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Old 05-16-2009, 12:50 PM   #31
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Molokh
Aren't they vat-grown?
Usually not, unless you've got the Clone Vats Project. Human wombs require less of a material investment. And of course Retroviral Engineering can be used to convert anyone into a Genejack. And Genejacks are, as the book explained severely mentally handicapped slaves with a life expectancy of about 30 years. Also they aren't necessarily happy. They simply lack the initiative to do something about being unhappy.
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Old 05-16-2009, 01:03 PM   #32
vicky_molokh
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

Quote:
Originally Posted by David Johnston2
Usually not, unless you've got the Clone Vats Project. Human wombs require less of a material investment. And of course Retroviral Engineering can be used to convert anyone into a Genejack. And Genejacks are, as the book explained severely mentally handicapped slaves with a life expectancy of about 30 years. Also they aren't necessarily happy. They simply lack the initiative to do something about being unhappy.
Oh. That's a change of perspective.

BTW, how's your AC project going?
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Old 05-16-2009, 01:08 PM   #33
David Johnston2
 
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by Molokh
Oh. That's a change of perspective.

BTW, how's your AC project going?
Not well. Evaluating the value of a Mind Worm boil as an Ally is proving tricky.
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Old 05-16-2009, 01:10 PM   #34
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2
Not well. Evaluating the value of a Mind Worm boil as an Ally is proving tricky.
Problems building the template?

Do you build a boil as a Swarm (as per Powers) or as an Ally Group?
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Last edited by vicky_molokh; 05-16-2009 at 01:14 PM.
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Old 05-16-2009, 04:23 PM   #35
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by Molokh
Problems building the template?

Do you build a boil as a Swarm (as per Powers) or as an Ally Group?
As a Swarm but I'm having more problems with its physical attack.
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Old 05-16-2009, 09:44 PM   #36
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen
Figured I should actually post on the actual topic of the thread, rather than just beating my head against the wall. :-)
While I'm looking for some aspirin that shouldn't have been thrown away long ago to offer to Kelly, thanks to everyone who posted reports of actual play sessions. Just knowing that it really can be done refreshes my hopes of someday actually seeing my campaign hit the ground running during the pre-Planetfall mutiny onboard the Unity. :-)
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Old 05-17-2009, 01:48 AM   #37
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2
As a Swarm but I'm having more problems with its physical attack.
Well, I'd probably give them a FP attack and/or some paralyzing ability for the mind attack, Infectious Attack for reproduction, and probably a token Corr attack for 'chewing through anything softer than plasmasteel' (because they don't necessarily have high damage individually). Of course, I haven't read the book, so I don't know many of the details (speaking of which, is Yang a closet memeticist?).
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Old 05-18-2009, 11:44 PM   #38
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2
of course Retroviral Engineering can be used to convert anyone into a Genejack
(I finally got enough sleep to check my comp copy for a reply.) The Genejack "Racial Template" describes them as a human subspecies, and mentions rumors that the authoritarian Factions really can and do use this technique on adult dissenters. Genejacking is sort of a higher TL biotech-based version of Nerve Stapling.
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Old 11-02-2009, 10:31 AM   #39
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by capnq View Post
(I finally got enough sleep to check my comp copy for a reply.) The Genejack "Racial Template" describes them as a human subspecies, and mentions rumors that the authoritarian Factions really can and do use this technique on adult dissenters. Genejacking is sort of a higher TL biotech-based version of Nerve Stapling.
Yup - basically Genejacks are invitro-bred by default, though I don't see how that's more ethical than nerve-stapling. Of course, who knows what the Hive might be cooking up?

Btw, does anyone know anything as for a 4th ed. upgrade for Alpha Centauri? I run a Planetfall campaign going into its fourth "season" now, but the constant conversion of the psi rules, equipment stats and the mind worm boils really got on my nerves at the beginning. Also the fact that the vehicles still use the 3rd edition rules - I've basically had to convert the whole thing, so I have dozens of word files flapping about; one with mindworms, one with faction leaders, one with ranged weapons, bla bla bla...
I was wondering whether anyone else had that kind of fun, and how you went about solving things like the psi abilities - for instance, I thought it more sensible to replace the mind worm "mind blast" ability with the "Terror" advantage...
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Old 11-02-2009, 10:51 AM   #40
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Default Re: How is GURPS Alpha Centauri.

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Originally Posted by David Johnston2 View Post
That people can't just go straight from the stone age to the 21st century is a real thing. The rate of technological advance in a game of Alpha Centauri is pretty radical.
True, but there are three mitigating factors: the average intelligence of the population is very high, the motivation is strong, and they are mostly redeveloping lost technologies throughout the early stages, that they know are possible, they probably retain a great deal of theoretical knowledge in their files that doesn't have to be redeveloped from scratch.

Still, yes, the development path is greased lightning.

Last edited by Johnny1A.2; 11-02-2009 at 11:33 AM.
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