Genetic Enhancments and society

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by NineDaysDead

You're going to need to define what you mean with harder numbers if you want people to be able to say what effects it's going to have.

In standard Gurps the "increased price" would be the normal one for higher-than-TL "gear". If the Campaign is TL8 (or even TL8^) then TL9 bio-tech is 2x book cost, TL4 is 4x and TL11 is 8x.

That comes to $50,000 for a basic Eugenic upgrade with Taboo Traits and $2000 per CP for the TL9 stuff. For someone who could afford the up front costs the basic stuff ought to pay for itself in reduction of lifetime medical costs.

[Keiko]

Originally Posted by Prince Charon

Expensive, but well worth it.

I wanted to see Limitless but never got around do it. Was it any good?

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by Keiko

I wanted to see Limitless but never got around do it. Was it any good?

It wasn't horrible. Ending was a bit weak.

[Randover]

What I would do as GM for similar setting.

First decade after release of gene modification
Coution of goverments - general public disbelive not understanding the real concept and fear. Military and privita reasearch, rare legal use in experimental medicine.

Second decade
Goverments starting to act, trying to controll the fenomena. General public fears, radical movements on both side emerging. Organized crime finds new market. Some top brass millioneers invest in hopes for profit and immortality.

Third decade
Goverments struggle to maintain peace and order. General public is in state of panic. Organized crime is at its peak. Medical care develops with haste.

Forth decade
Goverments find a way to cope with the situation. Diversity between democracy and dictatorship was never larger. Every country has its own way to handle this crisis. General public views genemods and genetherapy as nessesary evil and biproduct of development. Organized crime scene is stable stirred only by radical group movements and acts of terrorism.

Fifth decade
Differences between goverments raise diplomatic issues and international tension. General public gets accostumed to laws restricting genemods and theraphy accepting them as part of daily lives, just as taxes, somewhat disliking them. Organized crime is runned by govermental aggencies more or less. Terrorists are used by goverments as means of war. Freedom fighters and other radical groups get more spotlight every day.

Sixth decade
Diplomatic scene is unstable. Goverments react by building up special geneticaly enchanced forces to prove there point. General public finally embraces the genemods and genetheraphy. Gene-medicine is now a norm. Organized crime declines, smaller local organizations are still vivid. Terrorists are getting out of hand, threat of pandemia because of bio-weapondry is obvious.

Seventh decade
International treaties are sign. There are still many diplomatic issues but the threat of bio-apocalyps is the main concern. Biomods became polupar as young people expression method, adolescents are grouing fangs, horns, extra hands to show there identity. Terrorists are at there peak.

....

I could propably go on as it is realy nice setting. I chose decade as somewhat natural cycle. But faster or slower or even irregular place is also possible I guess.

[Keiko]

So far the assumptions has been pretty grim. Any more optimistic takes on potential events?

[Gedrin]

Originally Posted by Keiko

So far the assumptions has been pretty grim. Any more optimistic takes on potential events?

Sure, whoever gives the tech includes the instruction book and supplies counter agents suitable for defeating bio weapons that can be developed with the tech they hand over. Additionally, they provide the "safe" version of the biotech they give. They stick around to advise on issues related to the tech, and have extensive experience in helping societies through problems relating to their tech dump.

"Magic bio mod box" is another option. No one knows how it works, yet. However, the tech is given in the form of completed product only. You can take the pill for beauty bio mod, but not make your own or variations on such. This lets the GM control exactly what is available, and provides good excuses for why bioterror X isn't plaguing the world. The aliens/whoever just didn't ship any of that stuff.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Keiko

So far the assumptions has been pretty grim. Any more optimistic takes on potential events?

I can't speak for everyone... well I guess I can, I'd just be wrong (both ethically and factually) in doing so. XD

I am not the kind to believe that humanity is "bad" purely because of environmental factors and do believe that "good" and "evil" are more than my personal preferences/delusions. Whatever problems advanced biotechnology solves, it will also create more and/or exacerbate the old.

Historically, humanity's track record with safely and reasonably applying technology is lackluster at best. To draw a parallel, how do you think the world of the early 1900s would have developed if suddenly nuclear sciences and technologies had suddenly matured then instead of during WW2? I am doubting that WW1 and WW2 would have been prevented, save by a prior war turning into a nuclear holocaust.

Now imagine if those sciences and technologies had direct application to various forms of human trafficking? If that isn't making much sense, imagine if suddenly the standard GURPS Magic system proved "real"; would you not expect that abuses for it would quickly develop? Concern over control of it would lead to strife and conflict? Even if we make things somewhat more comparable by tossing out the Critical Spell Failure tables (or whatever they are called in 4e) so that any botched use of a spell doesn't have a significant chance of causing an explosion or summoning a "demon" and that moral objections to magic are themselves "wrong", I can't see people doing any better than having the current mess we see repeat itself with different flavors.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Keiko

So far the assumptions has been pretty grim. Any more optimistic takes on potential events?

Sure. Bio-tech is probably the only thing that's ever going to fix our our healthcare economic problems. You simply don't do extreme and irrational things with it.

You do filter out known bad genes from the gene pool and you give everyone Resistant to Disease +8 and Longevity. You don't breed children with claws and fangs or unicorn horns.

It would require quite a sizable initial investment but the results would probably be almost dull.

[Otaku]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Sure. Bio-tech is probably the only thing that's ever going to fix our our healthcare economic problems. You simply don't do extreme and irrational things with it.

Given what I perceive as the cause of said healthcare economic problems, I fail to see how Bio-Tech is going to fix anything more than superficial issues while ignoring the underlying causes for those issues.

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

You do filter out known bad genes from the gene pool and you give everyone Resistant to Disease +8 and Longevity. You don't breed children with claws and fangs or unicorn horns.

It would require quite a sizable initial investment but the results would probably be almost dull.

Actually, that sounds more than a bit terrifying. I imagine much of it boils down to how you see that being carried out, and how I worry it might be.

[Keiko]

Originally Posted by Otaku

Given what I perceive as the cause of said healthcare economic problems, I fail to see how Bio-Tech is going to fix anything more than superficial issues while ignoring the underlying causes for those issues.



Actually, that sounds more than a bit terrifying. I imagine much of it boils down to how you see that being carried out, and how I worry it might be.

Not a fan of GURPS Transhuman Space?