TEXT: tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE
  (pURe  mOrNInG)
  C O N T E N T S
  Introduction – Issue thirteen…. twanky
  goodness in a zany bakers dozen.
  I20 – Part Two – Integration Twenty
  Remnants - The second find.
  Lifestyles In SLA – Angus looks at various
  Operative lifestyles.
  Edge Of Darkness – A Cloak sub-division,
  arming the agents of Slayer.
  Never Mind The Pig – TerraConda and Iron
  Spiders (snakes and spiders…. ew.)
  Finding A Job – Two BPN’s, a Yellow (sort
  of) and a Green.
  Equipment – Strike Sticks, Spinal drug
  Dispenser, Smart Visors.
  Soft Companies – Hit & Run and Talisman,
  the mean and the mysterious.
  Meet N Greet – Interview with Zulan, known
  on the street as RainMan.
  OK. One more time for the cynics. tHE bIG
  pICTURE is a non profit making fanzine, where the
  cover price goes to pay for copying and distribution.
  We pay nothing for contributions, we all do it 'cos
  we're extremely groovy and hoopy frood SLA nuts.
  Nightfall Games Ltd. do not endorse the stuff we
  put in tHE bIG pICTURE, and it must be stressed
  that we are a completely 'unofficial' fanzine.
  All copyrights of stuff used remain with respective
  authors. We'd like to think that this means
  something, and that the stuff here-in will not be
  produced without our knowledge or permission.
  Nobody minds, just ask is all. (And DON’T photo
  copy TBP – buy your own copy!)
  If you want to contribute; write something. We'll
  consider most stuff (not poetry or fiction).
  Stuff expressed here is seldom the kind of thing that
  could get anyone in to trouble, but if it is; then it
  weren't not us. We know nothing. We were all away
  at the time and can take no responsibility for
  anything naughty. The good and great spanky stuff
  which gets much deserved praise, money and
  chocolate things is undeniably ours; and we thank
  you for noticing.
  Want to buy something from us? Of course you do!
  Personal cheques (in sterling only) or P.O.'s made
  payable to M. Bantleman.
  tHE bIG pICTURE could really do with some
  funky pictures. Any ideas? Know any artist types?
  We'd be sickeningly grateful for any artwork we can
  use.... then we can make all the Nightfall artists
  happy by stop nicking their stuff....  Right....   I'm
  off....    No really....
  e-mail: max@bantleman.demon.co.uk  /
  Pi@stsm.demon.co.uk
  We’re off to see the wizard, it’s a jolly holiday with
  Mary, Swordfish! That was yesterdays password,
  every old sock needs an old shoe, careful you’ll
  have someone’s eye out with that…. hhmmmm
  Louise.
  Unless specifically credited to an author, all
  material in tHE bIG pICTURE is written by
  Max Bantleman. Rock & Roll. Yummy. Nice.
  !
  The Big Picture is published by:
  Chocolate Frog Enterprises
  7 Jubilee Close
  Byfield
  Northants
  NN11  6UZ    UK.
  B a c k   C o v e r
  You are a part of The Big Picture.
   Mr. Slayer watches and waits.
  those loyal to SLA, those with style,
  those with true passion and fire in their soul:
  they will be rewarded.
  There is more than mere survival.
  There is the truth.
  2 0 0 1 – P D F   C o n v e r s i o n
  The thirteenth issue of tHE bIG pICTURE
  featured yet more borrowed artwork from the
  MRB on the cover, with a cool layout and look
  by Whitt. Written contributions came from
  Angus McNicholl and Sam Pay.
  Max Bantleman, 2001.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  f i v e   t o   o n e,   o n e   i n
  f i v e
  Issue 13. Not through luck but judgement. (Is it
  time to call it a day?)
  Like the new layout? It reminds me of
  something…. can’t think what though….
  Thanks to Whitt for the layout (slaving over a
  hot Mac, no thanks, no reward, just painful,
  unwarranted criticism, he is a brick you know),
  if you want someone to sue, it’s him,
  completely his idea, nothing to do with us.
  (Now all we need is some artwork…. or do
  we…. looks kind of groovy as it is we think….
  )
  Sales are kind of dropping off, mainly due to
  our two main outlets in shop type retail form,
  cutting their orders a bit.
  There seems to be a general slow down of
  people buying in to SLA. Are they all awaiting
  developments in the 'SLA .2' saga? Who
  knows?
  General apathy, cynicism and lack of support
  from the sla-l as usual, no news there then.
  New karma is going strong, well done Keith,
  keep up the good work (and the groovy layout -
  bastard ;)
  There seems to be no shortage of SLA related
  stuff on the web, some sites are annoying
  (nicking our stuff without permission), while
  some are real spanky like.
  Speaking of SLA resource;
  Sam Pay's excellent web-site (The Pythagorean
  Lair) 
  can 
  be 
  found 
  at:
  (http://www.stsm.demon.co.uk)
  Sam does all of the work html-ing (whatever
  the hell that is) of TBP stuff for the TBP e-zine.
  Much appreciated it is too. Oh yeah, he does all
  the copying too. And he play-tests some stuff.
  And he writes a fair bit. Makes a nice cup of tea
  too....
  Speaking of nicking our stuff…. some people
  apparently photo copy TBP rather than buying
  it, thanks wankers, why not buy it you tight
  fisted twats? If you don’t think it’s worth the
  cover price, look at the amount of content, then
  compare it to other ‘fanzines’ or fan based
  material…. get a life tossers.
  (Luckily it’s our fanzine and we can slate
  whom we like, (especially the gits that photo
  copy TBP!)
  tHE bIG pICTURE can be e-mailed at:
  max@bantleman.demon.co.uk
  Pi@stsm.demon.co.uk
  So, feel free to write to us. Whatever you like,
  criticism, praise, ideas, articles, stuff, you
  know, just anything really. Go on. No really,
  write to us, I dare you.... if you want to see it in
  TBP; write it, send it to us, and we'll get on it....
  So, what’s next?
  Hopefully we’ll be getting the Dante SB and
  the Hardware guide out. Both written by
  Andrew H. Langton and originally intended for
  ‘official’ release; Nightfall’s loss, our gain :)
  Then the BPN Directory, with 50 BPN’s, some
  of each colour, ranging in SCL requirement; an
  SCL 4 Blue.... should be weird. Stormer
  Sourcebooks, two of ‘em, one from John,
  detailing Hiararkia, one from Max with
  ‘standard’ SLA SB stuff…. both very groovy
  indeed….
  And we’re helping to distribute Sam Pay’s
  ‘ESP 
  Campaign’ 
  booklet, 
  which 
  is 
  an
  indispensable aid to GM’s wanting to really
  scare their jaded players.
  A lot of groovy stuff has come and gone since
  the last TBP, and far too much time has
  elapsed.
  Maybe it’s time to call it a day.
  13 is pretty good, and all in all it adds up to a
  considerable resource.
  But it gets a wee bit tedious getting no support
  and shops seem less and less willing to stock
  anything that isn’t going to make them an
  overnight profit of 300%. There’s commercial
  and there’s serving the gaming community.
  Business is business, but there needs to be
  some room for ‘fan’ based material. Surely?
  (pURe  mOrNInG)
  Note: The mention about the layout is due to
  the fact that Whitt made the interior look
  exactly the same as the MRB, with font, page
  headers, the whole malarky…. obviously that
  doesn’t come across in this pdf !
  And the bit of abuse about people photo
  copying TBP instead of buying it, may seem
  over the top…. but I wasn’t very happy about it
  at the time….
  Max Bantleman, 2001.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  L I F E S T Y L E S   I N
  S L A   I N D U S T R I E S
  W r i t t e n   By  :
  A n g u s   M c N i c h o l l
  SLA Industries produces and manufactures
  products of all kinds and designs of any number
  of purposes. These products’ real purpose is not
  to function as a tin opener or a wall screen or
  even a firearm it is function as part of a
  consumers lifestyle.
  Life styles are the product of SLA Industries
  and if a lifestyle requires something to make it
  work then SLA Industries will produce it.
  For the teeming billions who live on Mort,
  most can not hope to attain a better life style
  than the one they have: living on SLA welfare
  and eking out a meager living on the disheveled
  and garbage strewn streets of Downtown.  For
  those born into the employ of SLA then
  Suburbia or Uptown will most likely be there
  play ground.
  But the truth is that if anyone wishes to attain a
  life style and is prepared to work at it, then
  SLA will provide them with what they most
  desire, for a price of course.  The principle
  example of this is the life of a SLA Operative.
  Most have been located by SLA Recruiters
  operating in Downtown and they have been
  offered an opportunity to live the lifestyle of
  the Operative, few refuse, and of those who
  make it through basic training fewer still
  survive for very long.
  So the most obvious example of lifestyle choice
  and mobility are the Operatives themselves, but
  there is a surprising range and variety in the life
  styles of many Operatives.  Some chose to live
  in Downtown, close to their roots and any
  family or gang affiliations that they once had.
  Others seek the neon umbra of Uptown, though
  most start out in the crowded Suburbia in one
  of the thousands of Operative flats and
  accommodations there.
  New Operatives begin a period of six month
  lease on the Suburban property when they
  arrive from Meny, after the six months is up
  they must move to new accommodation to
  make way for the next class of graduates
  arriving.  This means that all starting
  Operatives begin with the Suburban Middle
  Lifestyle (see below for details).
  L i f e s t y l e s   F o r m a t
  Lifestyle Title: Typical lifestyle description…
  Rent: Property leases through-out the World of
  Progress generally last for a term of six months
  at a time, the rent is the amount of credit that
  the Operative must part with each month for the
  term of the lease.  Defaulting on a payment can
  be unpleasant and leaving a property before a
  lease has expired still makes the Operative
  liable for all rent for the lease period.
  Consumables: This is the amount of credit that
  the Operative must expend to maintain the
  lifestyle, spending more or less than indicated
  will lead to a bad reputation.  If spending too
  little the neighbours start to look down on you,
  if you spend too much the neighbours begin
  thinking that you look down on them.  Either
  way a bad reputation will begin to grow that
  might come back to haunt the character,
  particularly when Third Eye do a feature on the
  Operative and go to interview their neighbours.
  Special: Any special circumstances that must
  be considered usually related to crime or acts of
  misfortune.  This should give the GM some
  kind of idea as to whether or not the Operative
  can go out and leave his kit behind and still
  have it there when he gets back.  Also what the
  chances are that some one or something might
  get in the middle of the night and try to mug or
  eat him.
  L i v i n g   I n   C e n t r a l
  Only a few can ever aspire to live in Central.
  Few even realise that there is housing in
  Central itself, assuming it to be entirely the
  playground of the SLA Operatives who
  dominate the bars and clubs of the area and
  those few who are blessed enough to have
  climbed to the very highest ranks of SLA.
  Here under the very eyes of Slayer himself and
  surrounded by the very cogs of progress only
  the wealthiest, most influential, and most
  legendary can survive.  Security is always high
  in Central, Shivers police the streets heavily,
  DarkFinders watch for any signs of subversion
  from the shadows of the alleys and the Black
  Chapter ensure the security of the SLA
  Industries Head Office.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  A v a i l a b l e   L i f e s t y l e s   I n
  C e n t r a l
  Central Luxury Lifestyle: All the luxuries the
  World of Progress can offer are yours if you
  want (and can afford) them.  You have an
  extravagantly furnished penthouse apartment, 3
  bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen,
  garage facilities for your vehicles and a rooftop
  garden.  You eat the best foods that Mort has to
  offer and many of the finest imports are
  available for you to sample.  A small staff of
  civilians including a housekeeper and a cook
  services your apartment.  The only people who
  live better than you are the ‘legends’ of SLA
  Industries.
  Rent: 20,000c+ per month
  Consumables: 10,000c - 50,000c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism never occur.
  Central High Lifestyle: Your living in a
  expensively decorated and furnished apartment
  in one of the few habitation towers that Central
  has to offer. 3 bedrooms, living room, dining
  room, kitchen and garage facilities for your
  vehicles are at your disposal as is a
  housekeeping service.
  Rent: 5,000c - 10,000c per month
  Consumables: 1,000c - 5,000c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism never occur.
  L i v i n g   I n   U p t o w n
  Uptown is were everyone aspires to live, the
  flats are spacious and fitted with all the latest
  amenities, regular Shiver security patrols walk
  the streets and the rain has yet to pick up the
  muck and dirt that by the time it enters
  Downtown has changed it to a sludge.  The
  problem is one of supply and demand, there is a
  high demand from Operatives and high level
  Corporate Employees, this in turn means that
  the cost of living in Uptown is steadily rising in
  terms of both credit and bureaucracy.  Finding
  all the relevant paperwork is a nightmare and
  waiting in the queue for an available property
  can take months.
  A v a I l a b l e   L I f e s t y l e s   I n
  U p t o w n
  Uptown Luxury Lifestyle: The Operative has a
  lease on a detached house with 3 bedrooms,
  living room, dining room, kitchen and garage
  facilities.  You eat good food and never need to
  worry about the security of you premises.
  Rent: 2,000c - 10,000c per month
  Consumables: 500c - 2,000c per month
  Special: 
  Theft 
  and 
  vandalism 
  are 
  rare
  occurrences.
  Uptown High Lifestyle: Uptown semi-detached
  house with 2 bedrooms, living room, kitchen
  and garage facilities.
  Rent: 1,000c - 2,000c per month
  Consumables: 300c - 1,000c per month
  Special: 
  Theft 
  and 
  vandalism 
  are 
  rare
  occurrences.
  Uptown Middle Lifestyle: Uptown apartment
  with bedroom, kitchen, living room and
  kitchen.
  Rent: 500c - 1,500c per month
  Consumables: 150c - 500c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism are uncommon
  occurrences, assaults are rare.
  L i v i n g   I n   S u b u r b i a
  Suburbia is the intermediate between the
  splendor of Uptown and squalor of Downtown,
  most medium level SLA Employees live in this
  zone.  For the newly graduated operative, just
  off the Gauss Train from Meny this will be
  their first and in many cases last home.
  Operative accommodation has been constructed
  here in vast apartment buildings, and the range
  of available accommodation varies more here
  than in any other zone.  Anything from
  apartment flats to a full semi-detached house
  with garden can be found here and security is
  for the most part good, with regular Shiver
  policing.
  A v a i l a b l e   L i f e s t y l e s   I n
  S u b u r b i a
  Suburbia High Lifestyle: Suburban flat with
  bedroom, living room and kitchen.
  Rent: 200c - 500c per month
  Consumables: 100c - 300c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism are uncommon
  occurrences, assaults are rare.
  Suburbia Middle Lifestyle: Suburban flat with a
  bedroom and kitchen / living room.
  Rent: 100c - 200c per month
  Consumables: 100c - 200c per month
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Special: Theft and vandalism are uncommon
  occurrences, assaults are rare.
  Suburbia Low Lifestyle: Shared flat living with
  another Operative own bedroom but shared
  kitchen / living room.
  Rent: 50c - 100c per month
  Consumables: 50c - 150c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism are common
  occurrences, assaults are uncommon.
  L i v i n g   I n   D o w n t o w n
  Downtown is divided into two distinct levels,
  called Upper and Lower. Lower Downtown is
  actually below the ground level of Mort and is
  a place only the most desperate would ever
  want to live.  The Upper Downtown is
  essentially a slum or a getto on a planetary
  scale.  Some areas are noticeably worse than
  others, as a general rule the further you are
  from the lower levels the more bearable it is.
  Despite the plague of Serial Killers, psychos
  and gun toting SLA Operatives who act with
  seaming impunity (relative to their SCL) there
  are a lot worse places to live.
  Getting a place to live in Downtown is
  relatively easy for a SLA Operative, all you
  have to do is fill in all the relevant paperwork
  and wait for a place to become available.
  Depending on how close to the top of dung
  heap you want to live, it can take from a few
  days to several weeks to get some place
  suitable.  There are two reasons why Operatives
  consider living in Downtown, the first is
  because it’s cheap, property rental is a fraction
  of what it is in Uptown.  The second is
  paranoia, the belief that Downtown is so big
  and so far from Central that Slayer can’t see
  you.
  A v a i l a b l e   L i f e s t y l e s   I n
  D o w n t o w n
  Downtown Middle Lifestyle: You have a lease
  on a small flat in a crumbling tenement in one
  of the upper areas of Downtown, the
  neighbours can be a problem but at least you’re
  above the areas commonly hit by flash floods.
  Your flat has a bed / living room, if your lucky
  you have your own toilet otherwise it’s a shared
  facility with the others on your floor.
  Rent: 10c - 100c per month
  Consumables: 10c - 100c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism are common
  occurrences, assaults are uncommon.
  Downtown Low Lifestyle: You have a tiny flat
  with rising damp and a variety of unsavoury
  house guests, loft rats are common as is the
  infamous downtown tick.  The one room where
  you live has no facilities and is below the
  danger line for flash floods.
  Rent: 10c - 50c per month
  Consumables: 10c - 70c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism are common
  occurrences, assaults are uncommon. Flash
  floods occur rarely.
  Downtown Squatter Lifestyle: You have a pad
  were you crash at night and a secret hiding
  place were you can stash your gear.
  Rent: none, but may require protection money
  Consumables: 10c - 50c per month
  Special: Theft and vandalism are everyday
  occurrences, assaults are common. Flash floods
  occur rarely.
  Downtown Drifter Lifestyle: This lifestyle
  includes both living homeless or living out of a
  vehicle on the streets of Downtown.
  Rent: none, but may require protection money
  Consumables: 10c - 30c per month
  Special: All manner of crime occurs on a dally
  basis. Flash floods occur rarely.
  T h e   U l t I m a t e   N a r c o t I c   A n d
  T h e   H a r d e s t   H i t
  The ultimate spectator sport and the greatest
  narcotic the World of Progress has ever know:
  Television.
  No matter the channel, no matter the time of
  day or night, the bloody televised duels fought
  everyday by SLA Operatives on the mean
  streets of Mort contain the ultimate hit and the
  greatest ‘high’ for the teaming billions seeking
  respite from the drudgery of their own
  existence.
  Television addiction is not really a problem in
  the World of Progress, after all if a citizen is at
  home, in front of the hypnotic glare of the
  cathode tube then he’s not out on the streets
  working against SLA Industries.
  For SLA Operatives, few really get the chance
  to sit in front of the wall screen longer than an a
  few hours at a time before the next BPN sees
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  them face to face with the horrors few
  Suburbian’s actually believe exist.  For the
  most part meeting these horrors face to face and
  eye to eye invalidates any addictive urge to
  watch the same on the tube.  Why bother
  watching the box when you can do it for real?
  The Department of Psychology and Psychosis
  have recorded a small percentage of Operatives
  who have succumbed none the less often
  devolving into couch potatoes and ignoring
  BPN’s in favour of the next episode of Captain
  Contract.
  As a general note the Department of
  Psychology and Psychosis have noted that of
  those Operatives who do fall into the trap of the
  neon glow, the vast majority are human.  There
  are no recorded incidents of any Stormer’s, of
  any type, having become afflicted with this
  obsessive form of behaviour.
  N e w   M e n t a l   D i s a d v a n t a g e
  T e l e v i s i o n   D e p e n d e n c y
  The character has developed a psychological
  dependency based upon his favourite television
  channel or show.  Each level of this
  disadvantage permits the character 2 extra
  points to be spent elsewhere.  The exact level of
  the dependence determines how much time the
  character must spend parked in front of his wall
  screen.  During this time he can do nothing but
  provide the channel of his affection with his
  undivided attention.  If he is disturbed (fellow
  squad members talking over his favourite
  show?) then a violent or psychotic episode is
  possible, make a COOL roll subtracting the
  level of his dependency to maintain control.
  The level of this disadvantage reflects the
  number of hours the Operative must dedicate to
  his favourite channel.  Again being deprived of
  his viewing time will require a CONC roll to
  prevent the dereliction of duty that going in
  search of the nearest television will cause,
  subtract the level of the disadvantage and the
  number of hours its has been since his last
  gratification, test every hour.  Stormer’s may
  not take this disadvantage.
  The player should agree with the referee about
  which channel the character is dependent on,
  some examples are given below and the level of
  this 
  disadvantage 
  should 
  match 
  the
  Dependency rating of the channel.
  D e p e n d e n c y   I n   G a m e
  Television works almost exactly like any other
  drug, it has a chance of addiction based on the
  number of hours of viewing.  There are the
  effects of Detox. for those who have become
  addicted and are suffering withdrawal.
  The principle difference between chemical
  addiction and optically induced brain candy is
  that all addiction rolls are based from the
  character’s 
  COOL 
  not 
  PHYS. 
   
  Where
  pharmacologists might talk about doses of a
  chemical, television comes in hours and the
  game effects last for the duration of the show
  plus one hour.
  A l i e n   S e x   C h a n n e l
  Game Effects: +2 on any roll that are dictated
  by lust or that might lead to sexual gratification
  (beware characters with perversions).
  Addiction: -1 COOL per 6 hours (double the
  penalty if the character has not engaged is
  sexual activity within the last three days).
  Detox. Effects: -1 CONC, -1 COOL
  Dependency: 2 hours a day (double the number
  of required viewing hours if the character has
  not able to engage in a sexually gratifying act
  that day).
  G o r e z o n e
  Game Effects: +4 on any violent close combat
  activity and -2 CONC
  Addiction: -2 COOL per hour
  Detox. Effects: -4 CONC, -2 COOL
  Dependency: 2 hours per day
  K i l l z o n e
  Game Effects: +2 on any violent close combat
  activity and -1 CONC
  Addiction: -1 COOL per hour
  Detox. Effects: -2 CONC, -1 COOL
  Dependency: 3 hours per day
  S l a u g h t e r   H o u s e   S i x
  Game Effects: +1 on any violent activity
  Addiction: -1 COOL per 4 hours
  Detox. Effects: -1 CONC, -2 COOL
  Dependency: 4 hours per day
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  I N T E G R A T I O N   2 0 –
  S E C O N D   F I N D
  F I N A L   C H A P T E R
  It has long been suspected that the transmission
  intercepted by the Dark Night cell that formed
  the basis of the I20 report (TBP10) was not
  complete.
  The experimental version of Vent being used to
  break in to Third Eye, which caused the
  backfire 
  and 
  'caught' 
  the 
  Stygmartyr
  transmission, redirected the second part of the
  message as the SLA Third Eye counter-
  measure kicked in. It seems that Vent is smarter
  than anyone at SLA has so far discovered.
  The second part of the transmission was sent to
  a DN 'holding' beacon in Suburbia, where it sat
  on the recording equipment until it was
  recovered in a routine DN pick up a month
  later. The DN cell that performed the sweep of
  the material gathered, immediately sent it to
  BlackWatch, a DN cell deep in Downtown
  where the archives are regularly updated and
  distributed to safer holding areas on the DN
  network.
  During the download, the transmission was
  intercepted by Tempest who have been raiding
  DN material for some time now. Tempest
  released it to thirty pirate broadcast stations and
  what follows is an unedited version of that
  broadcast.
  Twenty eight of the thirty stations have been
  closed down, all incurring total fatalities. The
  two remaining stations have become roving
  transmitters, working from all over Mort for no
  more than thirty minutes at a time. 'Fools Eye'
  is audio only, while 'Future Present' is both
  audio and visual.
  The broadcast comprises four sections, each of
  which is better understood after digesting the
  first eight sections from the original break in
  transmission (TBP 10).
  S e c t i o n   1
  Interview between Mr. Slayer and unnamed
  journalist, suspected to be Hannah Sheer,
  recently 
  disappeared 
  on 
  Cross 
  while
  interviewing the Necanthrope Union; Cradle.
  The interview is audio only and is poor quality,
  suggesting light weight maybe even concealed
  recording equipment. The 'interview' is thought
  to have taken place in the elevator at
  DreadNought, an Uptown club close to Cloak
  Division's 
  Headquarters.
  HS: "What you told me before? It was a lie?"
  S: "I never lie. I told you what you needed to
  hear."
  HS: "But it wasn't the truth?"
  S: "The truth? You do not need the truth."
  HS: "I am not a child....
  S: "Be careful.... my patience is great but not to
  be tested by you."
  HS: "I thought you wanted more people to
  realise what you are doing. Isn't this about
  getting people on your side? Helping them to
  understand?"
  S: "No. This about you and your career."
  HS: "I don't care about that anymore. I just
  want to know...."
  S: "Do you? Why?"
  HS: "Because I feel I'm so close.... I just need a
  few more pieces of the puzzle."
  S: "You cannot know what the truth is. It would
  mean nothing to you. A puzzle you cannot even
  see, never mind put together."
  HS: "Because I'm not an Ebon? Or a
  Necanthrope?"
  S: "No. Because you are alive."
  HS: "Who can know then?"
  S: "Those who need to."
  HS: "I thought....
  S: "No. You didn't think. You think you have
  'rights', and that these include being told the
  truth."
  HS: "I don't have rights?"
  S: "Of course not."
  HS: "I don't understand. Why have you given
  me these interviews?"
  S: "Given? You have not told me you are
  taping this...."
  HS: "I tape everything, you know that."
  S: "Of course."
  HS: "Are you going to let me see the
  remnants?"
  S: "There is nothing to see."
  HS: "What of our break in? Has that been
  destroyed?"
  S: "Of course not. Nothing is destroyed."
  HS: "Do you still want me to write the article?
  Or am I too going to disappear?"
  S: "The article will be written, if not by you
  then someone else. And it will be released."
  HS: "They trust me. I can take it to them, they
  will broadcast it."
  S: "Of course."
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  HS: "Then I can put an end to them? I hate
  them, they are so stupid."
  S: "Give them the article, make sure they
  broadcast it, then contact Lure, she will shut
  them down."
  HS: "I'm sorry I'm so jumpy. I just feel I'm
  walking a fine line here.... I don't want to fall."
  S: "Do as I say and you will be fine."
  HS: "Of course."
  S: "I never forget. You will be well rewarded."
  HS: "But not with the truth? Not with what's
  going on with the Big Picture?"
  S: "Of course not."
  HS: "(laughs) I'll get on with it then."
  S e c t i o n   2
  Video with sound, recorded deep in Downtown
  after 'clean up' operation. Shows tail end of
  operation and follow up interview with two
  Tempest Operatives and a Dark Finder.
  Footage is 'hidden camera' and sound quality is
  dismal, pictures remain too dark to get clear
  identifications of Tempest Op's, though Dark
  Finder has subsequently been identified as Sil
  Harr, currently active in operation 'Clear Hed'
  on the War World of Hed.
  Opening shots of blasted landscape, perimeter
  wall in background, rubble of destroyed
  tenement block fills screen. In small clearing
  beneath shattered water tower are two figures
  in what looks like Relic Armour. Camera
  approaches two figures who acknowledge
  camera and slowly walk back in to shadows.
  SH: "You are the last. Did you get the footage
  you need?"
  T1: "Yes.... can we go now?"
  T2: "It's not that we don't trust you...."
  SH: "I understand. But I have a few questions
  first."
  T2: "Questions?"
  T1: "What could we tell you?"
  SH: "What do you know of Release? Not the
  standard media trot out, but what do you really
  know...."
  (silence)
  SH: "You are safe. If I wanted you dead, you'd
  be dead. Tell me. What do you know."
  T1: "I've been conditioned. I can't know. I can't
  know...."
  T2: "I can tell you what I know, though it can't
  help you...."
  SH: "Let me be the judge of that."
  T2: "It's about the 'spark', the capture of the
  spark of life.... you know, how they 'birth'
  Stormers, you know, the spark...."
  SH: "Rumour and fantasy. Stormers are
  constructs, they are programmed."
  T2: "You wanted to know what I knew."
  SH: "I will listen."
  T2: "Ever wondered how they could 'program'
  a complete personality matrix? What makes a
  Stormer better than a Manchine or a computer?
  It's the spark."
  SH: "And Release lets the spark loose?"
  T2: "Release is just that. Release from the
  prison of the Stormer's cage."
  SH: "How? How does it work?"
  T2: "I don't know. I'm not a chemist, or a
  philosopher. I only know what I think I know."
  SH: "Tell me."
  T2: "You know about Deathwake?"
  SH: "What I need to, yes."
  T2: "Why do you think they call it that?"
  SH: "Time is short."
  T2: "Because it places the spark from those
  dying in the world in to Stormers, it re-awakens
  their spark, to birth the Stormer."
  SH: "So Stormers are really just people who
  have lived before? Why is it no Stormers have
  told me about this, you'd think they'd know...."
  T2: "Maybe that's the real art of making a
  Stormer, programming out stuff, not putting it
  in."
  SH: "And that's it. That's what Release is all
  about?"
  T2: "Like I said, I only know what I know. You
  know more than me."
  SH: "I know Stormers have been known to
  suicide, I know that Release has so far avoided
  complete analysis by my Dept. chemists, I
  know 
  that 
  non-Stormers 
  infected 
  have
  nightmares and develop delusional thought
  patterns. I know you must be wrong."
  T2: "Maybe. Like I said, I don't know what I
  don't know."
  SH: "Do all agents at your level know what's
  behind the Release agenda?"
  T2: (laughs) "I don't know what's behind
  Release, I think only RedNun knows for sure."
  SH: "Have you ever met him?"
  T2: "Yeah, we all have. A most unremarkable
  man. You'd pass him in the street and never
  know."
  SH: (smiles) "I doubt that."
  T2: "How close are we to the truth?"
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  SH: "The truth? You only ever had two chances
  of knowing the truth; one died when you were
  born...."
  T2: "And the other?"
  T1: "Had?"
  The camera walks towards the shadows,
  thermal imaging briefly kicks in, bursts of
  automatic fire target the camera and it's user,
  there is a brief flash of two humanoid shapes
  backing away, then white noise and tape hiss
  obscure the rising screams that gradually fade
  to nothing....
  S e c t i o n   3
  Audio only. Voiced recording of Wave
  Lyndsy's last surviving assistant from the
  Phoenix press room. Obviously recorded while
  on the move and under great stress, possibly
  being hunted.
  “Fuck it, how did they find me, I’m sick of
  running. They can’t be human, DarkFinders,
  what do I have to do to get away from them?
  Wave said they’d be back, he knew they’d
  never give up…. what was it he said? They had
  all the time in the world? Wave said they’d
  never let it go, said they couldn’t, not even if
  they wanted to. Now they’re after me….
  they’ve killed Wave and now they’re going to
  kill me…. and for what; this fucking book. I
  can’t even read the bloody thing, it’s all written
  in some kind of code, Ebon maybe…. only
  Wave’s notes give a clue…. and I don’t
  understand them…. how can I? I’m just a
  fucking printer…. gotta calm down, gotta get it
  together, make a record Wave said, make sure
  you have some back up…. well, I don’t know if
  this is gonna count, but here goes anyway….
  My name is Matt, Matt Reiman, I was there
  with Wave from the beginning, from the birth
  of the Phoenix, to it’s end in the ashes of the
  print shop in that basement. I saw Intruder, saw
  him kill Wave…. or at least I think I did…. it
  was so dark, I was scared, there was the smoke
  and the fumes, the fire was just starting…. I
  don’t know why but I think Wave started it
  himself…. anyway…. I ran, I waited then I ran.
  After he left, there was a DarkFinder, I think it
  was a DarkFinder, it didn’t look completely
  human, and I’m sure it wasn’t a Nec, it went in
  to the smoking ruins, and I’m sure it was
  laughing…. so I ran, and here I am on the run. I
  took the only thing Wave seemed to care about
  after his wife died; his precious fucking book.
  He got it from a DarkFinder, said it was a gift,
  that it was given to him by someone high up,
  maybe even the man himself, said it would buy
  his silence. Then he went all crazy, started
  talking like he could get his wife back…. I
  didn’t understand, still don’t, maybe he was
  finally losing it, going crazy, god knows I
  would have. Wave told me that the book was
  security, that it could be used to bargain with,
  made me swear to check it every night, check
  the safe, so I did. It was in my print shop when
  the fire started, Wave must have known, the
  fire was in his office, where the safe was…. I
  couldn’t write anything down, just looking at
  the pages makes my head hurt, so I’ll read it
  out…. gotta sit down….
  There are just scribbled notes mostly, in Waves
  thin, pathetic scrawl, can hardly read them….
  in the borders, sometimes over-written in the
  text…. I’ll start with the last, strange as it may
  seem…. in the back cover, he’s written “I was a
  fool, there is nothing I can do, no one must
  know, the truth will kill….” looks unfinished,
  like it trailed off in mid sentence, none of the
  stuff has dates or times on it…. The first one is
  “I was right, Stormers are the key. And they
  don’t know.” There’s some more, written in the
  same language as the book I guess, then a few
  pages later; “How can you tell someone? How
  can they believe you? Why did she die? How
  did she know, what made her see?” I guess he
  means his wife, I dunno, maybe…. then there’s
  some kind of formulae with “Tempest –
  Release…. it would work….” then something I
  can’t read, then “RedNun must know too, I
  must speak with him.” There’s pages of
  scribbled mathematical formulae, I think, and
  stuff in the language, Wave seems to have
  forgotten himself in this language, maybe I
  should take the book to an Ebon, like I know
  any…. what’s that! Shit! Gotta move!”
  S e c t i o n   4
  Audio only. Recording of 'final' part of
  interview 
  between 
  Catharsis 
  (Stygmartyr
  Necanthrope SCL 3) and Janus (Necanthrope
  Op SCL 5). Exchange seems to take place on
  the move, as Janus is being moved from his cell
  by Catharsis. It is known on the street that
  Janus is currently at large in Cannibal Sector
  Three. What has become of Catharsis is not
  known, rumour has it that he is currently on a
  Fold Ship heading for the Black Stump.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  J: “Where are you taking me?”
  C: “To a place where you will be safe.”
  J: “Safe from whom?”
  C: “Bitterness seems to resent our taking you
  back. He has power, even here his Monitors are
  seeking you out. Do you want them to find
  you?”
  J: “I don’t care….”
  C: “Have a care Janus! We are close to your
  point of no return, I will not play games with
  you for much longer.”
  J: “Then let me go. I just want it to be over….”
  C: “Then you have chosen?”
  J: “I have no real choice, not if what you say is
  true.”
  C: “It is true. But Slayer doesn’t want your
  forced obedience.”
  J: “I don’t think he cares how he gets obedience
  as long as he gets it.”
  C: “If that were true, why are we free to make
  choices against him?”
  J: “Because it doesn’t matter. It’s all a sham. It
  all goes back to him in the end.”
  C: “Then why fight it?”
  J: “Because it can never be anything but a lie
  for me. I have seen….”
  C: “We have all seen! Stop acting like a child!
  Remember the white, we all glimpse the face of
  the future beneath the shroud of Progress, we
  all see, we all make a choice, you made yours.
  Start taking some responsibility for your
  choice!”
  J: “I want to go back to White Earth, to die in
  the sands, I want to let him kill me.”
  C: “Do not mention that name again, if you do,
  I can’t help you.”
  J: “Where are you taking me?”
  C: “Cannibal Sector Three.”
  J: “Why?”
  C: “We have a Cathedral there. There you will
  make your choice. There you will be cleansed.”
  J: “By who? Who has the power to take away
  knowledge? Who can undo what has been
  done? Teeth?”
  C: “The Preceptor doesn’t care whether you
  live in eternal torment or are obliterated from
  the world forever.”
  J: “Who then?”
  C: “You will see. For some reason the Witch
  wants you alive.”
  J: “Senti? No! Don’t let her near me!!”
  C: “This truly is your last chance. I know what
  you are going through…. don’t let the
  Bitterness win. There lies only destruction.
  Choose Hope.”
  J: “You…. you have been….”
  C: “Yes.”
  J: “ How can you live! How can you go on with
  this charade?”
  C: “Because I must. How many would you
  have die to satisfy your craving for death and
  the truth?”
  J: “I seek only my own death, others are free to
  choose their own fate.”
  C: “Are they? Were you?”
  J: “I am now. I would rather die than submit to
  the lie He is perpetuating.”
  C: “We are here. Be respectful to the Witch.
  She can grant you your wish, and believe me,
  death is preferable to what she can do if she
  chooses.”
  J: “You have been kind to me, thank you.”
  C: “I have done what I must. I fear I may have
  failed.”
  J: “I don’t know…. I am so confused, it was
  once all so clear…. now…. “
  C: “Choose.”
  These Sections are all based on our own
  version of the ‘truth’, though it is not the same
  as Nightfall’s, it does not conflict with any of
  the basic ideas in the writers guidelines / bible.
  I don’t think there will be much more in the
  way of ‘official’ truth source material from
  Nightfall, and they are getting very defensive
  about who they will ‘share’ the truth with. So,
  time to get on with it ourselves (again).
  There are hints and suggestions, maybe a few
  direct references to the Nightfall truth in both
  I20 articles.
  I hope these bits from I20 have helped some
  people !
  (*+enD*+)
  refuse / resist – Kaos SD.
  E D G E   O F
  D A R K N E S S
  Cloak Division have their own weapons
  development sub-division: Edge of Darkness.
  This secretive, Head Office funded wing of
  Cloak, produce many of the unique and deadly
  weapons carried by both Darkfinders and Cloak
  Operatives.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  They are always looking for enterprising
  Operatives to 'field test' either completed items
  or elements of weapons.
  Edge of Darkness (EOD) is unique in SLA
  Departments in two ways.
  Firstly, it is a non-commercial organisation
  with no 'budget' or public representation.
  Secondly, it has two Department Heads, each
  of which makes decisions for the whole
  Department.
  EOD reports direct to Alexander Xavier and
  Head Office. They have very close ties to both
  Dept. Investigation and Dept. of Expedition.
  There are ties to the Black Chapter, but these
  are largely secretive, with business being
  conducted at Dept. Head level.
  S t r u c t u r e
  Rather than being organised like a 'pyramid' the
  Dept. is organised like a 'target', with the two
  Dept. Heads as halves of the inner circle.
  The next ring is segregated in to three
  divisions, each with it's own Section Chief.
  The outer ring is split in to five sections, each
  being controlled by a Watcher.
  The Dept. Heads are rarely seen, and then
  mainly only by other SLA Dept. Heads or sub-
  Heads. On very rare occasions one of them will
  take a direct interest in an EOD development,
  and then they may sit in on the evaluation
  interview for either choosing a test candidate,
  or 
  reviewing 
  the 
  performance 
  of 
  the
  item/material.
  Department Head: Low.
  Low is an SCL 3F Necanthrope.
  Low is a 'solo' Necanthrope, with no ties to any
  known Union. It is rumoured that Low was
  once a White Earth insurgency Operative.
  Department Head: Fanny.
  Fanny is an SCL 2D 313 Stormer.
  Fanny has kept his name, to challenge the
  concept of Stormers being stupid or slow
  witted. Fanny has served a term on Dante and
  has commanded a division of Ministry of War
  troops on Hed.
  Each of the Sections specialises in an area of
  development, having it's own labs, technicians,
  clerical staff and 'field agents'.
  Although there is no direct competition
  between the Sections, each likes to out do the
  other is successful weapons development.
  Section Chief: Mr. Luther Sell.
  Mr. Sell is an SCL 4B Human Operative,
  specialising in ballistics and explosives. His
  Division has contacts with many other Depts.,
  and he communicates regularly with other SLA
  Dept. Heads, searching for outlets for his
  Depts. tests. Luther is the most accessible of the
  Section Chiefs, as is his Division.
  Section Chief: Fracture.
  Fracture is an SCL 4E Ebon.
  She has been granted special dispensation from
  Head Office and the Dept. of Ebb, allowing her
  to 
  have 
  'wards' 
  against 
  the 
  onset 
  of
  Necanthropy.
  Fracture's division deals exclusively with
  Karma and Dark Lament, and through a
  number 
  of 
  select 
  Financiers, the 
  Ebon
  community of Mort.
  Section Chief: Lean Feraw.
  Lean is an SCL 4A Wraith Raider. Lean
  specialises in Blades, his division has close ties
  to the Dept. of Contract Sector, the Dept. of
  Psychology & Psychoses and the Ministry of
  War.
  Each of the five sections has the job of placing
  various 'projects' in to the hands of either
  testers or other SLA Depts. for trial. It is the
  sections that have the vast majority of the
  contact between EOD and the rest of the SLA
  corporate machine.
  Each section employs between three and five
  thousand 
  people, 
  ranging 
  from 
  clerical,
  Financier, Street Scout to BPN rep.
  Watcher: Hurul Che'Ragh.
  Hural is an SCL 5C Wraith Raider.
  Watcher: Mr. Francois Schull.
  Francois is an SCL 5B Human Operative.
  Watcher: Ms. Delia Timms.
  Delia is an SCL 5A Human Operative.
  Watcher: K'Tchr R'Qn.
  K'Tchr is an SCL 5E Shaktar Operative.
  Watcher: Mr. Liam Dougal.
  Liam is an SCL 6D Frother Operative.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  I n t e r – A c t i o n   w i t h   t h e   W o P
  EOD 
  will 
  largely 
  inter-act 
  with 
  other
  Operatives via 'add-ons' to BPN's or through
  direct contact from Financiers.
  Often the Consolidated Bonus Scheme may
  have an attachment dependent upon the Squad
  demonstrating their use of some piece of
  equipment, and the successful reporting of the
  use.
  All testing is undertaken exclusively for EOD,
  and all material and data is subject to their sole
  rights of possession. Operatives failing to
  return the test objects are usually given one
  chance to retrieve them, then executed by
  Cloak agents if they fail....
  We have listed three Edge of Darkness
  development pieces, together with some
  suggestions for placing them 'in the field' for
  testing.
  P o w e r   R a p i e r  -  D a r k W i r e
  The Power Rapier, known as the DarkWire is
  designed for use against lightly or un-armoured
  opponents. The DarkWire uses the technology
  developed by MJL for their Power Claymore;
  the oscillating blade, but with a modification so
  that an outer 'sleeve' hides a sliding/stabbing
  inner blade which gives the DarkWire it's high
  PEN and DAM.
  Power Rapier - DarkWire (Sword)
  DAM; 5, PEN; 8, AD; 2.
  Weight 0.5kg, Length 120cm.
  In appearance the DarkWire looks like a slim
  length of metal rod which tapers slightly
  towards the end. The 'grip' is a SolutionWare
  hybrid, allowing greater traction and control.
  Next Stage Development: The next logical step
  for the DarkWire is to replace the carbon
  filament inner blade with a conductive steel-
  ceramic unit, allowing the DarkWire to be
  linked to a Power Pack to be used in the same
  way as a Jolt Glove.
  'P u n c h'   D a g g e r  -  K a t a r
  Developed specifically for undercover Op's and
  for Op's who need a 'tuck away' weapon that
  can be brought to hand in a hurry.
  Essentially the blade is a slim triangular unit,
  attached to the end of an 'H' shaped forearm-
  fixing mount. Blade length varies from 20cm to
  30cm according to user.
  The blade is designed to be 'flicked' in to the
  extended position, either by a sharp downward
  movement of the hand, or a throwing back of
  the wrist.
  'Punch' Dagger - Katar (street name DarkBlade)
  DAM; 4, PEN; 7, AD 2.
  Weight: 0.4kg, Length: 20 - 30cm.
  Next Stage Development: The Katar is made
  from a new material compound, known as
  'XC81', it is a variant of a Karma by-product
  produced from the making of Deathsuits. It has
  so far only been found effective when molded
  in to shapes with a small mass, as research
  continues, the material will undoubtedly
  become more stable, allowing it to be used in
  both bigger and powered weapons.
  F B H   E x p l o s i v e   R o u n d
  The FBH Explosive round is being developed
  using a 'new' explosive compound called 'de-
  stabilised Cehdrite acid', or DCA.
  DCA is extremely volatile when exposed to
  kinetic energy. It appears to be almost inert
  when faced with energy input through more
  'stable' means, such as heating. The conversion
  of kinetic energy within the DCA produces a
  massive explosive release, which 'chain reacts'
  at a base level, causing material around it to
  invert, or 'implode'. Result; highly effective
  explosive.
  Drawback; DCA is extremely 'twitchy'. It does
  not like to be shaken about or greatly disturbed
  in any 'kinetic' fashion. As a result the round
  has an outer casing of titanium, which offers
  some cushioning and acts as 'fuel' upon impact.
  FBH Explosive Round – (street name 'Boom' or
  'Black Hole')
  12.7mm Round. (Pistol / Rifle)
  PEN: 14/18, DAM: 26/32, AD: 10.
  Cost: 35c / 600u.
  FBH rounds are made from a semi-organic
  material (DCA), and so degrade once out of
  their protective environment (i.e. once put in to
  a round).
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  For every week old the round is, there is a 05%
  chance that it will 'self combust' when used.
  DCA rounds 'chain react' if chambered in the
  same weapon, i.e. all rounds go off.
  FBH self-destruct if double one is rolled for
  their use, regardless of age, all damage being to
  the user.
  Next Stage Development: Obviously EOD are
  looking in to preventing the round from
  degrading.
  It has also been found that DCA has roughly
  the same properties as Depleted Uranium,
  though these are only brought out if another
  substance, Lechddryin, is added during the
  distillation stage of production. So far, this has
  not been authorised, but it is a development that
  EOD would like to progress.
  I d e a s   F o r   G a m e   U s e
  Working the equipment in to the game is of
  course, up to you. Whether you want your
  players running around with Cloak sanctioned
  hardware is your call.
  The best way to get players/squads introduced
  to EOD is through Financiers or BPN Hall
  Clerks.
  Financiers will always be on the look out for
  squads they can put forward as suitable 'test
  subjects', as this gets them brownie points with
  Cloak.
  BPN 
  Hall 
  clerks 
  have 
  all 
  of 
  the
  squad/Operative information at their fingertips
  when they try to place the squad on a BPN.
  They will often simply match Cloak criteria to
  BPN applications.
  No one is forced to take any item offered by
  EOD, though they do offer substantial financial
  reward, and the chance to make some seriously
  useful contacts.
  P o w e r   R a p i e r
  The Operative will be approached and offered a
  seemingly innocuous Blue, with a proviso of
  taking the DarkWire with them to field test.
  To qualify for the test the Operative must have
  Blade, 1-H skill.
  SCL: 10
  Contact: Randolph Jurin, Dept. Environment;
  745/113/98-RJ/E.
  Training Package Recc.: Any.
  Colour: Blue.
  Summary:  Clearance of section of disused
  Storm Drain, in order to enable repair. Squad
  only.
  Coverage: Station Analysis.
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 20c per day.
  Payment: Per Operative.
  SCL Increase: 0.3
  Issued By: Dept. of Sanitation.
  The squad is needed to accompany a repair
  crew in to sector 620 in Suburbia. The crew
  will take five to six days to weld, repair and re-
  enforce a section of Storm Drain leading from
  620 to the lower clearance 'reservoir'.
  It is known that the section of underground pipe
  has become a lair for the Chain Lightning gang.
  The Op's will meet with numerous sewer
  dwellers, including some wildlife and the gang.
  As a twist the pipe will be put back 'on line'
  before the squad and the repair crew are clear,
  sweeping them down to one of the 'reservoir'
  Downtown sectors.
  P u n c h   D a g g e r
  The squad or Op can be approached by one of
  the section Financiers, maybe once they have
  already taken on a 'suitable' BPN from another
  dept. to be suitable the BPN must involve the
  potential for either undercover work, or a lot of
  hand to hand.
  The Punch Dagger will be offered for the
  duration of the BPN, and then only if one of the
  squad has an 'unarmed' or Blade, 1-H skill of
  5+.
  F B H   E x p l o s i v e   R o u n d s
  The FBH rounds will be offered for trial by a
  squad who are either going in to one of the
  Cannibal Sectors, or have undertaken a BPN
  where Cloak know the protagonist may well be
  a War Crim, though they will not reveal this to
  the Op's.
  Preference will be given to a sniper or reconn.
  type Operative who is known for their use of a
  12.7mm weapon.
  T h e   P a y – o f f
  Cloak can pay the Operative in money or 'a
  favour'. If it's in straight cred's, then the pay off
  ranges from 1,000c to 3,000c, depending upon
  
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  the evidence and information gathered from the
  'trial'.
  Cloak will almost always insist the field tests
  are filmed, and if the squad/Op has no means to
  do this, they will fit a selected Operative with a
  shoulder mounted vid-cam. Basically the
  camera is mounted on a KK30 rig, with the user
  having a laser painter guidance system through
  their head (eye) unit.
  All equipment or material sent out on a field
  trial must be either returned or documented in
  it's destruction during the test.
  A 'favour' from Cloak can count as a Rank 1
  Minor friend: Cloak Division, until used.
  N E V E R   M I N D   T H E
  P I G
  TerraConda
  The TerraConda is originally from the
  Resource World of Thalix, it was brought to
  Mort by the Dept. of Environment and released
  in to the sewers. This was before the ‘inner
  secret’ of the TerraConda was known. The
  huge snake eats rats, smaller reptiles and baby
  Pigs.
  The snake, that has ‘parasite’ within that causes
  it to ‘frenzy’, and ultimately die in agony as the
  parasite breaks free. Parasite produces venom,
  which host snake ingests via osmosis, it
  eventually eats away the motor nervous system.
  If parasite cannot find suitable host, will try to
  get in to who / what ever is around.
  Stats.
  Min.
  Max.
  Norm.
  STR
  7
  15
  9
  DEX
  7
  15
  9
  DIA
  1
  2
  1
  CONC
  0
  1
  0
  HITS
  14
  30
  18
  Slither 2.  Climb 1.  Swim 3.
  Weapon
  PEN
  DMG
  AD
  Bite
  6
  *2
  0
  *Venomous bite – Neuro Toxin.
  SKILLS
  RANK
  Detect
  6
  Swim
  6
  Climb
  7
  Unarmed (Bite)
  12
  *The Venom acts as a Rank 8 Neuro Toxin.
  The victim has to make a PHYS roll with a –8
  modifier. if they succeed, there is no affect
  from that particular snakes venom. if they fail,
  they get –1 per round to their STR and DEX
  stat. When either of their stats. reach zero, they
  are paralysed for 10-20 rounds. After this, they
  take 1 HP per round until they are dead.
  The venom of the TerraConda has two known
  antidotes: Pain Away and the secretions from
  the Pancreas of the Shadow Monkey. Either of
  these prevents the hit point damage from being
  taken, but can not combat the creeping
  paralysis. if an antidote is administered, after
  reaching PHYS 0, the victim regains 1 point in
  each STR and DEX stat. per round, until they
  are back to normal.
  The parasite within the snake takes two years to
  grow to maturity, then three months to slowly
  kill the snake and ingest it’s nutrients. It looks
  like a sinuous, thin, metal worm, with silver
  scales and no apparent eyes, nose or ears. Once
  the snake is down to 1-6 HP, the parasite will
  seek to break free. It ruptures the skin, leaping
  to a new host. Usually, it will wait until the
  snake approaches some prey, or is close to
  another snake, it will then ‘leap’ from the host,
  hoping to strike and inject it’s eggs in to the
  new host.
  It bites with ‘skill’ 10, successfully injecting
  the eggs on following roll of 11+. Once it has
  deposited it’s eggs it will break off and seek out
  a large body of water, where it will live out the
  remaining year of it’s life. It’s last year is spent
  hunting suitable prey for it’s remaining eight
  egg laying sessions, then it dies.
  The eggs hatch quickly, within a week of
  injection, one becomes dominant and seeks out
  and eats the other eggs. The parasite lives in the
  larger intestine and stomach. It grows for two
  years, inflicting sever pain as it does. Then it
  accelerates to ‘break out’, burrowing through
  the hosts flesh for –1 HP and 1 ‘Wound’ per
  phase, until it has weakened the host enough to
  break free. There are a few reports of victims
  
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  surviving the parasite’s break out, but not many
  (most die from internal bleeding).
  I R O N   S P I D E R S
  (a l s o   k n o w n   a s   ‘s h r i e k s t e r s’)
  Expeditionary Shiver’s report (Classified SCL
  7+):
  “They are some form of mutant spider, 12 -
  18cm across back (20 - 30cm diameter inc.
  legs), very hard exo-skeletons, they stun prey
  by emitting very high frequency shriek (made
  by plates rubbing at speed on stomach), then
  they inject acid that reduces prey’s innards to
  fluid to be sucked out through single proboscis
  (unusually high PEN). Almost ‘crab’ like
  shells, they move in jerky bursts, can ‘leap’ up
  to 2 meters. The shrieksters are attracted to
  power cells, and have been known to ‘swarm’
  and suicide on large capacity cells. Escaped
  Karma experiment?”
  Manfred 
  Ulmier, 
  Expeditionary 
  Shiver,
  Cannibal Sector Two, Mort 903 SD.
  Stats.
  Min.
  Max.
  Norm.
  STR
  2
  4
  3
  DEX
  10
  15
  12
  DIA
  0
  1
  0
  CONC
  0
  2
  1
  HITS
  8
  14
  10
  Walk 2.  Sprint 8.
  Armour
  PV
  ID
  Shells
  3
  HITS
  Weapon
  PEN
  DMG
  AD
  Bite
  8
  *1
  0
  *Venomous bite – Acidic Fluid.
  SKILLS
  RANK
  Detect
  8
  Swim
  8
  Climb
  10
  Unarmed (Bite)
  (equals DEX)
  *The Rank of the acid, the more damage it
  does. Ranks range from 3 – 9, the bigger the
  spider, the higher the rank.
  Each round after the first, the victim needs to
  make a PHYS roll (as a Skill, Rank of acid as
  negative modifier) to avoid taking damage. The
  Rank of acid is also the number of rounds it
  attacks the victim, each round a PHYS roll is
  required. After a number of rounds equal to the
  acid’s Rank, it is dissipated within the victims
  blood stream, becoming harmless.
  The ‘shrieking’ is caused by the rubbing
  together of plates on their stomach. This creates
  a high pitched screaming noise. Those within
  1m must make a PHYS roll (using the
  shrieksters STR as a negative modifier),
  success means they are unaffected, failure
  means they are stunned for a number of
  ‘phases’ equal to 20 minus their PHYS. For
  every 10 shrieksters shrieking in unison, add
  1m to the range and –1 to the PHYS roll, +1
  phase to the stun if failed.
  Iron Spiders are an escaped Karma experiment.
  They can live quite happily under water and in
  all but the most lethal of toxic atmospheres.
  They are very sociable creatures, gathering in
  ‘hives’ of up to a thousand. They do not build
  webs. They seek out damp, dark places, and are
  thriving in the sewers and lower levels of
  Downtown. recent flooding in Suburbia has
  caused their spread in to the more secure areas
  of Mort.
  The shrieksters are drawn to power supplies.
  Like a lot of failed Karma experiments, they
  seem prone to a mass suicide instinct. On
  occasion, thousands of Iron Spiders have
  gathered around a power outlet or coupling,
  swarming all over it, biting and scratching,
  shrieking and exposing the raw power line. The
  resulting surge causes them to ‘explode’, which
  is messy but essentially harmless. They have
  caused some major damage in Downtown and a
  few black outs. Iron Spiders attack Powered
  Armour, seeking out the power cells.
  G E T T I N G   A   J O B :
  B P N ’ S
  A Yellow from Sam and a Green.
  Sam's 'Creech' BPN has been played and
  enjoyed by many, though survived by not all of
  those.... it was successfully adapted as a
  GenCon '98 Demo Game.
  
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  The Green is just plain nasty.
  "We're going to need bigger guns.... no really;
  really, really big fucking guns.... no, bigger
  than that, I mean big.... really, really big. Don’t
  you get it?"
  T H E   C R E E C H
  W r i t t e n   By  :  S a m   P a y
  S e q u e n c e   O f   E v e n t s  -  T h e   B P N
  SCL: 9 (Optional)
  Contact: Overseer Dixon, Karma (Biogenetics)
  K987/544-34/DIX.
  Training Package Recc.: Strike Squad / I+I /
  Any.
  Colour: Yellow (?)
  Summary:  Experimental "Beast 001" Stormer
  variant escaped from Karma Bio- Storage 917
  early this morning. Find and retrieve samples of
  tissue.
  Coverage: Station Analysis.
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 450c.
  (Bonus for return of symbiotic armour.)
  Payment: Per Operative.
  SCL Increase: 0.5
  Issued By: Station Analysis
  The BPN will lead them to the office of
  Overseer Dixon, a pleasant enough man with
  slicked-back hair and a nicely furnished office
  in Karma. Elegant furniture and expensive
  ornaments should 
  give 
  the 
  players 
  the
  impression that he is someone important within
  the Department. He will be all smiles and
  sweetness for the briefing, and explain the
  situation, how the Beast 001 variant ("the first
  of a series, after all, it took 313 to get Stormers
  right, yes?") has escaped from Bio-storage.
  Somehow the south wall of its "playpen" has
  been destroyed, and it has wandered into
  Downtown. If it becomes clear that returning it
  intact will be difficult, the Ops are to retrieve
  samples of its tissue and ensure that it is no
  longer a problem for Downtown inhabitants.
  He will go on to explain the nature of the
  symbiotic bond between its armour (never
  mentioning that it is a Deathsuit, just calling it a
  symbiont), how it is kept in a calmed state, both
  emotionally and physically, and how returning
  the Symbiont intact would result in substantial
  rewards from the department.  Details of the
  nature of the escape he will refer to the security
  at the Downtown Bio-storage.
  If Ops ask about the history or nature of either
  the Creature or the Wrap, he will become more
  distant, as if offended, and try to hurry things
  along. While most players will cotton onto his
  being nervous about these subjects, he will try
  to maintain a semblance of politeness, never
  faltering in his speech and never raising his
  voice.
  The Bio-storage is supported underneath a main
  walkway by support struts, but appears to be in
  the middle of a cradle of wires, pipes and
  sewers, giving it a very fragile look, almost like
  a cable-car. The sewers and pipes stretch miles
  in two directions, to the east rising into the
  walk above, to the west diving down into the
  depths of the sector. Below the building is a
  vast shaft, burrowing deep into Downtown,
  clearly caused by some falling object, possibly
  a building, possibly a craft of some kind.
  Access to the building is via thin fire-exit-style
  steps, which lead to a heavily-guarded entrance.
  Once identified, the Ops will be assisted around
  the building by a Technician; Jones.
  Once arrived at the Bio-Storage, several things
  should become clear to the Ops:
  1) The Creature is Huge. A good look at it can
  be got via the security cameras. At least 15 foot
  tall, it shouldn't be difficult to track.
  2) The south wall of its "playpen" just
  dissolved without any apparent force being
  applied to it. Not explosive, not kinetic, it just
  looks like the wall got too weak to support its
  own weight.
  3) The Creature was clearly bewildered by this
  sudden escape route. It wandered around for a
  few minutes, checking to see if this was some
  trick, before leaping out and upwards through
  the wall.
  4) The Creature obviously took to the Sewers,
  as 30 feet above the destroyed wall is a sewer
  with an enormous hole torn into it. The claws
  of the Creature have just cut through the re-
  enforced steel of the sewer wall, and that
  combined with the 30-foot leap should give
  players some idea of its power.
  
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  With appropriate Forensics, Detect and Tactics
  rolls (your discretion), it should become clear
  to players that no-one could ever walk against
  the flow of the sewer. Once they find out which
  direction the sewer flows in (from Upper
  Downtown, to the West, down into the lower
  levels), they can begin to follow the Creature.
  The Pipe is the most obvious way of tracking,
  as the access tunnels are too small for the
  Creature to get out of without destroying the
  walls of the sewer.  Trying to keep clean is a
  physical impossibility, and the Players can
  trudge for a long time until they come to a split,
  which could have allowed the Creature to have
  taken one of 4 different routes. If the players try
  to check each tunnel (tracking is impossible,
  they're wading through liquid excrement),
  discourage them quickly with more turn-offs
  and dangerous badly-maintained sewers. If you
  want, go so far as to introduce the Shaktar or
  Rupture at this stage.
  Once players emerge from the sewers, they'll
  receive a message from a Sewer Maintenance
  crew, saying they've found the exit, and also
  pointing out to the players (if they haven't
  already discovered this) that communications
  equipment doesn't work within the sewer
  tunnels. Moving to this exit hole (they'll have to
  go via a near-by manhole access point), they
  will hear echoing gunfire. This is Button Man,
  who has killed the sewer crew, pushed one of
  them through the hole that the Creature left by,
  and is now hiding inside the sewer.
  Chances are, the players will assume that the
  killer has fled (there's a 70 foot drop to the
  street below), leaving Button man to escape,
  but illustrating his presence.
  Once they leave the sewers, as the Creature has
  done, it becomes a race to catch him up. The
  Creature will attack and storm through several
  locations 
  ("Cream 
  Munchies" 
  ice-cream
  warehouse, Yolonda Heath Walk, Tyrone West
  Walk, 
  Heaven's 
  Steps 
  secondary 
  school
  [abandoned], 
  a 
  Joseph 
  Fredrickson
  Construction 
  Site 
  [abandoned], 
  DT 
  992
  community centre), and the path he is taking is
  clearly movement straight down and West,
  towards CS 3.  Contradictory information will
  also begin to appear, signifying Rupture's
  movement up towards the Creature. The 6th
  site will be attacked after the 2nd is, and the
  damage will be quite different, with bodies
  decaying at an accelerated rate. Players may tie
  this in with the destroyed wall at the Bio-
  Storage.
  If the players take too long in predicting where
  the Creature may end up, or fail to catch him
  for several hours, then Rupture will meet the
  Creature, alter him, and send him back up the
  way he came. The Creature is now unstoppable,
  and will certainly slaughter the players, or at
  least cause them to flee, and beg for backup. If
  they find and deal with the Creature quickly,
  then Rupture and Button Man will attack them
  (heavy automatic fire and a demonic walking
  corpse making bad opponents), and take
  samples of the Creature in the same way the
  players do (they have no interest in the Wrap).
  If you choose to, you can also find all three of
  them 
  during 
  the 
  alteration. 
  This 
  will
  undoubtedly have to be winged by the GM (if
  interrupted, Rupture will be most unhappy,
  Button Man will then flee).
  If the players get the sample, Station Analysis
  will contact them and demand their own
  portion of the sample, as the issuers of the
  BPN, and will make it clear that this request
  should not be revealed to Dixon.
  Dixon will get his DNA and everyone will be
  happy. But Rupture may remember them, as
  may Button Man, or the Wrap, or Dixon, or
  even future versions of the Creature....
  P o i n t s   F o r   G M - i n g
  1 - Don't rush the thing. Remember that the
  Creature is very powerful, and rather than
  creating head-on confrontations, building up
  the suspense will only enhance the game.
  2 - The Creature is not stupid, and may lay
  traps, lie in wait once the players announce
  their presence, or even hit and run (like any
  kind of wall or drop is going to stop it).
  3 - Rupture is invincible. The players may
  notice this, and get concerned. Play up any
  fears that they might have. Rupture can also
  attack them with poisons, hallucinogens and
  other nasty things.
  4 - The interaction between Button Man and a
  Shaktar player could be interesting if they ever
  meet face-to-face.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  5 - The Wrap is communicable with, and if a
  stand-off emerges, then having the Wrap do
  interesting things like flashing "Stop" across
  itself, or having Ebons noticing Ebb abilities
  that it's using to calm the Creature down may
  be the best way to create interesting situations.
  Alternatively, you could just have the Wrap as
  a functioning Ebon Deathsuit, with abilities and
  a voice of its own.
  P r o t a g o n i s t s
  D i x o n
  Dixon has been described by some of his
  colleagues as; "a piece of slime that crawls
  around Karma, messing up projects". He is an
  'Overseer', a freelance geneticist who ensures
  that Karma is investing in profitable lines of
  research, and who "appropriates" those which
  are being mis-managed. Projects, staff and
  funds appropriated never see the light of day
  again, though their labours bear fruit in the
  most unexpected places.
  'The Beast' project is a combination of ideas he
  has stolen from around the company, and as a
  result, is his 'Baby'. Dixon guards his baby
  jealously, and sees that no harm comes to it,
  furthering 
  it's 
  growth 
  through 
  meetings,
  presentations and seminars.  A true creep in all
  important aspects of his personality, Dixon will
  sweet-talk the Operatives in order to preserve
  his low profile outside the company. This
  essentially means that until Players start asking
  the wrong kinds of questions, Dixon will be as
  helpful as possible. Once the Op's start poking
  their noses where they're not wanted, Dixon
  will become quiet and still, rude and unhelpful
  through his lack of conversation rather than
  tone of voice.
  T h e   C r e a t u r e
  The Creature is.... well, a Creature. Based
  VERY loosely on the theory of a combat Low-
  Wave variant. The 'Beast' is what the Karma
  boys refer to as 'Beast 001'; a nasty
  Frankenstein's monster of borrowed DNA
  strands and sloppily-planned mental implants.
  Flushed with success at their Vevaphon project,
  the Doppelganger Institute moved on to larger
  and more promising terrain - the improvement
  of the Angel variant. This was, plainly, a stupid
  move. Angel was, and still is, an amoral killer
  with no regard for humanity or life. He is also
  very intelligent, and perhaps potentially the
  most dangerous individual on Mort.
  Applying the Vevaphon DNA to samples taken
  at the "Birth" of Angel, Beast 001 was created,
  and very quickly tore a political rift in Karma.
  Playing around with the DNA of Angel was not
  seen as a bright move, and when Ernst Strand
  discovered the project, he demanded the
  Creature be destroyed.
  The designer, and project head, an ambitious
  young geneticist by the name of Dixon,
  persuaded him otherwise, and after many
  lengthy meetings, managed to get the approval
  he needed to complete the project.
  The Creature itself is a highly intelligent 4 year
  old child, with near limitless physical strength
  and a healing factor to make even a Vevaphon
  weep. It feeds off a number of different energy
  sources, even photosynthesising if necessary.  It
  has few vital organs, the necessary of which
  (Brain, Heart, Lungs) are stored deep within its
  massive chest. It is kept at a dormant level of
  regeneration and aggression by its semi-
  symbiotic Deathsuit guardian, and if shed of
  this, will become an unstoppable force of
  destruction, a tangled mass of bio-blades and
  sharp protruding bones fuelled and powered by
  an unreasoning rage.
  Long story short; the players are going to have
  to be creative or lucky to stop the Beast.
  Stats (with "Untamed Stats" below) are:
  STR: 28
  DEX: 20
  DIA: 8
  CONC: 4
  COOL: Oh, please - (15)
  CHA: 3
  PHYS: 24
  KNOW: 6
  HITS: 52 (H=17, T=52, A=26, L=26)
  Healing regenerates two wounds per round
  (Phases 2 and 4), 6 hits per round (2 in each
  Phase 1, 3, 5).
  CLAWS:  PEN: 8, DAM:  10, AD: 4.
  STR: 40
  DEX: 26
  DIA: 4
  CONC: 2
  COOL: You're still being stupid - (18)
  CHA: 1
  PHYS: 33
  KNOW: 3
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  HITS: 73 (H=24, T=73, A=36, L=36)
  Healing regenerates three wounds per round
  (Phases 1, 3, 5), 10 hits per round (two per
  Phase).
  CLAWS:  PEN: 12, DAM: 15, AD: 8.
  TEETH:  PEN: 4, DAM: 6, AD 2.
  Elbow/Knee/Back 'Blades':  PEN: 6, DAM: 8,
  AD: 3.
  Other than its obvious physical bulk, the image
  that the players may get (one of a hunched-
  over, ape-like creature, very similar to a Low-
  Wave) is probably totally incorrect. The Beast
  is a very  human-looking 10-foot tall monster.
  Its face is covered by some kind of green mesh,
  like a veil, which obscure all features except for
  the rough location of its oversized mouth, and
  its piercing red eyes. But proportions are
  humanoid, and if you look carefully at  it, you
  could almost see real expressions of emotion in
  those cruelly betrayed, malice filled eyes.
  (Basis for the design of the Creature is from the
  comic mini-series, Greg Capullo's 'The Creech',
  published by Image.)
  T h e   W r a p
  The Wrap (the 'shroud' of mesh covering the
  Beast's head and upper neck) is a highly
  intelligent Deathsuit, one who years ago
  absorbed the life of its owner when her original
  body was destroyed.  The Deathsuit acts as the
  armour/protection of its ward, and constantly
  soothes and suppresses the Creature, holding
  it's anger and full strength in check.
  It manifests itself as a green semi-transparent
  piece of clothing, which covers much of the
  Creatures body, including the head.
  The Wrap is in a state of symbiosis with the
  Creature. While its focus is self-preservation, it
  will not abandon its ward unless there are no
  other possibilities. Communicating with the
  Wrap is possible through Communication Ebb
  abilities (it must be directed at the Wrap itself
  rather than the Creature in general), but the
  Wrap knows that there is little or nothing it can
  do to assist other than pacify the Creature as
  much as possible and hope that the Op's are in a
  forgiving mood.
  If damaged severely, the Wrap with flee,
  leaving the creature defenceless but untamed.
  T h e   W r a p
  PV: 18.  ID: H=15 T=60 L=20
  B u t t o n   M a n
  "Button Man" is a Shaktar with serious mental
  problems. A former War-World veteran, T'rp
  Pt'rr returned to Mort and after a brief period of
  inactivity, re-signed with SLA for Operative
  Duty, starting at a provisional SCL 7.  Shortly
  after that, his Psychology + Psychoses report
  revealed that he was suffering from a subtle
  mental irregularity, and SLA attempted to
  recall him.  By this time, T'rp had already gone
  underground, fully equipped as a senior SLA
  Operative. T'rp gains sexual pleasure from
  using automatic weapons.  While he is still
  technically a Shaktar, with his honour braids
  intact and a sense of what is right and wrong,
  he is hypocritical enough to happily slaughter
  any non-Shaktars who get in his way. He will
  be loath to engage other Shaktars in combat,
  using Hotline if forced to. Any Shaktars in the
  party who have lived on Mort for any length of
  time may be contacted by their fellows and
  alerted to the presence of the Shaktar in their
  area, clearly looking for something. "Button
  Man" is the name he has been given by Shaktar
  Society (it's the phonetic of a particularly
  unpleasant insult in Shaktarian), and at the
  moment he is either thieving genetic material in
  order to buy new equipment, or attempting to
  stop a former acquaintance of his; Rupture.
  R u p t u r e   (O p t i o n a l   E l e m e n t)
  Rupture is a servant of Bitterness. He is an
  optional extra in this drama, as his appearance
  is not really necessary. His objective is to meet
  with the Creature, dispose of the Wrap which
  restrains him, infect him with a rather unique
  drug cocktail and send him back up towards
  Central. If he succeeds, he'll create an awful lot
  of trouble and kill quite a number of people
  indirectly. Rupture has complete control over
  his disgusting form, and tends to either infect
  his prey with the diseases ravaging his own
  body, tear them apart muscle by muscle, bone
  by bone, or simply terrify them. Let your
  players pray that he only scares them. He is
  unkillable, unharmable, the only way of
  stopping him being to simply crush his body to
  a liquid, so that all he can do is flow around
  your feet.  Should he succeed in infecting the
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Creature, it simply becomes unstoppable for 8
  hours, and then dies, releasing a virus which
  will kill thousands all around it.
  “Sure, A Green. Nice change. Sounds really
  easy. What the hell, we deserve a bit of good
  luck.”
  S T O R M   T I D E   R I S I N G
  “The recent rise in incidents of Stormers going
  rogue is to be kept secret. The situation is under
  control; neither the media nor any of the soft
  companies have managed to put the pieces
  together yet. There is still time to put it right.
  We know there is one organisation behind this,
  we know where they are operating from, we
  know how to get to them. All we need now are
  a squad of know nothing Operatives who can
  finish the job. Find me such a squad.”
  Ripple, SCL 3 Necanthrope, setting up BPN
  with an Independent Financier, Mort 903 SD.
  The squad will be approached by either their
  regular Financier or an associate of his. The
  Financier will act like he is doing the squad a
  favour by letting them have the BPN, making
  out he has some debt to repay them and this is
  his ‘thank you’.
  BPN: SCL 9 – BPN Number 00234/61993-
  DE/S-444
  Contact: Deputy Department Head Fergus
  Sharkey, at the Department of the Environment,
  Sector 360 Headquarters; 3602/122749-F/S-
  444.
  Training Package Required: Must have at least
  one Scout / I&I, must have some demolitions
  knowledge.
  Colour Code: Green.
  Summary: Squad required to escort Dept.
  Environment demolitions team in to Downtown
  Sector 684 (adjacent to Cannibal Sector Three).
  Squad are to protect demolitions team while
  they carry out demolition of bridge and
  surrounding buildings.
  Coverage: Station Analysis.
  Consolidated Bonus Scheme: 400c. Plus
  ‘performance’ 
  bonus 
  (safe 
  return 
  of
  demolitions crew), 200c.
  Payment: Per Operative.
  SCL Increase: 0.5
  F i n d i n g   O u t   A b o u t   T h e   B P N
  Let the Op’s dig around a bit, if they want, to
  find out some or all of the following. You may
  want to add in some of your own ‘bait’ for the
  genuine taking of the BPN.
  O n   T h e   S t r e e t
  Word on the street is that the Financier offering
  the BPN is one of those rare breed; an almost
  honest Financier. He is well known and pretty
  much trusted by all those he deals with (which
  may arouse suspicion in the paranoid). This
  BPN is unknown, and seems to have no prior
  history of refusal by other Op’s. Sector 684 is
  largely disused and is predominantly an old
  Industrial 
  sector, 
  filled 
  with 
  abandoned
  factories and storage facilities. Everyone knows
  that Cannibal Sector Three is mainly ruled by
  War World Vet’s that are crazy as a loon.
  S L A   D a t a   B a s e
  The Financier is registered and has his
  employment 
  history, 
  and 
  his 
  numerous
  successes listed. This BPN, 00234/61993-
  DE/S-444, is registered to him and has been
  active for only two days. No other squads are
  listed as having been enlisted for it.
  Deputy Department Head Fergus Sharkey is
  acting on behalf of the Dept. Environment (the
  Sponsoring Dept.), and his career CV is
  available to those of SCL 8 or above. He has
  had a quiet, unremarkable, though incredibly
  efficient career in the Dept. He may well make
  Dept. head in a few years.
  Sector 684 is classified as ‘demilitarised’, and
  has no regular Shiver or Monarch support. It is
  due for ‘renewal’ by the Dept. of the
  Environment; clearing the way for either
  Industrial or Residential development.
  F r i e n d s  /  C o n t a c t s
  This seems to be a good BPN, with rumours
  about the Dept. offering a Sponsorship deal to
  the successful squad.
  Deputy Department Head Fergus Sharkey –
  The BPN Interview
  The Dept. of the Environment (DOE) building
  where Fergus has his offices is deep in the
  Suburban sector of 360. The office building is a
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  tall, graceful three hundred story building,
  glinting from the polished steel, tinted glass and
  the incessant rain. The ground floor is full of
  registration booths, reception desks, waiting
  areas and elevators. All visitors are expected to
  book themselves in, then make their own way
  to the relevant office. All DOE employees (in
  this office anyway) are incredibly helpful and
  cheerful; jobs this easy are hard to come by and
  all ant to keep theirs.
  Fergus has a spacious, well equipped and
  tastefully designed office on floor 201. His
  secretary is beautiful and efficient, the Op’s
  will not be kept waiting long before she shows
  them in.
  Fergus is a short, thin, immaculately dressed
  man in his mid-thirties. He wears chic business
  suits and a permanent smile. he will be friendly,
  helpful and enthusiastic about the squad taking
  the BPN, offering them frequent refreshments
  and constantly praising their records (which he
  has open on the desk in front of him).
  Fergus has the following information available,
  which the Op’s will have to draw out of him
  through skill use and role playing. If they don’t
  bother with Fergus, he will simply introduce
  them to the two Demolitions experts and let
  them brief the squad on the way.
  Sector 684 is classified as ‘demilitarised’ and is
  due for ‘renewal’ by the DOE. This means they
  have to send in demolition and construction
  crews. The first demolition jobs are to be
  prioritised by their potential danger to the
  following construction projects. The squad are
  to assist the demolitions team in bringing down
  a massive free-way bridge which spans the
  ‘roof’ of the natural cavern where an
  abandoned chemical factory is going to be
  cleared and re-built. The Op’s have three days
  to get the demolitions team there, and help
  them carry out the destruction of the bridge.
  The demolition team consists of two people,
  both of whom are extremely valuable experts in
  their field, and both of whom must be kept
  alive at all costs.
  If the demolitions team is returned safely, there
  will be a bonus of 200c per surviving squad
  Operative.
  It is known that DarkNight use the remains of
  the chemical factory as cover for a Cell which
  operates in the surrounding area. Recent reports
  from the Sector also indicate that a group of
  Savengers are trying to operate a Sweep
  through the factory, reclaiming anything useful.
  It seems that word has spread of the impending
  re-development and the vultures are gathering
  for the last pickings.
  As soon as the briefing is over (when the Op’s
  have signed for the BPN, including the usual
  non-disclosure and disclaimer forms) Fergus
  will bring in the two demolitions experts:
  Demolitions / Explosives Package: The Demo
  Package is a specialised form of training which
  is not for the faint of heart. It teaches the
  essential skills of Demolitions and Explosives
  handling, both for removal and effective use.
  The fatality rate among trainees is quite high
  and a lot of Demo Package graduates are
  already addicted to Slosh, or some other
  ‘calming’ drug, before they leave the academy.
  Operatives trained in Demolitions / Explosives
  are valuable commodities, and often heavily
  protected by an experienced squad.
  Demolitions (DIA)
  Demolitions Disposal (KNOW)
  Detect (CONC)
  Electronics, Industrial (DIA)
  Electronic Locks (DIA)
  Mechanics, Industrial (DIA)
  Electronics, Repair (KNOW)
  Mechanics, Repair (KNOW)
  The Operative must also take four ranks of drug
  addiction, for which they may choose the
  drug/s, with the only stipulation being that the
  drug is a relaxant (downer), and for which they
  receive no extra development points.
  Praaw Ch’rew (known as Sneezy), Wraith
  Raider, SCL 7. 1.9m tall, 70kg weight.
  STR: 8, DEX: 13, DIA: 12, CONC: 9, CHA: 8,
  COOL: 8, PHYS: 11, KNOW: 11.
  Survival 8, Tracking 5, Detect 9, Martial Arts
  10, Running 10, Climb 6, Demolitions 8,
  Demolitions 
  Disposal 
  10, 
  Electronics,
  Industrial 6, Electronic Locks 5, Mechanics,
  Industrial 6, Electronics, Repair 5, Mechanics,
  Repair 6.
  Sneezy wears SilverBack Armour (over his
  FreezAware coolant suit) and is armed with a
  Jolt Glove, Gash Fist and Mutilator Glove. All
  of his equipment is carried in a small backpack.
  Sneezy is addicted (Rank 6) to Chocolate,
  which he seems to be constantly nibbling on.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Sneezy carries 12 grenades; 6 Blast /
  Concussion and 6 Gas.
  Munxy Crystal, Human, SCL 7. 1.9m tall, 71kg
  weight.
  STR: 9, DEX: 9, DIA: 10, CONC: 10, CHA: 8,
  COOL: 11, PHYS: 9, KNOW: 10.
  Literacy 7, SLA Information 7, Rival Company
  7, Streetwise 9, Unarmed Combat 6, Pistol 5,
  Bribery 5, Persuasion 6, Leadership 5, Evaluate
  Opponent 6, Demolitions 8, Demolitions
  Disposal 
  10, 
  Electronics, 
  Industrial 
  6,
  Electronic Locks 5, Mechanics, Industrial 6,
  Electronics, Repair 5, Mechanics, Repair 6.
  Munxy wears SilverBack Armour and is armed
  with a FEN 204 Gunhead, which is always
  loaded with HEAP. Back up is a Blitzer. All of
  Munxy’s gear is stowed in a backpack. Munxy
  carries 12 grenades; 6 Frag and 6 smoke.
  Sneezy and Munxy are a team, they work as a
  unit and have been together for so long they
  seem to have a telepathic link, where one
  knows what the other is going to say or do.
  Munxy is the ‘leader’ and the one who does all
  the talking. Both are quiet, professional and
  like to keep contact with the squad to a
  minimum. While in the company of a squad,
  the pair will take their lead from the squad’s
  actions, never stepping in to situations caused
  by the squad and always keeping focused on
  their goal. Once they are with the squad and on
  their way, Sneezy and Munxy will each need to
  pick up a large kit bag, weighing 80kg each,
  which has their explosives and detonators in,
  they will carry these themselves.
  G e t t i n g   T o   6 8 4
  Getting to 684 is a problem. It is so far beneath
  the ruins of Downtown that normal vehicles are
  useless, there simply aren’t any roads and few
  spaces big enough to drive a vehicle through.
  The only way to get there is Gauss Train, which
  will drop the team within 1km of the bridge.
  From there they need to take a ‘drop tube’
  down to the level the bridge is on.
  Drop tubes are near vertical elevator shafts that
  were sunk to allow maintenance on the gauss
  Train lines and the power tunnels that run along
  side and beneath them. The small metal
  elevator tube is circular and ten feet in
  diameter. The main problem with the drop tube
  is that it has a weight limit of 800kg, anything
  over this and the breaking system fails, letting
  the elevator free fall the full distance of the
  drop. Sneezy and Munxy can not leave any
  gear behind, so it’s up to the Op’s. If the squad
  decides to do it in two trips, Munxy will tell
  them that drop tubes are one shit deals, there is
  no power to raise them again. The squad will
  either have to leave some gear, or be extremely
  ingenious….
  Once at the bottom of the tube, the squad will
  exit in to a wasteland of broken ground,
  demolished buildings, abandoned decaying
  factories and tenement blocks. The rain here is
  slight and drizzly, making everything damp and
  oily, 
  permeating 
  everything, 
  making 
  all
  equipment damp and slippery.
  After about half a kilometre the squad will see
  the bridge stretching out before them, covering
  a distance of about two kilometres. The ground
  falls away beneath the bridge and the roof of
  the natural cavern is about a hundred feet above
  the bridge. There are massive steel bundled
  cables hanging from the roof at intervals along
  the length of the bridge, and colossal support
  pillars that rise from the floor three hundred
  feet below, to support the bridge at half
  kilometre intervals. The bridge is eight lanes
  wide and in remarkably good condition.
  From their position at the South end of the
  bridge, the squad can see hundreds of lights and
  small fires burning in the ruined chemical plant
  below. Smoke and small wisps of steam float
  up to the bridge, there are occasional steam
  discharges from some of the smaller chimneys
  below, wreathing the bridge in a light hazy
  mist. There is a faint hum rising up from the
  floor below and the sounds of distant
  machinery working in some of the factory
  buildings. Other than the occasional light which
  stabs up from the camps below, the roof of the
  cavern, and the bridge, remain in complete
  darkness. There are hundreds of collapsed
  walkways, ladders, cables, conduits, pipes and
  girders that hang down from the roof of the
  cavern, some stretching down to the bridge,
  making it impossible to see clearly from one
  side to the other.
  B l o w i n g   T h e   B r i d g e
  It will soon become obvious to the squad that
  there is a huge community living among the
  ruins of the chemical plant below. Sneezy and
  Munxy 
  will 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  completely
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  unconcerned, setting about their business of
  laying and setting the charges at the supporting
  pillars. If the bridge collapses, which it will if
  the charges are detonated, hundreds, maybe
  thousands of people could be killed.
  U n d e r   T h e   B r i d g e
  The real reason the bridge, indeed the whole
  sector is being ‘redeveloped’ is that Tempest
  have their headquarters beneath the bridge.
  Under the central span, there are two Gauss
  Train carriages suspended directly beneath the
  bridge, they are largely invisible from the
  surface of the bridge. Tempest have had some
  warning about the impending demolition and
  are in the process of evacuating the HQ, all the
  remaining personnel are ‘foot soldiers’ and
  teckies taking down the computers and
  destroying anything they can’t take with them.
  Once the Op’s arrive, Tempest may send out a
  lone negotiator to talk to the Op’s, disguised as
  a simple homeless citizen, they will try to get
  the Op’s to acknowledge the existence of the
  people below, and try to talk the Op’s out of
  blowing the bridge.
  Sneezy and Munxy will begin work as soon as
  they arrive, they will largely ignore events
  around them, focusing on laying the charges
  without blowing themselves up. If they are not
  protected by the squad, they will defend
  themselves with grenades, small arms and hand
  to hand, calling for help from the squad while
  they do.
  T e m p e s t   ‘F o o t   S o l d i e r s’
  Human, aged between 17 – 30, average height
  and weight.
  STR: 7, DEX: 7, DIA: 7, CONC: 8, CHA: 6,
  COOL: 9, PHYS: 7, KNOW: 7.
  Literacy: 3, Detect: 4, Streetwise: 5, Tempest
  Information: 3, Rival Company (SLA) 3:,
  Unarmed Combat: 4, Pistol: 5, Rifle: 2, Auto
  Support: 3, Blade 1-H 3, Sneak: 4, Hide: 5,
  Running 4.
  All Foot Soldiers have stolen FEN 603’s, most
  have a MAC Knife as well. A few are armed
  with SMG’s or Rifles, and these may be either
  stolen SLA or stolen DarkNight. Most will
  wear a Padquil Flak Vest over Striker. A few
  may carry grenades (mostly Concussion or
  Smoke). Each soldier has a clip of ‘Release’
  drugged ammo, and will use it if they can
  against any Stormer targets. (See TBP 8 for
  details).
  The soldiers will swarm out once Sneezy and
  Munxy get half way across the bridge or before
  if the Op’s inspect the bridge and discover their
  hide out. They will be fighting a retreat, hoping
  to give the teckies enough time to finish off and
  get out. Once they get the signal from those
  inside the HQ, they will take full flight, heading
  for the North side of the bridge and waiting
  ropes and lines.
  B r i d g e   S e n t i n e l
  Living in the superstructure of the bridge, with
  a twisted metal lair in the cavern’s roof, is a
  ‘released’ Chagrin that has gone ‘native’.
  Quark: 714 Chagrin Stormer; broken SLA
  programming, almost insane.
  2.8m tall, weighs 180kg. Walk: 1, Run: 2,
  Sprint: 4. ‘Clamber’: 2. Move: 103kg, Half M:
  309kg, No M: 515kg.
  STR: 23, DEX: 15, DIA 5, CONC: 7, CHA 3,
  COOL: 15, PHYS: 19, KNOW: 6.
  Quark has Level 3 Assertion Tendons, Quad
  Limbs (four arms), Lash Vertebrae (prehensile
  tail), 
  Maul 
  Claws 
  and 
  Teeth, 
  Skeletal
  Enhancement 
  Teeth 
  and 
  Elbow 
  Knees,
  Surveyor Trans Optics.
  Claws: DMG; 10, PEN; 3, AD; 1. (Includes
  STR Bonus).
  Teeth: DMG; 8, PEN; 3, AD; 1. (Includes 0.5
  STR Bonus.)
  Tail: DMG 11, PEN; 4, AD; 1.
  Unarmed Combat: 15, Intimidate: 5, Evaluate
  Opponent: 6, Hide: 10, Sneaking: 9, Martial
  Arts: 9, Climb: 12, Acrobatics: 9, Blade 1-H 8,
  Tactics: 5, Detect: 6, Pistol: 5, Rifle: 6, Auto
  Support: 6, Throw: 6.
  Quark is an ex-WarWorld Operative who was
  sent to assassinate the leader of Tempest.
  Unfortunately he was pumped full of ‘Release’,
  and now lives in the caverns of the roof above
  the bridge. He hunts food from the camp below,
  as well as picking off the Carrien that venture
  down on to the bridge from the sectors above.
  Quark can move equally as well clambering
  around the collapsing steel structure’s supports,
  beams and cables, as he can on a level surface.
  He’s an Operative’s worst nightmare; a tricked
  out Chagrin gone AWOL. The Chagrin sees all
  Operatives as the enemy, and will attack
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  anyone he can if they are wearing any kind of
  armour or carrying weapons. he is not stupid
  however, and will use his stealth rather than a
  frontal assault. Quark will try to pick off one or
  more of the Operatives once they venture on to
  the bridge, those he can’t carry off to kill and
  eat at his leisure, he’ll simply try to push off the
  bridge or rip out their throat.
  Note: Remember that Sneak and Hide, if above
  the Detect of the person being crept up on, act
  as ‘passive success’ skills unless the victim is
  trying to actively use Detect: that is, if the
  Sneak / Hide is higher than the victim’s Detect,
  no roll is needed for success. If the victim tries
  to Detect, then use the Sneak / Hide skill as a
  negative modifier.
  W h a t ’ s   I t   A l l   A b o u t   T h e n
  This is a very simple BPN with one aim in
  mind: to get the Players to confront the fact that
  SLA can be savage in it’s treatment of those it
  considers ‘expendable’. The clearing of the
  sector will cause the deaths of thousands of
  people.
  The Operatives will have to decide whether
  they can condone this, or whether they have the
  balls to go against SLA.
  The bridge encounters are designed to test the
  Operatives against a structured and well trained
  enemy (the ‘soldiers’) as well as a nightmare
  like the Chagrin (Quark may have a fear rating
  of 8/9).
  All this will be done in the company of two
  very strange SLA Operative companions
  (Sneezy and Munxy) with the added danger of
  lots of explosives being used.
  E Q U I P M E N T
  M U L T I – F U N C T I O N A L
  S T R I K E   S T I C K
   “It’s a club! It’s a Blade! It’s a Jolt Stick!”
  ITB Graffiti campaign slogan, used by Street
  Sprayer ‘Malcom Y’, Mort 903 SD.
  Shivers are forbidden to carry blades, though
  many do as a ‘back up’, just as many carry
  either 603’s or some kind of firearm, also
  against regulation but essential as a back up.
  More and more Shivers can be seen with the
  ITBA MFSS instead of their Pacifier Baton,
  much to the annoyance of the citizens they run
  across, who bear the scars and bruises.
  Most Shiver sergeants turn a blind eye, and
  unless there is an investigation in to a resulting
  death, so do the higher officials within SLA.
  The most worrying thing about the ‘Muff Stick’
  (as it is known on the streets) is the profusion
  appearing in the hands of gangs and Prop’s. It
  would seem the Black Market had them about
  three hours after their ‘official’ launch.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  Ian Thomas Bradley (ITB) formed a subsidiary
  late last year, specialising in Shiver weapons
  design and, more specifically, weapons of riot
  control and minimal damage: ITB Associated,
  known on the streets (and among Shivers) as
  ‘Joy Division’.
  Much has been made of ITBA’s utilisation of
  the GASH Pacifier Baton technology, and the
  on going law suit brought by GASH is
  testimony to their belief that they have been
  ripped off. Meanwhile the Multi-Functional
  Strike Stick (known as the ‘Muff Stick’) sells
  by the thousand.
  The stick has three main uses, each triggered by
  a thumb controlled switch on the handle:
  PeaceKeeper Club – it oscillates at extremely
  high frequency, much like a Pacifier Baton and
  can be used to deliver non lethal blows. In this
  mode is utilises the ‘Club 1-H’ skill.
  Lacerate Blade – four blades slide from the
  inner tube of the club, forming four ‘fins’ that
  run along the length of the club, they act much
  like a Mutilator Glove. In this mode it utilises
  the ‘Blade 1-H’ skill.
  Shock Stick – the blades are withdraw and the
  club is ‘armed’, the plasti-steel contacts along
  it’s edge deliver a ‘jolt’ much like that of a Jolt
  Glove. Use club 1-H.
  It takes two phases to switch from one function
  to another.
  Muff Stick
  DMG
  PEN
  AD
  Club
  4
  1
  4
  Blade
  4
  2
  2
  Shock
  as user
  4
  Costs: 170c. Black Market Cost: 3,000u.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  The ‘shock / jolt’ from the stick stuns Powered
  Armour for 30 seconds, no save. Stuns Armour
  Wearer for 12 phases, save of PHYS roll –20 to
  avoid stun. Stuns unarmoured targets for 2
  minutes, no save.
  The Muff Stick comes with a belt-mounted
  power pack, good for 1000 hours use, which is
  attached via a steel filament wire to the base of
  the stick.
  S P I N A L   I M P L A N T   D R U G
  D I S P E N S E R
  Many Operatives find the use of the syringe
  clumsy. They want something slicker, easier to
  use, and preferably something that does not
  take up the use of one of their hands.
  Back street surgeons have been offering the
  implant service to Props and gang muscle for a
  number of years now, and as the techniques
  have been perfected and the accident rate
  dropped, word has reached the Operative
  community that the scum on the street may be
  getting one step ahead.
  Protests began to trickle in to Karma, and when
  the Contract Killer ‘Jam’ was killed by a Prop
  (Jam assumed the Prop was dead and turned his
  back for a second….) the trickle became a
  flood.
  Two weeks after the triggering incident,
  Operatives were being offered the chance to
  have the Spinal Implant fitted.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  Karma left the Spinal Implant market to it’s
  wholly owned subsidiary, ‘Reflex’, which
  specialises in implants and the growth of
  replacement limbs and organs.
  The implant consists of a series of ‘glands’
  grafted to supporting muscle tissue which form
  eight ‘pockets’, within which can be contained
  up to a hundred doses of any non-corrosive
  narcotic. So a full string of eight glands can
  contain up to 800 doses.
  Most Operatives begin with a single gland and
  then, when funds allow, add further glands to
  the string.
  Each gland can only contain a single type of
  narcotic.
  Each of the pockets is linked to a specific
  neural and muscle and movement, the use of
  this movement triggers the release of a set
  amount of the drug contained in the relevant
  gland. For example, Kick Start Solo in a gland
  is set to release in two dose quantities, it is
  linked to the flexing of the fingers on the right
  hand in a specific sequence.
  The glands can be triggered to release from one
  to six standard doses of a narcotic in one go.
  The glands are put along the spine for
  protection and ease of access by the surgeons.
  S p i n a l   I m p l a n t   D r u g
  D i s p e n s e r
  Cost: 300c per gland.
  Game Use: may be used to trigger the release
  of any narcotic contained in the gland. Release
  of drug takes a single phase. A number of
  ‘doses’ from 1-6 may be set to release at each
  triggering.
  Recovery Time: 2 Days, during which time the
  Operative is confined to bed, no physical
  exertion is allowed otherwise the glands will
  rupture, releasing all of their narcotic content in
  one go.
  Addiction Modifier: (Something the Reflex
  technicians will not tell you about!) The user of
  an implant gets a –2 modifier to their PHYS
  addiction roll for the relevant drug, they are far
  more prone to addiction than other Op’s.
  To use the gland, and release the pre-set
  quantity of the drug contained in it, the user
  must make a successful CONC roll (as a skill);
  success means the drug is released, failure
  means they have not managed to produce the
  physical movement necessary to trigger the
  release. If they fumble their roll, they will
  accidentally trigger the release of 2-4 times the
  gland’s set dose of the drug. Remember to use
  modifiers to the CONC roll for being under
  fire, in combat, etc.
  For every two glands in excess of the first, the
  user gets a –1 modifier to their CONC roll for
  triggering, i.e. someone with 6 glands gets –2
  to their CONC roll.
  L e a k a g e
  If an Operative receives a very severe blow to
  the spinal area, it may cause leakage from the
  gland, or may rupture it, causing it to dump all
  of it’s contents at once. This is left to the GM to
  moderate and rule on.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  S M A R T   V I S O R S
  The Scout Helmet is one of the most
  outstandingly useful pieces of equipment
  produced by FEN.
  One thing that annoys Operatives is the way the
  Scout Helmet is designed to fit specifically to
  the ‘Scout’ training package, making it all but
  useless to the vast majority of Operatives
  trained in other packages.
  In an attempt to broaden the scope of the
  market thrown up by the Scout Helmet, FEN
  have designed the Smart Visor, which can be
  attached to any ‘standard’ helmet, as long as
  there is a power supply, the Visor will work.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  The Visor links to an exterior power supply, it
  relies on two small processors and three cables
  to feed it the information. The processors are
  housed in small, lighter sized units, which must
  be attached to the helmet. The cables run to the
  visor either internally, or if there is not enough
  room, externally; they are armoured and
  insulated.
  The Visor itself is made of ten layers of
  laminate, each one treated with liquid crystal
  and 
  charged 
  with 
  a 
  different 
  response
  frequency.
  T h e   S m a r t   V I s o r  :  F u n c t i o n s
  Cost: 280c
  Weight: 0.25kg
  PV: 8
  ID: 10
  I/R Sight; when activated filters to the I/R
  spectrum, as well as allowing partial ‘normal’
  light vision.
  U/V Sight; when activated filters to the U/V
  spectrum, may be used in conjunction with the
  I/R Sight, but normal vision is restricted.
  Targeting Grid; when activated splits view to
  grid sectors, highlights any Laser Painters,
  gives the weapons user a further +1 to hit.
  Clock; shows the time in the top right of the
  visor.
  Navi-Grid Reference; shows the users position
  on the standard SLA Navi-Map Grid Reference
  in top left. This works as long as the users
  headset is functioning.
  Range Finder; when activated allows user to
  measure range to selected target, up to 100M,
  utilises retinal Feedback (from internal visor
  sensor) target is selected by user fixing with
  stare for two seconds, may not be used in
  combat, +1 to hit target.
  Anti-Dazzle; constantly ready, this stops the
  user being dazzled by rapid increases in light,
  effectively a super-fast tint reaction.
  Smart Visors are designed to be voice activated
  by the user. Each visor is keyed to an
  individual’s voice patterns; functions are
  activated by naming them, they can also be
  switched off using voice commands.
  Due to the liquid crystal nature of the displays,
  they tend to ‘burn out’ after roughly 2000
  hours. Power Packs can be bought for 2000
  hours, at a cost of 20c, or the Visor can be
  powered from a suits power supply.
  A break through by FEN in the ‘tuning’ of the
  liquid crystals in the Visor means that it is
  immune to power surges, and suffers no ill
  effects from ‘Jolt’ weapons.
  S O F T   C O M P A N I E S
  H & R   (H i t   &   R u n)
  Company Slogan: “Make problems go away for
  good.”
  Hit and Run appeared on the streets of
  Downtown Sector 380 two months ago. They
  took out a small gang of youths that were
  terrorising a section of the Harry Hill Shopping
  Plaza. They drifted in, killed eight gang
  members and simply disappeared.
  Now there are H&R franchises operating in
  most of the Downtown Sectors.
  They seem to be invisible to the Shivers,
  Monarchs and other ‘enforcement’ agencies.
  Word is they pay the money to the right people.
  They dress in ‘street wear’, wear no badges,
  carry no distinctive gear and cover their faces
  with black scarves, in the style of the old world
  ‘bandits’.
  People on the street generally look upon H&R
  as a vital ‘service company’. They seem to
  offer reasonably priced services, ranging from
  killing to maiming, or a simple ‘punishment
  beating’.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Gangs hate them with a passion, as do rep.’s
  from some of the smaller Soft Companies.
  SLA have been slow to respond to the presence
  of H&R, and no BPN’s have so far been issued
  either for their investigation of closure. There is
  a feeling among the citizens of Downtown that
  H&R may somehow be sanctioned by SLA.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  Hit and run is the brainchild of two people;
  Penelope Rivers and Harry ‘BoneHead’ Stark.
  Penelope and Harry were both Sergeants in a
  Sleeper Shiver squad, both were sick to death
  of being given shitty assignments, where their
  actions were dictated by ineffectual laws and
  directives. SLA did not understand what was
  needed on the murderous streets of Downtown.
  It was not hard for the pair to fake their
  disappearance and deaths in Lower Downtown.
  After a raid on a DarkNight holding Cell, they
  were ‘killed’ when a gang, the ‘Black Dogs’
  counter-attacked.
  Penelope and Harry have made the gang their
  own, using it as a front for their H&R activities,
  as well as guardians for their various meetings
  and business deals.
  It was not hard for the pair to contact those
  Shivers they knew felt the same as they did.
  They assumed the pseudonyms of ‘Lucy’ and
  ‘Hogg’.
  It took four weeks for the infrastructure of
  H&R to be set up.
  Lucy and Hogg, together with the more suitable
  of the Fixers from the Black Dogs, set up a
  network of contacts in Downtown, contacting
  vigilante groups, citizens groups, traders
  associations, unions, federations and anyone
  else who had a grudge against the ‘scum of the
  street’.
  The deal is simple. H&R negotiate with the
  ‘client’, identify the target, do some digging,
  turn up locations, details of the target like arms
  and numbers, and then contract the work out to
  the local ‘franchise’ of H&R which consists of
  Shivers. The Shivers carry out the ‘hit’ during
  their off duty and get paid in cash when the job
  is done.
  The ‘client’ is kept completely unaware of
  where, when and by whom the hit is done.
  Although H&R are essentially a contract killing
  mercenary outfit, they are driven by  sense of
  law and order. To date they have not ‘hit’ any
  SLA employees, though they have killed two
  suspected DN Op’s and a Black Order
  recruitment agent. H&R do not fear the Soft
  Companies, and see them as a source of both
  income (through hits) and gear (through theft).
  The Shivers that carry out the hits do so with
  their own weapons, which are largely taken
  from ‘street sources’ and so are untraceable.
  There are never any witnesses to a H&R hit,
  and citizens are not going to offer up testimony
  against them.
  SLA have no idea that H&R are connected to
  Shivers. They see them as simply another
  vigilante group, that ultimately will be shut
  down or replaced by some other group in the
  natural order of the streets.
  As H&R become better organised, and grow in
  the franchise market, they will also become
  better equipped at the ‘core’. Eventually the
  Black Dog gang will supply candidates for
  training as assassins and thugs, and they will be
  equipped with either stolen DN gear, or stuff
  bought from the Black Market. This may well
  signal the beginning of the end for the Soft
  Company, as their presence becomes more high
  profile, and they become more vulnerable
  through the use of ‘street’ types.
  H i t   &   R u n   S e r v i c e   P r i c e s
  Intimidation: 1000u. (Free ‘Beating’ if not
  successful)
  Beating: 1000u per subject. (Free ‘Maiming’ if
  not successful)
  Maiming: 2000u. (Preferred method in ‘knee
  capping’ or blinding)
  Assassination: 3000u per target. (Method to be
  determined by H&R)
  T A L I S M A N
  Company Motto: “Don’t leave it to chance. Let
  us make your luck.”
  Superstition is rife in the WoP. Everyone
  believes in something. Everyone believes there
  is good luck and bad luck, many people go
  through small rituals and habits to make sure
  their luck stays good. It is only natural to want
  something to help you ward off bad luck.
  Talisman make charms to bring good luck and
  chase away bad.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Whether you want a crystal, an animal’s body
  part, a piece of some native plant or rock, or a
  collection of personal belongings brought
  together in a lucky bag; Talisman can do it for
  you.
  They have a good rep. on the street, most of
  their Hoodo men are left alone to go about their
  business, regardless of territory or Sector
  trading boundaries. They are always welcome
  at markets and Malls, granted the protection of
  the local street muscle.
  They are seen as an essential part of the fight
  back against the science gone mad of SLA.
  G a m e   S y s t e m   S t u f f
  Talisman have a core of eighty employees, each
  of whom is capable of training other Hoodo
  Men. Each comes from a street background and
  has an immense store of both street lore and
  ‘mystical’ human beliefs. They act as a Soft
  Company in order to further their beliefs that
  the technological drive of SLA must be
  balanced by more spiritual considerations. They
  pander to the populations superstitions in order
  to infiltrate the psyche of the Downtown
  citizen, forcing them to question their place in
  the world and to challenge the bland message
  of obedience put out by SLA.
  The Hoodo Men wander their designated
  Sector, setting out their wares on make shift
  stalls at set markets and Malls, taking orders for
  Talismans 
  and 
  arranging 
  meetings 
  for
  ‘consultations’. Each Sector has a core of ten
  Talisman Op’s, who make the Talismans and
  conduct the meetings.
  They are quite happy to train others in the Way
  of the Hoodo. The usual applicants for training
  are gang Fixers.
  The money made by Talisman goes towards the
  cost of material and upkeep of their core Op’s.
  They do not make much money, putting most
  of their profits in to the growth of the Hoodo
  Network.
  On the face of it, Talisman would appear to be
  one of the most harmless Soft Companies
  around. SLA, however, has other ideas.
  There is a series of falsely held beliefs that
  SLA uses to gauge it’s reactions towards
  Talisman:
  Talisman are a ‘front’ organisation for the Feral
  Soft Company ‘Purge’, they use their Hoodo
  Men to carry Ebb Crystals around Downtown.
  Talisman are affiliated to DarkNight, filtering
  information back to the arch rival.
  All Hoodo Men are Feral Ebons.
  Talisman are secretly building some kind of
  ‘Ebb Device’, using their contacts and network,
  they are gathering Ebb material, such as Glyph
  cards, to construct a destructive device.
  It must be stressed that all of the above
  assumptions are untrue.
  There are currently three White and one
  Platinum BPN in operation to try to get to the
  bottom of Talisman. Every time a BPN ends
  and only uncovers information SLA do not
  want to hear, they issue a new BPN. SLA will
  not move on Talisman until it has some 'proof’
  of the subversive nature of the Soft Company.
  T a l i s m a n   P r i c e s
  The prices vary depending upon the material
  used, off world material costs a fortune and
  takes a long time to get hold of, more common
  stuff like Mort based rocks and crystals are
  relatively inexpensive. All prices start at 50u.
  Meetings and consultations for readings, such
  as tarot cards, crystals, runes, etc, start at 200u
  for 30 minutes, and go up by 50u per half hour
  after the first.
  Hoodo Men are notoriously tight lipped and
  will not divulge any of their information gained
  from the streets for free. They can be paid for
  ‘street information’ and are willing to be seen
  talking to anyone with money who shows them
  some respect. Gangs and Shivers often use
  them to get a feel for what’s going down on the
  street.
  Having a Good Rep. or Bad Rep. with
  Talisman can drastically affect an Operatives
  other Rep.’s in the relevant sector.
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  M E E T   N   G R E E T
  Frank Weiss caught up with RainMan, a deep
  cover Operative working from Downtown
  sector 386, after a Cloak 'sweep down',
  involving the liquidation of the Soft Company
  'Death Is Art'. The interview was conducted
  with Zulan in dark shadow, though at one point
  the glint of his pure green eyes is clearly
  visible. All material licensed to Inter-Com ©
  903 SD. Eye 4 Inter-Com, under license from
  Third Eye.
  FW: "Thank you for giving me this interview, I
  know how valuable your anonymity is."
  RM: "Well I doubt that. I blow my cover, I'm
  dead, as well as a shit load of contacts."
  FW: "So why the interview?"
  RM: "Well, I figured it was about time some of
  your viewers knew how it really is as an
  undercover Op; it aint as glamorous as they
  paint it in the comics and cartoons."
  FW: "Dangerous stuff."
  RM: "Well yeah, but people should know."
  FW: "Were you involved with the Cloak
  shutdown of Death Is Art?"
  RM: "Yes. A dangerous softie, hiding behind
  the clothing was a very subversive message.
  You absolutely cannot afford to get complacent
  with SLA. They did and they died."
  FW: "Is there any truth in the rumour that you
  are helping to found it's successor?"
  RM: "I work for a lot of people, some may
  walk a dangerous path."
  FW: "So what's the worst thing about being
  deep cover."
  RM: "Not having anyone to trust."
  FW: "You don't mind the wet and the squalor?"
  RM: "No. You don't notice it after a while. It's
  just natural, the way it is."
  FW: "So, it's the loneliness?"
  RM: "And the betrayal. Anyone crossing SLA
  must be aware of the risks. Sometimes it's hard
  to draw the line."
  FW: "Between?"
  RM: "Between the truly subversive and
  dangerous and those just trying to survive in a
  shitty world."
  FW: "Surely that's not your distinction to
  make?"
  RM: "In an ideal world, maybe not. But in
  reality choices are made every day, choices
  which may force you to cross the line or bend it
  a little."
  FW: "Is the solo career a permanent one?"
  RM: "I think so. It gets so you can never really
  trust anyone. I don't think I could fit in a squad,
  no matter how loyal we all were to one and
  other."
  FW: "A true loner then?"
  RM: "Don't get me wrong, I enjoy socialising.
  It just gets harder and harder to relax, to let go
  of the paranoia."
  FW: "So what would you say to those who
  want to go solo?"
  RM: "Think long and hard about it. Make sure
  you can survive with yourself as your only true
  friend and ally."
  FW: "Some people might say that was the case
  in the world today anyway...."
  RM: "They are idiots. People like me live
  miserable lives so that others can enjoy a
  semblance of normality, to not take advantage
  of that is foolish.
  FW: "You see yourself as some kind of
  guardian?"
  RM: "Put it any way you want. I live the way I
  do so that others don't have to."
  FW: "Nicely put. Final thoughts?"
  RM: "Join a squad. Make friends. Trust SLA."
  FW: "And presumably stay out of your way?
  RM: (laughs) "That would be good, yes."
  Z u l a n   ‘R a i n M a n’   M u l o r
  Classification
  Human, Male
  Package
  Kick Murder
  Squad
  Solo
  Strength
  10
  Dexterity
  10
  Diagnose
  10
  Concentration
  10
  Charisma
  10
  Physique
  10
  Knowledge
  10
  Cool
  10
  Walk
  1
  Run
  2
  Sprint
  3
  Movement
  35
  Half Movement
  70
  No Movement
  105
  SKILLS
  RANK
  Literacy
  4
  Detect
  6
  SLA Information
  4
  Rival Company
  4
  Streetwise
  6
  
  tHE  bIG  pICTURE – SLA Industries Fanzine – Issue 13 -  © 2001 Max Bantleman
  Unarmed Combat
  4
  Hide
  6
  Sneak
  6
  Martial Arts
  10
  Climb
  5
  Acrobatics
  5
  Blade, 1-H
  10
  Pistol
  10
  Throw
  5
  Interview
  4
  Haggle
  4
  Persuasion
  4
  Computer Use
  4
  Bribery
  4
  Drive, Motorcycle
  4
  Drive, Civilian
  4
  Evaluate Opponent
  5
  Advantage / Disadvantage
  Ambidextrous
  --
  Major Enemy
  Rank 10
  (Shiver Captain)
  RainMan is a 'deep cover' Operative of SCL
  6D. He operates alone, and his identity is
  known only to those in Cloak's 'DeepCover
  Division'.
  Zulan wears Custom Striker Protection under
  his clothes at all times, his streetwear is geared
  to make him look like a Prop. or Gang 'Muscle'.
  He is known as a 'hired hand', making himself
  available for both protection jobs and 'hits'. His
  street rep. is impeccable, and he got his street
  name from a Gang Leader, who said he was
  made for the streets 'just like the rain'.
  C u s t o m   S t r i k e r   P r o t e c t i o n
  PV 5, ID 10. Black Leather like substance with
  plasti-ceramic plate inserts.
  Zulan will always be carrying:
  Two MAC Knives, five throwing knives, a
  BLA 446A Derringer (chambering HESH)
  concealed up left sleeve. Main weapon is a
  FEN 091 Farjacket (chambered with HEAP),
  ten spare rounds for 091 in concealed pouches
  in coat.
  Zulan has no regard for any other SLA
  employees, he shows them no respect and sees
  them as 'soft targets' should a firefight break
  out. He will only reveal his Op status to save
  his own life.
  Zulan has contacts within Cloak that can get
  him 'blank' termination warrants.
  Issue 13 was effectively the last issue to be
  produced in hard copy, selling well and
  rubbing my nose in it as far as not being able to
  do hard copies anymore. People like them
  damn it! !
  But as last gasp efforts go, it was pretty good.
  Layout was sorted, covers were coming along,
  with a new style and look. Pretty much there.
  But it was not to be.
  So. it’s pdf from now on.
  Max Bantleman, 2001.
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/SLA Industries (SWADE)/SLA Industries - tHE bIG pICTURE 13.pdf