08-17-2019, 03:14 PM | #1 |
Ceci n'est pas une tag.
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Vancouver, WA (Portland Metro)
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[Old Man's War] Converting some items to GURPS?
Just mostly a mental exercise. I'm listening to Old Man's War series (up to the Human Division), and I was curious how some items would be depicted in GURPS. For those who haven't read the series, it's a sci-fi space empires series. Alien races in the hundreds in nearby space, limited real estate being fought over, few alliance that last long. It's called Old Man's War because senior citizens on Earth are offered a chance to be given young, upgraded bodies (green skin, cats' eyes, nanobots for blood, etc.) so that they can fight for ten years (if they're part of the 25%-ish that survive to the end of their term).
For starters, how would the BrainPal (TM) be depicted? (Explanation for non-fans. Cybernetic computer about the size of an "aggie" marble that is inside the skull of the young, upgraded body. It's a low-sapient learning computer with peripherals like radio, and is used to communicate with the weapons, personal armor, machinery, vehicles, and ships.
Spoiler:
The other thing I'm curious about is how to represent the Obyn's mental traits. The Obyn are a race that is intelligent, but not... self-aware? Conscious? I'm not sure how to describe them. They are intelligent, but they have no sense of identity. They seem like hive insects, without any sense of self-preservation aside from their race as a whole. No art, no literature, no philosophy. Intelligent as heck, ruthless without an ounce of cruelty, a terror of an opponent. Untrustworthy as allies, because there'd be no warning if they changed allegiance. I'm just trying to figure out how to depict their mind-state.
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I'm a collector, not a gamer. =) |
08-17-2019, 04:01 PM | #2 |
Join Date: Feb 2011
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Re: [Old Man's War] Converting some items to GURPS?
If all the PCs have BrainPals, then it's a feature worth 0 points. If some of them do, then it's a meta-trait made of Telecommunication, Perk (always have my keys), and an Unusual Background granting them an otherwise unusual set of skills. Maybe even throw in Reawakened, if the BrainPal whispers good advice in their ear.
Discount it for being a Gadget, but only by like 5% at most, since it's very, very hard to lose. As for the Obyn, I'd suggest Killjoy and Unfazeable for a start. |
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