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Message no. 1
From: Andre' Selmer <031SEA@******.WITS.AC.ZA>
Subject: Playing Smoke and Mirrors with Insects
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 1995 13:09:27 +0200
If a character throws a smoke grenade down infront of a frothing
hoard of insect spirits (flesh form), does it block their line of
sight.

If I understand the rules correctly, most insect spirits are
dual natured, hence they can see in the astral and mundane worlds
simuntaneously. Now character with high essence like the mage and
Phys. Adpt. will be standing out with their brightly glowing
lifeforce (essence) in astral while the street sams with their limited
glow shouldn't standout to that much of a degree.

Hence will the insects get the negative modifiers for vision vs the
street sams as they close in for the kill. (This is of course
supposing that the smoke also confuses the insects sense of smell).

An here is another addition, most insects due to their multifaceted
eyes are unable to blink. If the characters managed to rig up a
strobe light that flashed both in the standard spectrum and in the UV
spectrum (where insects also have a great deal of sight) what are the
mods. Humans/Metahuman can close their eyes to reduce the effect
(flare compensators work wonders), add in Ultrasound, NOT Lowlight
vision, possibly thermographic (although insects normally are
ectothermic so that is a problem). And cover the characters in that
stuff that absorbs odours. Will this render the spirits (flesh forms
at least) practically blind ???

Andre'

Man is a teller of stories, he lives by and is surrounded by his
own stories and those of other people, he sees everythings that
happens to him in terms of these stories and thus has to live
enacting them
-Sarte

GARFIELD !
-Jon
Message no. 2
From: Sebastian Wiers <seb@***.RIPCO.COM>
Subject: Re: Playing Smoke and Mirrors with Insects
Date: Thu, 20 Jul 1995 13:13:05 -0500
>
> An here is another addition, most insects due to their multifaceted
> eyes are unable to blink. If the characters managed to rig up a
> strobe light that flashed both in the standard spectrum and in the UV
> spectrum (where insects also have a great deal of sight) what are the
> mods. Humans/Metahuman can close their eyes to reduce the effect
> (flare compensators work wonders), add in Ultrasound, NOT Lowlight
> vision, possibly thermographic (although insects normally are
> ectothermic so that is a problem). And cover the characters in that
> stuff that absorbs odours. Will this render the spirits (flesh forms
> at least) practically blind ???
>

Insects must have some sort of protection on thier eyes. Think about it- with
180 degree plus vision compound eyes, on a bright day there are effectively
staring straight into the sun! On the other hand, flesh forms may retain
human style vision. Oh, and if you play with intense UV, please wear UV
blocking glasses.
Also, sams are not harde to see in astral space. In our campaign, essence
loss is reflected in Patterns, perceptions, and colors. Inanimant objects are
dimmer, but implanted cyber is not really inanimant, just post-human.

Sebastian
reading to much Sterling
Message no. 3
From: Gurth <gurth@******.NL>
Subject: Re: Playing Smoke and Mirrors with Insects
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 11:15:16 +0200
>If a character throws a smoke grenade down infront of a frothing
>hoard of insect spirits (flesh form), does it block their line of
>sight.

Yes. Flesh forms are just as affected by physical phenomena as you and me are.

[snip]
>Hence will the insects get the negative modifiers for vision vs the
>street sams as they close in for the kill. (This is of course
>supposing that the smoke also confuses the insects sense of smell).

Don't think so, if the insects would get it, everybody else with astral
perception would as well, IMHO.

>An here is another addition, most insects due to their multifaceted
>eyes are unable to blink. If the characters managed to rig up a
>strobe light that flashed both in the standard spectrum and in the UV
>spectrum (where insects also have a great deal of sight) what are the
>mods.

Natural flies are able to distinguish between at least 500 flashes per
minute, a human doesn't even reach 10% of that. That means a fly sees a
movie as a collection of still images, while you see it as one fluid, moving
picture. I think you'd have a hard time blinding them with stroboscopes.


Gurth@******.nl - Gurth@***.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
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Shadowrun Guru :)
Message no. 4
From: Andre' Selmer <031SEA@******.WITS.AC.ZA>
Subject: Re: Playing Smoke and Mirrors with Insects
Date: Fri, 21 Jul 1995 11:57:49 +0200
<DATA CORRUPT: 14.3 MP LOST>
:->
:->>An here is another addition, most insects due to their multifaceted
:->>eyes are unable to blink. If the characters managed to rig up a
:->>strobe light that flashed both in the standard spectrum and in the UV
:->>spectrum (where insects also have a great deal of sight) what are the
:->>mods.
:->
:->Natural flies are able to distinguish between at least 500 flashes per
:->minute, a human doesn't even reach 10% of that. That means a fly sees a
:->movie as a collection of still images, while you see it as one fluid, moving
:->picture. I think you'd have a hard time blinding them with stroboscopes.
:->

Then in order to counter flys what you have to do is get all the
characters to wear goggles that black out all standard and uv
spectrum emissions, and regenerate the image using a combination of
Ultrasound and Thermographics (Actually no thermos as UV heats things
up) on the inside of the goggles. Buy a really big set of halogen
globes (those whitelight options from the RBB) connect it all
together and pray that the goggle don't fall off when you lowlights
are kicking in. All that trouble and most insects don't rely heavily
on vision eg cockroach ;-)

Andre'
Man is a teller of stories, he lives by and is surrounded by his
own stories and those of other people, he sees everythings that
happens to him in terms of these stories and thus has to live
enacting them
-Sarte

GARFIELD !
-Jon

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