ISSUE 31 (FROM MARCH, 2006)

The long-awaited debut of Jurgen on an AlertForce cover!

CALENDAR UPDATED FOR JUNE 2006

The Calendar (see link in the sidebar) has been updated for the month of June, 2006. The once-a-week frequency of everyone's night has been slowed somewhat, in that I have reserved days for Bane, Guzzler (now played by Sam Z.) and Mantis, in anticipation and hope that those three will begin (or resume) participation this month. If any of those are not available on those nights, the nights will be used for others or other small groups as designated by the GM.

If you cannot access the calendar, email me and I will send you your nights by email.

The calendar is updated up to the third week of June, 2006. There is a special friday night event on June 16, and I am brewing up a special, week long event for the final week of june and first week of july, which was discussed yesterday, in which we will have multiple GM's (hopefully me, Bryan, Paul, and possibly even Rob) doing small adventures for individuals or small groups.

Stay tuned, everyone. As this new AlertForce campaign approaches its first anniversary, the game keeps rolling on!

ISSUE 34

EARTH SAVED FROM IMPENDING DISASTER

From the Los Angeles Times:

General Morton Crabass, the President's newly-appointed Secretary of Super and Mutant Affairs, announced this afternoon that the world may breathe a sigh of relief, as his department recruited super assistance to head off the impending meteor strike on planet Earth. Crabass made a statement to reporters on the North Lawn at the White House, the President at his side:

"The President directed me and the Department of Super and Mutant Affairs to start working with NASA to develop contingency plans as soon as the crisis was identified. We were able to recruit and brief an available super -- the so-called Green Lantern of Earth -- and equip him with protective gear and ordinance to allow him to reach the meteor in space, place charges, and destroy the meteor before it became a threat to Earth. My team and department operated flawlessly, and the super also executed the plan perfectly, I must admit, resulting in a successful mission. I hereby report to President Santos, the citizens of the United States, and to the people of the world, that this crisis is ended."

Crabass took a few questions after his speech, and noted that the Green Lantern in question was indeed the same one who is reported to be a member of AlertForce, and is not, in fact, either Hal Jordan or Guy Gardner. He further reported that the assignment was a single mission, and that Green Lantern is not in the employ of the government.

Scientists worldwide are examining the skies to verify the destruction of Calvin1007, but initial reports seem to confirm that the meteor no longer poses a significant threat to human life on earth, although it is reported that the debris remaining from the body should create a brilliant meteor shower in the upper atmosphere in two days' time.

METEOR THREATENS EARTH!

From the Los Angeles Times:

NASA Scientists today reported discovery of a meteor in the inner solar system with an orbital path around the sun that is 97% likely to intercept Earth's orbit within the next 10 days. The Meteor, called Calvin1007, was discovered by Astronomer Sarah Calvin of the Mount Palomar National Observatory two weeks ago. Computer analyses have now confirmed the high probability of an intercept with Earth.

Calvin1007 is a football-shaped mass of iron, spinning through space at approximately 4 million miles an hour, and is approximately three miles across at its largest point. This is a relatively small size in cosmic terms (although its effects will likely be devastating), which accounts for the fact that it remained undetected until it came so close to the Earth.

In the likely event that it strikes Earth, NASA reports that it will strike with the devastation of approximately 500 Hiroshima bombs. Not, perhaps, enough to strip Earth's atmosphere and trigger the destruction of the entire biosphere, but certainly enough to level a region of hundreds to thousands of miles in diameter. If it strikes a heavily populated area (New York, Hong Kong, etc.) casualties would be counted in the hundreds of millions. Should it strike an ocean, it is feared that monsoons and boiling rains would cause climatic devastation over a significant area. Should it strike land anywhere, it will likewise cause debris to be lifted into the atmosphere, resulting in short-term black and brown rains over large portions of the globe.

U.S. President Santos will make an emergency declaration to the public this evening, and has called upon NASA to come up with a plan to head off the meteor. However, NASA Director Simon Alderson reported that although his scientists are working round the clock, no solution has yet been reached. An emergency conference of world leaders and leading space scientists will be convened tomorrow in the Hague, at which the mental power of hundreds of the world's scientists will be put towards finding a solution.

National PTA Director Martin Salaris also made a special announcement this afternoon, indicating that the President has signed an executive order granting preemptive amnesty to all supers who have the ability to effect the situation, and offering blanket immunity against liability or prosecution for efforts at preventing this global disaster.

MY WEEKLY CHALLENGE DRAWING

Non AlertForce related, but here it is for anyone interested. In case you do not recognize the character, it is TANK GIRL.

ISSUE NUMBER 33

SOMETHING FOR FUN

Check out the Gotham Girls flash cartoons at this site for some fun little stories, and a lot of hijinks from your good friend Harlee Quinn

Gotham Girls

VIRTUAL TOUR OF ALERTFORCE MANSION

Please check out the MAP ROOM for a virtual, 3d tour of AlertForce Mansion and the grounds.

ANOTHER DRAWING FOR AN ART CHALLENGE

I'll be posting the pencil and ink version of this for an art challenge at an artists' forum. Just thought I would finish it in color to see how it came out.

Here is the pencil and ink version:

ALERTFORCE MANSION IN 3D

In my ongoing attempts to improve my art skills, I've been trying to do backgrounds, buildings, etc. in experiments. I decided to try to find some basic CAD type program to use to render buildings in 3d that I can use as references for buildings for backgrounds in drawings. I found a great, easy little program called Google Sketchup, that is a free download, and has flash video tutorials right on the homepage that really show you how it can be used. The below rendering of AlertForce mansion was created in about 3 hours using this program. It is based on Paul's maps of AlertForce mansion and my old map of the grounds. I can continue to add details to it, but it is pretty nice in my view.

It occurred to me that those of you who are doing maps or renderings of your rooms, hideouts, etc., might want to use this program.

Sketchup Homepage

Flash video tutorial page

FERAL LOUP

PTA TANK

AlertForce owns one, and also gave one to the LA PD. It is the patented PTA light "ContraSuper" class tank. With seats for two (a driver and a gunner), a 10ap laser mounted on top, 10ap's of solid armor, and a quick ground movement rate of 5, this baby is great for the law enforcement officer on the go!

JUST FOR FUN

Drawn for a weekly art contest. Comments welcome.

NEW OLD COVER

This is the cover for February, 2006, the month that the Mantis came to power as AlertForce team leader: