[Reign of Steel] Brainstorming: Robots as Characters

[sir_pudding]

Doesn't one of the Zoneminds (the Japanese one, I think) canonically build fully sapient autonomous robots? That would seem to the obvious hook for robot PCs. Just give them a mission that is commensurate with that Zonemind's goals and for which autonomy is an asset.

[LokRobster]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

Doesn't one of the Zoneminds (the Japanese one, I think) canonically build fully sapient autonomous robots? That would seem to the obvious hook for robot PCs. Just give them a mission that is commensurate with that Zonemind's goals and for which autonomy is an asset.

Japan is what I thought of immediately. A group of AUs go rogue and are now independent AIs running amok in Japan - and Tokyo AI keeps the situation quiet because it doesn't want the other AIs to find out about it...

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by LokRobster

Japan is what I thought of immediately. A group of AUs go rogue and are now independent AIs running amok in Japan - and Tokyo AI keeps the situation quiet because it doesn't want the other AIs to find out about it...

I don't see why they need to be rogue (at least at first). What does Japan want? Give them a mission with broad interzone scope and lots of discretion and let them decide if and how they carry it out. Maybe they rebel and maybe they don't, either way there's lots to do.

[Ragabash Moon]

Originally Posted by Phex

Sounds straightforward and reasonable. Zaire looks like a good candidate for this scenario, maybe also Denver, Mexico City or Berlin.


A quite interesting proposal, although I am not sure how one can prevent the group from splitting up and drifting into different directions. Furthermore, I am not sure if action is really the central part of such a scenario (maybe rather research or social interaction?). Do you have any examples how you implemented your idea?

Actually Lucifer would be a good Oveseer, if you believe it's sincere. Lucifer, as I recall, was a sort of myth Overseer that is driven around in a semi-truck and supposedly is on the side of the humans. So, a campaign with him as the player character's overseer helping the humans defeat the other Overminds would be fun. Then, if successful, you have to wonder... Is Lucifer truly on the side of the humans, or was it all a cunning gambit to get rid of his competition before it turns on the humans, wiping them out once and for all in a kind of "Order 66" style? Heh.

[RyanW]

One important thing to keep in mind when running RoS is that the AIs' biggest concern is other AIs. The "front lines" are bot-on-bot action (mostly low level skirmishes with a larger conflict always threatening). Killing humans is just pest control.

[Ragabash Moon]

Originally Posted by RyanW

One important thing to keep in mind when running RoS is that the AIs' biggest concern is other AIs. The "front lines" are bot-on-bot action (mostly low level skirmishes with a larger conflict always threatening). Killing humans is just pest control.

Right, so that's why I wonder about Lucifer... is it really our friend, or just rallying the cockroaches to take out the other companies to create a monopoly?