5too

Conservatives here have picked unborn children as a group they can ostentatiously "protect". It's a particularly useful group for them, as the unborn have no ability to declare, "If you want to help us, SUPPORT OUR MOTHERS!"

So, conservatives get to feel righteous, while their leaders manipulate them with this crusade to further their own ends.

They're not, but a lot of their positions are justified by other things that sit right next to what Hazdaz listed.

I agree - player agency is important. If you do have them play through it; then even if the vision didn't happen or hasn't happened yet, let them get something from it - learn something they shouldn't, try things they couldn't (particularly if they realize it's a vision), etc. Heck, if they're enterprising enough, it might become a counter espionage opportunity! (Especially after the first time).

Oh! I went looking for more videos like this (my kids love this sort of thing), and I'm pretty sure the source was the first hit: https://www.usgs.gov/media/videos/lava-sampling-active-lava-flow

This was exactly where my mind went! I'm still trying to remember which novel it was.

Leaving aside for the moment the free speech issues inherent here... if you want to control what someone does with a book after you sell it? You can't sell it. Lend it, rent it, whatever; but if it's sold, you've given up all right to determine what happens with it.

Don't want to invest in the infrastructure to do that? Then is it really that important to you?

You mentioned GURPS; did you just look at the default, spells-as-skills system? GURPS has four different magic systems that I can think of, most with better balance than the default. Ritual Path Magic is the one I see recommended most often.

Thanks, hadn't thought to ask there! I'm not really asking what the RAW is though; GURPS: Magic has enough issues that a GM kinda has to make their own tweaks and judgement calls. I'm just curious what my fellow GMs think of someone trying to do this!

Personally, I feel like if someone wants to spend that much energy and time in a fight on a one-shot, dodgeable attack against a single target... by all means! Heck, I'll let them apply the discount every turn, pack 3 more energy into the overkill if they want!

I'm afraid I haven't actually run any- I mine them for ideas, but I've got a long term game I host, so I haven't had the chance yet!

The Star Trek one was how I found the site; Bombshell of Tomorrow is one of the few superhero one-shots I've found that has potential...

If they want to play that game - the calendar date becomes part of the password. It's never the same, but you can always work it out!

Exactly this. I want to normalize showing the password requirements when you don't immediately get the password - if you made me jump through hoops the first time, at least remind me what they were!

You should have a look at https://1shotadventures.com/ ! They have a variety of free one-shot stand-alone adventures for all kinds of genres, with pregenerated characters for each. It's all 4th edition, but the conversion between versions shouldn't be bad (and like GoldSeal said, 4Ed Lite is free!)