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]

How does the Trauma Team know when and where to find you?

If you have an attached bio-monitor with a beacon of some kind, it stands to reason that the moment your bio-monitor notes a death state or severe injury state, that it will call for the Trauma Team. But the interesting aspect of this are:

1) if your radio signal can't reach a Trauma Team receiver, it is worthless (such as being in an area that kills or hampers the range of radio broadcasts, much like cell service can be unavailable in a deep garage.

2) your signal has to have a GPS component to it.

3) it has to be relatively tamper proof.

Step #3 shows up as having been bypassed in CP2077 the video game, as a scavanger attempts to pry cybernetic parts from its now unconscious owner.

What are the other implications of this kind of service? It seems for instance, that restricted Air space and emergency protocols of Trauma Team might very well conflict with each other from time to time. What would be the final protocol in such a conflict? Would the desire for universal availability for Platinum Holders override restricted Air space protocols? Just thinking.

[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.

[mlangsdorf]

Originally Posted by hal

It seems for instance, that restricted Air space and emergency protocols of Trauma Team might very well conflict with each other from time to time. What would be the final protocol in such a conflict? Would the desire for universal availability for Platinum Holders override restricted Air space protocols? Just thinking.

In the modern world, if a business claims that its contract service with a customer allows it to trespass on a third party's properties, much less FAA restricted airspace, it is going to find out that it is very, very wrong.

In a Cyberpunk world, Trauma Team might have enough leverage to get the mega-corps to allow TT access to their holdings for the express purpose of retrieving the injured.

My initial thought it that TT isn't a unique enough service and the various mega-corps would each have their own TT service equivalent, but TT actually does provide a service that an in-house medical team can't provide: neutrality. As an example, if DMA's executives are on Smartz property for negotiations and an accident happens, DMA probably doesn't want Smartz medtechs to treat the DMA executives, and Smartz doesn't want a DMA med team to enter onto Smartz property. TT, as a trusted neutral to both, provides a solution. And TT has leverage to force Smartz to allow TT onto their property: if Smartz doesn't allow it, TT won't attempt to recover Smartz from other mega-corps properties.

As soon as TT has right-of-access agreements in place with the mega-corps, it's trivial for them to get access to government restricted airspace: the mega-corps rewrite (or tell their controlled legislators/regulators to rewrite) the relevant regulations to give TT a free pass.

So if a service like TT exists and can enter mega-corp property, then it can almost certainly enter government restricted airspace.

Also, TT might have written into their right-of-access contracts that TT card signals have to be relayed through mega-corp controlled dead zones. Which gives TT a lot of access, and makes them a prime target for hackers, infiltrators, and fraudsters who to use that access to go places that they shouldn't go. And TT probably comes down hard on those criminals, because TT's entire business model is based on TT being neutral and having that compromised causes the entire model to fall apart.

[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.

:)

[sjard]

Originally Posted by 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.

:)

The only groups that don't want TTI to get there first are the competitors in setting who try to beat them to the site. Which is probably intended to lead to adventure opportunity.

[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?