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Message no. 1
From: paool <paool@*******.NET>
Subject: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 12:59:09 -0400
Okay....I have this idea for a musician that performs everything (music,
vocal, etc.) all by himself, and live. Kinda like a DJ for the 2060s.
The basic idea was giving him an encephalon and many a Synthlink (which
was left out of SR3, grumble, grumble), and tons of music skills.
Now, my question is this:
The encephalon allows you to "multitask your cognitive needs." Cognitive
basically means thought. Now, he'd be using it to be able to control
each of his synthlinked instruments separately, which would be fine if
he memorized the music before hand. But what if he wanted to improvise.
Does the encephalon allow him to multitask the raw creativity needed to
wing it with many instruments?

paool
Message no. 2
From: David Foster <fixer@*******.TLH.FL.US>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 14:50:59 -0400
On Wed, 16 Sep 1998, paool wrote:

->Okay....I have this idea for a musician that performs everything (music,
->vocal, etc.) all by himself, and live. Kinda like a DJ for the 2060s.
->The basic idea was giving him an encephalon and many a Synthlink (which
->was left out of SR3, grumble, grumble), and tons of music skills.
->Now, my question is this:
->The encephalon allows you to "multitask your cognitive needs." Cognitive
->basically means thought. Now, he'd be using it to be able to control
->each of his synthlinked instruments separately, which would be fine if
->he memorized the music before hand. But what if he wanted to improvise.
->Does the encephalon allow him to multitask the raw creativity needed to
->wing it with many instruments?

ARGH! You had to ask a hard question, didn't you? Ok, EvilGM
time....
Is the Synthlink actually connected to the encephalon? From what
I've read about it, it translates physical motions into music, so an
Encephalon won't help.
If the Synthlink DID connect to the Encephalon and you COULD use
it and the Synthlink DIDN'T translate physical into musical, but instead
translated thought into musical, I'd say you'd suffer penalties to your
Impact rating because of the overtasking on your Encephalon. Roll each
appropriate skill, take the lowest Open Test result and apply it, only, to
your Impact.
Ok, I/O SPU to help with the overtasking... ok, I/O will help for
multiple inputs, still assuming that synthlinks use mental rather than
physical input, you'd need multiple synthlinks, otherwise you'd only have
one synthlink trying to create multiple 'voices' and overtasking it. Ok,
you have three synthlinks so you can have three instruments, an Encephalon
4 to handle the three synthlinks plus being able to sing with your own
voice, an I/O SPU 4 to handle the four and not get them confused, and
you're thinking all happy joy-joy. Whoops, essence anyone?
Synthlinks are (I think, don't have Shadowbeat handy) a half
essence point each. Encephalon 4 is 1.75 essence. I/O SPU4 is (I think)
.25 essence. You're down 3.5 essence so far and still need a datajack
(which, I'll require one for each instrument, so three datajacks). 4.1
essence down the tubes. Ok, you can handle that.... damn, social
considerations for cyberware, so far you're at a +2 to social TNs for
having so little essence left. Fun's not over yet.
When you're a musician, you throw your soul into your music (or,
so I've been told by a singer friend of mine). Damn, with 1.9 essence,
you don't have much soul left (figuratively speaking). Ok, a +2 on social
TNs comes to -2 on impact tests (roughly, anybody who disagrees can make
up your own number but there should be SOME penalty). Ok, according to
normal performance rules, each band member makes an open test and the
lowest (after modifiers) is used to determine Impact. After Impact is
determined, use the -2 modifier (plus any the GM might come up with for
SSLD, if applicable. The better the roll, the more 'intense' the music
and the more tasking it would be on system resources) for low essence.
Ok, you can live with all thee above. Ok, you're trying to get a
contract, don't forget to apply those +2 Social TNs to your negotiations
(how much are you going to get paid), Etiquette/Music Business (Hey, isn't
there an opening at Penumbra next week?) and Musical Composition (Ya know,
his music sounds real mathematical and less passionate than it used to...)
skill tests.
Always give your players what they ask for. Just make them wish
they hadn't asked. ]:-)

Fixer --------------} The easy I do before breakfast,
the difficult I do all day long,
the impossible only during the week,
and miracles performed on an as-needed basis....

Now tell me, what was your problem?
Message no. 3
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 15:44:16 -0400
At 12:59 PM 9/16/98 -0400, you wrote:

>The encephalon allows you to "multitask your cognitive needs." Cognitive
>basically means thought. Now, he'd be using it to be able to control
>each of his synthlinked instruments separately, which would be fine if
>he memorized the music before hand. But what if he wanted to improvise.
>Does the encephalon allow him to multitask the raw creativity needed to
>wing it with many instruments?

Raw creativity? Sorry, the encephalon won't allow you to multi-task that.
What might happen is that you allow the encephalon to maintain control over
synth instruments, like a drum machine, until the PC wants to return to
that instrument and take control or change something.

Erik J.


http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/dungeon/480/index.html
The Reality Check for a Fictional World
Message no. 4
From: Steve Eley <sfeley@***.NET>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 15:59:13 -0400
Erik Jameson wrote:
>
> Raw creativity? Sorry, the encephalon won't allow you to multi-task that.
> What might happen is that you allow the encephalon to maintain control over
> synth instruments, like a drum machine, until the PC wants to return to
> that instrument and take control or change something.


So they'd be like drones? You'd have Primary instruments and Secondary
instruments -- or you could play them all at once in the Captain's Chair
mode. >8->

(Coming soon: Shadowbeat 2, with 46 pages of Saxophone Design Rules...)


Have Fun,
- Steve Eley
sfeley@***.net
Message no. 5
From: Robert Nesius <nesius@******.COM>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 13:44:39 -0700
Steve Eley on -268443480 wrote:
> Erik Jameson wrote:
> >
> > Raw creativity? Sorry, the encephalon won't allow you to multi-task that.
> > What might happen is that you allow the encephalon to maintain control over
> > synth instruments, like a drum machine, until the PC wants to return to
> > that instrument and take control or change something.
>
>
> So they'd be like drones? You'd have Primary instruments and Secondary
> instruments -- or you could play them all at once in the Captain's Chair
> mode. >8->
>
> (Coming soon: Shadowbeat 2, with 46 pages of Saxophone Design Rules...)

One of my player's characters is almost like that. His drones are
equipped to have the equipment for a show. Lights, disco ball, smoke,
speakers... He can roll up to an abandon warehouse, pop his drones,
tweak the sound system - presto. Instant rave. The Rigger DJ.
I though it was a cool idea...

-Rob
Message no. 6
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 18:05:46 -0400
At 01:44 PM 9/16/98 -0700, you wrote:

>One of my player's characters is almost like that. His drones are
>equipped to have the equipment for a show. Lights, disco ball, smoke,
>speakers... He can roll up to an abandon warehouse, pop his drones,
>tweak the sound system - presto. Instant rave. The Rigger DJ.
>I though it was a cool idea...

Rigger DJ...that's twisted, it might be far more appropriate for an NPC
than a PC, but undeniably cool...

Erik J.


http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/dungeon/480/index.html
The Reality Check for a Fictional World
Message no. 7
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 18:06:27 -0400
At 03:59 PM 9/16/98 -0400, you wrote:
>Erik Jameson wrote:
>>
>> Raw creativity? Sorry, the encephalon won't allow you to multi-task that.
>> What might happen is that you allow the encephalon to maintain control over
>> synth instruments, like a drum machine, until the PC wants to return to
>> that instrument and take control or change something.
>
>So they'd be like drones? You'd have Primary instruments and Secondary
>instruments -- or you could play them all at once in the Captain's Chair
>mode. >8->

That could be a good analogy I suppose. And you might even be able to
adapt some of the rigger rules even I guess (if that struck your fancy).

>(Coming soon: Shadowbeat 2, with 46 pages of Saxophone Design Rules...)

Haha! And you know what, while it would be seen as stupid and worthless
upon it's release, five years after the fact it would become nigh unto the
holy grail for plenty of gamers...just like Shadowbeat 1....

Erik J.


http://www.fortunecity.com/rivendell/dungeon/480/index.html
The Reality Check for a Fictional World
Message no. 8
From: Patrick Goodman <remo@***.NET>
Subject: Re: One man band with the beauty of cyberware
Date: Wed, 16 Sep 1998 17:10:08 -0500
From: Erik Jameson <erikj@****.COM>
Date: Wednesday, September 16, 1998 5:07 PM

<snip>

>>(Coming soon: Shadowbeat 2, with 46 pages of Saxophone Design Rules...)
>
>Haha! And you know what, while it would be seen as stupid and worthless
>upon it's release, five years after the fact it would become nigh unto the
>holy grail for plenty of gamers...just like Shadowbeat 1....

There are days I honestly wonder how I got by without that book for so
long...I am *so* glad I talked myself out of selling it a few years back.

--
(>) Texas 2-Step
El Paso: Never surrender. Never forget. Never forgive.

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Thwap!