Culture RPG (Scifi- Ultratech) Interest Thread
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corrections made:
Better? Worse?
Name: Arn Ganymede-Kundher Malon Da Virinin
Type: Biological, near human, hominid, lightly modified.
Description: Looks similar to a human-standard stretched up to nine feet with a "beard" of thin white tendrils ending in dark portrusions. Quills of the same white colour with the same dark tips rest on his head, causing a look similar to a human-standard with slicked back hair. Fingers are around a foot long each, with extra joints and a brown insectoid exoskeleton covering them, alowing for more dexterity. Digitigrade feet with implanted spring mechanisms.
Title: Loves the archaic title "Mister", but works as a sort of uplifter-for-hire as a hobby, jumping between lesser civilisations around the galaxy offering to help out with any problems any suitably influential and progressive being has, from a dreadful drought to an oppresive regime. He does this partially for the benefit of all life, and partially for the thrill of it, saving an empire, toppling a civilisation, etc, has an intoxicating effect, it seems.
His involvement with the Culture is relatively low, they Minds allow him to continue to have his fun, as long as he doesn't screw up spectacularly, though they do tend to keep tabs on him and even employ him from time-to-time. To the Minds (along with other Involved leaders), he's not a major player, he's just sort of [i/]there[/i] and they have no reason to stop him from being there.
Equipment:
Gelfield suit programmed to emit a soft glow unless told not to, sense enhancer when pure darkness is warranted, and all-purpose environment suit.
A helmet, similar in appearance to a broad-brimmed black felt hat, that provides extra protection as well as working as an information centre, combat intellegance, holographic display and (when warranted) projectile weapon. Proto-sentient, 22 exabyte storage.
He travels around mostly through chartered vessels and public travel services, keeping a small, low-storage space vessel of incredibly low intellegence (compared to other ships, anyway. It has slightly less intelect than the average human)called the Cultural Bias, a puny little thing with only the interior space of a large house and no weapons to speak of that is only used when a hired vessel is unwilling or unable to take him the entire way, and even then only for the distance the vessel in question won't cross.
Type: Biological, near human, hominid, lightly modified.
Description: Looks similar to a human-standard stretched up to nine feet with a "beard" of thin white tendrils ending in dark portrusions. Quills of the same white colour with the same dark tips rest on his head, causing a look similar to a human-standard with slicked back hair. Fingers are around a foot long each, with extra joints and a brown insectoid exoskeleton covering them, alowing for more dexterity. Digitigrade feet with implanted spring mechanisms.
Title: Loves the archaic title "Mister", but works as a sort of uplifter-for-hire as a hobby, jumping between lesser civilisations around the galaxy offering to help out with any problems any suitably influential and progressive being has, from a dreadful drought to an oppresive regime. He does this partially for the benefit of all life, and partially for the thrill of it, saving an empire, toppling a civilisation, etc, has an intoxicating effect, it seems.
His involvement with the Culture is relatively low, they Minds allow him to continue to have his fun, as long as he doesn't screw up spectacularly, though they do tend to keep tabs on him and even employ him from time-to-time. To the Minds (along with other Involved leaders), he's not a major player, he's just sort of [i/]there[/i] and they have no reason to stop him from being there.
Equipment:
Gelfield suit programmed to emit a soft glow unless told not to, sense enhancer when pure darkness is warranted, and all-purpose environment suit.
A helmet, similar in appearance to a broad-brimmed black felt hat, that provides extra protection as well as working as an information centre, combat intellegance, holographic display and (when warranted) projectile weapon. Proto-sentient, 22 exabyte storage.
He travels around mostly through chartered vessels and public travel services, keeping a small, low-storage space vessel of incredibly low intellegence (compared to other ships, anyway. It has slightly less intelect than the average human)called the Cultural Bias, a puny little thing with only the interior space of a large house and no weapons to speak of that is only used when a hired vessel is unwilling or unable to take him the entire way, and even then only for the distance the vessel in question won't cross.
Better? Worse?
Well, if you had said that in the first place, we could have avoided this confusion rather than waste precious pixels on me skim-reading a wiki article about Dziet Sma.Asclepion said:
I'll chop about his last name a bit. Thought it sounded familiar from somewhere . . .
Name: Masaq Unani Wakko Mousse
Type: Drone, relatively recently built (64 years ago)
Description: The main body is made with a white memoryfoam outer shell the shape of which is controlled remotely from within. Powered by a standard antimatter generator it can travel at roughly mac 3 causing next to no turbulence (Unless it wants to). It's character is indisputably male and although mostly passive and calm throughout most of it's encounters like most Masaquians quirks are in an abundance.
Inside it's shell it carries suspended within fields a set of joyously decorated knife-missiles as well as effectors and displacers (which is currently filled with compressed trophies and souvenirs among more serious items). Although the memoryfoam allows him to expand and compress to a range of sizes the standard is about twice as large as a basketball.
Bio: Unani Was made as a military drone on Masaq to accompany culture agents acting as an escort, interpreter and bodyguard. Later on after things went sour with a mission he decided human agents were holding him back.
Since, he has been acting alone, officially still following orders from the hub he has been involved in many covert and not so covert missions although for the most part socialising on Masaq has been enough excitement. For missions far a field he has been granted control of a VFP which he has lightened down, removing all parts made to accommodate natural life forms save for a small pod underneath for the rare occurrence of passengers. The ship's name is "Sir I think we're going backwards".
Type: Drone, relatively recently built (64 years ago)
Description: The main body is made with a white memoryfoam outer shell the shape of which is controlled remotely from within. Powered by a standard antimatter generator it can travel at roughly mac 3 causing next to no turbulence (Unless it wants to). It's character is indisputably male and although mostly passive and calm throughout most of it's encounters like most Masaquians quirks are in an abundance.
Inside it's shell it carries suspended within fields a set of joyously decorated knife-missiles as well as effectors and displacers (which is currently filled with compressed trophies and souvenirs among more serious items). Although the memoryfoam allows him to expand and compress to a range of sizes the standard is about twice as large as a basketball.
Bio: Unani Was made as a military drone on Masaq to accompany culture agents acting as an escort, interpreter and bodyguard. Later on after things went sour with a mission he decided human agents were holding him back.
Since, he has been acting alone, officially still following orders from the hub he has been involved in many covert and not so covert missions although for the most part socialising on Masaq has been enough excitement. For missions far a field he has been granted control of a VFP which he has lightened down, removing all parts made to accommodate natural life forms save for a small pod underneath for the rare occurrence of passengers. The ship's name is "Sir I think we're going backwards".
What do you think?
The Clown said:
I'm not sure that drones would bother with memoryform. If you want a machine that re-shapes at will, they use EDust for that. The drones can just turn invisible with their fields. Memoryforms seem something more for biologicals, ie those who don't have Effectors, nanomissiles, protective- and cutting-fields, knife-missiles, supersonic speed and short-range FTL in a package smaller than your head.
And they couldn't just have a Mind take it around? It would still be overseen by the rest of Contact. Just because there's no scarcity doesn't mean they won't try everything reasonable to prevent wasting resources. Better than a VFP without a Mind (which would just be seen as an incomplete ship) would be a small module, 90% engine, with no life support but able to rapidly fabricate one. And except for short-range craft like modules and lifeboats and insystem pleasure yachts, a personal ship is a very unusual request to make in the Culture.
Here's an aura field reference. http://zrajm.org/nerd/drone_colours.html
Goodwillofbob said:
If I notice anything else, I'll tell you.---
Remember: The Culture is very different to the typical futureverse we see in televised sci-fi or films. Culture ships are citizens with personalities and free will, considered as equal to other people as the great difference in power and intelligence allow.
There are all manner of GCU's and Systems Vehicles that go around exploring, often with massive populations. If the Mind is a Contact asset, the ship will be in uncharted space. Someone asking a Mind for a personal transport with the speed or range capable of getting outside the stellar community (which is still a volume encompassing thousands of cubic lightyears and hundreds of thousands of stars) especially if he also wants it with systems capable of griefing planets, will be met with "Could you please tell me exactly why you need this?" The Mind isn't going to let you fuck up someone's developing civilization just because you want to. Not without first monitoring it to determine the best course of action.
Of course, you could try telling a ship what to do, but I don't think it would get very far.
Name: Masaq Unani Wakko Mousse
Type: Drone, relatively recently built (64 years ago)
Description: The main body is made with a white memoryfoam outer shell the shape of which is controlled remotely from within, although outdated the foam is merely for decoration. Powered by a standard antimatter generator it can travel at roughly mac 3 causing next to no turbulence (Unless it wants to). It's character is indisputably male and although mostly passive and calm throughout most of it's encounters like most Masaquians quirks are in an abundance.
Inside it's shell it carries suspended within fields a set of joyously decorated knife-missiles as well as effectors, displacers (which is currently filled with compressed trophies and souvenirs among more serious items), a full suite of fields and a supply of emergency EDust. Although the memoryfoam allows him to expand and compress to a range of sizes the standard is about twice as large as a basketball.
Bio: Unani Was made as a military drone on Masaq to accompany culture agents acting as an escort, interpreter and bodyguard. Later on after things went sour with a mission he decided human agents were holding him back.
Since, he has been acting alone, officially still following orders from the hub he has been involved in many covert and not so covert missions although for the most part socialising on Masaq has been enough excitement. For missions far a field he has been granted control of a small module called; "Sir I think we're going backwards".
Type: Drone, relatively recently built (64 years ago)
Description: The main body is made with a white memoryfoam outer shell the shape of which is controlled remotely from within, although outdated the foam is merely for decoration. Powered by a standard antimatter generator it can travel at roughly mac 3 causing next to no turbulence (Unless it wants to). It's character is indisputably male and although mostly passive and calm throughout most of it's encounters like most Masaquians quirks are in an abundance.
Inside it's shell it carries suspended within fields a set of joyously decorated knife-missiles as well as effectors, displacers (which is currently filled with compressed trophies and souvenirs among more serious items), a full suite of fields and a supply of emergency EDust. Although the memoryfoam allows him to expand and compress to a range of sizes the standard is about twice as large as a basketball.
Bio: Unani Was made as a military drone on Masaq to accompany culture agents acting as an escort, interpreter and bodyguard. Later on after things went sour with a mission he decided human agents were holding him back.
Since, he has been acting alone, officially still following orders from the hub he has been involved in many covert and not so covert missions although for the most part socialising on Masaq has been enough excitement. For missions far a field he has been granted control of a small module called; "Sir I think we're going backwards".
What do you think now?
I suspect that the idea of player controlled ships is flawed; there will be almost no way to avoid each and every player going his own way. This may not sound to bad, but I have seen many a game die of too much options.
In my opinion, we should limit players to being on board a GM controlled ship, or put them down on-planet amongst a low-tech civilisation.
In my opinion, we should limit players to being on board a GM controlled ship, or put them down on-planet amongst a low-tech civilisation.
Name: Masaq'-sa Sharrow Liet-Kynes Mathra dam Giert
Type: Pan human, with all the standard Culture upgrades; drug glands, neural lace, and assorted biological tweaks that make her that little bit more able to enjoy life.
Title: Sharrow likes to write poetry. She also takes an interest in physics, regardless of how far ahead the Minds are. Sometimes her two interests come together; she has enjoyed minor celebrity due to the popularity among some drones of her abstract field-haikus.
Equipment: Sharrow wears a onesuit, capable of forming any set of clothing on demand. On her wrist, and synced with her neural lace, she carries a watch-shaped drone-grade intelligence that serves as her companion, personal assistant, terminal and physics teacher.
She is reasonably sure she can get anything else she needs on demand.
Bio/History: *Loading, please wait*
Type: Pan human, with all the standard Culture upgrades; drug glands, neural lace, and assorted biological tweaks that make her that little bit more able to enjoy life.
Title: Sharrow likes to write poetry. She also takes an interest in physics, regardless of how far ahead the Minds are. Sometimes her two interests come together; she has enjoyed minor celebrity due to the popularity among some drones of her abstract field-haikus.
Equipment: Sharrow wears a onesuit, capable of forming any set of clothing on demand. On her wrist, and synced with her neural lace, she carries a watch-shaped drone-grade intelligence that serves as her companion, personal assistant, terminal and physics teacher.
She is reasonably sure she can get anything else she needs on demand.
Bio/History: *Loading, please wait*
"The Shining One was smiling and his mind open wide; and Nodonn in despair knew that it had all been planned and he allowed to do his utmost, so that those watching would receive the final affirmation."
It's interesting how this quote, from a completely different series, fits so damned well.
It's interesting how this quote, from a completely different series, fits so damned well.