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Old 12-14-2017, 10:46 AM   #1
Tom Mazanec
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Default Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

Would an experimental prototype of a TL-10 espionage device (like variable lockpick, active flesh mask, multispectral chameleon surface, computer pill, surveillance swarm, neural veridicator, forensic swarm, or clinical mind probe) make a good adventure seed for Shikaku-Mon?
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Old 12-19-2017, 04:44 PM   #2
fchase8
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

For a Shikaku-Mon game, yes, but it might be hard to involve Infinity. I-Cops are already at a disadvantage in terms of spy-tech on this world - they would run for the hills at the hint of TL 10 prototype.

However, a TL 10 prototype could discover I-Cops and The Secret. Such an initial spytech game could lead to 'natives discover Infinity' game.
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Old 12-19-2017, 04:56 PM   #3
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

I think that things are touch-and-go enough with TL9 electronics.
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Old 12-19-2017, 06:13 PM   #4
starslayer
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

Unless I read shaku-mon incorrectly its not touch and go.

They know and only infinity's hubris and 'non-homeliners are non-people' causes them to be under the impression that they were not made almost immediately, and now being carefully studied by the local adminstration.
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Old 12-19-2017, 11:12 PM   #5
Flyndaran
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

I don't see how a few civilians having video of people appearing form thin air would matter at all to their governments.
If Youtube had such a video, do you think the N.S.A. would launch an investigation?
Realistic organizations would assume strange propaganda from enemy nations, not OMG, aliens from parallel realities.
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Old 12-20-2017, 06:16 AM   #6
ericthered
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

Put another way, the hardest part of surveillance isn't getting the footage, its interpreting and coordinating it. Shikaku-Mon is very good at finding things its looking for and defending its secrets. But if its not looking for you, you can go unnoticed, to the big players at least.
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Old 12-20-2017, 06:19 AM   #7
AlexanderHowl
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

The problem is not going there and avoiding getting caught, it is setting up a cover identity and avoiding getting caught. When even civilians have superior computers and spycraft than you, things get complicated real quick.
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Old 12-20-2017, 12:32 PM   #8
fchase8
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

Quote:
Originally Posted by Flyndaran View Post
I don't see how a few civilians having video of people appearing form thin air would matter at all to their governments.
If Youtube had such a video, do you think the N.S.A. would launch an investigation?
Realistic organizations would assume strange propaganda from enemy nations, not OMG, aliens from parallel realities.
There still could be investigation, if not government than corporate (and the corporations are very powerful on this timeline) - or even individuals with advanced spy-tech.

A video of an I-Cop appearance could go viral on the Tapestry (Shikaku-Mon's internet), investigated not by corporations or governments but hobbyist 'peepers'. Like private citizens investigating UFO sightings - but with spy-tech superior to the supposed aliens!
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Old 12-20-2017, 01:50 PM   #9
starslayer
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

Your also forgetting social media and quick facial recognition.

Everyone will be aware when someone shows up randomly and does not exist on at least one social media site- and it will immediately raise flags, because even a dumb spy has a false social media identity.

Having someone who is truly zeroed appear on shikaku-mon is going to raise a LOT of flags to a lot of people.

The people who collect the taxes will be VERY interested in someone who flat on does not exist suddenly walking the streets.

Likewise every corp likely uses facial recognition to find spys, having someone who just plain does not show up in ANY database, also really weird.

Not sure how much access the every day citizen's have have to facial recognition- but the aforementioned 'ufo chasers' will at least be able to make a run against public social media profiles and will again be very piqued by the lack of hits (You can kind of do this now by using a picture of a person and google image search, so I can only assume that the TL-9 version can be a bit more generic and robust when checking public social media profiles).
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Old 12-20-2017, 09:35 PM   #10
patchwork
 
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Default Re: Shikaku-Mon and TL-10 spytech

There isn't a lot of indication that Shikaku-mon plays well with itself, though. The Tapestry isn't nearly as open and integrated as the Internet. Do you think Synarchist Sweden makes its citizen databases freely available to foreign querents? I don't. And the Brazilian corporations probably have theirs behind paywalls that John Q. Public isn't going to pay for. You'd be readily made as "doesn't belong here", but there would be multiple plausible stories you could spin that wouldn't be quickly or easily debunked, unlike Homeline or Centrum. You were raised in a corporate creche that doesn't believe in public access to non-employee dependents. Or you're a refugee fleeing a Swedish work camp. Or you're from some back country that isn't that developed yet, with a touch of xenophobia to boot. The Japanese Empire could be a problem simply because it's a culture with few parallels on other timelines, but the other three great powers shouldn't be that hard.
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