Don't know if you have seen this website or not, but it is really helpful for hard science fiction space-related stuff.

Atomic Rockets

No probs glad to help.
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Also...Hmm nice site Jeff.

Define 'ultra' tech.

Define 'problems'.

I find your initial post without substance of merit, akin to a general complaint about how your players are not co-operating with your vision of the game.  

Give me an example of how your players are using 'ultra' tech to short circuit your adventures and I'll tell you what you did wrong.  

Universally any technology the players have their opposition could have or could expect them to have, thus should be considered 'in play' when actions and reactions are considered.    The exception to this rule might be the game where the players are alien outsiders with cool shit no one else has, but those are most definitely the minority of 'high tech' games.  The solution remains the same, however: Not all problems can be 'solved' by the application of unlimited technology.

If, however, you still find 'ultra' tech to be a problem, I suggest you avoid fantasy games. Magic will have all the same problems for you, with less need to be perfectly rational. Amazingly, however, most groups play in magic heavy games without excessive difficulty caused by players using magic in creative ways to solve problems.

Quote from: Spike;373075Define 'ultra' tech.

Define 'problems'.

I find your initial post without substance of merit, akin to a general complaint about how your players are not co-operating with your vision of the game.  

Give me an example of how your players are using 'ultra' tech to short circuit your adventures and I'll tell you what you did wrong.  

Universally any technology the players have their opposition could have or could expect them to have, thus should be considered 'in play' when actions and reactions are considered.    The exception to this rule might be the game where the players are alien outsiders with cool shit no one else has, but those are most definitely the minority of 'high tech' games.  The solution remains the same, however: Not all problems can be 'solved' by the application of unlimited technology.

If, however, you still find 'ultra' tech to be a problem, I suggest you avoid fantasy games. Magic will have all the same problems for you, with less need to be perfectly rational. Amazingly, however, most groups play in magic heavy games without excessive difficulty caused by players using magic in creative ways to solve problems.

Well, in a game like eclipse phase or transhuman space, having players create virtual duplicates of themselves thru mind emulations and such can be fun, but also problematic. I think if handled just right it can be a good RPG device, but can easily get out of control, and you have to keep a very tight reign on the player being able to use data his "clones", "ghosts" or "forks" acquired but died before they could relay to the main PC.

Also, the player might send his copies to their deaths without a problem, which makes me either let him do it or have his copies rebel and become NPCs. This can become a very tricky and messy situation real quick.

So while I like eclipse phase in general I can see a lot of issues with the ability to fork one's self and the possibilities of it getting out of control. Keeping a lid on it can be a real chore for the GM.

Other games may not have the problem of a PC being copied, but then again they don't have the opportunities either.

I fail to see the problem.  Those would be defining questions of a Transhuman game: Are you more real than any other copy of you?

Physically, you would also have to deal with the economic issues. I find this is much like many 'theoretical' problems with games. 'Well, if you combine a +5 Flaming Burst Keen Longsword with...'

Stop right there: Where the fuck did the players get a +9 equivalent weapon? Who cares what they combine it with, or how broken it seems.

Ditto sending clone bodies on suicide missions. Where are they getting the money to buy all these cloned bodies?  At least in Eclipse Phase those things are supposedly in short supply and high demand... expensive.

Second question: How good are they at hacking their own brain scans to remove the basic sense of self preservation from their forked copies?

Seriously: The best way to handle that is to have them start up on a mission/job/adventure then slowly realize that THEY are the suicide job Copies and watch what they do. Then you can either jump back to the main copies with a very good answer for what the fuck happens when they repeatedly suicide themselves OR you can keep running with the copies with the player's MAINS as the big bad guys.

In no way however, does this really relate to players abusing 'ultra tech' to break your games.  




I have found that nine times out of ten, if the players begin 'abusing' something rules wise in a game its either because it actually does work like that (Ambushes and sniping come to mind...) and/or it can be easily turned around and used against them.  The players agree not to constantly use overwatch snipers headshotting the big badguys constantly in return for the GM not doing it to them every game.  Or they go totally WWII Stalingrad Sniper Warz... and everyone has fun.

Quote from: jeff37923;373066Don't know if you have seen this website or not, but it is really helpful for hard science fiction space-related stuff.

Atomic Rockets

Atomic Rocket was a constant resource for us while developing. Awesome site.

In my Starblazer Adventures campaign, I've established that the character's background setting (the 2nd Great and Bountiful Human Empire) has incredibly advanced AI and nanotech; but that its level of advancement is such that it basically makes it incompatible with older tech; some of the characters have chosen to be experts in "obsolete" 1st Empire technology.  I think this is an important factor to remember in dealing with ultra-high tech, at least in a game setting where characters are likely to encounter setting elements with lower tech levels.

RPGPundit

Quote from: RPGPundit;373671In my Starblazer Adventures campaign, I've established that the character's background setting (the 2nd Great and Bountiful Human Empire) has incredibly advanced AI and nanotech; but that its level of advancement is such that it basically makes it incompatible with older tech; some of the characters have chosen to be experts in "obsolete" 1st Empire technology.  I think this is an important factor to remember in dealing with ultra-high tech, at least in a game setting where characters are likely to encounter setting elements with lower tech levels.

RPGPundit

Hmm, yes, and to make it even better one could postit that sometimes the "older" tech works better. Like, say, some older tech is not as vulnerable to radiation or EMP as nanotech and some less advanced computers don't "interpret" your commands like some more advanced AI systems can.

In the real world, I've heard that obsolete, WW2 vintage long wave radar can pick up "stealth units" that modern, microwave radar can't.

Quote from: Halfjack;373454Atomic Rocket was a constant resource for us while developing. Awesome site.

Thanks for sharing. That is awesome.

Quote from: Silverlion;373685Thanks for sharing. That is awesome.

You didn't know about Atomic Rockets, Tim? I have been a fan since I was writing Cold Space, which is all about atomic rockets.

-clash

Don't take atomic rocket to be the absolute last word on science and technology, they constantly talk about how a ship must be laid out with it's main axis along the direction of thrust, so they crap on, say, the enterprise design while giving old style rockets a thumbs up, but they ignore the fact that recently artificial gravity was produced for the first time, and that artificial gravity would make such designs possible.

http://www.scienceblog.com/cms/scientists_find_evidence_for_artifical_gravity_10282.html

Quote from: flyingmice;373709You didn't know about Atomic Rockets, Tim? I have been a fan since I was writing Cold Space, which is all about atomic rockets.

-clash

No I didn't. I spend most of last night reading.

I of course prefer softer* SF stuff...but it is still awesome.



*Sort of, I usually go with the flow, good Hard SF rocks, just a bit more challenging to game in.