I Have My In-Joke For Shapeshifters

[Bob Schroeck]

If you've read anything over in the "Other Game Writing" forum, you'll know that I try to sneak an in-joke into every book I write. Some I get away with, some the editor spots and nukes. I hadn't come up one for Shifters, as odd as that might sound.
Until this weekend.
I'm not going to describe it, except to say it's not a DW reference, but many of the people here will recognize it and get it if/when they see it. And I have a playtester to thank, who insisted, "You have to explain how to do X!" (Where X is something that would give away the joke if I said what it was.)
Anyway... just wanted to give you advance warning.
(Edit: Proper forum attribution.)

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Star Ranger4]

::Sigh:: Guess I'm never gonna know what it is then... Hazard of living out in the middle of nowhere. I don't have a budget for RPG stuff anymore (Not like I ever had one to begin with) but there isn't even a gaming store nearby where I could browse a copy of it, and I really don't want to buy it sight unseen.
"I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."

-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[Bob Schroeck]

Tell you what, Ranger. Let me wait until the book comes out. I'll see if the joke survived the editor (it should, it'll be completely opaque except to a couple of the online communities we're both part of), I'll drop you a copy of the passage in question in email and let you figure it out for yourself, okay?
You might need to remind me, though...

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Star Ranger4]

fair nuff... "I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."

-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[Bob Schroeck]

It's a deal, then.
And if you don't get the joke, I'll be very disappointed in you.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Star Ranger4]

Fair enough! I'll check back after DW2's done. Even SJ Games should have Shifters almost ready by then. "I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."

-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[Bob Schroeck]

Smartaleck.
You know, it could be worse -- Krista Perry could be writing this thing.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Stephen Mann]

You know, it could be worse -- Krista Perry could be writing this thing.
- - - - - - - - - - - - -
Yeesh, you know how to give a guy the shivers, don't you?
I wonder how long it'll take her to re-read and re-write her stuff so she can finish that last damn chapter. I've already resolved not to read the re-writes, it'd be too much like reading Robert Jordan.

[Star Ranger4]

Heh. If Krista was writing it, I wouldn't be reading it... I prefer light and fluffy over dark and brooding... Why do you think I started my own writing carrer with SM, one of the leading lights of Fluff (though with a nice serious story hiding below the surface)"I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."

-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[Bob Schroeck]

---

Yeesh, you know how to give a guy the shivers, don't you?

---

It's those hearts of ice, you know.
As for your comments on Krista, well, I'll address them in a new thread over in General/General. They really don't belong here.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[jonathanlennox]

---

I'm not going to describe it, except to say it's not a DW reference, but many of the people here will recognize it and get it if/when they see it.

---

So I'm gonna guess...Undocumented Features? (I'm not sure what shapeshifting stuff would come out of there, though.)

[Bob Schroeck]

As it so happens, there is one very prominent shapeshifter in UF core cast, although most people probably don't see him that way. He is, in fact, a variety of were, with complete voluntary control over his change.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Valles]

Hammer. Or maybe Gryphon.
Blessed be.
-n
===========

===============================================
"V, did you do something foolish?"
"Yes, and it was glorious."

[offsides]

Hammer is the obvious choice, giving his transformability. But he may be more of a morph than a were, since he can do customizations. Gryphon would qualify as a were, but only for the period from the time of Passion thru the end of Twilight 5 - when he is separated from The Shadow.
I can't think of anyone else that might qualify...
Offsides
Drunkard's Walk Forum Moderator and Prereader At Large

[Star Ranger4]

---

As it so happens, there is one very prominent shapeshifter in UF core cast, although most people probably don't see him that way. He is, in fact, a variety of were, with complete voluntary control over his change.

---

For some reason, I keep thinking of Redneck. Damn if I know why though."I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."
-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[drakensis]

huh, well there's Nall, and Steve Jupiter, but they aren't in the Core. Most of the Detians have a measure of mutability - see Gryphon as Kai Allard for example. Hammer and the other transformers are by definition shapeshifters.
Beyond that, Washuu has another shape (but isn't in the Core) and with a little medical aid, most Salusians have human-form (although I'm not sure it counts given it's basically extreme plastic surgery).
Largo? He has a 'battle-mode'.
D for Drakensis

You're only young once, but immaturity is forever.

[Star Ranger4]

---

As it so happens, there is one very prominent shapeshifter in UF core cast, although most people probably don't see him that way. He is, in fact, a variety of were, with complete voluntary control over his change.

---

I dunno, Drakinis. One, Bob's never said that whoever it was is in the Core stories. Two, assuming you were right about Largo's battle mode, I'd have an even better example... Gryph's Griffon battlesuit.
Although, the longer I've had to think about it, the more I want to name Utena or Corwin for it."I was an Otaku before those kids came along and changed the meaning of the word."
-- HM "Howling Mad" Wilson to more than one team-mate.
Hear that thunder rolling till it seems to split the sky?
That's every ship in Grayson's Navy taking up the cry-
NO QUARTER!!!
-- "No Quarter", by Echo's Children

[Bob Schroeck]

Actually, I never said the in-joke was from UF; Jonathan Lennox did. I just pointed out at that there was a shapeshifter up front where the readers could see him when Jonathan couldn't think of an example. And yes, Hammer is who I had in mind. To my way of thinking he's a were, because he can only turn into that helicopter form. Now if he could take the shape of any machine, that would make him some variety of morph.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[Evil Midnight Lurker]

It's not a helicopter (primarily), it's a hovercraft the size of a -very- small car--specifically, it's a Rotofoil from the now-ancient computer game Ballblazer. ...But given that it has the non-standard-'foil ability to sprout helicopter blades and so forth, it might be a bit more complicated than just a wereform...
--Sam Ashley
"My God! A gigantic well-dressed digestive enzyme! I AM in a whale!"

[Bob Schroeck]

Huh. Okay, I never heard of Ballblazer, and I interpreted "rotofoil" as just a fancy way of saying "helicopter", especially with the sprouting blades and whatnot.
If that's the case, and I had to quantify it in GURPS, then I'd call it a wereform with a bunch of switchable advantages. I'd have to sit down with the books and a proper description to work up specifics, but that's probably more than anyone cares to see. Especially me.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[jonathanlennox]

---

Actually, I never said the in-joke was from UF; Jonathan Lennox did.

---

Aha. In that case, I'm going to guess the "thing you have to explain how to do" is Jusenkyo curses, and the in-joke is some Ranma fanfic...

[Bob Schroeck]

Bumping the thread...
The book is now out, and you can all try to figure out the in-joke.
As promised above, I sent the text of the joke to Starranger, and he figured it out right fast.

-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

[mephron]

Bob -
I picked up Shapeshifters when it came out, and was looking through it while talking on the staff channel. And nearly fell off my bed laughing.
At which point I shared it.
And then I bought a second copy and shipped it to Marty, who said, and I quote:
"I'm a cameo. I'll cherish it forever."Brazil has decided you're cute.

[Bob Schroeck]

I'm glad he liked it; I never found out one way or the other over at EPU, so I'm also glad you told me this.
The thing is, now I have a compulsion to do another book soon, so I can cameo other UF folk.


-- Bob
---------
There is no spork.