| From: | Stainless Steel Rat <ratinox@***.NEU.EDU> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: Cyber-psychosis |
| Date: | Fri, 16 Jun 1995 13:26:28 -0400 |
writes:
I'm not going to repeat myself by answering the previous questions, but
I will answer this one:
Marc> Why doesn't it change the Essence cost when installing cyberware
Marc> that would use an existing interface?
Because of how the whole essence cost/loss mechanic works.
It's a given that, in Shadowrun, the astral body/soul/whatever you want
to call it exists. It's also a given that there is sympathy between the
two; do something to one and it affects the other in a similar fashion.
When you damage the physical body, the astral body reflects the damage,
and loss of essence is the result. If you do enough damage to the astral
body (more than 6 essence worth) it ceases to be viable and "dies",
taking the physical body with it. Note: when the bodies are close to
death, they can feel it, and that usually causes depression or
potentially other psychoses, and this state is, in fact, consistant with
current medical knowledge. This should not be called "cyberpsychosis" as
*anyone* who has their essence drained to such a degree will undergo
similar periods of depression.
The final key is that the mind, which "resides" in the brain and extends
throughought the nervous system, is one of, if not the, primary link
between the two bodies.
Thus, when you graft something foreign to the physical body, the astral
body is similarly damaged. The closer to the mind/brain/CNS the foreign
thing is, or the more connections to it, the greater the sympathetic
damage.
So, even though you might think that adding something new to the same
interface should have a reduced essence cost, it doesn't, because, from
a metaphysical viewpoint (important when dealing with magic and astral
entities) there really are the same number of connections to the mind.
Ok, so maybe it's hokey; but it's a believable kind of hokey that fits
with the rest of the Sixth World.
[...]
Marc> Well, I'm glad you think so. I have to agree with Rat in
Marc> that if it's done poorly, the whole "cyberpsychosis" thing can be
Marc> a crock. But if you take the time to explain it reasonably, it
Marc> can add an interesting new role-playing dimension to cyberware.
I still disagree from a philosophical standpoint. In Shadowrun, and in
the pre-Cyberpunk (R.Tal's) literature, there is no such thing as
"psychoses due to cybernetic grafting". In the real world any argument
made in support of cyberpsychosis can be completely disproven (and has
been, repeatedly, on rec.games.frp.cyber) based on the medical and
psychological knowledge we have today. Cyberpsychosis is not "genre"
though I will redilly admit that psychotic behavior is. The point is
that this behaviour is the result of the external influences of society
in general. Thus, it becomes useless as a means of enforcing any kind of
game balance as it is a role-playing aspect of a character, not a roll-
playing aspect.
--
Rat <ratinox@***.neu.edu> | Caution: Happy Fun Ball may suddenly
http://www.ccs.neu.edu/home/ratinox | accelerate to dangerous speeds.
PGP Public Key: Ask for one today! |
