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Body Blueprints

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Tue, 2011-04-12 19:04

Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture

Body Blueprints

Here's a question I've been pondering recently that I now put to you all: How do you go about buying the blueprint for a body? One of the fun things in EP is that people don't necessarily own their own genetics. Some people own or rent a body, but don't own the DNA that makes it. The same goes for the blueprint plant for people in synth bodies. Thing is, what if I want it? In biomorphs/pods, this isn't especially pertinent, their bodies take years to grow, but it's a potential point of pride. Synthmorphs, meanwhile, are able to be grown at the speed a nanofabber can print them. As such, it becomes very interesting if a person who has a preferred synthmorph has the blueprints for it. Given blueprints cost one category more than the item itself, however, and that most morphs are already Expensive, what do you do? Move to the 20,000+ category (or whatever the next one higher is)? What if they're buying their starting morph? Make them pay an extra 10 CP for it? Do you even allow it? I'd like to hear your thoughts and opinions; not just for reasons of handling it in terms of rules, but how you deal with it in-setting. What say you?

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Tue, 2011-04-12 19:22

Lilith

Re: Body Blueprints

I would think there would be a thriving market for such things in the various underground and open-source communities, especially given the propensity of hardcore XP addicts to want to emulate their favorite "celebrities". Even in the case of biomorphs it would be, as you put it, a point of pride. Others may just have a "favorite" morph that they prefer (perhaps that sleeving just went so well they can't imagine using anything else), and likewise, I'm sure anyone in possession of plans for a favorite morph wouldn't mind enduring the time and/or expense of making copies of it for backups in the event of a resleeve. I can't imagine it would be too hard to obtain such plans, either, even if they're not readily-available on the markets...

Tue, 2011-04-12 22:24

Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

It's a little problematic that you can't *effectively* go above Expensive, yes. (That is, it's a 50% or less hike, instead of 400-500%.) I agree that open-source plans probably exist for the cruddier synthmorphs (but some of them are only High anyway, IIRC).

Fri, 2011-04-15 03:38

mack2028

Re: Body Blueprints

In the book things start at 20k and goes up in roughly 10k steps. hope that helps.

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Fri, 2011-04-15 09:40

Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

That's what I meant about +50% versus +400%: 20k to 30k is a small relative bump, while 5k to 20k is a large relative bump.

Fri, 2011-04-15 15:39

Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

The overall relative cost difference is different in impact to the cost difference when put into play. A player does indeed pay relatively more (four times more, in fact) for a Medium cost item than a Low cost one, percentage-wise. However, they're still paying only 0.25 to 1 CP, whereas an Expensive item merely doubling in cost, or going up 50% if already at 20k credits or more, is still a far higher burden. In terms of impact, paying 100% more on Expensive item is felt much more greatly than paying 400% more on a Low one.

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Fri, 2011-04-15 16:11

Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

I agree, but the distinction is largely lost in play (Favor tiers), and I said 50% more. ;) If you're not using credits (and the game seems to strongly nudge you not to), it doesn't really feel like 'one category higher' to go from 20k to 30k (or, sure, even 40k). It feels like *more*, but not a whole category higher. The blueprint to something that already costs 40k should rightly be incredibly expensive.

Fri, 2011-04-15 17:04

Tango

Re: Body Blueprints

With bios the blueprint is the morph's own DNA, so it would be available to anyone able getting close enough to one to collect a sample. The real challenge would be to figure out the conditions the bio was grown in. Perhaps theres some sort of "DRM" programmed in the dna so that it will only respond to certain stimuli before it will start growing? Or could there be a system build in (the dna) that would make it possible to ID tag each morph (to kurb that damn dna-piratebay). Imagine being stopped in a customs checkpoint and arrested for "purchasing & wearing pirated material".

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Fri, 2011-04-15 18:00

Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

Yerameyahu wrote:
I agree, but the distinction is largely lost in play (Favor tiers), and I said 50% more. ;) If you're not using credits (and the game seems to strongly nudge you not to), it doesn't really feel like 'one category higher' to go from 20k to 30k (or, sure, even 40k). It feels like *more*, but not a whole category higher. The blueprint to something that already costs 40k should rightly be incredibly expensive.

Well, frankly, the number isn't exact, especially not at char-gen. I get your logic, of course, but it's not something that meshes well with play in some ways. That said, I do think it could be reasonable in some situations (I.E. Paying 20,000 instead of 10,000), and, in anything higher than that, it's like paying for an exclusive use contract with an artist; you pay a bit extra to get something extra that doesn't really cost the person you get it from anything (i.e. You agree that you will not sell this morph, freely give it away, or distribute the blueprint). Given that people who aren't in dangerous jobs don't tend to need to resleeve that often, and anyone who isn't planning to regularly upgrade is not likely in their sales category anyway, I don't see companies being against it, especially not with synthmorphs. Naturally, they probably come with DRM setups somewhere... Also, an Expensive favour is never really tooo diverse in degree. Asking the favour of a friend to get a fusion-powered jet for you, or the use of a quartz morph, or a copy of a blueprint for a morph, none of these are particularly small things. An Expensive favour is ALWAYS a big favour, regardless of whether it's a 20,000 credit favour or a 100,000 credit favour.

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Fri, 2011-04-15 23:30

#10

Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

Yes, but I still think there's a vast gulf between 20k and 100k. There are things in the game vastly more expensive than the favor system deals with. That's fine, and couldn't really be otherwise, but you wouldn't want that necessary limitation collapsing all costs above Expensive.

Sat, 2011-04-16 00:59

#11

mack2028

Re: Body Blueprints

Maybe you should just make favors more expensive that expensive level burn rep or count as if you were requesting more than one favor.

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Sat, 2011-04-16 09:14

#12

Axel the Chimeric Axel the Chimeric's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

That, or make them require multiple favour checks over time.

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Sat, 2011-04-16 09:25

#13

Yerameyahu Yerameyahu's picture

Re: Body Blueprints

Right. Both of those are fine, because they're a solid sacrifice (time, or loss).