redwulf25ci
2nd Incarnation
The Oncoming Chaos
Posts: 23
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Post by redwulf25ci on Nov 29, 2009 19:31:23 GMT
If I get a chance to run the game I'll be doing companions in search of their missing Timelord.
The game starts with the NPC Timelord and the PC's running from a dangerous enemy, the PC's reaching the TARDIS just in the nick of time. The Timelord is captured but before they can pin his arms down he hits the TARDIS with the sonic screwdriver slamming the doors shut and activating emergency protocol "Six One Nine" which his hologram informs the PC's will, in the event of his capture or failure to regenerate cause the TARDIS to return them to their proper time and place. However the de-materializing TARDIS is hit by a blast from an alien weapon and it dumps them in a random location and time leaving the PC's who barely know how to operate it trying to locate the Timelord they had been traveling with so they can find their way home . . .
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Post by Escher on Nov 30, 2009 14:12:41 GMT
It wouldn't be hard to run a Lovecraftian influenced Dr Who campaign. The number of staggeringly god-like hidden aliens is impressive. In fact, there was a couple of the New Adventures (Virgin book line) that actually crossed the Cthulhu Mythos into the Whoniverse. And Bilis Manger could have literally just walked out of a Lovecraft story with Abaddon in tow...you are right. I think it's easily comparable because Dr Who at it's darkest moments shares H.P. Lovecraft's vision of space: a cold, terrifying alien cosmos with inhuman threats totally beyond our understanding. Lovecraft does not have any consolation of a Protector though and if you think about it, if we remove any force for good and order in the Who universe it's much closer to Lovecraft...and would make for a very dark campaign indeed...
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Eternally Lost Zeppo
3rd Incarnation
The Lonely God
Posts: 246
Favourite Doctors: David Tennant, Matt Smith, Peter Davidson
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Post by Eternally Lost Zeppo on Dec 1, 2009 8:19:05 GMT
If you want a band of Time Lords, you could say that during the Time War a group of Time Lords hid themselves (Human Nature) and they made a pact. The pact said that for X amount of years they would remain in hidden, and on X day at X time they would gather together and open the box. The box contains a fob watch for each individual, with instructions to open them...and so their journey begins. I'm leaning towards a version of this myself, given the scepticism of my potential player group at the university gaming society as to how enjoyable a Doctor Who game would be with only one player as the Timelord if any. My version would be something more along the lines of a group of young Timelords - possibly just fresh from the Academy - bundled off in a TARDIS and sent to a random time/location (turns out to be earth in close to modern day), where they are instructed to use the chameleon arch technology to blend in and hide out until the Time War blows over. Something of a Timelord evacuee program, so to speak. The game begins when this group of Timelords - who have been reunited in their human guises for whatever reasons - end up having to thwart an alien invasion and in the process are awakened. It might also turn out that these are actually the Children of Time mentioned in Journey's End.
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GMSkarka
2nd Incarnation
Not Posting In Any Official Capacity
Posts: 11
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Post by GMSkarka on Dec 1, 2009 20:28:19 GMT
Considering a Torchwood-esque campaign, but featuring a creation from my old FASA WHO days: UNIT C.R.A.S.H. Teams.
The idea is that UNIT has PC-group-sized teams that handle investigation and first responder duties -- they're the ones that determine if it's time to call in the troops, or if the situation can be handled quietly.
They're called Critical Response And Special Handling. C.R.A.S.H.
This allows us to do Torchwood-type adventures on a global scale, free from the baggage associated with Torchwood (defending the British Empire from the Alien threat, etc.).
I was thinking of doing a series of the sort of adventures you'd expect with this type of set-up, and then, for the "season finale", have the team investigate what turns out to be a crash-landed TARDIS, damaged from the Time War. The TARDIS activates, and suddenly the PCs are whisked off into time and space in a machine that they can't really control...
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Post by Null and Void on Dec 1, 2009 20:42:18 GMT
Considering a Torchwood-esque campaign, but featuring a creation from my old FASA WHO days: UNIT C.R.A.S.H. Teams. The idea is that UNIT has PC-group-sized teams that handle investigation and first responder duties -- they're the ones that determine if it's time to call in the troops, or if the situation can be handled quietly. They're called Critical Response And Special Handling. C.R.A.S.H. This allows us to do Torchwood-type adventures on a global scale, free from the baggage associated with Torchwood (defending the British Empire from the Alien threat, etc.). I was thinking of doing a series of the sort of adventures you'd expect with this type of set-up, and then, for the "season finale", have the team investigate what turns out to be a crash-landed TARDIS, damaged from the Time War. The TARDIS activates, and suddenly the PCs are whisked off into time and space in a machine that they can't really control... this reminds me a bit of the BBV spin off series called 'Auton' (I, II, and III). The groups in that were UNIT Containment teams... authorised to assess and contain anything they felt fell into UNIT jurisdiction. They operated with a bit of independance, and also meet some very nasty ends on occassion...
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 4:57:18 GMT
For my gaming lj, I came up with a list of ideas for campaigns. I'll break them into chunks and post them here as well.
The ideas fall into a few categories:
Earth-based [Time Lord-less] games Adventures in Space [if not Time] Other Time Lords Doctors [aside from 9 and up]
My inspirations for these ideas are the 1963-1989 series, the 1996 television film, the 2005-present series, the two theatrical films, and the Torchwood and Sarah Jane Adventures series. I haven’t considered material from the many comics, novels, or audios.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 4:58:28 GMT
UNIT.
The player characters are an elite UNIT response team. They may be based out of Geneva or on the replacement for the Valiant. When an alien spacecraft goes down over Kenya or an ancient Rutan base is reactivated in the Black Forest, they investigate.
It’s a setup that allows for a decent sized playing group. Group members might come and go as they are assigned on other missions due to player availability issues. It allows for investigation, action, and espionage with aliens, terrorists, criminal masterminds, and super scientists. Inspirations include the Pertwee era stories, Torchwood, and Warren Ellis’ run on StormWatch. The militaristic angle may not work for all groups. It also is based primarily on modern Earth.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 4:59:25 GMT
Torchwood. In the modern era, Torchwood Four is missing. The players could be members of that group. Torchwood Four can be lost in time and space. Or still active, but operating deep undercover . Perhaps the strange man who is Torchwood Two feels the need for help and recruits a team to help him. Or, with the loss of Torchwood One, and the events of Children of Earth, a new Torchwood team may be needed. A new Torchwood [One? Four?] is created. The players are members of that group. Pick a city to base them in and let the hijinks ensue.
Torchwood’s history is another source of campaign ideas. Torchwood has been in operation since the Victorian era. We’ve seen only the briefest glimpses of past Torchwood agents and those primarily from Torchwood Three-Cardiff. Other teams in other areas and times are waiting to be used in games. Possibilities include Torchwood in Victorian London, Torchwood India, Torchwood in the Great War, Torchwood in the 1920s, Torchwood in World War 2, and Torchwood Canada.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:00:06 GMT
The Mr. Copper Foundation.
At the end of ‘Voyage of the Damned,’ the earthonomics expert Mr. Copper was left on Earth with a great deal of wealth. In ‘The Stolen Earth,’ Harriet Jones, former Prime Minister, was affiliated with a ‘Mr. Copper Foundation.’ Imagine a group funded by a benevolent alien with deep pockets. A group who finds people who are in the know about what is out there and recruits them to help people.
This allows for something of a rotating cast and does not have the militaristic feel of a Torchwood or UNIT game. Inspirations include the “Blink” episode, the Sarah Jane Adventures series, and Warren Ellis’ Global Frequency.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:00:49 GMT
The Knights of Peladon.
For all you Classic Who fans, Agents of the Galactic Federation solve problems across the universe. Stop wars. Save lives. Adventure. Excitement. Romance. It’s a Who-verse spin on rock and roll space opera. Characters might be human, Ice Warrior/Ice Lord, Draconian, and other New Who and Classic Who races. For a twist, have them in political and sometimes actual conflict with the Shadow Proclamation.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:01:23 GMT
The Shadow Proclamation.
Surely, the Judoon are not the only agents of the Shadow Proclamation. They must have someone with brains working for them, right? Players are agents of the Shadow Proclamation investigating galactic crimes and stopping galactic wars. It’s possible that the Shadow Proclamation has time travel capabilities. If so, the scope of the game increases dramatically.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:02:19 GMT
The Doctor’s daughter.
Unbeknownst to the Doctor, Jenny survived. She stole a spaceship and left to travel the universe, fight monsters, and do an awful lot of running. Her father had Companions. Why shouldn’t she? The player characters are her Companions. If she, like the Doctor, gets her hands on a time machine, they can do an awful lot of running in time and space. A possible downside is that it requires that Jenny be a PC or an NPC.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:03:09 GMT
The Monk.
When the Monk first appeared, he revealed that he’d been inspired by the Doctor to travel time and space and make things better. His methods were a bit dodgy and he lost his way somewhere along the line. He was last seen stranded in time and space by the Doctor. It’s been a long time since he was last encountered. In the wake of the Time War, say he’s had time to reflect and learn the error of his ways. Now, like the Doctor, he’s gathered companions and is using his TARDIS to travel space and time righting wrongs. Given that his TARDIS has twice been sabotaged by the Doctor, it’s entirely possible that his TARDIS has become as eccentric as the Doctor’s TARDIS.
This gives us a Time Lord who isn’t the Doctor. He’s part of the history of the series, but not so overused that players will readily fault his characterization. The GM or PC will be able to flesh him out as desired.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:03:47 GMT
Drax.
A renegade Time Lord and friend of the Doctor. He’s a character with only one appearance so is quite open for GM or PC characterization. Plus, he was fun. Of course, one has to determine how he survived the Last Great Time War.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:04:20 GMT
Romana
When last we saw Romana, she had refused to return to Gallifrey and remained behind in E-Space. In the wake of the Last Great Time War, Romana may have returned from E-Space and found Gallifrey and the Time Lords destroyed. She’s smart and capable. It’s not impossible that she could salvage a TARDIS or cobble together a time machine of some sort. Believing herself the last Time Lady, she gathers companions and travels the universe righting wrongs as she and the Doctor once did.
This gives you another Time Lord [Lady] to use instead of the Doctor. She’s a popular character. But, having not been in the series in years, she’s open to reinterpretation.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:05:08 GMT
The [great-grand] Children of Time
When first we met the Doctor, he was accompanied by his granddaughter, Susan. Susan was eventually left behind on 22nd Century Earth. We don’t actually know if Susan was a Time Lady or human. Perhaps a Time Lady who had used a Chameleon Arch to become human for some reason.
Susan offers a wealth of possibilities. Perhaps time has passed and she’s decided to leave her life on post-Dalek Occupied Earth behind. She cobbles together a time machine of some sort. Perhaps she’s been growing a TARDIS. Now, she’s off to have her own adventures in time and space. Like her grandfather, she’ll attract companions. The players are her companions. One could even play Susan if so desired. Alternately, Susan had fallen for a young man when last we saw her. Perhaps they have married and had children. Now, she has decided to take her children [or even grandchildren] out into the universe and show them their birthright. The players can play her children or grandchildren. One can even play Susan. This creates a group with an interesting dynamic that can provide a lot of role-playing opportunities.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:05:47 GMT
Doctors
Were I running a game using the Doctor, I’d use him as an NPC. I’d also use a Doctor other than Eccleston or Tennant. Two Doctors come to mind who have long periods of undocumented history.
The 7th Doctor.
I liked the 7th Doctor. Sometime between his last regular episode, “Survival” in 1989, and his final appearance in the 1996 television movie, he parted company with Ace. He also upgraded the TARDIS from its small control room to a huge Victorian looking control room, a rather extreme example of updating the desktop theme. He was traveling alone when he died, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have companions other than Ace between the time they parted ways and his death. The players are his companions. The possibilities for adventures and plots are wide open. The Time Lords still exist and the Last Great Time War has yet to occur and this is a Doctor with an agenda. He always seemed to be up to something. How will players deal with his manipulations?
The 8th Doctor
If nothing else, his physical appearance is now canonical. At the end of the television film, he left without a companion. In a game using the 8th Doctor, the players are his companions. Its an era with great possibilities. The Time Lords and Gallifrey still exist. At some point, the TARDIS will change from its Victorian like control room to the one seen in the current series. Presumably, the Last Great War will occur in this period, leading him to regenerate into the 9th Doctor.
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Post by Kit on Dec 3, 2009 5:06:23 GMT
A Very Different Doctor
For something different, run a series based not of the television series, but on the Doctor in the Doctor Who films. Peter Cushing played Doctor Who, an apparently human time traveler who encountered the Daleks. Perhaps he is human. Or, perhaps he is Time Lord after all. The Time Lords had not been introduced in the television series when the films were made. He could be a Time lord whose regenerations will be made by the GM and players and do not have to follow the path of the television series. Likewise the adventures of this Doctor and his companions do not need to follow the television series. The Doctor’s foes can likewise be altered from their television series histories and appearances. Think of it as a reboot or reimagining. It’s a very different approach and one with limitless possibilities.
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Post by Escher on Dec 3, 2009 17:25:16 GMT
The Other Doctor.
That would make for an incredibly challenging and interesting campaign: a half-human mortal Doctor and Rose...the possibilities are staggering.
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Post by Null and Void on Dec 3, 2009 17:34:03 GMT
Doctors Were I running a game using the Doctor, I’d use him as an NPC. I’d also use a Doctor other than Eccleston or Tennant. Two Doctors come to mind who have long periods of undocumented history. The 7th Doctor. I liked the 7th Doctor. Sometime between his last regular episode, “Survival” in 1989, and his final appearance in the 1996 television movie, he parted company with Ace. He also upgraded the TARDIS from its small control room to a huge Victorian looking control room, a rather extreme example of updating the desktop theme. He was traveling alone when he died, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t have companions other than Ace between the time they parted ways and his death. The players are his companions. The possibilities for adventures and plots are wide open. The Time Lords still exist and the Last Great Time War has yet to occur and this is a Doctor with an agenda. He always seemed to be up to something. How will players deal with his manipulations? The 8th Doctor If nothing else, his physical appearance is now canonical. At the end of the television film, he left without a companion. In a game using the 8th Doctor, the players are his companions. Its an era with great possibilities. The Time Lords and Gallifrey still exist. At some point, the TARDIS will change from its Victorian like control room to the one seen in the current series. Presumably, the Last Great War will occur in this period, leading him to regenerate into the 9th Doctor. This was precisely the setup for the Virgin books 'New Adventures' series, as well as the later BBC series, and all the Big Finish Audios. While their canonicity is questionable, they did throw out LOT of really good material. "Human Nature", in fact, was a book from the New Adventures series, and featured the 7th Doctor and Bernice Summerfield. Personally, I really like those series, and when I run my campaign, I'm going to consider a lot of the books and audios to be canonical.
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Post by doctorflea on Dec 3, 2009 17:39:47 GMT
A Very Different Doctor For something different, run a series based not of the television series, but on the Doctor in the Doctor Who films. Peter Cushing played Doctor Who, an apparently human time traveler who encountered the Daleks. Perhaps he is human. Or, perhaps he is Time Lord after all. The Time Lords had not been introduced in the television series when the films were made. He could be a Time lord whose regenerations will be made by the GM and players and do not have to follow the path of the television series. Likewise the adventures of this Doctor and his companions do not need to follow the television series. The Doctor’s foes can likewise be altered from their television series histories and appearances. Think of it as a reboot or reimagining. It’s a very different approach and one with limitless possibilities. This was an idea I was kicking around on my blog some weeks ago - I suggested that maybe "this" Doctor was on the parallel world that eventually became known as "Pete's World" - as it seemed to be home to slightly more advanced human technology. Perhaps The Doctor-whose-surname-is-Who dies and perhaps his one or both of his two, now grown up, grandchildren (Susan and Barbara) cross paths with Rose and "her" Doctor, allowing them access to the (Peter Cushing) Doctor's home-made TARDIS!
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Post by doctorflea on Dec 3, 2009 17:42:53 GMT
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Post by Null and Void on Dec 3, 2009 19:28:33 GMT
Ah yes, I've heard those arguments, and they are not without merit. For me, the interpretation of the term 'canon' is slightly different... it simply means the complete body of work. Doesn't mean that one person or group has authority over it, IMHO. Everybody who does anything with it has to decide on canon, even if it is to decide that such a thing doesn't exist at all. And personally, I like the idea that things contradict each other... it makes sense for a universe in which time travel is possible. A universe like that is constantly in flux, and if you were to watch it removed from it, you would see contradictions like... three different destructions of Atlantis, or the Brigadier retiring from UNIT several years before joining UNIT. The Universe of Doctor Who is a Frankenstein's Monster of stitched together timelines and overlapping truths. The thing functions as a whole despite its parts being from completely different animals. I will, redfaced, admit I used the term incorrectly as far as my own definition of it goes. Its something of a force of habit... there was a time when I would have cheerfully ignored everything that happened in the Colin Baker era, but I've since mellowed on it. There is actually very little that doesn't 'fit' into canon... That being said, for me it is tremendous fun to try and make such contradictions and paradoxes into a single coherent whole, sort of like Lance Parkin's History of the Doctor Who Universe... Its a guilty pleasure.
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Post by doctorflea on Dec 3, 2009 20:12:00 GMT
The Universe of Doctor Who is a Frankenstein's Monster of stitched together timelines and overlapping truths. The thing functions as a whole despite its parts being from completely different animals. What a wonderful description of the Whoniverse... and pretty much how I see it as well. That being said, for me it is tremendous fun to try and make such contradictions and paradoxes into a single coherent whole, sort of like Lance Parkin's History of the Doctor Who Universe... Its a guilty pleasure. This is, for me, part of the pleasure with Who - the mental games the fans can play trying to "retcon" every single story into one majestic tapestry.
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Post by elbarre on Dec 11, 2009 6:02:47 GMT
I wanna run a campaign that mirrors the new tv series with a new timelord who has been wakened from the chameleon arch hell take his friends to far away places fighting vampires in 1970s punk england, to the JfK assassination, maybe some half crazed half converted cybermen, to maybe an curse of fenric style adventure and im lovin the idea of bringin in the warlords so maybe the whole campaign leading up to their return.
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Post by Curufea on Dec 11, 2009 10:28:27 GMT
Big Finish just released an audio drama with Susan, and she does confirm in that that she's a Galifreyan.
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Post by Eryx on Dec 11, 2009 12:31:01 GMT
Hopefully I shall get to run this in the new year but my plans are for a pre-Time War campaign with Time Lord PC and his companions. I still need to put some final touches to an overarching plot first though.
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Post by giftedmunchkin on Dec 15, 2009 0:18:21 GMT
I'm using this as the gateway drug that breaks the camel's back for my friend to get her into RPGs, so we're going to be doing a campaign where she plays Donna and I play the Doctor as a GMPC that holds her hand - although, as time goes on, I'll probably gradually shift control of the Doctor to her.
As for what type of adventures we'll be doing, I'm thinking a fairly standard, although shorter, season format, that starts off with some unrelated adventures and culminates in some epic finale. I don't have any specific ideas, yet, but I'm working on it.
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drnate
2nd Incarnation
Posts: 30
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Post by drnate on Dec 15, 2009 12:08:10 GMT
The Mr. Copper Foundation. This allows for something of a rotating cast and does not have the militaristic feel of a Torchwood or UNIT game. Inspirations include the “Blink” episode, the Sarah Jane Adventures series, and Warren Ellis’ Global Frequency. I'd play in this campaign any time. I will form the campaign around the characters that are created by the players, let it grow from them instead of limiting what they can create. I don't know if I am good enough to do this, but we shall see.
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Post by lomythica on Dec 17, 2009 16:14:31 GMT
I plan on taking my campaign back to before the days of the Doctor. After Rassilon, but in an age of the TimeLords before they are the great race that they are now (or were before the Time War).
With that said, the campaign will start out on a remote planet with tech level lower than current earth. The planet is exposed to solar flares and solar radiation seasonally, due to an odd orbital planet to its sun, forcing the inhabitants to live underground in vast cave systems. The players will be a part of that society. It will have a few hundred years of history. The people came to the planet a few hundred years ago via a colony ship. A solar flare disrupted the ships navigation systems, and it crashed on the planet, wrecking most of the technology. With many of the colonists dead, they soon learned they must go underground to survive. They developed their own social systems and superstitions over the years.
Anyway.... Back to the player characters. After playing within the sandbox of underground society, one of the players, playing the role of a scavenger, will come across an artifact of unknown origin while topside. He will felt drawn to it somehow, it emenating some form of hum, but only he can hear it. He brings it back, and finds the other PCs can hear the hum also.
As they investigate the device, they trigger it, which causes it to release a powerful radiation, killing them.
The device is actually a Chameleon Arch Reverser. The PCs regenerate, and remember who they truly are. They are Time Lords, acting as sleeper agents in time. Their knowledge and memory is very sketchy. They will follow clues that will unravel their history, the current state of Gallefrey, and their own involvement in things. They are part of a resistance group in a civil war taking place on Gallifrey.
So, Part 1 - underground society Part 2 - Figure out what your mission and purpose is, along with reviving memories. Part 3 - Go back to Gallifrey and complete mission.
Wow! That was long.. I had that bouncing around in my head for years. It feels good to finally have it documented somewhere!
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