clarence

That’s just me doing some background research on the rules for cybernetics in M-SPACE. It’s ok if you want to move it to Alastor’s Skull Inn.

One quote from the article stands out: “Perhaps there has been no need for [cyberpunk] to change: it continues to resonate with us because the world it depicts is the one we live in.” That’s a bit sad to accept. But it’s even sadder, as the article points out, that the punk attitude is not the solution - and to regain its creative power sci-fi needs to find new approaches to the brutality of neo-liberalism on steoroids. But would it still be cyberpunk then? Can cyberpunk house well-organised protesters that actually make a change - or is that a new genre?

I saw Bladerunner for the first time in many years and it struck me how similar Altered Carbon is. The Guardian seems to have read my mind: Why does cyberpunk refuse to move on?

Nice cover!

Oh no, not the death trap!!

Very useful. Thanks!

I stumbled over a fascinating real-world Oddity today. Wired magazine interviews the brilliant neurologist Karl Friston - often mentioned as a future Nobel Prize winner - about his recent work. He might not have the strange looks of an Oddity but otherwise seems like a good fit. https://www.wired.com/story/karl-friston-free-energy-principle-artificial-intelligence

Thanks Matt! I’m happy you like it. Regarding the high CHA, they may look weird but they have a certain aura - perhaps stemming from their superlative traits - that makes them strangely appealing (building on the idea that CHA goes much deeper than mere looks). In real life, Stephen Hawking comes to mind. I see your point on Eidetic Memory and Photographic Memory. To me, it’s just a way to discern between two similar Superlative Traits. Alex might have a further explanation though.

'Sometimes, a random confluence of genes comes together to produce a child who is simultaneously gifted and cursed. Gifted, because their minds or bodies are capable of surpassing normal human capabilities; and cursed, in that their very oddness sets them apart from the run of normal humanity.' I have worked with Alex Greene, writer for Mongoose Traveller among other things, to create a new character path for Odd Soot. It’s called Oddities and Alex has crafted a unique concept to generate truly odd individuals, fitting right into Odd Soot. They possess fantastic abilities - but also weird looks that other people might shy away from. The character path can be used for PCs and NPCs alike. Patrons, villains and heroes work equally well for these quirky individuals. Oddities is based on the book Odd John by British sci-fi writer Olaf Stapledon. His work is often mentioned as direct inspiration for many modern authors, like Arthur C Clarke, Stanislaw Lem and Vernor Vinge. Oddities is a 15 page PDF and consists of generators for superlative traits, disproportions, alienating passions and several inventions. We’re offering it as a free download: https://mailchi.mp/77eafcc60dbd/oddities_download Clarence Redd

I would definately like to see more powers!

Oh, that’s nice. The covers look even better as standalone artwork.

Cool. I can easily see a near-future RPG that moves a lot of complex rules (like combat and healing) to smartphones, hiding all the complexity behind a user-friendly UI. For Odd Soot, something like this might do the trick: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antikythera_mechanism#/media/File:Antikythera_model_front_panel_Mogi_Vicentini_2007.JPG

I’m quite fascinated by hard sci-fi space travel. But for RPGs it quickly gets cumbersome with all the rules.

The rules wing it even worse than Star Wars. But starships have quite a different role in Odd Soot. PCs are unlikely to own a starship and most travelling is more similar to being a passenger on a 1920s steamship. Most of the technical aspects of space travel are hidden from the PCs.

Interstellar space travel relies on a technology left behind by an advanced alien species called luminarians, which fled The Soot 200 hundred years ago. They used a device that unfolds curled-up dimensions, transferring the ship into extra-dimensional spaces. As space-time works differently there, a spaceship can travel vast distances without moving. The devices are ’black boxes’ for the remaining species and they have almost no idea how they work. Repairing them is impossible. Regular space travel is powered partly by rockets, partly by the energy released by partial unfolding.