What's so terrible about Centrum anyway?

Rasmus Wagner · 11-03-2005, 01:42 PM

Sure, they make good villains, if you've already decided that they're the enemy. But I have a hard time seeing Homelines moral high ground in the infinity war.

JamesG · 11-03-2005, 02:08 PM

Why they're an undemocratic meritocracy of course - the lowest of the low!

stefanj · 11-03-2005, 02:19 PM

For a moment I thought you meant the vitamin pills.

Tech13 · 11-03-2005, 02:23 PM

They are a "Them" and it is either "Us" or "Them". They obviously are a bad them, because they control at least one whole planet. Note: This rule doesn't apply to "Us" because we are "Us" and we are good guys.

Sorry, can't come up with a good reason. Don't have my books with me either.

mearrin69 · 11-03-2005, 02:29 PM

I guess because they're slightly less scrupulous (sp?) but I'd say that makes them more effective so I don't really have anything against Centrum. At least Centrum doesn't have all of the rogue organizations and competing world powers trying to slip it to each other all of the time. I suppose it'd be a bit 'grey' to live there though. If I was an agent I'd rather work for Centrum than Homeline.
M

flyingwombat · 11-03-2005, 04:58 PM

A few months back I was explaining the Infinite Worlds background to a friend. When I got to Centrum, he burst out laughing. He thought of the vitamins.

LoneWolf23k · 11-03-2005, 08:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rasmus Wagner

Sure, they make good villains, if you've already decided that they're the enemy. But I have a hard time seeing Homelines moral high ground in the infinity war.

Centrum is essentially a Monoculture: one party, one language, one way of life, and no available alternatives. In fact, any dissension is seen as a crime, and those who do not share their way of life are possible threats to be dealt with, pre-emptively if possible.

And if that's not bad enough, they believe in "enlightening" other worlds into sharing their viewpoint, by hook or by crook.

At least Homeline believes in nonintervention unless it's faced with a credible threat.

copeab · 11-03-2005, 09:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LoneWolf23k

At least Homeline believes in nonintervention unless it's faced with a credible threat.

Where "threat" is defined as "interfere with our monopoly in dimensional travel."

Coventry is *not* a shining star in Homeline's favor, either.

Gudiomen · 11-03-2005, 09:36 PM

I allways thought that this question, was intentional. Centrum is clearly pictured as grey enough to be charismatic to some. This sort of flavor to the characters motivations, and possible dilema make for an excelent in game drama. I'd say neither are bad they are just different, after all they have different cultures and values.
Believe it or not, Tech13's argument really is the best one. It's usually the case in RL anyway.

Captain-Captain · 11-03-2005, 09:37 PM

The main purpose of 'stealing' Echoes is to cause Homeline to eventually drop out of Q5. Since Projectors don't appear to work on other Quanta Homeline can reach (otherwise there would be 'relay' projectors) this will put Homeline out of the parachronic travel business, especially if their projectors ONLY work on the homeline base unverse.

If nothing else, that makes Centrum a cartelist bunch of bastards. How this makes them different from Homeline is that Homeline is not aware this can be done and besides they really don't have lots of Centrum echoes to play with like that.

;)

Seriously though, the 'bad guys' don't have to be evil. Just opposed to your guys with no real likelihood of reconcilation.

11-03-2005, 01:42 PM	#1
Rasmus Wagner Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Wonderful Copenhagen	What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? Sure, they make good villains, if you've already decided that they're the enemy. But I have a hard time seeing Homelines moral high ground in the infinity war. __________________ 751. Thirty minutes after a massive battle against Cathayans I am not bloodthirsty again.

11-03-2005, 02:08 PM	#2
JamesG Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Canterbury, UK	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? Why they're an undemocratic meritocracy of course - the lowest of the low!

11-03-2005, 02:19 PM	#3
stefanj Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Beaverton, OR	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? For a moment I thought you meant the vitamin pills.

11-03-2005, 02:23 PM	#4
Tech13 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Columbus, WI, USA, North America, Earth, Sol, Milky Way	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? They are a "Them" and it is either "Us" or "Them". They obviously are a bad them, because they control at least one whole planet. Note: This rule doesn't apply to "Us" because we are "Us" and we are good guys. Sorry, can't come up with a good reason. Don't have my books with me either. __________________ a min/max JoAT munchkin rule-lawyer with a magic obsession (o_O) You want a Garden Gnome. Garden Gnomes are fun! Garden Gnomes are your friends. This is not a subliminal message. (O_o)

11-03-2005, 02:29 PM	#5
mearrin69 Join Date: Jan 2005 Location: Vancouver, WA	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? I guess because they're slightly less scrupulous (sp?) but I'd say that makes them more effective so I don't really have anything against Centrum. At least Centrum doesn't have all of the rogue organizations and competing world powers trying to slip it to each other all of the time. I suppose it'd be a bit 'grey' to live there though. If I was an agent I'd rather work for Centrum than Homeline. M

11-03-2005, 04:58 PM	#6
flyingwombat Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: Alameda, CA	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? A few months back I was explaining the Infinite Worlds background to a friend. When I got to Centrum, he burst out laughing. He thought of the vitamins. __________________ Fraser: "Could you elucidate, sir?" Welsh: "No, no. Not since the late sixties." Ray: "That's Canadian for explain." --- from "due South" episode Seeing Is Believing

11-03-2005, 09:36 PM	#9
Gudiomen Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: in your pocket, stealing all your change	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? I allways thought that this question, was intentional. Centrum is clearly pictured as grey enough to be charismatic to some. This sort of flavor to the characters motivations, and possible dilema make for an excelent in game drama. I'd say neither are bad they are just different, after all they have different cultures and values. Believe it or not, Tech13's argument really is the best one. It's usually the case in RL anyway.

11-03-2005, 09:37 PM	#10
Captain-Captain Join Date: Aug 2004	Re: What's so terrible about Centrum anyway? The main purpose of 'stealing' Echoes is to cause Homeline to eventually drop out of Q5. Since Projectors don't appear to work on other Quanta Homeline can reach (otherwise there would be 'relay' projectors) this will put Homeline out of the parachronic travel business, especially if their projectors ONLY work on the homeline base unverse. If nothing else, that makes Centrum a cartelist bunch of bastards. How this makes them different from Homeline is that Homeline is not aware this can be done and besides they really don't have lots of Centrum echoes to play with like that. ;) Seriously though, the 'bad guys' don't have to be evil. Just opposed to your guys with no real likelihood of reconcilation. __________________ ...().0...0() .../..........\ -/......O.....\- ...VVVVVVV ..^^^^^^^ A clock running two hours slow has the correct time zero times a day.