Duplicates & Study Time

[JCurwen3]

I'm pretty sure that the rules don't allow you to have each of your dupes study different things, each gaining CP at the things they're training at the rate of 1 CP per 200 hour (more or less). Am I correct that the rules don't allow this?

I guess the same thing could apply to a character with levels of Compartmentalized Mind using each mind to study something purely mental (if the character has Clairvoyance and Telekinesis, he could even have each mind read separate texts and write separate notes).

If not, what's the explanation for players as to why they can't use dupes to study multiple things at the same time (in terms of some "in-game" reality)?

[Refplace]

Far as I know RAW does not address either directly.
I wuld say no on the Duplicates as your merging them but could see a case for it.
ATR and CM should allow it though there may be limitations affecting effciency.
Note that Does not Need to Sleep or Does not Need to Eat can increase your effective study time as well. I have allowed both those in some games.
Study time is only an issue if you allow lots of downtime.
If you do then everyone can benefit but those who put points into magnifying that benefit would get more out of it. Might be a problem but not in all campaigns.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I'm pretty sure that the rules don't allow you to have each of your dupes study different things, each gaining CP at the things they're training at the rate of 1 CP per 200 hour (more or less). Am I correct that the rules don't allow this?

I would certainly allow dupes to study multiple subjects at the same time. In fact, if someone had the super-effort version (where you get a huge number of dupes), I would allow them to study a huge number of subjects. But I would not allow them to study a single subject in massive parallelism; it would have to be different subjects.

Bill Stoddard

[vierasmarius]

The Duplicate advantage states that the character gains the memories of all his dupes when they merge. As such, I see no problem with letting them all train and accumulate skill points normally. The only restriction I'd place is that they'd have to be training different skills, or at the very least have a different teacher for each dupe. Two students in a classroom are gonna learn the same material from a single lesson (assuming they're actually paying attention). Combining their memories of that lesson isn't going to help them learn any faster. So the best use of Dupes is to have them go study different things, or have one study while another works, etc.

EDIT: Ninja'd. Whoosh-whoosh!

[oldgringo2001]

One of my favorite Supers is Regiment (GURPS Mixed Doubles), a private eye whose only real superpower is duplication. He can certainly do a case study in a hurry.

A very long time ago I read a story which I think was by A.E. van Vogt, but I could be mis-remembering it. What I do remember is that the protagonist was a college professor who used technological duplication to teach several classes at once, and took some time to get his thoughts back together at the end of the day.

Dr. What-7 in IOU can't do this because his duplication isn't "real"; he can have several versions of himself at various ages in the same present due to his time travelling.

Or does he? Maybe his "time travel" is all a hoax; he's really got Duplication power and a ridiculous level of Fast Talk.

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by JCurwen3

I'm pretty sure that the rules don't allow you to have each of your dupes study different things, each gaining CP at the things they're training at the rate of 1 CP per 200 hour (more or less). Am I correct that the rules don't allow this?

The problem with doing that is, that the result is two different characters and you generally only get to control one character.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

The problem with doing that is, that the result is two different characters and you generally only get to control one character.

If you make it Switchable, you can avoid that.

Bill Stoddard

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by whswhs

If you make it Switchable, you can avoid that.

Bill Stoddard

Make...what switchable?

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

Make...what switchable?

Duplication. Assuming it's not inherently switchable. You switch it off, and all the dupes merge, and their memories pool.

Bill Stoddard

[David Johnston2]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Duplication. Assuming it's not inherently switchable. You switch it off, and all the dupes merge, and their memories pool.

Bill Stoddard

The duplicates can remerge. But if they have become different characters, they are no longer duplicates I think.

Although if you work from the precedent of wounds, what would happen is once they remerge, the hours of study they did separately would be divided by the number of the duplicates.