| From: | "Mark Steedman" <M.J.Steedman@***.rgu.ac.uk> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Re: TopCat's Manifesto |
| Date: | Mon, 20 May 1996 16:36:32 GMT |
[Huge trimmings, you have been very busy]
I notice fairly varied reactions to your post possibly because it was
so big that some folks tried to absorb what you were doing without
reading it all but weel.
Anyway its going to get debated.
>
> 1. Magic vs. Cyberware: Which is "better"?
> Well, for overall effectiveness magic whales all over tech. Even
> Cybertechnology or shadowtech level tech.
I don't agree overall but plenty of folks do think the same. You are
entitled to your opinion, and do discuss the details below.
> For the average combat scene,
> magic and tech are about equal, with tech having a slight edge due to better
> average speed.
Yes, very easilly, compare a smartgun (handgun class stuff will do,
with reg lowpowered or APDS) to magic for close up work and the gun
freak wins every time, bullet = simple, base target number 2, vs
spell = complex (ok you can split target cast but only get sorcery
skill once with the gun you get firearms both times) and the lowest
base target is 3 (average human willpower) often 4, although
centering vs penalties helps the faster rise of the gun bunnies
skills will offset it (as cenering requires karma on initiation the
sam does not have to buy).
> If you crunch the numbers you'll find certain things to be
> true and they will confirm that magic is indeed more effective than cyberware.
>
> The first of these is essence. Cyberware costs essence which can _never_ be
> regained, spells cost no essence. The next is karma, which spells cost and
> cyberware doesn't, but the cost is so small as to hardly be worth
> mentioning.
Yes new spells are EASILY the cheapest way to make effective use of
karma, if you want to play munchkins 20 karma and grade 0 and some
quickened +4 health spells is the fastest super munchkin in the book.
However there are some serious drawbacks that the cyber does not have.
> The next is nuyen. Cyberware eats nuyen like trolls eat
> twinkies. Spells are VERY cheap comparatively. Next, the time it takes to
> learn a spell is nowhere near as long as it takes to heal from surgery for
> new cyberware.
Yep, even teachers are quite cheap, i see an average spell cost below
10K newyen and the published costs of buying formulas are far too low.
Cyber limbs are the worst offenders value for money.
> Next, spells aren't illegal or detectable (unless in use and
> they can still be masked).
This is one place where it all depends on situation.
Streets cyber wins as you cannot ground spells through wired
reflexes, magic may be able to equal the tech but only at the cost of
using foci and making you vulnerable to astral attack, and mages that
go 'boom!' become unpopular fast, however on the aeorplane metal
detector magic has certain serious advantages.
> Much cyberware is illegal and is always
> detectable. Cyberware can break. Spells can't. You will die if you get
> too much cyberware. Too many spells never killed a magician. With magic
> you can always achieve an equal, better, and/or safer effect than you can
> with cyberware.
>
Depends, you cannot ground spells through cyber and enough initiation
to mask all the locks required to keep up with the initiave mods a
wired goon can get is very very expensive in the karma department.
> Now, where I REALLY get ranting on this subject is when someone dares to say
> that magic is better because it can be roleplayed.
You have reason though ranting may not help you.
Overall this debate depends. The real downer to magic is it takes
precious karma, the cybered only need newyen (ok that is not the
easiest thing to come by either) and can save all their
karma for the biggest hole of them all, the SR skill web, at 41 karma
per new skill to 6, breadth of skills makes even initation look
cheap.
Mark
