Vilkha MLRS

Neutral (?) reminder that my question was about what details your “Mossad” account on X was providing. You appear to have pivoted to the Russian MoD as a source, which to put it kindly, has not had the best record for truth and accuracy in this conflict.

If a Vikha was indeed used, the bomblet carriage should have survived and would be a very difficult to deny piece of evidence. I haven’t seen anything yet to confirm one was recovered though.

Using cluster munitions on an essentially civilian target would be a serious change in tactics for Ukraine, and give Russia’s allies in the US Congress a clear reason to drop support. That doesn’t mean they couldn’t have screwed up their targeting, or had a missile intercepted though, so I’d love to see any actual evidence.

Did they confirm what system was used? According to sources like Malcontent, Ukraine doesn’t have anything in inventory that was close enough to hit in an east west trajectory with that kind of damage?

Apologies for the delay in replying - I’m recovering from an illness that prevented me from sleeping for a week.

Eclipse Phase is indeed the happy fun game of Transhuman survival and horror. The name comes from the virology concept of the Eclipse Phase of an infection where a cell has been infected but hasn’t started producing copies of the virus yet.

It’s that ambiguity that is one of the themes of the setting, and there’s a lot of setting. the background is so deep that no matter what crazy choices my players make I can bring in something bigger and crazier.

The one example I can think of that I can share publicly is from a situation where my group had gotten themselves into an unnecessary fight and one of them managed to defend themselves poorly enough to get captured.

The antagonists were Jovians, which in Eclipse Phase are an amalgamation of conservative Catholicism, an average Fox viewer and the remainder of North and South American military forces post-apocalypse.

The Jovians are **not ** fans of fun transhuman technologies like mind uploading, body swapping, and uplifted creatures. The group faced an uphill battle to retrieve their friend and had to call in favors with a shadowy and sinister group to get aboard the Jovian habitat.

The rescue party wakes up in the bodies of paramilitary thugs and set off to rescue their friend. So far, so good. Oh, but wait - the people whose bodies they’ve snatched are getting tasked to commit a hate crime at a government contractor using enslaved uplifted Octopi.

If they don’t blow up the innocents, they’ll be exposed. If they do blow them up, they’re kill a dozen innocent people - people without brain backups.

The players really engaged with the moral dilemma, so I threw them a bone by having one of the Octopi be an Anarchist/Mercurial infiltrator. They explained to the group that they’d be doing them a real solid if they subdued the human overseers and swapped their minds out for the Octopi before blowing the place up.

All’s well that ends with the right people murdered, I guess. The actually ended up getting a decent rep boost in Anarchist circles out of the deal.

The authors have made the books available for free download under CC at: https://robboyle.info/#eclipse-phase-pdfs

There’s also a good resource page that includes conversions for other systems at: https://eclipsephase.com/ep1-resources/

TFW you realize why Eclipse Phase is called Eclipse Phase.

And yes, the players still ignore the warnings….

I mean, in Eclipse Phase death is just the beginning of the party getting sidetracked.

Cool, you just took 12 damage past actual death. Good thing the stack protecting your mind is made of sterner stuff, I sure the rest of the party will… run away? Oh. Oh wow.

Ok. So you wake up lying on a table in a nondescript, decently lit, windowless meeting room. A voice is coming from a speaker mounted on the wall asking you to answer some questions. You feel oddly compelled to answer even though you have no idea who it is.

Other than that you feel fine, Your body seems intact, You know your name, remember the battle - though for some reason you’re missing a color? Like you can see the carpet, you know what color it is, but you can’t express to yourself what color it is? I mean you know the three basic colors that make up every thing else are Red, Blue and C̵͇͍̥̉̍͑̂͂́̔̓̆͊̎͒̉́̾̅͌̈́̽́̍̈́͊̈́̓̆́̄̒̈̕͘͝͠͝ŕ̷̡̛̼͉̟̞̥̤̬̦̪̥̭̤͎̫͕͖̪̻̂̉͑̈́͗̈͌͗̀̊͆́͆̀̄́̂̇̉̊͑͌́͂̎͛̿͐́͊̈́̀͌̚̕͠a̸̧̜̯̤͇̼̙͖͍̭̘̜̫͖̟̔̂̎̀͆́̈́̃̐̽̀͛̍͘͘̕͜͠c̷̰̱͇͊̇͊k̶̛̛̛̛͍̙͗͆̐͌͛̒͒͐̈͌̊̈́̂̐̃͌̎̋̐̿̔̓̈͑̆̀́̓̆̕̕͜ę̷̛̛̫̯̗̖͇̻͍̘̺̰̖̙̱̽̇̀̔̅̊̓̾̓͐͌̕͝d̷̡̡̢̡̛͙̥͉̼͎̳͎̩̭̠͕͇̭͉̭͈̫̻̮̹̻͉͈̭̞̻̟͙̤̳̥̂̔̽͒̔̓͆͒͗̂̕͝ͅͅ ̸̧̨̪̗͉̺̫̜̹̮̣̙̗̙̳̣͇͖̪̝̫̪̺̼̙̮̦̳̮̮̳͉̬̜͒̿̽́̎̃͆̒͌̂̇̈́͛̐̌͌̓̋̔̽͑̍͐̀̏̐̊̉́̀̑̚̕̚͘̚͘͜͝͠͠ḃ̶̨̡̨̡̨͈̖͕̬̺̯̺̤̘̭͕̜͚̙̼̺̬̟̺͓͉̖̬̮̦̭̘̯̦͔̻̣̖̗̫̹̭̳͋̎̔̓̈́͆̌̃̂́̃͐̾̌͑̂̾̕̚͘͜͜͝ͅͅy̵̢̧̨̢̟̬̫͚͙̹̥̲͕̻̲̮̺̯̦͎̘̼̙̗̩͕̠͖̗̘͍̩̣͎͖̫͎̋̇̓̊̆̅͒͆̈́͐̏̅̓̚ ̸̢͉̞͖̘̤͕͙͙͊̅́̿͗̓̐́̊̈͐̆́̀͋͋̈́͒̈̏́̇̇̂̍̑̔́̚͘͝͠ṭ̵̨̨̢͔̺̟̙̦̥̤͍̻̆̿̄͂͋̆͋̋̋̓̾͐̿͜͠ḩ̴̨̡̢̭̪̘̳͔̤̤̞͉̖̘̼̫̝̬̻̣̣̞̖̘̜̤͇̩̺̠̭̓̉̊͋̕͜͜e̴̡̧̢̢̨̧̹̼̝̳̰̪͍̺͔̮͍̪̣͕̼̖̪̳͓̹͈̞͓͕̪̘̬̼̮̍̈́͜͠ͅ ̷̢̡̨͖̲͇̮̙͔̳̹̼̭̫̹̗̩̠̪̗̹͖̖̬̦̝̜̲̺̖̫̌͊͛̿̐̄̇͋̂͐͆̇͛͑̓̌͆́̈́̇͊̐̐͒̇̚̕̕͜͝͝͝͝ͅͅͅm̵̨̺̙̮̣̘̖͖̙̲͉̦͇̜̘͓̘̲̜͉̦͕̞̯͉̣̟̦̦̳͂̋̽̌̽͗̀̊̈̈́̽͑̐̓̃̌̈́̈͛͆̈̚̚̚͜͜͝͝͝͠͝͠ͅͅè̸̢̢̨̛̩̝̯̥̮̪͍͇͔͇̫̱͓̣͓̺̱̥̤̰͔̟̪͙͚̱̖̮͖̯̺͙͚̮̞̩̠̝̰̦͙̟̄̾̂̀̆̋̽̆̓̀̉̇̆̏̓̂͊̊́̏͗̆̇̈́̅̎́̔̇̈́̕͘̕͜͜͝͠m̴̧̡̨̨̢̳͈̥̺̱͚͙͓̹͈̩̻͍͔͙͙̳̯̹̺̠̺̰̏̔͆̾̈́͑̍̉͒̃̂̇̀̂̾͒͐̍̈́͌̀̿̎̓͗̐̿̔̒̈́̇̎̈͘̕̕͘͘͘̚͘͠͠͝͠ȩ̸̧̨̮̬̜̠̤̳̬̟̤̰͓͕̥͉̺̲̙̱͍̭̙̳̲̬̻̻̹̹̤̄̎͆̏͌̐̊͑̃ͅ ̶̠̲̙̥̌̿̒̍͂͘ͅs̷̢̢͕̞̹̮̰͕̣͕̪̜̉̔̓̒̾̐̅͗̑̈̓͆͋͆̆́̔̽͆͑̒̀͑͒̾͘̕̕͜͝ͅͅẗ̴̙̮̭̬́͒̎̎̽̕ȩ̸̛͖͖͚̜̫̘̳̥͑̈́̊͊̌̇̍̏̈́͊̀̅̿̈́̾̌̀̽̃̆̔̋a̵̢̨̢̱͕̘̼̜̙͎̮͎̙̟̰̮̮̺̻͚̻͍̥͍͔̣̠̲̱̘͔̹͆́̀̀̿ͅͅl̵̨̡̢̨̡̛̞̻̪͖̞̠̲̬̝͖̖̼̞͎̝̹̳͚̘̭̠̻͕̙̗̞̝̹̜͔̽̔̓͒̿͂͌́̔͊̏̈́͆̇̂͂̀̂͋̂̋͋̉̓̕̚͜͝͝ę̸̧̧̢̨̡͔̻͉͎̬̠͕̤̥̳͉͙͍͈̯̯͎̪͈̲͔̭̪̝̣̭̰̰̜͇̤̠̙̤͍̖̙͒̓ͅͅr̸̛̤͎͐̓͊͆̈́͐̽͌̇́̎̑̓̏̽͌̈̉͌̄̂̆̚̕͘!̴̡̧͍̼̬̙̫̫̭͓͓̖̮̭̠͉̠̱̫̪̫̼̪͉͎̳͖̘̩̭͇̩̣͔̣̦̩̰̗̬͉̰͙̯̎̄̔̐̓̉͛̈́̍̀̿͒̀̒͊͂̈́͆̅̑̓̆͑͗̉͐̑͗̆̉̉̍͆̏̂̕̚͜͜͜͝ ̸̧̢̧̢̛̻̪̰͇̱̬̙̖̹̬̝͍̩͔͔̝͚͖͚̌̎̿́͋̓̉̍̽͂̓͝ͅB̴̧̫̮̻̱͓͓̰̟̼͈͈̈͆̑̓̀̊̐͐̍͛̾̍̈́̔̂́̔̈̑̀̄͒̏̋̈́̍̑̆̐̄̀̈͛͂̋̿̒̕͜͝ų̴̡͚̙̰͉̥͕̩̘̻͚̻̫̲̜͇͕͚̘̙̰̼̣̰̜̈́̆͒̏̆̊̈́͂̀̎͑̅̍̏͆͘͜͠ͅy̴̧̨̩̜̬̤̯̖̬͉̦̥̙̟̦̣̣͇̯̬̤̞̰͖̺͔̻͙̟̯̟̣̗͙͕̒̋͒͆̿͛͊̓̐̆͜͜͝͝͠ͅͅ ̵̨̢̨̢̧̛̛͍̻͚̞͙̦̥̺̙̙̠̝̲͉̱̜͔̦̲̱͈̲̟̬̰͍̣̮̳͈͓̩̪̻͌͗͒͐͆̒̎̀͐̋̑͂̓͋͑̈͋͛́̇͋̓̈́̏̏̌́́́͘͘̕̚͜͝͝͝͠ͅͅà̶̢̳̺̤͚̘̫̦̜̠͈̣̭̝̺͉̻͈̟͔͚̪͔̮̺̈́͛͌̑̍̉͐͌͛̿̓͌̾̃̾͒̓̈́̑̀̓̔͗̈́͆͒̚̚̚͜͠ŗ̵̗̩̺̩̳̝̪̊̔́͑̏̔̉͌͛̄͐͌̀̀́͌͊̽̈́̅̉͘̕͠g̷̨̧̧̢̪̯͓̪̭͈̗̪̪̹̹̣͓͚͙̳͙̝̯̹̥̩͓͔̳̘̳̮͎̥̘̺͕̪̹̞̥͓͔̯̞͖̰͂ͅo̶̡̻̝̘̝̣͍̳̘̹̬̘̜̤͈͕̿͒͛͌̋̀̀̑̎͑͛͂̿͌̃̊̃̑̿̎̂͗͗͌͌͐̂̈́͊̑̔̈̔̎́̎͘̕͝c̵̨̧̢̢̨̡̥͎̰͙̭̞̤͔̫͍͓̬̞͖͚͔̯̱͕̦̝̲̫͉̳̙̝͜͜͜͝ͅo̵̧̢̡̨̖̟̫̫͍̭͔̻͈̰̙͓̘̙͇̣̟̥̘̼̠͔̬͖̔̍̑͜͠ͅḯ̵̡̧̧̨̛̛̛̖̣̝̝̝̠͓̬̥̫̬̯͎͕̣͍̜̮̝̦̂̋̉̈́̅̏̅͆̀̈́̌́́̒̏̎̊̌̀̂̉͑͆̾̾͋̐̋̀͒̓̅͂́̈́̕̕̚͘ͅn̸̢̮̫̤͎̟̳̘͚͎̞͖̟̫͓̠̳̫̜͓̆͑͊̌͐̉̓̂͑̓͑̌̓̃̓̆͊̄͘͘̚͘͘̚͘͝͠!̵̨̡̡̤̲̘̲̯͓̪͔͓̖̥͍̜͉̬̫̫̹͈̠͇͚̤̰̥̈́̂͌̿͌̄͝ but - wait - that’s it. that’s the one you’re missing.

The voice coming out of the speaker is getting more insistent.

Given that it’s set 50 years later than the TTRPG, it’s faithful enough to the source to not be glaringly different. It also neatly sidesteps the issues around the mismatch between the RPG’s vision of the 2020’s and what we actually got. I mean the original RPG had a camera implant that recorded to video cassette…