Platypus venom dosed to maximize it's effect: Best TL gear for Interrogation?

[WaterAndWindSpirit]

So, platypus venom doesn't kill you, but makes you wish it did (Agony condition by GURPS rules I suppose). Would a scientifically optimized constant dose count as Best TL gear for Interrogation?

[Sam Baughn]

Probably not. Pain is fairly easy to cause and I doubt it is the determining factor in whether someone actually breaks. Plus you want pain you can turn off as quickly as you cause it, in case they try to talk and you need them to be able to speak clearly. Fear of pure pain is also not as effective as fear of pain, death, permanent crippling, harm to loved ones, and madness or loss of hope, loyalty, identity, and confidence you are in the right.

Best equipment for interrogation is probably a combination of things which make the subject feel they can't lie (having a lie detector they think is effective, having partial information which convinces them you already know what you are asking them and will punish them if they lie), making them feel they aren't doing anything wrong by sharing information (partial information, as before, having the actual interrogation be done by a 'fellow prisoner' after the torture, eavesdropping on their conversations when no guards are around, showing them evidence that the people they are working for deserve to be betrayed, distorted sense of time), and just overall weakening of will and grasp on reality (mind games, sleep deprivation, various narcotics).

[Black Leviathan]

Also if your a platypus you're largely immune.

[Bicorn]

Despite what the rules say, in real life torture is useless for interrogation. All you are likely to accomplish with it is making the victim tell you what they think you want to hear; the relationship of that to the actual truth is usually incidental.

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by Bicorn

Despite what the rules say, in real life torture is useless for interrogation. All you are likely to accomplish with it is making the victim tell you what they think you want to hear; the relationship of that to the actual truth is usually incidental.

It can force people to talk. That's an important element of getting them to give you information; the harder part is getting them to give you true information, because that either means being able to detect lies (whether through a reliable lie-detector, which doesn't exist, or being able to actually go and confirm what they tell you) or convincing them not to lie to you (usually by making them unsure of what you know and afraid of being caught in a lie or convincing them you have a lie detector which works).

Without something like torture even someone who thinks they can't lie can still stop you getting information from them by 'stonewalling' and not saying anything.

[Flyndaran]

But giving them something that induces permanent pain with no antidote would be even less effective than simply injuring them followed by giving pain killers.

[Sam Baughn]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

But giving them something that induces permanent pain with no antidote would be even less effective than simply injuring them followed by giving pain killers.

Well, I guess it could serve as an effective threat and as far as I can tell it isn't exactly permanent but does last a long time, so yeah, platypus venom probably isn't a good idea for torture. Figuring out how it causes hyperalgesia (roughly what GURPS calls Low Pain Threshold) and making a synthetic drug which just did that might be more useful, but as I said, pain is the easiest part of successful torture.

Also, if you've got access to Platypus venom, then you probably have access to Gympie as well, which is apparently more painful and somewhat shorter-lasting (still impractically long for torture).

[Flyndaran]

If we're going with the cliche of torture working at all, it would probably work better to use one of the venoms/poisons that induce an impending sense of dread and/or death. They induce that without risk of actual death at moderate doses. Those are weird.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Bicorn

Despite what the rules say, in real life torture is useless for interrogation. incidental.

An overstatement, It's not totally useless. It's just not more useful than calm persistent interrogation.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Flyndaran

If we're going with the cliche of torture working at all, it would probably work better to use one of the venoms/poisons that induce an impending sense of dread and/or death. They induce that without risk of actual death at moderate doses. Those are weird.

I was going to suggest Irukandji venom. One of the commonly listed symptoms is "a sense of impending doom." I think that jellyfish might be a baby Old One.