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Old 10-30-2017, 12:49 AM   #1
PTTG
 
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Default Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

I occasionally find myself wondering how the IU setting would look if Centrum was the player's sponsor, perhaps even ethically reformed. It's also not unusual for posters to be of the opinion that ISWAT or Homeline as a whole is ruthless -- by necessity, you understand.

If one were to make a Good Centrum, Evil Homeline campaign, what changes would you make? My own suggestions:

Centrum becomes less arrogant. There is a general understanding that good as their system may be, it's not perfect.
Centrum gains some level of freedom of expression. People are not replaceable, and the long emergency is over. In general, expand the civil rights of Centrumites... although this doesn't need to imply democracy.
One or two crosstime colonies have been integrated, demonstrating that the society can and will allow others to achieve their level of comfort and success.

Homeline is more exploitative. They mine worlds with dirty tech, exploit natives, and steal advanced stuff where they can.
It's more decadent and more divided, with an impossibly wealthy upper class and a poor that can only hope to become a cross-time soldier or technician if they want to get access to the "infinite wealth."
Homeline becomes expansionist. Maybe the demand for bread and circuses for the poor and extravagant aircraft-carrier-sized yachts for the megawealthy class is driving Homeline farther out.

And, depending on one's interpretation, maybe Centrum has a single, closely-regulated intelligence agency that has a universal code of sentient's rights, mandating that whatever they do, they will not harm third-party civilians in pursuit of political goals. Homeline, in contrast, has an anarchic intelligence apparatus that doesn't have any notable compunctions at all.

Last edited by PTTG; 10-30-2017 at 12:50 AM. Reason: IW, Centrum, Homeline, campaign design
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Old 10-30-2017, 04:34 AM   #2
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

I believe that one previous response to the question of what a nice Centrum would look like is "The Federation from Star Trek". Which leaves on the table the question of how nice the Federation really is, if you look at the internal logic of various ST stories too closely, but never mind. You'd probably want less of a Prime Directive, though.

By which logic, Homeline would probably have to be played as a cross between the Romulans and the Ferengi.
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Old 10-30-2017, 01:19 PM   #3
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

It is not a bad idea, though I have always thought that Homeline is more exploitative than it is commonly portrayed.
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Old 10-30-2017, 01:25 PM   #4
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

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Originally Posted by Phil Masters View Post
Which leaves on the table the question of how nice the Federation really is, if you look at the internal logic of various ST stories too closely, but never mind.
"You know, in some ways you're even worse than the Borg. At least they tell you about their plans for assimilation. You're more insidious. You assimilate people and they don't even know it."

- Michael Eddington, in "For the Cause", Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Ep. 4×22
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Old 10-30-2017, 05:39 PM   #5
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

I almost went with the Starfleet metaphor in the OP, but I wanted to keep it clear that Centrum is still Centrum, just not Overtly Evil Centrum.
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Old 10-30-2017, 05:54 PM   #6
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

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Originally Posted by PTTG View Post
I almost went with the Starfleet metaphor in the OP, but I wanted to keep it clear that Centrum is still Centrum, just not Overtly Evil Centrum.
Well I think that metaphor is probably worth considering. Define Centrum not by Homeline's values, but rather define Homeline by Centrum's values. Centrum promises peace, stability, and equitability versus the anarchic, exploitive, and destabilizing Homeline.
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Old 10-30-2017, 06:16 PM   #7
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil Masters View Post
I believe that one previous response to the question of what a nice Centrum would look like is "The Federation from Star Trek". Which leaves on the table the question of how nice the Federation really is, if you look at the internal logic of various ST stories too closely, but never mind. You'd probably want less of a Prime Directive, though.
Well, at least here with the issue of Timeline Shifting, you have a justification for not meddling too strongly with a Timeline's history, if you don't want to cause a major quantum shift. You'd still have them, sure, because that's what the Centrum/Homeline conflict is centered around, but it'd be less of a hard ban on the notion and more of a set of guidelines to avoid causing disastrous quantum shifts.
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Old 10-30-2017, 08:31 PM   #8
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

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Originally Posted by PTTG View Post
I almost went with the Starfleet metaphor in the OP, but I wanted to keep it clear that Centrum is still Centrum, just not Overtly Evil Centrum.
If you make it any less overtly evil it's a utopia anyway.
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Old 10-30-2017, 09:35 PM   #9
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

I think that says more about your idea of utopia than you think. At best, I see it as a suffocating bureaucratic monoculture.
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Old 10-30-2017, 10:09 PM   #10
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Default Re: Centrum Light, Homeline Dark.

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I think that says more about your idea of utopia than you think. At best, I see it as a suffocating bureaucratic monoculture.
That's what it's portrayed as yes. So if you make it better than that...
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