Goodman Games

How far advanced is bioengineering in Etherscope? Are uplifted animals possible? And what about extinct species? Any dinosaurs clomping about?

Ralph the Dog wrote:How far advanced is bioengineering in Etherscope? Are uplifted animals possible? And what about extinct species? Any dinosaurs clomping about?

It has come quite far, but I'm not sure about the genetic possibility of "uplifted animals" - the transgenic human races are human mixed with animal DNA.... and who knows what other prototype species the Eugenics League has been working on.

As for Dinosaurs.... that would be telling

Ben

What about people with "designer genes" for working underwater or other adverse conditions?

Ralph the Dog wrote:What about people with "designer genes" for working underwater or other adverse conditions?

It's possible, I suppose. I think the Eugenics League wouldn't be as interested in this type of thing as they would in perhaps making a new transgenic human strain with the properties required for working underwater, such as a fish-man species, or something. They tend to think in terms of making the human species better adapted for different roles in society than simply providing individuals with designer genes. If you were to ask the EL for a worker who could work underwater they'd ask you the precise ins and outs of their job and investigate any simialr jobs to find out precisesly what characteristics such a worker would require.

That said, given their experience with the Gamma's ducking into the sewers, I think they'd be unlikely to risk making a big investment into a species that could so easily get away from ther sphere of control.

Ben

What about cloning..either whole bodies or just parts? And what about that ever popular pulp staple...a brain inside a life-support system?

Ralph the Dog wrote:What about cloning..either whole bodies or just parts? And what about that ever popular pulp staple...a brain inside a life-support system?

I'mnot sure they've got the technology to clone body parts - plus who needs them when they've got Cybernaughtics (which they developed much of teh technology for). They could clone whole people, but why would they want to when they can create entire new species?

The brain in the jar seems perfectly plausible given the cybernaughtic technology...

Ben

malladin_ben wrote:

Ralph the Dog wrote:What about cloning..either whole bodies or just parts? And what about that ever popular pulp staple...a brain inside a life-support system?

I'mnot sure they've got the technology to clone body parts - plus who needs them when they've got Cybernaughtics (which they developed much of teh technology for). They could clone whole people, but why would they want to when they can create entire new species?


Ben

The cloning of whole people could be used for either bringing back somebody like Einstein,Leonardo, etc...(Or Hitler..Mao).

Cloned bodies could also be used as "blanks" for creatures from the Etherscape.

Ralph the Dog wrote:Cloned bodies could also be used as "blanks" for creatures from the Etherscape.

Now that's a great idea - not one the EL would entertain, but certainly a great idea for a sinister adventure.

Ben

Cloned bodies could also be used as "blanks" for creatures from the Etherscape.

Stay tuned, you'll be seeing who and why would do this quite soon in a forthcoming supplement, and it isn't anyone as humanistic as the EL. Don't suppose your a Grant Morrison fan ?, that'd be a big help in guessing!

Malladin_Nigel wrote:Stay tuned, you'll be seeing who and why would do this quite soon in a forthcoming supplement, and it isn't anyone as humanistic as the EL.

Tsk, and there I was trying to keep coy

Ben

Malladin_Nigel wrote:Cloned bodies could also be used as "blanks" for creatures from the Etherscape.

Stay tuned, you'll be seeing who and why would do this quite soon in a forthcoming supplement, and it isn't anyone as humanistic as the EL. Don't suppose your a Grant Morrison fan ?, that'd be a big help in guessing!

I read his JLA stuff and enjoyed it, but I don't think that's the vein we're looking for in this case.

Another thing about the blanks are their genetical potential, you could create blanks with recessive abilities from various creatures.

Example:You could encode the superior capabilities of a wolf with the regenerative powers of certain lizards...and Voila!!! A werewolf!!

All the animalistic traits would be recessive and it would require the "operator/driver" to activate the abilities by introducing a Ether "current" into the blank's body. Another factor of this type of creature would be that all traits would be passed to any offspring of the original creature.

Blanks could also be of lesser animals who would serve as drones.

Example:Who would think that an alley cat would be serving as probe for a "Dark Power"?

Interesting ideas but most of you forget that EL works as every human organasation for profit. Most of the species are tailored following specefic orders, at least thus it seems. I can't understand who would pay for the creation of a werewolf, given the risks taken in the process.

Of course I belive that concepts like th one portrayed in the movie "The Island" could have a place in this world easily. Mad scientists are easy to be found.

Interesting ideas but most of you forget that EL works as every human organasation for profit.

Thats not actually a correct understanding. The EL is a non profit making fellowship of like minded individuals with shared goals and ideas and is run more like the Royal Society than a business. Individual members are rich and money's generated by the League are channeled into research and supporting members and the goals of the League. Ultimately, transgenics exist to free humanity of the burdens of labour so that it can advance to utopia and so the League follows an ultimately humanitarian, rather than capitalist, agenda. Of course within that framework there's a lot of different visions, egos and agendas!

And who founds their research?


There is always a kind of profit behind sh*t like this.

Malladin_Nigel wrote:Interesting ideas but most of you forget that EL works as every human organasation for profit.

Thats not actually a correct understanding. The EL is a non profit making fellowship of like minded individuals with shared goals and ideas and is run more like the Royal Society than a business. Individual members are rich and money's generated by the League are channeled into research and supporting members and the goals of the League. Ultimately, transgenics exist to free humanity of the burdens of labour so that it can advance to utopia and so the League follows an ultimately humanitarian, rather than capitalist, agenda. Of course within that framework there's a lot of different visions, egos and agendas!

How can a group be seen as humanitarian, if they're creating disposable people? If I create a race or a species which can think or feel but I see them as labor saving devices...how is that humanitarian?

Ralph the Dog wrote:How can a group be seen as humanitarian, if they're creating disposable people? If I create a race or a species which can think or feel but I see them as labor saving devices...how is that humanitarian?

Their goal is to raise humanity above manual labour. They simply don't class transgenics as human in the same way that they class alpha and beta humans. I agree, they have their morals in a twist, but they do have a moral agenda

Ben

yperiwn wrote:And who founds their research?

Research is largely funded by wealthy philanthropic individuals who believe in teh Laegue's goals. Whilst the league does make money from its reseach, there's certainly more going in than coming out.

Ben

Their goal is to raise humanity above manual labour. They simply don't class transgenics as human in the same way that they class alpha and beta humans. I agree, they have their morals in a twist, but they do have a moral agenda.

Remember, etherscope is a dark world, while the EL's moral agenda is off kilter by our standards in their world thet've got a lot higher moral ground than an awful lot of other power groups. A key differential for the EL is that people, in the human sense of alphas and betas, are born while transgenics are artifically bred, its a difference between natural, if accelerated, evolution and genetic engineering. As befitting its cyberpunk routes its among individuals and counter culture groups where real humanity is found in Etherscope.

Malladin_Nigel wrote:Their goal is to raise humanity above manual labour. They simply don't class transgenics as human in the same way that they class alpha and beta humans. I agree, they have their morals in a twist, but they do have a moral agenda.

Remember, etherscope is a dark world, while the EL's moral agenda is off kilter by our standards in their world thet've got a lot higher moral ground than an awful lot of other power groups. A key differential for the EL is that people, in the human sense of alphas and betas, are born while transgenics are artifically bred, its a difference between natural, if accelerated, evolution and genetic engineering. As befitting its cyberpunk routes its among individuals and counter culture groups where real humanity is found in Etherscope.

What about "Cogito Ergo Sum"? "I think..therefore I am?" Couldn't some villain take advantage of this? Someone with charisma could preach to the transgenics that just because they were born different doesn't mean that they are lesser beings. "And if you follow me..I shall..etc..etc.?"

And on the flip side of that coin, doesn't a transgenic species seem tailor made for hate groups to focus their attention on?

Ralph the Dog wrote:Someone with charisma could preach to the transgenics that just because they were born different doesn't mean that they are lesser beings. "And if you follow me..I shall..etc..etc.?"

And on the flip side of that coin, doesn't a transgenic species seem tailor made for hate groups to focus their attention on?

Check out The Great Metropolis - you should find some evidence of both these within its pages .

malladin_ben wrote:

Ralph the Dog wrote:Someone with charisma could preach to the transgenics that just because they were born different doesn't mean that they are lesser beings. "And if you follow me..I shall..etc..etc.?"

And on the flip side of that coin, doesn't a transgenic species seem tailor made for hate groups to focus their attention on?

Check out The Great Metropolis - you should find some evidence of both these within its pages .

Are there any great charismatic leaders among the transgenic species? Or are they developed to be less intelligent/dynamic than "normal" people?

Are there any great charismatic leaders among the transgenic species? Or are they developed to be less intelligent/dynamic than "normal" people?

While they are developed to be more compliant, except Gammas, as represented by their reduced excellence points, transgenics can be more than the sum of their breeding thus leaders have emerged. The transgenics are the centre of the 'what makes someone human' debate that has to underly any serious attempt to incorporate artificial lifeforms and is one of the big themes of etherscope, extending into the realms of human rights and class inequalities. The Great Metropolis highlights these issues in context and its a theme that will be explored further. both in supplements and on threads like this which really explore the heart of the game, which space often prevents fully discussing in published work. Etherscopes very thematically driven and there's a lot of ground to cover, though I won't pretend its not a pleasure to do and threads like this are great as they show people are interested in the themes and tackling them in their roleplaying, which is where games really come to life.

How are transgenics named? Since they're created..what takes the place of the family name? A batch number? Or do they take the family name of a member of the EL?

Mostly now they are interbreeding, so they carry the name of their father. Their original surnames were probably assigned to them by the governments who "commissioned" them. In the great metropolis they were granted the confiscated properties of the rebels from teh 30s. I'd say they've been named after whoever's confiscated property they got.

Ben

Interesting, that reminds me of the way afro-americans were named back in the day they were shipped from africa.