BONE ASH
Concealment: Only visible with nanodetectors
Disarm: None
Effect: 2d10 DV per action turn (ignoring armor)
"Bone Ash" is a TITAN nanoplague which appeared late in the period of the Fall, and was detailed by some late-term evacuations or reports, and much more commonly seen by scavengers and Zone Runners in regions of TITAN attacks. This nanoswarm reacts with biological material, causing an exothermic reaction which rapidly carbonizes the tissue, turning it to ash and cinder. This results in brittle, hardened shells of ash or charcoal around any cybernetic implants the victim has. A biomorph or pod exposed to Bone Ash takes damage and any Wounds they take have a high chance of indicating a portion of the body has burned off. Damage continues until the morph is destroyed, though it can be stopped by removing the burning portion of the body or exposing the Bone Ash nanites to something which would harm them, such as an EMP or other intense radiation - and they are damaged by Nanophages or Guardian swarms as normal. A character who is going to come into contact with Bone Ash can roll MOXx10 to avoid it (or perhaps REFx3 if they are aware of what they are about to touch). Synthmorphs are not directly targeted by Bone Ash, but may take damage if they touch an active swarm (this DV is reduced by armor). Because this weapon leaves intact cyberbrains, cranial computers and cortical stacks, it is believed that TITANs use it for mass pacification, or to capture intelligence from scavengers - as the swarm is not fully airborne and is usually transmitted by contact with a victim. Bone Ash is particularly dangerous as it gathers energy from the reaction it causes, meaning it can lie dormant for months or years after claiming a victim.
CRYBABY
Concealment: -10
Disarm: Hardware: Electronics, 1 Action Turn
Effect: 1d10/2 SV, more if imitating a person the target knows personally
The crybaby isn't a proper trap, but more of a lure to a more deadly or insidious trap. The principle is sound, but wasn't ever used in a large scale until the Fall - use of sound or other forms of communication to attract new victims. Early crybaby systems were fairly simplistic; they made sounds of domestic animals, small children or even adult humans in distress to draw in others nearby. But, over the course of the Fall and contact with TITAN facilities since, this system has evolved. Most commonly, crybaby systems are invested with weak AI who can gather small amounts of intelligence and adjust their patterns - they will gather data on nearby targets and tailor their responses for maximum effect, even impersonating people a target knows if they can identify them. Some can even falsify mesh communication. A person who is lured in may even be targeted by a digital version of the Exsurgent Virus, but more commonly Crybabies are paired with other conventional booby-traps. The onboard AI version comes with relevant social skills at 40, Academics: Psychology 80 and Perception, Interfacing and InfoSec of 40. It's quite telling that many Exhuman predator clades have started using their own versions of the Crybaby tactic since the Fall.
DRAGON'S TEETH
Concealment: 0
Disarm: None
Effect: 1 DV (ignoring armor) to touch/2d10+2 DV AP -4 falling or running, Fray to avoid further damage
The Dragon's Teeth are a dangerous TITAN area denial weapon. Normally, they have an almost "lightning bolt" shape, with two mirrored wedge-shaped blades up to a meter in length on a "side" - but more commonly only one half is seen as they tend to be embedded in the ground or objects. Dragon's Teeth are notoriously hard to examine, because they are effectively fractal blades, the interior structure is made of a TITAN smart material with effectively infinitely nests monomolecular blades which can extend at any angle or direction from the main "tooth". Damage is minor (but guaranteed) on contact as the teeth "bite" or scrape, but serious damage is inflicted if one falls into them, or is pushed. The victim must make a Fray test to remove themselves or take the damage a second time as the blades further unfold in their body. A third test means the tooth fully "blooms" filling a majority of the victim's body with it's unfurled blades - all that remains is a MOXx10 test to see if their Cortical Stack is shredded as well. Luckily, Dragon's Teeth are fairly recognizable, and relatively fragile if attacked (though melee is not recommended), having an AV of 10 and a DUR of 20 per tooth.
FALSE DOORS/FLOORS
Concealment: -30
Disarm: Hardware: Electronics/Industrial, 10 Action Turns
Effect: Characters will fall through false floors, taking damage accordingly/Characters who run into a false door may take impact damage
False Doors or Floors are not an exclusively TITAN tactic, but their advanced technology and capabilities with holograms, metamaterials and even Basilisk Hacks mean they do them some of the best in the business. Similar to the practice of Invisible Doors (p. 164 Panopticon) a false door or floor utilizes chameleonic or metamaterials, or HD holograms to generate the false image of a door or floor space which is not really there. Doors are the rarer version of this tactic, usually used as a security measure or herding tactic in some facilities subverted by TITANs, to make people think there is an exit when in reality there is a dead end. False Floors, on the other hand, are often paired with other traps or even created by some TITAN made bots or other hostiles to hide under. Visually, a False Door or Floor is impossible to detect without physically contacting it. However, use of Radar, X-Rays or T-rays can detect that a door is actually a wall, or a floor is not present without too much trouble. Another conventional tactic if one is not sure is to utilize water, sand or some other function (like cheap Dust Repellant) to make physical material contact the area in question. This will cause minute disruptions in holograms, and reveal a passage is not actually there.
FRACTAL SNOW
Concealment: Only visible with nanodetectors
Disarm: None
Effect: Reduced visibility, contaminated atmosphere, possible 1-1d10/2 DV
Fractal Snow is not properly a "trap", though it can be artificially induced as an area denial or suppression tactic. Rather, this phenomena occurs when weather-maintenance nanotech or utility fog goes awry, either being directly subverted by TITANs or just left to its own devices too long. Instead of forming snow from ice crystals, the system artificially forms crystals using ceramic or metallic compounds, which snow much heavier and faster than normal. This presents a number of difficulties. First, this snow not only inhibits visibility, but may damage sensor and radio range, presenting -10 to -30 penalties to visibility, and reducing the range of radio transmission by half. The second is that breathing in these sharp crystals can be harmful or distracting, presenting a -10 to -30 to all actions as if from contaminated atmosphere, and if the snow is particularly intense or the morph is breathing hard, may suffer 1 DV per action turn (ignoring armor) while they are in it. Fierce winds might also blow the fractal snow hard enough to abrade or harm exposed areas of morphs, inflicting 1d10/2 DV per Action Turn. Under close examination, these microscopic crystals often have bizarre or alien structures of fractal patterns.
FREEZERBURN
Concealment: Only visible with nanodetectors
Disarm: None
Effect: 1d10+5 DV per action turn or -10 to all actions for 10 minutes
This nanoplague, also sometimes called "Ice-9" is an inverse of the "Bone Ash" weapon. It generates a technically endothermic reaction, artificially removing energy from water to force it to form ice crystals. Luckily, unlike the sci-fi it's secondary name comes from, Freezerburn seems to only react with water in living tissue, through some means of identifying we are not sure of. It has frozen over small bodies of water with large presences of algae or other plants, however. Ultimately this effect causes extreme pain and tissue damage, resembling frostbite into extreme necrosis. Unlike Bone Ash, however, Freezerburn is slightly more manageable, as the body has natural ways to try and protect itself from being cold. Exposure to Freezerburn triggers an opposed test of SOMx2 (+10 with Medichines, +30 with Nanophages) vs the plague's Infection Rating (which normally should be 50-60, but a GM may adjust). Failure means the plague takes hold, and the morph begins damage. Wounds may indicate permanent damage which cannot be naturally healed and requires advanced medicine to fix. At GM's discretion, Temperature Tolerance implants may halve this damage. Passing the test still means the morph suffers some negative effects, taking -10 to all actions for 10 minutes, minus 1 minute for each full 10 MoS. Once infected, like Bone Ash the only way to remove the infection is to remove the infected tissue or damage the nanoswarm directly.
FUGUE FOG
Concealment: 0
Disarm: None
Effect: -10 SOM and DUR while in the fog
Similar to the phenomena known as "Blue Fade" (p. 8 Zone Stalkers), this is an unusual, greyish-white fog which clings to the ground even in conditions which do not normally form fog. Analysis of this fog is limited, but it appears to contain minute microbes. Unlike Airborne Feed, Fugue Fog does not seem to react with reagents directly and the fog is visually opaque and thus prevents LIDAR, but is not picked up by radar, chem sniffers or nanodetectors. The fog has a simple effect, all morphs which physically pass through it (including Pods and Synthmorphs) immediately take the -10 penalty so long as they are within the fog. A character reduced to 0 SOM this way collapses and cannot move under their own strength, and a character reduced to 0 DUR passes out as normal. No one is sure of long-term effects of Fugue Fog exposure, but it does seem to make victims more tired than they were, possibly requiring more sleep in the aftermath. Asyncs are unaffected by the Fog, and may in fact feel more alert and refreshed while passing through it.
SMART RAZORWIRE
Concealment: -10
Disarm: SOMx3 -20, 1 Action Turn
Effect: 3d10 DV -8 AP per turn, 30% chance a Wound removes a limb, can't move
"Smart" Razorwire was originally a transhuman area denial and perimeter defense mechanism, similar even to Smart Mines (p. 138 X-Risks) which was subverted and even made better by the TITANs. The normal form is of a shape-adjusting wire which is edged or flanged with sharp blades, which approach a single molecule, making them very sharp. If a character comes into contact with the wire, it automatically stretches and coils around them, preventing them from escaping and inflicting the associated damage. It is a SOMx3 test with a -20 to break the wire and escape. This conventional wire is usually strung atop fences or other barriers, or rarely trails along the ground as a particularly nasty tripwire. The TITAN variant is more insidious, as it is directly attached to a device similar to a spindle, a spool generator which gradually extract complex webs and lines of the material in non-standard patterns to entrap those who approach. Not only does this variation heal damage to the lines over time, but it may be equipped with wireless capability to signal when it traps someone. The razorwire "hub" has a DUR of 20 and an AV of 3.
Thursday, December 8, 2016
Tuesday, December 6, 2016
Isolation
Isolation (Mirror VII)
Type: Rocky Moon
Primary Star: M5V (Red Dwarf)
Satellite Of: Mirror (14 Earth Masses)
Gravity: .02 g
Diameter: 944 km
Atmospheric Pressure: 0 atm
Atmospheric Composition: N/A
Surface Temperature (Mean): -222 C
Day Length: 19.11 hours
Orbital Period: 371 Days
Gate Access: Carnivale Gate
Notes: Small Number of System Bodies, Extreme Axial Tilt, Impressive Natural Terrain, Archaeological Traces, Resources Available, Interesting Sky
Isolation is another rocky moon, orbiting a Neptunian world far from it's primary star with minimal other bodies besides possible small planetoids in the system. It's cold, and airless, and has very little of note that can't be found "closer to home" as it were, though the surface and subsurface formations of ice and traces of metallics under the crust are certainly "valuable". It also has an interesting look at "Mirror", it's host planet which has a particularly high albedo and an interesting ring formation. Tidal forces and a few impacts have given Isolation some impressive impact basins and cliff or rise formations, which in turn form deposits of fleeting ice in their shadows. There are only two things which give Isolation any note in terms of Gate destination. One, it's only majorly notable Gate connection is to the scum exoplanet Carnivale, and two, the "Star Crypts". The first would not be so important in of itself, other than that some Gatecrashers on Carnivale found Isolation first. This let to an interesting movement which has begun settling small crowds on the moon. If Carnivale is the place where people go to party, where all kinds of things can be arranged with appropriate consent, Isolation is a place to go to "get away". Several more philosophically minded Scum have migrated to the moon and established something between a rehab clinic, a monastery and a business retreat in the rocky crags of the moon. If the stress of partying hard every day gets to you, or you feel out of connection with your inner self, or even if your fellow Scum think you might be hitting the sex and drugs a little to hard in a way which isn't good for your long-term mental state, you might end up on Isolation. Living in the growing clusters of habitation modules and pressurized caverns is simple, open and communal. Organized along many common anarchist lines, people here are encouraged to cleanse mind, body and spirit through a number of methods. Egos are not necessarily kept on Isolation against their will, but the Gate connections work on strict timetables arranged with Carnivale, so people often make the most of time they may accrue there, working on simple hobbies, doing basic work which is said to clear the mind, enjoying conversation with other visitors and looking at the local landscape. In general, people find it very therapeutic to stay there even briefly, though the lack of mind-altering substances (at least which can't be grown in simple hydroponic planters) means a few people have some unfortunate detox periods.
The other thing is the "Star Crypts". Found by a wandering "patient" of Isolation who was taking an exploratory stroll - they are an interesting archaeological question. They are a series of openings cut into a tall, rocky shelf or cliff, with a placement so that when the "night" of Isolation passes they are exposed to the minimal light reflected off Mirror at "planetrise". These openings resemble certain types of burials utilized on Earth, hence the term "crypt" even though no Xenoarchaeologist can say for sure if it was a burial chamber. The openings are a little unusual for by normal transhuman standards; just over 2 meters tall, but under 1 meter across. They show no obvious tool marks and thus should have been made with very precision tools. The interiors have no distinguishing features other than a variable depth, at a minimum of 2 meters, but usually closer to 10, and that the interior appear to have slight striations in the color in vague patterns which appear to be artificial, but are too subtle for transhumans to properly appreciate. Traditional geologic dating does not work in this sort of environment, and best guesses have a wide swing between 20,000 and 500,000 years old. There are no other traces of who built these indentations, or how they accessed the cliff face to make them. It is also not known if the original body (containing a currently estimated 26 "crypts") is the only site, or if there are others, though some Xenoarchaeologists are planning on thoroughly surveying the moon. However, the fact that Isolation is two gate connections away, which are through some fairly "non-standard" environments has scientists moving slower than usual.
Type: Rocky Moon
Primary Star: M5V (Red Dwarf)
Satellite Of: Mirror (14 Earth Masses)
Gravity: .02 g
Diameter: 944 km
Atmospheric Pressure: 0 atm
Atmospheric Composition: N/A
Surface Temperature (Mean): -222 C
Day Length: 19.11 hours
Orbital Period: 371 Days
Gate Access: Carnivale Gate
Notes: Small Number of System Bodies, Extreme Axial Tilt, Impressive Natural Terrain, Archaeological Traces, Resources Available, Interesting Sky
Isolation is another rocky moon, orbiting a Neptunian world far from it's primary star with minimal other bodies besides possible small planetoids in the system. It's cold, and airless, and has very little of note that can't be found "closer to home" as it were, though the surface and subsurface formations of ice and traces of metallics under the crust are certainly "valuable". It also has an interesting look at "Mirror", it's host planet which has a particularly high albedo and an interesting ring formation. Tidal forces and a few impacts have given Isolation some impressive impact basins and cliff or rise formations, which in turn form deposits of fleeting ice in their shadows. There are only two things which give Isolation any note in terms of Gate destination. One, it's only majorly notable Gate connection is to the scum exoplanet Carnivale, and two, the "Star Crypts". The first would not be so important in of itself, other than that some Gatecrashers on Carnivale found Isolation first. This let to an interesting movement which has begun settling small crowds on the moon. If Carnivale is the place where people go to party, where all kinds of things can be arranged with appropriate consent, Isolation is a place to go to "get away". Several more philosophically minded Scum have migrated to the moon and established something between a rehab clinic, a monastery and a business retreat in the rocky crags of the moon. If the stress of partying hard every day gets to you, or you feel out of connection with your inner self, or even if your fellow Scum think you might be hitting the sex and drugs a little to hard in a way which isn't good for your long-term mental state, you might end up on Isolation. Living in the growing clusters of habitation modules and pressurized caverns is simple, open and communal. Organized along many common anarchist lines, people here are encouraged to cleanse mind, body and spirit through a number of methods. Egos are not necessarily kept on Isolation against their will, but the Gate connections work on strict timetables arranged with Carnivale, so people often make the most of time they may accrue there, working on simple hobbies, doing basic work which is said to clear the mind, enjoying conversation with other visitors and looking at the local landscape. In general, people find it very therapeutic to stay there even briefly, though the lack of mind-altering substances (at least which can't be grown in simple hydroponic planters) means a few people have some unfortunate detox periods.
The other thing is the "Star Crypts". Found by a wandering "patient" of Isolation who was taking an exploratory stroll - they are an interesting archaeological question. They are a series of openings cut into a tall, rocky shelf or cliff, with a placement so that when the "night" of Isolation passes they are exposed to the minimal light reflected off Mirror at "planetrise". These openings resemble certain types of burials utilized on Earth, hence the term "crypt" even though no Xenoarchaeologist can say for sure if it was a burial chamber. The openings are a little unusual for by normal transhuman standards; just over 2 meters tall, but under 1 meter across. They show no obvious tool marks and thus should have been made with very precision tools. The interiors have no distinguishing features other than a variable depth, at a minimum of 2 meters, but usually closer to 10, and that the interior appear to have slight striations in the color in vague patterns which appear to be artificial, but are too subtle for transhumans to properly appreciate. Traditional geologic dating does not work in this sort of environment, and best guesses have a wide swing between 20,000 and 500,000 years old. There are no other traces of who built these indentations, or how they accessed the cliff face to make them. It is also not known if the original body (containing a currently estimated 26 "crypts") is the only site, or if there are others, though some Xenoarchaeologists are planning on thoroughly surveying the moon. However, the fact that Isolation is two gate connections away, which are through some fairly "non-standard" environments has scientists moving slower than usual.
Monday, December 5, 2016
Afterburner
"Combat" drugs are an interesting subject, very useful substances with specific effects and dubious legality. Substances like Grin, Kick or Phlo (p. 319 EP) have a variety of uses despite unpleasant long-term effects and can generally be acquired without too much trouble, while only the most liberal habitats would allow MRDR or BringIt to be distributed without a raised eyebrow. Generally, the most expensive and useful substances kick in fairly quickly, terminate shortly and tend to only affect one or two specific areas of performance - which helps prevent immediate side effects. But transhumanity is constantly pushing that envelope, and have developed products which last longer and affect multiple aspects of physiology, but with more pronounced effects.
Afterburner: Sometimes just "burner", this drug is a potent, long-lasting stimulant which improves neural connections, including reaction time and muscle control and response. It grants +5 SOM and +10 REF for it's extended duration. However, this comes at the cost of some dissociative effects, granting a -10 to tests to recall the events of the drug's duration. Users of afterburner feel "warmed up" while on it due to slightly higher metabolism, and often act very direct, quick and straightforward. Long term users may find that memory damage becomes permanent, and the strain on the nervous system can cause permanent fine control damage, leading to -10 on all memory-related tests and -5 COO [Moderate]
Afterburner is sold in single or small packages of injectors. In most "professional" sporting circles it is banned outright as a performance enhancing substance, but underground or unofficial groups often encourage a quick bout of 'Burner doping to make events more interesting. Urban legend has it that Afterburner was developed from components of modern jet fuel, but while it is possible some of those were used by it's original engineers as bases, its chemical composition has no similarity to those substances - this may instead be a marketing move, as the main users of Afterburner are pilots and drone jockeys. It was originally developed Pre-Fall for military combat drone operators to improve performance, and with the amnesiac side-effects being a bonus to help alleviate mental stress. Hence the long lasting effects, ideal for long combat operations.
Application: Inj
Onset: 20 Minutes
Duration: 16 Hours
Addiction Modifier: +10
Addiction Type: Mental
Afterburner: Sometimes just "burner", this drug is a potent, long-lasting stimulant which improves neural connections, including reaction time and muscle control and response. It grants +5 SOM and +10 REF for it's extended duration. However, this comes at the cost of some dissociative effects, granting a -10 to tests to recall the events of the drug's duration. Users of afterburner feel "warmed up" while on it due to slightly higher metabolism, and often act very direct, quick and straightforward. Long term users may find that memory damage becomes permanent, and the strain on the nervous system can cause permanent fine control damage, leading to -10 on all memory-related tests and -5 COO [Moderate]
Afterburner is sold in single or small packages of injectors. In most "professional" sporting circles it is banned outright as a performance enhancing substance, but underground or unofficial groups often encourage a quick bout of 'Burner doping to make events more interesting. Urban legend has it that Afterburner was developed from components of modern jet fuel, but while it is possible some of those were used by it's original engineers as bases, its chemical composition has no similarity to those substances - this may instead be a marketing move, as the main users of Afterburner are pilots and drone jockeys. It was originally developed Pre-Fall for military combat drone operators to improve performance, and with the amnesiac side-effects being a bonus to help alleviate mental stress. Hence the long lasting effects, ideal for long combat operations.
Application: Inj
Onset: 20 Minutes
Duration: 16 Hours
Addiction Modifier: +10
Addiction Type: Mental
Sunday, December 4, 2016
Veronica
Veronica
Type: Terrestrial (Martian)
Primary Star: K0V (Orange Dwarf)
Gravity: .8 g
Diameter: 10,753.62 km
Atmospheric Pressure: .66 atm
Atmospheric Composition: 84% CO2, 16% Nitrogen, trace other gases
Surface Temperature (Mean): 9 C
Day Length: 15.37 hours
Orbital Period: 414 Days
Satellites: None
Gate Access: Ascension Gate, Fissure Gate
Notes: Heavy Volcanism, Resources, Interesting Sky
Veronica, named by original ExploreNet discoverers operating out of Oberon - who went through several voting iterations before settling on the name, would normally be a completely unremarkable marginal world. It is somewhere between Earth and Mars in size and conditions, with it's carbon and volcanic cycles only just on the down turn which renders the atmosphere unpleasantly toxic - but otherwise with manageable temperature, pressure, gravity and plenty of polar ice and subsurface water deposits. It's only other notable features are an interesting Night Sky - as it is on the outskirts of a relatively young solar cluster, and the fact that like Mars, the volcanic activity appears to have generated interesting and useful ore deposits which could be mined for colonization and export. But, the original Gatecrashers operating with the Love and Rage collective didn't have the time or resources on their own to make good on this, they mostly left it alone, except for a handful of prospectors and astronomy buffs looking to gather some interesting data. It would have remained an obscure Fissure Gate locale to be dug up in the future when somebody wanted to move to a "not as bad" Mars.
Fast forward a couple of years, and something interesting happened. The Gate Address for Veronica is found in the Ascension Gate - the primary exoplanet colony of the Planetary Consortium and their marvel of a colonization effort. To them, a slightly warmer and heavier Mars is a walk in the park for terraforming and colonization. And soon new exploratory settlements and surveying begins on the world. They initially think about naming the planet, but decide to accept the original convention out of respect for the original team. Even so, the growing settlement came to a bit of surprise to the Autonomists operating out of the Fissure Gate, who were deeply concerned with the authoritarian and exploitative attitude of the Planetary Consortium's colonization efforts. Originally, it appears that the Consortium's Ministry wanted to put pressure to remove influx of protesting Anarchists and block Fissure Gate connections, but the Pathfinder corporation was able to staunch efforts to avoid conflicts involving planetary claiming rights and general informal rules of the Gatecrashing community. Pathfinder's attempts to keep things civil have so far worked, but there is a deep undercurrent of ideological and political conflict on the world.
Veronica's primary settlement is New Helium, a dome city operated by Pathfinder under the cyberdemocratic lines of the Planetary Consortium. The current population is just under 300,000. While Pathfinder is the controlling interest, several major players in the Hypercorp scene have invested in it, including Fa Jing, Ecologene and Starware. While a majority of the population is either indentures or workers under "homesteading" contracts, a small slice of the population is enterprising Extropian-leaning autonomists, who have utilized the easier access of the Fissure Gate to migrate to Veronica and open up many small businesses which thrive among the colonial population. This group often acts as a barrier or intermediary between the two major population groups on the planet. On the one hand, the large bulk of settlers from Pathfinder are "honest folk", who are simply trying to work either off an indenture contract or a pro-colonial agreement with Pathfinder to help expand Consortium influence and make a profit and a comfortable living - with handfuls of corporate overseers and management with what they feel are very "normal" concerns about long term profit and productivity. On the other side is a vocal and active minority of autonomist "dissidents". Working in philosophical opposition to many Consortium policies, they wish to increase liberty and autonomy and "free" Veronica from what they feel is a tyrannical influence. The streets of New Helium are alive with memetic warfare. Utilizing Extropian middlemen or darknet set ups, Autonomists run "pirate radio" networks which disseminate open source and uncensored news, and technical data, and operate "charitable institutions" to provide services which must normally be paid for. Meanwhile, Pathfinder runs a tight ship on security, which some may find oppressive has had genuinely positive results on crime and public safety. Their ads for jobs and colonial incentives fill the public AR Fog, trying to entice new workers and immigrants, and reminding the existing ones to have pride in their work. All of this comes with a more dangerous undercurrent. It is provable that the Fissure Gate has allowed unreputable, even antisocial or disreputable people through to Veronica from their side, and many rumors persist that they are deliberately exiling such people there. From both ends more militant anarchists in cooperation with Barsoomians appear to be smuggling in resources, equipment and personnel to stage strikes and uprisings among the indentures. And while Pathfinder has not allocated those resources, they are known to be in contact with Direct Action to place additional military-grade security on site. And then there is the final population of Veronica, groups of semi-nomads who live outside the dome or small surveying stations known as the "Squatters", autonomists who utilize relatively inexpensive, high utility synthmorphs such as Daityas and Synthtaurs to live off the grid and are known to harass colonial survey and security teams.
Of most concern to political and intelligence entities is that if something hostile occurs on Veronica, if the political ramifications will spill out into the Solar System back home, or remain localized beyond the Gates...
Type: Terrestrial (Martian)
Primary Star: K0V (Orange Dwarf)
Gravity: .8 g
Diameter: 10,753.62 km
Atmospheric Pressure: .66 atm
Atmospheric Composition: 84% CO2, 16% Nitrogen, trace other gases
Surface Temperature (Mean): 9 C
Day Length: 15.37 hours
Orbital Period: 414 Days
Satellites: None
Gate Access: Ascension Gate, Fissure Gate
Notes: Heavy Volcanism, Resources, Interesting Sky
Veronica, named by original ExploreNet discoverers operating out of Oberon - who went through several voting iterations before settling on the name, would normally be a completely unremarkable marginal world. It is somewhere between Earth and Mars in size and conditions, with it's carbon and volcanic cycles only just on the down turn which renders the atmosphere unpleasantly toxic - but otherwise with manageable temperature, pressure, gravity and plenty of polar ice and subsurface water deposits. It's only other notable features are an interesting Night Sky - as it is on the outskirts of a relatively young solar cluster, and the fact that like Mars, the volcanic activity appears to have generated interesting and useful ore deposits which could be mined for colonization and export. But, the original Gatecrashers operating with the Love and Rage collective didn't have the time or resources on their own to make good on this, they mostly left it alone, except for a handful of prospectors and astronomy buffs looking to gather some interesting data. It would have remained an obscure Fissure Gate locale to be dug up in the future when somebody wanted to move to a "not as bad" Mars.
Fast forward a couple of years, and something interesting happened. The Gate Address for Veronica is found in the Ascension Gate - the primary exoplanet colony of the Planetary Consortium and their marvel of a colonization effort. To them, a slightly warmer and heavier Mars is a walk in the park for terraforming and colonization. And soon new exploratory settlements and surveying begins on the world. They initially think about naming the planet, but decide to accept the original convention out of respect for the original team. Even so, the growing settlement came to a bit of surprise to the Autonomists operating out of the Fissure Gate, who were deeply concerned with the authoritarian and exploitative attitude of the Planetary Consortium's colonization efforts. Originally, it appears that the Consortium's Ministry wanted to put pressure to remove influx of protesting Anarchists and block Fissure Gate connections, but the Pathfinder corporation was able to staunch efforts to avoid conflicts involving planetary claiming rights and general informal rules of the Gatecrashing community. Pathfinder's attempts to keep things civil have so far worked, but there is a deep undercurrent of ideological and political conflict on the world.
Veronica's primary settlement is New Helium, a dome city operated by Pathfinder under the cyberdemocratic lines of the Planetary Consortium. The current population is just under 300,000. While Pathfinder is the controlling interest, several major players in the Hypercorp scene have invested in it, including Fa Jing, Ecologene and Starware. While a majority of the population is either indentures or workers under "homesteading" contracts, a small slice of the population is enterprising Extropian-leaning autonomists, who have utilized the easier access of the Fissure Gate to migrate to Veronica and open up many small businesses which thrive among the colonial population. This group often acts as a barrier or intermediary between the two major population groups on the planet. On the one hand, the large bulk of settlers from Pathfinder are "honest folk", who are simply trying to work either off an indenture contract or a pro-colonial agreement with Pathfinder to help expand Consortium influence and make a profit and a comfortable living - with handfuls of corporate overseers and management with what they feel are very "normal" concerns about long term profit and productivity. On the other side is a vocal and active minority of autonomist "dissidents". Working in philosophical opposition to many Consortium policies, they wish to increase liberty and autonomy and "free" Veronica from what they feel is a tyrannical influence. The streets of New Helium are alive with memetic warfare. Utilizing Extropian middlemen or darknet set ups, Autonomists run "pirate radio" networks which disseminate open source and uncensored news, and technical data, and operate "charitable institutions" to provide services which must normally be paid for. Meanwhile, Pathfinder runs a tight ship on security, which some may find oppressive has had genuinely positive results on crime and public safety. Their ads for jobs and colonial incentives fill the public AR Fog, trying to entice new workers and immigrants, and reminding the existing ones to have pride in their work. All of this comes with a more dangerous undercurrent. It is provable that the Fissure Gate has allowed unreputable, even antisocial or disreputable people through to Veronica from their side, and many rumors persist that they are deliberately exiling such people there. From both ends more militant anarchists in cooperation with Barsoomians appear to be smuggling in resources, equipment and personnel to stage strikes and uprisings among the indentures. And while Pathfinder has not allocated those resources, they are known to be in contact with Direct Action to place additional military-grade security on site. And then there is the final population of Veronica, groups of semi-nomads who live outside the dome or small surveying stations known as the "Squatters", autonomists who utilize relatively inexpensive, high utility synthmorphs such as Daityas and Synthtaurs to live off the grid and are known to harass colonial survey and security teams.
Of most concern to political and intelligence entities is that if something hostile occurs on Veronica, if the political ramifications will spill out into the Solar System back home, or remain localized beyond the Gates...
Saturday, December 3, 2016
Drinks
WATER
Water is still a fundamental substance to life, to anyone in a morph that is biological. Many morphs can survive on less water than a flat human, it's still pretty important to keep up the intake. While technically nearly all water is "recycled", most transhumans cut a few steps out of that cycle. A basic Maker (p. 238 EP) can clean and repurpose any biological product for clean water, though many still find direct recycling uncomfortable or unpleasant. More typically, enclosed habs feature large scale water recovery and treatment, which filters all water utilized by the hab. Water supplies are typically topped off by "fresh" supplies of water ice. Certain reactions, such as a HO rocket or hydrogen fuel cell, produce water vapor as a byproduct which may be collected for use. On planetary bodies like Mars and some exoplanets, people often carry travel bottles or canteens which incorporate the same microfilter technology as Filter Straws (p. 159 Gatecrashing).
ALCOHOL
Alcohol has a long history with humanity. Some even argue civilization would not be possible without fermentation of alcohol to ensure sterile drink. This relationship persists for Transhumanity, though with some changes. Advances in smart microbes and new strains of yeast, as well as supplemental nanotech broaden what can be fermented and what flavoring can occur. However, some new complications arise. Cereals are often hard to grow, or at least very space intensive meaning that traditional grain alcohols like beer only appear in habs or regions with large space, such as Mars of Venus, and often are seen as a more premium commodity. The second factor is that carbonation causes unpleasant or outright unhealthy side-effects in microgravity - meaning carbonated beers are only consumable by persons who can afford something like medichines or in gravity wells. This means Mars has some of the broadest variety in brewing traditional beers. Wines are similarly limited due to reliance on fruit, but sometimes even more rare for it.
Distilled alcohol and liqueurs are much more common throughout the system, and almost every habitat and many large spacecraft have at least one still lying around somewhere. Alcohol is useful not only for recreation, but for sterilization in case of a septic hab, and occasionally fuel. Typical "rotgut", "moonshine" and "torpedo juice" tend to be highly localized by the producer and habitat. More exotic blends of beverage depend highly on the locale, for instance mead made from honey-producing Smart Bees is common on Venus and Titan. Many traditional "brands" of alcohols have been bought up by hypercorps or held by hyperelite names - only some of which are utilized in something resembling their original forms, but other "secret" recipes and techniques are open sourced on the Mesh. True connoisseurs now have an additional problem, as "regional" products cannot be "truly" made off Earth anymore. Makers and CMs can produce substitutes for most alcoholic beverages, but this is generally seen both as energy inefficient and not quite the same - makerbrew is generally seen as only for people who lack money or taste.
COFFEE/TEA
As noted with Vitali-Tea and Black Lightening, drinking coffee or tea is often habitual or cultural to transhumans. It's a very common "ritual" in many cultures. Very simple substitutes for caffeinated brews can be produced by many models of maker or food fabricators, but typical Fab-Caf or Maker Tea is generally considered to be "almost entirely unlike" the original substance - and is typically viewed on the same level as coffees or teas sold in bottles or cans in the early 21st Century. Many vending kiosks even stock such drinks in bulb or disposable cup form, for people who don't want to wait for it to fab. "Real" coffees and teas still exist, but similar to beer space limitations on crops make it an artistic or luxury good in many parts of the Solar System. The tea trade is strongest out of Luna and Venus, though Venus does also offer several varieties of coffee - mainly to local cafes. The coffee industry on Mars was strongest out of Qurain, but since the Fall that has fallen off somewhat. That said, many a Nomad's Mobile Greenhouse is stocked with coffee. Varieties of Coffee and Tea are highly valuable, and samples or DNA sequences of them are special enough for fights to break out over them, both legal and physical. The style of "iced" coffee and tea has not died out, as many habs in locations which are relatively cold by Old Earth standards, so producing and storing items in lower energy states is often seen as easier.
DAIRY
Dairy is another typically common resource to humans, but one which has been greatly affected by the Fall. Actual bovines are now incredibly rare, with vat-grown meat more common. Habitats with gravity may use mammals like goats, sheep and alpaca to control greenspace and provide fibers, and also might milk them for either milk directly or to produce other dairy products. Much more common, however, are synthetic replacements made via nanofab as milk is a common ingredient in a lot of human cooking. These replacements often offer the direct nutritional or chemical properties, though many claim the taste is slightly off. As lactose intolerance is removed by basic genefixing, synthetics based on cow milk are the most common, but in some locales niche markets for derivatives of human milk exist. Biotech such as the K-Flask (067 Farcast) can also be used to produce unique pseudo-dairy products as well.
JUICES
Much like Beer and Coffee/Tea, Fruit Juice is a drink which is limited by space availability. That said, citrus at least contains nutrients vital to the human diet, so it is not uncommon for any hab with growing space to dedicate some to a variety of those. This makes the natural juices of those fruits slightly more common in habitats. Other fruit juices are often more rare and exotic, and many of these are converted to wines to keep sterile and help preservation, especially if the fruit on it's own is popular to consume. Like most other drinks, synthetic blends produced by fabrication are available, but these can sometimes blur the lines between fruit juices and traditional fruit-flavored soft drinks.
SOFT DRINKS
While soft drinks (particularly sodas/colas) were wildly popular in many ways on Earth, they ran into a bit of a hitch with space colonization for the same reason as beer - that carbonation is not very pleasant in microgravity. This put a dent in the extraterrestrial market for a period of time, until colonization of planetary bodies such as Mars and Venus started to advance. Due to being at the center of the Planetary Consortium, Mars has one of the strongest markets for sodas, with Martian "Red Cola" being the most popular and widest marketed. The basic ingredients of many sodas and colas are easily made in properly advanced Makers, so are not uncommon at home - replacing buying large packs of cans or large bottles. Due to the inclusion of many synthetic ingredients in sodas already, "basic" colas made by makers are not generally seen to impact the quality or taste - but "premium" sodas made from all natural ingredients exist and are sold at higher prices, often in expensive metallic cans or glass bottles. Also similar to beer, many old trademarks and brandings from Earth were bought up by hypercorps, and occasionally used in something resembling their original form. Ginger ales also appear occasionally, mostly in some neighborhoods on Mars and Titan as local specialties. Interestingly, Root Beer or synthetic replacements are slightly more widespread, as they can actually be produced without carbonation. Sodas are also common as a mixer for alcoholic beverages in gravity habs. Dry powdered soft drinks to flavor water also remain incredibly popular, even more widespread than sodas. They come in all kinds of flavors thanks to ease of manufacturing from makers, and many of them have additives which may even place them in other categories of drink.
ENERGY DRINKS
While caffeine might be more habitual than anything in the face of Transhumans needing less sleep, this hasn't stopped chemical engineering from finding more substitutes or other substances with stronger effects, or even the inclusion of previously illicit substances in "energy" drinks. While those who want serious performance enhancement get real cognitive drugs like Drive or Klar (p. 318 EP) marketing still offers a variety of drink-based stimulants, some of which have actual effects as labelled. Some of these even mix in real enhancement drugs which can be taken orally, but these tend to be more expensive. High doses of caffeine or other synthetic substances are most common, though some exotic mixes exist (such as drinks based on cocaine). These tend to be non-carbonated for wider marketability, but some variants exist - and others even blend with alcohol. The most gimmicky brands (such as the short-lived "TITAN Energy", pulled for being in incredibly poor taste) tend to be marketed at young adults, students and overworked middle classes who push the amount of time Basic Biomods allows one to stay awake or have heavy workloads, and tend to have names like "12-hour energy", "Mars Bull", "Demon" or "Popstar". Serious energy drinks which have strong effects tend to be favored by security or technical personnel with long shifts, and short-hop spacers who prefer to stay awake tend to be more subdued and serious, with brands like "LongWatch", "Nuclear" or "Rocket Fuel". Drinking large volumes of energy drinks can be still be harmful to your health, and is not recommended without toxin filters or medichines.
SUPPLEMENTS
Many drinks include additives for some other purpose. These take a couple different forms, much of which has to do with marketing over necessity. "Sports" drinks, protein and other health supplements are actually fairly limited - mainly only in Jupiter and Luna due to physical fitness regimens and routines being common there culturally. Some professional athletes make marketing deals to sell these to the public, but in general athleticism is supplemented by advanced medical additives and vitamin regimes - in addition to simply using higher quality morph design. Alternatively, some drinks may contain "combat" drugs like Kick, MRDR or Phlo (p. 219 EP) to actually temporarily boost performance - and are priced accordingly. Nutritional supplements or meal replacement in drink form, however, are fairly common across the system. Powders or direct synthesis into water is fairly common, with "Liquid Rations" being one of the most common brandings of this idea. This is popular for quite a few people, especially those who are mobile and don't have time to sit and eat traditional meals, or don't care for the style and texture of a lot of basic maker food.
GIMMICK DRINKS
Of course, with capitalism going strong in many parts of the solar system, there exists a need to market products, so many drinks are sold on ambiguous qualities or certain prestige or rarity to them without necessarily having more proportional value in their production. Even in the New Economy, hobbyists or even microcorps will try and engineer new memes and demands for products not based on their intrinsic values to gain rep. Some of these ideas are incredibly specific, others are more broad and thus common around the solar system. One example is "NanoWater", purified water which contains active nanobot swarms to "preserve freshness" and thus has a time limit before the nanotech becomes non-functional. This is seen as a luxury drink by the hyperelite. Similarly, preying on Earth nostalgia, "reclaimed" water is frequently see, marketed as water recovered from the blue marble itself, and purified. Most sold reclaimed water hasn't been anywhere near Earth in at least 10 years, if ever, but authentic ones are highly valued in certain markets. Some substances are sold as drinks even though they aren't intended to be used that way, such as the chemicals Slip and NotWater (p. 323 EP), which is usually unpleasant but not harmfull as neither interacts with the body in any meaningful way.
EXOTIC DRINKS
And then you have your truly exotic, strange and unique drinks - made possible with the alterations to the transhuman form, or through advanced manufacturing abilities such as active nanotech. Most common are substances which can only be consumed by those with Toxin Filters (p. 305 EP) (medichines would make one uncomfortable still), delivering what would normally be toxic as an additional source of flavor. Some substances are straight up poisonous, including extra high levels or variants of alcohol, or including classic toxins (arsenic, cyanide, etc). Other cases are more presentational, such as "snake wine" brewed with venomous snakes actively in them to give a bit of extra kick or sense of danger to drinking them. The Ultimates are known to make drinks colloquially known as "ambrosia" or "soma" which contain blends of flavorings and toxins which are said to even push the limits of the Remade. Others even drink radioactive drinks, though not even toxin filters can wholly prevent damage this may cause.
Nanotech adds a new dimension. Flavors and chemical properties can change mid-drink with the right nanotech. Others work like nanodrugs to directly stimulate emotional and mental states in the drinker though expensive often prevents such substances from being widely spread. On the subject of mind-alteration, many recreational drugs which can be taken orally are also blended into drinks for flavoring or can be "drunk" on their own, such as the common substance Monochrome.
Water is still a fundamental substance to life, to anyone in a morph that is biological. Many morphs can survive on less water than a flat human, it's still pretty important to keep up the intake. While technically nearly all water is "recycled", most transhumans cut a few steps out of that cycle. A basic Maker (p. 238 EP) can clean and repurpose any biological product for clean water, though many still find direct recycling uncomfortable or unpleasant. More typically, enclosed habs feature large scale water recovery and treatment, which filters all water utilized by the hab. Water supplies are typically topped off by "fresh" supplies of water ice. Certain reactions, such as a HO rocket or hydrogen fuel cell, produce water vapor as a byproduct which may be collected for use. On planetary bodies like Mars and some exoplanets, people often carry travel bottles or canteens which incorporate the same microfilter technology as Filter Straws (p. 159 Gatecrashing).
ALCOHOL
Alcohol has a long history with humanity. Some even argue civilization would not be possible without fermentation of alcohol to ensure sterile drink. This relationship persists for Transhumanity, though with some changes. Advances in smart microbes and new strains of yeast, as well as supplemental nanotech broaden what can be fermented and what flavoring can occur. However, some new complications arise. Cereals are often hard to grow, or at least very space intensive meaning that traditional grain alcohols like beer only appear in habs or regions with large space, such as Mars of Venus, and often are seen as a more premium commodity. The second factor is that carbonation causes unpleasant or outright unhealthy side-effects in microgravity - meaning carbonated beers are only consumable by persons who can afford something like medichines or in gravity wells. This means Mars has some of the broadest variety in brewing traditional beers. Wines are similarly limited due to reliance on fruit, but sometimes even more rare for it.
Distilled alcohol and liqueurs are much more common throughout the system, and almost every habitat and many large spacecraft have at least one still lying around somewhere. Alcohol is useful not only for recreation, but for sterilization in case of a septic hab, and occasionally fuel. Typical "rotgut", "moonshine" and "torpedo juice" tend to be highly localized by the producer and habitat. More exotic blends of beverage depend highly on the locale, for instance mead made from honey-producing Smart Bees is common on Venus and Titan. Many traditional "brands" of alcohols have been bought up by hypercorps or held by hyperelite names - only some of which are utilized in something resembling their original forms, but other "secret" recipes and techniques are open sourced on the Mesh. True connoisseurs now have an additional problem, as "regional" products cannot be "truly" made off Earth anymore. Makers and CMs can produce substitutes for most alcoholic beverages, but this is generally seen both as energy inefficient and not quite the same - makerbrew is generally seen as only for people who lack money or taste.
COFFEE/TEA
As noted with Vitali-Tea and Black Lightening, drinking coffee or tea is often habitual or cultural to transhumans. It's a very common "ritual" in many cultures. Very simple substitutes for caffeinated brews can be produced by many models of maker or food fabricators, but typical Fab-Caf or Maker Tea is generally considered to be "almost entirely unlike" the original substance - and is typically viewed on the same level as coffees or teas sold in bottles or cans in the early 21st Century. Many vending kiosks even stock such drinks in bulb or disposable cup form, for people who don't want to wait for it to fab. "Real" coffees and teas still exist, but similar to beer space limitations on crops make it an artistic or luxury good in many parts of the Solar System. The tea trade is strongest out of Luna and Venus, though Venus does also offer several varieties of coffee - mainly to local cafes. The coffee industry on Mars was strongest out of Qurain, but since the Fall that has fallen off somewhat. That said, many a Nomad's Mobile Greenhouse is stocked with coffee. Varieties of Coffee and Tea are highly valuable, and samples or DNA sequences of them are special enough for fights to break out over them, both legal and physical. The style of "iced" coffee and tea has not died out, as many habs in locations which are relatively cold by Old Earth standards, so producing and storing items in lower energy states is often seen as easier.
DAIRY
Dairy is another typically common resource to humans, but one which has been greatly affected by the Fall. Actual bovines are now incredibly rare, with vat-grown meat more common. Habitats with gravity may use mammals like goats, sheep and alpaca to control greenspace and provide fibers, and also might milk them for either milk directly or to produce other dairy products. Much more common, however, are synthetic replacements made via nanofab as milk is a common ingredient in a lot of human cooking. These replacements often offer the direct nutritional or chemical properties, though many claim the taste is slightly off. As lactose intolerance is removed by basic genefixing, synthetics based on cow milk are the most common, but in some locales niche markets for derivatives of human milk exist. Biotech such as the K-Flask (067 Farcast) can also be used to produce unique pseudo-dairy products as well.
JUICES
Much like Beer and Coffee/Tea, Fruit Juice is a drink which is limited by space availability. That said, citrus at least contains nutrients vital to the human diet, so it is not uncommon for any hab with growing space to dedicate some to a variety of those. This makes the natural juices of those fruits slightly more common in habitats. Other fruit juices are often more rare and exotic, and many of these are converted to wines to keep sterile and help preservation, especially if the fruit on it's own is popular to consume. Like most other drinks, synthetic blends produced by fabrication are available, but these can sometimes blur the lines between fruit juices and traditional fruit-flavored soft drinks.
SOFT DRINKS
While soft drinks (particularly sodas/colas) were wildly popular in many ways on Earth, they ran into a bit of a hitch with space colonization for the same reason as beer - that carbonation is not very pleasant in microgravity. This put a dent in the extraterrestrial market for a period of time, until colonization of planetary bodies such as Mars and Venus started to advance. Due to being at the center of the Planetary Consortium, Mars has one of the strongest markets for sodas, with Martian "Red Cola" being the most popular and widest marketed. The basic ingredients of many sodas and colas are easily made in properly advanced Makers, so are not uncommon at home - replacing buying large packs of cans or large bottles. Due to the inclusion of many synthetic ingredients in sodas already, "basic" colas made by makers are not generally seen to impact the quality or taste - but "premium" sodas made from all natural ingredients exist and are sold at higher prices, often in expensive metallic cans or glass bottles. Also similar to beer, many old trademarks and brandings from Earth were bought up by hypercorps, and occasionally used in something resembling their original form. Ginger ales also appear occasionally, mostly in some neighborhoods on Mars and Titan as local specialties. Interestingly, Root Beer or synthetic replacements are slightly more widespread, as they can actually be produced without carbonation. Sodas are also common as a mixer for alcoholic beverages in gravity habs. Dry powdered soft drinks to flavor water also remain incredibly popular, even more widespread than sodas. They come in all kinds of flavors thanks to ease of manufacturing from makers, and many of them have additives which may even place them in other categories of drink.
ENERGY DRINKS
While caffeine might be more habitual than anything in the face of Transhumans needing less sleep, this hasn't stopped chemical engineering from finding more substitutes or other substances with stronger effects, or even the inclusion of previously illicit substances in "energy" drinks. While those who want serious performance enhancement get real cognitive drugs like Drive or Klar (p. 318 EP) marketing still offers a variety of drink-based stimulants, some of which have actual effects as labelled. Some of these even mix in real enhancement drugs which can be taken orally, but these tend to be more expensive. High doses of caffeine or other synthetic substances are most common, though some exotic mixes exist (such as drinks based on cocaine). These tend to be non-carbonated for wider marketability, but some variants exist - and others even blend with alcohol. The most gimmicky brands (such as the short-lived "TITAN Energy", pulled for being in incredibly poor taste) tend to be marketed at young adults, students and overworked middle classes who push the amount of time Basic Biomods allows one to stay awake or have heavy workloads, and tend to have names like "12-hour energy", "Mars Bull", "Demon" or "Popstar". Serious energy drinks which have strong effects tend to be favored by security or technical personnel with long shifts, and short-hop spacers who prefer to stay awake tend to be more subdued and serious, with brands like "LongWatch", "Nuclear" or "Rocket Fuel". Drinking large volumes of energy drinks can be still be harmful to your health, and is not recommended without toxin filters or medichines.
SUPPLEMENTS
Many drinks include additives for some other purpose. These take a couple different forms, much of which has to do with marketing over necessity. "Sports" drinks, protein and other health supplements are actually fairly limited - mainly only in Jupiter and Luna due to physical fitness regimens and routines being common there culturally. Some professional athletes make marketing deals to sell these to the public, but in general athleticism is supplemented by advanced medical additives and vitamin regimes - in addition to simply using higher quality morph design. Alternatively, some drinks may contain "combat" drugs like Kick, MRDR or Phlo (p. 219 EP) to actually temporarily boost performance - and are priced accordingly. Nutritional supplements or meal replacement in drink form, however, are fairly common across the system. Powders or direct synthesis into water is fairly common, with "Liquid Rations" being one of the most common brandings of this idea. This is popular for quite a few people, especially those who are mobile and don't have time to sit and eat traditional meals, or don't care for the style and texture of a lot of basic maker food.
GIMMICK DRINKS
Of course, with capitalism going strong in many parts of the solar system, there exists a need to market products, so many drinks are sold on ambiguous qualities or certain prestige or rarity to them without necessarily having more proportional value in their production. Even in the New Economy, hobbyists or even microcorps will try and engineer new memes and demands for products not based on their intrinsic values to gain rep. Some of these ideas are incredibly specific, others are more broad and thus common around the solar system. One example is "NanoWater", purified water which contains active nanobot swarms to "preserve freshness" and thus has a time limit before the nanotech becomes non-functional. This is seen as a luxury drink by the hyperelite. Similarly, preying on Earth nostalgia, "reclaimed" water is frequently see, marketed as water recovered from the blue marble itself, and purified. Most sold reclaimed water hasn't been anywhere near Earth in at least 10 years, if ever, but authentic ones are highly valued in certain markets. Some substances are sold as drinks even though they aren't intended to be used that way, such as the chemicals Slip and NotWater (p. 323 EP), which is usually unpleasant but not harmfull as neither interacts with the body in any meaningful way.
EXOTIC DRINKS
And then you have your truly exotic, strange and unique drinks - made possible with the alterations to the transhuman form, or through advanced manufacturing abilities such as active nanotech. Most common are substances which can only be consumed by those with Toxin Filters (p. 305 EP) (medichines would make one uncomfortable still), delivering what would normally be toxic as an additional source of flavor. Some substances are straight up poisonous, including extra high levels or variants of alcohol, or including classic toxins (arsenic, cyanide, etc). Other cases are more presentational, such as "snake wine" brewed with venomous snakes actively in them to give a bit of extra kick or sense of danger to drinking them. The Ultimates are known to make drinks colloquially known as "ambrosia" or "soma" which contain blends of flavorings and toxins which are said to even push the limits of the Remade. Others even drink radioactive drinks, though not even toxin filters can wholly prevent damage this may cause.
Nanotech adds a new dimension. Flavors and chemical properties can change mid-drink with the right nanotech. Others work like nanodrugs to directly stimulate emotional and mental states in the drinker though expensive often prevents such substances from being widely spread. On the subject of mind-alteration, many recreational drugs which can be taken orally are also blended into drinks for flavoring or can be "drunk" on their own, such as the common substance Monochrome.
Friday, December 2, 2016
Slang
(Inspired by the format of this document, which was tweeted by the EP Twitter, I have collected my own network of slang terms from myself, my group and some members of various communities. Also included are a couple of examples actually in the EP books which might not be contained all in one place)
ACTION FIGURE
A combat rated pod, usually used remotely via puppet-sock. From slang for a Pod as a "DOLL".
ARTIFICALS
Martian Slang for an artificial lifeform of any variety, usually one with animal-level intellect. See WILD ARTIFICIAL.
AYYS
Members of the Autonomist Alliance, or occasionally generic "Anarchists". Rarely actual aliens.
BASIC
Martian slang for "basically" or "simply". Talking plainly is "SPEAKING BASIC".
BLACK KETTLE
Martian slang for a facility which illegally produces or stores morphs.
BLOBJECT
An object made of smart materials which can just be almost any shape as needed. Portmanteau of "Blob" and "Object".
BOG
Any area-denial tactic or weapon.
BOILER
Martian slang for an exowomb or healing vat growing a morph for resleeving use. A BOILER ROOM is an enclosed morph house or facility. "Hitting/Going to" the Boiler Room refers to the act of stealing a morph.
BUG DOCTOR/BUG HUNTER
A scientist specializing in nanotechnology. Bug Hunter usually refers to somebody who works as an anti-nanotech specialist for security purposes.
BUGZAPPER
Technology designed to destroy or disable hostile nanoswarms.
BURNING DELTA
Wasting time, effort or energy. Comes from "Burning Daylight" and dV.
CANCER ENTHUSIAST
A vocal Jovian sympathizer or person who wishes to immigrate to the Jovian Republic. Usually derogatory.
CACK
An active bioagent or other toxic substance. Coming into contact with such substances is "GETTING IN THE CACK". Zone Stalkers and Firewall agents call active nanovirii WHITE CACK.
ACTION FIGURE
A combat rated pod, usually used remotely via puppet-sock. From slang for a Pod as a "DOLL".
ARTIFICALS
Martian Slang for an artificial lifeform of any variety, usually one with animal-level intellect. See WILD ARTIFICIAL.
AYYS
Members of the Autonomist Alliance, or occasionally generic "Anarchists". Rarely actual aliens.
BASIC
Martian slang for "basically" or "simply". Talking plainly is "SPEAKING BASIC".
BLACK KETTLE
Martian slang for a facility which illegally produces or stores morphs.
BLOBJECT
An object made of smart materials which can just be almost any shape as needed. Portmanteau of "Blob" and "Object".
BOG
Any area-denial tactic or weapon.
BOILER
Martian slang for an exowomb or healing vat growing a morph for resleeving use. A BOILER ROOM is an enclosed morph house or facility. "Hitting/Going to" the Boiler Room refers to the act of stealing a morph.
BUG DOCTOR/BUG HUNTER
A scientist specializing in nanotechnology. Bug Hunter usually refers to somebody who works as an anti-nanotech specialist for security purposes.
BUGZAPPER
Technology designed to destroy or disable hostile nanoswarms.
BURNING DELTA
Wasting time, effort or energy. Comes from "Burning Daylight" and dV.
CANCER ENTHUSIAST
A vocal Jovian sympathizer or person who wishes to immigrate to the Jovian Republic. Usually derogatory.
CACK
An active bioagent or other toxic substance. Coming into contact with such substances is "GETTING IN THE CACK". Zone Stalkers and Firewall agents call active nanovirii WHITE CACK.
CCTV
Mnemonic Augmentation, or other lifelogging implants.
CHIMERA
A transgenic creature, made with genetic traits from multiple species. Also "CHIMERIC".
DOUBLEMINT
An morph which is an exact copy or clone of another. Also refers to the set.
DROOLING
Someone so immersed in their Mesh AR/VR/XP feed they aren't paying attention to what their physical body is doing. Also "LAPSING" if you're being polite.
FACE RANK
Also FACE LEVEL. One's general level of well knownness and fame, not always equal to their Reputation.
FACTORY
A item which is relatively new, and as such hasn't been modified or broken in yet. Usually refers to hypercorp designs which still feature DRM or other IP protection. From both "Factory Reset" and "Unsatisfactory".
FAITHBIRTH
A person who was born without being genefixed, i/e a Flat. Considered more polite, sometimes seen in Bioconservative or Jovian circles.
FARHAULER
Long range spaceship, usually for cargo.
FLATLANDER
Someone born on, or otherwise used to living on a planet or moon with noticeable gravity.
FOREVER LAG
Being physically in a location (such as in dead storage), but not going to be resleeved any time soon. See also T-MINUS NEVER.
FRACTAL
Firewall slang for something (usually a mission) gone really wrong. Comes from TITANs use of fractal technology and shapes.
GENETRASH
Derogatory term by the Ultimates for those with lesser or impure genomes.
GENIE
Another name for a Muse or particularly high quality or well made AI.
GLOWBOARD
A large, flat device designed to display shared AR info with tactile feedback. Descended from whiteboards or blackboards.
HABTECH
Basic habitat engineer or technician.
HELLFARM
Any powerful, highly connected computer network. Something big enough to theoretically run a Seed AI.
INFUGEE
Infomorph refugee. An upload, such as from the Fall, who has no physical body to occupy currently.
IRON/BIG IRON
A tool or other useful device to do a job. A "Big Iron" is an expensive, powerful or cutting-edge tool - the kind of thing you want on your side but hate to see the other guy with. From "iron" as slang for guns and "big iron" from supercomputers.
LACK
The sensation of waking up in a new body with significant loss of Continuity.
LAG
Sleep, rest or other downtime. See also FOREVER LAG.
LOW-REZ
Archaic term for shitty computer equipment or connectivity. Can also refer to Infomorphs hosted on poor or weak devices.
LUP
Abbreviation of "look up". To quickly research something, usually over the Mesh.
MASTER OF HIS DOMAIN
Person who spends a lot of time on Simulspace, usually VR Porn. Comes from a Seinfeld phrase combined with "domain rules" for Simulspaces.
MEATBAG
Derisive or derogatory remark for a Biomorph. Almost always used by clanking masses.
MINDFOOD
Slang for Cognitive-enhancing drugs or other substances.
MINDFUCKER
Insulting term for a psychosurgeon, usually one who works for a Hypercorp and performs involuntary procedures on indentures or criminals. Scum occasionally use it ironically.
NEEDLER
A very precise beam weapon, such as a Pulse Laser or Particle Beam. Refers to the small holes they generate in targets. Also NEEDLE BEAM.
PALEBLOOD
Also WHITEBLOOD, a discriminatory term for a Pod, usually with class or race undertones. Sometimes reversed as REDBLOOD to refer to a biomorph who is seen as being "above" or against pods.
PAPERCLIP
A really primitive or shittly made AI, usually one which is poorly socialized. These kinds of poorly made AIs can become PAPERCLIP MAXIMIZERS. Also "CLIP" or "CLIPPY".
PRIVILEGE
A morph's positive qualities.
RAPESHARK
Offensive term for a neo-cetacean, particularly a neo-dolphin. Occasionally used ironically.
REDNECK
A Rural Martian.
REFU
Short for "refugee", and sometimes synonymous with "refuse". Used dismissively or derogatorily to refer to a physical refugee.
SCHWAY
Corruption of a Mandarin word meaning "handsome", "graceful" or "intelligent".
SHOW-ME
A Nanotat ID or other physical form of identification carried on the person.
SILVER BLOOD
A hyperelite, specifically someone born into the life. Comes from "blue blood" and the phrase "being born with a silver nanoswarm in your blood".
SCAV
Short for "scavenger", usually derogatory. Common on Luna. Sometimes synonymous with "vulture" or "carrion bird".
SKINJOB
A masked Synth.
SKINNING
Changing your perceived environment via AR programs
SLEEP ON IT
Take an unusually long time to think about something.
SOYLENT
A food or nutrient product made in a Maker from recycled biomass.
T-MINUS NEVER
Not going to happen. No matter how many people say it will.
TECHNICAL
Martian/Hypercorp slang for "crazy" or "haywire". Comes from a stress diagnosis common in early infugees.
TENURE
Slang for the common practice for higher learning institutions to sleeve professors purely out of pocket. Also GETTING TENURE. Some indentures with long contracts also refer to TENURE when they get their bodies.
TOASTER
Dismissive term for a bot or synth, usually one with a simplistic AI in it - a walking household appliance.
TOFT
As in "he's toft". Somebody with Immortality Blues. Could be derived from resleeving "too often", or "To Old For This".
TRASH U MAN
Typical insult or dismissal of "transhumans" by Bioconservatives.
UNCLE VENGEANCE
Martian (specifically Zone Runner) term for a TITAN Nanoswarm.
VAPOR
A failed mind emulation, or damaged/crippled fork or infomorph. From Vaporware.
WASTE HEAT
To waste time and effort on something. Sometimes just HEAT. Such as "wasting a lot of heat over nothing".
WAYBACK
A "long ago" time. Used to refer to pre-transhuman tech, but now can refer to Pre-Fall
WHITE/ULTRAVIOLET
An object/place/situation which is "hot" or risky, usually in the sense of an X-Risk. GOING ULTRAVIOLET indicates a situation getting more dangerous.
WILD ARTIFICIAL
An artificial which had gone wild or feral somehow.
XER
Also "X-er". Somebody obsessed with making or viewing XP.
ZERO
A person without mesh access. Common in some indentures and refugees.
Thursday, December 1, 2016
Vibroknuckle
"Powered" weapons which fall under the Unarmed Skill are fairly few and far between. The Power Fist is one such example, a gauntlet utilizing pneumatic technology to generate powerful punches that can cause high damage and even unbalance the opponent. But the Fist is showy, obvious and fairly recognizable. For those who want to bring a more high-tech edge with subtlety, they need a different option. Of course, the people who need such devices often raise the question if they need subtlety at all...
Vibroknuckle: A nasty little high-tech version of a knuckleduster used by some street gangs and pugilists. Instead of using hard rings or spikes, the Vibroknuckle has oscillating blades which vibrate at high frequencies when activated. Under normal circumstances, these don't do much besides add a little bit extra penetration when punching (and inflicting more painful injuries), but when used to make prolonged contact, they add an additional -3 AP and +1d10 DV. Vibroknuckles are usually embedded in a glove or gauntlet to give the user additional protection [Low]
AP -2 1d10+2+DB
As noted above, the primary market for vibroknuckles are street toughs who want painful, intimidating weapons (those with Enhanced Hearing say the noise of the vibration is particularly unsettling) which in a pinch can be used to puncture tougher armor. However, there is also a market in certain sports for using the knuckle as an alternative to conventional gloves or possibly even other weapons. This form of "razor boxing" or many other names is popular both as an informal (sanctioned or unsanctioned) sport in underground sports or some Scum circles, and as a formal one in some extreme sports leagues, including as a "Chess Boxing" variant.
Vibroknuckle: A nasty little high-tech version of a knuckleduster used by some street gangs and pugilists. Instead of using hard rings or spikes, the Vibroknuckle has oscillating blades which vibrate at high frequencies when activated. Under normal circumstances, these don't do much besides add a little bit extra penetration when punching (and inflicting more painful injuries), but when used to make prolonged contact, they add an additional -3 AP and +1d10 DV. Vibroknuckles are usually embedded in a glove or gauntlet to give the user additional protection [Low]
AP -2 1d10+2+DB
As noted above, the primary market for vibroknuckles are street toughs who want painful, intimidating weapons (those with Enhanced Hearing say the noise of the vibration is particularly unsettling) which in a pinch can be used to puncture tougher armor. However, there is also a market in certain sports for using the knuckle as an alternative to conventional gloves or possibly even other weapons. This form of "razor boxing" or many other names is popular both as an informal (sanctioned or unsanctioned) sport in underground sports or some Scum circles, and as a formal one in some extreme sports leagues, including as a "Chess Boxing" variant.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)