11-03-2009, 10:32 PM | #61 | |
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: Saskatoon, SK, Canada
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
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Throw in the difficulties of servicing and replacing the Gauss weapons (dropped it in the mud and fouled up the barrel? Did you take High TL? No? Too bad! Roll your skill at -5 to repair it!) and you start to see why the colonists only used the Gauss weapons because they were already there, and built others as soon as possible. |
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11-03-2009, 11:05 PM | #62 |
Join Date: Dec 2007
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
One approach that works in an RPG setting is to make the University a minor faction, one with only a single base (ideally on an island to give it a little security from the most aggressive human faction). It becomes a kind of academic Hong Kong but if it still does the Science City projects it can lead game in advancement with a single city. (Which of course is the winning strategy for the Single Base Challenge)
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11-04-2009, 06:03 AM | #63 | ||
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mainz, Germany
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
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Don't get me wrong - while the Hive are never going to be nice, imho, they are definitely playable. That's what makes them so freakingly frightening - they're ideology is entirely logical and maybe even the most coherent of all the other factions. A Hive character can be truly evil (which is always an interesting roleplaying challenge) while being entirely consistent about it. Humans are, as a whole, flawed, egocentric and instinctive beings, to the extent that most of them are even unaware of their shortcomings. So why give these people a choice or representation when it comes to actions for the good of the collective? If a hive campaign is well-played, it can very well make an excellent setting for character play without the characters actually doing a 1984 on their faction. They don't have to be monsters, on the contrary, they might even think of themselves as the ones doing what is necessary, despite their better instincts. Plus the Hive, like the Imperial Fleet, gives you the chance to get all those old Nazi-type uniforms out the genre cupboard and have Genejack allies as cannon fodder - what more could one want? :) Kelly: Quote:
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11-04-2009, 06:27 AM | #64 |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
Actually, the problem with Hive is that they aren't described in enough detail in the original 'supplement' (i.e. Alpha Centauri 1.0). They might look like utilitarians, but there's more to them.
BTW, I always liked 'President Ya' (sorry, just had to quote the funny translation) for being ascetic. Pretty admirable when it comes to leaders. |
11-04-2009, 07:37 AM | #65 |
Banned
Join Date: May 2008
Location: TIE pilot aboard the ISD Butterball
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
One final observation about the Hive that struck me is this:
In most real-time strategy games and turn-based strategy games, you are - essentially - playing as an absolute ruler with control over all military, economic, and security powers! Even in games like Civilization, where you can nominally run a Democracy or Capitalist nation, you (the player) are still in charge of production, troop disposition, and so forth. That's a tried and true formula for making a game fun... and it's a valuable insight as to what might make the Hive a cool faction to role-play. Put the players in the driver's seat, and then suddenly a faction with authoritarian leanings becomes full of potential. |
11-04-2009, 08:52 AM | #66 | |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mainz, Germany
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
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There is quite a bit of description, especially when it comes to Yang's personality, in the "beginning" story in the Alpha Centauri file. Takes ages to read, and some of it's over the top, but you really get a feel for Yang, Lal and Zakharov. In fact, it is very interesting to play out the Unity voyage as it is described in that document with all its disasters as a prequel adventure to an Alpha Centauri Planetfall campaign. We did it in our group and it really got a nice feel going. Has anybody else tried a Unity adventure? I'd be interested to hear how it worked for other groups and constellations. P.S.: Is having the characters actually play the leaders and then lead the faction actually viable as roleplaying? Because I always had the feel that it would only lead to endless planning and simulation sessions, and not so much actual characterplay as such. |
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11-04-2009, 09:42 AM | #67 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
I'm not sure all the AC societies actually work if you look at them too closely, at least if you take them at face value.
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11-04-2009, 10:22 AM | #68 |
Join Date: Jan 2008
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
Oh, I assure you, I only sound good if you ignore the nine out of ten games where I'm wiped out by the year 0. It's just that when I'm not, I've got tech developement going several centuries ahead of the real world, and I think typically getting more so as I progress.
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11-06-2009, 04:33 PM | #69 |
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Mainz, Germany
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Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.
Why's that? I mean, yeah, obviously you've got the whole sci-fi bias, and slight utopian/dystopian tendencies, but apart from that, why shouldn't they work? Or what exactly do you consider face value? :)
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alpha centauri, sci-fi |
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