Chicago: Hunting Humans Character Profiles

Chicago: Hunting Humans

Character Development

by Scriveners Swearingen and Hannan

As Hunting Humans enters it's third week, we are really hitting the stride of the game. Participation will be up next game as we all become more familiar with all the things this new toy gives us. The new system is fairly straightforward, and at the same time more simple and more complex than the old. The setting itself is also coming into focus, as is the gist of the game - it's a tale of vengeance and conspiracy which we have yet to fully uncover, if we even live that long.In this article, we examine the characters that are currently alive and participating in the strange chain of events connected to the Phoenix Project. These are the player characters that are driving the storyline of the new game. They have stepped, willing or unwilling, into a confrontation with a "shadow government" that now wants them all dead. The characters now begin a race against time to discover the secrets that will save their lives, or seal their fates forever.

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Dr. Van Dagon

Dr. Dagon, or just "The Doctor" was a court psychologist who had his feet placed firmly on the ground. Having worked in the prison system and with innumerable disturbed patients, his work has revealed the true horror of the human psyche to him, but he has always had faith in the ability of the mind to heal itself, just as the body does. In practice, this has mixed results.

 A family man with strict self-discipline, he truly wants to help his patients and those around him - but the streets of Chicago have taken their toll on Dr. Dagon.  He developed a program named "Phoenix", a radical therapy program designed to rehabilitate criminal mentalities through normal human interaction and activity.  The program had been running for about one week during the events of the first game session, but now the program has been scrapped and "re-imagined" into a military insurgency designed to root out and destroy the men responsible for a number of heinous acts.  The Doctor can only then do what is right, and works with the ISA to become the handler of the new "Phoenix Project".  Only now, he must mold the criminal psyches he once sought to save into successful espionage unit.

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Ralph Wiggins

This 17 year old high school student is anything but typical. After all, how could you call a teenager who wears leather breeches and carries a replica Apache warclub in his back pack typical? Ralph was one of the Doctor's first charges, and is obsessed with wolves and other wild animals - especially their skin. Ralph is an especially skilled scout, and often acts in a low-key surveillance or reconnaissance role.

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Giuseppe Puzzo

Not long ago, this unassuming fellow was a low level Mafia thug, and he still has some family ties in the local criminal underworld. Once a drug trafficker by trade, Giuseppe was keen to find any new avenue he could take to get the promotion and recognition he desired. The bosses have had their eyes on him for a while, but now he's been dragged into the Phoenix Project. He seems to enjoy his new work, but how far he's come from his "family" roots remains to be seen. Whether or not his loyalty is divided or in question, his connections can certainly help in the Phoenix Project's less-than-legal agenda.

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Wyatt "Earp" Roberts

A perfect product of his time, this suburban "thug" (i.e. wannabe hip-hop 'gangsta') swings his ego and his trust fund all around parts of Chicago. White boys shouldn't necessarily play around out here, but this hasn't deterred the young rap enthusiast. Wyatt has disappeared following the incident at the loft...though we are sure the ISA didn't overlook him during the weeks that followed.

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Randy Ball

At 26 years of age, Randy is a self-styled "techno-nerd". How

ever, he is quite athletic, to the point of being quite skilled in parkour - the art of free-running. When he's not flipping up buildings, he's probably hacking into whatever computer target the Phoenix Project needs - or porn sites. Randy fills an important niche in the team, as his grasp of computer science allows insight and access where otherwise none would be had. More than once a casual remark by this unassuming young man has caused the other members of the team to alter their course to a more logical and ultimately benificial end. As a member of the team, his chief responsibility lies in computer manipulation, a task at which he excels.

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J.B. Andersen

A veteran of the Vietnam War, J.B. Andersen served his country with honor and loyalty - and now it seems that country may have betrayed him. An expert in covert operation and espionage, he has proven to be a particular challenge for the "shadow government" to eliminate. Now, after finally resurfacing in the city of Chicago, J.B. thought he could live the rest of his twilight days in peace. But when you have as many hidden enemies as this man, all of whom will unhesitatingly risk life and limb to capture or harm you...such things are pipe dreams. However, fate is fickle, and a bizarre series of incidents have led J.B. to a position he has only dreamed he was capable of ever reaching. Newly appointed by the ISA as the Field Commander for the "re-imagined" Project Phoenix, Andersen could finally get what he's needed for the past twenty years...revenge.

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Khaliv Valdez

Detective Valdez had worked for the Chicago PD for many years before being assigned to the original Phoenix Therapy for anger management. However, during the last few weeks so much has happened to him he can hardly keep his head straight. He's been suspended, re-instated, and attached indefinitely to a paramilitary unit made up of crazy people.

 He is haunted by the horrific things he has seen on the beat, and it fills him with rage. Even before assignment to the new Phoenix Project, he would often take things into his own hands when dealing with the criminal element of the city. His police training and information connections make him an invaluable investigative asset to the team.

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Gi Gi La'mour

Once a small time singer who aspired to fame and fortune via the seedy clubs and dives of Chicago, Gi Gi is an attractive young woman who by a stroke of very ill fortune managed to land herself directly in the middle of some serious business. Gi Gi has been attached to the Phoenix Project as a operative who is capable of using feminine wiles to further the agenda of the team. Unable to get out of the present situation, she's willing to go as far as she can - though she's no real fighter, she has been given rudimentary training during her time on the island. Very soon, the Phoenix Project will call upon her to perform her duty. In that moment, Gi Gi knows that she will have to act boldly - and she happens to act very well.

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Agent Simon Doan

When the ISA appropriated the Phoenix Project, Agent Simon Doan was brought in to help ready the new soldiers for combat on the ISA's island training complex. Doan is a career soldier, and started his special forces training as a SEAL in the U.S. Navy. He then spent some time as a CIA operative and has seen quite a few theaters across the middle-east and eastern Europe. Appointed as "Tactical Advisor" to the Phoenix Project, he provides combat insight to the team at the ground level.

 Doan is a very cold and distant person, less haunted by the atrocities he's witnessed (and performed) than he is shaped by them. He cares little for his enemies lives or their sense of self-worth, often using degrading and painful methods of torture, psychological and otherwise. In his reasoning, he does what he must for his country...nothing more, nothing less. It's a dirty job (torturing and killing enemies of the state), and someone has to do it.

Index Mardannon: Incendia Paeniteo Subsector

Incendia Paeniteo Subsector

								1	Incendia Paeniteo
					2			2	Yrmia
								3	Nydrazom
			1					4	Acrista
				4		3

Pride of the Imperial Navy

Across the entire Sector, nowhere is the might of the Imperial Navy more pronounced than in this Subsector. Battlefleet Incendia is the largest part of Battlefleet Mardannon, thanks to the concentration of naval assets around the Incendia Paeniteo system. The Subsector’s Imperial worlds are not very far apart, making it easy for the fleet to exert its’ influence over this area of space.

The resources present in this Subsector are also of massive importance, and is the main reason behind the presence of so much naval activity. Enemies attacking Incendia Paeniteo need to have unsurpassed infiltration skills or else a powerful fleet. The Imperial Command at Incendia Fabricatio will be quick to respond to any threat that might jeopardize the Gas Mines of Yrmia or the Agri-Plexes of Nydrazom.

Incendia Paeniteo System

• Incendia Primus

• History: One of the first worlds colonized in the Old Crusade, Incendia Primus has a long and noble tradition of service to the Imperium. The Imperial Naval Academy of Torstoy is present here, and the nobles of Incendia Primus have long lists of accolades in service to the Navy.

• Geography: Close to its’ sun, Primus is rather small, and very hot outside the hab-domes of the Hives. Ancient hives stretch toward the sky, far above the low mountains and salt-oceans that dot the landscape. Most of Primus is covered in cracked, reddish ground and rocks for the most part, with tall, snow-covered mountains at the poles.

• Inhabitants: The nobles of Primus enjoy the high life most do at the top of their hive spires, and there are huge orbital habs for naval families and their noble supporters. The hivers are much the same as other hivers, and crime in the downhives makes life more miserable for those forced to live there.

• Incendia Secundus

• History: Once an Adeptus Mechanicus Explorator colony during the days of the Old Crusade, Secundus is now a booming Forge World. The Titan Legion Legio Incendia Praetoria calls this world home, and defends the Mardannon Sector with its’ massive Titans. The Forges have been built up and out for over 5000 years, and now almost the entire world sings the Song of Fabrication, even on the orbital platforms surrounding this important and ancient world.

• Geography: Secundus is an arid, mountainous planet that is almost 80% covered in industry, even on the water. Around the equator there are massive volcanoes and seismic activity that the Mechanicus monitor for catastrophic threats. Water is scarce, and vegetation is scarcer.

• Inhabitants: All the inhabitants of Secundus are servants of the Machine God, specifically in how it pertains to the Titan Legion. The Titans are objects of cultural pride for the inhabitants of Secundus, and they lovingly repair them (as best they can) when they are damaged. Some of the Mechanicus’ best kept secrets are guarded here, and no one speaks against the Omnissiah.

• Incendia Fabricatio

• History: Fabricatio grew out of the Old Crusade, much like the other planets in this system. The Forge Hives are not quite as huge and sprawling like Secundus, but respectable nonetheless. The Hives are geared toward starships, unlike Secundus which is geared toward Titans and tanks for the Guard. Battlefleet Command for the Subsector is here, and it is the most influential in the Sector save for Mardannon.

• Geography: Fabricatio is a small, barren planetoid with almost no atmosphere. Giant orbital platforms and docks festoon the gray surface, which looks more like a barren moon. There is no water on the surface, and the atmosphere does not support life. Around the equator there is a huge spine of mountains that jut miles above the surface for the entire circumference of the planet, with the two largest Forges located at the poles.

• Inhabitants: Like Secundus, the inhabitants of Fabricatio are subjects of the cult Mechanicus, but the folk of this barren world tend to be more severe. The living units tend to be better quality than most would have, perhaps due to the very small population of the planet and the considerable pull the Forges provide.

Yrmia System

• Yrmia

• History: Fitted in late M37, Yrmia is a class 6 Gas Giant that produces Helestene Vapor, Kiamine Gas and Janipene Gas. All these are invaluable chemicals for the nearby Forges at Incendia Paeniteo. It has recently been fitted with better orbital defenses for the harvesting teams since the recent Eldar pirate attacks, which seem to target the harvesting equipment.

• Geography: Yrmia is a Gas Giant, swirling with blue, white and grey clouds of vapor. Seven orbital platforms, called Halos, process the gas and allow ships to dock near the planet.

• Inhabitants: There are few people who live at Yrmia, mostly Guild Traders and Adepts of the Cult Mechanicus. Those people that are living here aren’t dour and taciturn like might be expected, as the Halos are of exceptional living quality.

• Lortia

• History: Fitted for mining in later millennia after Yrmia in M38, Lortia is a similar operation run by similar people in similar system to Yrmia. The operation here is much smaller, as Lortia is a Gas Giant that yields only one resource – Pyraeum Gas, a combustible fuel that is used in larger plasma reactors. Recently, it has become prey to Eldar pirates, following the pattern of attacks on Yrmia.

• Geography: Lortia is a grayish brown gas giant with storms of red roiling gas. It is from these storms that the Pyraeum is extracted and processed. Three mining orbitals are fitted to Lortia, and a small cargo fleet presides over the guilder orbital slightly further away, in higher orbit.

• Inhabitants: Lortia is home to several Guilder families who maintain the trade fleets and frigates, as well as the Mechanicus adepts who maintain and operate the mining platforms. The miners are gruff and taciturn, but well disposed toward the Mechanicus. Less so the Guilders.

• Kelphis

• History: The Hive World Kelphis was settled in M36 following the Old Crusade and establishment of the mines at Yrmia. The Guilder families of the mines are actually the Guilder families of Kelphis, and for nearly four thousand years the noble houses of Kelphis have had a hand in trade throughout the sector.

• Geography: Kelphis is about 75% water, and has a very nice climate suitable for human life, save for a huge layer of brownish smog that gathers around the six hives. There are three continents and four oceans, with numerous seas, and all different kinds of terrain. Forests and Jungle make up most of the landscape outside the hives.

• Inhabitants: The populace of Kelphis is centered in the hives, and life there is much like it is in other places of the sort. The hivers seldom leave the hives, for the wilderness of Kelphis is just that – wild and untamed. Most inhabitants never see the wilderzone, but those that do are a breed apart, living away from the spires of the hive cities and eking out an existence in the undisturbed country.

Nydrazom System

• Nydrazom

• History: Of the two fertile planets in this system’s life belt, Nydrazom was colonized first. At the time of the Old Crusade, the planet was inhabited by an unknown group of humans who had colonized millennia before. After the planet was compliant with the crusade, Imperial doctrine has been the meat and bread of this agri-world, which is now controlled mostly by the Guilder houses.

• Geography: The northern hemisphere consists mainly of one large continent that has two seasons, Spring and Summer. The south portion of the planet is icy oceans dotted with volcanic archipelagos.

• Inhabitants: The people of Nydrazom live in rural communities, and in a few places, giant Agri-Plexes that serve as the large cities of the northern hemisphere.

• Helian Corza

• History: Helian Corza was the site of a pre-Imperial human civilization, all traces of which have now vanished from public view. From the very beginning of the Imperial presence in the sector, this planet has been a key factor in logistics due to the massive amount of food products it produces. Throughout Imperial rule, Helian Corza has been a model of what an agri-world can aspire to be.

• Geography: Helian Corza is a fertile agri-world, covered with blue oceans and green forests. It has one major continent, with huge peninsulas in the north and south hemispheres bisected by an impossibly high and vast chain of mountains. Islands of ice dot the poles, where Mechanicus research stations mine solid-form Gherian gas from the ancient ice.

• Inhabitants: The inhabitants of Helian Corza are solid Imperial citizens, raised from birth to believe in the power of the Creed. Not much has disturbed this since the compliance of Helian Corza with the Old Crusade, and the citizens enjoy bright and rewarding lives, for the most part. Towns and cities dot the outskirts of the Agri-Fields and grow domes, established where the workers can have easy access to their assigned duties.

Acrista System

• Acrista Major

• History: One of the first planets utilized by the Old Crusade as it made its’ way into the subsector, Acrista was hastily terraformed by the Explorators without the proper preparations being made. As one of the first Imperial bases in the subsector, it was also the first to be assaulted by an alien menace. Orks from neighboring subsectors have attacked in force many times in the history of Acrista, but most have been destroyed after pillaging a few outlying population centers.

• Geography: Acrista Major has six large continents and a host of archipelagos. The sky is a peculiar sepia color, and a dark shadow appears on the horizon as the sun sets due to Acrista’s size and orbit relevant to the star. Acrista has a mix of climates and geographies, and oceans of drinkable (if brownish) water.

• Inhabitants: However, 2 years ago a huge attack wave of ork craft slammed into the planet with thousands upon thousands of orkoids spilling from their guts. Acrista Major has been a raging warzone ever since, and Imperial reinforcements are just beginning to arrive.

Rulebook Ruminations: Warhammer 8th Edition

Howdy folks!

This time on the Wargate I'm going to add a new feature, called Rulebook Ruminations (if you couldn't guess already). In this strain of articles (many more to come) I will ruminate on the various aspects of rulebooks related to the gaming systems we will be using. Many of these books will be supplementary material used to drive each of our campaigns, others will be the core books from the series. Either way, the discussion will be about the impact of rules, flavor and design of the book in question. It's not really a review, more of a discussion about how the Wargate will use the rulebook.

This installment: the Warhammer Fantasy Battles 8th Edition Rulebook!

First of all, I'm a little appalled by the size of the damn thing. I've said that before, but it's a serious issue. The Isle of Blood is out next month, and it's almost mandatory that we have one of the small rulebooks from that set just to carry around the table. Other than it's size, that's about the only con this volume has.

It's beautiful. The entire thing is on glossy paper, which accounts for a good portion of the weight in the thing. Full page artwork is on more than a few plates, and it's full color in all cases. Usually these rulebooks have been black and white, with only a few glossy color pages showing off miniatures, but they really pulled out the stops on this one. There's couple of caveats I have with this, but it pertains to function rather than form.

Being too big and heavy to use around the table, this volume is probably destined for study only. I really disdain this, it's almost as if Games Workshop gave us too big a pill to swallow, just so we'd have to get a smaller pill. The book is too huge, with a massive amount of pages devoted only to models. While I like looking at models as much as the next guy, I have the internet and I read White Dwarf. I understand that a few pics of different models are necessary, but models are literally on every single page of the rules, in full color. A different one each page, and they are labeled!

So that's a major issue. There's a lot of superfluous information, especially for veterans. I really don't need to read another version of the history of the Empire or the Coming of Chaos, but those new to the setting have a true treat here. However, with a price tag of $75 US, there are few newcomers to the game that will pick this up on a whim.

Also, is this going to be the trend going forward? The size of the Warhammer 40,000 4th and 5th Edition hardcover rulebooks were the perfect size, and the last Warhammer Fantasy Battles edition was the exact same format (more or less). They were still big, but were usable on the table. If this is going to be the new standard...well, I only have so much room on my shelf. Too many of these books is going to be too much. I truly hope this is not the case and we return to a smaller footprint. If Games Workshop would work with a book the same size as those rulebooks but made the pages the glossy high grade we see in the new book like they did with the Lord of the Rings Strategy Battle Game's main rulebook.

The game itself has a few tweaks. Of course what you need to be most aware of is the changes to the army selection system. A few other things, such as Stomp Attacks, Horde Units and changes to the Magic Phase.

Stomp attacks basically state that monstrous infantry get an extra attack to represent them crushing you with feet and the like. Since we see quite a few trolls and ogres this side of the Grey Mountains, I thought I would warn you. Kroxigors and Ushtabi fall into this category as well I believe, and some creatures are able to do a Thunderstomp, which is like a Stomp but with thunder.

Horde units are units that have at least 10 files, that is, has at least 10 soldiers in the front rank. Hordes have a few inherent bonuses for being such a large unit, but the horde bonus comes from the extra supporting attacks you can garner. A unit that has more ranks than all it's opponents counts as being Steadfast, which means if the unit loses it takes no modifiers to it's Leadership. Also, this edition allows us to get supporting attacks from the second rank in all cases - just like spears used to do. Horde units can basically attack in three ranks, as it can get supporting attacks from the second and third rank by virtue of swarming all over your tiny unit. As an aside, Spears still allow you to fight in an extra rank!

Magic has a few important changes. Wizards can channel another power die, but the total number of Power and Dispel dice can never exceed 12. Wizards can now use up to six dice to cast spells, no matter their rank! If the total of the natural dice score is less than three, the spell cannot be cast. Further, the wizard's concentration is broken and will be unable to cast spells for the rest of the Magic Phase! Undead wizards will find that repeated one dice castings are greater chance for broken concentration, which puts an end to Invocation of Nehek spam. That should put a nice threat-cap on the zombie hordes we're likely to see spring up!

All in all, the new rules are great. The main problems I have with the book are the book itself, even though I truly think it's beautiful and I'm proud to have it on my shelf...it's more about the strain on my bookshelf!

I'm going to be sad if the next Warhammer 40,000 rulebook isn't so fat and jolly. Not that I won't buy it...just that I'll have to install a podium at the Wargate for the damn rulebooks!!