by MatthewSylvia | Feb 8, 2015 | Recursions
Not all recursions were created all at once, fully formed: nor does all fictional leakage come from stories. The Shoals of Earth are seeded by human ideas, and during the Industrial Revolution the people working at textile mills had no time for stories or myths. Their world shrank down to the size of a single loom or cotton gin, and collectively, these unnumbered masses birthed Weavings, a recursion which in its infancy was simply a giant cloth factory. The world’s development didn’t end there, however. As the textile industry became more automated the ideas forming the recursion began to be drawn from a greater variety of sources, from revolutionary propaganda to dystopian narratives, and finally steampunk and neo-Victorian fiction. This ‘smear’ in the formative sources meant that Weavings, which is just over 200 years old, now combines a wide variety of elements. Though the law of magic holds sway in this recursion, treat it as being hostile to any entering creatures or artifacts that operate under that law. The only magic which seems to work in Weavings is that which preserves the unbreakable ‘daemonthread’ and the rotational energy that is provided by the Ministry of Seamstry, and the Treadle implants that citizens possess. No longer simply a titanic mill, the recursion now has the aspect of a dizzying high-rise city roughly the size of Manhattan Island and surrounded by dye-polluted waters. Natives of the recursion call it Threadham City, and a new traveller will likely find the vast and complicated arrangement of thread-bound skyscrapers covered in pulleys more than a little labyrinthine. Natives of the recursion...
by Jennifer Walls | Feb 7, 2015 | Recursions
Trap Dash Most video game arcades in the early 1990’s were absolutely dominated by the smash hit go-kart racing game “Trap Dash.” Developed by Studio Harmony in Japan for high-end home entertainment systems and arcades, Trap Dash was unique from other racing games. Trap Dash featured a cooperative play experience rather than pitting players against each other. One player controlled the A-CART (Artificially Competitive All-terrain Racing Transport), while the other controlled the Trapper. While the A-CART player did his or her best to keep the pair safely on the road and dodge any hazards or threats, the Trapper collected tools and weapons and actively tried to disable other racers. Trap Dash was the top selling racing game all throughout the 16-bit console generation but with the arrival of CD-ROMs, true 3D graphics, and more powerful home entertainment systems, the brand lost its luster. Trap Dash had a somewhat forgettable storyline that featured its main character, and runaway pop-culture icon “Dasher McSpry.” A quick-thinking rabbit-racer, Dasher’s image adorned the sides of each Trap Dash arcade game. Although Trap Dash was released years before Steampunk went mainstream, Dasher had a certain clockwork appeal, complete with an aviator’s cap and goggles, a tool-laden vest and belt, and big magnetic feet. The Ultimate Import Tuners Six months ago John Scirrotto discovered that his favorite game from the 1990’s had become more than child’s play. A Philadelphia native, Scirrotto had three loves: fast import tuners, illegal street racing, and classic arcade games. His suburban Philly garage had dozens of racing games along its walls, and when he paid top...
by dean | Feb 7, 2015 | Recursions
Whatif is a recursion of “what ifs”. That is, it is based on fictional leakage from various alternative history themes. What if there was no mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs? What if the Nazis won world war 2, the South the civil war, etc. The recursion comprises the original thirteen British colonies in North America and around six hundred miles of ocean including the island of Bermuda. North of the colonies lies a large glacial mass that rises up into an impenetrable wall. The melting of the glacier turns into Niagara falls. There are no great lakes and the Western side of the recursion rises up into a large mountain chain higher then the Appalachians. The mountain range and valleys are home to many Indian tribes that don’t welcome visitors to their territory. The mountains fall off into the Strange. Indian shamans take sprit journeys to the mountain tops meditating on the fractal patterns of the Strange. South, where Florida would begin lies a vast impenetrable swamp inhabited by prehistoric super crocodiles and poisonous reptiles. Several hundred miles out in the Atlantic rest a huge permanent storm. Ships attempting the storm get turned around or come back in tatters or usually, not at all. Many of the inhabitants look East waiting for the storm to lift so that their various empires might come to their aid, but that day will never come. The region of the colonies has a population and wilderness levels consistent with the time period of the American Revolution. However, the technology level is akin to that of the middle ages. Gunpowder does not...
by Jesse Lehto | Feb 5, 2015 | Recursions
The “Eternity Chamber” appears to be size of pocket dimension rather than juvenile recursion. Recursion looks like a very well decorated room fit for a wealthy aristocrat. Big comfortable chair next to small table with a martini, always lit fireplace, quite many bookshelves filled with thick impressive looking books, etc. On closer examination, all of the books are filled with nonsense scribbling and it is impossible to remove any of the decorations from the room, even drinking the martini is impossible. Everyone who enters this recursion feels a compulsion to sit on the chair and once they do, they discover it is impossible to sit up from it. Only way to get away from the chair is if someone else in the room helps you up from it. When subject on the chair gives up getting away, from outside point of view they seem to fall into catatonic state while unblinkingly staring straight ahead. From interviews with the “victims” it has been learned that while in this state, subjects see visions that can greatly vary. Some describe it as psychedelic euphoria and some report that they were living their good memories again over and over. But reports do have one thing in common: all “visions” start with subject seeing the room as padded cell and being tied to the chair with straitjacket. They report hearing incomprehensible whispering, until finally at end they can make out words “Starting the treatment”. The feeling of euphoria and happiness isn’t only effect chair has on the subjects. For duration of the state, subjects’ bodies seem to enter into some type of stasis: they...
by ConnorJames | Feb 4, 2015 | Recursions
Created by a combination of fictional leakages, most notably: videogame series Alan Wake and The Twilight Zone. Night Falls is, by day, known as Bright Springs, an idyllic small town nestled into the foothills of the Puget Sound in Washington State. But when Night Falls, the town changes as a Creeping Darkness steals over the area, changing anyone it comes into contact with. Those who’ve been claimed by the Darkness are called the Stolen, they are normal people by day, but at night become puppets to the Dark Entity which resides at the bottom of Caldera Lake. Some, known as the Champions of Light, stand up to the Dark Entity, but are vastly outnumbered and grossly underpowered. Depending on the time of year Night Falls takes many shapes, from season to season depending on the duration of the nighttime hours. In Late Spring, Summer and Early fall it is simply a toned down version of the town, while in Late Fall, Winter and Early spring it is warped by the overpowering darkness. The layout of the town itself never changes, nor do the features of the surrounding island. The layout is akin to any small town, and the island is dominated by forest land, there is a small lumber mill about a mile from town and somewhere on the other side of the island is an old coal mine. Any roads which lead out of town seem to run into strangely dead ends. Outsiders are welcomed warmly if looked upon with slight suspicion. Other locations: Jagger Peak: Housed in a small park just to the north of town, Jagger...
by ConnorJames | Feb 4, 2015 | Foci
You are a Champion of Light, fighting to keep the forces of Darkness at bay. Tier 1: Inner Light 1. You can conjure light equal to a lantern from your inner reserves, gain a Light Stat, starting value 4. Boost: Your Light attacks deal 2 extra damage. Actions & Costs: Light Strike: 1 Light per attack. Augment your attacks with light. Light Ward: 2 Light per round. Create a barrier that protects from Dark Enemies, and acts as Armour 2 for all others. Tier 2: Safe Haven (2 light per 6 rounds). Create an impenetrable barrier of light that protects you and up to four other medium sized creatures, healing any wounds you may have received, 2 wound recovery per round. Tier 3: Lightning Strike (2 Light per Additional action). Take additional actions, 2 Light per action. Tier 4: Light Within 2. Light stat rises to 8. Boost: Deal double damage. Light Strike: Tier 5: Light Aura. Gain 2 additional armour. Tier 6: Light Fury. Inner light stat rises to...
by ConnorJames | Feb 4, 2015 | Recursions
Harper City, while in many respects just a regular city, is run by a crooked government under a bizarre set of laws, rather than taxes businesses pay something more akin to extortion money. Instead of a mayor the city is run by a Crime Boss, elected by the five families to maintain some semblance of order and arbitrate minor turf struggles, ensuring that the balance of power is maintained, if any family oversteps the boundaries set forth by the Boss the penalties are stiff indeed. There is no police force in Harper City, to the residents it’s an alien concept. The Layout of Harper City is remarkably close to that of San Francisco, although there are fewer hills. Districts & Families: The Pearl: Governed by the Belliacci family, The Pearl District is basically an area extending from the wharf to an extensive area of warehouses and construction yards where nothing ever seems to actually get built. The Belliaccis are known for being the least ambitious of all the families, content to maintain neutrality in order to protect what’s their’s. The Rose: The Rose District is run by the Torlionis, the smallest and most pugnacious family. Denizens of the Rose District are “Taxed” heavily and are expected to submit to any whims of the family. The Rose District is located in a more rundown part of town on the upper east side, covering roughly thirty five blocks, drugs are the main source of profit for the District. The Square: Controlled by the O’Shea family, the central square of town is perhaps the largest chunk of territory owned by any family. Covering...
by azimuth | Feb 4, 2015 | Recursions
This is the plane of negative energy. It is a realm devoid of life, light, fire, heat and electricity. No living creature can survive here for more than a few minutes as their life energy will be quickly siphoned away by the near-vacuum and infinite bleakness. The terrain here appears as a featureless black sky and a dim gray landscape of rolling dunes of sand or gritty snow stretching endlessly in all directions. There is minimal atmosphere, so noise and speech is muted. There is no light source, so no shadows; but a dim gray colorless light suffuses everything. As a result, this is a stealthy recursion, where surprise and ambush is more likely. Antithesia is also the realm of the living dead. PC’s cannot exist here in human (or any other living) form, and as such will assume the form of an undead human (or humanoid body) in this recursion, as best fits their type and descriptor. PC’s here require no food, air, nor sleep; although restoring lost stat points during a short or long rest does consume time spent while inactive, and assumes the negative energy here re-infuses the undead bodies of the PC’s. Because Antithesia is almost entirely devoid of sentient beings and apparently without boundaries, it is a place where rare super-powerful beings have historically chosen to locate a stronghold or hideout. Any landmark or structure in the endless landscape was probably created in the long-distant past, and can only be found by sheer luck, requiring a near-infinite time span spent wandering the gray desert, or by translation here with foreknowledge of the...
by azimuth | Feb 4, 2015 | Foci
Becomes Endless (Lich): Only a Tier 5 or 6 paradox character (NPC or PC) can translate as a Lich. They have the form of a decaying or rotten corpse with fiery burning eyes and robed in once exquisite armor and/or robes. Liches will posses several cyphers and/or artifacts of power, in addition to the revisions requisite of that Tier. Tier 1: Dreadful Aura. The Lich is surrounded with a disturbing countenance that causes the damage of any creature who attacks the lich to be reduced by 3 (+3 Armor to physical attacks.) Silver weapons negate this effect. Tier 2: Horrifying Gaze. (3+ Intellect) Target one creature within long range. On a successful Intellect attack, target will flee as far as it can get away from the Lich, for one round, with a chance of dropping anything it holds (target makes Intellect defense roll or drops held items). Can apply effort to attack roll. Tier 3: Frigid Stare. (4 Intellect) Successful short range Intellect attack causes target to become rigid for 10 rounds less the target’s Might Pool or health. Minimum 1 round. Tier 4: Rule Undead. (5 Intellect) The Lich can command any unintelligent undead within short range to perform any order, up to 12 levels creatures. Alternately, A successful Intellect attack will allow the Lich to command any undead PC or NPC within short range to perform a single word action for it’s next action. Tier 5: Hasty Revision. (6 Intellect) Lich has the ability to use 2 actions in one round if both actions are revisions of Tier 1-3. Enabler. Tier 6: Dismantle Life (8...
by azimuth | Feb 4, 2015 | Foci
Bedevils (Specter or Poltergeist): PC has a non-corporeal body that can appear in almost any hazy, misty, translucent or even invisible form the player wishes. A transition in appearance requires an action to shift form. Player has +2 physical Armor, unless struck with a silver weapon. PC cannot use cyphers or artifacts. Tier 1: Slam. Target at short range is dealt 4 damage to Might with succesful Intellect Attack. Tier 2: Life Leech (4 Intellect). A target within sight up to long range is dealt 4 damage. 1 might restored to PC. Tier 3: Telekinesis (3 Intellect). PC can push, lift or move object within sight at long range, affecting up to 15 pounds of weight per Might pool. The effect has 10 might and 2 effort, with 1 edge and can be used for up to 10 minutes once activated. Tier 4: Smash (4 Intellect). 6 Might damage inflicted at Long range. Target is knocked prone on 16-18 on the attack roll—any action it takes in the round at a step disadvantage and it’s initiative a step down next turn. Minor Effect: target is completely disarmed or any attacks neutralized until the PC’s next round. Major Effect: target is stunned and unable to make an action for the PC’s 2nd subsequent round. Tier 5: Tempest (5 Intellect). PC creates a swirling cyclone of telekinetic energy at long range, causing all within a 30 foot radius to be buffeted and battered by loose objects, debris and psychic force for 6 damage. Tier 6: Enspirit (8 Intellect). PC can bring to life any convenient inanimate object within long...
