Conspiracy Theories

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by johndallman

Have you decided yet why this is actually happening? If so, the conspiracy theory can surely be created by carefully misinterpreting part of the real cause.

Oh, I certainly know why it's happening. It's basically the situation in Heinlein's "Waldo": The user/operator needs to have faith for the device or system to work, and faith in technology has been undermined. As this leads to more failures, faith decreases further, in a positive feedback process. That's why a Willpower roll enables a device to function, and why more advanced technologies need rolls against higher difficulty.

Not all of my proposed conspiracy theories even hint at the true explanation.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I'm preparing to start a new campaign, in a style that I think of as slow apocalyptic: It's set in a world where technology has been ceasing to function, not precipitously but gradually, month by month. t.

What's the definition of "technology" for this purpose? Electricity? All machines powered by something other than muscle?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

What's the definition of "technology" for this purpose? Electricity? All machines powered by something other than muscle?

A Willpower roll is required to use a technological device. Difficulty is 2 for steam engines and electric batteries; 3 for motors, generators, and synthetic chemistry; 4 for internal combustion and electronics; 5 for nuclear reactors, jets, and solid state devices; 6 for integrated circuits, genetic engineering, and high-energy-density batteries—for examples at each level. This is a world where the average person has Willpower 2, so, for example, an electric automobile fails 26% of the time and botches 9% of the time (a botch being something that damages the device or has destructive side effects on its surroundings).

[TGLS]

Originally Posted by whswhs

6 for integrated circuits This is a world where the average person has Willpower 2, so, for example, an electric automobile fails 26% of the time and botches 9% of the time (a botch being something that damages the device or has destructive side effects on its surroundings).

Given that basically everything has ICs in them now, that's a pretty hazardous world.

[David Johnston2]

1. Witches are casting hexes to sabotage machines.
2. Aliens are messing with tech to keep us out of space.
3. The universe itself is falling apart and the scientific community knows it and it is hiding it from laymen to avoid public panic.
4. Anyone for whom tech is still working right is a member of the Illuminati which is of course behind it.
5. Demons have invaded the world because a secret society that used to perfom the rituals to keep us safe has been killed by another secret society

[Varyon]

Given the information on how the failures are occurring, I'd offer gremlins and/or other fae entities as one of the suggested reasons. The fact people who do relevant warding rituals with the genuine belief that they will work may have better luck using the technology (as they are now more confident it will function for them) might cause some interesting effects. At least, I assume that characters who do activities that make them more confident the tech will function get a temporary boost to effective Willpower, even if they don't realize it's their increased confidence and not the actual superstitious actions that are making the difference.

Out of curiosity, what sort of people tend to have higher-than-average Willpower in that system? If there's a common trend (like successful businessmen or politicians tending to have high Willpower, for example), that can certainly factor into the resulting conspiracy theories.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Given the information on how the failures are occurring, I'd offer gremlins and/or other fae entities as one of the suggested reasons. The fact people who do relevant warding rituals with the genuine belief that they will work may have better luck using the technology (as they are now more confident it will function for them) might cause some interesting effects. At least, I assume that characters who do activities that make them more confident the tech will function get a temporary boost to effective Willpower, even if they don't realize it's their increased confidence and not the actual superstitious actions that are making the difference.

Out of curiosity, what sort of people tend to have higher-than-average Willpower in that system? If there's a common trend (like successful businessmen or politicians tending to have high Willpower, for example), that can certainly factor into the resulting conspiracy theories.

Primarily, people who practice mystical or supernatural disciplines. Secondarily, people who are inner directed and/or have well integrated sets of values.

Theories that focus on the fair folk have the difficulty that a lot of the failing technology is made of "cold iron."

[Irish Wolf]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Theories that focus on the fair folk have the difficulty that a lot of the failing technology is made of "cold iron."

And theories that Earth is flat have the difficulty that you can go to a seashore and see the horizon, but True Believers explain it away anyway. If you can believe that the Fair Folk are screwing with technology, you can believe they aren't really harmed by cold iron, that's just a myth.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Primarily, people who practice mystical or supernatural disciplines. Secondarily, people who are inner directed and/or have well integrated sets of values.

Hmmm... that's going to be a bit difficult to work into the conspiracy theory, given the large number of people who profess adherence to mystical/supernatural disciplines as well as being inner directed or having strong values but actually don't do/have any of those things. I mean, you'll certainly have people who have those things and are thus less affected by the technology failures being noticed, but there probably isn't enough of a unifying theme for it to result in more than happenstance-conclusions.

Originally Posted by Irish Wolf

And theories that Earth is flat have the difficulty that you can go to a seashore and see the horizon, but True Believers explain it away anyway. If you can believe that the Fair Folk are screwing with technology, you can believe they aren't really harmed by cold iron, that's just a myth.

Also, a lot of people who have heard of the idea think "cold iron" is something special, rather than just a poetic way of referring to iron/steel. Heck, That Other Game made it a special material! You'll certainly have people who are more well-versed in the myths explaining that it's nothing special and thus isn't a factor, but you'll still have plenty stating the opposite. And that can certainly work well into the conspiracy theories - the Elites (tm) are hoarding all the Cold Iron to keep their own technology functioning (and/or are in league with the Fae - probably the Winter Court or something, they're the ones that dislike humans, right? - and are actively destroying/sequestering away all the Cold Iron to protect their benefactors in exchange for boons).