TEXT: tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  tHE   bIG   pICTURE
  (nO quArTEr)
  C O N T E N T S
  Introduction - Isn't eight significant or
  something....?
  The World of Progress - What's all that about
  then?
  Mindless Slaughter - Challenging, sort of
  'advanced' scenario.
  Never mind the pig - Ny'Quiy and Maarol.
  Too weird?
  Hanging Around - Venues for Op's to chill in
  Finding a job - A Platinum and, would you
  believe it, a Red....
  Equipment - Razor Rangs, Shock Nets and
  Glyph Implants.
  Soft companies - Tempest, TimeBomb and
  Tinker.
  Operative views - What you, the Operatives,
  have to say for yourself.
  We'd like to say we always agree with the
  views and opinions expressed within our jolly
  fine publication, but we can't. Similarly, we'd
  like to take responsibility for things that happen
  as a result of what's contained within said
  thingy. But we can't. This is an unofficial
  fanzine, produced without the consent or
  support of anyone 'officially' involved with
  Jageeda or Nightfall. We have no affiliation to
  either Jageeda or the girls and boys of
  Nightfall, apart from the fact that we support
  their efforts in helping to keep SLA Industries
  alive.
  All SLA Industries trademarks and copyrights
  are used without permission, and such use
  should not imply endorsement by them. We
  know we are risking a visit from Cloak, but that
  should tell you of our dedication and
  commitment (I'm going to hurl....)
  As we've already said, we have nothing to do
  with Jageeda or Nightfall, and we can only
  acknowledge their copyright of the stuff we
  tinker with, and hope they don't send the boys
  round...
  We are always happy when people write to us,
  and people who send us artwork often cause us
  to go in to seizure with delight.
  We support SLA Industries and hope you do
  too. Buying tHE bIG pICTURE will help us
  to carry the good fight in to the future. Enough
  already. Just buy the fucking thing. All cheques
  for stuff from us should be made payable to M.
  Bantleman, NOT Chocolate Frog Enterprises.
  Aenima: Tool. Music to 'progress' to.
  The Big Picture is published by:
  Chocolate Frog Enterprises
  7 Jubilee Close
  Byfield
  Northants
  NN11  6UZ    UK.
  Unless specifically credited to an author, all
  material in The Big Picture is written by Max
  Bantleman.
  B a c k   C o v e r
  Progress survives.
  Because of, and in spite of you.
  Believe in SLA Industries.
  Go with the flow.
  They own and control it all.
  Mr. Slayer is SLA Industries.
  He will not let us down.
  2 0 0 1 – P D F   C o n v e r s i o n
  The eighth issue of tHE bIG pICTURE was the
  first issue to contain no stolen artwork, thanks
  to a front and back cover from Heath Marks,
  big shouts must go to him.
  The farce was ongoing with Jageeda, who were
  jerking everyone around regarding the future of
  SLA Industries.
  Max Bantleman, 2001.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  I N T R O D U C T I O N
  Issue eight?
  I'm impressed. Shame it's happening on a
  quarterly basis, but there you go.
  The Big Picture costs three pounds (£3) direct
  from us (inc. p&p), and is also available
  through numerous shops. Please pay by Postal
  Order, or cheque, all stuff payable to M.
  Bantleman. Eye thyank yew.
  Quite a lot seems to be happening to the World
  of Progress, not all of it good. There is much
  discussion as to the nature of SLA Industries in
  the real world, speculation that Jageeda do not
  seem that keen to clear up; maybe they don't
  know what's happening either.
  The drive behind a lot of peoples argument is;
  woe to the world! If Jageeda do not publish
  support material quickly SLA will die.
  What a load of bollox.
  SLA Industries is, and always has been, kept
  alive by the people who run and play it. Once
  the original rule book was published, the game
  acquired a life of it's own.
  There is no 'right' or 'wrong' way for the World
  of Progress to develop, only different ways. I
  do not expect my own campaign to develop in
  line with 'official' releases, and you should not
  expect yours to either. No sane GM changes his
  world to fit every change printed in every
  'official' release, you use what you like and
  dump the rest.
  Of course I would like the original design team
  to share more of their ideas with me. I would
  like some new stuff to juggle with, but I, like
  99% of all GM's I know, am quite capable of
  expanding my game world on my own.
  So. (As Sarah would say)
  (Less of your cheek young man)
  What we as GM's have to do is make a
  fundamental decision. Is SLA Industries worth
  playing. If it is, if we like it enough to keep
  running games, we will take a much more
  relaxed attitude towards Jageeda. They will, in
  their own time, produce stuff for SLA, but in
  the meantime, we are on our own. Big deal.
  Happened before, happen again.
  (Very philosophical....)
  Anyway, let's get on shall we.
  This E-Mail thing is turning out to be trickier
  than I thought:
  max@bantleman.demon.co.uk
  Drop me a line and I'll do me best to respond.
  Don't forget we have a Shaktar Sourcebook and
  a Wraith Raider Sourcebook available, £5 each
  (inc. p&p) direct from us.
  Projects on the horizon; BPN Directory,
  Frother 
  Sourcebook, 
  Ebon 
  Sourcebook
  (anything else you want.... )
  It's probably worth mentioning the fact that all
  back issues are available at £3 each (inc p&p),
  and will be for the foreseeable future.
  Hopefully we will be producing (when I say
  'we', I mean Sarah) a book of background for
  DarkNight and the Thresher, including many
  BPN's. Following this will be our own version
  of the 'contract directory', detailing BPN's and
  sponsors (or did I mention this already).
  Nobody likes to flog a dead horse, and
  sometimes enthusiasm is hard to muster. So, if
  you read The Big Picture and like it, please take
  the time to write to us. If you don't like it, write
  as well, tell us what you want from SLA and
  how you think we can help.
  Let's get some lists together.
  Music, films, books and other sources from
  which to gain atmosphere for SLA Industries.
  Anyone out there with a comprehensive list of
  shows and 'cons that I could put together,
  maybe SLA devotees could start meeting on a
  semi-regular basis, stinks of organisation but
  there you go.
  (Anyone got any Heresy cards to trade?)
  (nO quArTEr)
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  W O R L D   O F
  P R O G R E S S
  The World of Progress (WoP) is the universe
  within which SLA Industries exists.
  Exactly how this state of affairs came to arise,
  is up to each individual GM to decide. The
  rule-book starts us off quite nicely, but then
  (nicely) leaves it to us to get on and  develop it.
  Since the end of the Conflict Wars, some 900
  years ago, SLA Industries has gone from
  strength to strength, until they have reached the
  position of complete domination that they
  occupy today. So what does that leave for the
  rest of the galaxy? What sort of state is the
  universe actually in?
  There are several ways to approach the
  universal nature of the WoP, these are some of
  them:
  1) Ignore it.
  3) Categorise it.
  4) Create it in mind numbing detail.
  I g n o r i n g   I t
  So? The WoP spans the galaxies and
  encompasses the whole known universe. So
  what? Your players are only going to be
  working on Mort, or on the one or two moons
  that occupy the nearby space, so let the rest of
  the universe go take a walk. You can give the
  players information and rumour about the
  worlds beyond the stars, perhaps stressing how
  it's all just "Mort in a different place".
  Mort is huge. No bigger than that, I mean really
  big. Whether you play it as a planet that has
  been built over so there is nothing left of the
  natural surface, or whether you take on the
  ideas from the Mort sourcebook, Mort works
  out to be one big mother of a place. As a GM
  you can run hundreds of BPN's on Mort before
  you run out of ideas, themes, settings, beasts,
  intrigue, etc..
  And this is where SLA is based right? So is
  there any real need to go anywhere else?
  This approach works better than you may at
  first imagine. Most players do not care if the
  BPN is set on Mort, New Paris or White Earth
  (just kidding with that last one....), as long as
  they are having a good time with their
  characters; maybe digging up some of the truth,
  they will buy in to Mort in a big way.
  And remember, SLA has made sure that most
  of the universe has come to Mort. If it exists in
  known space, you can probably buy it (or steal
  it) on Mort. SLA wants it's most loyal
  employees to have the best.
  So; effectively Mort becomes the WoP.
  Advantages of this include manageability and
  resource material. The small amount of 'official'
  material produced so far, deals mostly with
  Mort, so digging up background should not be
  too hard.
  All SLA Depts. are well represented over Mort,
  giving access to a huge number of BPN's.
  And of course Mr. Slayer and his most trusted
  associates are usually based on Mort, so if you
  want to move your games in to the 'power'
  sphere of NPC's, Mort is just the place to do it
  C a t e g o r i s i n g   T h i n g s
  Stereo-typing, pigeon holing, labeling, making
  things recognisable by their function or name.
  This basically means that you develop
  'templates' for the differing worlds and areas of
  the universe. The classification of worlds helps,
  War Worlds, Resource Worlds, etc. Developing
  one of each type, in close up detail, will allow
  you to run any type of world simply by making
  minor changes.
  The obvious exceptions to this will be
  Homeworlds.
  We have produced background books for the
  Shaktar and Wraith Raider Homeworlds (£5
  each), and will be producing stuff for Ebons
  and Frothers.
  But again, within each type, there will be a lot
  of similarity and consistence. Polo will be
  similar to any other Wraith Raider Homeworld
  by definition.
  The other world 'types' are hinted at in the main
  rule book and only take a minimal amount of
  work to flesh out. Developing a file of worlds,
  where they are, who runs them, what the
  geography is like, etc. usually does the trick.
  Categorising things may seem like cheating,
  like you are not devoting as much time and
  effort to each place as it may deserve.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  If you need to develop the world/place more for
  a particular session/BPN then you should go in
  to as much detail as is needed.
  Players can often help here, supplying their
  own ideas about what planets, cultures, flora
  and fauna should be found.
  It is a foolish GM who ignores his players
  completely, they have to live and work in
  Progress so they have a stake in developing it.
  M i n d   N u m b i n g   D e t a i l
  Only for the truly, desperately, terminally
  bored. This is for the GM who wants to give
  himself, rather than his players, something to
  do.
  It's not necessary and it should only be
  undertaken by those with the insane hope of
  publishing it. Of course, there's no guarantee it
  will be of any use to anyone. Too much detail
  alienates most GM's, leaving them no room to
  put their own 'stamp' on a campaign.
  P r o g r e s s ?
  There are so many aspects to the WoP that it
  would be impossible to address them all,
  different things are of differing importance to
  each GM.
  Space travel is a good example. Many GM's
  use the Foldship sparingly, taking Op's to
  exactly where they want to go, with no room
  for other modes of transport through space.
  Some GM's have developed space combat
  rules, both for ships and for Op's, while others
  find the idea of space combat ludicrous.
  And what about the technology of space travel?
  Is it all down to manipulation of Ebb, or is
  there room for STLT?
  Progress spans the galaxies. But what is in
  these galaxies? Anything of note?
  Did Slayer exterminate 90% of the population
  of the universe after the Conflict Wars? Is the
  universe a very sparsely populated place? Or
  are there millions of worlds yet to be conquered
  with the message of Progress?
  Only three alien races chosen to survive?
  Are we sure about that? If as a GM you want to
  introduce numerous other survivors, what's
  stopping you?
  So, Humans. They have survived and thrived,
  obviously at Slayers bequest. Why? And what
  stage of development are they at? Is technology
  rationed by SLA as strictly as information, or
  are humans relatively free to develop naturally?
  Have SLA wiped out disease in Progress? Do
  Humans lead relatively healthy lives, is this
  why SLA can keep so many of them poor and
  suppressed?
  What are Slayers plans for humans, and where
  do these plans push the idea of Progress itself?
  T e l e v i s i o n
  Television is everywhere. Forget Religion, TV
  is the Opium of the masses. Everyone watches
  TV.
  There are TV's at every waiting area in
  Progress, from playgrounds to bus shelters,
  airports to hospitals. The presence of TV is so
  overwhelming that it soon becomes part of the
  natural scenery, like rain.
  SLA Industries understands the power of TV,
  they know they can bring the world to the
  citizen who stays at home. 90% of SLA culture
  is geared towards TV presentation, taking it
  right in to the minds of the target audience.
  It has been suggested that TV's do not have
  on/off buttons, that only high level Operatives,
  those that can be trusted to 'think company' are
  allowed to not have a TV in their apartment.
  And of course TV has many subversive uses.
  Subliminal messaging, interface with implants
  in the audience, not to mention out-right lying
  and propaganda. DarkNight use TV through
  break-ins with Channel Resistance, they realise
  their best use is as pirates, as any permanent
  channel would be shut down by SLA within
  hours of opening up.
  Is the greatest use of computers through TV?
  Are 90% of TV's hooked up to the Mort
  information super-thingy? If they are, can net
  running be done through your TV? is virtual
  reality a place where you can escape the terrors
  of Mort, a place where SLA can soothe the
  minds of it's worried citizens?
  The exact nature of the shows on TV will
  depend upon your vision of Progress, but there
  will be dedicated channels for everything, as
  well as general channels that cover all aspects
  of Mort life. You can of course buy everything
  you need from the TV, there is no real need for
  the moderately well off to leave their homes.
  Operatives should be made acutely aware that
  they need to look good on TV, that they need to
  have good relations with all TV companies,
  especially Third Eye. Op's wont make it
  without TV exposure.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  A t m o s p h e r e
  The World of Progress will have an atmosphere
  unique to each GM, a flavour and feel
  individual to that GM's idea of SLA Industries.
  Most GM's use an extrapolation of our own
  future, mixed with visions of darkness brought
  on by the domination of SLA Industries. It is
  important to be comfortable with the over all
  feel of Progress.
  Letting players help create Progress can also
  broaden your horizons, introducing ideas you
  may not have thought of.
  Reading the rulebook through a couple of times
  will give you a clear idea of how Nightfall saw
  the WoP, and it will give you clues to it's future
  development, but ultimately, it is up to you. If
  you haven't already, buy Karma. It is excellent.
  The Mort Sourcebook is pants, but does give us
  a few more glimpses of what the original
  designers intended their WoP to be like.
  Please feel free to write to us with ideas for
  Progress.
  M I N D L E S S
  S L A U G H T E R
  Not for the squeamish this one.
  The idea is to run this scenario as a series of
  mini BPN / encounters in between other jobs.
  As the picture unfolds, the Op's will find
  themselves in a difficult position. They will
  have knowledge that could save thousands of
  lives, but at the expense of putting them on
  SLA's 'knows too much' list (ooh, harsh).
  The sheer scale and terror of the scenario
  demands you open it up slowly and carefully,
  revealing only as much as the Op's can handle
  in any one go. Not until the final chapter must
  they pull all the pieces together to form the
  'bigger picture'.
  We have used sector 688A, Downtown near the
  wall with Cannibal Sector Three. sector 688A
  is split in to upper and lower sections, with the
  lower being the most chaotic/dangerous.
  If you need to change details to fit your own
  map of Mort, go ahead, but it is important to
  keep the sector in two parts, one far more
  inaccessible than the other.
  This is quite a complex series of scenes, as
  usual we have left it to you to decide how /
  when to drop them in to your campaign.
  The information is split in to sections; Events &
  Background. Events are to be played out, while
  the Background gives you motivation and
  reason.
  To begin with there is an overall view of the
  scenario, detailed for GM's, it contains a lot of
  'up front' information and plot detail.
  If you want to play the scenario, do your GM a
  favour and don't read it.
  This scenario hints at 'truths' but leaves the
  decisions to the GM as to what really
  constitutes 'the truth'. It would not be hard to
  twist the plot to focus on something other than
  the DeathWake Device, maybe some Ebb
  Artifact.
  O v e r   V i e w
  Inter-departmental wrangling, as well as a
  growing schism between Senti and Mr. Slayer,
  have lead Senti to begin developing her own
  'Big Picture'.
  Intruder taught the art of Deathwake to Senti,
  who realised it's limitations in allowing her to
  only clone from those who also possessed
  Deathwake. The Kilneck, the only other
  possessors of the Deathwake knowledge aside
  from Senti, Intruder and Mr. Slayer, had long
  been taken from her grasp by Intruder.
  Senti constructed the DeathWake Device (with
  Mr. Slayers blessing) and used it to 'birth' the
  Stormers, who have 'spirit' of their own thanks
  to DeathWake. Without DeathWake, the
  Stormers would simply be machines, incapable
  of 
  developing 
  thoughts 
  of 
  their 
  own.
  DeathWake provides them with a spirit, and,
  some say, a soul.
  The DeathWake device is an Ebb artifact, and
  as such has a physical form. Having form
  makes it vulnerable, so the Device was placed
  in a protective housing; Digger.
  Time has passed and Digger has fulfilled his
  function, both as guardian of the DeathWake
  device, and as 'tender of it's fire'.
  But now, in 901SD, Senti has grown restless.
  DeathWake 
  offers 
  her 
  no 
  degree 
  of
  independence, no room to progress her own
  ideas of biogenetics. For many years now Senti
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  has been working on a 'successor' to
  DeathWake, and now it is ready.
  Senti has begun 'field trials', and the results are
  promising. The device, known as 'Reaper' has
  been given a guardian, as was DeathWake, and
  as with the DeathWake device, the guardian of
  Reaper is a terror to all who meet it: Exhorder.
  Like Digger, Exhorder is a Manchine, unlike
  Digger, it retains most of it's 'Human'
  memories; though it's work is just as grisly, it
  has the ability to reason, and so feels remorse,
  guilt and sadness at what it has to do. These
  emotions feed Reaper, allowing Senti to focus
  the device.
  But something has gone wrong.
  Exhorder has gone insane. The full horror of
  what it does has finally driven it over the edge.
  But worse than this, Senti cannot shut down
  Reaper.
  Exhorder roams sector 688A, looking for
  victims to fuel Reaper, but instead of targeting
  the 'rebirthing' of the stolen soul, Exhorder has
  no control over where the kidnapped avatar
  goes.
  Citizens of 688A, Carriens, War Criminals,
  even Operatives, have all been targeted by
  Reaper. Each subject has gone insane, ending
  their life in a psychotic killing spree,
  desperately 
  seeking 
  release 
  through 
  the
  destruction of their new found 'body'.
  The possessed roam the streets and walkways
  of 688A, looking for salvation.
  It could not be long before Mr. Slayer became
  aware of Reaper. Senti, in an attempt to salvage
  something from the situation, has pledged to
  trace and destroy Exhorder. But there are
  complications. DarkNight, Tempest and the
  Thresher have all become aware of Exhorder,
  and what it's function is.
  DarkNight wish to capture Exhorder, hoping
  they can use it to create their own Stormer
  variant.
  Thresher see Exhorder as irrelevant, they will
  destroy it if they get the chance, especially if
  they think this will annoy Senti or Slayer.
  Black Order see the potential for an ambush,
  using Exhorder as the bait.
  Tempest 
  want 
  to 
  capture, 
  then 
  expose
  Exhorder, using the media to bring SLA
  Industries' abomination to the attention of the
  public.
  Mr. Slayer sees a use for Exhorder, though he
  has revealed this to no one, and will keep the
  Manchine's part in his Big Picture a secret. If
  Exhorder survives both Senti's and the Soft
  Companies attempts to destroy it, Mr. Slayer
  will move in with Digger to capture the
  Manchine.
  Senti has decided to use Operatives to trace and
  destroy Exhorder, and this is where our story
  really begins....
  U n f o l d i n g   T h e   S c e n a r i o
  1) Serial Killer found dead.
  2) Citizen goes crazy attacking Shivers, Red
  issued.
  3) Suppressed reports of a Manchine sighting in
  sector 688A.
  4) DarkNight bring down part of the wall with
  Cannibal Sector three. Chaos ensues in 688A
  Lvl 3.
  5) Tempest drop one of the Op's a video tape of
  the Manchine in action, 'rebirthing' a citizen.
  6) Internal Affairs contact Op's, offer to forget
  Tempest contact in return for White BPN.
  7) White BPN.
  8) After White, SLA move in and a 'night of
  raining blood' ensues.
  9) Cloak visit Op contacted by Tempest, Op
  must either be chipped or terminated.
  1)
  M e t a l H e a d   I s   D e a d!
  E v e n t s
  3E: "You join us as we arrive on the scene of
  sector 688A's most talked about murder.
  MetalHead is dead. The notorious serial killer
  was found by Alex Doem, an unemployed
  technical assistant. Alex, where did you find
  the mangled corpse?"
  A: "Well Bob, I was just rummaging through
  some garbage, I'm outa work y'know? And
  there he was."
  3E: "Was he alive!?"
  A: "At first, yeah, but then he weren't. Know
  what I mean?"
  3E: "And his wounds? What were they like?"
  A: "I tell ya, I seen some, but these! Looks like
  he went through a shredder on a firing range.
  Cuts and holes, all inside out. A mess."
  3E: "I understand MetalHead actually spoke to
  you before he died?"
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  A: "Yeah. Like I was listening. I think he said
  something about being better off dead, and
  some shit about needing to die..."
  3E: "Thanks Alex. This is Bob Crier handing
  you back to Sandrine in the studio...."
  A: "Can I have my fifty unis now...."
  B a c k g r o u n d
  MetalHead was a War Veteran, back on Mort
  after a term on Cross. He lived in 688A, on
  level 3, Downtown, where he made the
  wastelands around the Wall his own. A fierce
  warrior, MetalHead has dispatched more than
  three Shiver squads and two squads of Slops.
  Occasionally MetalHead would creep in to the
  heavily populated 2nd level of 688A, where he
  would 'carry the fight to the enemy'.
  His death is viewed with special suspicion by
  SLA as no one has so far claimed credit for it.
  MetalHead will not be mourned by the citizens
  of 688A.
  On Cross, MetalHead's last known assignment
  was working for the Dept. Of Biogenetics,
  under a sub-company called Nexus2. Since 900
  SD Dept. Of Biogenetics has dissolved Nexus2,
  and all knowledge of them has been wiped
  from the records. Nexus2 were rumoured to be
  linked with Dark Lament.
  MetalHead has been killed by Exhorder, but not
  before MetalHead was 'rebirthed', apparently
  minutes before his death.
  DarkNight will eventually claim they killed
  MetalHead as a service to the citizens of 688A.
  2)
  S h i v e r s   U n d e r   A t t a c k
  E v e n t s
  "Operatives required to respond to Red.
  Immediate assistance called for. Grid ref;
  3356/12B - 590/Lv2-688A. Shiver ambush in
  progress, suspected Black Order involvement."
  SCL: 10
  Contact Department Of: Company Militia
  Training Package Rec: Any / Strike
  Colour Code: Red
  Summary: Black Order strike in progress.
  Shiver squad need immediate assistance.
  Coverage: Station Analysis
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 600c
  Payment: Per squad
  B a c k g r o u n d
  The Dept. of Company Militia have been
  authorised to issue a BPN in response to the
  next terrorist attack on a Shiver squad operating
  on their behalf in 688A. Obviously the Op's can
  only respond if they are fairly close to 688A,
  which of course I'm sure you can manage.
  A Shiver unit has been ambushed by a 'citizen'
  of 688A. Squad 190/D consists of 1 Sergeant
  and 8 Shivers, they have been ambushed while
  on Street Patrol. The sergeant is heavily
  wounded, three Shivers are dead and five
  wounded. Their assailant is not a Black Order
  terrorist but one Tim Eddings, a factory worker
  from 688A Lvl 2. Tim currently has the Shivers
  running around a disused warehouse on Level
  1.
  The warehouse is filled with toxic liquid waste,
  as well as being partially demolished.
  Tim is armed with a stolen Blitzer and a stolen
  Power Claymore, both of which he is showing
  a remarkable skill in.
  Tim stole the Blitzer and the Claymore from a
  Frother resident in his tenement block. The
  Frother has been strangled to death.
  Treat Tim as a Prop (Karma pp139), boost
  STR to 10, COOL to 11, make "close combat"
  skill Blade 2H.
  Tim is obviously possessed by a greater
  strength than is humanly possible. His
  numerous wounds from the shivers Gauss rifles
  do not slow him, and he constantly 'speaks in
  tongues'. The sight of Tim baring down on you
  has a Fear rating of 8.
  The shivers are currently playing 'hide and
  seek' with Tim, who seems to be winning this
  stupid game.
  It will be immediately apparent to any Op's
  with Tactics, that this would present an ideal
  opportunity for the notorious Black Order
  'beacon' tactic.
  Tim cannot be reasoned with. He seeks release.
  He will try to engage the biggest, meanest
  opponent in hand to hand.
  Tim will waste anyone he thinks is an unworthy
  opponent (i.e. capable of killing him) with the
  Blitzer, hence the high Shiver body count.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Before Tim is finished by the Operatives, he
  must be allowed to use his dying breath to warn
  the Op's:
  "Thank you. I would do the same for you. All I
  want is the peace I have been denied in death."
  Investigation in to the background of Tim
  Eddings will show that two weeks ago he
  reported a break-in at his apartment, where he
  described the perpetrator as a "huge mother of a
  man, more like a machine, you know, one of
  them Cyborgs from Channel 7's re-runs."
  Other than this, his life was completely
  'average' (whatever that is for a citizen of
  Upper Downtown).
  Tim has been 'visited' by Exhorder, who
  rebirthed him as the strangled Frother. It has
  taken Tim two weeks to go insane, maybe
  leaving tell tale signs with his deteriorating
  behaviour both in and out of work, perhaps
  using references or behaviour  specific to
  Frothers.
  Although the Operatives will not be warned off
  investigating Tim's background, they will be
  cold shouldered enough to make them
  suspicious.
  If they dig too deeply, the reward for the BPN
  will be withheld and a negative report filed
  from the Dept. of Company Militia.
  3)
  P l a u s i b l e   D e n i a b i l i t y
  E v e n t s
  The Op's get to see a report they shouldn't have
  anything to do with. They may go slightly out
  of their way to view the report or they may
  have it thrust upon them.
  After their seeing it, it will (of course)
  mysteriously disappear, and all knowledge of it
  will be denied by all at SLA.
  B a c k g r o u n d
  How you get the Op's to view the report is up to
  you, some suggestions;
  Have the report on screen at one of the Op's
  agents, or maybe on one of the terminals at an
  interview for a BPN. Maybe the report is
  posted to one of the Op's by mistake,
  downloading on their PC, then wiping itself out
  (as per it's security virus).
  If any of the Op's works closely with 3rd Eye,
  or one particular Dept., the report could be
  handed to them by a 'friend', or be left lying
  around at a briefing.
  If they show a definite resistance to getting
  hold of the report, have one of their 'street'
  contacts arrange to meet them with some
  'information', the contact will then hand them
  the report at the meeting, saying something
  like; "it must be worth something, it sure took
  some stealing...."
  SCL 4 ++ X File Notice In Force ++
  Classification : NTK (Family Only)
  From : Tasha Uol, Assistant Dept. Head, Black
  Op's, Biogenetics.
  To : Ms. C Brucken, Head of Dept.
  Misinformation.
  Subject : Manchine sightings in 688A.
  Read Only : "Ms. Brucken, I am responding to
  the recent reports from your office of sightings
  of a Mk IV roaming sector 688A, reportedly
  levels 3 and 4. I am able to offer the strongest
  assurances to your office that this Manchine
  has not been placed by us. We are as surprised
  as you to have received reports of it's activities.
  I have informed Head Office, and sent them a
  copy of this report. I hope we can work
  together to banish any doubts held by other
  departments as to our involvement in this
  matter.
  Yours truly,
  Tasha Uol."
  The other three pages of the report detail the
  specifications of a Mk IV, which are:
  M a r k   I V   M a n c h i n e
  "T h e   P r o p h e t e s s"
  Stats.
  Skills
  STR
  12
  Blade 1H
  9
  DEX
  15
  Running
  8
  DIA
  2
  Detect
  12
  CONC
  1
  Climb
  8
  CHA
  --
  Intimidation
  10
  COOL
  --
  Pistol
  8
  HITS
  32
  Club 1H
  6
  Height
  2.8M
  Club 2H
  6
  Weight
  850kg
  Blade 2H
  8
  Flexible
  Weapon
  10
  Swim
  6
  Torture
  9
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  E q u i p m e n t
  Four arms, One ending in Vibro Sabre, one
  ending in Chainaxe, two ending in claws (PEN
  2, DMG 3, AD 1).
  Armour: PV 8 each location, ID 24 each
  location.
  The Prophetess model is programmed with
  minimal Tactics and may also retreat to suit it's
  own 
  ends. 
  Target 
  selection 
  is 
  more
  discriminating than other Manchines, each
  Mark IV may be programmed with up to eighty
  preferential targets, listed in priority S&D
  order.
  Mk IV's regenerate one hit point in the third
  phase of each third turn, and two wounds every
  four turns.
  Prophetess have a provisional Fear rating of 10,
  though if you need to be told this, it may
  already be too late....
  The importance the Op's do/do not place on the
  report can be influenced by your handling of
  them receiving the report. Make them nervous
  by hinting at phone taps and followers
  immediately after them getting it, and of course
  the actual report must end up missing.
  4)
  D a r k N i g h t,   t o   t h e
  r e s c u e ?
  E v e n t s
  DarkNight have blown the wall near sector
  three, the inhabitants of the Cannibal Sector are
  set to swarm in to level 3 of 688A. All
  Operatives in area are called to respond.
  As they close in on sector three, the squad are
  given special instructions to seek and capture
  the DarkNight terrorists. The orders stress the
  need to confiscate ALL their equipment and
  quarantine it.
  SCL: 10
  Contact Department Of: Shiver organisation
  Training Package Rec: Any
  Colour Code: Red
  Summary: DarkNight have blown a section of
  the Wall with Cannibal Sector three. Immediate
  response required.
  Coverage: Third Eye
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 400c (plus
  Carrien 'bounty')
  Payment: Per squad
  The Op's will be given specific information
  regarding the DarkNight strike team, i.e.
  detailed description and last known position.
  They 
  should 
  have 
  a 
  fairly 
  easy 
  time
  (suspiciously?) finding the DarkNight dudes.
  As they wend their way to the location they
  have been given, they will be surrounded by
  Shivers and other Op's responding to the Red.
  The streets, walkways, tunnels and alleys are
  crawling with Carrien and panicking citizens.
  The air is filled with SCAF, APC's are
  everywhere, as are bodies and burning
  buildings. This is a major happening, with 3rd
  Eye all over the place.
  It will be extremely tempting for the Op's to
  just go with the flow and join the Carrien hunt.
  you may want to introduce a few Scavs at this
  point (Mort SB, pp 104), with all the rich
  pickings from the shivers and Op's, it may be
  worth their while putting in an appearance.
  B a c k g r o u n d
  DarkNight have been lucky enough to be in the
  wrong place at the right time.
  The strike team that planted then monitored the
  bomb caught some footage of Exhorder
  destroying a Carrien nest. They reported to
  their Cell head, who told them to get the
  footage back to him at once, this they are trying
  to do, unfortunately they are currently pinned
  down by a whole heap of raging Carrien, who
  have them and their lightly armoured van
  surrounded.
  Enter the Op's....
  Dilemma time. The Carrien (maybe they are
  Scavs) will obviously strip the DarkNight team
  of their equipment once they have finished with
  them. So, the Op's, on the face of it, have to go
  to the rescue of the DarkNight strike team.
  Obviously, the strike team will fight just as
  vigorously against the Op's as they will against
  the Carriens.
  But such are the joys of working for SLA
  Industries.
  You will obviously have to tailor the encounter
  to suit the strength of your Op's squad; number
  of Carrien/Scavs, any Mutants, number and
  training (weapons) of DarkNight strike team,
  etc.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  If the Op's get the DarkNight team and their
  equipment, they will be told to rendezvous with
  a Cloak team, who will terminate any
  DarkNight still alive, then take the vid-slugs
  from their cam corder, before leaving without
  so much as a by your leave.
  Now, whether the Op's viewed the tape in the
  cam corder before Cloak got there, is a
  different matter....
  Exhorder is seen annihilating a nest of
  approximately thirty Carriens, some of whom
  are seen to throw themselves on Exhorder's
  weapons.
  5)
  Y o u ' v e   B e e n   F r a m e d
  E v e n t s
  Tempest have decided to get the Op's involved
  in uncovering the existence of Exhorder.
  Tempest will deliver (anonymously) a copy of
  the video footage taken by DarkNight, as well
  as some of their own.
  The extra footage shows Exhorder slaughtering
  a SLA squad, then moving on to 'rebirth' one of
  the corpses, who rises from the dead, only to
  kill itself with it's own Blitzer.
  Later on the tape is a digitised woman
  delivering the report from Tasha Uol, with
  some back up footage showing Exhorder
  prowling the shadows of the upper levels of
  688A.
  B a c k g r o u n d
  At the end of the tape is a plea recorded by the
  local Tempest Head. She pleads with the Op's,
  asking them to consider the implications of the
  Reaper (mentioned for the first time) falling in
  to the hands of, say, DarkNight.
  As the tape comes to a close, the Tempest Head
  can be seen to panic, turn and fire in to the
  darkness, then the tape hisses to an end....
  Tempest are hoping to push the Op's in to
  asking some questions, which will draw the
  attention of Senti, hopefully forcing her to act
  and reveal her hand. Tempest do not care about
  the Op's and will try to eliminate them if they
  try to trace the tape back to it's source.
  6)
  I n t e r n a l   A f f a i r s
  E v e n t s
  Internal Affairs will contact the Op who
  received the tape from Tempest. They will
  bring with them official papers allowing them
  to arrest, or maybe even terminate, the Op.
  They want to make a deal.
  B a c k g r o u n d
  Internal Affairs want the Op's to take a White
  BPN to trace the Tempest cell that made the
  tape.
  Internal figure the Op's best approach is as
  double agents, going along with the Tempest
  plan to do some digging, in return for getting
  closer to the people at Tempest.
  A dangerous game to play.
  The Op's will be encouraged to go undercover
  if necessary.
  7)
  I n   T o   T h e   W h i t e
  E v e n t s
  The White BPN will be issued as a 'normal'
  BPN, with only one contact at Internal Affairs.
  The BPN will have a time life of one month,
  after which the Op's will be judged to have
  failed.
  The Op's have little choice but to accept the
  BPN. If they do refuse you must get Cloak to
  terminate them, or attempt to, possibly driving
  the Op's from the SLA fold for good.
  SCL: 10
  Contact Department Of: Internal Affairs
  Training Package Rec: Investigation / Any
  Colour Code: White
  Summary: Squad needed to infiltrate a Tempest
  cell, reporting direct to IA. Some undercover
  work may be necessary.
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 800c
  Payment: Per Operative
  B a c k g r o u n d
  The head of the Tempest cell that made the tape
  given to the Op's is one Rachel Mulder, she has
  survived numerous attempts to capture her and
  is more than willing to pay the ultimate price
  before she is taken alive.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Rachel's 
  cell 
  consists 
  of 
  herself, 
  three
  'operatives' and nine support staff. All cell
  members are deeply suspicious of strangers,
  and each will inform Rachel of any unusual
  happenings immediately.
  The cell, known as I20, is made up as follows:
  Rachel Mulder: Cell Head
  Mathew Ryan: Operative, streetfighter.
  Cyclon Farex: Operative, tactician.
  Lucinda Moor: Operative, sniper.
  Support Staff: 'Regular' citizens, holding down
  boring jobs, or unemployed.
  Each operative is responsible for three support
  staff, who only know them as a contact. Rachel
  cannot be contacted directly by support staff.
  Rahcel should have Human NPC stats. (Karma)
  modified as you see fit, the operatives should
  be Props or better, with support staff being at
  the level of DN Conscripts.
  Remember all Tempest operatives and above
  are fanatical, they will die rather than be
  captured by SLA.
  Support staff will put up a fight, but ultimately
  are not as dedicated as those above them.
  Infiltrating I20 can be as hard or as suspiciously
  easy as you want. If the Op's go around
  snooping in to the reports of a Manchine in
  688A, maybe asking questions on the street,
  I20 will come to them, maybe in an attempt to
  take them out, but more likely, Rachel will try
  to meet them on a 1-1 basis, talking to the
  leader in a 'safe' place.
  If Rachel can be convinced that the Op's really
  are interested in shutting down Exhorder and
  Reaper, she may offer some invaluable
  assistance. Really good role playing here, as
  well as use of skills, remember Rachel is a
  survivor.
  The Op's must make their choice: set up Rachel
  and Tempest, or use the information they get
  from Tempest to shut down Exhorder and
  Reaper. It is up to the Op's to determine their
  own fate here, don't be afraid to let them hang
  themselves. On the other paw, don't be afraid to
  let them concoct elaborate, cunning schemes to
  allow them to do both what is 'right' and what is
  'expected' of them.
  Needless to say, if they betray Tempest, they
  will be marked for a hit. If they betray Internal
  Affairs, is there really anywhere they can hide?
  8)
  R a i n i n g   B l o o d
  E v e n t s
  A Necanthrope union move in to 688A with
  orders to terminate anyone suspected of having
  any knowledge about Exhorder, and to
  concentrate on causing maximum terror as an
  example of SLA Industries' power.
  688A will become a battleground and cemetery
  for hundreds, maybe thousands of people, some
  'guilty' but most just plain unlucky.
  Exhorder will be drawn to the Necanthropes by
  the awesome amount of flux being used.
  All of the Soft Companies will rally and try to
  stop both the Necanthropes and the masses of
  Shivers brought in to clean up after them.
  Several squads of Op's will be dragged in via
  Reds.
  688A will quickly come to resemble a War
  World.
  B a c k g r o u n d
  Mr. Slayer wants to put a stop to Reaper. He is
  going to shut down both Exhorder, the project
  that spawned it and wipe out all those who he
  suspects have any inkling in to the 'truth' of
  what Reaper represents.
  There is to be no mercy shown, all of Mort
  must sit up and take notice. A simple message
  will be sent to all those who think they can
  challenge Mr. Slayers absolute control of his
  Big Picture.
  If the Necanthrope Union are seriously in
  danger of being taken down, either by a Soft
  Company or Exhorder, Intruder will show up.
  From there things will get just plain messy.
  As a last ditch attempt to save face, Senti may
  send in some elite Stormer troops from her
  personal guard, to track down and utterly
  destroy Reaper.
  The Op's may get wind of Raining Blood just
  before it strikes, or they may be in 688A
  conducting the final business in their White.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  If they want to warn any friends, they must be
  very careful, Internal already suspect their
  loyalty.
  If they get caught in the operation as
  Operatives, they will be expected to help
  eradicate any and all 'traitors'.
  This may well cause them to question their
  orders and expected behaviour.
  If Head office say an apartment block is to be
  wiped out; they mean it. They have their
  reasons and the Op's will not be expected to
  question them.
  Raining Blood will last all night. The
  Necanthropes will join forces to bring down a
  storm of Red Rain towards the end of the
  operation, laying waste to any that fall under
  it's doom laden clouds.
  9)
  C l o a k   D i v i s i o n
  E v e n t s
  After raining Blood, Cloak will pay a visit to
  the Op approached by Tempest. They will
  require him/her to be chipped or terminated, the
  Op has the choice.
  B a c k g r o u n d
  Obviously how Cloak approach the Op's is
  dependent upon how they faired in Raining
  Blood and how successful they were with
  Tempest.
  Once chipped, Cloak will take the squad under
  their wing, selecting the next BPN for them,
  possibly even sending them off-world for a
  while, maybe to a War World or a Resource
  World.
  If the Op's have turned on SLA, they will be
  hunted by Cloak. After some weeks, if they are
  still alive, they will be contacted by Tempest
  and asked to join their ranks.
  C o n c l u s i o n
  How you view the 'truth' and how you want to
  present it to your players will obviously form
  the basis of how you run the scenario.
  The idea is to make your players question the
  motives and wisdom of SLA Industries,
  something they may not have done up to now.
  N E V E R   M I N D   T H E
  P I G
  N Y ’ Q U I Y   (D e a t h – S l e e p e r s)
  Ny'Quiy (pronounced - N-i-kwee) are believed
  to 
  originate 
  from 
  Kn'nth, 
  the 
  Shaktar
  Homeworld. Brought to Mort in 600 SD., these
  beasts were subsequently wiped out on Kn'nth
  by an unexplained virus.
  Ny'Quiy strongly resemble giant starfish, their
  five limbed bodies grow up to three meters in
  diameter. The centre of the body, on the
  'topside' has a rough, bark like texture,
  seemingly impervious to chemical or fire, that
  can stand all but the toughest of attacks. The
  'underside' is ridged and muscled, being
  covered in millions of tiny hooks and suckers.
  In the centre of the body on the underside is the
  mouth, a fearful muscle capable of opening to
  the full width of the central body section. It is
  filled with two ridges of razor sharp bone,
  which oscillate at high speed to cut prey in to
  manageable pieces.
  Ny'Quiy are usually grey or black, though
  stories tell of other colours back on Kn'nth.
  Stats.
  Min.
  Max.
  Norm.
  STR
  5
  15
  8
  DEX
  5
  10
  7
  DIA
  0
  1
  0
  CONC
  0
  1
  0
  HITS
  6
  22
  13
  Weight
  50kg
  400kg 200kg
  ‘Span’
  1.5M
  4M
  2.5M
  Weapon
  PEN
  DMG
  AD
  Bite
  4
  3
  2
  Crush
  0
  4
  1
  SKILLS
  Rank
  Detect
  8
  Hide
  7
  Run
  5
  Climb
  8
  Swim
  10
  Unarmed (Bite)
  8
  Unarmed (Crush)
  6
  Ny'Quiy inject through their bite a poison that
  paralyses and puts the target to sleep. Resist
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  using PHYS as a skill with difficulty rating
  based on Ny'Quiy's size, suggest 1-6. Failure
  means victim is paralysed in (PHYS - Poison
  Str) in rounds.
  If a crush is achieved, by the Ny'Quiy rolling a
  successful attack on natural 20, constriction
  applies next turn, with maximum damage being
  automatically applied.
  N e a t   T r i c k
  Ny'Quiy can 'run' by flipping themselves on to
  their sides and 'cart-wheeling' along at
  surprising speeds. This will only be done in an
  emergency, to avoid death or capture an already
  weakened prey.
  Usually Ny'Quiy simply lurk in sewer pools or
  drop from tunnel ceilings. They are equally at
  home in water or out. They are highly immune
  to toxins, cold and heat.
  M A A R O L
  Maarol are not native to Mort, though where
  they come from has never been established.
  The Soft Company NightShift would have you
  believe they are from the area of space around
  White Earth.
  Maarol resemble small Alligators, though they
  have but two 'toes' on each foot, and their tails
  are long and sinuous like those of rats.
  Maarol are biogenetically engineered to take
  one of three shapes, moving from one to the
  other with unholy speed, the form mentioned
  above (Sh.1) is the most common.
  Stats.
  Sh.1
  Sh.2
  Sh.3
  STR
  8
  10
  4
  DEX
  5
  10
  6
  DIA
  1
  0
  1
  CONC
  0
  0
  1
  HITS
  6
  22
  13
  Weight
  20kg – 100kg
  Length /
  Diameter
  1M – 2M
  Weapon
  PEN
  DMG
  AD
  Bite
  2
  4
  1
  Flail
  1
  3
  2
  SKILLS
  Rank
  Detect
  6
  Hide
  5
  Swim
  8
  Unarmed (Bite)
  7
  Unarmed (Flail)
  7
  Jump
  8
  Maarol may take any one of three shapes,
  moving from one to another in two turns. Sh.1
  is the shape described, it is in this shape that the
  Maarol stalks the darkness of Mort, looking for
  prey. Once it attacks, it may choose to take on
  Sh.2, in this form the Maarol resembles a huge
  ball of thousands of thrashing tentacles, this is
  the 'Flail' attack. It locks on with it's jaws, and
  thrashes at it's prey. Sh.3 is the form of a
  sinuous snake, with the jaws and teeth at one
  end, in this form the Maarol may devour a
  fallen prey, or entwine to constrict prey. It also
  assumes Sh.3 in order to escape from danger.
  Maarol are omnivores that need to consume
  their own body weight in food once a day.
  They breed as per reptiles and lay one or two
  eggs.
  M a a r o l   B a c k g r o u n d
  The Maarol were once a sentient race of
  reptilian humanoids, much like the theorised
  Saurians of the pre-conflict wars 'old world'.
  They have been mutated and misshapen by a
  mysterious race of dread aliens that inhabit the
  area of space around White Earth.
  Nearly every SLA Dept. has at least one BPN
  running for the capture of live Maarol.
  Unfortunately, Maarol have a tendency to 'fight
  to the death' if cornered or captured. They
  frenzy easily and are immune to almost every
  known toxin and 'sleep agent' concocted by
  Karma.
  Dark Lament are known to be experimenting
  with Maarol, SCL 4 and above know it is
  without the knowledge or permission of Head
  Office.
  Maarol inspire the closest thing to 'natural fear'
  in Stormers. At least one 313 'suicide' has been
  reported on contact with a Maarol.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  H A N G I N G   A R O U N D
  What do Operatives do between BPN's? Where
  do they meet? How do they let their hair down?
  There's got to be more than The Pit, right?
  We have given some details of places that exist
  in our World of Progress, listing them by
  facility and then position in Mort. These have
  been the sorts of places that Op's have chosen
  to hang out and meet, some of the stranger
  ones, like mortuaries ("you can learn a lot from
  the comings and goings in a morgue....") we
  have left for you to figure out.
  B a r s
  Mort is not as full of Bars as you might think,
  with most citizens choosing to stay in the
  relative safety of their homes to drink and
  watch TV.
  Name: The NightFlower
  Established: 600 SD.
  Situated: Uptown
  Reputation: Credit check before entering,
  expensive and exclusive.
  Owned / run by: Owned by Dept. Recreation
  (not common knowledge), run by Bartholomew
  Nurdin.
  Description: Three story pyramid, the top bar
  revolves. Table service, no actual 'bar',
  customers are assigned a personal assistant for
  the evening, who watches over them, no more
  than three customers to one assistant. Tables
  are supplied with drop down TV and full
  audio/entertainment facilities. The NightFlower
  occasionally hires entertainment, often at
  specific request of booking group. Luxury
  furniture and fittings, weapons are forbidden, as
  is 'work wear', i.e. armour. The NightFlower is
  for the chic and the image conscious.
  Ridiculous prices keep out the lower echelons
  of society; example: Drink 8c, Cocktail 14c,
  'snack' 20c. Bartholomew is rarely seen with
  anyone less than SCL 5, and he snubs anyone
  below SCL 7. The NightFlower is a straight
  laced, exclusive, expensive business, that has
  full Departmental backing. Often used for
  business meetings and for Op's who are out to
  impress.
  BPN / game ideas: Kidnap attempt could be
  made on one of the patrons. Maybe one of the
  Op's 
  witnesses 
  something 
  that 
  would
  compromise The NightFlower. As a BPN,
  maybe the Op's are asked to provide security
  for an event or after a threat from a softie.
  Name: Hunters
  Established: 801 SD.
  Situated: Suburbia
  Reputation: Cool place to be seen, Op's feel
  comfortable.
  Owned / run by: Owned and run by Gail Sweet.
  Description: Hunters is built on the end of an
  eight story tenement block in sector 211, it has
  three floors, each of which has two very large
  bars. You may choose to drink in a bar, or have
  a table assigned. Large vid screens are scattered
  around each floor, and there are numerous
  games machines readily available. Solid,
  reliable, simple furniture and fittings, reflecting
  a practical theme, all done with taste and
  comfort in mind.
  BPN / game ideas: May be a Yellow to retrieve
  some chips from some of the more exotic
  'recreational' machines, or a White to find out
  who is funding Hunters. Once DarkNight
  realise it is a well worn Op's hang out, they
  may either try to infiltrate it by placing staff
  there, which may lead to a Cloak/Internal
  counter-insurgency BPN, or they may try to
  blow it up at peak time, leading to a Red. Black
  Order may use Hunters to run a 'beacon'
  ambush, and with so many Op's already in
  attendance, things are bound to go wrong,
  right.... ?
  Name: BlackJacks
  Established: 890 SD.
  Situated: Upper Downtown
  Reputation: Sleazy, dangerous, dirty, nasty
  place. Op's generally avoid.
  Owned / run by: BlackJack Johnson.
  Description: BlackJack is an ex-Operative,
  'retired' under suspicious circumstances after a
  Third Eye expose. The bar is situated in sector
  1250, Upper Downtown, about two levels
  (fifteen blocks) from the demilitarised zone of
  Lower Downtown. In sector 1250 property is
  cheap, no one wants to live here and SLA have
  no immediate 'development' plans. BlackJacks
  sprawls over five floors of a converted factory.
  It has retained the concrete and steel inner
  walls, as well as much of the 'industrial'
  fittings, giving it a hard, cold feel. Numerous
  makeshift fire places cast a sickly orange glow
  over everything, and the six bars are always
  dirty and crowded. There are no external
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  windows. Music and TV’s are kept low,
  allowing a certain 'atmosphere' to develop, no
  one shouts and conversation can seem
  intrusive. people come here to get out of their
  heads, there is an abundance of soft company
  drugs and alcohol, as well as the 'legal' SLA
  stuff.
  BPN / game ideas: Where do ya wanna start!
  Loads of soft company activity, local gangs
  using it as a gathering place, maybe even one of
  the 'big three' using it on a regular basis. Whites
  abound. Yellows more tricky, as nothing short
  of a full scale raid would probably work.
  Maybe throw a curve ball Silver, some sort of
  Third Eye feature requiring Op's support.
  Maybe BlackJack can be introduced as a agent
  for one of the players, feeding them with
  BPN's....
  R e s t a u r a n t s
  Restaurants cater for a huge variety of taste and
  expense. Eating is a full time occupation on
  Mort, and many Op's, especially non-humans,
  spend much of their spare time seeking out
  food that satisfies their peculiar tastes. We have
  listed two 'straight' restaurants and one
  specialty.
  Mention must be made of the millions of street
  side vendors, selling every type of food
  conceivable, working from wagons, stalls,
  wheel barrows or make-shift tents.
  Name: Taste
  Established: 790 SD.
  Situated: Central
  Reputation: Very 'formal' dining, expensive and
  Head Office sanctioned
  Owned / run by: SLA Sub-Department, sprung
  from Dept. of Recreation.
  Description: Taste is a very formal, 'old world'
  style restaurant, having the reputation of being
  for SLA top dogs.
  Taste stands well within Central sector 58,
  being isolated by it's surrounding garden and
  lake. The restaurant itself is cylindrical, nine
  stories high, with a revolving top floor. There is
  a magnificent roof garden, reserved for 'official'
  clients only.
  Each floor has a different theme and style,
  serving dedicated dishes from a single kitchen.
  Discrete, 
  efficient 
  service, 
  coupled 
  with
  fabulously prepared food, go to give Taste a
  reputation as the 'best' restaurant in Central. It
  is frequented by many high level SLA
  personnel, and Intruder has been seen here on
  more than one occasion (ordering spaghetti).
  BPN / game ideas: A chance to be a bit tricksy
  here. Anything would have to be sanctioned by
  Dept. of Recreation or authorised by Head
  Office. Investigations would have to be very,
  very low key, and straight out raids would be
  out of the question. Maybe the Dept of
  Recreation has some serious enemies in other
  SLA Depts. Internal squabbling could drag the
  Op's in to the world of power politics, getting
  them in way over their heads. Simply visiting
  Taste 'off duty' gets you noticed, how can you
  afford it?
  Name: MinuteMan
  Established: 870 SD.
  Situated: Suburbia
  Reputation: Fast food, lots of it, reasonable
  price, non-humans not welcome.
  Owned / run by: Churell Brothers, Marty and
  Duncan.
  Description: MinuteMan is spread over one
  huge floor in sector 280. It sits below a massive
  shopping mall, occupying approximately one
  hundred thousand square meters. There is a
  central food 'bar' which splits the restaurant in
  half, with one area dedicated to kitchens and
  storage, and the other filled with rather
  uncomfortable tables and chairs. MinuteMan is
  designed to get you in and out within twenty
  minutes, and all orders come with a two minute
  penalty, if their not ready in two minutes, you
  get them for nothing.
  All the 'classic' fast food types are served, from
  pizzas to kebabs, the favourite being the
  burgers and ribs.
  MinuteMan has the feel of a very busy
  transport terminal, with people flying about
  trying to complete their business as quickly as
  possible. MinuteMan is a twenty four-seven
  operation. They are always seeking new staff.
  BPN / game ideas: Minuteman have a
  dispensation from the Dept. of Environment,
  allowing them to 'positively' discriminate
  against Stormers and Shaktar, though in
  practice this is generally ignored. The Churrell
  Brothers will take anyone's money. A White
  may be initiated to find out why the
  dispensation was issued, other Depts. that have
  been refused permission to discriminate may be
  a bit annoyed. If there were a serious outbreak
  of food poisoning, maybe from DarkNight,
  Op's would be called in, or if MinuteMan were
  shut down by a DN strike, Op's would have to
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  respond fast, or the complaints would swamp
  Head Office.
  Yellows may be put out by other Depts. to
  'retrieve' some of the MinuteMan stock, which
  may have been 'hi-jacked' from it's proper
  destination. 
  Do 
  the 
  Churrell 
  Brothers
  discriminate against Ebons? If so, on what
  grounds and with whose authority? Do Karma
  use MinuteMan to secretly test drugs on
  unsuspecting subjects?
  Name: The Wheel
  Established: 805 SD.
  Situated: Suburbia/Uptown border
  Reputation: Wraith Raider, Shaktar, Ebon
  specialty food shack.
  Owned / run by: Rachel K'rnQly.
  Description: The Wheel is shaped as it is
  named, and is covered with a sealed dome
  allowing the maintenance of three separate
  environments within the restaurant. The Wheel
  is reached by crossing one of three huge
  bridges which span an artificial 'mote' filled
  with running water.
  Each 
  section 
  is 
  kept 
  separate, 
  though
  movement from one area to another is possible.
  The Shaktar area is decorated like a Hone
  World elders hall, complete with seven fires
  and trees growing around the walls. The Wraith
  Raider area is kept chilled to just above
  freezing and has little or no discernible
  furniture, it is broken up in to 'runs' where live
  prey may be released, it is always windy and
  other races find it impossible to eat here
  without the aid of a thermal suit.
  The Ebon restaurant, known as 'Stillness',
  attracts a few non Ebb users, but absolutely no
  Wasters.
  Food is shipped from Home Worlds or is
  produced by chefs of the same race, therefore it
  is very expensive.
  Anyone is welcome in The Wheel, as long as
  they pay their way and do not upset the overall
  calm of the place. It is not uncommon to see a
  Stormer and an Ebon sharing a meal, it is one
  of the few 'outside' restaurants where all races
  feel comfortable.
  BPN / game ideas: The Wheel has a complex
  arrangement with a number of SLA Depts.
  allowing it to gather permits for food storage,
  discriminatory advertising, etc. Any number of
  Whites may be issued to check they still meet
  the standards for these permits. A Blue may be
  called for to clean the 'moat', maybe clear out
  the supplying pipes and drains.
  Rachel K'rnQly wears a Shaktar braid of
  Friendship, maybe there is concern from one of
  the SLA Depts. that her loyalties lie too closely
  with a Shaktar family.
  Silver may be issued to film some sort of
  'integration' special by Third Eye, showing all
  races living in harmony, but are they?
  There will have to be a certain amount of PR
  work before each race agrees to the filming,
  and once any of the soft co.'s get wind of it,
  they may find it irresistible.
  Obvious room for Jade, either for tracking or
  subversion.
  C l u b s
  Clubs offer a mixture of services, sometimes
  being nothing more than exclusive bars, where
  membership may or may not be required. Often
  they offer a particularly unique form of
  entertainment or service.
  Clubs should be developed to suit your own
  particular tastes, but some questions need to be
  addressed:
  1) Admission criteria
  2) Costs
  3) Rules
  1) Admission Criteria vary from club to club,
  always aiming to discriminate against those not
  wanted, be they poor, alien, non-gender, racial,
  whatever. Most SLA Depts. can sort out
  immunity from equality laws and suspend some
  of 
  the 
  regulations, 
  allowing 
  'positive
  discrimination'. Example: Fritz The Cats Jazz
  Club. Situated in sector 489, the Jazz Club was
  founded over a hundred years ago, and has a
  current membership of three hundred. The club
  stages shows with live acts, as well as featuring
  vid-links and old news/concert footage. Fritz
  has a strict 'Humans Only' policy, which it has
  cleared with the Dept. Environment. The club
  pays a small annual fee to have it's
  entertainment license renewed, which also
  validates it's exclusion policy.
  Jazz just seems to annoy Stormers, Shaktars
  and Wasters, Wraith Raiders find it irrelevant,
  so there have been few complaints.
  2) Costs are used to vet membership as well as
  to ensure the club makes money. Anything
  from 20c to 200c per year may be charged for
  membership, depending on the club and the
  type of customer they want to attract. Most
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  clubs want Operatives as members, it gives
  them a certain amount of both credibility and
  safety.
  Costs can (like everything) be deducted direct
  from an Op's income, but they may not want
  Head Office knowing which clubs they belong
  to.
  3) Rules are applied as another form of
  discrimination as well as making sure the club
  thrives and survives. Included in the vast
  majority of clubs rulings, is the 'no heavy
  weapons' clause. Some clubs take this further,
  allowing only blades, rare indeed is the club
  with a total ban on weapons.
  For the most part rules allow the management
  to 
  disown 
  any 
  members 
  who 
  become
  troublesome (or when they feel like it).
  BPN / game ideas: Clubs need to be treated
  with care due to the nature or 'membership'.
  Op's should be made aware that clubs have
  members who may well be more powerful than
  them, both within the sealed environment of the
  club and the wider world of SLA. Ticking off
  fellow members may be alright in a Downtown
  drinking den with nefarious entertainment, but
  the same cannot be said of any exclusive
  Uptown club, regardless of the strict 'legality'
  of the operations within.
  BPN's will be issued with complete disregard
  for the social standing of the members of a club
  (not). Probably the most common will be Reds,
  as soft co.'s just love to disrupt the downtime of
  Op's.
  S p o r t s   V e n u e s
  Sports venues provide great meeting places,
  where Op's can meet each other as well as their
  contacts. Due to the very public nature of these
  places, most contacts will feel happy meeting
  here, figuring the Op's wont make any silly
  moves with so many witnesses.
  The nature of the venue depends on the sport,
  ranging from hundred thousand seater stadium
  to badly lit, run down club level venues, with
  little more than a shed and the sports ground.
  Of course, we are overlooking the fact that an
  Operative can simply visit one of these venues
  to offer support to their favourite team.
  What sort of sports are we talking about here?
  Well.
  Most of the 'futuristic' type sports from any one
  of a zillion films will do, comics too, such as
  Rollerball, Gladiators with spiky bits, football
  (not soccer mind you), gridiron, grav-ball,
  crystal maze type things. All very technical you
  know.
  The different sports will dictate the nature of
  the stadium, layout, access, etc.
  Crowds guarantee a strange kind of anonymity,
  but also present a unique kind of danger via the
  mob mentality. Any Op's stirring up trouble in
  a crowded place are always on the edge of
  starting a full scale riot.
  M a r k e t s   &   M a l l s
  The WoP is driven by business, by commerce,
  by the consumer. Companies take their goods
  in to the market place in a number of ways, one
  of the oldest and still one of the strongest, is via
  shops and stalls. The immediacy of shopping in
  a market or mall is the main attraction, you get
  to look at everything, compare differing prices
  and you don't have to wait before you can take
  it away. All these factors go to make markets
  and malls an ideal place to sell soft company
  goods and other 'contraband'.
  Malls vary from sector to sector, but each has a
  common thread running through it: it is an
  enclosed space within which the traders are
  monitored 
  and 
  competition 
  is 
  generally
  balanced by the mall's owners. Rents vary
  according to crowds and the number of similar
  businesses in the mall. All of the major chain
  stores are well represented in all malls. And it
  is in the larger of the malls that the greatest
  diversity of small businesses can be found,
  specialist suppliers and manufacturers who can
  feed off the crowds drawn by the major players.
  Op's will visit malls to shop, and will be drawn
  to them by the targets of BPN's, be they
  corporate or gang.
  How you populate malls is up to you. They can
  be bustling hives of well organised activity,
  with good clean shops and facilities, manned by
  efficient, business like assistants, or they can be
  totally chaotic, rambling mazes filled to
  bursting with jostling crowds, no apparent
  order to their layout or contents. The malls of
  Downtown may be semi-deserted places, eerily
  quiet in places, completely broken down floors
  falling through in to other levels, rats scurrying
  around, and littered with beggars and the
  homeless.
  Markets are generally only found in Suburbia
  or Downtown, they tend to be the haven of the
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  'dodgy dealer', all traders here have something
  to hide (or appear to).
  Soft company goods are openly available in
  many markets and Shivers tend to be tolerant,
  wary of starting crowd trouble. Markets are the
  haunt of thieves and Props, where gangs rule
  and your Streetwise will be your best weapon.
  BPN / game ideas: Mostly Yellows, maybe an
  odd Red or even Blue. Raids in conjunction
  with Shivers are popular, as is they old
  favourite 'seek and recover'. Jades will be run to
  recover Glyph Cards or maybe some piece of
  Dark Lament hardware.
  C u l t u r a l
  Museums, Art galleries, Theatres, etc. come
  under this heading. Obviously these will be
  limited to certain sectors of Mort, Libraries for
  instance, are concentrated in Uptown.
  Any cultural setting will be a chance for the
  Op's to meet and mingle with people eager to
  show off their social position and SLA
  'breeding'. All races will be expected to act with
  a certain amount of decorum in these places,
  and as most such places will either be directly
  sponsored, or actually run by a particular SLA
  department, they generally get the respect the
  demand.
  BPN / game ideas: Well, Whites obviously!
  Something may be stolen, or someone may be
  suspected of criminal activity and may need
  looking in to. As artists come and go in the
  public's affection, they may need protecting,
  from over zealous fans or bitter competitors.
  Museums 
  may 
  have 
  exhibits 
  stolen 
  or
  vandalised, or they may be threatened by a
  section of the community for putting on certain
  displays.
  Op's may well want to pursue a hobby in one of
  these establishments, they will make friends
  and enemies, they may be able to use contacts
  from these places to help in completely
  unrelated BPN's.
  The 'alien' races on Mort will have dedicated
  cultural buildings, either for their amusement or
  education, maybe even worship.
  Now I know we've only touched lightly upon
  the subject, but doesn't it make you want to get
  them out of the damn Pit!
  Developing these places will also help you
  define your 'map' of Mort, fixing sectors in the
  Op's minds with the venue as a reference.
  F I N D I N G   A   J O B :
  B P N ’ S
  Here's two for you. Spur of the moment stuff
  (or is it....?) with a Red, and much deeper,
  darker stuff issued as a Platinum.
  "Tell 'em I'm coming.... and Hell's coming with
  me!"
  SCL: 9
  Contact 
  Department 
  Of: 
  Recreation 
  &
  Entertainment
  Training Package Rec: Any / Strike
  Colour Code: Red
  Summary: 
  Tempest 
  strike 
  imminent.
  Operatives in area to respond immediately.
  Known hostage situation.
  Coverage: Third Eye
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 400c
  Payment: Per squad
  The Op's should either be contacted while they
  are mobile, maybe on their way to another job,
  maybe on their way back, or while they are
  'relaxing', i.e. chilling out at a club or
  something.
  How you get them the message of the BPN is
  left to you, once they do get it however, you
  must make them realise the urgency of the
  situation, maybe they get something like this....
  "Frank Weiss for Inter-com, coming to you live
  from the tenement block where Tempest
  terrorists have taken Ms. Judy Hicks hostage.
  The intrepid Third Eye anchorwoman was
  covering a story when she was allegedly shot,
  and dragged in to an apartment....."
  List the apartment as either one of the Op's, or
  one of their neighbours.
  Shivers have been alerted to respond, but you
  can bet they will not be in too much of a hurry
  to deal with a Tempest strike. They will almost
  certainly wait for Op's to take the call, then
  simply 
  act 
  as 
  back-up, 
  handing 
  all
  responsibility over to the gung-ho Op's.
  The scene around the apartment block is one of
  chaos. Tempest detonated a large bomb to get
  everyone's attention, killing upwards of twenty
  civilians, and damaging all property within a
  hundred meter radius. broken glass, burning
  vehicles, twisted plastic and steel litter the
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  street. Shivers are trying to channel everyone
  away from the area, trouble is most don't want
  to leave. The Fire Dept. has arrived and is
  starting to fight the larger fires, with Dispersal
  Shivers clearing their path.
  Third Eye are present, tipped off by their own
  anchorwoman, and by Tempest. This is a high
  profile deal.
  The Op's will be goaded by both the citizens of
  the area and the Third Eye crews at the scene;
  what are they going to do about this! Tempest
  have a hostage, a Third Eye Hostage!
  Once they arrive and start to review the
  situation, they will be tagged by at least one
  Third Eye cameraman, and once this happens,
  the Tempest operation will begin in earnest.
  Inside the building there are three Tempest
  operatives;
  Charlie Moondale, Sean Hiod and Catherine
  'cat' Friel.
  Charlie is a young kid, good with a rifle and
  very Streetwise. he will snipe at the Op's once
  the smoke is laid, and will try to escape if
  things get out of hand.
  Sean is a disenchanted DarkNight Op, who is
  over the edge on BozerkerTM, he is an
  unreasoning psychopath, who sees enemies all
  around him. He will kill as many people as he
  can once the smoke is set, he is willing to break
  cover, charging any who get in his way.
  Catherine (Cat) is the brains behind the strike,
  she is the most dangerous of the crew. Cat has
  the job of negotiating with any Op's that are
  sent to the scene, she decides when the smoke
  goes off, and she will ultimately decide when to
  detonate the big bomb hidden in a stolen Battle
  Taxi parked in front of the apartment block.
  Cat also has a special Blitzer, modified to fire
  ammo that administers the 'Release' drug
  refined by RedNun. She will target as many
  Stormers as she can before she decides to set
  off the bomb.
  Cat has taken Judy Hicks hostage. The Third
  Eye newswoman has been made to film the
  suicide of one 313 shot with Release, the
  footage has not been transmitted, but stored on
  disc in the camera.
  As the Op's enter the building, either in an
  attempt to storm the Tempest group, or as
  negotiators, they will encounter the remains of
  the first squad of Op's on the scene.
  Slumped at the bottom of the stairs is a fatally
  injured Wraith Raider, his life draining away
  through a massive chest wound. Herrarl will
  tell the Op's how many Tempest members there
  are, and what they are armed with, before she
  dies.
  A Frother and a Human lay cut to pieces at the
  lift entrance to the floor where Cat has holed
  up. Both have been killed with Vibro Discs and
  10mm, obviously a failed frontal assault.
  Strangest of all, opposite the door behind which
  Cat has Ms. Hicks hostage, is a Stormer sitting
  against the wall. His head has been blown off
  by his own Blitzer, which he still clutches in his
  left hand.
  Once there are at least two Op's on the same
  floor as Cat, she will give the signal for the
  smoke to be laid.
  Two canisters will be shot through the hallway
  windows, six will be fired into the street. Each
  canister is the equivalent to three DA 101
  smoke grenades.
  Both Charlie and Sean will open fire as the
  smoke erupts. They will target Op's first and
  foremost, especially Stormers. Charlie is firing
  from a vantage point in the next apartment
  block, Sean will burst from a neighbouring
  apartment in to the hall.
  Cat will render Ms. Hicks unconscious before
  she makes her move.
  Cat is Ms. Hicks. Or, at least, she looks so
  much like her that her mother would have a
  hard time telling them apart. As Sean goes in to
  overdrive, Cat will run screaming from the
  room, camera in hand, heading for the street.
  As she reaches the bottom of the apartment
  block, she will detonate the bomb in the Battle
  Taxi. The bomb is big enough to take out most
  things in a two hundred meter radius. In the
  ensuing fire-storm, Cat will melt in to the chaos
  of the escaping crowds and Shivers.
  Charlie has a DN100 Rifle, modified as a
  'squeeze' gun, +1 PEN, +2 DAM. It has a barrel
  life of hundred rounds, before it must be
  changed. He has thirty rounds of HESH and
  forty Reg. Once the big bomb goes off, he will
  remain for as long as he thinks safe, putting his
  escape above any other objective.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Sean has a Blitzer and two DN 80 pistols, as
  well as a MAC knife and three DA 90 Frag.
  grenades. Sean wears UV/IR goggles, a DN
  Flak Jacket and a respirator. His Vibro Disc
  thrower is empty. He is utterly insane.
  Cat is dressed as Ms. Hicks, down to the last
  eye lash. She carries a BLA446M Derringer (as
  did Ms. Hicks), Cat has Martial Arts 9, Dodge
  8, otherwise as per Human Op. stats. and
  (where appropriate) skills.
  P l e a s e   R e l e a s e   M e
  The Op's will have been exposed to Tempest,
  maybe for the first time, and they will have first
  hand evidence and knowledge of 'Stormer
  Suicide', something SLA Industries denies is
  possible.
  Something to think about.
  It may even have come to pass that one of the
  Op's is a Stormer, and what happens if they get
  shot with the Release drug?
  Well.
  Stormers affected by Release immediately
  realise what DeathWake is; how they came in
  to being, and the consequences of their 'being
  born'. This knowledge intrudes on their SLA
  conditioning, causing a conflict so violent that
  99% of the time, suicide is the only solution. If
  an Op Stormer is hit with Release, they must
  make a DIA roll (as a skill) at a difficulty rating
  of their own CONC. If they fail, they are
  immediately hit with three rank 9 Psychoses;
  Delusions, Split Personality and Paranoia. If
  they succeed, they begin to develop (over a
  period of days) a complete Split Personality,
  they must develop another character to 'play' in
  the Stormers body. The periods of separation
  will grow longer, and the differences between
  the two characters will become greater;
  opposites will develop.
  Most Players will succumb to the temptation to
  commit suicide, which they must be allowed to
  do any time they wish.
  Obviously, 
  Release 
  should 
  be 
  tightly
  controlled. Used by you (the GM) to broaden
  the scope for introducing 'the truth' in to your
  game world.
  PC's should never be allowed to get hold of
  Release.
  Stormers are just the beginning..... (?)
  "It used to be 'it's not what you know but who
  you know'. Now it's definitely what you know
  that'll kill ya."
  How do you make SCL 10 Op's really nervous?
  Give them a Platinum!
  For more experienced Op's the challenge is not
  to question the apparent wisdom of SLA.
  SCL: 10
  Contact Department Of: Head Office
  Training Package Rec: Any
  Colour Code: Platinum
  Summary: 
  Please 
  contact 
  head 
  Office
  immediately for full briefing. Mrs. Lucynda
  Romanove - 014-0349-8876..
  Coverage: Station Analysis
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 500c
  Payment: Per Operative
  This BPN will be assigned to the Op's
  regardless of whatever they apply for the next
  time they visit the Crib.
  Head Office needs a wet behind the ears squad
  with next to no knowledge of SLA Industries
  and the dark secrets they keep. A more
  experienced squad may question the BPN,
  which SLA cannot afford.
  If you want to give it to a more experienced
  squad, offer it as a seemingly easy, 'by the
  book' type of BPN.
  Information is split in to two types, that which
  Mrs. Romanove will give at the interview, and
  the other stuff the Op's may find out through
  preliminary investigation, common rumour,
  prior knowledge etc. The information as listed,
  runs from easiest to hardest to find out. At the
  interview this should be reflected by good role
  playing and sharp use of skills, the other stuff is
  down to ingenuity.
  T h e   I n t e r v i e w
  Mrs. Romanove is a stern looking woman,
  probably in her late thirties, she dresses in the
  latest corporate fashion and wears expensive,
  though subtle jewelry. She is SCL 4a. Use the
  human NPC stats (Karma), boosting SLA Info
  to 11, Rival Company to 10, Interview to 10,
  Communiqué to 9, Literacy to 10, Psychology
  to 8, Pistol to 9 and Martial Arts to 10. Lose
  advantages and disadvantages, Mrs. Romanove
  has a slight fear of Stormers, who she distrusts
  despite her SLA knowledge.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Mrs. Romanove (who appears to have no first
  name) is formal and efficient, she has no desire
  to make friends with the Op's, though she will
  not let them know this. Her one goal (at the
  moment) is to get the Op's to buy in to the BPN
  in a big way.
  I n t e r v i e w   I n f o r m a t i o n
  The BPN essentially consists of the tracking
  and termination of a cult leader.
  The cult is called DarkTime, their leader is a
  Mr. Harley Mint.
  Termination Warrants are available, with a two
  week duration, after which the BPN will lapse
  and all payments be forfeit.
  DarkTime operate from sector 688A in
  Downtown, they are thought to have between
  two and three hundred members, each of whom
  thinks of Harley as some sort of God.
  Harley has a right hand man called Lazarus, it
  is Lazarus that deals with the day to day
  running of the cult, and Lazarus that chairs
  most of the meetings.
  Harley is an ex-SLA employee, he used to
  work for the Dept. Environment before failing a
  routine psyche evaluation, he is thought to be
  delusional. Lazarus is an unknown entity, no
  record of him exists in SLA archives.
  Harley must be killed, Lazarus is an optional
  target if he gets in the way.
  DarkTime are not to be targeted, their members
  in no way break the law. Only Harley, with his
  incitement to resist SLA, is to be hit.
  The bulk of the information in the SLA
  archives is too high SCL for the Op's, they
  must work on a need to know basis at all times.
  DarkTime hold meetings every Saturday night
  in the old RollerBall stadium in sector 688A,
  they are open meetings, with no restrictions on
  who can attend and no guards posted. Harley
  attends all meetings, though it is Lazarus who
  does most of the 'preaching'.
  Mrs. Romanove will stress the BPN is to
  terminate (with extreme prejudice) Harley
  Mint. The Op's have no 'friends' in sector 688A,
  anyone who gets in their way is to be treated as
  a Soft Co. employee. Sector 688A is
  particularly hostile to slops, and inappropriate
  action may spark unrest on a large scale, which
  would be frowned upon by SLA Industries.
  W o r d   O n   T h e   S t r e e t
  The scant amount of information given at the
  interview with Mrs. Romanove should make
  the Op's want to dig a little deeper on the
  streets. Stress the time limit, but do not put
  them off searching for clues and answers
  wherever they want.
  What they learn, and how quickly will depend
  on their skills and their role playing.
  Remember, the idea is to make them question
  the objectives of the BPN, so make them work
  for the answers, let them think they a really
  digging deep in to the SLA mythology (which
  they are!).
  C o m m o n   K n o w l e d g e
  DarkTime are a 'pacifist' cult, they never take
  violent action beyond what is needed to defend
  their own lives.
  Harley is a quiet recluse, he sees no-one except
  Lazarus, and only very rarely speaks at
  meetings.
  DarkTime have been in existence for nine
  months, and in this time have not crossed
  swords with SLA or DN.
  Members of DarkTime are exclusively drawn
  from the lowest social classes, all come from
  Downtown.
  DarkTime 
  believe 
  SLA 
  Industries 
  is
  committing atrocities on a scale beyond the
  imagination of most citizens of Progress.
  One of the DarkTime slogans refers to
  Stormers; "Do not fear them. Pity them."
  S t r e e t w i s e
  Harley is rumoured to have some sort of Ebb
  ability.
  Harley has 'visions', sent to him by beings from
  another race. He is totally whacked, barking
  mad.
  Lazarus is using DarkTime for his own ends, he
  is somehow connected to Tempest.
  The DarkTime meetings consist of nothing
  more than singing and 'contemplation', during
  which Lazarus relays messages from Harley.
  The squad Ded Circus were assigned to
  investigate DarkTime, but they mysteriously
  disappeared in sector 688A, probably killed by
  members of DarkTime. Ded Circus consisted of
  two Stormers and three humans.
  There is a marked unwillingness for gangs to
  enter in to DarkTime territory. The two local
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  gangs in sector 688A, the Acid Spiders and the
  StreetLords, say they are 'bought off' by
  DarkTime.
  Shivers do not patrol 688A anymore, though
  reports that filter back to SLA say they do.
  Sector 688A is the last known sighting of the
  serial killer The Face, before his supposed
  death at the hands of slops.
  C o n f i d e n t i a l
  Harley 
  once 
  completed 
  a 
  Platinum,
  approximately two weeks before his discharge
  from SLA.
  Lazarus has no known connections to any other
  cult or Soft Co.
  DarkTime have an 'underground' membership
  of over two thousand in sector 688A.
  Harley has natural 'Ebb' abilities (or their
  equivalent), these are neither understood or
  wanted by him.
  Ebons close to The White are sometimes drawn
  to sector 688A before they are called by
  Necanthropes to join their ranks.
  Both DarkNight and Black Order have little or
  no success in sector 688A, mainly due to
  Tempest and DarkTime.
  Ded Circus are currently enjoying some success
  on Cross.
  R u n n i n g   T h e   B P N
  So. What's going on?
  The Op's will find it easy to track down
  DarkTime, though Harley is moved from one
  safe house to another on a daily basis. Lazarus
  always meets with Harley once a day to record
  Harley's words. All of DarkTime are fanatically
  loyal to Harley, who they will protect with a
  solid ring of silence.
  The weekly meeting will go ahead, regardless
  of the Op's, and Harley will attend.
  The best prospect for the Op's is to kill Harley
  at the weekly meeting. If they do this only
  Lazarus will try to stop them. All of the
  followers of DarkTime will simply accept
  Harley's death with a resignation that bewilders
  the Op's.
  Harley has been preparing his followers for his
  own death for some time now, telling them that
  SLA must kill him before his message destroys
  their hold on Progress.
  Lazarus knows Harley is right, but he refuses to
  go quietly, he is determined to protect Harley
  for as long as possible, even with his own life.
  Each of the DarkTime followers will offer no
  resistance to any attack on Harley, they will
  simply melt away after his death.
  Obviously you will want the Op's to work at
  finding Harley, though how much digging you
  encourage them to do is up to you. How much
  of the truth do you want to hint at?
  You can of course throw in as many false leads
  and distractions as you like, if you want the
  BPN to last more than a week, you may
  'distract' the Op's with any number of things.
  Gang attacks, Tempest, Shiver annoyance,
  maybe even an outbreak of disease in 688A.
  What Harley knows, and what Lazarus is
  helping to bring about, are revelations that
  strike at the heart of SLA.
  T h e   T r u t h ?   Y o u   C a n ' t   H a n d l e
  'T h e   T r u t h' !
  Harley hears voices and has visions.
  These voices and visions come from 'beyond'
  The White, from a place where beings exist
  who are ignorant of Progress, SLA and The
  White.
  These beings are destroyed by DeathWake,
  their 'essence' being sucked in to The White by
  Senti's hellish creation. These essences, or
  'avatars', are then re-born as the souls and
  spirits of Slayers greatest blasphemy; Stormers.
  Harley knows this. He knows this because he
  has one of these spirits inside him. How it got
  there, he does not know, though he presumes
  DeathWake is breaking down, and the 'birthing'
  of Stormers is going horribly wrong.
  Lazarus believes Harley and together they are
  collating a work known only to them, a series
  of writings poured from the tortured souls
  trapped in Harley, a book they have named 'The
  Book Of The Dead'.
  Slayer wants Harley dead. Then he wants the
  book. Then he wants all of DarkTime wiped
  from the face of Progress.
  But first things first.
  Once Harley is dead, a separate BPN will be
  issued for the recovery of the book. The BPN
  will be issued under cover of another mission,
  possibly a seemingly mundane Yellow.
  Then Slayer will use his most trusted servants,
  the Necanthropes, to bring down a night of
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  terror and death upon the followers of
  DarkTime.
  If DarkNight or Thresher hear of any of the
  deeper secrets behind DarkTime, they will do
  nothing. Fearing the ultimate reprisal from
  SLA, i.e. their annihilation.
  Only Tempest will act if given any information.
  Slayer will show absolutely no mercy to
  anyone who comes in to contact with 'the truth'
  behind DarkTime: they must die.
  Of course, you must decide if their is any truth
  behind what Harley knows.
  If his visions and voices do not fit in to your
  WoP, simply keep him as a delusional ex-SLA
  employee, who has finally lost all reason.
  Lazarus may be exploiting DarkTime for his
  own ends, maybe as an undercover Tempest
  agent. It may all blow over once Harley is dead.
  Or, the Op's may decide that Harley is as sane
  as they are (not saying much I know), and that
  he has glimpsed one of the fundamental 'truths'
  behind SLA Industries.
  This puts them in an awkward position, if they
  let on they believe Harley to be telling the truth,
  they become a target for SLA's wrath. If they
  believe Harley, and still proceed to carry out
  the BPN, they will have to live with their
  consciences, knowing they have killed a
  pioneer of 'the truth'.
  Be careful. Decide what is 'the truth' before you
  run this BPN.
  Remember.... the truth kills.
  E Q U I P M E N T
  M J L   R A Z O R – R A N G
  "Leara, she's our Wraith Raider, she slides her
  hand in to a pouch on her hip, and whammy,
  out it pops wearing a glove and holding a
  Rang! Slick. Anyway, she dives backwards,
  rolls and throws, flips upright, sprints forward,
  rolls to her left, catches the Rang, sheathes both
  the glove and the blade, then dives full length
  on to the bleeding DN dude. The poor sap. A
  CAF against a wired Wraith Raider. Them
  dumb fucks just never learn do they?"
  Firejack, Brain Waster with WhiteSnake, Mort,
  901 SD.
  Multi-Job lacerates have responded to the
  recent requests from Meny for a thrown blade
  with the release of the Razor-Rang.
  The Rang is a direct result of the Power Disc,
  being a modification of the base power unit.
  The major change is in the shape of the blade
  and the addition of the throwing/catching
  glove.
  The actual Rang itself varies in length from
  30cm to 60cm, weighing from 0.8kg to 3kg.
  Each individual weapon is fitted to the users
  throw, being weighted, balanced and shaped to
  give optimum performance.
  The Rang has a small motor fitted to power the
  oscillating cutting edge, the motor has a
  rechargeable battery allowing 300 hours use.
  The glove is fitted with a control pad and is
  armoured to allow safe catching of the Rang.
  Gloves are often fingerless and may be fitted
  with a separate power pack, extending the
  range of the Rang's use by 'launch assistance'.
  Each rang comes in a sealed pouch, that may be
  worn anywhere the user wishes. The pouch
  holds the glove and Rang in a ready to use
  mode, where the user may simply slide in their
  hand to fit both glove and blade ready for use.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  M u l t i – J o b   L a c e r a t e s
  R a z o r – R a n g  (M J L   9 8 0   P T W)
  Type: Razor-Rang
  Length: 30cm to 1m
  Weight: 0.8kg to 4kg
  Damage: 1 - 4
  Penetration: 0 - 3
  Armour Damage: 0 - 2
  Cost: 100c to 400c
  Black Market Cost: 2,000u to 8,000u
  Skill For Use: Throw (PHYS)
  The user of a Razor-Rang may use it in one of
  two ways, with the intention of return, or
  simply as a thrown weapon. If used to return, a
  successful skill roll means the Rang has hit,
  inflicting minimum damage, and has returned
  to the users glove. If used simply to inflict
  damage and not return, a successful Throw roll
  indicates the Rang has hit and inflicted normal
  damage.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  In both cases, a failed Throw (to hit) roll means
  the user must make a second Throw roll to
  catch the Rang.
  Remember to add difficulty ratings for both
  throwing and catching depending on what the
  user is doing.
  Razor-Rangs are available in all colours,
  though Black is proving most popular.
  Current users of the Razor-Rang are mainly
  Wraith Raiders, though there is an increase in
  sales to Ebons.
  The Props Mingus and SwivelHead are making
  great use of the Rang, Mingus in conjunction
  with his Powerboard.
  Third Eye are sponsoring a Rang spot on their
  Slice of Life show.
  D E F E N C E   S Y S T E M S
  S H O C K – N E T
  Defence Systems are proud to announce the
  release of their Shock-Net, an invaluable
  addition to the Operatives defensive armoury.
  Especially useful for the Operative venturing in
  to the sectors, or for those who may have to
  fight off crowds of dissatisfied Downtowners.
  "We were running from sector three, about
  three clicks from the wall, we had no chance.
  Carriens on our ass, swarming like Pigs on a
  trash heap. Nothing for it but to turn and fight.
  Misty pulls me in to a broken down building,
  stands me behind her and tells me to stay close.
  Then she pops a net from her shoulder pack.
  Covers the floor like a web. made it a lot easier
  to hit the Carrien, like their minds were on
  other things, like not getting fried. Still lost my
  left hand though. Man can those things get a
  grip."
  Jason 'eight-ball' Manzinera, Human op with
  TyeDie, Mort 901 SD.
  The Shock-Net comes stored in a circular pack,
  roughly 20cm in diameter, it can de dispersed
  and laid in a single turn, being fired from the
  pack by a small charge. The Shock-Net may
  either be connected to a power pack and line
  worn by the user, or it may have a smaller
  integral pack fitted.
  The actual net itself is made from ceramic-steel
  weave coated with a high conducting material
  known as 'Lick'.
  Anything coming in to contact with the 'top
  side' of two or more of the nets threads,
  receives an 8,000 volt shock. The power pack
  worn by the Operative is connected to the
  Shock-Net via a power line, it allows the net to
  deliver up to fifteen shocks before it is
  exhausted. The integral power pack of the net
  itself, may deliver up to six jolts. Both power
  packs are fully rechargeable. If the net is
  connected to Power Armour, it drains roughly
  ten minutes of power for each shock delivered.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  D e f e n c e   S y s t e m s   S h o c k – N e t
  Type: Shock-Net (Defensive)
  Diameter: 3m to 6m
  Weight: 0.5kg to 3kg (in pack)
  Damage: 1 (plus stun, see below)
  Penetration: 0
  Armour Damage: 0 (may cause special, see
  below)
  Cost: 300c
  Black Market Cost: 5,000u
  Skill For Use: Auto Deploy (Dex Roll?)
  Targets hit by the jolt of the Shock-Net must
  make a PHYS roll (Dif. 5), success means they
  are shocked for two actions, failure means they
  are paralysed for fifteen seconds.
  The Shock-Net will stun a suit or armour for up
  to a minute.
  Animals, or those with nothing but 'bestial'
  instinct, will flee after a jolt 50% of the time.
  The Shock-Net deploys in a circle around the
  user, leaving them in a 'safe zone' at it's centre.
  The safe zone can be anything from 1m to 2m
  in diameter.
  Those in the safe zone fighting out, must make
  a DEX roll (as a skill) to avoid stepping on the
  net as they attack.
  When deploying the net, the user must make a
  DEX roll as a skill, unopposed, if they fail they
  net tangles around them and is useless. There is
  a delay of two seconds after deployment before
  the charges work, so an unlucky user may
  switch the net off before the power kicks in.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Carrien have come to hate Shock-Nets with a
  passion and will always fight the user to the
  death.
  G L Y P H   I M P L A N T S
  Glyph Implants may only be installed in those
  who already have a functioning Finance Chip.
  The term Glyph is slightly misleading, as the
  surgery simply modifies the Finance Chip by
  adding a Glyph Matrix to it's construct.
  "You wont understand so I'll keep it short. The
  Glyph Matrix forms a barrier between your
  innate flux and the Ebb's desire to split you in
  two. Any Ebb ability that the Glyph is keyed to
  is disrupted. See? What'd I tell you."
  Vine, Ebon Operative with MotherLoad, Mort
  901 SD.
  Dark Lament have discovered they can
  transform the basis of a Glyph Card, digitising
  the information and keying to a persons brain
  waves. This allows them to have a non-Ebon
  trigger a basic Glyph defence against a specific
  intrusion.
  Each Glyph Implant can only be keyed to a
  single attack or 'disruption' source, and only
  one may be in operation in a person at any one
  time.
  The Glyph Implants are still thought of as
  experimental, with no real figures available to
  show long term affects or success / failure
  rates.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  The Glyph Implant works much the same as a
  Flux gem, only it keys a person to a specific
  Ebb Ability, making them harder to target.
  Each Implant draws from the persons innate
  Ebb flow, which although they cannot use
  themselves, is still there. The drain on Flux
  translates itself in to physical fatigue.
  Each ten points of Flux used in defence, drains
  energy, adding 1 DR to any action, this lasts
  until fatigue is recovered through rest, usually
  (20 - PHYS) minutes for each 10 Flux used.
  Each Implant has a defence rating of between
  one and ten, each level costs 1,000c. Each level
  of defence adds a difficulty rating to the Ebon
  targeting the Implant, these are added to any
  other DR's already in place.
  Each implant has a differing amount of Flux
  stored in it, with two points of Flux needed to
  power each defence level each time it is
  required. Flux storage may go up to a hundred,
  and costs 100c per point.
  E x a m p l e
  Norman, a 'chipped' Human Operative, wants a
  Glyph Implant keyed to the Ebon ability 'Blast'
  (a popular choice). He has an Implant with a
  level 5 defence rating (5,000c), which has 50
  Flux stored in it (5,000c). Total cost of 10,000c.
  Each time he is targeted by a Blast Ability
  (regardless of Rank), his assailant suffers an
  additional Difficulty Rating of 5 to target him.
  Glyph Implants may be recharged after their
  Flux has been exhausted, at a rate of 50c per
  point, up to the original amount stored in the
  Glyph. If the Glyph Implant is not recharged
  within 24 hours of the charge reaching zero, the
  implant becomes useless, being dissolved by
  the body's fluids.
  Stormers have so far proved unsuitable for
  Glyph Implants.
  Known side affects of Glyph Implants include
  sleep loss, chronic headaches and an increased
  susceptibility to induced psychoses.
  At present there is some debate within Dark
  Lament as to the validity of Glyph Implants,
  which are known to be disliked by most at
  Karma.
  S O F T   C O M P A N I E S
  T E M P E S T
  Company motto: "SLA is a sickness. We've got
  the cure."
  DarkNight 
  spawn 
  a 
  hundred 
  copy-cat
  companies every week, and 90% of them die
  within the week. Tempest were born from the
  fury of a SLA retaliation raid in to Downtown
  Sector 280. DarkNight paid heavily, both in
  loss of operatives and in loss of face.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  The upper echelons of the DarkNight cadre in
  280 became disgruntled with DarkNight, and
  their failure to offer them the support they
  needed.
  Tempest was born.
  Tempest do not conduct an underground war of
  subterfuge and espionage, they have no time for
  'passive' propaganda and subtle subversion.
  They take the fight to SLA Industries through
  ambush and terrorism. Their reputation as one
  of the most violent 'softies' to hit Mort in 600
  years is richly deserved.
  Unfortunately the public seem to like them, the
  citizens of 280 are positively partisan. Tempest
  are seen as giving SLA Industries a run for
  their money and taking them down a peg or
  two, which most citizens secretly like to see.
  Tempest show no respect to anyone; not other
  soft companies, no clans, no organised
  syndicates, no one. They will blow anyone or
  anything up if it gets a result with SLA
  Industries.
  Tempest seem to have an affinity for killing
  Stormers (especially 313's), which has so far
  gained a mixed response from Joe public.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  Tempest are headed by one man, it is his force
  of will that drives them on. known only as
  'RedNun', this man is about as wanted as you
  can get. DarkNight want him, SLA want him,
  and the heads of a hundred other organisations
  he has 'hit' also want him.
  Interestingly enough the Thresher seem to have
  no axe to grind with Tempest.
  Tempest currently have between two and three
  hundred employees, mostly cover agents,
  drivers, middle men and back room supporters.
  They have sixty 'operatives' who take the fight
  on to the streets.
  The average Tempest operative has the stats.
  and skills listed in Karma as Props, (with a
  mixture 
  of 
  both 
  SLA 
  and 
  DarkNight
  equipment) add five points among skills as you
  see fit per operative.
  Tempest have developed the ambush to an art
  form, with multi-layered traps drawing in more
  victims as they unfold. Firebombs and pits are
  favoured by Tempest, who realise that SLA
  will prioritise attacks that threaten to destroy
  property as well as people.
  Each Tempest operative is hypnotised and has
  subliminal conditioning. They will snap poison
  capsules lodged in their mouths rather than be
  captured. To date only two Tempest operatives
  have been taken alive. One by Cloak and one
  by Ministry of War. No details are available
  from their interrogation. Both operatives died
  during questioning. Both Depts. will deny they
  have ever taken a Tempest operative alive.
  T h e   'R e l e a s e'   A g e n d a
  RedNun knows too much. Not only about
  DarkNight, but also about Stormer production.
  His horror has been translated in to action via
  the 'Release' program carried out by Tempest.
  All Tempest operatives are encouraged to kill
  as many Stormers as they can, with handsome
  rewards going to each operative for each
  Stormer they 'release'. This activity is over and
  above the other Tempest attacks, which have
  been known to take second place to Stormer
  hits.
  Tempest buy up large caliber weapons and
  grenades from any source they can, rumours are
  starting to circulate regarding a Tempest -
  Thresher link, though Thresher deny any
  connection with Tempest.
  Anything to do with Stormers may be targeted;
  their homes, vehicles, production workers,
  fellow squad members, soft companies that
  cater for them, anything....
  RedNun is secretly working on a strain of
  Shatter that will alter the Stormer (313) DNA,
  enabling each Stormer to achieve Release
  (suicide) on their own. Next to nothing is
  known of RedNun's progress in this area, and
  only a chosen few within Tempest know of the
  existence of the drug tests.
  U s i n g   T e m p e s t
  How much do you know of the birth of
  Stormers? Does it disturb you? Want to give
  Stormers something to think about, other than
  how groovy SLA is?
  As a sick twist, try making RedNun a
  Vevaphon. He would have to have his
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  conditioning broken of course.... but to a GM of
  your caliber.... no problem.
  T I M E B O M B
  Corporate sign-in: "Wake up! TimeBomb!"
  From within Third Eye comes the cancer of
  TimeBomb. Spreading through the media
  community like sores in a leper colony,
  TimeBomb infect all they touch, and they want
  to touch Operatives most of all.
  TimeBomb are perceived as a bit of a laugh by
  the general populace, and as they operate
  almost 
  exclusively 
  in 
  Downtown, 
  with
  occasional forays in to Suburbia, they tend to
  be taken not very seriously.
  DarkNight think of them as a bunch of
  amateurs, wannabees, who haven't got the guts
  to join them in their fight against SLA.
  So far, all of the TimeBomb intrusions have
  shown Operatives or high level employees
  screwing up, so most viewers who receive
  TimeBomb cannot possibly suspect what lies
  behind the company.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  TimeBomb have essentially taken the network
  virus 'Vent' and refined it, so that it has
  extended 'sleeper' properties. The Vent virus
  then acts as a wake up call to the transmission
  device, when a SLA 'violation' has taken place.
  TimeBomb operatives break in to factories,
  stores, apartments and Dept. stocks to plant
  Vent programs in broadcasting equipment. The
  modified virus send signals to a TimeBomb
  monitor station, where the signals are de-coded
  and scanned.
  Any activity that could be construed as being
  anti-SLA, or an Operative cock up, is then
  chosen for broadcast, the signal being beamed
  from the original piece of equipment via it's
  'legitimate' pick up point.
  The monitoring of the signal gives TimeBomb
  a chance to 'modify' the actual image broadcast.
  They realise that the truth of any situation is
  their greatest weapon, so they rarely alter a
  transmission too far. Operatives will not just be
  shown to accidentally shoot civilians, they will
  be seen smiling while they do it. DarkNight
  ambushes will not merely succeed, they will
  catch Op's completely by surprise. You get the
  picture.
  T h e   A d – V e n t   D r a g o n
  What do TimeBomb want?
  Well, they want to infect receivers of their
  transmissions with the AdVent virus. This is a
  form of Vent that takes the Dragon virus one
  stage further.
  Advent allows Vent to multiply, producing it's
  own defences and hiding itself in the operating
  program of the host system. The virus can then
  be triggered by 'keys' sent by TimeBomb.
  AdVent will be programmed to either shut
  down systems or corrupt them beyond repair.
  W h a t ' s   T h e   P o i n t ?
  TimeBomb can lay as many AdVent viruses as
  they want, activating some or all at the same
  time. Remember they operate mainly in
  Downtown. 
  Well, 
  the 
  shutdown 
  of
  entertainment systems across large areas of
  Downtown can only have one effect.
  Chaos.
  Millions of citizens can be dumped in to the
  real world, with all the horror and hopelessness
  that entails, at once.
  Should be a busy old night for Operatives.
  T I N K E R
  Company slogan: "If it aint broke, break it."
  Tinker are an infuriating Soft Company,
  formed in the last three weeks by numerous
  persons unknown, but suspected to come from
  Dept. Environment.
  The department of the Environment has
  recently had cause to sack a whole operating
  section from their Waste Re-processing plant in
  sector 570 (Suburbia).
  The next day, Tinker put in an appearance, re-
  routing a waste flow outlet in to a main
  shopping mall in sector 570.
  The public are pissed off and want some action!
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  Five of the laid off employees subsequently lost
  their houses as well as their savings and their
  jobs. They want to get back at the Dept., so
  they formed Tinker.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Their reasoning is that if they mess up enough
  of the 'little' systems running around Suburbia,
  someone will take notice and do something
  about their plight. They sort of have a plan to
  maybe blackmail the Dept. of Environment,
  using their knowledge of the sectors waste
  disposal systems.
  Obviously, Tinker can be played for laughs.
  But think about it. How long will it be before
  the good citizens of Suburbia demand action
  from SLA Industries.
  And would you like to chase around in the
  sewers after people who know the layout like
  the back of their hands?
  No. Thought not.
  M E E T   N   G R E E T
  Frank Weiss, the first reporter on the scene of
  the Deely Mall Massacre, brings us this
  interview with Jaymz 'Blade' Myson, Human
  Operative with Cutting Edge, the squad that
  finally brought the Slice Girls reign of terror to
  an end.. All material licensed to Inter-Com, ©
  901 SD. Eye 4 Inter-Com (under license from
  Third Eye).
  FW: "Thank you for talking to me. I know this
  is a traumatic time for you, I'll be brief. What
  happened?"
  J: "Slice Girls caught the Blue Cats on the hop,
  not really a fight, more of a slaughter. Citizens
  started to get in the way, Slice Girls chopped
  them as well. we got the call, Red.... on our
  way to the Pit believe it or not. When we got
  here it looked like an abattoir. We got in real
  quick, and the Spice Girls got real dead."
  FW: "Casualties?"
  J: "J'Kqwn took some real bad hits, he is in the
  wagon on his way to General. Silk is terminally
  depressed, but what's new, and I got a few
  scratches. Nine civ's dead, eight wounded,
  fifteen Blue Cat stiffs, fourteen wounded, five
  dead Slice Girls, twelve wounded."
  FW: "Any word from Station.... "
  J: "Nah. I think they knew you boys had it
  covered."
  FW: "We heard some gun play on the way in,
  anything serious?"
  J: "Not really. couple of the civ's had CAF
  tucked away, one of the shop keepers got frisky
  with a Bully Boy, I think I saw Silk down one
  with his Flintlock.... mostly blades though."
  FW: "Are Cutting Edge looking in any
  particular direction?"
  J: "Well, we just go where the action is.
  Nothing fancy, keep it simple, follow Silk and
  stay on the right side of Head Office."
  FW: "Wise words."
  J: (grins) "You know it makes sense."
  FW: "Any truth in the rumour you were dating
  one of the Slice Girls."
  J: (laughs) "No way. I know Silk has a thing for
  one of 'em, can never remember which one
  though.... but dating! No fucking way! These
  ladies are strictly whacked."
  FW: "Anything on the horizon as far as
  sponsorship goes?"
  J: "Who you been talking to?"
  FW: "I heard J'Kqwn has been having talks
  with DPB.... "
  J: "Well, I can't comment on that. You'll have
  to wait and see."
  FW: "Anything else other than the Gash Fist in
  your top ten?"
  J: "I might try those Razor-Rangs, look like a
  lot of fun. But, nah, it's Gash for me." (laughs)
  FW: "Thanks for the time to talk."
  J: "No problem. It's what we're here for aint it?"
  C u t t i n g   E d g e
  Silk; Ebon, Investigation & Interrogation
  J'Kqwn; Shaktar, Death Squad
  Jaymz; Human, Kick Murder
  Matty; Human, Strike
  Liaane; Wraith Raider, Scouting
  C u t t i n g   E d g e   S p o n s o r s
  EverWear (Leather's), Up Front (shoes), Ill-
  Logic, Sigerson, Alien Sex Channel, PinHead,
  GASH, MJL, Laughing Dead, KwikKill and
  Knot.
  Rumours are rife about the squad splitting and
  going contract, or under direct sponsorship
  from one of the more 'adventurous' SLA
  departments.
  They are currently working a Yellow in
  Downtown, sponsored by the Ministry of War.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 8 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Jaymz
  Name
  Jaymz 'Blade' Myson
  Classification
  Human
  Package
  Kick Murder
  Squad
  Cutting Edge
  Strength
  10
  Dexterity
  10
  Diagnose
  6
  Concentration
  8
  Charisma
  8
  Physique
  10
  Knowledge
  7
  Cool
  10 (11)
  Walk
  1
  Run
  2
  Sprint
  (3)
  Movement
  (33) 37
  Half Movement
  (66) 74
  No Movement
  (99) 111
  Jaymz shuns implants and will not tolerate the
  intrusion of technology in to his body. He
  follows a strict exercise regime and keeps in
  good shape by watching his diet and staying
  away from unnecessary drug use.
  "I like Jaymz. He says what he thinks and does
  not tolerate fools gladly. Strange sense of
  humour though."
  Silk, Ebon Operative with Cutting Edge.
  "Jaymz is an honourable man and my friend.
  He has my life in his hands, and I have his in
  mine. I am proud to share braids with him. Do
  not cross him, he can sniff out a lie like an
  Ebon and has a temper like a Frother. Humour?
  Laughs at a swinging gate."
  J'Kqwn, Shaktar Operative with Cutting Edge.
  Shaktar recognised 'Blood Brother' of Jaymz
  Myson.
  SKILL
  RANK
  Detect
  8
  SLA Information
  6
  Rival Company
  6
  Streetwise
  7
  Unarmed combat
  6
  Blade, 2H
  9
  Hide
  6
  Sneaking
  6
  Martial Arts
  9
  Climb
  8
  Acrobatics
  8
  Blade, 1H
  10
  Rifle
  5
  Pistol
  6
  Running
  6
  Swimming
  8
  Medical Paramedic
  4
  Tactics
  6
  Interview
  7
  Evaluate Opponent
  9
  Drive, Civilian
  5
  Jaymz wears Striker Motorcycle Protection
  customised by MAL to incorporate ceramic
  plates giving PV 5, ID / Location 9.
  F a v o u r e d   W e a p o n s
  GASH Fist
  MAC Knife
  ITB Mutilator
  MJL Power Disc
  Customised Shaktar Switchblade
  Firepower: FEN 091 Farjacket loaded with
  HEAP.
  Jaymz is interested in following up his bonds
  with J'Kqwn and plans to visit K'nth as soon as
  possible. Cutting Edge have a bright future
  ahead of them. Powerful allies and nightmare
  enemies.
  Issue 8, is on reflection, quite ‘truth heavy’. I
  think this reflects a general feeling at the time
  that people were making too much of the
  ‘official truth’, and were too concerned about
  finding out what it was before they developed
  their games.
  It’s also nice to look back on an issue with no
  ‘borrowed’ Nightfall material (i.e. artwork),
  though whether that made them any happier
  about the fanzine at the time, who can say !
  Max Bantleman, 2001.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/SLA Industries (SWADE)/SLA Industries - tHE bIG pICTURE 08.pdf