Collectors

Summary:

If you can't beat them, join them. All of them.

Collectors

narfanator 22 Apr 2008 00:47

There are many, many things out there which blur some important lines, particularly those having to do with Metatech. There are also so many ways for "infection", to truly attempt to protect yourself requires drastic acts like heterolinguism. So what do you do?

Stop caring. What's the difference between someone convincing you of something using an argument, and using metatech? What's the problem with a drug changing you over time? People change - and they change because of what they've come into contact with.

Heterolinguists attempt to cut themselves off from this, because they fear it. Collectors think that these attempts are both way to drastic and eventually doomed to failure anyway, so why cut yourself off so much from everyone else? Well, you know what they say - if you can't beat them, join them.

If you can't protect yourself from all the metatech "diseases" out there, invite them in. All of them.

At some point all the pulling equals out. Absorb the memesphere. Long cat is long.

—-
Partial inspiration to Pneumonica's Qualia lenses; "embed a metatech virus in a popular lens, and you get something that slowly changes the user into something else every time they use it." Alright… don't normal drugs do that? And isn't that kinda true of everything?

Last edited on 22 Apr 2008 00:49 by narfanator Show more

Re: Collectors

Pneumonica 22 Apr 2008 13:54

Totally. Hence the discussion of narcotics as just another form of Qualia Lens (very low-tech, fraught with side-effects, and highly imprecise, but still on the road to getting there).

Re: Collectors

narfanator 22 Apr 2008 19:59

Yup.

Re: Collectors

Pilgrim 23 Apr 2008 15:53

So, what are their core values and benefits?
From the way they're written now, it looks like they get Immunity Through Exposure as a core value, a high Metatech score and no benefit.

---

A Possible Benefit: Min. Meta score of 6. Do not suffer Import reduction for exceeding civ maximums. +1 to resist memetic attacks.

Re: Collectors

Pneumonica 23 Apr 2008 17:59

Actually, I would give them some abilities with counter-attacking a meme that has successfully affected them until it is completely ablated. So, for instance, they can automatically attempt to resist a meme's effect on them at regular intervals, even if that meme would normally force them to submit to it.

Re: Collectors

narfanator 24 Apr 2008 05:39

I'm thinking these guys are kinda like the memetic version of the Nanori, in that no-one lets them to speak. At least, not without putting them in the equivalent of a biohazard suit.

Since, okay, there are two defenses at work in a Collector undergoing a metatech attack:

1) They'll open their mouth and metatech will come out.

2) Three Stooges Syndrome. The "diseases" they have already are going to beat up the disease you're trying to give them.

Possible benefit:
When rolling on Metatech, roll twice and take the higher.
OR
You get additional Metatech reserve equal to your CV level for this civ.

CV possibility:
Unfiltered Exposure - They believe, fundementally, in not worrying about the dangers you're exposing yourself too. A low-level UE means they just don't believe in worrying about it; a high level means they actively seek it out.

It's also important that a proper Collector will always speak in memes and cultural references.

Re: Collectors

Pneumonica 24 Apr 2008 14:05

Actually, if you're going to go that far, I would point out that the insidious memes don't use words. A meme can include everything from body language to pheremones. If anybody tried to isolate their world from the memeplague that this would represent, they would have to totally physically isolate them on pain of summary disintegration (can't risk any tattoos being seen). A total perceptive void would have to be established around them, with an intermediary heterolinguistic familiar utilized to communicate. The heterolinguistic familiar translates as best it can what the memespeaker is trying to communicate, and then translators on the other side re-translate it back into common lexical. Every step must ensure that nothing that no form of communication translates directly from one source to the other (since communication is reciprocal, there is a threat to even directly speaking to a Collector).

In other words, I wouldn't go with the Collectors as the metatech Nanori. It goes poorly.

Re: Collectors

Pilgrim 24 Apr 2008 14:56

Less like the Nanori, more like freelance Jesuits.