| From: | marc.renouf@******.com (Renouf, Marc A.) |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Shadowrun and Suspension of Disbelief |
| Date: | Wed, 5 Oct 2005 14:39:07 -0400 |
> From: shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com
> [mailto:shadowrn-bounces@*****.dumpshock.com] On Behalf Of Pace
> Sent: Wednesday, October 05, 2005 7:46 AM
>
> I agree with you, but I think suspension of belief has a lot
> to do with internal consistency. I don't see why, in an
> awakened world full of magical hoo-hah, wireless tech is so
> inconcievable.
To me, this is a cop-out. One of the beauties of Shadowrun is
that modern technology is not simply lost or swept under the rug. The
Shadowrun world is an *extension* of our own, not a *replacement* of our
own. The fictional world intrinsically works because the elements we're
suspending disbelief of are couched in and juxtaposed with elements that
we don't *have* to suspend disbelief of. I don't have to suspend
disbelief to know that assault rifles are deadly effective in the right
hands. I don't have to suspend disbelief to think that remotely-piloted
vehicles can be useful. I don't have to suspend disbelief to think that
computational power in the future will be far in excess of what it is
now. It is this "cushion" of the known and believable that makes the
unknown and magical parts of Shadowrun so appealing.
But it's important to have some sense and some consistency
applied to the "realistic" parts of the game. I wish the original
designers of Shadowrun had either taken the time to learn about firearms
or consult someone who did. Later editions fixed some of these issues
somewhat, but it took house rules for me to make autofire jive with
reality. And it's these little real-world inconsistencies that jar the
chords of our suspension of disbelief - not because they're magical, but
rather because they're *not* magical, and thus should reasonably fit
into our logical analogs of what is and is not possible with technology.
Hence, I have no problem with the fact that people can cast spells or
the rules mechanics thereof because there's no analog for casting spells
in the real world for me to disagree with. But when every piece of
consumer electronics on the planet is wireless? Where's all that
bandwidth coming from? The PAN in and of itself is not necessarily a
bad concept. Indeed, it poses some interesting ramifications. But the
point is that it needs to be done in a way that's believable, not
because it's magic, but because it's *not* magic.
The sinking of large parts of California is another example.
There's no fault where the game designers put the new coastline, and the
one that's nearest wouldn't lead to massive terrestrial subduction. So
what the hell happened? "Magic?" Okay, I *might* buy that magic can
wreak massive changes far in excess of what powerful forces like plate
tectonics can't, but at least throw me a bone. Don't just say "there
was an earthquake, and, um, stuff fell into the ocean" because that
doesn't cut it.
Even stuff that's fantastically advanced tech can be explained
if you take just a little effort to do so. Example: there have long
been debates about exactly what "powers" cyberware. In my campaign, I
decided that in the mid 2020's, someone came up with a method of
producing thermally-activated piezoelectric crystals. Like modern
piezoelectric crystals, this material emits an electric charge when
placed under pressure. But with the new crystals, heat energy both
increases the electric output and reforms the crystal structure more
quickly, leading to increases in power and life. Since the human body
generates heat, these crystals are used to power cyberware. As long as
the user maintains his or her metabolism, the crystals can provide
plenty of power. As an extension, the same kinds of materials are used
in solar cells, some handheld personal electronics, and a number of
other small electronic devices.
Does it require a suspension of disbelief? Yes, but it's
consistent both internally and to the rest of my campaign world at
large, which lends verisimilitude and makes suspension of disbelief
easier.
And that's what it's all about.
Marc
