So while walking around, enjoying the new content, I got a call to talk to a new contact, an arested lost in Skyway city.
So out of curiosity, I went to see what was going on... and did the first (of seven parts) of "Who Will Die?"
This thing is like a mini TF, similar to the one's in Ouro (so you can solo it), made up of 3 missions, first 2 have Boss's at the end while the third has an EB and then a boss.
It was pretty fun to do on my level 12 brute, I could go on with spoilers... but I won't, go play this, enjoy the story and it's relativly quick.
As for the rewards for this are the following.
4 Merits (okay)
1 Hero merit (so.... something worth 50 normal merits and 2 mil inf)
1 Astral Merit
10 Incarnate Threads.
So... nice, fun, quick and has a huge pay out

This is all the funnier because it is so true. ^_^

Kinda surprised no one has really thought of using this one, so I'm
gonna snag it mainly for the Roughnecks - the Roughrider's construction
battalion.

Really, the shortest way to describe these ships is 'space tug' but that's a huge injustice.  For one, it's modeled after the XGP15A-II from Outlaw Star. 
Most models sold on the open market through Black Aeronaut Technologies
(BAT) resemble the basic version that is first seen in the anime.  The
basic models come in two varieties: one with two AI cores (one to handle ship
operations and another to handle navigation - especially the complex
nature of grappler operations), and another with a single AI core and a
standardized interface for infomorphs (the 'Melfina' setup).

The primary difference between what is seen in the anime and the
offering by BAT is absence of the counter-rotating etherspace drive
fins.  Instead it is capable of the Fen's normal FTL travel and, for
some, appears much more sleek without them cluttering things up.  The
engine nacelles are also marked as being longer and sleeker than those
depicted in the anime.  This is to support the Blackbird-style drive
system which include it's own self-contained reactors, making them
engines in a more true sense of the word.

With this kind of power, the Outlaw-class
is capable of hauling entire building kits, plus tools, and assembling
them on-site.  Of course, this also means that an appropriately
customized Outlaw can be taken to the asteroid races and put in a good
showing for itself.  While not the fastest ships in BAT's hangar, an
Outlaw will certainly get you there with an unburdened top speed of
0.1c.

Due to the nature of their intended jobs, these ships have shown to be
far more robust than most fen ships.  The alloy that composes the
vehicle frame and grappler arms is comparable to Gundamium alloy in that
it has a remarkably high tensile strength and temperature stress
tolerances.  It is also capable of flexing while resisting bending until
its stress tolerances are reached.

Basic Outlaws come with staterooms for eight crewmen with all the basic
amenities for comfortable living and work in space.  They are also built
with ease of maintenance in mind (the only exception, of course, being
the quad-helix ion focusing elements).  This makes them ideal for both
owner-operator businesses or corporate fleets.

Finally, Outlaws can be customized with any task in mind - construction,
search and rescue, combat, and even racing.  The grappler arms are
modular in construction, and in addition to the modular bays, it allows
an Outlaw to be repurposed at a moment's notice.  There will even be
mods for q-ship ops, but those will be highly restricted.

Thoughts?

I think I came up with a non-insane-cost version of Doug's power.  It's hinky, and would require full GM approval, but I think this works it out.
Ultra Power (Supers, pg 30)
(Always On [effects are dangerous; Mitigator {Non-Resonating Music}], Cosmic: No Die Roll Required, Extended Duration [x10], Magical, Nuisance Effect [Unpredictable], Reduced Fatigue Cost [14; not sure what Doug's FP total would be], Reduced Time [13], Reliable +10, Trigger [Common, Resonating Song]).
With Multiplicitive Modifiers, it comes out to 303 points.  Not bad for a power that lets you do pretty much anything.  There's also room for plenty more limitations on that sucker.

The sock that's still here is definitely Ms. Right from my point of view, but the scissors have eloped with her twin instead. Why?

- CD, just doesn't understand
--
"Anko, what you do in your free time is your own choice. Use it wisely. And if you do not use it wisely, make sure you thoroughly enjoy whatever unwise thing you are doing." - HymnOfRagnorok as Orochimaru at SpaceBattles
woot Med. Eng., verb, 1st & 3rd pers. prsnt. sg. know, knows

I'm throwing this link up for group discussion, because it has great implications for fanfiction without the article ever referring to it.
http://chronicle.com/article/Uncreative-Writing/128908/
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

The Register: AMD uses liquid helium to cool a FX chip, reaches 8.429GHz

Seems to me like this is even more complex (and likely more expensive) than just buying a mainframe to get the same results, but what do I know?
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

There's a thread like this one over on the SJGames forums, and I get a non-zero number of suggestions for good music from it, so I thought a similar thread here might be a good idea.

What are you listening to? (And if it's online, where can we buy it?)

To kick the thread off: Mondo Cacti, the brand-new album by The Reverb Syndicate. Imagine a fake spaghetti-western soundtrack written by a surf-rock band who love camp '60s spy movies... actually, that's exactly what Mondo Cacti is, so you don't need to imagine it.

If you're in Ottawa, you can buy the CD at Legend Records (just like I did) or Compact Music. If you aren't that lucky, you can buy it online from the band, CDBaby, or iTunes. Ordering hotlinks and two sample tracks (two of the five best on the album, IMO) available on the album information page.
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."

- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012

Most people love speed drives... they are easy to understand, quick to set up for a story and don't create too much headaches because of their "anti kinetic kill vehicle" limitation.

But whats about acceleration drives? After some discussions in the IRC, I think it might be good to talk about whats a reasonable acceleration drive for Fenspace from a Meta point of view. Constant acceleration quickly goes to insane numbers, quite innocent concepts suddenly look like continent shattering weapons or just outrun the Magnificent Midnight easily.

Acceleration drive "limits" and good numbers are hard, and I don't have a good idea how to do it... so lets start talking about it.

----

Personally I avoid acceleration drives completely, because I don't feel that I can get a good balance between "useful fast" and "most dangerous object in Fenspace". The only thing I created with an acceleration drive is the Thor Heyerdahl, which is limited to 0.1g on long journeys (because its a pure hardtech ship).

http://na.cityofheroes.com/en/news/game ... _guide.php

Oh hey, it details the Avatars powers. Assuming Desdemona doesn't climb the mushrooms to escape through the holes in reality again, that'll be helpful.