From: Thomas Barclay <Thomas.Barclay@s...>
Date: Sun, 16 Dec 2001 20:46:13 -0500
Subject: Santa - Don't Mess With The Fat Old Dude
Ho Ho Ho, Twas the Night Before Xmas.... To stop Santa: Send the X-files dude and his cute sidekick. Or maybe they'd end up helping Santa. They're kind of ambigous. Of course, many major Toy Companies would send corporate security, since they clearly don't want the Old Commie Punter giving away toys. That eats into corporate profits. Another group against Santa would be puritanical religous zealots who see St. Nick as a bad image. Well equiped with everything except a sense of humor and anything approaching common sense. A group of anti-materialist protestors who'd say that the man in the red fuzzy jams is encouraging aspirations of wealth and greed on the impressionable young folk and that all gifts should be of the immaterial kind. And of course, they themselves would never try to influence the impressionable young folk, no siree bob. On Santa's side: Kick arse elves. These guys can manufacture just about anything. I'm sure the sleigh they built the old man has massive stealth, PDS galore, plenty of decoys, superior ECM, etc. And I'm sure the Elves can field some rather obnoxious troops - probably deployed via fast- suborbital drop. Though finding 3.5' tall PA with curly toed boots might be a challenge..... Reindeer who are alleged to get huge multipliers in charge attacks. The lead reindeers nose is supposed to attract jam guided weapons... "you might even say it glows!". A rather large obnoxious yeti who actually is a nice enough creature when you get right down to it. (If you've ever seen the old animated Xmas special with the Yeti and the Snowman, you'll know who I mean). Probably treated as a class 1 or 2 infantry walker. Just some suggestions. I'd consider giving Santa an ability to use dummy markers, representing his ability to displace himself by wiggling his nose.... you wouldn't know if he'd be there when you fired upon him. Plus I imagine his sled has a pretty high armour value, despite being open topped. Probably has a force field to deflect the wind. (That old boy has to be able to move to hit all the households he has to visit....) And if anyone is chasing Santa, he might have picked up a trick or two watching Ord Sarno pod racing at ECC - lob a couple of chunks of debris off the sled in the general backwards direction - this tends to deter pursuers explosively..... Tomb.