NEW PIX

SAY HELLO TO NOMAD

EXPLOSION AND CAVE-IN AT PTA FACILITY

From the Yakima, WA STAR-GAZETTE:

PTA Director Helen Cutter this morning appeared at a press conference to announce a terrible explosion and cave-in at the new PTA training facility outside Yakima. At approximately 3:45 a.m. this morning, an explosion of unknown origin rocked the main chamber of the underground facility, and caused a collapse of the cave roof, killing at least 45 and possibly more PTA agents in residence at the facility, along with 22 civilian staff working with the operations there. Cutter noted that rescue efforts have been started with first light, and she remains hopeful that some of those inside the cave at the time may still be found alive. However, local geologists from Washington University informed officials that with the depth of the cave, and the surrounding rock strata, almost four million metric tons of rock would have collapsed on those below, leaving little hope for survivors.

"We don't know exactly what caused the blast, but a supervillain attack cannot be ruled out. Several weeks ago, the facility did come under attack by several supers who were repelled by security systems, and along with rescue operations, we are conducting a thorough investigation into the causes for the blast. There has been tremendous loss of life, and we are saddened by the event, whatever the cause." The names of the victims have not yet been released, pending notification of the families.

EVEN NEWER NEWNESS

PREVIEW OF COMING ATTRACTIONS

In honor of our upcoming game this saturday, here is a quick pic from our last great adventure.

MORE NEWNESS

WALKMAN CAPTURED!

From the Pittsburgh Press:

The skies over downtown Pittsburgh again hummed with the din of super powered battle this evening, as a new super-team in town finally tracked and captured the notorious Walkman. At about 745 p.m. near the intersection of Liberty and Stanwix, Walkman was located by members of PMS ("Post-Modern Supers"), a new team of super girls consisting of Snow Angel, Afterburner and Iron Maiden. PMS engaged Walkman in battle, and for several minutes onlookers reported seeing Snow Angel and Walkman trading powerful attacks. Snow Angel apparently showered the alleged murderer and thief with a rain of ice, while Walkman continually kept her at bay with sonic beams. The two battled to a standstill, with Snow Angel encasing Walkman in ice time and time again, only to see him blast it away with his sonic waves. Shortly, Afterburner and Iron Maiden arrived, and the three used teamwork to overwhelm, and eventually capture Walkman. When the battle concluded, the three PMS members were essentially unscathed, while Walkman was enclosed in a large block of ice, awaiting pickup and incarceration by the PTA.

While giving an interview to a local news reporter, Snow Angel, the apparent leader of the new squad, was heard to note that "wherever injustice is found, PMS will be there." She quickly scolded gathered reporters and onlookers against laughing at the apparently unintended pun. Grinning and high-fiving over their first victory, PMS was seen leaving the scene together, by flight and super speed.

Shortly thereafter, Pittsburgh PTA Director Martin Gregory commented: "While we are certainly gratified that the Walkman has been arrested, we caution the public and the news media against making this new PMS team into some kind of heroes. I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone that Afterburner is still wanted on several counts of theft herself, and Iron Maiden, while not under any direct indictments at the moment, does have apparent ties to Iron Knight, who very recently was filmed assaulting PTA officers in a battle under Mount Washington. PMS should not be considered as legitimate law enforcement, and anyone who spots them should immediately summon the PTA."

Walkman will be held at the Wheeling, West Virginia PTA facility, and will await charges and eventual trial there.

PICTURE UPDATE

ALTER EGO SPOTLIGHT: BANE

Lest we forget our humble beginnings. Before there was BANE, the daring, wisecracking, motorcycle-riding, gun-toting AlertForce member, there was simple Jane Smythe, Detroit record store clerk. What a difference a few months can make.

EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT FORCED TO LAND AT SEYMOUR JOHNSON AFB

From the Raliegh-Durham NC News/Intelligencer:

A secret experimental aircraft, dubbed "Stormrider" by the Air Force, was forced to make an emergency landing on one of its maiden voyages yesterday, sources within the Air Force reported. Apparently, the Air Force had taken the craft up to test its capabilities in the recent thunderstorms, when the craft was attacked by an unknown craft or persons. Although officially denied by the USAF public relations office, civilian aircraft controllers report having received a number of mayday messages from the craft, during which the pilot, Captain Harold "Hap" Jones, requested urgent landing vectors due to the fact that his aircraft was under missile attack. USAF PR personnel have since recanted that description, noting that a new weapons sensing system had malfunctioned, leading to a false indication of trouble.

Nevertheless, ground witnesses reported seeing three distinct streaks of light in the stormy skies, mere moments before the aircraft requested and received clearance for emergency landing at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. The craft touched down at Johnson Field at approximately 7:33 p.m., with all crew and passengers accounted for and no damage to the aircraft found. Military and FAA representatives are conducting an investigation of the incident, but as yet the cause of the emergency landing, as well as the streaks of light in the sky, remain unexplained.

THOSE OF YOU ON THE LAST FEW NIGHTS..

Know these folks well.

EXPLOSIONS IN THE SKIES OVER NYC, ANCHORAGE ALASKA

From the New York Times:

The sky over New York was set ablaze last night by an unexplained explosion. Authorities from NASA, the Pentagon, the PTA and NORAD were contacted for an explanation, but none has surfaced as yet. The origin of the blast remains unknown, and speculation among the government and private agencies is running rampant as to whether the explosion resulted from a natural phenomenon, an aircraft disaster, a missile attack, or other, even more bizarre causes. Even more perplexing is the fact that, at precisely the same moment, a similar explosion was reported in the skies over Anchorage, Alaska.

The destructive force of the blast was considerable, says General David Darby, U.S. Army Chief of Staff. "There appears to have been a shock wave created by the blast, which washed over New York and caused widespread, if minor, damage. Windows were knocked out as far as 3 miles from the blast, and there were a number of minor injuries when people on the street were knocked to the ground. Thankfully, no one was killed, and no major structural damage was caused to city structures. We think that is because the blast took place at an altitude of about 60,000 feet - over 11 miles high. If the blast had taken place any lower, we feel we would have seen massive damage to buildings, and tremendous loss of life. The blast in Alaska seems to have had a similar altitude and effect."

Sources in the White House report that the President has placed the military on DEF CON 2, in the event these blasts were some kind of aborted missile attack. Radiation levels are being read at normal, however, suggesting that if the attack was a missile, it did not contain any nuclear warheads. Air traffic over both New York and Anchorage has been curtailed for the time being, while authorities investigate the possiblity of repeat blasts.

ALERTFORCE HISTORY MINUTE

Just to tie us to the history of this campaign, here is an AlertForce history/public service announcement.

This is Dreadnought.



He was the original AlertForce publicity hound. He cut ribbons on new hospitals. He kissed babies. He made nice with reporters. The world loved him, and he loved it right back. He was the first team member/leader of AlertForce, during its time in Mid-City.

Powers: Flight, Bio Energy Blast. Digging. Cool Specs.

Quote: "God, it's great to be great!"

MORE PICS/REDRAWS

CAPTION CONTEST RESULTS

Winner: Number 2 - Roxanne 10 hero points

Second: Tie

Number 3: Ellen 5 hero points
Number 4: Dickie 5 hero points


Congratulations!

LATEST SUPERS BATTLE TIES UP TRAFFIC AGAIN

In the Los Angeles Times:

By: Brock Leslie, KABCTV-LA and contributing reporter:

In an occurence becoming all too common in Los Angeles, yesterday saw yet another battle of super powered proportions on Pacific Coast Highway, just north of Malibu. In this latest altercation, a man clad in a bird suit (and identified only as BirdMan) swooped out of the sky and blasted a tractor trailer bound for Yakima, Washington with some sort of ray gun, forcing it from the road and into a ditch, where the truck overturned. This BirdMan then blasted a hole in the side of the truck, grabbed some of its cargo and placed it in a bag, and took off into the sky, apparently making good an escape.

At this point, however, a blue BMW pulled to the scene, out of which hopped a rather muscular man with sandy blond hair, who proceeded to shoot laser beams from his hands at the BirdMan, eventually bringing him down to the ground, where super-powered fisticuffs ensued. The two wrestled for BirdMan's ray gun, exchanged energy bolts, wrestled mano-a-mano, and generally enjoyed a boisterous fracas, until their momentum took them into the side of an ice cream truck, which they promptly took on a careening journey through stopped traffic. The truck impacted with an SUV, throwing both larger-than-life combatants back out into the street.

After several minutes of flying fists, beaks, lasers and bolts, which had nearby drivers diving for cover behind their stopped vehicles, the BirdMan was eventually overcome, and knocked unconscious by the unidentified hero. PTA officers arrived on the scene and took BirdMan into custody, while his subduer turned over both the loot and the ray gun to authorities, before giving this reporter an exclusive interview (albeit without giving a single answer like his name, powers, affiliation or motives). The only clue to the identity of this new super on the scene was his dashing demeanor, and spiff Austrio-German accent.

Notwithstanding the drudgery of another traffic delay on the PCH, Los Angeles will be on the lookout for this new parahuman's exploits.

NEW DRAWING PROGRAM....

I'm testing a new drawing program, to vectorize the drawings. It helps get smoother lines. Let me know what you think. Compare this to the old drawing of Mantis below.

NEW PIX

IS THERE INTEREST IN MORE MP3S OF GAME SESSIONS?

Just wondering if there is more interest from the gamers in having me post more mp3 files of gaming sessions. At the 16-bit encoding level (like the one mp3 was that I posted yesterday), a 2 hour file is only about 8 or 9 megs. I could post some periodically on my web space with links on the blog, if folks want to listen. If no one is interested, I won't make the effort. As those who have spoken to me on skype know, I've been using PowerGramo (a free recording program) to capture the audio and save it as .ogg and .mp3 files.

GM

FURTHER CLARIFICATION ON WEALTH ROLLS AND STAT

If you have roleplayed and received (or receive in the future) actual sums of money ingame (and you and I keep track of them on your character sheet), one of two things will occur:

1. if the money represents a STEADY INCOME, you may ask that your wealth stat be increased to account for the income. I will make a determination whether, and how much, your stat will be modified.

2. if the money is NOT a steady income, but is a one-time sum you obtain, your wealth stat will NOT change, but when you make a wealth roll to purchase an item that you want, the money will be applied as column shifts to your roll on a one-time basis, then it will be gone.

3. I will also be starting to use the "wealth check" rolls in the rules to do maintenance, and possible changes to your wealth stat per the maintenance/upkeep rules. Further details on that will be provided when the wealth checks are to take place.

GM

SUPER STREET FIGHT AT LOCAL 7-11

An exclusive report by Lydia O'Rourke of KC-TV in Los Angeles:

This is Lydia O'Rourke for KC-TV, here on the street, at the scene of a super-powered battle. I have an exclusive interview with the Mantis. Tell us, how long have you been operating in Los Angeles, Mr. "the Mantis?"

Mantis: Oh, only about a month or two.

O'Rourke: And what are your super powers?

Mantis: Style, grace, and speed.

O'Rourke: Well, that is amazing. Can you tell us what happened up there?

Mantis: Well, there was a guy trying to throw some cars around. He had a woman in one of them, and we couldn't allow that.

O'Rourke: Who was it? Was it a supervillain?

Mantis: It was. It was a very strong supervillain. He was tossing cars around like they were quarters.

O'Rourke: What is it that's caused all these new supervillains to show up?

Mantis: You'll have to ask the PTA that question.

O'Rourke: Have you come out of retirement to help the city in its hour of need?

Mantis: I have. Whenever the call arises, the Mantis will be there.

O'Rourke: Who were your partners up there? Is that the famous Los Angeles Werewolf Loup Garou?

Mantis: Why yes it was.

O'Rourke: Are you part of his super team now?

Mantis: Why yes, he is part of my team Alertforce.

O'Rourke: Has AlertForce been reformed?

Mantis: Well, we are attempting to.

O'Rourke: Have you defeated many supervillains yet?

Mantis: We defeat the ones that come along, and we take each one in turn.

O'rourke: What about the PTA?

Mantis: We are here to assist the PTA. They are a fine bunch of men... but they are only men.

O'Rourke: Only men...

This is Lydia O'Rourke, your roving reporter on the scene, with an exclusive interview with The Mantis on the street. Back to you, Kent.

NOTE: An MP3 (in pretty low quality audio, but listenable) of the gaming session with this interview, is at the following link. There are some pretty funny moments.

Interview MP3

RULES INTERPRETATIONS

Some clarifications from recent gaming sessions, regarding several rules:

1. Martial Arts. If you substitute your martial arts for your strength, you are entering killing combat. You may use martial arts to raise your EV (strength) by one column shift without entering killing combat.

2. Wealth. When buying items in the game we will henceforth be using wealth as a stat, instead of actual amounts of money you may have on hand. To buy items you will make rolls on the action table using your wealth stat, as per the rules.

3. Initiave. I have decided to utilize the optional, open-ended initiative rules. Under this rule, if you roll a "0" on your initiative roll, you may roll again and add the result, as in normal rolls of doubles. Your final initiative score is your base, plus the sum of all your rolls. If you roll a 1 on any re-roll, however, your final initiative score reverts to your base initiative.

Thank you for your attention.

GM

MORE PICS

I'm experimenting with backgrounds. I am notoriously bad at drawing anything other than figures of people, so I'm attempting to use photos that I rough up to make look somewhat like comics. Please comment below whether these backgrounds make the pictures more interesting, or if they don't work well. At first blush, I like them.

TV NEWS REPORT: SUPERS BATTLE ON PCH AGAIN

Report by Brock Leslie, Beat Reporter, KABCTV-LA:

Traffic came to a standstill for almost an hour on the Pacific Coast highway yesterday at around 4 p.m., in the aftermath of a super-powered fracas that took place near Malibu. PTA officers were called to the scene as a car driven by a costumed villain, referred to as Harley-Quinn (a former protege of mega villain and cult superstar the Joker), halted in traffic, exploded like a jack-in-the-box, and launched Quinn into the air to land on a following taxicab, in which were driver Harvey Picot, and two unidentified women. The women, one of whom appeared to be approximately 20 and the other of whom appeared to be somewhat older, put up a fight, as Quinn was apparently bent on doing harm to the younger of the taxicab's passengers. Quinn was packing two automatic weapons and sprayed the cab, as well as nearby traffic, with bullets, while witnesses report that both of the taxi's passengers were also armed, and returned fire. Incredibly, no one was hit by the volleys of gunfire, and the altercation turned to hand to hand fisticuffs between Quinn and the younger passenger. Shortly thereafter, LA's resident werewolf, Loup Garou, appeared on the scene, apparently accompanied by yet another past AlertForce member returned to action, this time in the form of the Mantis (who had been a member of AlertForce in the late 1980's and early 1990's). Looking trim and fit as ever, the Mantis and Loup Garou drove Quinn into retreat, which she accomplished via one of the Joker's cliche helicopter devices. An unidentified helicopter scooped the villain out of the sky, and she made good an escape. PTA officers arrived at this point, but were left to sort out traffic, tend to minor injuries suffered by the driver, and summon an ambulance for a motorcycle driver who crashed as a result of the conflict, sustaining a fractured left leg and other abrasions. This KABCTV-LA reporter was also on the scene, and witnessed the events firsthand. More detail on the new rise of supers in Los Angeles will be forthcoming in an upcoming series of in-depth investigative reports.

ALERTFORCE CAPTION CONTEST

As promised, below are the entries for the AlertForce Caption Contest. Please take a look at them, and email me (chad.cicconi@gmail.com) with your votes for th TWO (2) best, in your opinion. Each image is labelled with an entry number. Identify your votes by entry numbers. The person who submitted the entry that gets the highest vote total will be awarded 10 hero points, and the person who submitted the entry that gets the second highest total will get 5 hero points. The voting period will end 1 week from the date/time stamp on this post. Good luck!!

ONE IMAGE TODAY

NEXT LIVE GAME ANNOUNCEMENT

The next live game will take place at Ellen and Chad's house on OCTOBER 29. Any prior announcements of a different date were erroneous. The game will take place on OCTOBER 29. Plan to arrive any time after noon and game into the evening.

DAILY PICS FOR TODAY

AIRLINE CRASH VICTIM BELIEVED DEAD, RESCUED BY PTA

From the Kansas City Observer:

In an astonishing development, Arthur Hollis, presumed dead after his small aircraft crashed on August 17 near Lawrence, Kansas, was discovered and rescued by the Northwest Regional PTA, apparently the victim of a bizarre kidnapping more than a month ago. Although details of his capture , ordeal and rescue were sketchy, PTA director Helen Cutter appeared with Hollis at a press conference in Kansas City, and reported that the Northwest Regional PTA forces has found and infiltrated the lair of a supervillain known only as "NOMAD," who had for reasons unknown, attacked and captured Hollis (a former Air Force Colonel), and held him for nearly six weeks. The location of NOMAD's lair has not been disclosed, under PTA secrecy rules. Nor have any details regarding NOMAD's powers or motives. Cutter's only comments were terse and measured: "We are happy to have been able to rescue Colonel Hollis. We are saddened that we had to bring him the news of his wife's murder during his ordeal, and our investigation for the current whereabouts of NOMAD are ongoing." Hollis, for his part, looking pale and haggard, but in relatively good health, gave a short statement before disappearing back into the PTA vans which brought him to the event. "I am pleased to have finally been found and released from my captivity. I had almost given up hope. I prayed that I would be reunited with my wife, but that is not to be. I would request that the press respect my privacy, as I will be taking a lenghty retreat, and will not be answering any painful questions regarding the circumstances of my abduction and rescue." It is unclear at this time whether the PTA, the FBI, local police in Kansas City, or the FAA has jurisdiction over the Hollis kidnapping case. However, Cutter made clear that her agency will continue investigations into the new supervillain known as NOMAD.

"DISAPPEARING PITCH" A NEW ONE ON UMPIRE, FANS

From the San Antonio Star:

John Worley thought he'd seen everything there was to see on the baseball diamond. But he was forced to admit he was wrong last night during the Altamont High/ Glassport High baseball game, for which he was the plate umpire. During the seventh inning of that game fans, players, and Worley were stunned by Altamont Pitcher Daryl Gladd's "disappearing pitch." Worley saw the pitch leave the pitcher's hand, then (reportedly) saw a shimmer of light, followed by the complete absence of the ball. "I didn't know what had happened. I looked around, and the fans were in pandemonium. The batter was just standing there, stunned, and the catcher was running back to the backstop, thinking it had been a passed ball. But the ball was nowhere to be found. Even the pitcher looked confused as the players swirled around him, and some of the Glassport players began yelling about illegal supers in the game." A thorough search of the field did not yield the ball, and the game was eventually resumed, but not before a near brawl broke out between frustrated players. "In the end, I had to call the pitch a ball, since it did not penetrate the strike zone." No explanation for where the ball went, or how the disappearing pitch had been accomplished, was ever offered by Gladd or his coach. In the end, the pitch did not prove to be the strategic turning point, as Glassport won 9 to 5.

LOUP GAROU DRAGS SUSPECTED DRUG BOSS TO POLICE

From the Los Angeles Times:

In a frightening story, last night the local werewolf and would-be hero turned police operative Loup Garou (late of AlertForce), burst into the Beverly Hills mansion owned by millionaire and hip-hop mogul Bradley "Biggie Bigg" Biggerson. Somehow sneaking past armed guards, the wolf apparently sprang upon Biggerson and two companions in the posh indoor swimming pool of the Beverly Drive manse, and dragged Biggerson bodily outside where an accomplice of the wolf, one James Greywolf, took custody of the gaping rapper-heir and dragged him bodily to the nearby Los Angeles Police Headquarters. Once there, the heavy rapper was forced to confess acting as a conduit for illegal drug trafficing, and to reveal Mexican sources for tainted marijuana that has recently been hitting the LA streets. Jorje Ramirez, attorney for Biggerson, commented later that Biggerson would be cleared of any wrongdoing, and was considering a lawsuit against the police department and/or Greywolf, for invasion of privacy, assault, and deprivation of constitutional rights. "This guy burst into my client's home without cause, without provocation, and without a care for the safety of Mr. Biggerson or any of his guests. Property damage is significant, as is the emotional and physical harm to my client -- all for an illegal arrest and a forced confession that will never be admitted as evidence in any legal proceeding. I will have justice!" Police authorities commented that Mr. Greywolf and/or his werewolf companion were not acting under the control of the police, so no liability can be imputed to the department or the city.

TODAY'S PIC GOODNESS

WINGED HORSE DISCOVERED IN UKRAINE CIRCUS

From the National Enquirer:

The Circus Nationale of the Ukraine has a new star attraction: a winged horse named "Petrov." (see photo, inset). The horse's owners claim it was bred as a cross between an eagle and a horse, in a secret DNA splicing experiment. The horse is displayed for two shows each day in the traveling show, and is touted as a miracle of modern science. The horse is reported to actually fly during performances, and is the subject of speculation in world media and scientific circles.

STRANGE SIGHTINGS OVER PITTSBURGH AIRPORT

From the Pittsburgh Press:

Passengers and authorities who were at the Pittsburgh Airport yesterday at approximately 9:45 p.m. reported strange sights and sounds that have yet to be explained. Approximately 430 people, some on departing USAIR Flight 440 to Los Angeles, and some on arriving JetBlue flight 909 from Portland, Oregon, reported seeing strange lights in the sky and unexplained cloud formations, and hearing bewildering voices and sounds that terrorized both the passengers and crews of those flights. Some passengers reported seeing a form of flame in a human or semi-human shape, flying across the flight path and tarmac as their airplane passed, while others reported small, grey clouds moving against the wind. Almost all passengers told of hearing a booming voice inside their heads demanding the destruction of something or someone called the "High Children." The phenomena lasted approximately 20 minutes, and then abruptly ended. Police arrived shortly thereafter to inspect the tarmac area, and no traces of evidence were found to suggest the origin of the sights and sounds. Barry Peters, a passenger on JetBlue 909, described the incident as follows: "I saw a man engulfed in flame -- like the Human Torch, only bigger -- flying around near the runway as we landed. I heard a voice in my head that seemed confused and wanted to know where it was. Then I heard something about the High Children, and a gunshot. Then nothing. It was just about the strangest thing I've ever experienced." USAIR and JetBlue are offering free counselling services to all passengers affected, and spokesmen for the airlines indicated that it is the position of both airlines that the passengers of these aircraft experienced a form of mass hallucination. The Aircraft are currently being inspected for foreign substances or toxins which could explain the phenomenon.

MORE PICS. I'M ON A ROLL