| From: | Ereskanti <Ereskanti@***.COM> |
|---|---|
| Subject: | Defining the Chains of Prometheus |
| Date: | Tue, 19 May 1998 02:14:26 EDT |
writes:
> Actually, I think space folding would be an eventual possibility in the 6th
> world. While its not true teleportation, a point to point space fold would
> be
> incredibly useful...
>
> scratch that. I just realized the amount of power you'd have to be
weilding
> to make space fold work. Levitation is one thing... hell, even flame-bombs
> are fairly reasonable compared to this.
>
Okay, -just- for everyone's information, and even though Kenson and the others
do NOT want Teleport-like stuff in SR, the reasons vary more than just "Level
of Mana". They have to do with Game Atmosphere and Game Mechanics.
Magic is complex enough as it is, and adding a -VERY- unorthodox level of
understanding to Magic is as yet, not something the people at FASA want to get
into. Add to that the effects of Teleport-Like magic and what it does to a
campaign of this universe-genre type, and you get the -real- answer.
The category of "Manipulation" magic that hasn't been dealt with yet is
actually "Spatial" Manipulation. And it is just -one- category that isn't
opened up all the way, if at all. Manipulation has NOT been properly defined
IMO, and is not likely to be entirely defined for the very simple reason of
"not wanting to let the tricks out of all the bags at once."
Imagine the impact on the Corporate Scales alone if infiltration/extraction
teams were suddenly placated to a "teleport war" just for a few moments. How
about getting that decker, or just a chip with a particular virus, behind a
particular firewall by literally going to a particular lab or terminal that is
behind said firewall.
Shadowrun wouldn't -BE- Shadowrun to the VAST majority of players if Teleport-
Magic was incorporated into the genre. Trust me, ask Robert Nesius, we have
seen what "Gateway" and "Slipstream" (our variants on the thematics)
can do to
a game. The "Rigger" can quickly become an "unplayed archetype", and
-everyone- will gripe about the mages on a level NO ONE who has never played a
"teleport-capable shadowrun" can imagine.
There are whole better ways of defining SR's magic system, and I'm certain
that there are a LOT of people out there with "in game fixes" that would work
masterfully for the entire system. However, getting a balance is the biggest
requirement at all times.
And when it comes right down to it, if you start putting "Teleport" into SR,
it will do things that will simply shut down the game on some/many levels. It
takes a concerted effort on the part of the entire game group/community to
make certain that teleport is not abused. And in a universe of thieves and
interlopers (which is what a runner is on a fundamental level -most- of the
time), it would become the choicest option and would ruin a LOT of the buildup
by the GM.
The "Mana" level in SR is more than capable of handling "Teleport"
IMO, even
with all the discussion that is abounding within and from the game editors.
If it can handle a spell that is capable of Healing someone completely and
levelling entire city blocks with not one, but TWO, elemental effects, then
spatial transposition is literally in the same neighborhood. It is quite
literally a "Transformation of Spatial Relationships within a given Medium".
Falls under the "Major Environmental Modification", but not from the domainal
POV, from the individual's.
So eveyrone can ramble on about Mana Levels and whatnot all they want. The
-real- reasons are there, and even -I- agree with those. I've been down those
roads, and we -still- have some similar options, but everything about it is
dangerous and difficult and time consuming. Erik's suggested "12D Drain" is
not enough in our opinion, and sometimes it needs more than that.
Real Comprehension is a good place to start.
-K (who has vented now and feels a bit better)
