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Old 01-22-2022, 03:08 PM   #91
Ramidel
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
I don't actually understand that. If the federal government is dictatorial how do civilians get away with having all those combat enhancements?
If individual arms don't threaten the power of the government's big guns, it's very likely that an American dictatorship will still have our low weapon CR. Especially if they don't care too much about intercitizen violence.

Besides, gladiator fights on PPV have been a good distraction for the masses since Ancient Rome.
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Old 01-22-2022, 03:51 PM   #92
warellis
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
I would actually say the default is that national governments are still very much in place, but work in partnership with major corporations zaibatsu-style. However there are expansive slums that are even larger and less policed than reality. And yeah, Ogre's setting is more corporatist than I remembered. I was thinking it was more Bolo-style.
I just realized something like the events of FEAR could easily take place in Cyberme.

It has a shady, powerful megacorp, Armacham Technology Corporation, researching psychics and military applications of them, such as genetically engineered clone soldiers who are psychically controlled.

They come equipped to the point of having power armor & mecha (and may have orbital facilities as well).

The company also has a Senator on hand to help them cover up any of their shady stuff.

And all the supernatural stuff with ghosts and such are caused via powerful psychic powers (treating an extremely powerful psychic little girl horrifically, and then killing her, doesn't do wonders for the mind).

And the thing is, none of the setting looks especially futuristic. No flying cars or arcologies or anything. It looks a lot like the modern day, with cubicles and such.


Then again, I shouldn't be surprised considering Monolith was also known for Shogo: Mobile Armored Division which is like a mecha anime love letter.

And I guess they watched a ton of Elfen Lied

Last edited by warellis; 04-30-2023 at 12:00 AM.
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Old 01-22-2022, 03:58 PM   #93
TGLS
 
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What is known about the two main governments in Combine? Reading up on the NAC & PEF, it sounds like both are very corporate dominated to the point a CEO and a politician are one-in-the-same there.
The NAC is complicated by the Economic Control Board and the Job Placement Service. The Combine economy resembles a weird mix of a corporate economy (like most cyberpunk settings) and a cybernetic centrally planned economy (think like Cybersyn or the possible extension of OGAS, except it actually works).
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Old 01-22-2022, 04:08 PM   #94
warellis
 
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Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

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The NAC is complicated by the Economic Control Board and the Job Placement Service. The Combine economy resembles a weird mix of a corporate economy (like most cyberpunk settings) and a cybernetic centrally planned economy (think like Cybersyn or the possible extension of OGAS, except it actually works).
How did the NAC & PEF arise? The NAC sounds especially autboritarian so was there some sort of corporate coup or something that got three different democratic countries to become so openly authoritarian?
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Old 01-22-2022, 04:55 PM   #95
TGLS
 
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How did the NAC & PEF arise? The NAC sounds especially autboritarian so was there some sort of corporate coup or something that got three different democratic countries to become so openly authoritarian?
Well the NAC apparently arose in response the PEF just rolling over Eastern Europe. Then they just started (ab?)using their vaguely defined powers and did a good enough job to slowly swallow up the functions of the national governments. The PEF formed in response to unrest in Eastern Europe (think the Yugoslav Wars just spread across the entire region) and the United States going back into a period of isolation.

GURPS Ogre really glosses over the how and why and focuses more on the who and what.
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Old 01-22-2022, 05:35 PM   #96
warellis
 
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Well the NAC apparently arose in response the PEF just rolling over Eastern Europe. Then they just started (ab?)using their vaguely defined powers and did a good enough job to slowly swallow up the functions of the national governments. The PEF formed in response to unrest in Eastern Europe (think the Yugoslav Wars just spread across the entire region) and the United States going back into a period of isolation.

GURPS Ogre really glosses over the how and why and focuses more on the who and what.
Kind of a unfortunate Infinite Worlds never made an entry/article on Combine, beyond that small blurb in Lost Worlds about their AI experiments.
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Old 02-19-2022, 10:34 PM   #97
warellis
 
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Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

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I had an unfortunate incident with an online acquantaince who was in the midst of trying to plug reaiistic ballistics (I think) into a cyberpunk setting he was working on. I happened to drop the remark that cyberpunk was an inherently unrealistic genre and he was sure that I was talking about his ballistic near-obsession.

I wasn't of course (I was actually thinking about cyberpunk politics and economics) and you've supplied another example of the way cyberpunk is unrealiitic. It assumes that the human brain comes with expansion slots and that there will be no serious compatibility issues between nervous systems and electronics.

We're almost 50 years on from the Six Million Dollar Man and we have only the simplest powered systems in artificial limbs and the little bit of neural feedback relies on sensing muscle contractions though the skin.

I've come to believe that if we ever do see surgical interface with bionics of soem sort the only way to prevent constant threat of infections would be to graft (probably cloned) skin over it so you'd never see those metal arms.

On the other hand if metal arms were possible I think you might find some humans who'd want to flaunt them. A small group but if you look at the extremes in tattoos and piercings and other things grouped under "body modifications" somebody would think a metal arm was a great fashion statement.
Well I discovered another problem with cybernetics. You need to be sure they're still being supported if the company providing them goes under.

Second Sight bionic eye adopters are having trouble with getting maintenance on their eyes since the company went bankrupt back in 2020 or something.
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Old 02-20-2022, 09:17 AM   #98
Flaco76
 
Join Date: Aug 2013
Location: Irving, TX
Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

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Originally Posted by warellis View Post
Well I discovered another problem with cybernetics. You need to be sure they're still being supported if the company providing them goes under.

Second Sight bionic eye adopters are having trouble with getting maintenance on their eyes since the company went bankrupt back in 2020 or something.
That would be an interesting campaign. Imagine a street doctor/tech support that searches around the Sprawl for spare parts and designs from outdated cybernetics.
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Old 02-20-2022, 06:31 PM   #99
dcarson
 
Join Date: Mar 2008
Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

Imagine being a person who has a old compatible implant for one that someone more powerful has.
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Old 02-22-2022, 03:46 PM   #100
warellis
 
Join Date: Jan 2014
Default Re: (IW) Cyberpunk Worlds

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Originally Posted by Flaco76 View Post
That would be an interesting campaign. Imagine a street doctor/tech support that searches around the Sprawl for spare parts and designs from outdated cybernetics.
Yeah. It's kind of grim.
Spoiler:  
So like imagine your implant suddenly powering down in the middle of something.

Like if you have cybernetic eyes, and you're walking down some stairs.
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