest coolest weird droid he can find in the oversized figures box). Anticipating this, I decided to teach him a lesson about predictability and put together a team largely optimized for taking out droids (lots of ion guns). Even then, he managed to hang on until we each only had one piece left and I got a little lucky on initiative at the end.
Afterward, we talked about how I knew he was going to pick that side, mainly because we'd gotten a new crazy looking droid (something called a "Junk Golem") in one of the boosters I'd bought, so I knew that's what he was going to do.
So, this morning, he surprised me. First, he wanted to play the good guys. He never wants to do that.
Figuring something was up, and not feeling like doing a lot of math, I put together a little team consisting of Darth Sidious, Asajj Ventriss, a Sith Apprentice, and an Imperial Knight (if you don't know what all of these things are, ask an eleven year old).
He hit me with 150 points of Clone Troopers, including two commanders and a host of heavy weapons guys. He outnumbered me 3 to one in terms of figures, but mine were all high defense with lots of hit points, so I figured I could whittle him down.
I figured wrong.
Someone figured out that masses of Clone Troopers were perfect for using the Combined Fire rules. He also figured out how to use them effectively so that a +6 to-hit 13 point Trooper was suddenly a +14 to-hit on my 18-20 Defense Sith. And just to add insult to injury, he made sure that the Trooper actually making the attacks had Double Attack, so he was getting off two shots at +14 per attack. Every time he got a visual on one of my figures, he immediately started shooting. The two lesser figures went down fast. Sidious got cornered and seriously chewed up before I could get him out of the way, and while Ventriss took down three or four of his dudes, they still got to her. Darth Wrinkles managed to take a few down with Force Lightning before they finished him off, but the outcome was never in doubt from his first shot.
Victory to the heroic Clones, and I couldn't be prouder.
Sunday, August 7, 2011
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Meanwhile, In a Galaxy Far, Far Away...
I'm taking a little break from posting ICONS stuff. I'll get back to it, but I'm finding other things to blather about, so why not?
Today was all about this:
The Houston Health Museum is hosting a traveling Star Wars exhibit. Yeah, I know, what's Star Wars got to do with health? But on the other hand, who cares, because we got to see tons of props and costumes and models from all six films up close and personal.
Actually, there were some cool things tying in the medical technology of Star Wars to modern medicine and discussion of current robotics technology and materials and some cool hands-on robotics and mag-lev demonstrations for the kids.
But it was really about going and seeing lots of Star Wars stuff up close.
A few years ago, I went to a similar exhibit for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and I was struck by the sheer levels of craftsmanship: you couldn't see it on screen, but every square inch of Sauron's armour was etched and inscribed. Swords had mottos and names engraved on them in Sindarin or Dwarven runes. Even the extras' costumes had elaborate bits of decoration.
For Star Wars, not so much. Which isn't to say the costume bits are bad. Just that up close, you can see that they were largely designed to be seen from the distance of...say a movie screen to your seat in the theater. Still, standing right next to Han Solo's outfit from RotJ is pretty awesome.
For me, the real joy was looking at the models and seeing a simultaneous intricacy and economy of effort. On the model of the Star Destroyer "Devastator," much of the detailing on the nose had been added with a pencil and straight-edge. I'm guessing those areas weren't going to show up in the angles they were shooting the model, so the lines only sort of needed to show up. I saw similar empty spaces on a model R2-D2 on the back of a toy-scale landspeeder. Where the eye can't see, detail wasn't added.
A lot of my games are like that. Unless there's a need for depth, I don't create it. I focus on the bits the players can and will interact with and only worry about the stuff behind the horizon if it looks like they're actually heading that way.
(When I bought a t-shirt from the gift shop, I noticed that the guy running the register was reading the WFB Skaven book. A brief moment of Gamers-Not-At-Gen-Con solidarity ensued.)
Anyway, after the museum (and tacos), we had to stop at Target. Finding myself in a Star Wars mood*, I drifted down the toy aisles and found a few more lonely boxes of WoTC's Star Wars Minis boxes, now marked down to $3.99 a pop. Yeah, I grabbed them all to add to our horde. Opening and organizing them led me to wonder about the extend of our current accumulation, so I broke out Excel and went through all of the cards for all of the sets.
Three hundred andtwenty eight thirty seven (I found some that weren't in our storage boxes. I suspect there are a few more in similar straits). That's the current total of all figures. By my count, we have 209 or 210 individual figure types at the moment (two of the General Grievous figures have identical cards and minis, but came from different sets). Of course, that's a drop in the bucket compared to all the figures Wizards put out, but it's still pretty respectable, and certainly enough figures for RPG purposes. Though I really need to get at least one more 501st Clone Trooper. Unless we have four, their cool teamwork power won't work.
I suspect we may have to play out a battle or two before the weekend's over.
*OK, in all honesty, I've been in a Star Wars mood for at least the past week. No, longer than that. Pretty much, since the middle of last month, at least in a low-key sort of way. I bought myself the first two seasons of "Clone Wars" for my birthday a few weeks ago. On Sunday, I happened by my local Half-Price Books and found a pile of WEG Star Wars stuff at ridiculously low prices. And just this morning, I completed an internet transaction with Chris of A Rust Monster Ate My Sword to purchase a hefty lot of SW Minis and Micro-Machines from him. And I'm completely pumped about the X-Wing game that Fantasy Flight Games announced at Gen Con. The museum excursion was just icing on the cake.
Today was all about this:
 |
| There are many pictures, but my phone isn't cooperating |
Actually, there were some cool things tying in the medical technology of Star Wars to modern medicine and discussion of current robotics technology and materials and some cool hands-on robotics and mag-lev demonstrations for the kids.
But it was really about going and seeing lots of Star Wars stuff up close.
A few years ago, I went to a similar exhibit for The Lord of the Rings trilogy and I was struck by the sheer levels of craftsmanship: you couldn't see it on screen, but every square inch of Sauron's armour was etched and inscribed. Swords had mottos and names engraved on them in Sindarin or Dwarven runes. Even the extras' costumes had elaborate bits of decoration.
For Star Wars, not so much. Which isn't to say the costume bits are bad. Just that up close, you can see that they were largely designed to be seen from the distance of...say a movie screen to your seat in the theater. Still, standing right next to Han Solo's outfit from RotJ is pretty awesome.
For me, the real joy was looking at the models and seeing a simultaneous intricacy and economy of effort. On the model of the Star Destroyer "Devastator," much of the detailing on the nose had been added with a pencil and straight-edge. I'm guessing those areas weren't going to show up in the angles they were shooting the model, so the lines only sort of needed to show up. I saw similar empty spaces on a model R2-D2 on the back of a toy-scale landspeeder. Where the eye can't see, detail wasn't added.
A lot of my games are like that. Unless there's a need for depth, I don't create it. I focus on the bits the players can and will interact with and only worry about the stuff behind the horizon if it looks like they're actually heading that way.
(When I bought a t-shirt from the gift shop, I noticed that the guy running the register was reading the WFB Skaven book. A brief moment of Gamers-Not-At-Gen-Con solidarity ensued.)
Anyway, after the museum (and tacos), we had to stop at Target. Finding myself in a Star Wars mood*, I drifted down the toy aisles and found a few more lonely boxes of WoTC's Star Wars Minis boxes, now marked down to $3.99 a pop. Yeah, I grabbed them all to add to our horde. Opening and organizing them led me to wonder about the extend of our current accumulation, so I broke out Excel and went through all of the cards for all of the sets.
Three hundred and
I suspect we may have to play out a battle or two before the weekend's over.
*OK, in all honesty, I've been in a Star Wars mood for at least the past week. No, longer than that. Pretty much, since the middle of last month, at least in a low-key sort of way. I bought myself the first two seasons of "Clone Wars" for my birthday a few weeks ago. On Sunday, I happened by my local Half-Price Books and found a pile of WEG Star Wars stuff at ridiculously low prices. And just this morning, I completed an internet transaction with Chris of A Rust Monster Ate My Sword to purchase a hefty lot of SW Minis and Micro-Machines from him. And I'm completely pumped about the X-Wing game that Fantasy Flight Games announced at Gen Con. The museum excursion was just icing on the cake.
Friday, August 5, 2011
Convention Musing
I am not at Gen Con this year (or, as the harried Jimmy Johns worker referred to it last year, "The Gen Con"). Back in December, when I was starting to plan the trip, my wife lost her job, and while her prospects were good and the severance package better, the overall uncertainty made it unfeasible. This was for the best, since I'm about 99% sure if I had planned to go, my vacation request would have been rejected outright. My employer just completed a new, 44,000 square foot building, and we're moving into it in early September. As I work in IT, I am deeply involved in the process. So, no Gen Con for me.
Of course, the internet and the magic of living in the future helps lessen the sting a bit. I've gotten regular updates and photos from my friends, and I'm watching the ENnies Twitter feed to see if any of my friends won this year. But I miss the chance to break out the dice with new folks and try new things. Granted, I don't do a lot of gaming at Gen Con; I spend far more time socializing, shopping, and people-watching, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy actually sitting down at the table with a bunch of strangers with a better than average chance of coming away from the experience on far better terms.
One of the joys I get from convention gaming is the memorable one-liner. I don't know if it's because a convention game is largely a unique experience, or whether it's the sense of liberation that comes from a one-shot game, or what, exactly, but I've found that a disproportionate number of great gaming one liners have come from one-shots and convention games. Here are a few of my personal faves:
Me: Of course, this game exists in an alternate universe where super-scientists all have gorgeous girlfriends.
Player 1: Ric Ocasek being the perfect example.
Player 2: Yeah, but Ric Ocasek isn't an actual scientist.
Me: Band member! scientist! There's no difference!
Player 1: Do you mean Dr. Ric Ocasek, godfather of genetic engineering?
Slayers slay, Watchers WATCH.
Oi! I 'it it wi' me cricket bat! (This was the player's answer to everything throughout the entire adventure. It was also completely in character.)
(GM to a PC who also happens to be a vampire) Unfortunately, the burning truck you're currently standing on top of is running on the edge of a very steep drop off, directly above a village that is having its annual stake sharpening festival.
And my personal favorite, though it's not one I witnessed myself.
GM running a "Venture Brothers" Game: Hey, you guys are supposed to be 21 and 24, right? You're being awful quiet.
21: Jawas could totally destroy Ewoks!
24: Yeah, underneath those hoods, they're all spikes and rage!
Of course, the internet and the magic of living in the future helps lessen the sting a bit. I've gotten regular updates and photos from my friends, and I'm watching the ENnies Twitter feed to see if any of my friends won this year. But I miss the chance to break out the dice with new folks and try new things. Granted, I don't do a lot of gaming at Gen Con; I spend far more time socializing, shopping, and people-watching, but that doesn't mean I don't enjoy actually sitting down at the table with a bunch of strangers with a better than average chance of coming away from the experience on far better terms.
One of the joys I get from convention gaming is the memorable one-liner. I don't know if it's because a convention game is largely a unique experience, or whether it's the sense of liberation that comes from a one-shot game, or what, exactly, but I've found that a disproportionate number of great gaming one liners have come from one-shots and convention games. Here are a few of my personal faves:
Me: Of course, this game exists in an alternate universe where super-scientists all have gorgeous girlfriends.
Player 1: Ric Ocasek being the perfect example.
Player 2: Yeah, but Ric Ocasek isn't an actual scientist.
Me: Band member! scientist! There's no difference!
Player 1: Do you mean Dr. Ric Ocasek, godfather of genetic engineering?
Slayers slay, Watchers WATCH.
Oi! I 'it it wi' me cricket bat! (This was the player's answer to everything throughout the entire adventure. It was also completely in character.)
(GM to a PC who also happens to be a vampire) Unfortunately, the burning truck you're currently standing on top of is running on the edge of a very steep drop off, directly above a village that is having its annual stake sharpening festival.
And my personal favorite, though it's not one I witnessed myself.
GM running a "Venture Brothers" Game: Hey, you guys are supposed to be 21 and 24, right? You're being awful quiet.
21: Jawas could totally destroy Ewoks!
24: Yeah, underneath those hoods, they're all spikes and rage!
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Bandwagon Jumping
Folks have been posting pictures of their dice all over the gameblogosphere, and who am I to buck a perfectly cromulent trend?
That's not all of them, by any mean. There are plenty stowed away in game boxes throughout the house, but it is most of them.
At the far left is my current set of "Go Dice," the ones I use all the time, along with the black suede dice bag my brother gave me for xmas in 1980. I've had many sets of "Go Dice" over the years, but generally, they are transparent and green. Also in the bag is a stainless steel d20, an opaque green d20 I got from Steve Kenson when I played DC Adventures with him at GenCon last year, and a pair of d10s that came out of the old Pacesetter edition of Chill.
Next is a set of red Gamescience dice I purchased from The Colonel himself.
The enormous d20 was originally purchased to be a gearshift knob, but I never managed to put that plan into action (I was afraid of splitting it). Just above it in the picture is a bunch of old school Gamescience d20s from back when they were numbered from 0-9 twice. I suspect I got them from various Chaosium games, as they didn't need to go higher than 9 and used to use GS dice in their boxed sets.
South of the big d20 is a bag of Fudge dice. The last time we played a FATE/FUDGE based game with my Tuesday group, I brought them, more than enough sets to supply the table and no one else wanted to use them.
Up by the edge of the keyboard are three tubes of Ubiquity dice, used for Hollow Earth Expedition and All For One: Regime Diabolique. They're clever.
Moving on is a big pile of mixed polyhedrals I've accumulated over the years and keep handy for when I'm running a game and someone needs dice. A couple of the dice my blog is named after are in there, but not all: a couple went missing and I gave one of my pink d20s to Wil Wheaton at GenCon last year.
And finally, a mondo pile of d6s. Because you can't play the HERO System for umpteen years without accumulating a mountain of cubes. I particularly like the clear cube with three tiny d6s in it. I use that when I play Champions for skill and to-hit rolls.
Like I said, that's most, but not all of them. Apart from the missing old TSR dice, I can't find a bag of green jade Crystal Caste d10s. I also can't seem to find the bag full of black d10s I bought a while back. I'd better find them since we're playing Adventure next week.
That's not all of them, by any mean. There are plenty stowed away in game boxes throughout the house, but it is most of them.
At the far left is my current set of "Go Dice," the ones I use all the time, along with the black suede dice bag my brother gave me for xmas in 1980. I've had many sets of "Go Dice" over the years, but generally, they are transparent and green. Also in the bag is a stainless steel d20, an opaque green d20 I got from Steve Kenson when I played DC Adventures with him at GenCon last year, and a pair of d10s that came out of the old Pacesetter edition of Chill.
Next is a set of red Gamescience dice I purchased from The Colonel himself.
The enormous d20 was originally purchased to be a gearshift knob, but I never managed to put that plan into action (I was afraid of splitting it). Just above it in the picture is a bunch of old school Gamescience d20s from back when they were numbered from 0-9 twice. I suspect I got them from various Chaosium games, as they didn't need to go higher than 9 and used to use GS dice in their boxed sets.
South of the big d20 is a bag of Fudge dice. The last time we played a FATE/FUDGE based game with my Tuesday group, I brought them, more than enough sets to supply the table and no one else wanted to use them.
Up by the edge of the keyboard are three tubes of Ubiquity dice, used for Hollow Earth Expedition and All For One: Regime Diabolique. They're clever.
Moving on is a big pile of mixed polyhedrals I've accumulated over the years and keep handy for when I'm running a game and someone needs dice. A couple of the dice my blog is named after are in there, but not all: a couple went missing and I gave one of my pink d20s to Wil Wheaton at GenCon last year.
And finally, a mondo pile of d6s. Because you can't play the HERO System for umpteen years without accumulating a mountain of cubes. I particularly like the clear cube with three tiny d6s in it. I use that when I play Champions for skill and to-hit rolls.
Like I said, that's most, but not all of them. Apart from the missing old TSR dice, I can't find a bag of green jade Crystal Caste d10s. I also can't seem to find the bag full of black d10s I bought a while back. I'd better find them since we're playing Adventure next week.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
To Me, My X-Men!
(And by "My X-Men," I mean my favorite line-up of the X-Men, the team that made me a fan back in the day.)
Cyclops
Scott "Slim" Summers
Birthright
Prowess 5
Coordination 6
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 6
Willpower 6
Stamina 10
Determination 5
Specialties
Pilot Expert
Leadership
Mental Resistance
Power Master (Blast)
Powers
Blast 8 (Blasting)
Qualities
Motivation : Responsibility
"The Ability To Juggle Spacial Geometry In His Head"
Epithet : Leader-Man
Challenges
No Control Over Optic Blasts Without Ruby Quartz Lenses
Enemy : Magneto
Personal : Grieving Over The Death Of Phoenix
Social: Mutant
Point Total 47
Notes
Cyclops is the most experienced of the X-Men and he has developed a variety of stunts with his optic blasts, bouncing them off surfaces and widening the beam in order to affect more targets at once. His Determination should be used for Stunts to reflect these tricks.
Colossus
Peter Nikolaevitch Rasputin
Birthright
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 3
Willpower 5
Stamina 10
Determination 4
Specialties
Martial Arts
Powers
Alternate Form 9 (Solid)
Invulnerability 7 - (Only when transformed)
Qualities
"Bozhe Moi!"
Fastball Special
Loves Kitty
Challenges
Bad Luck
Enemy : Magneto
Social : Mutant
Russian
Naive
Point Total 41
Kitty Pryde
Birthright
Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 2
Intellect 6
Awareness 4
Willpower 3
Stamina 5
Determination 4
Specialties
Computers Master
Powers
Phasing 8
Affliction 5 - (Only Electronics, Only While Phasing Through Them)
Qualities
Motivation : Learn To Use Her Powers
Connections : Lockheed
Loves Colossus
Challenges
Social : Mutant
Personal : Adolescent
Enemy : Magneto
Point Total 38
Nightcrawler
Kurt Wagner
Birthright
Prowess 5
Coordination 8
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5
Stamina 8
Determination 1
Specialties
Acrobatics Expert
Weapons (Blades)
Electronics
Mechanics
Occult
Stealth
Powers
Teleportation 6
Extra Body Parts 1 (Tail (Fast Attack))
Wall Crawling 7
Qualities
Catchphrase : BAMF!
Motivation : Adventure
Girlfriend (Amanda Sefton - Witch)
Religious
Challenges
Mutant
Startling Appearance (Fuzzy Blue Elf)
Enemy : Magneto
Point Total 51
Storm
Ororo Munroe
Birthright
Prowess 5
Coordination 6
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5
Stamina 9
Determination 2
Specialties
Stealth
Sleight of Hand
Aerial Combat
Powers
Elemental Control 8
Attacking
Creating
Defending
Moving
Flight 4
Qualities
The X-Men Are Her Family
Level Headed
Raised As A Thief
Challenges
Social : Mutant
Enemy : Magneto
Point Total 44
Wolverine
Logan
Birthright
Prowess 7
Coordination 6
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 9
Willpower 7
Stamina 12
Determination 1
Specialties
Weapons Expert (Claws)
Stealth
Military
Powers
Strike 6 - Claws & Skeleton (Does Bashing Or Slashing)
Regeneration 10
Qualities
I'm The Best I Am At What I Do. But What I Do Isn't Very Nice
Weapon X
Connections : Clan Yashida
Fastball Special
Challenges
Social : Mutant
Personal : Anti-Social
Enemy : Magneto
No Memory Of His Past
Point Total 57
Hopefully, this will make up for my missing an entry yesterday. :)
Cyclops
Scott "Slim" Summers
Birthright
Prowess 5
Coordination 6
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 6
Willpower 6
Stamina 10
Determination 5
Specialties
Pilot Expert
Leadership
Mental Resistance
Power Master (Blast)
Powers
Blast 8 (Blasting)
Qualities
Motivation : Responsibility
"The Ability To Juggle Spacial Geometry In His Head"
Epithet : Leader-Man
Challenges
No Control Over Optic Blasts Without Ruby Quartz Lenses
Enemy : Magneto
Personal : Grieving Over The Death Of Phoenix
Social: Mutant
Point Total 47
Notes
Cyclops is the most experienced of the X-Men and he has developed a variety of stunts with his optic blasts, bouncing them off surfaces and widening the beam in order to affect more targets at once. His Determination should be used for Stunts to reflect these tricks.
Colossus
Peter Nikolaevitch Rasputin
Birthright
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 3
Willpower 5
Stamina 10
Determination 4
Specialties
Martial Arts
Powers
Alternate Form 9 (Solid)
Invulnerability 7 - (Only when transformed)
Qualities
"Bozhe Moi!"
Fastball Special
Loves Kitty
Challenges
Bad Luck
Enemy : Magneto
Social : Mutant
Russian
Naive
Point Total 41
Kitty Pryde
Birthright
Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 2
Intellect 6
Awareness 4
Willpower 3
Stamina 5
Determination 4
Specialties
Computers Master
Powers
Phasing 8
Affliction 5 - (Only Electronics, Only While Phasing Through Them)
Qualities
Motivation : Learn To Use Her Powers
Connections : Lockheed
Loves Colossus
Challenges
Social : Mutant
Personal : Adolescent
Enemy : Magneto
Point Total 38
Nightcrawler
Kurt Wagner
Birthright
Prowess 5
Coordination 8
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5
Stamina 8
Determination 1
Specialties
Acrobatics Expert
Weapons (Blades)
Electronics
Mechanics
Occult
Stealth
Powers
Teleportation 6
Extra Body Parts 1 (Tail (Fast Attack))
Wall Crawling 7
Qualities
Catchphrase : BAMF!
Motivation : Adventure
Girlfriend (Amanda Sefton - Witch)
Religious
Challenges
Mutant
Startling Appearance (Fuzzy Blue Elf)
Enemy : Magneto
Point Total 51
Storm
Ororo Munroe
Birthright
Prowess 5
Coordination 6
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5
Stamina 9
Determination 2
Specialties
Stealth
Sleight of Hand
Aerial Combat
Powers
Elemental Control 8
Attacking
Creating
Defending
Moving
Flight 4
Qualities
The X-Men Are Her Family
Level Headed
Raised As A Thief
Challenges
Social : Mutant
Enemy : Magneto
Point Total 44
Wolverine
Logan
Birthright
Prowess 7
Coordination 6
Strength 5
Intellect 3
Awareness 9
Willpower 7
Stamina 12
Determination 1
Specialties
Weapons Expert (Claws)
Stealth
Military
Powers
Strike 6 - Claws & Skeleton (Does Bashing Or Slashing)
Regeneration 10
Qualities
I'm The Best I Am At What I Do. But What I Do Isn't Very Nice
Weapon X
Connections : Clan Yashida
Fastball Special
Challenges
Social : Mutant
Personal : Anti-Social
Enemy : Magneto
No Memory Of His Past
Point Total 57
Hopefully, this will make up for my missing an entry yesterday. :)
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Slippage
No real content today, I'm afraid. My wife's out of town on business and the only way I could make the Tuesday game was to drive straight home from work, pick up my son from day care, and then rush the both of us back into Houston so I could play and he could spend half the evening playing with his iPod and the other half watching us take down the son of Juiblex and Zuggtmoy.
Tomorrow, I'll do something special to make up for it. I promise.
Tomorrow, I'll do something special to make up for it. I promise.
Monday, August 1, 2011
Avast Ye Lubbers! Not!
Petr Kuyt
Gimmick
Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 5
Awareness 5
Willpower 4
Stamina 7
Determination *
Specialties
Computers Expert
Power (Elemental Control)
Powers
Elemental Control Device 5 (Darkness)
Creating
Defending
Moving
Extra Body Parts Device 3 (Claws (Strike))
Qualities
Catchphrase : "Information Should Be Free!"
Connections : Hacker Underground
Challenges
Social : Anarchist
Enemy : The Black Hoods
Point Total 35
Origin
Petr Kuyt comes from a long line of pirates and scofflaws. His great-great-great-great-grandfather Dutch Jackie Kukt was hanged as a pirate in the West Indies. The ensuing generations were barely better. In Petr's case, his inclinations for piracy had less to do with physical goods and much more to do with information. Petr grew up on the internet, learning the ways of hackers and off-shore data havens. One day, he "accidentally" stumbled across the plans and shipping manifests for an experimental suit that collected and manipulated the mysterious Dark Energy that composes much of the physical universe. Changing things so that the suit and plans showed up on his doorstep was child's play. Figuring out how to use it took a bit more time, but once he worked it out, he took to the night skies as the Reaver, the pirate of the information age!
There was just one unfortunate downside. It turned out the suit he stole had been previously hijacked by either the Black Hoods, or someone with enough pull to set the Black Hoods on him. Now, whenever he strikes, there's about a 50/50 chance some of their goons will turn up as well.
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