Building Trauma Team using GURPS ULTRATECH

[hal]

Hello Folks,
As I get into the implications of thing here and there, something caught my attention from the Video game, and it made me dig into it a little deeper.

Cyberpunk 2020 and Cyberpunk 2077 have this service called "Trauma Team". The premise is simple enough - the card paying member is entitled to emergency medical response in a manner that also includes removing the member's body from immediate harm, by means of force if necessary. The fun part is, Trauma Team's service level agreement is such that they have to respond to your call within 7 minutes. Actual time taken is randomly rolled as 1d6+1 minutes.

Now for the fun part. How does the Trauma Team know how to find you? There is a reference to platinum level membership, which implies there are lesser levels of Trauma Team memberships, which in turn, implies that the service levels involved can be as cheap as or as expensive a policy as one might wish to have.

Ignoring the fact that GURPS 4e doesn't have a vehicle design system that permits one to "build" a vehicle from scratch, one either has to utilize GURPS VEHICLE DESIGNER 2nd edition, or one simply eyeballs the stats based on converting the CP2020 stats over for use with GURPS VEHICLE stats.

But here is where it can be fun trying to mix and match GURPS for use with CP2020. For instance, the use of Emergency support unit (see UT97), means that characters who have suffered mortal wounds can be stabiliized sufficiently to be transported to a trauma team in a surgical operating theater. An ESU can also maintain the bodily functions of a dead body in a manner such as to preserve the body from brain death presuming of course, the brain wasn't destroyed outright, or the body is so badly perforated that it is bleeding to death non-stop.

Which brings me to the next thought: RESUSCITATION. Resuscitation can be performed on a body that is not breathing, and can be performed on a newly dead body on an operating table. One could for example, extrapolate that even if a character dies outright (failed a death saving roll), a newly arrived Emergency Medical Technician could attempt to resuscitate the character.

Ultimately, the medical benefits to a player character who has this level of medical insurance benefits are tremendous. But the implications of such a service are perhaps equally of interest.

[sjard]

In CP2020, the description of the membership card included a line about folding/breaking the card which would turn it into an active signal for TTI to home in on.

If that helps for the locating them question.

[hal]

Originally Posted by sjard

In CP2020, the description of the membership card included a line about folding/breaking the card which would turn it into an active signal for TTI to home in on.

If that helps for the locating them question.

So in theory, the device could be manually engaged. Problem is, if the card is misplaced or removed (stolen?) - the service holder is in deep Kimchi.

Somehow, I would imagine that the Holder of such an expensive service contract is going to want all bases covered.

Thoughts?

[sjard]

Keep in mind, that part was written in something like 1989. I haven't looked yet, but I'd imagine with the updating RED got alongside 2077, it could very well be a software item in your bio-monitor that sends out a signal on the net if your vitals drop.

Edit: From the CPRED core book, "The Agent even monitors your body signs if you ask; if you're wounded, it can scan your body and call the Trauma Team if you link it to a Biomonitor." The Agent being the "Self-Adaptive AI (not a true AI)" that comes with every equivalent of the 2047 equivalent of a cell phone.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by sjard

Edit: From the CPRED core book, "The Agent even monitors your body signs if you ask; if you're wounded, it can scan your body and call the Trauma Team if you link it to a Biomonitor." The Agent being the "Self-Adaptive AI (not a true AI)" that comes with every equivalent of the 2047 equivalent of a cell phone.

So it's the Agent that has the GPS data and it sends that data when it decdes to call in TT. This is also an ideal stituation for use of one time pads. Short messages between prearranged correspondents,

The "phone" in question probably does have radio but IR and Laser too. See how small and cheap the smallest versions of each of those is and bundle it with a Tiny computer. The IR might supercede what is conventional cell in our time in a sort of"micro-cell" network but TT can maintain it's own open air laser link set-up with overhead drones.

[hal]

Nice Guys - THANK you for the ideas and thoughts. Right of Access is going to likely be important, but the good news is, if TT is neutral in all things, then everyone whose executives are going to be involved with, will WANT the TT to show up within 6 minutes.

The other network idea is intriguing, will look into that concept. Dead Zones are going to likely become an issue in the game.

:)

[hal]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

So it's the Agent that has the GPS data and it sends that data when it decdes to call in TT. This is also an ideal stituation for use of one time pads. Short messages between prearranged correspondents,

The "phone" in question probably does have radio but IR and Laser too. See how small and cheap the smallest versions of each of those is and bundle it with a Tiny computer. The IR might supercede what is conventional cell in our time in a sort of"micro-cell" network but TT can maintain it's own open air laser link set-up with overhead drones.

It occurs to me that unless people can link a given "signal" with a given person, especially if the signals are encrypted, that even if people can track someone by their GPS locator signal, it isn't necessarily a bad thing.

Is it?

[hal]

Originally Posted by sjard

Keep in mind, that part was written in something like 1989. I haven't looked yet, but I'd imagine with the updating RED got alongside 2077, it could very well be a software item in your bio-monitor that sends out a signal on the net if your vitals drop.

Edit: From the CPRED core book, "The Agent even monitors your body signs if you ask; if you're wounded, it can scan your body and call the Trauma Team if you link it to a Biomonitor." The Agent being the "Self-Adaptive AI (not a true AI)" that comes with every equivalent of the 2047 equivalent of a cell phone.

Later in that book, it also states that it can detect when your HP is at half level or when you've taken a critical hit (any roll on the damage dice that comes up a 6).

So, that implies a bio monitor that is active and scanning for actual body condition.

Now all I have to do is figure out what is a decent radio range for the device. I plan on creating a specific TT bio-monitor for use with the campaign.

[mlangsdorf]

Trauma Team presumably conditions its service agreements on your membership level. Trauma Team Black membership gets you a good faith attempt at a pickup within 10 minutes if you're injured within 15 miles of a TT service center. Trauma Team Executive Platinum Plus membership gets you an orbital re-entry vehicle standing by whenever you are more than 500 miles away from a TT service center and a guarantee that there will be a medtech dealing with your injuries in 6 minutes from receipt of emergency signal.

Your contract with TT doesn't go inactive, but TT doesn't make the same guarantees when you're in the middle of Yukon Territory.

As far as the range of the TT monitor's radio, if you agree that the mega-corps have an obligation to pass TT signals through their own internal networks[1], then you only need enough radio to reach the local network provider. Call if a few miles. TT might also seed the airspace with solar powered, lighter than air, relay drones that hang out about a mile up and provide coverage for their radios.

[1] This implies that TT has a counter-hacker team that goes around and aggressively murders any netrunner who tries to hijack/borrow/cloak themselves with TT's network symbols, which might be an interesting idea for a campaign.

[sjard]

Originally Posted by hal

Now all I have to do is figure out what is a decent radio range for the device. I plan on creating a specific TT bio-monitor for use with the campaign.

Probably just long enough to connect to the equivalent of a cell tower, so 0.25-1 mile would make sense.