TEXT: tHE
  bIG
  pICTURE
  p r e s e n t s
  HOWLING FURY
  a
  Frother Sourcebook
  for
  S L A
  INDUSTRIES
  Pic to go
  here -
  preferably
  not stolen
  this time?
  
  The World of Progress and the Big Picture
  "The World of Progress spans the galaxies, uniting all cultures, all
  planets, all peoples, covering them all; sheltering them all. SLA
  Industries created Progress, owns all aspects of it, supplies everything
  anyone could ever need to live in the thriving environment that is their
  Progress. Progress is not an umbrella, it is a net. Or more accurately, a
  web. SLA sits at the centre of this web, sensitive to it's upkeep. ready to
  respond    immediately to any break in it's continuity; ready to strike
  out at invaders, to devour potential opponents before their struggling in
  the web can cause any lasting damage to the fabric of Progress. Peoples
  and societies that struggle to free themselves from the web more often
  than not simply tear themselves to pieces on its razor sharp threads.
  They seem blind to this self destructive aspect of their struggle; the
  more they fight, the tighter they are bound. They think they can escape
  the web, fall through it's holes; but fall in to what? The web is multi-
  layered, the apparent holes simply lead to deeper layers within the
  same, all    embracing web. There can be no escape, we are all bound by
  the web of Progress. Our conflict must be one of survival not of escape.
  Our       struggle must be to embrace all aspects of Progress and make
  them our  own."
  Marie Campbell ('River'), SCL 8 Ebon Operative with the squad
  'ColdFire', Mort 903 SD.
  'Well.... I dont know about all that shit. All I know is SLA supply the
  best drugs. the best clubs,, the best weapons. the best TV and the best
  enemies in the whole fucking universe. Shit, what else do you want
  from life friend?"
  Kurt 'Fire' Koban, SCL 8 Frother Operative with the squad 'Ride',
  Mort 903 SD. 
  
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  1
  FROTHER SOURCEBOOK
  DEVELOPING FROTHERS IN THE WORLD OF PROGRESS
  ÒPhilosophy? Yeah, I got a ÔphilosophyÕ. get in quick, jack up, and donÕt come out
  Ôtil youÕre the last one standing. Get the rush going and go down fighting.Ó
  Licy ÔFlintÕ Aldridge, SCL 8 Frother Op with DedBeat, Mort 903 SD
  Introduction
  Why we bother to produce this booklet
  Old Frothers
  Frothers born from generations of Frothers.
  The Clans
  Who they are and what they can do for you.
  Frother Operatives
  Example of Frother PCÕs, ready to rumble characters.
  Walking The Fine Line
  Being a Frother in the World of Progress.
  Frother BPNÕs
  Two BPNÕsdesigned with Frothers in mind.
  New Skills & Abilities
  Further Developments...
  Frother Equipment
  Designing for the descerning Frother market.
  Leath Sheals Frothers
  LeathÕs take on the whole ÔFrotherÕ gig...
  Howling Fury is an unofficial supplement for
  SLA Industries. Nightfall, who own all copy-
  rights regarding SLA, have no knowledge of itÕs
  production and in no way do any of the Nightfall
  crew endorse any of the contents of this booklet.
  This supplement is produced by a few fans of hte
  game who just want to keep it alive. We donÕt
  make any money from anything we produce, all
  cover costs covering production and distribution
  only. Howling Fury is produced in conjunction
  with tHE bIG pICTURE, the SLA Fazine.
  If you want to support us; buy our stuff. If you
  donÕt want to support us; fair enough. If you
  want to help us; write something we can use
  either in TBP or one of our supplements.
  Anything contained in this booklet that may get
  us into trouble, was done by someone else while
  we werenÕt looking. Anything that might get us
  some brownie points, was done by us.
  Feel free to write to us at:
  max@bantleman.demon.co.uk
  pi@stsm.demon.co.uk
  See you on the flip side
  Published by;
  Chocolate Frog Enterprises
  7 Jubilee Close
  Byfield
  Northants
  NN11 6UZ
  Drugs can kill you,
  so can the truth.
  Drugs can never
  replace the thrill
  of seeking the truth.
  refuse / resist Kaos SD
  Produced by;
  Max Bantleman
  Sam Pay
  Glenn Berry
  Leath Sheales
  Listening and learning...
  Unless specifically credited to an author, all material in Howling Fury is written by
  Max Bantleman. Soulfly - Music to Progress.
  
  This booklet has been produced in response to many
  requests from both players and Gamesmasters alike. It
  expands both the existing 'official' knowledge of
  Frothers, as well as adding a considerable amount of
  new stuff. What you want; use. What you don't like;
  change or throw out. Be in control (where Frothers are
  concerned - always be in control).
  As with all of our stuff, the layout of the book has
  been determined by our lack of artwork. Text only
  looks heavy going, but it allows us to pack more in,
  there are enough illustrations of Frothers in the official
  rules and stuff to give you a good 'feel' for them.
  Chocolate Frog Enterprises is a non-profit making
  Clan, whose only aim in charging for their products, is
  to pay for production and distribution. We have no
  affiliation or connection to Nightfall and do not wish
  to imply otherwise, this is not an official supplement.
  Frothers are an interesting, challenging aspect of
  Progress. Both for the player and Gamesmaster alike.
  Everyone seems to have their own ideas about the
  nature of Frothers and their 'culture'. The one
  inescapable, dominating factor is the proliferation of
  narcotics. If you have anything to do with Frothers,
  you must accept that you are going to come in to con-
  tact with a lot of drugs. If you are not comfortable
  with this, either as a player or as a GM, don't mess
  with Frothers.
  As we see it, it's all a question of control over
  dependency. Free-will or addiction. Use them or let
  them use you. All backed by the overwhelming phi-
  losophy of living for the moment, to experience it all
  before you go. "It's better to burn out than fade away."
  Getting to grips with the drug culture of Progress is
  the first step to understanding Frothers. It is not sim-
  ply a matter of jacking up and shouting a lot; if it was,
  there would be a lot of dead Frothers and not much
  else. It's about balance. About juggling. Compromise.
  Tortured physicality and confused spirituality.
  The writers and publishers in no way endorse the
  use of any narcotic, and actively discourage their use
  (except for Shatter, which is really cool).
  Howling Fury has been play tested and mocked by
  Carnage; The Role Playing Society, whom we thank
  (though we sometimes wonder why).
  If you want to buy anything direct from us, please
  make cheques and P.O.'s payable to M. Bantleman, not
  Chocolate Frog, and in Sterling only please.
  Max would like to thank; Glenn (for drinking with
  him), Sam (for doing everything), Leath (much need-
  ed encouragement and groovy material), Dennis and
  Mark (Pendulum rocks), Caz ('casual' Goth Frother).
  Extended thanks to everyone who has bought tHE
  bIG pICTURE, doubly so if you've contributed. Now
  you've bought this and read it, let us know what you
  think.
  "We live through our sense. We only exist because
  our senses tell us so. Why should I limit my world?
  Why shouldn't I extend my experience, my existence,
  through the use of drugs? It's not a matter of approval
  or disapproval. It's a matter of choice. We live in the
  ultimate consumer society, and my money says I have
  the right to buy what I want. And I want drugsÉ."
  Lawrence 'Psycho' Phillips, SCL 6 Frother with
  RazorBlade, Mort 903 SD.
  "Yeah drugs are cool! Fighting's cool too.... and par-
  tying. Yeah, I love it all. Anything else? Er.... like
  what.... ?" Dennis 'MadDance' Douglas, SCL 7 Frother
  with BeatNicks, Mort 903 SD.
  B A C K G R O U N D
  Frothers are humans that have become, or were
  born addicted to the various narcotics produced and
  supplied by SLA Industries. The term 'Frother' is
  derived from the way these drug addicts tend to foam
  at the mouth once they are in the grip of their 'fix',
  though this is usually only apparent when the user is
  on 'combat drugs'.
  Frothers can be split into two very separate and dis-
  tinct categories; those who through their lifestyle and
  upbringing have acquired the need for narcotics, and
  those who were born with it (the so called 'UV babies'
  or 'Old Frothers').
  The vast majority of Frothers started out as 'normal'
  citizens of the Downtown districts. Their early lives
  were spent roaming the walkways looking for trouble,
  more often than not they would be loners, scornful of
  those around them. In their latter teen years they may
  have joined a gang. All these Frothers share the same
  'realisation' that the only real way to escape
  Downtown is through the release from reality brought
  about by the use of drugs.
  Frothers are not however, common 'drug addicts'.
  They think of themselves as connoisseurs, their
  knowledge allowing them to select only the best, the
  most suitable drugs for their specific needs. As they
  grow older, and their habits become more exclusive or
  exotic, they soon find that they need to turn to crime
  to finance their habit.
  The Frothers soon turn to robbery, burglary, extor-
  tion, anything to get the money to buy the drugs they
  need. The Downtown police (Monarch or Shivers) will
  eventually catch up to them. This is when their life
  with SLA Industries really begins. SLA Industries
  actively 'headhunts' Frothers, keeping an eye out for
  promising candidates coming into police custody. The
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  2
  
  offer is one the Frother can't turn down. Once in cus-
  tody they are given the choice of the death penalty, life
  imprisonment, or a contract with SLA Industries,
  where they will have legal access to the best drugs
  money can buy.
  Once within SLA Industries, these Frothers become
  combat drug junkies, needing their fix of RushTM or
  UVTM (and now Blaze UVTM) before they go into
  combat. Once they have their fix, they fight with a
  berserk ferocity that strikes fear in the hearts of their
  opponents. Frothers use Power Claymores and other
  close combat weapons, they shun the use of rifles and
  such, seeing firearms as removing them from the
  'buzz' of close combat. They want to get down and
  dirty, mixing it with their bare hands if they have to.
  As soon as Frothers are recruited by SLA Industries,
  they adopt an identity different from their past life.
  They will always change their name, and sometimes
  have their records altered to hide their past history.
  They see their employment in SLA Industries as a
  'rebirth'. Most Frothers draw on the inspiration of
  ancient clans and tribes for their new appearance and
  identity.
  The 'old world' traditions of the Highland clans are
  a favourite source from which they draw, adopting the
  clan tartans and names of the period. All Frothers
  leave their hair to grow long and wild, often they dye
  it many colours and weave beads or cloth into it.
  Frothers are not concerned with camouflage or
  stealth. They want to make a massive impact both
  physically and visually on their surrounding environ-
  ment. Third Eye loves Frothers and will go out of their
  way to help them with sponsorship and management
  of their careers.
  So it is for the Frother snatched from the jaws of
  Justice by SLA Industries.
  But there are other Frothers, those born with the
  addiction, those that come from a long line; often of
  seven or eight generations, of drug addicts. These
  Frothers have entirely different mental and spiritual
  make ups from their brethren from the streets.
  Frothers born to the tradition of drugs have
  enhanced physical attributes and their bodies already
  have the craving for narcotics, in extreme cases babies
  have been born already addicted to UVTM, the ulti-
  mate combat drug.
  O L D  F R O T H E R S
  To be classed as an 'Old Frother' the Frother must be
  7th, 8th or 9th generation, born from a line where both
  parents have been classed as Frothers. Frothers with a
  family history of addiction tend to be very with-
  drawn, most become sociopaths, all have great diffi-
  culty forming relationships with any but their closest
  family. Old Frothers tend to shun the use of recre-
  ational drugs, concentrating on combat drugs, they
  are prepared to shoot up with combat enhancers even
  if there is no apparent need. Old Frothers have a very
  warped outlook on life, accepting that their lives are
  going to be cut short by their addictions, they lead
  hectic, violent lives, trying to cram in as much combat
  experience as they can before they burn out.
  Nearly all Old Frothers walk a fine line between
  addiction and insanity, brought about by their burn-
  ing need for UV, and their knowledge that once they
  succumb to the lethal addiction, their days will be
  numbered. But hey, it's better to burn out than fade
  away, right?
  Old Frothers often seek the social company of
  Wraithraiders, though they find it impossible to work
  together.
  Old Frothers will not accept White, Grey or Yellow
  BPN's, they simply do not have the patience for these
  assignments. (Though if Cloak insist, hey, a Grey
  sounds fine.)
  In 'quiet' moments of their lives, Old Frothers will
  often disappear into the Cannibal Sectors, sometimes
  for days at a time. No one is quite sure what they do
  there, maybe they just need to unleash their violence
  on something, and they find the Cannibal Sectors full
  of appropriate targets.
  Old Frothers have a loathing for DarkNight that far
  surpasses other Operatives hatred of these arch ene-
  mies. Thresher hold a special place within the heart of
  all Old Frothers, and they will go out of their way to
  get assignments that will bring them into conflict with
  them.
  While Frothers in general will gladly enter into com-
  bat with anything that moves, Old Frothers will not
  willingly attack anyone they see as grossly inferior to
  them. Old Frothers will also learn to use some pistols,
  as well as their close combat weapons, their favourite
  is the KK30 'Ripper'. Old Frothers have an affinity for
  the GASH 021070 Chain Axe.
  Old Frothers are generated the same as other
  Frother characters, with the following changes to their
  characteristic range;
  STR 7-12, DEX 7-12, DIA 5-8, CONC 5-8, CHA 4-8,
  COOL 6-12.
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  3
  
  Base 'Racial' skills; Detect (Conc) Rank 2, SLA Info
  (Know) Rank 1, Unarmed Combat (Str) Rank 2, Blade
  2H (Str) Rank 2. Old Frothers are naturally ambidex-
  trous. Old Frothers have Sociopathy at Rank 4, but
  gain no points from it. They must take at least anoth-
  er eight ranks of phobias and psychoses, spread
  among the list as they wish, for which they gain no
  advantage points.
  Due to their genetic make up, Old Frothers have cer-
  tain limitations as to the drugs they may use for med-
  ical and recreational purposes. All Old Frothers may
  only gain benefit from Kick Start Solo as a medical
  drug, they are immune to Honesty. The only recre-
  ational narcotic they 'benefit' from is Slosh, though
  many take other forms of drugs (such as caffeine and
  nicotine) as a physical habit.
  Old Frothers roll for addiction as usual, except they
  get the first dose of any drug 'free', that is it does not
  count as a modifier or towards their cumulative total.
  They also have a lesser period for addiction rolls of
  seven days. That is, only drugs taken in a seven day
  period count towards the cumulative addiction modi-
  fier.
  If an Old Frother has a two day 'clear' period, the
  drug is naturally flushed from his system. During a
  clear period the Old Frother must steer clear of all
  related drugs, i.e. medical, combat or soft.
  S H A T T E R  U S E
  This is a skill unique to Old Frothers, and can only
  be bought by them (during character generation).
  Shatter is a very dangerous pharmaceutical produced
  by Dark Night and distributed by the back street deal-
  ers of Downtown. It is an imperfect copy of the SLA
  Industries drug Ultra ViolenceTM. Shatter has a
  mutant strain of DNA alteration code laced through it.
  This DNA mutation alters the 'victims' body. Old
  Frothers have the effects of years of drug addiction
  passed down to them through their ancestors. They
  have learned a far greater degree of control over both
  their bodies and the drugs they pump into them than
  their 'normal' Frother brethren. Old Frothers use
  Shatter to replace UVTM and to permanently alter one
  or more aspects of their bodies.
  G a m e  S y s t e m  S t u f f
  Shatter Use is a Physique governed skill. Old
  Frothers using Shatter in conjunction with this skill do
  so by sacrificing their use of UVTM and Blaze UVTM
  Once a Frother has used this skill, he may never again
  benefit from the effects of either type of UVTM,
  indeed the drugs are now a poison to him, causing
  him to suffer the Detox. Effects immediately upon tak-
  ing. The Game Effects of Shatter are as follows; 1 free
  phase per round, 2 hours duration, no Phys or Cool
  rolls for 6 hours, damage cut by 50% duration 1 hour.
  Addiction: -1 Phys per dose, +3 Ranks Psychosis.
  Detox. Effects: -1 Str, -1 Phys, -1 Hits permanent. -2
  Concentration permanent. Addiction: Continuous.
  Cost: 30cr per dose. Old Frothers must exercise their
  Shatter Use skill every time they use the drug. After a
  number of uses equal to the Old Frothers Physique,
  the user is said to be 'saturated' with the drug. The
  Old Frother may then try to control the effects of the
  mutant DNA strain on their body. The Frother may try
  to 'use' the DNA to enhance one of the following char-
  acteristics by +1 permanently; Str, Dex or Cool. Every
  time the Frother uses enough Shatter to 'saturate' his
  body he may attempt to increase one of the attributes
  listed. For example, an Old Frother with a Strength of
  10 and a Dexterity of 9 has a Physique of 10. Once he
  has taken 10 doses of Shatter, he may attempt to
  increase one of the attributes listed. When he has
  taken twenty doses, he may try again, and so on. An
  increase in the attribute is achieved through the suc-
  cessful use of the skill. Racial maximums are ignored. 
  Failure at an attempt means that the mutant DNA
  strain has altered the Frothers body in an uncontrolled
  way. The Gamesmaster will impose a change on the
  Frother. The change may be in such things as an extra
  limb, either stunted and useless or tiny and perfectly
  formed, blindness, deafness, heightened sense of
  smell or taste, gross deformity in a limb or facial fea-
  ture, sudden spurt of growth (or shrinking). Failure
  does not mean the Frother may not try again at his
  next saturation point, he may even try to reverse the
  effects of his previous failure.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  4
  
  F R O T H E R  S O C I E T Y ;
  T H E  C L A N S
  Once the cream of the street junkies of Downtown
  have been busted by the Monarch Police or Shivers,
  they are given the stark choice; life imprisonment, the
  death penalty or a contract with SLA Industries. Once
  they become Operatives, these new recruits embark
  upon their lives as Frothers. As Frothers they com-
  pletely change their identity, associating themselves
  with the 'old world' clans. Old Frothers are born in to
  their clans and will not seek to join an 'outsider' clan.
  We have gathered details of Eight of the most promi-
  nent clans, some actively recruit young Frothers, oth-
  ers are joined through birth. Listed here are six Frother
  clans and two 'Old Frother' clans / families.
  T H E  M C G I V E R S
  The McGivers are the largest, most powerful clan on
  Mort today. They are closely tied to SLA Industries
  and have first pick of candidates from both Monarch
  and the Shivers, their reach extends to Meny, where
  they are offered first refusal on candidates who can
  only make it through their use of narcotics. To be a
  McGiver is to be well protected and well supplied.
  Access to both equipment and narcotics is granted to
  members of the clan, who show their loyalty by
  accepting both BPN's and 'private' jobs from their clan
  elders. The Chief of the McGivers is the most power-
  ful Frother on Mort, demanding the respect of all
  other clan Chiefs and their subjects. Although the
  McGivers have many enemies among the smaller
  clans, none are so stupid as to openly war with them.
  At the last count there were well over a million mem-
  bers of the clan.
  McGivers are typified by their arrogance towards
  other clans and their respect for SLA Industries,
  whom it serves loyally and constantly. The clan is
  often put second to the needs of SLA, and clan chiefs
  would not have it any other way. Because of their
  close ties with SLA, numerous benefits are offered to
  the members of the clan. They have access to all drugs
  listed in the 'official' SLA catalogue at a 20% discount,
  and may legitimately 'claim back' 25% of their expen-
  diture on combat drugs upon production of official
  receipts. SLA has also negotiated a deal with MJL and
  ITB, giving McGivers a discount of 20% on all product
  from these companies. McGivers are often used to test
  out new drugs and weapons from the SLA arsenal,
  both under the guise of BPN's and as 'private', spon-
  sored jobs.
  McGivers hate the Connaucht clan with a fiery pas-
  sion and will treat them with special contempt and
  violence. The battle cry of the McGivers is; "Death!"
  McGivers on:
  SLA Industries
  "They're the main men, Mr S. is the man in the know.
  Don't fuck with them. SLA is the future, you want a
  future you go with the flow. The best drugs, the best
  weapons and the best chance to mix it with the big
  boys. SLA Industries are it. They own it all."
  "Well yeah, 'course, SLA before the clan. You think
  I'm a nutcase? Yeah, 'course I'm loyal, the McGivers
  own my soul, but SLA can have it anytime they want."
  Other Clans
  "There are other clans. But none has the might of the
  McGivers. Be smart, get in or get out of our way."
  "None of the other clans is worth a shit. The
  Connaucht's are the worst. I act like I'm better than the
  rest because I am better than the rest. There is really
  only one 'clan' on Mort, the McGivers, the others are
  just street gangs."
  Drugs
  "Buy the best you can afford and buy from SLA."
  "Yeah, drugs, like yeah, drugs, like yeah, I like drugs
  y'know? Yeah drugs.... what about 'em?"
  "Use what you need to get the job done; fight, get
  high, sleep, fuck, whatever, pay your money and take
  your choice. Your body is made to take drugs. What
  the fuck do you think being a Frother is all about?"
  Weapons / Combat
  "MJL, ITB, nothing else comes close." "Guns kill but
  so does a blade. Guns aint got no style. There aint no
  buzz in blowing someone's head off, unless it's a
  Waster.... can't beat the feel of steel."
  C U L L E N S  C L A N
  The Cullens clan, the most prolific clan after the
  McGivers, are the most laid back of all the clans. To be
  a member of the Cullens is to enjoy life to the full, tak-
  ing in experiences from all of the narcotics available,
  not just combat drugs. The term 'life experience' takes
  on new meanings to a Cullens clan member. Each of
  the Cullens clan is addicted to at least two non-com-
  bat drugs, and may be addicted to as many as three
  combat drugs. The focus is on experimenting, on try-
  ing it all, giving everything a go; from chocolate to
  Blaze UV. Cullens clan members love Lumo, even
  more (if this is possible) than the other Frother clans.
  It is common practice to have a DNA tattoo topped
  with various Lumo pigmentation's for skin and hair.
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  5
  
  Clothing to match of course, the more outrageous the
  better. Recently there has been a move towards near
  nakedness, a sort of back to basics via the loincloth
  approach. Cullens clan members are fearsome war-
  riors, willingly giving themselves up to battle frenzy,
  and caring little for 'tactics' or restraint. If a Cullens is
  in your squad, stand clear in a melee, they may see
  you as a friend in the Pit, but in combat there are no
  rules; 'kill 'em all' is the order of the day.
  The Cullens clan is a great advocate of using any-
  thing as a weapon, from firearms through more tradi-
  tional blades, right down to utensils and anything
  found in the location of the melee. It has been known
  for a Cullens Frother to enter combat firing from the
  hip with two FEN 603's, only to discard these in
  favour of a Power Claymore, once the Claymore had
  served it's purpose, it was down to fists, teeth and
  boots. The combat ended with the Frother smashing
  the skull of a Carrien with a discarded wheel from a
  child's trike. Needless to say, Third Eye love the
  Cullens.
  The traditional enemies of the Cullens clan are the
  Connaucht clan, skirmishes between clan members
  are always heated and extremely violent. Although
  both clans discourage the fighting of armed 'chal-
  lenges', their members take little notice and fatalities
  are common. The clan Mcleod are considered as close
  as you can get to the Cullens, and each will assist the
  other whenever they can. The battle cry of the Cullens
  clan is a sort of maniacal laughter followed by wailing
  and moaning, punctuated by more laughter.
  Cullens on:
  SLA Industries
  "Sure. SLA Industries. Great drugs. Loyalty? Sure.
  The clan comes first, then SLA a close second."
  "You think just 'cos I'm high I'm stupid? SLA are
  great. They're the boss. They busted my ass, so what
  do you want me to say?"
  Other Clans
  "I got no beef with any of the other clans, 'cept the
  Connaucht of course. Scum sucking maggots one and
  all, death's too good for 'em."
  "Frothers are a brotherhood. We all recognise this.
  There may be some skirmishes between us, but under
  the skin, we're all brothers. Except the Connaucht,
  who are kin to no one."
  Drugs
  "Where do you start? You just gotta love a company
  like SLA that know the value of high grade nar-
  cotics.... so many drugs so little time."
  "Combat, pleasure, whatever. Take 'em all, they're
  all great!"
  "I like to be methodical, if it's new I'll try it. I try to
  keep up, and then there's the old favourites.... number
  one? Gotta be Blaze UV. What a hit!"
  Weapons / Combat
  "Whatever."
  "Anything that draws blood is OK by me."
  "I like a fight with the best of 'em, sometimes it's not
  real necessary to draw your blade; as long as there's
  furniture you're never gonna be without a weapon."
  C L A N  M O R R I G O N
  Clan Morrigon are widely regarded as the most
  'civilised' of the Frother clans. They embrace technol-
  ogy as a weapon, they advocate control and compo-
  sure, using drugs to help them understand and con-
  quer. Combat is not an art, not an instinct; it is a sci-
  ence, and must be treated and mastered as such. The
  culture of the clan Morrigon discourages the random,
  uncontrolled use of narcotics. It advocates the right
  drug for the job, selection through necessity.
  Although one of the 'big four' in numbers, the clan
  Morrigon remain something of a mystery. Once you
  join the clan, you never speak of their activities or cer-
  emonies. The workings and rulings of the clan are
  strictly for the members, outsiders are treated with
  contempt and never given any information or help
  without a heavy price tag.
  Clan Morrigon Frothers dress in subdued colours,
  darker greens and blues, as well as black and dark
  purple. 
  Their philosophy of control extends to all aspects of
  behaviour. Clan members are expected to never dis-
  grace the clan by public displays, nor are transgres-
  sions of the clans code permitted, especially the dic-
  tum that unnecessary combat is a waste and so a car-
  dinal sin. Morrigon Frothers never needlessly enter
  combat, and lesser brawls and scraps are unknown.
  They will take a great deal of provocation without
  reaction. The clan Morrigon idea of combat is swift
  and lethal. There is no thought for injury or surrender,
  you are expected to kill your opponent or die trying.
  Once your blade or weapon is drawn you must use it
  with lethal force. Weapons favoured by the clan
  Morrigon are; FEN 204, all KK products, Vibro Disc,
  Chain Axe and all MJL products.
  The clan Morrigon is pioneering the use of concen-
  tration enhancers and perception filters.  Members are
  encouraged to put themselves forward for these field
  trials.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  6
  
  Morrigons are the only clan that actively seek White
  and Yellow BPN's. The clan Morrigon has no battle cry
  and there members remain completely silent during
  combat, their faces are set in a mask of concentration.
  Morrigons on:
  SLA Industries
  "There is them and there is us."
  "SLA Industries is Progress. Morrigons respect this.
  There is only one way forward for the clan and it's
  members. We serve SLA Industries and they serve us."
  Other Clans
  "Clans? Gangs and tribes. None are destined to last."
  "We are a clan in name only. We share no other val-
  ues with the other Frother organisations. We are
  bound only by our service to SLA and our use of their
  drugs."
  Drugs
  "Drugs are tools. Use them when you need to, and
  use the right one for the job."
  "Drugs are only a part of it. They are an aid, a tool,
  they must be subservient to the user. To abandon
  yourself to the throws of unnecessary addiction is to
  throw your life away. Respect them, learn their uses,
  then use them; they must not use you."
  Weapons / Combat
  "Weapons are just tools. What I need I use. I use the
  best I can afford, and these come from SLA Industries.
  Guns? Of course. No substitute for a well placed shot,
  or slice."
  "I am not limited by the perception others have of
  me. I use whatever I fucking well please. The right
  tool for the right job."
  "Anything can be used. The trick is deciding what
  should be used."
  D E R G A
  C L A N
  The Derga clan is the largest Old Frother clan on
  Mort, with well over a quarter of a million members.
  The only way in to the Derga clan is through a
  birthright. The clan is family based, being very tribal
  in nature. The most powerful family within the clan is
  the Derga itself, the High Chief is always a Derga and
  their right to rule is beyond question. All families are
  honour bound to help others of the clan, this can take
  many forms, both practical and spiritual, financial
  help is readily available to all members. Once Frothers
  of the Derga begin working for SLA they are expected
  to donate 10% of their income to the clan.
  The Derga are a proud, noble, honourable clan, who
  see themselves above the usual squabbles and petty
  disputes that rage through and between other clans.
  This is not to say that there is no political intrigue
  within the clan, or that there are not strained relations
  between the Derga and the other clans. The Derga are
  traditionalists, preferring blades to firearms, their
  members are expected to excel in the use of all blades
  and to shun the use of guns. Most Derga Frothers fight
  with a blade and a shield, usually from Defense
  Systems Shields, that can be deployed as and when
  needed. Derga clan colours are vibrant and primary,
  they are proud of their heritage and wear their tartans
  at all times. Many paint their faces or have DNA tat-
  toos, the use of Lumo is restricted to hair colouring,
  usually orange or red.
  The traditional enemies of the Derga are the
  Morrigon, whom the Derga despise. It is not in the
  nature of the Morrigon to reciprocate with open
  shows of aggression, though they secretly loath the
  Derga and all they stand for. The McKillips and the
  Derga are close allies, with much support flowing
  both ways, although the Derga are less prolific in their
  use of Shatter. The battle cry of the Derga is; "Derga
  in!"
  Derga on:
  SLA Industries
  "Without SLA there would be no Progress. Loyalty
  to SLA is pre-requisite to survival. The Derga respect
  SLA and SLA know the value of our friendship."
  "I dunno. If it came down to it, I'd support the clan
  over SLA."
  "I'm a Frother, not a moronic imbecile.... SLA are
  great! I love 'em! Can I go now?"
  Other Clans
  "Brothers in arms. Except the Morrigon. Nothing
  but spit and contempt for them."
  "Yeah, the McKillip are cool. Us and them man, like
  we're the only real Frothers, the others are just street
  junkies."
  Drugs
  "Oh yeah. Drugs. Great or what?"
  "Use them all. Use whatever you need. Master them
  all. Trust to your inner self, do not be afraid to aban-
  don yourself to them."
  "Shatter needs to be refined by those who use it. We
  need to take it from the hands of the hated DarkNight
  and get some Frothers working on it."
  Weapons / Combat
  "Guns are for the weak. Frothers of any real conse-
  quence only use blades."
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  7
  
  "Nothing beats a blade. Up close, naked, pure
  aggression, moves through a blade like blood through
  your veins. Nothing like it."
  "Bullets are an easy way out of the horror. Face up to
  your inner demons. Let them loose. Get yourself a
  righteous blade."
  C L A N  M C L E O D
  The clan Mcleod can trace it's roots back to the end
  of the Conflict Wars, it is one of the oldest, most
  respected and feared clan organisations in the world
  of Progress. Clan members are recruited from the
  young Frothers while they are training in Meny. Once
  approached by the clan Mcleod, you are not
  approached again, if you do not join at the first invita-
  tion you are an outsider forever. The clan Mcleod is a
  tribal based clan, with the emphasis on respect and
  honour being shown to your elders. The clan will offer
  many benefits to the new Frother, including training,
  counselling, legal representation and of course a sup-
  ply of drugs.
  There is a strict 'code' enforced by the clan Mcleod.
  The code is honour based and stresses the need for the
  Frother to show loyalty to the clan above all else
  (apart from SLA Industries of course).
  The clan Mcleod follow the tradition of being clean
  shaven, some members place scars on their cheeks. All
  of the clan members wear their hair long, either in
  'dreads', plats or spiked. Weaving beads and cloth
  strips into the hair is a common practice. The clan
  colours are red, green, blue and purple. All members
  of the clan are forbidden to wear yellow. The tartan is
  worn in the kilt and in as many other items of clothing
  as the Frother wishes. If a clan Mcleod Frother wears
  armour, they are expected to 'dignify' it with the clan's
  tartan, either through wearing cloth over it, or by
  tying strips of the tartan to the armour in as many
  places as possible. The clan Mcleod are tried and
  proven warriors. They show scorn and contempt for
  stealth, wanting only to strike fear into the hearts of
  their enemies. The battle cry of the clan Mcleod is;
  "Mcleod to blood and Honour".
  McCleod on:
  SLA Industries
  "Honour them or they will kill you."
  "The first call for honour comes from them. SLA are
  our ultimate masters. I honour my elders in the clan as
  much as SLA honours them."
  "SLA supports me. They are like a second clan to
  me. I would not cross them out of honour first, and a
  desire to live second."
  Other Clans
  "Most are like children. Irresponsible and wild. Pick
  a fight with none of them, back down to none of
  them."
  "Well, you know, there are a few good ones, I like the
  Derga's, but like the Morrigons are arseholes. You
  know, just like everyone else I guess. None of them
  really do anything for me, none has the same depth of
  honour as us."
  "If you could get the Shaktar to form a clan, maybe
  I'd take some notice, otherwise I don't bother with the
  other clans."
  Drugs
  "Combat drugs are best. I'm quite happily addicted
  to most of them. Use them all. Get high and fight, do
  what I do best."
  "They are my slaves, I'm not theirs. Though I sup-
  pose I would say that eh?"
  "I'm pretty sure I'm in control. And the worst of my
  excesses do not dishonour me or my clan. I am as
  much addicted to combat as I am the drugs that make
  me good at it. And it aint all about the drugs...."
  Weapons / Combat
  "Hand to hand is where I'm best, maybe I need to
  shoot a few people to get there, but that's OK."
  "Any blades really. Yeah, guns.... if I absolutely need
  to. But then I can just get closer to do more damage
  right?"
  "Face to face is where the honour is, where the buzz
  is, where the real feeling of freedom is. If he's better
  than me, I die, if I'm better he dies. Guns don't give
  you that."
  T H E  C O N N A U C H T  C L A N
  The Connaucht clan is the youngest of the Frother
  clans. They are the most violent of the 'new' Frother
  clans, believing that there is only one way to live life;
  hard and fast. Most members of the Connaucht clan
  are over the edge on UV, never really coming down
  from the effects of the combat drug. The Connaucht
  clan are the most prolific drug users. They will try
  anything and everything that will enhance their com-
  bat capability. Many members of the clan are also
  addicted to one or more 'soft' drugs, such as FlipTM or
  SloshTM. Connaucht clan members are the least disci-
  plined of all the clans, they are highly individual,
  using the clan to gain better drugs and to support
  them in legal battles with the authorities. Rank within
  the clan is governed strictly by combat experience.
  The better your reputation, the higher your standing.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  8
  
  The Connaucht clan has no 'colours', it has no recog-
  nised tartan or any form of 'uniform'. Members of the
  clan are expected to dress in the most outrageous
  manner possible, using as many clashing colours as
  possible. The Connaucht clan supplies LumoTM to it's
  members at a 50% discounted rate. Members of the
  clan are notorious for their neglect of personal
  hygiene. The Connaucht clan shows no respect to any
  of the other clans, for this reason it is often in conflict
  with one or more of the other clans on Mort. The bat-
  tle 
  cry 
  of 
  the 
  Connaucht 
  clan 
  is;
  "Aaaaaaarrrrrrrrggggghhhhh!!!!"
  Connaucht on:
  SLA Industries
  "Very cool dudes. Like them a lot. Why wouldn't I?"
  "SLA? They need to loosen up a bit. Always on my
  fucking case about something. You'd think they cared
  about the scum of Downtown, so what if you gotta kill
  a few of 'em sometimes."
  "Just the suits that give you the hassle. Parasites.
  Fucking hate them. If it weren't for the drugs and the
  Lumo, I'd have nothing to do with them."
  Other Clans
  "Wussies. Not worth the time it would take to spit
  on them."
  "Do this. Don't do that. Wear this. Use that. Who
  fucking needs it?"
  "Just more grist for the mill. Get in my way and I
  chop 'em up. Means nothing to me, clans or softies, if
  I come up against 'em I kill 'em."
  Drugs
  "Get high as you fucking can and stay there. Drugs
  are the only real way to experience the shit world of
  Progress."
  "Drugs? Can't live without them. Make you feel so
  good. They can do it all for you. Whatever you need,
  do a drug for it."
  "Lumo is just the best. I reckon I can even get my
  spew to change colour...."
  Weapons / Combat
  "Sure, use whatever you can. What does the most
  damage. Get in there and hit 'em with it!"
  "Slice or shoot. The buzz is from slice. But shooting's
  OK. Especially if it gets you a chance to get in closer to
  some scum like a Waster or a big armoured fucker."
  "I like the stuff that vibrates, the powered blade
  stuff, yeah, buzz-buzz, I reckon I can make my blade
  change colour...."
  M c C U L L O C H  C L A N
  The McCulloch clan is not really a clan at all, it is
  more like a business organisation. The McCulloch clan
  is also known as the 'Frother Firm'. Members of the
  clan are those Frothers that are only Frothers in the
  'loosest' sense, they have nothing to do with kilts, tar-
  tans, and do not really like the label of 'clan' either.
  The McCulloch clan was forced into existence by the
  other Frother clans, in an attempt to keep the peace
  between the Frothers. Members of the McCulloch clan
  are simply Operative drug pushers and users. All
  members of the clan are addicted to at least two drugs,
  they turn to the clan to feed their habit and to finance
  their lifestyle. Members of the clan are often indistin-
  guishable from other Operatives, they only reveal
  themselves in their use of narcotics.
  The McCulloch clan has often been likened to a
  criminal style operation, with members constantly
  'bending' the law. It is rumoured that the clan has it's
  fingers in many pies, including prostitution and the
  notorious 'StreetFighter' trade. Members of the clan
  are encouraged to keep the secrecy of the clan, to
  never reveal another clan member and to always hold
  the clan above all others (some say members are
  sworn to place the clan above SLA Industries itself).
  McCulloch clan members wear 'normal' operative
  clothing, they are usually well groomed, even meticu-
  lous in their appearance. There is no preference with-
  in the clan for any sort of weapon, though a members
  drug addiction may limit their choice of weapon. The
  clan has no battle cry or motto, members are taught to
  be discreet at all times. The McCulloch clan is univer-
  sally despised by all other Frother clans.
  McCullochs on:
  SLA Industries
  "Too big to fight on your own, that's what the clan is
  for."
  "SLA are in charge. They are the ultimate paymas-
  ters and the ultimate enemy."
  "It is just a matter of time before I do not need to
  pander to the whims of SLA. Soon I will be strong
  enough to leave, the clan does not need them, we are
  strong enough on our own."
  Other Clans
  "What other clans? We are not like them."
  "I prefer to think of us as an organisation rather than
  a clan. The McCullochs are a business not a gang."
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  9
  
  Drugs
  "Drugs? Of course, what would you like?"
  "There are more than just combat drugs. If you think
  about it, we're all addicted to something. I use nar-
  cotics to feed my desire for life. And if it makes me
  some money, well, all the better."
  "Take drugs. Sell drugs. Nothing wrong in that. Just
  the way of the world my friend."
  Weapons / Combat
  "If it works use it. If it makes you feel good do it."
  "I like the Flick Scythe, and the 406M, but it's what-
  ever gets you going. Guns, knives, blades, hands,
  whatever it takes."
  "When the Blaze kicks in it's just whatever I've got in
  my hand. Usually a Power Claymore, but mostly
  blades. The drugs dictate the weapon. Ever tried aim-
  ing on UV?"
  T H E  C L A N  M c K I L L I P
  The Clan McKillip is a ninetieth generation 'Old
  Frother' clan. It can trace it's direct line of descent back
  to 15 SD. All Frothers in the clan are family members,
  at the moment the clan numbers some 18,135 mem-
  bers. Tradition is the key to the clan McKillip, they
  have their own tartan and all clan members must
  wear kilts at all times. All members show respect to
  their elders and to their brethren, if a clan member
  needs help your are honour bound to aid them. In the
  whole history of the clan there has only ever been one
  'expulsion' for lack of honour. The McKillip clan has
  often been likened to a Shaktar family unit, so strong
  are the bonds of family and loyalty.
  Due to the long line of the clan, they are masters of
  control over the drugs they are born addicted to. The
  children are quickly educated in the ways of the
  drugs, being shown the many uses and applications of
  all pharmaceutical products available in the world of
  Progress. The McKillip clan pioneered the technique
  of Shatter Use.
  Occasionally a 'new' Frother will be brought to the
  attention of the clan elders, either through their deeds
  in battle or their particular skill in drug use. Such
  Frothers are invited to be 'friends' of the McKillip clan.
  This bond is as strong as normal citizens family ties, it
  guarantees aid from the clan, and they in return,
  expect to be answered when they call. As the McKillip
  clan is a family, they are the only Frother clan to help
  the older members of the clan. Most other clans expect
  their members to die off before they reach 30, the
  McKillip clan recognises that there is a need for older,
  wiser members of the clan. Once a Frother of the
  McKillip clan reaches 30, they are 'retired' to the
  Council. On the Council they use their knowledge to
  help younger members grow. Council members are
  also frequently consulted on matters of tradition and
  history, some work as 'advisors' for Third Eye. The
  training school at Meny recruits instructors from the
  ranks of the elders of the McKillip clan. All clan mem-
  bers specialise in the use of close combat weapons,
  favouring either the Chainaxe or the Power Claymore.
  All clan members are also taught the benefits of
  unarmed combat, often specialising in Martial Arts.
  Gymnastics, Wrestling and Acrobatics are also active-
  ly taught.
  The McKillip clan has a large number of rituals and
  initiation rites that mark each stage of the Frothers
  development. Certain items of dress and colours are
  forbidden to the younger members of the clan, the
  Black Glove being the most notable. Black Glove is a
  term used to describe the clans own version of the ITB
  Mutilator. It is worn as a sign of rank, being exclusive
  to Frothers of SCL 6 or higher, the glove has the fol-
  lowing stats;
  'McKillip' Mutilator DMG PEN AD Cost Weight 8 3
  2 200c 1kg
  The Frothers of the McKillip clan are expected to
  dress outrageously, to be proud of their heritage and
  tradition, and to seek every opportunity to advance
  their honour and the honour of the clan. The clan
  McKillip battle cry is; "Death and Honour!" Frothers
  of the clan McKillip are shown the greatest respect by
  Frothers of all other clans (except the Connaucht clan,
  who respect no one).
  McKillips on:
  SLA Industries
  "No SLA, no McKillip. Honour them and hold them
  close to your heart. They are the only future for us and
  for Progress."
  "They appear to be driven by sadism and corporate
  greed, but there is more. SLA has a heart and honour
  can be found there. You just have to look real hard."
  Other Clans
  "I don't concern myself with them. They are there to
  serve their members and I am only concerned with
  serving my family."
  "All brothers under the skin. Frothers are a unique
  breed in the WoP. McKillip family members should
  not forget that first and foremost; they are Frothers."
  "We are a family, as well as a clan. No other clan can
  claim these bonds, and none seems to want them.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  10
  
  Drugs
  "Of course I'm addicted to many drugs, not least of
  all Shatter. I was born addicted, I know nothing else.
  Drugs are an integral part of my life. I cannot imagine
  life without them, because there is no life without
  them."
  "Everyone is using something. I was born to it, had
  no choice, and have learned to master it rather than
  become a slave to it. Can you say the same about that
  which you are addicted to?" "Born addicted. Die
  addicted. Live free to choose."
  Weapons / Combat
  "Powered blade. Claymore, Scythe, whatever. If it's
  a close call, shoot the fucker."
  "I have been taught the ways of the blade. I have
  chosen to fight the enemies of my family with a sword
  in my hand and honour in my heart."
  "It's a matter for personal choice. I'll choose my
  Power Claymore everytime. Last week I was in a no
  win situation with some Carrien, got buried under a
  pile of 'em. Out came the Derringer from the small of
  my back, bought me enough time to reach for the leg
  strapped 603. Never hesitated, UV or not, I knew what
  I had to do to survive. Then I got the pack leader, head
  clean off in one blow. Nothing like it. Breath of death
  on your face, the smell of the grave so near you can
  taste it, and you pull off the blow from your dreams."
  F R O T H E R  O P E R A T I V E S
  There are basically four 'types' of Frother in the
  World of Progress, and each Frother can be placed
  within one of these categories. Of course, each Frother
  is an individual, and prizes this trait almost above all
  others. These are guidelines to be used to help your
  players 'ground' their character, giving some ideas
  about basic character traits, etc.
  S c r e a m e r s
  ( C o m b a t  J u n k i e s )
  Screamers are the most common type of Frother and
  have come to represent the stereotypical Frother.
  When most citizens think of Frothers, they think of
  Screamers. These Frothers only really come alive in
  combat. The adrenaline rush combines with the drugs
  to turn them in to the very essence of howling fury.
  While in the grip of the combat frenzy, they care little
  for such things as tactics and self defence, they are
  looking to strike the killing blow to all around them.
  Their minds often become twisted and confused,
  unable to distinguish between friend and foe, they
  make no distinction between enemies, all that stand
  before them must be cut down. When not under the
  influence of combat drugs, they are often lethargic
  and sleepy, seeing little point in taking part in any
  activities other than combat. Most Screamers use
  recreational drugs to keep them 'buzzing' during the
  boring, mundane periods of the day when they are
  not engaged in slaughter.
  B r o o d e r s
  ( M o o d y )
  These Frothers are resentful of their dependence
  upon narcotics, they use drugs to allow them to
  release their pent up aggression and anger. Often
  addicted to a large number of drugs, they are mental-
  ly confused and spiritually bankrupt. Their views on
  life tend to place them at the centre of the universe,
  alone and misunderstood. They seldom communicate
  with those they feel 'cannot understand' what they are
  going through, which is everyone else. Often introvert
  and potentially suicidal, they seek re-assurance
  through their use of drugs, the narcotics they use are
  usually designed to give them confidence and
  strength to face the onslaught of the outside world. In
  combat they are psychopathic, often sadistic, not seek-
  ing to kill, merely to maim and cause pain. Brooders
  will seldom enter in to combat unless they have to,
  they steer clear of 'casual' violence.
  S l i d e r s
  ( A d d i c t s )
  Sliders are heavily addicted to many drugs not just
  combat drugs, they must feed their habit at all costs.
  They are addicts first, and Frothers second. A Slider
  will almost never be clean, always under the influence
  of one mind altering drug or another. Physically they
  tend to be a mess, looking ill and tired, barely able to
  co-ordinate their tired limbs in-between the drawn
  out sessions on drugs. Sliders fight to release feelings
  of paranoia and confusion. After a while the combat
  becomes another addiction, they become used to the
  'habit' of combat. Sliders are very dangerous in 'social'
  situations, they have no boundaries on their behav-
  iour, and their perception of what's 'socially accept-
  able' is always coloured by the narcotics they are on at
  the time.
  C a s u a l
  A Casual Frother very rarely uses drugs, then usual-
  ly medical or combat. They pursue other interests out-
  side Frother 'mainstream' society, maybe in the media
  or business world. Casual Frothers are loyal to their
  Clan and to SLA, seeking to further their personal
  ambition in the WoP through intelligent manipulation
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  11
  
  of their career. They see the use of drugs as the use of
  a 'tool'. Casuals will be as aggressive and viscous as
  any other Frother in combat, and seem to be 'coldly'
  efficient in their use of killing and crippling blows. A
  lot of people make the mistake of taking Casual
  Frothers to be 'normal' citizens, underestimating their
  loyalty to the clan and their knowledge and use of
  combat drugs.
  C h a r a c t e r s
  We have given five examples of Frother characters,
  one from each of the categories listed above. These are
  ready to play SCL 10 characters, they can easily be
  'tuned' by you and your players.
  S t a n d a r d  C h a r a c t e r
  ( K i c k  M u r d e r )
  This is an example of a starting character, a Frother,
  generated using the bog standard rules and genera-
  tion points system. We have left out a detailed
  description of looks and the Clan details, these will
  vary according to taste. SCL 10. 1.9m tall, weighs
  90kgs, Will Connolly Training: Kick Murder Package.
  Strength: 
  12, 
  Dexterity: 
  10, 
  Diagnose: 
  6,
  Concentration: 6, Charisma: 4, Physique: 11,
  Knowledge: 6, Cool: 10. Walk: 1, Run: 2, Sprint : 5.8.
  Movement: 44, Half Movement: 88, No Movement:
  176.
  SKILLS / Rank Detect: 7, SLA Information: 2, Rival
  Company: 2, Streetwise: 7, Unarmed Combat: 6,
  Blade, 2-H: 10, Running (instead of Hide): 6, Sneak: 2,
  Martial Arts: 6, Climb: 4, Acrobatics: 5, Blade 1-H: 8,
  Pistol: 8, Throw: 4, Drive; Civilian: 4, Gambling
  (Hobby): 3. Advantage/Disadvantage - Rank Ugly: 5,
  Ambidextrous, Sterile, Drug Addict (Chocolate): 8,
  Bad Housing: 5, Agoraphobia: 5, Delusions: 6, Minor
  Enemy: 6.
  Equipment Operatives 'start up pack'. FEN 603
  10mm Auto Pistol, 4 clips std ammo. Starting Credits:
  1,500c. 'Pulse Rush' injector system (8c), 2 air refills
  (2c). 4 doses Blaze UV (40c). MAC Knife (80c), Power
  Claymore (100c), ITB Mutilator (85c). PP644 Blocker
  Body Armour (400c). FEN 204 'Gunhead' 10mm SMG
  (350c), six clips std ammo (6c). 359c + 100c to start play
  with: 459c. Leaving a character with some money in
  the bank enables them to change as the game pro-
  gresses, not to mention pay for those unexpected
  expenses thrown at them by the GM....
  S c r e a m e r
  ( D e a t h  S q u a d - B l a c k  V a r i a n t )
  SCL 10. 2m tall, weighs 80.0kg. Bill Murray Training:
  Death Squad Package / BV. Strength: 12, Dexterity: 10,
  Diagnose: 7, Concentration: 6, Charisma: 5, Physique:
  11, Knowledge: 6, Cool: 10. Walk: 1, Run: 2, Sprint: (4)
  5.8. Movement: 44, Half Movement: 88, No
  Movement: 176.
  SKILLS / Rank Detect: 5, SLA Information: 3, Rival
  Company: 3, Streetwise: 5, Unarmed Combat: 5,
  Blade, 2-H: 10, Evaluate Opponent: 6, Run: 6, Martial
  Arts: 5, Wrestle: 4, Blade, 1-H: 8, Combat Dodge: 6,
  Pistol: 6, Tactics: 5, Intimidate: 6.
  Advantage/Disadvantage - Rank Asthenophobia
  (of weakness): 4, Psychopathy: 6, Minor Friend: 3,
  Minor Enemy: 8, Drug Addict (Slosh): 6 Equipment
  Operatives 'start up pack'. FEN 603 10mm Auto Pistol,
  4 clips std ammo. 2 Boopa Air Syringes, 3 air refills,
  eight capsule refills. MAC Knife, GASH Fist, Power
  Claymore. Blocker Body Armour. BLA 046M Blitzer
  Pistol, 3 speed loader clips (HEAP).
  B r o o d e r
  ( D e e p  C o v e r )
  SCL 10. 1.8m tall, weighs 80kgs. Robert Maxwell
  Training: Deep Cover Package. Strength: 10, Dexterity:
  10, Diagnose: 8, Concentration: 6, Charisma: 8,
  Physique: 10, Knowledge: 7, Cool: 10. Walk: 1, Run: 2,
  Sprint: 4. Movement: 44, Half Movement: 88, No
  Movement: 176.
  SKILLS / Rank Detect: 8, SLA Information: 4, Rival
  Company: 4, Streetwise: 5, Unarmed Combat: 6,
  Blade, 2-H: 10, Martial Arts: 7, Sneak: 8, Disguise: 5,
  Persuasion: 6, pistol: 4, Throw: 5, Drive; Civilian: 4,
  Computer Use: 3, Forgery: 4, Sleight: 5, Haggle: 6.
  Advantage/Disadvantage - Rank Good Hearing: 4,
  Good Luck: 6, Allergy (Lactose/Milk): 8, Sociopathy:
  4, Minor Enemy: 5, Bad Reputation (Third Eye): 4, Bad
  Reputation (Local Gang): 6.
  Equipment Operatives 'start up pack'. FEN 603
  10mm Auto Pistol, 4 clips std ammo. Antique Injector.
  MAC Knife, Power Claymore, ITB Mutilator Glove.
  Striker Motorcycle Protection (Customised PV 3, ID
  7). Oyster, data slugs, various games. 'Street clothes',
  up to date and trendy.
  S l i d e r
  ( S t r i k e  S q u a d )
  SCL 10. 2m tall, weighs 70kg. Sean Sheagan
  Training: Strike Squad Package. Strength: 10,
  Dexterity: 10, Diagnose: 10, Concentration: 10,
  Charisma: 6, Physique: 10, Knowledge: 10, Cool: 10.
  Walk: 1, Run: 2, Sprint: 4. Movement: 44, Half
  Movement: 88, No Movement: 176.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  12
  
  SKILLS / Rank Detect: 6, SLA Information: 3, Rival
  Company: 3, Streetwise: 8, Unarmed Combat: 6,
  Blade, 2-H: 8, Drive; Civilian: 6, Drive; Military: 6,
  Pistol: 8, Rifle: 5, Paramedic: 5, Blade 1-H: 10, Sleight:
  6, Persuasion: 4, Haggle: 3. Advantage/Disadvan -
  Rank Bad Reputation (Local Shivers): 4, Major Friend:
  3, Minor Enemy: 5, Paranoia: 3, Drug Addict
  (Caffeine): 4, Drug Addict (Amphetamine): 5, drug
  Addict (Slosh): 5, Drug Addict (Alice): 3, Allergy
  (Fur): 3 
  Equipment Operatives 'start up pack'. FEN 603
  10mm Auto Pistol, 4 clips std ammo. 'Pulse Rush'
  injector system, 2 air refills. Antique injector, drugs
  case and flask. MAC Knife, Power Claymore, ITB
  Mutilator, Gash Fist. PP644 Blocker Body Armour. GA
  50 'Finisher' 10mm SMG, four clips std ammo.
  C a s u a l
  ( I n v e s t i g a t i o n  &  I n t e r r o g a t i o n )
  SCL 10. 1.6m tall, weighs 74kgs. Bourke Shelley
  Training: Interrogation & Investigation Package.
  Strength: 
  10, 
  Dexterity: 
  10, 
  Diagnose: 
  8,
  Concentration: 10, Charisma: 8, Physique: 10,
  Knowledge: 9, Cool: 11. Walk: 1, Run: 2, Sprint: 4.
  Movement: 44, Half Movement: 88, No Movement:
  176.
  SKILLS / Rank Detect: 9, SLA Information: 6, Rival
  Company: 5, Streetwise: 6, Unarmed Combat: 5,
  Blade, 2-H: 8, Interview: 5, Forensics: 4, Bribery: 5,
  Computer Use: 5, Interrogation: 6, Literacy: 5,
  Disguise: 4, Leadership: 8, Persuasion: 5, Pistol: 5,
  Medical; Paramedic: 6, Tactics: 5.
  Advantage/Disadvantage - Rank Cool, Good
  Vision: 5, Good Hearing: 5, Good Timekeeping: 5,
  Major Enemy: 6, Bad Reputation (Local Shivers): 6,
  Drug Addict (Slosh): 6.
  Equipment Operatives 'start up pack'. BLA 046M
  Blitzer Pistol, 4 'speed loader' clips std ammo. Boopa
  injector system, 2 air refills. Oyster, data slugs, navi-
  maps. MAC Knife, Power Claymore, Gash Fist. Striker
  Motorcycle Protection. KPS Mangler AS, laser paint-
  ing, recoil baffling (4) and telesight. 10 'slugs, 10
  'shells'.
  W A L K I N G  T H E
  F I N E  L I N E
  Being a Frother in the World of Progress is never
  easy, and players who choose to play Frothers have
  some tough decisions to make, as does the GM. First
  off, there's the reliance upon drugs. How complete is
  this? To what degree is the addiction compelling? By
  definition Frothers are drug addicts, or are they? Does
  the GM make a distinction between 'normal' drug
  users and Frothers? Does the GM have a strictly struc-
  tured Clan system, and does the player want this? Is
  the player interested in developing the character or
  are they after the 'immediate' thrills from drug
  induced, frenzied combat? If the Frother is addicted to
  UV, do they have two years to live? Do all Frothers
  have their whole psyche coloured by the fact that they
  are living with a clock ticking in their head, knowing
  that even in the 'best case scenario' that have only two
  years to live?
  A lot of GM's steer clear of Frothers altogether, and
  is this going to shift the emphasis for the player?
  Could Frothers be extensions of Human society in the
  same way that Gangs are? As a GM, you are going to
  want the players to 'role play' their drug affected char-
  acters, with accents, volume and all? As a player, do
  you want to immerse yourself in the role, shouting
  when needed or slurring? Is this sort of behaviour
  acceptable within the group? Frothers, more so than
  other characters (even Wasters) tend to challenge a
  group's sense of unity.
  So. It's more than wearing a kilt, waving a big sword
  and looking to fight all the time. Or is it? More deci-
  sions need to be made. 'Combat Junkie' is a term used
  to describe Frothers; if this holds true, will they pick a
  fight at every opportunity, seeking to experience the
  thrill and rush of adrenaline from combat? Starting
  from basics, what does a Frother have to offer a
  squad? Why should they put up with this drug addict
  lunatic? Well, there's the combat skills of course, and
  these may be an essential part of the balance for the
  squad. Clan contacts can be very useful, if used cor-
  rectly, allowing access to all kinds of resource. The
  media tend to like Frothers, with their colour and
  preference for hand to hand fighting, so the squad
  may get extra Third Eye attention (which may be seen
  as a bad thing). Use and acquisition of drugs; Frothers
  know where to get 'em and how to use 'em, useful for
  other narcotics like medical or recreational, that the
  squad may need. With Frothers, maybe more than
  with other character classes, the player and the GM
  have to have a clear idea of where they are 'going with
  it'. The Frother's use of drugs will bring them in to
  conflict with others in the WoP on a regular basis, both
  physical and moral. Frother characters need to have
  very clear ideas about their relationship with a num-
  ber of elements to the WoP;
  It may be helpful for the Frother player to jot down
  a few lines on their character sheet before they start
  play regarding their attitudes towards these aspects of
  the WoP.
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  13
  
  S L A
  I n d u s t r i e s
  SLA is of course at the heart of any WoP, and the
  Frother must be clear on their relationship with SLA.
  Do they resent SLA for creating the environment in
  which they live? Do they hate them for making them
  what they are? Do they love them for supplying the
  best drugs and giving them a chance to 'legitimise'
  their use of both drugs and violence? Is SLA seen as a
  valuable, essential ally, or as a shadowy authoritarian
  figure, to be 'cheated' at every opportunity? Most of
  the attitudes towards SLA should be guided by the
  GM and how they use them to rule over and control
  the Frother society in their WoP. The players will have
  a huge input in to this, as the way their characters act
  will represent the vast majority of interaction between
  a GM and the Frother world. SLA and Third Eye need
  to define their relationship with Frothers, through
  their sponsorship, dealings and endorsement of the
  Clans. Frothers need drugs, and if SLA are slow in
  responding to this need, they will go elsewhere. Do all
  Frothers have street contacts for outside sources?
  Maybe with both Gangs and Soft Companies?
  T h e  C l a n s
  The Clans need to be far more than mere gangs or
  'clubs', they need to be formalised communities that
  offer both support and demand loyalty. Or do you
  want Clans as 'street tribes'? With little more relevance
  than gangs? Are the Clans based on 'Old World' (i.e.
  Scottish) tribal organisations, or are they corporate?
  Can the Clans draw on more diverse backgrounds,
  more 'exotic' tribal bases? Do Clans exert influence
  over their members, like strong families, or do they
  merely collect tribute from them and offer legal assis-
  tance when needed? Clans can easily be compared to
  the Shaktar Tribal system, are Frothers as loyal and
  honourable towards their Clans as Shaktar's are to
  their tribes? Is there any 'warfare' between the Clans?
  If so, to what extent will it affect the players? Is there
  'honour' among Clan members, some kind of code,
  and does this extend to rival and ally Clans? How
  much does the Frother rely upon the Clan for supplies
  of drugs, weapons, training and help with dealing
  with SLA? How much can a Clan demand of a
  Member Frother?
  U s e  O f  N a r c o t i c s
  Well this is the big one isn't it? For Frothers the use
  of drugs forms the basis of their existence. There can
  be no 'Frothers' without drugs, and mainly combat
  drugs. Drugs of all kinds play a very large part in any
  Frother's life. They spend most of their time under
  their influence, trying to buy them or trying to cope
  with the effects of coming down off them. Getting to
  grips with this as a player and a GM is essential if the
  Frother is to be any kind of viable character in the
  game.
  Conflict can arise in a number of areas;
  Maybe the GM as a person does not approve of
  'drugs', and sees their game use as a short step from
  condoning their use in 'real life'. SLA is a game. It is a
  game where violence and horror dominate the land-
  scape. Players who play Frothers are no more likely to
  take their game behaviour to their real lives than are
  any others. Maybe a compromise in these situation is
  to allow only combat drugs to be used. The GM and
  the players must be completely conformable with the
  nature of the Frother's addiction to drugs.
  Players may use drugs as 'game fixes', not wanting
  to take on the consequences of use. Blaze is great for
  no PHYS rolls, etc., but the downside must be lack of
  concentration (tactics goes out the window), the
  addictive nature and the unreasoning violence while
  on the drug. you can't have your Blaze and eat it. this
  must apply to all addictions. Taking a fist of them as
  disadvantages must be played, the consequences felt
  in the game, or they are just a cheap way to 'boost' the
  character at generation. Other players may feel
  uncomfortable with the Frother's presence, not being
  sure of their loyalty to the group, or their reliability as
  characters. This can only really be resolved by the
  player themselves. It may be necessary to 'tone it
  down' a bit for a while.
  GM's must force the Frother to 'live' the conse-
  quences of their addiction, and some may be loathed
  to do this for fear of devoting too much time to the
  character to the detriment of the group. get the player
  to help, get them to do some of the book keeping, and
  get them to enjoy the downs as well as the ups. If
  they're physically exhausted, ham up the descriptions
  of their movements, give them minuses where appro-
  priate, get npc's to comment on their 'wasted' state. In
  short; rub it in.
  The lack of control and the abdication of responsi-
  bility while on drugs would cause the greatest prob-
  lem if allowed to develop. The Frother must be in con-
  trol, or if they don't want to be, then they must be
  aware of the consequences of their actions. The squad
  may be forced to 'police' them, and if they refuse to
  police themselves, they should have little choice but to
  accept this. Ultimately, it will be the 'drug culture' of
  the individual GM's WoP that will rule the Frothers
  life. 
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  14
  
  For this reason the Frother and the GM should work
  together in developing the WoP along lines acceptable
  to both the Frother and other players. It's not just
  about 'big guns' or drugs....
  T h e  O t h e r  R a c e s
  Frothers need to establish relationships with the
  other races, otherwise they will be impossible to play
  in a group, and every NPC will become a confronta-
  tion
  H u m a n s
  Frothers are, to all intents and purposes, humans.
  Old Frothers may claim a greater degree of separation,
  but they too are basically human. Most of the humans
  in the WoP take some form of drug, be it caffeine,
  Slosh, tobacco or any of the thousand uppers and
  downers available. Drugs help a lot of people get
  through the day. Humans see this as acceptable. But
  where is the line drawn between 'normal' drug use
  and a Frothers drug use? One of the main fears of
  most humans is the shortened life span that addiction
  to any of the combat drugs brings. Are the humans
  attitudes towards Frothers coloured by this alone? Are
  Frothers seen as somehow irresponsible, or a threat to
  the stability of the human dominance in the WoP. Or
  merely as a colourful distraction, safe because of their
  (usually) limited life span? Are Frothers considered
  another 'race' apart, or an embarrassment to the
  'human' race? Do most humans secretly admire the
  Frother attitude of carefree abandon and living for the
  moment? (perception?) Obviously as humans make
  up the vast majority of the WoP population, it is the
  interaction with humans that will define a lot of the
  Frothers life. Spend some time as a GM, and encour-
  age the players, to develop attitudes and patterns of
  behaviour towards Frothers, based either on back-
  ground or stereotyping. Get the message across that
  Frothers should be taken seriously as an integral part
  of the WoP.
  E b o n s
  Ebons have no time for Frothers and generally
  despise the way the have chosen to destroy their bod-
  ies. Ebons are not stupid. They know that Frothers can
  be highly unpredictable and moody, and most Ebons
  will treat Frothers with a wary disdain, never braking
  in to open conflict, where possible Ebons will play
  down the Frothers desire for violence, and will in no
  way encourage them to launch in to drug induced
  frenzies. For Ebons it may be the Frothers apparent
  lack of desire to understand anything that really
  annoys them. Ebons question, investigate, twist and
  turn things around to examine them from every con-
  ceivable angle. Frothers just seem to accept things or
  react against them. For their part Frothers usually find
  Ebons too indecisive and tippy-toed. Often, Frothers
  will take great delight in provoking an Ebon's display
  of disapproval. Ebon / Frother relationships are usu-
  ally strained at best, and confrontational at worst.
  B r a i n  W a s t e r s
  Wasters hold Frothers in the same contempt as the
  other races. Frothers are simply weak willed, soft
  skinned, drooling idiots. Almost a joke to most
  Wasters. The Waster / Frother relationship will be the
  most strained of all the races, with each side goading
  the other to violent reaction. Frothers tend to be wary
  of a Waster until they can get to close quarters, where
  they will give as good as they get and not be put off by
  the Waster's Ebb use.
  S t o r m e r s
  Frothers think all Stormers are kind of cool. To some
  extent they envy the Stormer's ability to get in close
  and deal out damage while being able to take a lot of
  punishment before they go down. Stormers for their
  part tend to respect the Frothers dedication to combat
  and their single minded application of energy
  towards violence. Casual Frothers and the less combat
  oriented would not warrant the same respect, being
  viewed as simply human drug addicts; weak willed
  and ineffective. Both Stormers and Frothers tend to be
  direct in their problem solving, which makes them
  useful allies and good together in a team. Occasionally
  a Frother will get on the wrong side of a Stormer
  through their loud behaviour, or their slightly warped
  view of Stormers as stupid 'creatures'. The Stormer /
  Frother relationship is mostly a straight forward one
  of mutual respect or indifference. The 'trickier'
  Stormer models, such as the Vevaphon and the Xeno,
  are thought of as different from the 313 as Frothers are
  to humans. For their part the Vev's and Xeno's tend to
  look upon Frothers as an annoyance to be ignored or
  worked around; potentially good allies and slightly
  more dangerous enemies than a 'standard' human.
  S h a k t a r
  While the Shaktar recognise the fact that Frothers
  are competent warriors, they detest the Frothers
  apparent lack of control and discipline. Shaktar see
  the Clans as failing to uphold any sense of brother-
  hood or honour among the Frothers, and for this they
  are mistrusted and generally avoided. The more 'hon-
  ourable' Frother clans, as well as the exceptional indi-
  vidual, may associate more closely with the Shaktar,
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  15
  
  when the Clan becomes like a 'Tribe'. Socially, Shaktar
  are respectful or wary of Frothers, realising that they
  sometimes have a hair trigger. The slighting of a
  Shaktars honour will not go unforgiven simply
  because the slur has come from someone 'under the
  influence' of some narcotic.
  W r a i t h  R a i d e r s
  Frothers are generally thought of as stupid or
  retarded, under developed humans who have no con-
  trol, or 'useful' qualities. Frothers are to be targeted
  from a distance, watched carefully if they are by your
  side, and never really fully trusted. As long as a
  Wraith Raider is confident they can either avoid or kill
  a Frother, they will treat them with polite indifference,
  not really considering them worth taking 'seriously'.
  This can infuriate Frothers. Close combat between
  Wraiths and Frothers is to be watched and not inter-
  fered with as it gets real messy real quick, with the
  Wraith usually breaking off to get the target 'to range'.
  T h e  U s e  O f  V i o l e n c e
  Violence is seen as an inevitable part of Frother life;
  some Frothers only really come alive in combat.
  Violence can become an addiction, and like all addic-
  tions, needs to be controlled if it is not to destroy your
  life. Frother society is there to monitor and control the
  Frothers passion for violence. Clans spend most of
  their time controlling, directing, or stemming the tide
  of violence that would otherwise break free from most
  Frothers. The individual Frothers themselves are the
  ultimate arbiter in these matters, with a huge variety
  of both attitude and application of violence within the
  Frother race. The Frother 'type' will determine their
  basic outlook towards combat. Some are frenetic, fren-
  zied, uncontrollable and easy to trigger in to psycho-
  pathic rage, while others are cold, calculating and
  sadistic in the drive to apply their combat skills.
  Combat in all it's forms is never (generally) to be
  avoided. Some clans will teach restraint and careful
  consideration before joining in combat, but all will
  insist upon total dedication and application of Frother
  'values' once combat is joined. Frothers never seek or
  give quarter while under the influence of combat
  drugs. No Frother expects to be shown any mercy or
  pity if 'outgunned' by an opponent, once the frenzy
  takes hold they will feel no fear towards their oppo-
  nents.
  The generally aggressive nature of Frothers (unless
  subdued by drugs) means they are often caught up in
  brawls, street fights, any of which can lead to a more
  serious encounter due to the Frothers 'ready to rock'
  attitude. Because they wont back down from a fight,
  they re usually prepared to 'go all the way', using
  whatever weapons become appropriate and fighting
  to the death if the rage over comes them.
  Frothers tend to respond particularly badly to
  Shivers and 'authority' figures.
  The Frothers readiness to use violence may be a
  cause for concern and social conflict within the squad,
  and the player whose Frother drags the squad in to
  one too many 'pointless' fights will soon find them-
  selves ostracised, maybe 'forgotten' about in a partic-
  ularly sticky situation, where they will be left to fend
  for themselves. If needed, the GM must try to moder-
  ate the Frothers behaviour, making it clear to the play-
  er the disruptive influecne they are having. And con-
  versely, he may have to encourage the squad to 'get on
  with it'; as far as Frothers are concerned, there's no
  point beating about the bush and the squad need to
  put their cards on the table where the Frothers bad
  habits/ anti social behaviour may be an issue. As with
  everything where Frothers are concerned it's a ques-
  tion of balance. Frothers can soon become either valu-
  able members of a squad or pains in the arse; more so
  and more quickly than some of the other races (with
  the exception of Wasters), as their character make up
  is by nature violent, unpredictable, prone to sever
  mood swings and confrontational behaviour.
  It would be easy to take the attitude that Frothers
  are somehow 'pointless' characters. It is a brave GM
  and player that embark upon a campaign including a
  full on, well developed Frother. There are many pit-
  falls, and the temptation to put on a stupid Scottish
  accent is almost irresistible, but there is also much to
  explore and develop. The trick is to balance the
  Frothers more obnoxious tendencies (not ignore or
  lose them) with some enlightening, maybe revealing
  insights in to the 'deeper' nature of Frothers.
  Expanding the world of the Frother is hard work.
  Bringing both player and GM in to contact with
  aspects of behaviour and society that they may find
  awkward or at odds with some of their 'real world'
  personal beliefs. But isn't that what good role playing
  is about? Facing up to these things and rising to the
  challenge of resolution?
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  16
  
  B P N :
   T H E  H U M A N  C A N V A S
  ( T i t l e d  &  I n s p i r e d  B y
  H e a t h  M a r k s )
  This BPN is designed to get the players inter-acting
  with Frother society. It can be best used if there is at
  least one Frother in the squad, as this will aid them in
  getting information and access to the clans.
  SCL: 9 / 10 Contact: Internal Affairs. Training
  Package Recc.: At least one I&I. (At least one Frother
  squad member recommended / preferred). Colour
  Code: White Summary: Investigate and capture Serial
  Killer; 'Leon'. Working closely with Frother Clans and
  some Downtown undercover work may be required.
  Coverage: Internal Affairs. Consolidated Bonus
  Scheme: 500c plus associated Bonus Scheme.
  Payment: Per Operative. SCL Increase: 0.5 Bonus
  Scheme: 2000c (squad) for live capture of Serial Killer.
  Getting The BPN
  The BPN is issued through Internal Affairs and is
  sponsored by (SLA Info.) them. The Op's will be invit-
  ed to attend an interview at one of the IA Chapter
  Houses. The BPN will only be offered to a squad, and
  only then if all of the members have passed recent
  Psyche. Evaluations.
  The interview will be conducted by Nearaw
  Gr'Chor, a Wraith Financier for IA. Nearaw (known as
  Nero) will be devastatingly polite and offer the Op's
  all the comforts he can while interviewing them. He
  will be accompanied at the interview by two 'Cloak'
  agents, who will remain standing silently in opposite
  corners, weighing the Op's up with their stares. These
  two 'men' (without SCL badges) are wearing what
  looks like SilverBack with thick, seemingly anti-ballis-
  tic dusters over them, and carry twin 'Blitzers' that for
  some reason only seem to have room to chamber four
  rounds. Their faces are terribly non-descript, and the
  players simply won't be able to recall what they
  looked like. These are Stigmartyr agents: the
  SilverBack has twice normal ID and an 18 PV. The
  guns are called Truth-Killers, they chamber 15mm
  'seeker' rounds. The Stigmartyr agents will not lower
  themselves to speaking with the Op's, and their stare
  has a fear factor of 11. They've seen it all, and it shows
  in their eyes.
  The briefing will allow Nearaw to give the players
  the following information, he will tell them the first
  section in the form of a brief summary, accompanied
  by relevant pictures on a huge vid-screen. hard copies
  of all information and images is available. Before the
  Wraith lets the players question him for the other
  details, he will make them sign NDA's and waivers
  that sign all rights and ownership of anything found
  during the BPN to IA.
  S u m m a r y
  Third Eye news reports show the scenes of 12 recent
  murders, all in Upper Downtown and Suburbia,
  where the victims have been Frothers, and the bodies
  have all had the skin removed from their chest, neck
  and face. The Shiver Forensic has determined that the
  same 'weapon' has been used in each killing. Two
  White BPN's have been started and abandoned in the
  past six weeks, the first issued one week after the first
  killing.
  At the site of each corpse has been found the
  scrawled word (signature) 'Leon', which the Shivers
  are assuming is the serial killer's name.
  None of the Frothers has been connected to each
  other, they came from various clans and the sites
  where their bodies are found appear to be completely
  unrelated. Leon is attracting a lot of attention which
  Third Eye are keen to play up and IA keen to subdue.
  (Feel free to generate details of the twelve victims and
  their clans, placing the finding of their bodies in
  twelve unrelated sites.)
  The Op's are to undertake the BPN with as little
  media coverage as possible. Their task is to track
  down and capture the serial killer. His extermination
  will not be sanctioned by IA.
  T h e  R e a l  I n f o r m a t i o n
  Nearaw will sit back in his chair, sipping a steaming
  cup of hot chocolate, letting his eyes roam over the
  squad, inviting questions. He will be open and forth-
  coming once he has been asked a question, though if
  he feels he should not answer, or does not know the
  answer, he will simply tilt his head to one side, smile
  and say; "sorry, classified." Remember the presence of
  the two Cloak agents. Both Nearaw and the Op's
  should feel slightly oppressed by their brooding men-
  ace.
  Both previous Whites lasted six days, after which
  the squad undertaking them simply disappeared. In
  the interim IA have been looking in to the killers using
  an under cover Third Eye Op; yesterday he too disap-
  peared, hence the Op's and the current BPN.
  There is no pattern to any aspect of the victims apart
  from the fact that they were Frothers. Nothing in their
  addiction, Clan, training, squad history, clothing,
  weapons, living quarters, or anything else as far as IA
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  17
  
  can tell. Each body has been two to three days old
  when it was found, the victims are apparently killed
  and skinned near where the bodies are found, usually
  in a nearby alley, building, walkway. Why the bodies
  take this long to 'appear' is not known. Each of the vic-
  tims appears to have put up a brief struggle, being
  killed by a blow to the heart. As the skin around the
  heart is missing, it is hard to get any information from
  the 'cut', though it must be a stabbing rather than a
  slashing weapon.
  The word 'Leon' scrawled near each body is written
  in blood, but not that of the victim. from DNA/Bio-
  genetic patterning, it has been determined that the
  blood comes from a Human; though whether this is
  'Leon' himself is not known. Psychological profiling
  and Forensic Prediction are both indicative of Leon
  being a 'man'. There has never been a pattern killer
  like Leon before. Both Psychology and Subversion
  Depts. have no predictions for when he killings will
  stop, or what their purpose is, which is unusual in
  itself as they like to make some analysis known and
  available to Op's.
  W h a t ' s  A c t u a l l y  G o i n g  O n
  Leon the Serial Killer is an SCL 4E Old Frother
  Operative who is losing his fight to hold on to his san-
  ity. His 'real' name is Leo McCulloch, from the Clan
  McKillip. Either up or downgrade him to suit your
  needs;
  SCL 4E. 1.7m tall, weighs 85kgs. Leo McCulloch
  Training: Investigation & Interrogation Package.
  Strength: (12) 17, Dexterity: (12) 17, Diagnose: 8,
  Concentration: 6, Charisma: 6, Physique: (12) 17,
  Knowledge: 7, Cool: 11. Walk: 1, Run: 2, Sprint: 4.
  Movement: 54, Half Movement: 108, No Movement:
  216.
  SKILLS / Rank Detect: 6, SLA Information: 6,
  Unarmed Combat: 10, Blade, 2-H: 15, Martial Arts:
  15, Sneaking: 10, Disguise: 6, Persuasion: 5,
  Streetwise: 5, Survival: 6, Blade, 1-H: 10, Club, 1-H &
  2-H: 10, Chainaxe: 10, Flexible Weapon: 10, Polearm:
  10, Combat Dodge: 15, Vision Truth: 6, Know/Detect
  poison: 6, Other Awareness: 6.
  Advantage/Disadvantage - Rank Cool, Good
  Vision: 5, Ambidextrous, Psychoses; Delusion: 8,
  Sociopathy: 9, Drug Addict (Blaze UV): 8.
  Leo has full Nuke Tendon Shell Augmentation and
  five levels of Shock and Brace sinews/tendons. Leo
  was made and trained for life on White earth (such as
  it is), he is the 'perfect' insurgent Op, having no
  reliance on firearms or 'technology'. 
  Leo has a 'custom' Sword and Knife made by Edge
  of Darkness, the 'weapons' division of Cloak;
  Power Rapier (Sword) DAM; (5) 10, PEN; 6, AD; 2.
  DarkBlade (Katar 'punch' Dagger) DAM; (4) 9, PEN; 8,
  AD 2.
  Leo wears no armour, only his 'street' disguise,
  which varies according to where he's operating, he
  usually dresses as a sort of reject Gang-wannabe.
  R u n n i n g  T h e  B P N
  Leo is trying to complete his masterpiece, which will
  incorporate the 'hides' from 30 chosen victims. The
  huge work hangs on a frame 20 metres square, and
  has all of the skins sewn together to form a canvas,
  upon which Leo will 'paint' his final work. Leo will
  only take Frothers to form his canvas.
  Leo intends to finish his work off with the hides of
  three of the Clan chiefs currently on Mort.
  On one of his trips to White earth, Leo picked up an
  artefact from one of the tribes that wander the blasted
  wastes of the Tszu Region. This artefact is a key to
  summoning one of the Wind Walkers (Shard Angels)
  from the storms that rage through the region. Leon
  has slowly been twisted by the artefact in to complet-
  ing the ritual that will drag a Wind Walker to the
  world of the living. The three Clan Chiefs skins are
  needed to complete the 'canvas', forming the centre
  piece. Once these are in place, Leon will slash both his
  wrists, using his sprayed blood to complete the ritual.
  Leon's death is required for the summoning to be
  complete.
  The Op's will receive an 'anonymous' tip-off, either
  through their head sets or through their comm's. sys-
  tem at home. The caller is a gruff voiced man, who
  tells them he knows who Leon is and that the next
  three victims will be the three Clan chiefs. The inform-
  ant also tells the Op's that if Leon 'finishes his work,
  all of Mort will suffer.' The Op's will have to convince
  the Clan's that they have valuable information and
  that they will be able to help. The Clans will be unwill-
  ing to listen to any non-Frothers, and even if a Frother
  is present, there may be some Clan animosity. If any
  Clan elders are approached, they may whisper curses
  of the 'Blood Beast', and if the Op's are successful in
  their diplomatic approach, they may find out about
  the legends.
  The Blood Beast is a cursed creature from Frother
  myth, a beast born of the drug crazed blood lust of
  their ancestors. Many Frothers believe their ancestors
  to be more than human, and the Blood Beast is the cre-
  ation of these ancestors and their addiction to the
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  18
  
  early, unstable combat drugs produced in the WoP.
  The Blood Beast is insatiable and unkillable, it roams
  at will, slaughtering all it comes across, until a Frother
  'hero' emerges from one of the Clans to slay it.
  And this is where we hand it all over to you....
  Remembering Leo's skill at disguise and intrusion
  counter-measure, it should be easy for him to get to
  one, maybe two of the Frother Clan chiefs. The third
  should be where the Op's catch up to him. If he makes
  the kill, he will drag the final part of his canvas back
  to his lair, caring little for stealth. The Op's should be
  able to follow him. Whether Leo manages the sum-
  moning, or is stopped by the Op's is up to you,
  Remember they have instructions to capture, not kill
  him. Frothers from his recent victim's Clan have no
  such restraints.
  The 'artefact' from White Earth is a Shard Knife; Leo
  will use this to kill himself upon the completion of his
  work. The Knife will then wither and fade to black
  dust (which will be wanted by both Dark Lament and
  Karma). If Leo manages to summon the Wind Walker,
  all hell breaks loose. the Shard Angel will only be ban-
  ished by a very, very high level Necanthrope, maybe
  even Intruder.... make it plain to the Op's that the
  thing summoned is, as far as they are concerned,
  unkillable; they need help, and they need it now!
  The BPN has been left 'bare bones' because the idea
  is for you to get the players to interact with your Clans
  and Frothers, giving you a chance to set the scene for
  your WoP. It also allows you to hint at some kind of
  Frother 'shared' heritage, maybe develop this, maybe
  use the Wind Walker to pull the Clans together for a
  concerted effort in producing a 'Hero'.
  B P N :
  T H E  S Q U I N K
  SCL: 10 Contact: Department of Pharmacology.
  Training Package Recc.: At least one I&I. At least one
  Frother must operate with squad. Colour Code:
  Green. Summary: Track and find escaped animal. Live
  capture essential. Contact Rachel Hannon Dept.
  Pharm. - 668/911210-RH-01. Coverage: Third Eye
  (Contracted to BPN). Consolidated Bonus Scheme:
  300c plus associated Bonus Scheme. Payment: Per
  Operative. SCL Increase: 0.3 Bonus Scheme: 1000c
  (squad) for live capture of animal.
  Rough BPN outline this one, skeleton to hang your
  own 'flesh' on. Rachel is the daughter of the Dept.
  Head Dr. Susan Hannon, so the BPN will be offered
  with some added 'clout', i.e. the chance to make a
  powerful friend or ally. A project that Rachel has been
  heavily involved in has gone wrong. The animals they
  were experimenting on have 'escaped'. The animals
  were freed by the DN splinter group 'Freedom For
  Animals' (FFA). All of the animals have been killed by
  the general population and the body's recovered;
  except for one, which has fled in to the Uptown sector
  300.
  Rachel needs a squad to capture the animal quickly,
  using minimal force and causing minimum collatoral
  damage. The animal must be captured alive and with
  minimal stress caused to it. Unfortunately, Third Eye
  have a man on the inside, and have found out about
  the animals escape. They have agreed to keep the
  story quiet until the animal is either captured or killed
  on one condition; they can have a camera Op with the
  squad assigned the recovery BPN. The squad will be
  accompanied by Simon 'Skip' Murdoch, a veteran
  Third Eye Op who has served two years on Hed and
  one on Dante, he failed his last off-world psyche eval-
  uation and is now confined to Mort.
  The animal, nicknamed the Squink, is of unknown
  (to the Op's) origin. It is said to look like a small brown
  Bear. If put under extreme psychological pressure, or
  physical threat, the Squink will simply die, it's heart
  giving out. This must not be allowed to happen under
  any circumstances. The animal produces a natural
  toxin from it's tear ducts, this toxin; 'AmoxFenac' is
  the base component for a very, very powerful new
  drug known simply as 'Rapture'. The drug is purely
  experimental, with the Dept. Pharmacology aiming to
  pull off a bit of a coup by releasing it before Karma
  have a chance to respond with a variant. The toxin can
  also be found, in smaller traces, in the Squink's saliva
  and urine.
  The Frother's of Clan Morrigon have found out
  about the Squink and it's potential for drug develop-
  ment, and have sent a squad of their own out to look
  for and capture the animal.
  DarkNight have infiltrated the Third Eye link-room
  that will handle all of Skip's broadcasts, they will
  despatch a recovery squad to beat the Op's to the
  Squink as soon as they have a firm fix on the animals
  position.
  Creature Profile - The Squink (Known to Shaktar as
  'Dkt Dkcht Qw' - Rough translation 'Unseen-Cunder-
  Bear'.)
  Characteristics: STR 6-12, DEX 5-10, DIA 1-2, CONC
  0-2, COOL 1-6, HITS 12-22. Height (toe to nose) 1.5m -
  2m, Weight 80kg - 180kg. Movement; Walk 1, Run 3,
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  19
  
  Sprint 6. Skills; Detect 10, Unarmed 5, Dodge 10, Swim
  8, Climb 8, Sneak 5, Hide 10. Advantages; Excellent
  Sight, Smell, Hearing, 'Tremor' detection (vibration).
  T h e  S e c r e t  o f  t h e  S q u i n k
  The Squink is a 'dual' species, it's body has a scaly
  skin with thick hair, much like fur, covering it head to
  toe. It appears to be a 'mammal', much like a small
  brown bear. Once the Squink has mated, and it's 'eggs'
  have been fertilised, it hibernates for three weeks.
  After this time it sheds it's outer body and it's true
  form emerges. The 'true' form of the Squink is a spider
  like creature with four tentacles and four legs; it's only
  function in this form is to 'weave' a nest and to secure
  the fertilised eggs to it. The 'spider' Squink can shoot
  a web like substance up to 10 metres, and may 'spray'
  it's toxin either in cloud form or directed jet; it may
  spray toxin up to thirty times before it exhausts it's
  internal supply. The web is sticky and incredibly
  strong (STR 30 to break), the webbing will naturally
  disintegrate if exposed to the Squink's toxin. If cor-
  nered or trapped in 'Bear' form, the inner Squink will
  emerge in a frenzied spray of blood and tissue, in a
  last ditch attempt to nest and lay it's eggs. Once in
  'spider' form, the Squink lives for 72 hours. It's move-
  ment becomes; Walk 3, Run 5, Sprint 9. Climb moves
  to 20. The Squink toxin has the same effect as Alice,
  which takes effect immediately upon exposure to the
  skin.
  F r o t h e r  C o n n e c t i o n s
  The Morrigon Clan have their eyes on the Squink,
  and if the development of Rapture becomes common
  knowledge among the Clans, most will want to get in
  on it's development. Any Frothers in the squad track-
  ing the Squink may become aware of it's toxin, and it's
  effects, either through investigation or exposure. How
  you develop Rapture is up to you, we use it as a
  'Personal Interest' type drug, where the experiences
  heightened are combat rather than sexual. A kind of
  Frother Nirvana....
  C H A R A C T E R  G R O U P I N G S
  -  F R O T H E R S
  A quick 'alternative' character generation system,
  allowing greater flexibility and depth of background
  development for a character. Each character 'class' has
  a different background and culture, giving access to a
  different range of skills. Each race will also have natu-
  ral preferences for early skill training. We have pro-
  vided a suggested list of skills from which Frother
  Operatives may choose. These can be seen as general
  categories, and should be used instead of the statuto-
  ry skills listed under the Frother character 'race'. They
  are not 'training packages' and do not replace those
  skill lists under the package. Each character may
  choose 8 (eight) ranks of skills from the list, with a
  maximum of two ranks in one skill (these of course
  may be added to through training package and devel-
  opment points).
  FROTHER
  STR - Strength based Blade, 1H Blade, 2H Pole-arm
  Unarmed Combat
  DEX 
  - 
  Dexterity 
  based 
  Drive, 
  Motorcycle
  Gymnastics Martial Arts Pistol
  PHYS - Physique based Running Climb Throw
  CHA - Charisma based Haggle
  DIA - Diagnose based Medical, Paramedic Tactics
  Bribery Torture Intimidation
  CONC 
  - 
  Concentration 
  based 
  Weapons
  Maintenance Drive Civilian Detect
  KNOW - Knowledge based Streetwise Evaluate
  Opponent SLA Information
  T r a i n i n g  P a c k a g e s
  Death Squad: Black Variation
  The Black Variation of the Death Squad package is
  designed to place the Operative in amongst the
  enemy, with the ability to deal out maximum death
  and devastation in close combat. The Black Variation
  was designed to help with intimidation and moral
  destruction. Operatives are trained to be highly visu-
  al, extremely loud and terrifying in their ability to deal
  death to their enemies. Get in close, get in quick, do
  the most damage you can. Savage, simple, mind
  destroying, brutal and totally relentless.
  Evaluate Opponent (KNOW) Run (PHYS) Martial
  Arts (DEX) Unarmed Combat (STR) Blade 1-H, or 2-H
  (STR) Combat Dodge (DEX)
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  20
  
  Investigation & Interrogation variant: Deep Cover
  Deep Cover was designed to train Operatives
  specifically for undercover work in Downtown, or
  anywhere 'on the streets'. Operatives from Deep
  Cover training learn to forget their stringent SLA
  indoctrination, they think like those on the street, liv-
  ing the life of a dissatisfied citizen. The fact that they
  remain loyal to SLA is testament both to their common
  sense and the subliminal implanting that goes on
  while they are being trained. Deep Cover Op's are
  usually planted with a trigger word, phrase or numer-
  ic sequence, which when given by an appropriate
  agent (from Cloak say), will immediately 'break' their
  cover. This can be a traumatic experience and should
  only be done under stringent Psyche. Dept. recom-
  mended conditions.
  Martial Arts (DEX) Sneaking (DEX) Disguise (CHA)
  Persuasion 
  (CHA) 
  Detect 
  (CONC) 
  Streetwise
  (KNOW)
  Cover Skills: These skills will be used while under-
  cover, but will be substituted with the skill in brackets
  once the Op is 'awoken' by their trigger.
  Rival Company (KNOW) - (SLA Information
  KNOW). Medical, Paramedic (DIA) - (Forensics DIA).
  The additional skills granted from this package
  come at a price. The Op gains Sociopathy Rank 2 and
  Schizophrenia Rank 2 (without gaining any addition-
  al development points).
  U S I N G  D R U G S
  N A R C O T I C S
  GM's and players need to be familiar and comfort-
  able with the way the rules work regarding drugs, any
  house rules need to be clearly laid out well in advance
  of the campaign.
  Most drugs 'kick in' after a number of phases, usu-
  ally three, though this can be more or less. Remember
  that 'phases' are 0.6 seconds long, this may be too
  short a period for some drugs to begin working, and
  many will be designed to act over a longer period,
  their effects becoming more gradually apparent. A lot
  of drugs will not work in conjunction with each other;
  Rush and Beat for example. It should be obvious by
  the nature of the drugs being mixed, and when two or
  more drugs do cancel each other out, rather than there
  being 'no effect', try using the Detox. Effect of the
  'mildest' drug mixed. Increasing dosage does not
  incrementally increase effect. Any drug with a 'dura-
  tion' must be expired before another dose has an
  effect. 
  There are no immediate rules for 'over dosing' in the
  main rulebook, but we suggest you introduce some.
  Some guidelines for 'OD-ing' are;
  If the dosage causes the 'PHYS Addiction modifier'
  to exceed the users actual PHYS, they will suffer an
  overdose. Example; Beat has a PHYS Addiction mod-
  ifier of -1 per 2 doses; if a user with a PHYS of 6 were
  to take 12 doses of Beat at once, they would suffer an
  overdose. The same user would overdose on 6 shots of
  UV taken at once. The two main types of drugs are;
  Regular and Continuous. Regular drugs have no spe-
  cific duration per dose, but rather a direct affect. Such
  drugs as Kick Start. Continuous drugs are those with
  a 'duration', this will be stated in the drugs description
  and can vary from 12 Hours (UV) to 1 hour (Personal
  Interest), with all variance in between. There is a move
  towards 'quick burn' drugs in the WoP, with shorter
  duration but more violent effects.
  A d d i c t i o n
  Getting addicted to drugs is easy. In the case of
  Regular drugs (no duration), the addiction roll is
  made after a number of doses are taken, usually spec-
  ified in the drugs description. Kick Start for instance is
  after 30 doses, Pain Away 3 doses. Continuous drugs
  require a roll after the duration of the drug has fin-
  ished. With UV for instance, this is after 12 hours, i.e.
  once the drug would wear off.
  Addiction rolls are made as PHYS rolls, that is, with
  PHYS as a 'skill', using whatever modifiers stated for
  that drug, trying to make 11+ to succeed roll and
  avoid addiction. Example; If our user with the PHYS
  of 6 from the above example, were to take UV, after
  the 12 hours duration they will need to make an
  addiction roll. The roll would be PHYS (6) with a -1
  modifier for 1 dose taken. The user would need to roll
  6+ on 2D10 to avoid addiction. It is worth noting that
  addiction affects are cumulative within a 30 day peri-
  od. So if our user takes more UV the day after their
  last addiction roll, their next addiction roll will be
  made at -2 modifier. A 30 day 'clear' period must occur
  before the cumulative modifiers are dropped.
  If a user makes their addiction roll, and avoids
  addiction, then nothing much happens. If they fail,
  one of two things will happen; They can either take
  the 'Detox. Effects' as listed under the drugs descrip-
  tion, to come off the drug. Or they can take a regular
  or continuous dosage, ensuring the drug never wears
  off. Some drugs, Flush for instance, are designed to
  clear the body of the drugs effect. One dose needs to
  be taken each day for a month to clear the drug from
  the body without suffering the Detox. Effects. While
  on drugs like Flush, other drugs need to be 'double
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  21
  
  dosed' to have their 'normal' effect. So if our user is
  trying to avoid UV addiction and is on Flush, but then
  needs to shoot up with UV, they will need to take two
  doses to secure the drugs effect; 1 to override the
  Flush, 1 to kick in the usual effect. After the UV wears
  off, they will have to make an addiction roll with an
  additional -2 for their last 'trip'.
  S T R E E T  D R U G S
  Everybody knows that Karma produce the highest
  quality drugs available in the world of Progress.
  Whether you want soft drugs, combat drugs or med-
  ical drugs, Karma is the name you look for on the
  packet (or tube). Karma means quality and consisten-
  cy at a reasonable price. But what if you want some-
  thing a little bit more specialised, a little bit more
  immediate, if a little bit more dangerous? This is when
  you have to look to the street vendors, the back street
  chemists and the trainee rocket scientists. All of the
  narcotics listed here are 'illegal'. Possession carries a
  hefty fine or imprisonment, Operatives face an imme-
  diate decrease in SCL.
  Many Frothers walk a fine line between the legal
  and the frowned upon, both by their clans and by
  SLA. Individuality is one of the key elements of the
  Frother psyche, there will always be Frothers who
  look outside SLA for their fix, no matter what the risk.
  As long as there is a market, there will be Soft
  Companies to serve it. The availability of these street
  drugs is best determined by you, make them as diffi-
  cult or as easy to get hold of as you want.
  B u b b l e s
  Bubbles is currently being produced by Neeto
  Pharm, though it has been 'boot legged' by various
  street chemists, with varying degrees of success.
  Bubbles is a 'Hallucinogenic Inhibitor', with certain
  'mind application' properties. The user of Bubbles is
  unable to suffer any of the effects of AliceTM,
  DrumTM or FlipTM. Use of Personal InterestTM is
  cancelled, and if large enough doses of Personal
  InterestTM and Bubbles are mixed, the user dies.
  Bubbles directly affects the users ability to concen-
  trate. It produces the effect of an extremely narrow
  train of thought. Whatever the user is thinking of
  when they take Bubbles becomes an obsessive
  thought driving out all others. The user on Bubbles
  will put his deductive powers into overdrive, concen-
  trating to the point where he will not take any other
  actions apart from those associated with solving his
  current 'problem'. 
  Bubbles comes in ready to use, one shot syringes. It
  is dark blue in colour, it breaks down into a harmless
  acid on contact with the air.
  B o z e r k e r
  You want that feeling of invulnerability? That feel-
  ing of power, of limitless strength? Don't care about
  the come down? Then Bozerker is the drug for you.
  Forget Blaze UVTM, forget BassTM, get into Bozerker.
  Bozerker is a very dangerous drug. Rumours abound
  about it being a refined version of Shatter, the Dark
  Night pharmaceutical. Bozerker is a powerful adrena-
  line based muscle enhancer, with traces of tissue
  bonding chemicals. The affects of Bozerker are very
  immediate, the user MUST burn up a massive amount
  of energy immediately after taking Bozerker. The drug
  affects adrenaline output, boosting it by up to 300%,
  then it 'locks' the stimulants in muscle bundles. Users
  of Bozerker have been likened to fit victims, going
  into violent spasm for several minutes. If Bozerker is
  taken by someone already using Blaze UVTM or
  BassTM, the user will go into 'overdrive'. They will
  have the benefits of Blaze UVTM for 24 hours, after
  which time they will die. Possession of Bozerker
  results in an immediate custodial sentence for all
  those caught.
  G e l l y
  Gelly is a direct pirate copy of FlipTM, with some
  extras thrown in for good measure. Like FlipTM it is
  designed to be an antidepressant, but it goes one step
  further, making the user actively interested in cheer-
  ing everyone else up. It makes you feel great and you
  just want to share this with those around you. Users of
  Gelly cannot be provoked into violent action, unless
  their life is threatened, when they will 'flip out'. Gelly
  cannot be used in conjunction with any other drug, if
  mixed, the user will suffer stomach cramps and vom-
  iting for 24 hours. Gelly is available in small green
  capsules or as a liquid for injection.
  P u s h
  Push is a clean out drug much like FlushTM. The
  main difference being in the speed of the affects, and
  their violent nature. Push can be fatal to certain users,
  mainly those whose body has been 'saturated' with a
  drug, or those mixing drugs. The user of Push has his
  natural immune system boosted to aid in the 'burn off'
  of unwanted substances within the bodies chemistry.
  Unfortunately, one of the side affects is severe vomit-
  ing and diahorhea, which can last for 2 days. 
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  22
  
  Push is available as an injected fluid. It is produced
  and distributed by Pod Pharmaceuticals, a small soft
  company operating from Downtown.
  S T R E E T  D R U G S
  ( G a m e s  S y s t e m  S t u f f )
  Bubbles Game Effects: Focuses users mind, acceler-
  ates concentration and shuts out 'distractions'. +2 to
  Concentration for 1 hour. Addiction: -2 Phys / 10
  doses Detox. Effects: -2 Concentration (instant effect
  after coming down, lasts for 2 hours). Addiction: 2
  doses per day. Cost: 700u
  Bozerker Game Effects: 1 free phase per round,
  duration 10 rounds. No Phys or Cool rolls for 1 hour.
  +2 to Str, +1 to Dex for 1 hour. Addiction: -3 Phys per
  5 doses. Detox. Effects: -2 to Str, -1 to Dex, permanent.
  Addiction: 1 per day. Cost: 400u * Special: If the user
  of Bozerker does not enter into frantic activity, prefer-
  ably combat, for a number of turns equal to their
  Physique immediately after taking Bozerker, they suf-
  fer the Addiction penalty straight away. Being addict-
  ed they will need to take at least one fix per day, or
  suffer the Detox. Effects.
  Gelly Game Effects: +2 to Cool for 2 hours
  Addiction: -1 Phys, -1 Char per 20 doses. Detox.
  Effects: -3 Cool, -1 Dia. Addiction: 2 doses per day.
  Cost: 150u * Special: The user of Gelly must try to
  'cheer up' those in their immediate vicinity. If they
  does not, or they fail to manage this, they will imme-
  diately suffer from the effects of a Rank 7 Paranoia
  Psychoses. The Psychoses may (or may not) have lin-
  gering effects, at the Gamesmasters discretion (is there
  really any doubt?).
  Push Game Effects: Prevents Detox. Effects from any
  other drug, -1 to Phys, -2 to Str for 2 days after taking.
  Addiction: -1 Str per 30 doses. Detox. Effects: -1 Str
  Permanent. Addiction: 1 per day. Cost: 200u * Special:
  Push acts within 2-12 hours, after this period any
  other drugs will have been flushed from the body.
  Using Push to flush out a body that has been 'saturat-
  ed' with any drug is a dangerous business. The user
  must make a Physique roll (D20 vs Physique, lower or
  equal to for success), if they succeed the drug works,
  if they fail, they die.
  P O D  P H A R M A C E U T I C A L S
  Company slogan: "Chemicals are your friend. Let
  Pod make you happy." Pod are a relatively large com-
  pany, having around 80 members. They operate from
  a warehouse in Downtown, under cover of Panyos
  Pizza Pie Emporium. Pod Pharmaceuticals are an
  independent company that owe allegiance to no one.
  They have resisted all efforts of DarkNight to supply
  them with exclusive 'experimental' drugs. DarkNight
  hate Pod almost as much as SLA Industries. The
  strength of the company lies in it's amazingly talented
  chemists and workers. They have managed to copy
  nearly all of the most popular SLA Industries drugs,
  even managing to refine and improve (?) one or two.
  The big problem with all Pod products is their ten-
  dency to kill people. Impurities and ultra cheap ingre-
  dients mean that many people suffer poisoning from
  Pod's drugs. Even when the drug has the desired
  effect, there is no guaranteeing that the next fix from
  the same batch is safe.
  Pod will sell their wares to any and all that can
  afford them, including street gangs and even Carriens.
  Pod regularly employ Props to hit SLA Operatives to
  steal drugs, sometimes they supply the Props with
  'experimental' drugs to 'help' them. The two most
  noted Props currently under employ to Pod are Nitro
  and Pop-Tooth, both are Bozerk addicts.
  Although Pod manufacture a couple of combat
  drugs, notably Vio-Let and the Kil-Pil, they specialise
  in recreational, or 'soft' drugs. Pod strongly deny any
  connection to the combat drug Bozerker. It is
  rumoured that Karma has a secret vested interest in
  Pod, either through developing the talent of it's
  chemists or using them as a testing ground for some
  of their more 'specialised' products.
  At the moment, Pod's biggest seller is Push, the sys-
  tem flush drug.
  P o d
  G a m e  S y s t e m  S t u f f
  Pod are currently under investigation from the
  Department of Pharmacology, which may issue a
  Yellow BPN to gather information on the soft compa-
  ny. Pod prices are roughly 10% cheaper than other soft
  companies. They can also supply SLA Industries
  drugs, such as BassTM or FlipTM at 10% below the
  current black market price. Pod may be closely linked
  to the McCulloch Frother 'clan', which would explain
  their longevity and their access to Karma products. If
  this link is proven the Department of Internal Affairs
  may decide to initiate an inquiry, placing Grey BPN's
  in the process. Pod have access (in extreme emergen-
  cies) to both DarkNight and Thresher contacts.
  DarkNight will only help Pod if they think they are
  'buying in' to the company, either through product
  supply or loyalty.
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  23
  
  N E W  F R O T H E R
  A B I L I T I E S  A N D  S K I L L S
  C o m b a t  D o d g e
  The Gymnastics skill gives access to a 'dodge'; here
  it is classed as a skill and may be bought/learned in
  it's own right. Characters with gymnastic can still use
  that skill as a dodge (passive) or they can use the
  Combat Dodge (active). Dexterity Based Skill. The
  Combat Dodge is taught specifically to be used in
  close combat. Users of this skill learn to move away
  from a blow, to anticipate the direction of an attack
  and to move accordingly. The aim is to not only avoid
  the attack but place yourself in a position to take
  advantage of your opponents miss.
  "The 'art' of combat? Simple. To not be where the
  pain is." Terri 'Hatchett' Dillon, SCL 6 Frother with
  Blade, Mort 903 SD.
  G a m e  S y s t e m  S t u f f
  The character using Combat Dodge can use it in one
  of two ways; They can use it as a negative modifier to
  their opponents chance to hit them in close combat, or
  they can roll it as a skill in opposition to their oppo-
  nents attack roll. If they roll it as a skill in opposition,
  and they beat their attacker (achieved a higher total),
  they have dodged the incoming blow. A successful
  dodge means they have a chance of launching a 'free'
  counter-blow. To achieve this they need to re-roll their
  Combat Dodge skill, using their opponents attack skill
  as a negative modifier. If they succeed they can launch
  one close combat attack at no 'cost' in actions.
  Example; FiFi our Frother has Combat Dodge 6, her
  Carrien attacker has Unarmed Combat 7. In phase one
  they both act, FiFi elects to Combat Dodge, the
  Carrien to attack. FiFi rolls 12 (+6) 18, the Carrien roll
  7 (+7) 14; FiFi wins the round. She elects to counter-
  blow, the chances of a successful attack are; 2D10 +6, -
  7. She rolls 10 and fails to hit.
  To launch the 'free' counter-blow, the user of the
  Combat Dodge must have some kind of close combat
  skill, although they are making the counter-blow
  using the Combat Dodge (and CD skill rating).
  Characters rolling 'double 1' when using Combat
  Dodge, fumble and add their CD skill rating to their
  opponents attack roll.
  A i m e d  B l o w
  "Bide your time. Pick your moment. Then strike."
  Shui T'Kuru, Killing Blow instructor, Clan McKillip,
  Mort 903 SD.
  Knowledge Based Skill. The Aimed Blow is the
  directed strike, the finding of the weak spot, or the hit-
  ting of a desired area. It is a skill learned and
  advanced like any other KNOW based skill.
  G a m e  S y s t e m  S t u f f
  This skill is used in tandem with one other close
  combat skill, as a sort of 'pre-cursor' to the attack. It
  helps the user 'place' their blow. This can be used in
  one of two ways; 1) Specific target area. 2) Penetration.
  1)
  In specifically targeting an area, the skill is
  rolled before the close combat attack, and only after
  the user has specified the targeted area they are going
  to try to hit.. The higher the success, the greater the
  positive modifier in placing an aimed blow;
  Modified Aimed Blow Skill Roll Modifier 11 - 15 +1
  16 - 18 +2 19 - 20 +4 21+ +6
  Example: FiFi has had enough of scrapping with the
  Carrien and decides to finish it with a blow to his
  head. She has Aimed Blow at Rank 5. The next attack
  she gets, she rolls Aimed Blow before the attack,
  rolling 13 (+5) 18, giving her +2 to her head shot,
  which is at -4, a total modifier of -2.
  2) In penetration, the skill is rolled in lieu of an
  attack (unless the user has more than one action a
  phase), but can be used in conjunction with either
  Dodge (Gymnastics) or Combat Dodge. For each con-
  secutive round the skill is successfully used, the user
  gets a cumulative +1 to the PEN of their eventual close
  combat attack, which must be launched after a suc-
  cessful Aimed Blow roll, a failed Aimed Blow roll
  'breaks' the cumulative modifier cycle, setting it to
  zero. The total positive modifier cannot be greater
  than the users rank in Aimed Blow. Users can use
  Aimed Blow to 'manoeuvre' in phases where their
  opponent has no action. Aimed Blow cannot be used
  the same phase an attack goes in, unless the user has
  more than one action for that phase, and then the
  attack 're-sets' the Aimed Blow counter to zero, any
  bonuses having to be used for that attack.
  Example: FiFI has Combat Dodge 6, Aimed Blow 5.
  She has DEX 10, acting in phases 1, 2 ,4, 5. Upon enter-
  ing combat with a lowly DN operative (light body
  armour), and realising she is on camera, she decides to
  make a show of it. She has decided to Combat Dodge
  in each of her phases (where needed) and to hold her
  strike for phase 5, using the additional PEN for her
  Power Claymore. The DN Op attacks phase 1, 2, 3. So
  in phases 1 and 2 FiFi will actively use her Combat
  Dodge to avoid the DN attack. The DN Op will get an
  unopposed attack in phase 3, then FiFi will use phase
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  24
  
  4 for her last Aimed Blow. The strike in phase 5 will go
  in at +3 PEN, assuming all her Aimed Blow skill rolls
  were made successfully.
  K n o w  /  D e t e c t  P o i s o n
  This is an ability that can be acquired by all Frothers,
  though Old Frothers are born with it. Frothers become
  sensitised to what they put into their bodies, they
  seem to instinctively know when something would do
  them harm, or if a drug is 'unclean', that is, laced with
  impurities or poison.
  G a m e  S y s t e m  S t u f f
  This is a Diagnose based skill. Frothers that have
  progressed to the regular use of UVTM gain a -3 mod-
  ifier to their roll, they seem to have become de-sensi-
  tised to poisons, probably through their bodies full
  time efforts in the direction of coping with the UV. The
  Frother may only roll for substances that are meant to
  be ingested into the body, such as food, drink or drug
  capsules, etc. They may not use this skill to determine
  if a creature has a poisonous bite for example. Success
  means they are aware of the poison, the higher their
  success roll, the less they need to ingest to detect it and
  the more they know about it. A roll of 20+ will tell the
  Frother through 'instinct' of any naturally occurring
  antidotes, or the best way to 'purge' the poison.
  O t h e r  A w a r e n e s s
  This is a skill based on the Diagnose characteristic,
  and must be bought the same as any other skill, it is
  thought to be unique to Frothers, though some say
  Shaktar have access to it as well. This is a type of com-
  bat sense, based on the use of forces known as Sa-chi
  (pronounced 'ssarchy'). The Frother has become satu-
  rated with combat drugs to the point where his body
  reads signals of threat on a subconscious level. Minute
  changes in air pressure and temperature betray the
  presence of enemies, slight muscle twitches or subtle
  changes in body stance allow the Frother to read when
  a person is about to launch an attack.
  G a m e  S y s t e m  S t u f f
  To use this skill, a normal skill roll is made. If suc-
  cessful, the Frother has the skill 'switched on' for a
  number of minutes equal to his Concentration. During
  this time he will be able to 'sense' hidden enemies or
  people in his company that intend violent actions
  towards him. For instance, a Frother using this skill
  while walking down a dark corridor would be aware
  of anyone hiding in a doorway, or sneaking along
  behind them. The range of the detection is again mod-
  erated by the Frothers Concentration. Concentration
  is equal to meters for detection purposes. After the
  state of Other Awareness has passed, the Frother
  receives a penalty of -3 to all Concentration rolls for a
  number of turns equal to; 20 minus their Diagnose.
  V i s i o n  T r u t h
  This is a skill and may be 'bought' as any other. It is
  a Knowledge based skill. Vision Truth is a twisted
  interpretation of the 'soft drug' Personal InterestTM.
  The Frother must saturate himself with the drug, tak-
  ing at least four doses within an hour. This leads to the
  Frother becoming an insatiable sexual machine for the
  first hour of the drug's affect. The affected Frother will
  seek to have sexual intercourse with everyone and
  anyone they come into contact with. After this period
  of hectic activity, the Frother lapses into a coma like
  state, wherein they dream 'true' dreams. These dreams
  have often been called 'truth visions' as they seem to
  reveal some elements of the future to the dreaming
  Frother. Such things as the whereabouts of a particu-
  lar person or item, the outcome of a battle, the winner
  of a race or the arrival of a being or event are all often
  revealed to the Frother. There is, however, a high price
  for these visions. Firstly the dreams cannot be con-
  trolled. The Frother may have visions that are of use to
  them or they may not, sometimes the dreams become
  terrible nightmares. Secondly, upon awakening, the
  Frother suffers a -2 Phy, -2 Cool and -1 Conc penalty
  for a whole four hours. If after taking the massive
  dose of Personal Interest, the Frother does not manage
  to satisfy their sexual appetites, they will immediately
  suffer the Detox. Effects of the drug (-1 Cool, -1 Conc
  permanent). They will also have dreadful nightmares
  for the next seven days, during which time they will
  not benefit from any soft or medical drugs.
  B L A D E S
  To a Frother, there is nothing quite like the feel of
  steel, the weight of a good blade and the room to use
  it. Frothers know better than anyone that there is a
  blade for all occasions; and style matters.
  If there is one company that seems to understand
  the Frothers love of the blade it is Multi-Job Lacerates.
  MJL produce the Power Claymore, and this alone
  would have been enough to endear them to Frothers
  for as long as they chose to produce it. But MJL are a
  successful business, and part of this success comes
  from never standing still in the market place. In the
  spring of 903 SD. MJL released their full blade cata-
  logue, aimed fairly and squarely at capturing the
  Frother market once and for all.
  The MJL marketing slogan is for the new release is;
  "A blade for all occasions." The blade range is known
  as 'The Final Cut'.
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  25
  
  D e s i g n i n g
  ' T h e  F i n a l  C u t '  r a n g e  o f
  B l a d e s
  Blades of all shapes and sizes will proliferate in any
  WoP, limited by the likes and dislikes of the GM and
  Players. It's all a matter of style. We strongly urge you
  to design weapons to fit your own vision of the WoP.
  We can, however, take some lessons from our own
  'real' world. In various societies at various stages of
  devlopment, the blade, and the sword in particular,
  has been developed and used to keep social order and
  maintain both status and rule. Societies where the
  sword has been extensively used include Feudal
  Japan, Medieval and late Medieval Europe, Rome,
  whenever military might drove the social develop-
  ment. So a GM and his Players may draw inspiration
  from any source, designing weapons from the Katana
  to the Rapier. Use your WoP as a guide, defining the
  style of weapons to suit the feel of your WoP. Whether
  swords and blades are only to be worn by SLA Op's,
  what kind of materials are used to make them, how
  effective they are against armour, all dictate the nature
  of blades developed.
  We have listed a guide to some styles of Blades,
  together with their stat. This is by no means an
  exhaustive list, but can be a good place to start. The
  format is; PEN, DMG, AD, Weight, Cost. If any of
  these weapons is 'powered', i.e. either oscillating
  blade, or 'chainsaw' type action, add at least 1 point to
  all categories, maybe 2 for 2-Handed weapons.
  D a g g e r s  /  K n i v e s
  Rondel Dagger - rounded hilt and guard, thin point-
  ed blade. 2/2/1, 0.5kg, 10c.
  Quillon Dagger - broad, flat blade, often used as
  'dress' weapon. 1/3/0, 0.75kg, 60c.
  Cinquenda Dagger - very broad, flat blade, tapering
  to triangular point, double edged. 2/4/1, 0.75kg, 75c.
  Stilletto Dagger - thin bladed knife, double edged.
  5/2/1, 0.5kg, 90c.
  Aikuchi Dagger - smaller version of the classic
  Wakizashi shortsword, slightly curved. 1/4/0, 0.5kg,
  80c.
  Sudanese Dagger - flat bladed dagger that curves to
  form hook. 1/3/0, 0.75kg, 60c.
  Congolese Dagger - thin bladed, very curved, almost
  scythe shaped. 0/4/0, 0.75kg, 75c.
  Jambiyah Dagger - smaller version of Scimitar, flat
  bladed. 1/3/0, 0.5kg, 80c.
  Katar Dagger - flat, broad bladed 'punching' dagger,
  'T' handle. 4/3/1, 0'75kg, 90c.
  'Throwing' Knife - double edged, balanced, small
  flat knife. 1/3/0, 0.3kg, 120c.
  O n e  H a n d e d  B l a d e s
  Seax Shortsword - shaped like a large 'Bowie' knife,
  double edged blade. 1/3/1, 1.3kg, 60c.
  Kopis Shortsword - slightly curved, flat blade, broadest
  towards point. 1/4/0, 1.5kg, 75c.
  'Roman' Shortsword - stout, broad bladed weapon, dou-
  ble edged. 4/4/2, 2kg, 100c.
  Falchion - much like a curved butchers cleaver. 3/3/1,
  1.5kg, 80c. 
  Longsword - style varies from wide to thin blade, slash
  and thrust. 5/3/1, 2.5kg, 150c.
  Rapier - very thin blade, thrusting weapon. 7/3/0, 1.8kg,
  200c. 
  Tachi - classic 'Samurai' weapon, slightly curved flat
  blade. 3/5/1, 2kg, 180c. 
  Scimitar - flat, broad curving blade with point, primarily
  a slashing weapon. 3/6/0, 2kg, 150c. 
  Bastard Sword - essentially a Broadsword with a longer
  hand grip allowing two handed use. 5/5/2, 3kg, 200c. 
  Hand Axe - either 'Hatchet' type or 'classic' curved, half
  moon blade. 4/3/2, 2kg, 100c. 
  Norman War Axe - very long shaft with small axe head,
  often used two handed. 7/4/3, 3kg, 200c. 
  Mace - solid metal head on small (up to 3 feet) shaft, can
  be ball or square. 0/3/1, 2kg, 130c. 
  Warhammer - Hammer headed weapon, can be single or
  double sided.0/5/1, 3kg, 150c. 
  Morning Star - short stout shaft with spiked ball on top.
  1/4/2, 2.5kg, 180c. 
  Ball & Chain - short shafted weapon, heavy chain and
  ball, spiked or plain. 4/4/4, 3.5kg, 250c.
  T w o  H a n d e d  B l a d e s
  Two Handed Sword (Claymore) - classic two handed
  sword design. 5/6/3, 4kg, 200c. 
  Two Handed Warhammer - longer shafted Warhammer.
  3/6/2, 3.5kg, 150c.
  Two Handed Axe - either double headed or single head-
  ed, long or short shaft. 6/6/4, 5kg, 220c.
  Two Handed Flail - long shafted, multiple heads, ball
  and chain type weapon. 4/7/3, 5.5kg, 200c.
  MJL will want to recruit Frothers for field trials of all
  new designs. Sponsorship from MJL is much sought
  after, with many Clans holding a 'franchise' agreement
  with MJL, granting particularly loyal Clan members
  sponsorship on MJL's behalf. MJL also specialise in
  custom 
  weapon's 
  production; 
  if 
  you 
  can
  draw/describe it, they can make it - for a price.
  Depending upon your view on Blade Technology,
  they may also be able to make weapons perform bet-
  ter, with higher PEN/DAM - all for a hefty price of
  course.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  26
  
  F R O T H E R S
  ' A  W O R L D S  E Y E  V I E W '
  B Y  L E A T H  S H E A L E S
  There is a danger when focusing on one aspect of
  the WoP, i.e. a single race, that the blinkers go on and
  you miss a perspective or two. Leath's Frother stuff is
  a good counterweight to the focused views so far pre-
  sented. Much of Leath's stuff compliments our own
  ideas, some slightly different, all of it has Leath's style
  and view of Frothers developed in his, unique WoP.
  We liked Leaths's Frother stuff because it has flavour
  and atmosphere, and because it is so consistent.... so
  we thought; 'best put it in then'.... so here it is. Mix and
  match it with the other stuff in this booklet, use it for
  inspiration, drop or add whatever you like.
  Frothers are one of the few Operative classes active-
  ly recruited by SLA Industries. In the streets of
  Downtown, indiscriminate drug-usage and petty
  crime can lead to a spiral of moral and social decay. It
  is these people who SLA watch and wait for, for when
  they trip, they can be moulded into the Frothers of the
  future. Over the centuries, groups of Frother
  Operatives have banded together to form Clans. From
  these Clans new Frothers are born, giving SLA
  Industries a second avenue to recruit their Frother
  Operatives from. Outwardly similar to the untrained
  observer, there exist many differences between the
  two types of Frothers, their attitudes and the way they
  approach life. Some of these will be dealt with in this
  article.
  S t r e e t  F r o t h e r s .
  Most Frothers are recruited into SLA Industries fol-
  lowing unfortunate circumstances. Young drug
  addicts taunt Law enforcers at every opportunity, fol-
  lowing their chemically-fuelled heaven of shooting-
  up, theft, killing, and whatever else they please in the
  immortality of their youth. These youths feel they will
  never be caught, that they will be absolved of blame
  for all their actions. They are, to a point. Eventually
  they will be caught through some act of their own stu-
  pidity and thrown into the prison system of Mort,
  awaiting trial, withdrawal and probably death. SLA
  Industries watches these hopefuls with a careful eye.
  Most of the drug-slaves they encounter are useless for
  SLA's purposes, but a few, perhaps 1 in 100 demon-
  strate that they have been discriminating enough in
  their drug habits to be of value to the company. These
  are the lucky ones.
  Every prisoner has extensive toxicological profiles
  performed on them when arrested. It is these tests that
  SLA Talent Scouts look at when deciding which pris-
  oners to use. Drug-slaves who use dangerous, point-
  less or plain stupid substances and cocktails are disre-
  garded out of hand, but those with pure traces or
  interesting combinations will be selected for the next
  round of trials. With their selection complete, the SLA
  Talent Scout will flash their SCL badge and have the
  potential Operative moved to one of thousands of
  SLA drug clinic scattered across Mort. The trials have
  not yet ended though. If the drug-slave thought he
  had been granted a painless reprieve he is in for a
  shock. The Talent Scout authorises and supervises a
  battery of psychological, physiological and physical
  examinations. Frothers are expected to be at least
  mildly unstable, but their instability must be chan-
  nelled into loyalty to SLA. Over the course of the
  examinations the Talent Scout must assess whether
  this person will be loyal to the company above all else.
  With these trials passed, the prospective Operative
  faces their worst challenge yet: withdrawal. Just when
  they thought they were to be rescued, their bodies
  start to crave the drugs again. The Drug Clinics of SLA
  are home to some of the best medical personnel
  money can buy, and are structured to ensure that the
  addict has the most difficult drying-out period imagi-
  nable. The addict is locked in his (or her) padded cell
  when the withdrawal begins. He is given no sympa-
  thy or support, and the only living contact he will
  receive is twice per day when food and water is silent-
  ly slipped through a hatch in the door. The SLA doc-
  tors have had plenty of experience in this business
  and know when the cravings and torture is worst. At
  this point and not before, the Talent Scout authorises
  the next phase of the indoctrination. A SLA employee
  takes a vial of the purest SLAdrug (usually Rush) to
  the addict, who is likely to be in agony and extremely
  violent. Armoured guards always accompany the
  medical employee at this point armed with Jolt Gloves
  and Pacifier Batons. If the potential Operative can
  calm himself long enough to listen to reason, he is
  allowed to take the vial and inject himself with the
  drug. Even though this is not what his body craves,
  the boost supplied by Rush helps to ease the pain.
  Over the next few weeks the addict is supplied with
  Rush at regular intervals. He is taught how to control
  and regulate his habit, to stretch out the period
  between injections so they are not wasted needlessly.
  Eventually the addict will be able to regulate their
  habit and will be given free access to order Rush when
  they feel they require it. Of course this privilege is
  monitored and can be removed instantly. They are
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  27
  
  almost ready for Operative training. In the last two
  weeks before training, the applicants (no longer drug-
  slaves) have their vials of Rush replaced with Ultra-
  Violence. They are given only minor doses, not
  enough to be addictive at this stage, but enough for
  them to know they want the sensations the drug
  induces in them.
  Finally they are shipped off to University, either
  Meny or Orange Crush, depending on their chosen
  professions. Combat drugs are extremely difficult to
  get at the Universities (SLA works hard to keep it that
  way), but other stimulants are available. Again the
  student Operative is likely to trade one addiction for
  another. Many Frothers escape their addictions over
  the twelve months of training. If their grades are
  acceptable (and they usually are) they will finally
  reach graduation.
  Upon graduation, the new Frother Operative finds a
  graduation present provided by SLA; a drug injector
  and one vial of Rush and one of UV. Whether they feel
  they can handle it or not, most newly-graduated
  Operatives feel secure in experiencing once more the
  sensations the drugs provide. Usually this one free
  taste is enough to begin the Operative again on a cycle
  of regular drug usage, and SLA has successfully pro-
  duced another Frother Operative, ready to be released
  into the World of Progress.
  C l a n  F r o t h e r s .
  There are basically two types of Clan Frothers: those
  Street Frothers who gather to form loose affiliations of
  friends with which to drink, do drugs and otherwise
  go crazy; and those people who are born from Frother
  parents into one of the Old Clans. The original Frother
  Clans date back in origin to the earliest days of SLA
  Industries. Before the success of biogenetics and
  Stormers, Slayer's Big Picture involved the eugenic
  selection of a smarter, stronger human, better suited
  towards combat and loyalty for SLA. His techniques
  to achieve this included selected breeding and DNA-
  enhancing drugs to induce muscle growth and physi-
  cal fitness. Biogenetics proved to be a success and
  Slayer abandoned his selective breeding experiments,
  but the early trials had been enough to begin a new
  breed of human. These pre-Frothers were indeed
  stronger and tougher than a normal, un-selected
  human, but this increased strength came at a price.
  The drugs used to encourage their growth had made
  them more unstable and much more likely to lose
  themselves into rage. They were still keen users of
  SLA drugs. Slayer saw an opportunity and rather than
  abandon theses Frothers he influenced their con-
  sumption of drugs into new, combat-oriented drugs
  designed to increase the users tenacity in combat, at
  the price of their stability. From this the Clans were
  born. Forming into family units, groups of Frothers
  began to recognise their own, creating their own social
  functions and units.
  These original Clans and the splinter Clans that
  have developed from them since their inception are
  the originators of Clan Frothers today. Unlike Street
  Frothers, the children of Clans know their place in
  society from birth. The Clans have grown in wealth
  and power over the centuries, so young Clan Frothers
  know they have support available should they need it.
  These Clan Frothers also enter life with greater expec-
  tations placed on their actions, training and careers
  than Street Frothers. Of course, the expectations on the
  actions of young Frothers can be considered extreme
  compared to the actions of other youths.
  The Clans themselves have evolved into very differ-
  ent, very individual entities. Some are sedate and
  businesslike (for Frothers) while others are the usual,
  wild party groups. The ones that are generally the
  most successful (in terms of position in SLA and
  Frother society) are those which strive for a balance
  between reserve and outrage. The evolution of influ-
  ence and power of the Frother Clans within SLA soci-
  ety prompted Mr. Slayer to resurrect an ancient prac-
  tice: the award of titles to deserving individuals.
  These titles may or may not come with SCL increases
  (usually not) but they are generally respected by
  Frother society and anyone else who knows anything
  about the Clans.
  The two most common titles bestowed are 'Lord',
  given to the leaders of a Clan after they have proven
  themselves, and 'Sir', a minor title which demon-
  strates SLA Industries faith in the recipient. Titles may
  be awarded directly from Mr. Slayer (rare today) or
  may be recommended by Clan Elders and approved
  by Head Office (more common). Clan Frothers have
  access to the very best training and equipment. Many
  of the Old Clans have major investments in the equip-
  ment manufacturers of SLA. Most of them helped pro-
  vide the collateral that started these companies. Clan
  Frothers tend to find it easier to develop Reputations
  with SLA and the media, their Clan Elders are able to
  pull the right strings. However, increasingly often
  today the media are making idols of Street Frothers,
  who are seen to have a fresh new style, as opposed to
  the same old Clan Frothers. The Old Clans can adopt
  Street Frothers into their Clan, although these individ-
  uals are generally viewed as comprising the bottom of
  the Clan ladder. The frequency of these adoptions
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  28
  
  depends entirely on the Clan itself. Old Clans tend to
  look after their own, so civilian Clan members who do
  not join SLA are some of the best-kept people on Mort.
  Joining SLA is not compulsory for Clan Frothers, but
  by far the majority will join with full Clan encourage-
  ment and support.
  N o n - h u m a n  F r o t h e r s .
  A small but growing number of non-humans are
  beginning to fall victim to the effects of SLA Industries
  combat drugs. This group includes Ebb users and
  Wraith Raiders primarily. Whether this trend will con-
  tinue to produce a new breed of Frother remains to be
  seen., but various groups are exerting pressure to pre-
  vent it. Namely, Necanthrope society are working to
  stop the Ebb users and Shaktar Elders will not allow
  any Shaktars to join these groups. The only people
  opposed to the Wraiths becoming a new breed of
  Frother are the Frothers themselves. Many feel that
  the right to be called a Frother should rest solely with
  humans, and not be allowed with any aliens. Still,
  with the ease of availability of combat drugs and their
  addictive effects, many other races are following the
  evolutionary step that those selected humans took
  centuries ago.
  C l a n  S t r u c t u r e .
  The structure of individual Clans can vary widely.
  Old Clans tend to form hierarchies, where the elder
  Frothers hold the power and influence, while the
  younger members (generally their children) worry
  about things like BPNs. These Clans generally grow in
  influence and power until they resemble SLA
  Departments. These Clans have several sub-depart-
  ments, hospitals training facilities, business interests
  and a large beaurocracy of business Clan members to
  administrate it all. Other Clans, particularly those
  thrown together by Street Frothers to avoid being
  pushed around too often by the Old Clan snobs, tend
  to be party groups, created by common interest and
  the desire to be with others who understand you.
  Sometimes they will organise themselves sufficiently
  that they will actually make a few investments and
  will begin to develop a plan for the future. This does-
  n't occur all to often, but those groups who do organ-
  ise have taken the first steps to evolving into an Old
  Clan.
  C l a n  T r a d i t i o n s  a n d
  E q u i p m e n t .
  There are many preconceptions regarding Frothers.
  The stereotypical Frother is a drug-crazed, tartan-
  wearing, Claymore-wielding berserker. This is the
  popular image cultivated by the media, and a great
  many young Frothers embrace the image thoroughly.
  However, being Frother involves a great deal of indi-
  viduality, so many of these people do not, or refuse to
  conform to the image. With media pressure for
  Frothers to be what the public expect, cultivating your
  own image in a world of conformity and peer pressure
  can be difficult. Despite this, there are many Frothers
  willing to fill the large well of demand by created by
  the public of Mort.
  T a r t a n s .
  Tartans serve two roles for Frothers. First, they iden-
  tify the individual as a Frother (as if the standard
  dreadlocks and wild-eyed look were not enough).
  Second, among Frothers and other people in the
  know, they identify the Clan the Frother belongs to.
  Old Clan Frothers wear their Clan Tartans proudly,
  proclaiming their heritage to the population of Mort.
  In one sense, the Tartan is a form of sponsorship, and
  the viewing audience are learning to identify the
  Tartans of the different Clans. In fact, there is a grow-
  ing trend of civilians wearing mock-ups of popular
  Clan Tartans. Officially the Old Clans do nothing
  about this but frown upon the practice. Unofficially,
  wearing a Clan tartan when not officially a Clan mem-
  ber can earn the wrath of Clan members and the
  offenders life expectancy tends to be dramatically
  reduced if discovered. The right to wear a Clan Tartan
  can be ritually bestowed on a non-Clan member as a
  reward for service to the Clan (similar to a Shaktar
  braid of friendship). These lucky individuals will be
  treated well by the Clans and invited to some great
  private parties.
  A third purpose of the Clan Tartan can be to indicate
  rank for a Clan member. Frothers who have distin-
  guished themselves in the eyes of the Clan (or who
  have been granted a title) will be granted the right to
  alter their Clan Tartan ever so slightly, declaring to the
  observant their position within the Clan. Their fami-
  lies and descendants may also wear the altered Tartan,
  showing their relationship to the famous figure.
  The status of a Tartan amongst Street Frothers varies
  widely. Some Street Frothers seek acceptance and
  covet their tartans when they form a group to wear
  one. Other Street Frothers despise (at least publicly)
  the stuffed-shirts of the Clan Frothers and wear any
  old pattern as their Tartan, sometimes to the point of
  designing a mockery of an established Clans Tartan.
  Even these Frothers will generally wear some kind of
  identifying Tartan, since its important to be recog-
  nised by the public for what you are.
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  29
  
  D r u g s .
  The popular audience image of a dreadlocked,
  Tartan-clad, berserker swinging his Claymore with
  abandon at his enemies while foaming at the mouth in
  response to the chemically-fuelled frenzy is not
  always correct. This image can be true for many
  young Frothers, but not all of them conform to this
  stereotype. The role of drugs in a Frothers life is dif-
  ferent for every individual. As hinted in their recruit-
  ment, Street Frothers tend to have a dependence on
  drugs, but even they do not all conform to the stereo-
  type.
  Clan Frothers have a wide range of drug usage pro-
  files. Whatever their habits they are watched carefully
  by their Elders to try and ensure that any drug usage
  does not end up fatal. Many young Clan Frothers fol-
  low the path to combat drugs, quickly working their
  way up to UV. Most Old Clans maintain drug clinics
  for Clan members, to help dry out those unfortunates
  who become too dependant on this (and other)
  destructive drugs. As they are taught the safe usage of
  drugs from an early age, a growing number of young
  Clan Frothers are choosing to restrict their drug usage
  to less damaging chemicals such as Rush, leaving the
  dangerous (and life-shortening) UV to wilder Street
  Frothers. After all, Clan Frothers have something to
  look forward to in later life: a prominent place in Clan
  hierarchy. Some Frothers choose to avoid the use of
  combat drugs entirely, using the safer medical and
  recreational drugs. Such Frothers tend to be those who
  follow the business, medical or technical disciplines,
  and it is very rare to find a combat-oriented Frother
  who totally resists using combat drugs.
  C l a y m o r e s .
  The Claymore has featured in the history of Frothers
  longer than anyone can remember (if Slayer of
  Intruder remember, they aren't talking). In archive
  files, even the earliest Frothers can be seen swinging
  their great swords at the enemy. With the popularisa-
  tion of powered armour, the traditional Claymore
  became less useful. It's powerful momentum could
  provide large crushing forces, yet the advanced
  ceramics of power armour deflected most of the
  power of the blow through several layers of kinetic
  baffling. Therefore the Power Claymore was intro-
  duced. Identical in weight and balance to the tradi-
  tional Claymore, it incorporated a high-frequency
  oscillating blade to sheer through the layers of power
  armour. This new weapon was adopted with surpris-
  ing eagerness by the Clannish Frothers. Today ancient,
  un-powered Claymores can be found held by the
  highest ranking Clan Elders, but these are used for
  ceremonial purposes only, never for combat. They are
  considered among the most valuable relics a Clan can
  own.
  Power Claymores dating from centuries ago are also
  passed down from parent to child as symbols of Clan
  unity. These have the added advantage that they can
  still be used in combat. Before the mass production of
  Power Claymores each blade was individually created
  from the finest composites, plus manufacturers were
  often experimenting with the blades, resulting in
  these ancient weapons being as sharp now as they
  were when made, in many cases superior to the
  Claymores produced today.
  Regardless of actual age and significance of an indi-
  vidual Claymore, today the weapons are regarded as
  a symbol of honour in Frother society (among Clan
  Frothers, anyway). They wear these large weapons to
  all meetings, but out of respect have them tied to their
  magholds (the best weapons have scabbards) to pre-
  vent ease of drawing the sword. Elders of the Clans
  regularly petition Head Office to allow Frothers to
  take their Claymores into the Pit, but reports from bar
  staff have so far led to al requests being denied.
  F l i c k  S c y t h e s .
  While Flick Scythes are not uniquely Frother
  weapons and are not usually associated with these
  warriors, a large and growing number of young
  Frothers are growing proficient in its use. At least one
  minor Clan has adopted the Scythe as its primary
  weapon, eschewing the use of the Claymore as dated.
  They acknowledge the grace and skill required to
  reach proficiency in the deadly weapon, and duels
  fought between these Frothers armed with Flick
  Scythes are breathtaking to watch. The origin of this
  strange obsession is probably Clan White, who had
  close ties with Intruder and religiously follow his
  teachings since their joining as a Clan. This Clan has
  always avoided using Claymores, and have used
  weapons based on Intruders characteristic gutting
  hook for centuries. This devotion has earned them the
  mistrust and apprehension of the other Old Clans,
  who view them as fanatics.
  C h a i n - a x e .
  The Chain-axe, with its vicious, characteristic sound
  and horrifyingly bloody properties has developed a
  following with Street Frothers who lose themselves to
  the glory of the hard combat drugs. These young
  Frothers have abandoned most of Frother society and
  are intent on going out in a blaze of glory, taking as
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  30
  
  many people as they can with them and causing as
  much blood to be spilled as possible. Some SLA offi-
  cials are worried that if these Frothers join to form a
  Clan they could emulate Halloween Jack in a similar
  manner that Clan White seeks to imitate Intruder.
  They are being watched very closely.
  The following Clans, with the exception of Clan
  MacKraage and Clan Alien, have all been based on
  Frother names and Clans mentioned in the official
  SLA books.
  M a j o r  C l a n s .
  The four major Clans have the most public face of
  the Frothers on Mort. It is they who people think of
  when they think Frother. For the most part, these four
  Clans dominate the Pit and the political clout of
  Frother society. Most of their political energies are
  devoted to bickering amongst themselves, but occa-
  sionally a minor Clan can pose enough of a threat for
  them to take action.
  C l a n  M c G i v e r .
  Leader: Lord Brian Patrick McGiver. The largest
  Frother Clan and the official voice of Frothers (as
  much as they have an official voice). The leader of this
  Clan is grudgingly (by other Clans) acknowledged as
  the leader of all Frothers. This Clan is a mix of both
  business and party. Its outer face is one of excess, its
  inner face demonstrates cunning and true business
  sense. Clan McGiver allow the indoctrination of large
  numbers of Street Frothers, maintaining the great
  numbers and power of the Clan. Relations: Allied:
  None. Good: MacKraage, Morrigon. Neutral: Cullen,
  Derga, McClusky, McCurry. Bad: White, McGillan
  Hostile: Alien.
  C l a n  C u l l e n .
  Leader: Sir Calvin Cullen. The second largest of the
  major Cans and the greatest opponents to Clan
  McGiver for rulership of Frothers. This Clan is very
  similar in appearance to Clan McGiver, but is more
  wary of initiating many Street Frothers, fearing both
  the admission of subversives and the possibility of
  new blood revolting against the Clan Elders.
  Relations: Allied: Derga. Good: MacKraage, McGillan.
  Neutral: White, McCurry. Bad: None. Hostile:
  McClusky, McGiver, Morrigon, Alien.
  C l a n  M o r r i g o n .
  Leader: Annette Mad Annie Morrigon. A party Clan.
  They have few business people and much of their
  wealth comes from the lucky purchase of a large por-
  tion of FEN in its infancy. This Clan is comprised of
  mostly ex-Street Frothers, and practices an open door
  policy following initiation. It appears likely to grow
  larger than Clan Cullen within two years, and may
  take their position of power. Relations: Allied:
  McClusky. Good: McGillan, McCurry. Neutral:
  MacKraage, McGiver, Derga, Bad: White, Cullen,
  Alien. Hostile: None.
  C l a n  D e r g a .
  Leader: Dr. Christopher Derga. The smallest of the
  major Clans, these quiet (for Frothers) Clan maintains
  a distance from most of Frother society. They do not
  accept Street Frothers as members. The only way to be
  a member of Clan Derga is to be born into the posi-
  tion. This Clan conduct detailed and strictly con-
  trolled breeding experiments, trying to produce the
  ultimate human. The Frothers of this Clan are indoc-
  trinated from birth to have absolute loyalty to the
  Clan and to SLA Industries. Therefore the members
  submit without protest to their allotment of scientifi-
  cally determined breeding partners. This is the public
  face. In reality, a small but growing minority of Clan
  Derga Frothers are rebelling against this lack of
  choice. So far the Clan Elders have been able to sup-
  press these rebels, but who knows for how long?
  Slayer is watching this Clan with interest but so far
  has done nothing to stop their unusual obsession.
  Clan Derga derive most of their financial wealth from
  large holdings of stock in Karma. Relations: Allied:
  None. Good: MacKraage. Neutral: McGiver, Cullen,
  Morrigon. Bad: White, McClusky, McGillan, McCurry
  Hostile: Alien.
  M i n o r  C l a n s .
  The minor Clans are not widely known outside
  Frother society. They all have their own plans and
  desires, and wish to attain the numbers and clout to
  replace one of the major Clans.
  C l a n  M a c K r a a g e .
  Leader: Sir Angus Dougal MacKraage. Secretive,
  quiet, controlled and quickly rising in power. Clan
  MacKraage was disgraced 600 years ago when Cloak
  Division revealed that several Clan Elders were
  DarkNight sympathisers. Imposed economic bans on
  the Clan and prevented them from appearing in SLA
  politics for 600 years. The many financial wizards of
  the Clan worked quickly to hide assets behind front
  organisations. Slayer almost certainly knew of this but
  said nothing. Now the bans have been lifted the old
  holdings are being brought to light and the Clan is
  hungrily seeking its old position as one of the Major
  Clans. Since the disgrace, the restructuring of this
  S L A I N D U S T R I E S
  31
  
  Clan have resulted in it being one of the most intro-
  verted and least Frother-like Clans.
  Relations: Allied: None. Good: Derga, Morrigon,
  McCurry. Neutral: White, McClusky, McGillan. Bad:
  McGiver, Cullen, Alien. Hostile: None.
  C l a n  M c C l u s k y .
  Leader: William Billy McClusky. A party Clan made
  up of Street Frothers. Entry is open to any and all, pro-
  vided they complete the initiation. This varies from
  group to group but is always dangerous, impulsive
  and childish. The initiation is decided by whatever the
  initiated Frothers can imagine and is always complet-
  ed with a huge party involving alcohol, drugs and
  anything else the Clan can think of. Relations: Allied:
  Morrigon. Good: McGillan, McCurry. Neutral:
  MacKraage, Derga. Bad: White, Cullen, Alien. Hostile:
  McGiver.
  C l a n  M c G i l l a n .
  Leader: Dr. Nicola McGillan. On the surface
  obsessed with partying and fun, Clan McGillan is
  actually more organised and sensible than many
  think. Originally an Old Clan, the majority of mem-
  bers today are Street Frothers and converts from other
  Clans. Clan McGillan own many drug rehabilitation
  clinics and hospitals, as well as an army of medical
  and psychological staff to help Frothers break addic-
  tions and develop safe drug-usage plans. Clan
  McGillan have rescued many from drug-fuelled death
  and are renowned for never refusing to aid someone
  who asks for it. They simply ask in return that those
  they help join their Clan. The rehabilitation, indoctri-
  nation and brain-washing techniques employed by
  the Clan have ensured that in their long history, they
  have never (publicly) had a traitor or subversive in
  their ranks. Relations: Allied: None. Good: None.
  Neutral: All. Bad: None. Hostile: None.
  C l a n  W h i t e .
  Leader: Reverand Lana White. Mistrusted by most
  other Clans for their almost worship of Intruder. This
  Clan is the most prominent user of Flick Scythes as
  Operative weapons and has a religious-like hierarchy
  and private lifestyle. Members are indoctrinated
  through age and experience into progressively small-
  er circles, learning more of the Clans history and
  knowledge. This Clan has economic ties to Dark
  Lament and as many as 10% of their brethren claim
  Ebon blood somewhere in their past. Relations: Allied:
  None. Good: Derga, Cullen, McGillan, Alien. Neutral:
  MacKraage, McGiver, McCurry. Bad: Morrigon,
  McClusky. Hostile: None.
  C l a n  M c C u r r y .
  Leader: Judy Boss-woman Smith McCurry. A newly
  developed Clan, this loose collection of Street Frothers
  number less than 1,000 members. So far their assets
  are few, and there has been talk of them deserting to
  join one of the other Clans, such as Clan McClusky.
  The future of this Clan should be interesting to watch,
  with no-one quite sure what to do with the Clan if
  they fail or succeed. Relations: Allied: McClusky.
  Good: Morrigon, McGillan. Neutral: MacKraage. Bad:
  White, McGiver, Cullen, Alien. Hostile: Derga.
  C l a n  A l i e n .
  Leader: Snch Knch Another newly-developed Clan,
  membership is open only to those non-humans who
  have embraced a drug-fuelled lifestyle and become
  pseudo-Frothers. Many factions both in and outside
  Frother society are against this Clan and it is almost
  certain they will fail. If they do manage to survive
  through tenacity and perseverance, it will be a major
  shake-up of what it means to be a Frother. Relations:
  Allied: None. Good: White. Neutral: None. Bad: All
  but White. Hostile: None.
  N e w  S k i l l s ,  A d v a n t a g e s
  a n d  D i s a d v a n t a g e s .
  S k i l l s .
  Clan Info:- Gives the Frother (or outsider) informa-
  tion about the various Clans, their organisation, hier-
  archies and interests. Especially important for inter-
  Clan discussions.
  A d v /  D i s a d v .
  Heirloom Weapon:- A hand-to-hand (never firearm)
  weapon developed by superior technology and
  passed from parent to child. Each Rank in this advan-
  tage allows the character to add 1 point to either Dam,
  Pen or AD of their chosen weapon (usually a
  Claymore, although Flick Scythes and Daggers are
  possible. GM has the final ruling). The higher the
  Rank of this advantage, the more likely it is that other
  Frothers will recognise legendary weapons and either
  awe or resent the character, or try to steal it. 3 points
  per level.
  Heirloom Armour:- A suit of power armour based
  on Conflict War technology and passed from parent to
  child. Each Rank of this advantage allows the charac-
  ter to purchase up to 1,000 credits of armour. This
  armour is old, however and 2 points must be deduct-
  ed from PV and 1D10 from each ID location. This can
  be repaired at normal prices. The same problems with
  recognition can occur as with Heirloom Weapon, but
  its more difficult to steal armour while someone is
  wearing it. 3 points per level.
  H O W L I N G F U R Y
  32
  
  * - DISCLAIMER - *
  We were going to put a whole heap of blurb here about how
  SLA Industries is only a game,. and that all the stuff contained
  herein is meant in a games context only,. and that the authors
  and publishers in no way endorse.. or wish to encourage the use
  of either drugs or violence in 'real life'.
  But then we thought; Bollox.
  If you need to be told this; youre playing the wrong kind of 
  games and shouldn't be reading this anyhoo.
  If you're a casual reader, perusing the booklet out of mild curiosity it may be
  worthwhile mentioning that not all RPG's are like this. and that some are very
  nice and sedate.
  SLA Industries is about facing up to personal horror. For us. it's
  about the struggle for humanity in a brutalised society. Frothers
  give us another way to look at and embrace this struggle.
  If you play SLA but think Frothers are a bit too 'hectic' for you,
  or that the constant exposure to drugs and violence is not for 
  you; think again. Dont walk away,, take up the challenge to play
  a Frother. Make them more than colourful Scott's in kilts with
  big swords; give them some depth. 
  At this point it may be worth mentioning that we mean no slight
  on the Scottish nation or character.... And fully recognise that 
  Frothers are based on the traditional Clan warrior from Scottish
  history and folk lore.... If you want Frothers in your WoP to stick
  to this more 'traditional' background and inspiration, 
  good for you - go for it.
  So. The message is; Frothers are cool. And for Frothers, drugs
  are cool and so is the applied use of violence. If you're not a
  Frother; you should not adopt this approach to life. 
  
  Ò d o n t  f u c k  w i t h  m e  Ô c a u s e  I  d o n Õ t  l o o k  l i k e  y o u ,
  w e  c a n  b e  b r o t h e r s  a n d  w e a r  o u t  d i f f e r e n t  c o l o u r s  t o o .
  D o n Õ t  f u c k  w i t h  m e ,  a n d  I  w o n Õ t  f u c k  w i t h  y o u . Ó
  S k i d ,  S C L
  7 c ,  L o v e / H a t e ,  M o r t  9 0 3  S D .
  
SOURCE: textdata/thevault/SLA Industries (SWADE)/BPNS/Frother.pdf