Ghost in the Shell Stuff

[Ymdar]

D_Sinclair:

Thanks for the clarification. To be honest I've only seen the TV shows. (and the two movies)

 

[ukgpublishing]

Hi

Just a few more random ramblings

Thinking over our discussion the other night, most electrical equipment is susceptable to EMP, and this would be equally true for a Cyberbrain.

Now I realise that anyone having such equipment fitted would have adiquate shielding for everyday EMP and EM Interferance, but obviously the military/police/and other less savoury persons would have a variety of EM devices to neutralise a cyberbrain. These could range from a simple EMP Grenade with a variety of payload levels to EM Rifles. And the flip side of the arrangement would be improved EM defences.

The question of what an EM weapon would do to a cyberbrain must range from stunning to temporary and perminent ability loss, to death.

Another aspect of the man/machine interface that the cyberbrain raises as a possiblity is a) the ability to transfer consciousness entirely to a machine entity and b) the ability to backup memories/personality to be restored in the event of cyberbrain failure.

OK

Thats enough rambling for now. My cyberbrain is starting to overheat

 

[Peterson]

Interesting ideas Ymdar. I'll have to give these a strong look over once I get a chance to read it in depth, but on the skim - nice stuff.

I just wish I had a chance to watch the movie(s) again....

Keep up the work!

Peterson

 

[Imperialus]

I like, I like. I actually just got my copy of Stand Alone Complex from E-Bay the other day and what with finals and all have only gotten a chance to start watching it now.

Just wondering, do you use any special rules that allow "mudanes" such as Togusa to keep pace with their cybered counterparts? Just wondering because given the relatively limitless budget that seems to be available to section 9 there would be little reason for a character to keep a meat body other than role playing reasons which would be a pretty serious power hit to take for all but the best role playing reasons.

 

[Imperialus]

The only obvious clue to any sort of widespread conflict in any Ghost in the Shell material occurs in the two TV series, where there are numerous episodes dealing with refugee and veterans issues. The TV shows suggest a widespread panasian conflict that seems to involve most of the easternmost continental nations and the various archipelagos of the western pacific rim, with the refugee problem literally crushing the economies of neutral nations in the region (namely Japan).

Tough to say how nutral Japan was. I belive it is Ep 8 in SAC where Batou goes absolutly ape dealing with a guy he fought alongside as a Ranger in South America. Also implys that the conflict was much more widespread than Asia and th Pacific Rim.

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Well, this thread has sort of prompted me to start thinking about at least a GotS one-shot. I'd probably use Grim Tales for the largest parts of it, though.

As to how to make meat-bodies attractive still. I'm thinking of breaking cyber down pretty simply into CR pops and giving out that much CR in Feats'n'Skills or in Cyber without all of the little back-end work arounds that most cyber uses to "balance" it. Most people hit Charisma in some way, and it's usually Charisma that people initially attracted to cyber are willing to lose. I'll probably let cybered folks TAKE charisma penalties to off-set some cyber, (for flavor) but keep the majority of it tallied in the CR. Darkvision is about .2 CR, a feat is about .2 CR, +2 to a Stat is about .2 CR ... see where I"m going?

--fje

 

[Khorod]

That's a pretty good way to handle it.

In my Shadowrun-inspired system I charge Karma.

 

[JEL]

I like, I like. I actually just got my copy of Stand Alone Complex from E-Bay the other day and what with finals and all have only gotten a chance to start watching it now.

Just wondering, do you use any special rules that allow "mudanes" such as Togusa to keep pace with their cybered counterparts? Just wondering because given the relatively limitless budget that seems to be available to section 9 there would be little reason for a character to keep a meat body other than role playing reasons which would be a pretty serious power hit to take for all but the best role playing reasons.

Go with something like the Buffy game and give him a bunch of extra action points to compensate. Trying to do something to statistically balance him would just come out weird.

 

[D_Sinclair]

Tough to say how nutral Japan was. I belive it is Ep 8 in SAC where Batou goes absolutly ape dealing with a guy he fought alongside as a Ranger in South America. Also implys that the conflict was much more widespread than Asia and th Pacific Rim.

I believe Batou is a naturalized citizen, rather than native born Japanese. His name without the pheonetic butchery induced by the lingustic structure of the japanese language is Bateau, a french name. Best guess, is he was a bayou boy from someplace down south in the US, managed to do well in the US military, and eventually migrated at some point to Japan. Remember, he's 98% cyborg, so we really don't know how old he is (in a later episode in the series involving a kidnapping ring, it is revealed that the young-looking woman leading the ring is actually an 80-year-old ex-Russian spy turned full cyborg).

So Batou could have met his fellow Ranger in South America on an active assignment to help fight the drug war (US troops currently operate in Columbia against rebels well known to be involved in the drug trade)

 

[HeapThaumaturgist]

Go with something like the Buffy game and give him a bunch of extra action points to compensate. Trying to do something to statistically balance him would just come out weird.

I don't think it would come out too weird, personally.

I don't know how to break down action points, but I'm going to guess.

Another feat is worth .2CR and +1 Skill Points Per Level is worth about .1CR.

Unfortunately, the designers for D20 Future didn't really use a system like that to break down the cyber in the Future book, and it shows. You can't even really break them down via cost DCs.

On average, though, I'd count most PL 6 enhancements around .1CR (.2CR for some heavy hitters) and most of the useful PL 7 enhancements around .2CR. Stuff like DR 4/-, .3CR or more.

Because a Ghost in the Shell game would be all ABOUT cybered up individuals the cost-based limiting factors will probably be tossed out the window. Beyond that there's the Con Bonus +1 limiter in Future. That can be kept or scrapped.

I'd say give everybody +.4CR in "free" cyberware for a game like that. So some "doesn't count" replacements for the cybernetic individuals and 2 big pieces or 2 small pieces and a big piece, etc.

Normal humans get an extra skill point per level, an additional feat at 1st level, and +2 Action Points per level. (Skill Points +.1CR, Feat +.2CR, APs +.1CR). All non-cybered heroes would get that bonus. I think that would give somebody a leg up to play a normal person in a game like that.

--fje