From: Del Webb Subject: A new pocket dimension (humor) Date: Fri Jun 10 02:42:49 EST 1994 With this pocket dimension contest and all, I'm surprised that none of you detailed the pocket cosm that exists right here, in the real world. I'm referring, of course, to that bizarre version of reality known as... HOLLYWOOD Hollywood is a pocket dimension located in Southern California. The pocket has existed for many years now, and is well known around the world. The bizarre denizens of this dimension (known as 'starlets') interact with Core Earthers daily, their sole purpose to provide entertainment. AXIOMS Tech 24: Special effects technology has pushed the tech axiom of this dimension above the Core Earth level. The dimension is also highly advanced in medicine, especially cosmetic surgery. However, their advancement is limited in other areas. Most of the denizens have a minimal grasp of basic scientific, economic, and/or practical concepts, perhaps due to the effects of the Law of Vapid Good Looks (see below). Social 19: The social axiom is slightly lower than that of Core Earth. Hollywood is organized into a strict caste hierarchy, with beings known as "producers" at the top. Producers can be independent, or may band together. Below producers are "directors", mid-level authority figures who interact with the common starlet. After directors come "big-name stars", who are the starlets who most commonly benefit from the Law of Temporary Heroism (below). Next come "supporting actors/actresses", and then the lowest caste, which is actually referred to as simply "cast". There is another group of beings who live in Hollywood, who are outside of the caste system. These are referred to as "crew", and are not recognized by the other starlets of Hollywood except during a special annual ceremony held in honor of the god Oscar (see Spiritual Axiom, below). Being out of the caste system means that crew are often not subject to the world laws of Hollywood, including the Law of Vapid Good Looks and the Law of Artificiality. Note that the caste system is not entirely rigid; sometimes big-name stars will work their way up to being in the director or producer caste, or a former supporting actress will become a big-name star (usually through the divine favor of the Big Break; see Spiritual below). Spiritual 4: Hollywood has little spirituality to it. There are a few dieties, but they do not grant miracles, nor do they have an organized clergy. Hollywood has a polytheistic arrangement in which any starlet may pay tribute to one or more of these dieties at any one time. The most well-known of these dieties is called Oscar. Revered by starlets from the highest producer to the lowest crew, Oscar is best known for his annual ceremony in which certain starlets from all levels of society are gifted with golden idols which bear Oscar's image. Other dieties, such as Tony and Emmy, hold a similar ceremony, but Oscar reigns supreme. The other powers of Hollywood are actually philosophies and concepts. One will often hear starlets speaking in respectful tones about the Silver Screen, the Big Break, the twin gods Gross and Net, and a favorite among the big-name star caste, Sequel. Magic 24: Hollywood reeks of magical energy. It is well known that Hollywood is where the magic happens. It is the place where wishes come true. Yet none of the denizens of Hollywood can actually consciously tap this enormous amount of magical energy. There are several people who are able to tap into Divination Magic (known as astrologers and fortunetellers, they can be identified by the honorific "Madame" placed before their first name). Scholars have theorized (Core Earth scholars, of course. Hollywood cannot support this level of thought due to the Law of Vapid Good Looks) that the gods of Hollywood dislike the use of magical energy, as punish those who do. It is well known that a particularly famous director named Steven Spielburg used alteration magic in his films in order to induce the maximum possible emotional effect in the viewers. Despite the enormous popularity of many of his works, the god Oscar denied him recognition for many years. World Laws Law of Artificiality: Nothing in Hollywood is organically based. Clothing is synthesized, food is mass-produced, and plants are made of a highly-advanced plastic (a primitive form of this plastic, known as Astroturf, is found in many sports stadiums). Even the denizens of Hollywood thenselves are not real. Starlets seem to be comprised entirely of a substance called silicone. The Law of Artificiality also extends to mental structures. No emotions are actually felt here; the appropriate responses to a stimuli are memorized and recited. Responses to situations, both common and unusual, are also preset. These responses are programmed into starlets during training sessions called "rehearsals". This has benefits and disadvantages. Starlets have an automatic +3 to any non-combat interaction they attempt, because they have all of the best taunts, tricks, and intimidations memorized. However, they receive a -3 penalty if they are the target of a non-combat interaction which does not involve a cliched phrase, since their minds cannot handle the fact that the interaction was "not in the script". Starlets who purchase the skill Artist (Ad Lib) can negate this penalty with a successful skill check against the relevant skill value of the opponent. Law of Vapid Good Looks: Everyone in Hollywood (with the possible exception of the crew; see above) looks good. The males are tall and muscular, the females curvaceous. Hairstyles are always perfect, and nobody ever sees a tanline. But the down side is that everyone in Hollywood is dumb as a post. In game terms, a starlet must purchase either two three-point enhancement packages which can only be applied to Charisma. The starlet must then take a limit of 7 on their Mind value; they cannot pay an adventure cost for the package. If desired, a starlet may buy a third Charisma package, but must then limit their Mind to 4 or less and must have blond hair. Note that there is no upper attribute limit on Charisma in Hollywood (all other attributes have limits of 13). Law of Temporary Heroism: All beings in Hollywood are Ords. There are, however, occasions when certain starlets can perform amazing feats of daring and bravery, but only when it is being recorded. Starlets who belong to the big-name star or the supporting actor/actress caste receive the benefits of this world law. Any time a big-name star or supporting actor/actress has an active camera pointed at them (this must be a camcorder or movie camera, not still-photo), that starlet will become _temporarily_ possibility-rated. The starlet will gain the reality skill as well as the appropriate increases to attributes and skills until one of two things happens: 1. The camera stops working for any reason. 2. Someone from the director caste yells "Cut!" Big-name stars receive an additional benefit. When a big-name star becomes possibility-rated, they will start with twice as many possibilities as a supporting actor or actress, and can spend two possibilities on one action (this is identical to the Law of Action in the Nile Empire). New Skills Artist (Ad Lib): The starlet is skilled in coming up with unmemorized responses. Successful use of this skill negates the penalty imposed by the Law of Artificiality. However, since it is a Mind skill, the Law of Vapid Good Looks ensures that this will almost never happen. Photo Ops: This Dex-based skill allows a starlet to position themselves in such a way as to gain maximum exposure whenver a photograph is taken. The starlet may also use this skill to expose nearby people in a similar manner. If bystanders are unwilling to have their picture taken, the starlet can generate a Photo Ops skill total against the bystander's Maneuver or Dexterity value. If successful, the starlet will manage to get the resistant character in a clear shot, usually with the starlet's arm aroung their shoulder in a friendly sort of way. More than one Nippon agent has been uncovered this way. Contract Negotiation: This Perception skill allows a starlet to gain the maximum possible value from a contract. Contracts are usually signed between producers and lower caste members. Use the rules for haggling when negotiating a contract, substituting the starlet's Contract Negotiation skill for Persuasion. Contracts often contain many religious references, as the producers and big-name stars negotiate over who gets what percentage of the bounty of Gross and Net, or as directors try to convince producers to invoke the power of Sequel. Medicine (Cosmetic): This Mind skill allows a doctor to alter the appearance of any starlet in order to make them more attractive. Facial features can be altered, fat cells removed, or unsightly hairs ripped out. Successful use of the Medicine (Cosmetic) skill allows a being to increase their Charisma by one. This benefit can only be received once. Note that this skill cannot be used to treat injuries or heal wounds. Astrology/Fortunetelling: Allows the user to predict the future by reading the stars, interpreting Tarot cards, gazing into a crystal ball, contacting the spirits, etc. Substitute the skill value for a Divination/(arcane knowledge) skill value. The arcane knowledge used depends on what type of information is desired and its source. Select an appropriate spell from Pixaud's, but lower the difficulty and backlash by four each (to reflect the higher magic axiom). Example: A supporting actress goes to see Madame Wanda. Madame Wanda decides to contact the spirits. She generates an Astrology/Fortunetelling total of 19. She may now gain information as if she cast a divination spell with a difficulty of 23 or less. In this instance, she would probably choose divination/entity or possibly divination/death. If later Madame Wanda decides to use her crystal ball to see the future, she might try to use a divination/time spell. Hope you enjoy! Del Webb