Transhuman Space and Star Trek

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by johndallman

In ST, the devices are plot-provided magic, and asking what else one can do with them, or create based on them is impolite. Further, if they are used to do additional things, even ones that break the normal rules, for plot purposes, it is rude to try to use those capabilities in other stories.

Nicely put.

In THS, none of these rules apply. If your players find something plot-breaking that they can do with the new technology, that's good work on their part, and the GM needs to suck it up and smile, unless he can find an excuse for it to be deeply illegal - which will take time for the laws to get passed.

I'll add that in roleplaying many players tend to have their characters try to solve their problems using the resources and capabilities available to them. Which means that unless you have the understanding and goodwill of the character-players they will tend to break these rules and restraining them is often unsatisfactory. Which makes Trek-like (sci-fi) settings easy to design but hard to GM, while THS-like (SF) settings are much harder to design and (at least in this respect) somewhat easier to GM.

[Agemegos]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

In a TV series, the writers can always make sure that the characters are incurious, or at least don't make the key mental connections to turn a utility device into a civilisation-destroying terror weapon. In an RPG, you can't do that without explicitly warning the players and breaking suspension of disbelief. To some extent, I think RPGs are about solving problems by finding unexpected uses for the capabilities or items you already have

where … TV can get away with bringing in a new capability or item when it's needed…

…and just conveniently forgetting it when it's not.

I would once have been inclined to agree with this wholeheartedly, but I have since met any number of very devoted fans of Star Trek (especially STNG) and Doctor Who, and enthusiasts for Fading Suns who are avid to play Klingons and Starfleet officers and timelords and Decados counts and what have you and are more than happy to do things "because that's what [Klingons | Starfleet | Timelords | Decados] do" without needing a consistent set of abilities or a manipulable situation to apply them too. I tend to feel that these players are like the ones who want to kill orcs but are not motivated to learn to fly a combat system, or areall about style over substance, but that is just me being snobbish and mean. They have a lot of fun, and more power to them. Nevertheless, I have learned the hard way to cordially decline invitations to play in their campaigns and freeforms: I break things if I do, and no-one has fun.