Im wrapping up my game now but im curious to hear how other DMs handle exsurgents.
In my game they were a virus engineered by an ETI beyond any transhuman mind, that controls thier minds and forces them to an agenda beyond the players. But a slight portion remains like district 9 or something.I just sorta played them as something beyond us like cthulhu that really caused the TITANS to do what they did.
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Exurgents: How do they work?
Sun, 2013-09-01 01:04
#1
DrDoomsday112
Exurgents: How do they work?
Wed, 2013-09-04 19:19
#2
nerdnumber1
I haven't decided what
I haven't decided what specifically to put as the end purpose of the exurgent virus. I am keeping the origin being the ETI, but some strains may have been modified by the infected TITANS for their own purposes. Nearly all strains, like any virus, are adapted to spread themselves to a greater population. It is quite possible that some strains have evolved or mutated to better fulfill this role at the cost of whatever previous purpose it had. Perhaps its purpose only really kicks in once it reaches a certain infection threshold.
I just had an interesting idea: what if the exurgent virus IS the ETI! Think about it from a some-what ex-human point of view: what is one of the most resilient form of life? A virus! The exurgent virus is excellent at surviving and spreading and, in digital vectors, can be very intelligent. Maybe it reproduces by infecting powerful seed AGIs and assimilating a large portion of the egos of a civilization to create a powerful gestalt mind that actually promises to be something both powerful and novel by the standards of a race millions of years beyond us. Only a handful of such "individuals" may spawn from any given post-singularity society, but they might be one of the few ways the ETI could find something new. I might just use this in a game (and I'm really sorry if I'm subconsciously stealing this from something I read but forgot about).
Thu, 2013-09-05 05:26
#3
Baalbamoth
the exsurgent strains are...
the second comming of jesus...
—
"what do I want? The usual — hundreds of grandchildren, complete dominion over the known worlds, and the pleasure of hearing that all my enemies have died in highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me."
Thu, 2013-09-05 07:08
#4
nizkateth
Baalbamoth wrote:the second
I'm [b]so[/b] stealing that as an idea.
Some christian brinker cult or something...
"Angels were spoken of as beyond mortal ken, something you are grateful for but would never wish to actually see... meaning God must be even more so. After all, He only revealed himself through things we could grasp like the burning bush... or His son. These things that are so incomprehensible to people, that defy our concept of scientific laws, that think in ways completely alien to us... these truly must be agents of God. The Fall wasn't a disaster to be mourned... it was the beginning of Armageddon. We must seek out what normal mortals fear and join the army of heaven so we can help fight this war and purge the unclean from our worlds!"
—
Reapers: Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball.
My watch also has a minute hand, millenium hand, and an eon hand.
Thu, 2013-09-05 21:16
#5
Baalbamoth
heh
another outlook would be that the titans WERE the rapture, all the good people taken to heaven and now is the hundred years or so of strife by the damned souls left behind, but after that it's the culling and 700 ft tall Jesus in a bloody robe gleefully stomping in a winepress filled with people. (revelation, gotta love it.)
—
"what do I want? The usual — hundreds of grandchildren, complete dominion over the known worlds, and the pleasure of hearing that all my enemies have died in highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me."
Thu, 2013-09-05 23:29
#6
nerdnumber1
I tend not to go with the
I tend not to go with the "God wants to eat you" explanation as the cannon one (after all, anyone who believes strongly in the religion would be insulted and more secular players would not be satisfied with a religious explanation), but having a small cult with this sort of belief has promise.
Fri, 2013-09-06 05:09
#7
Patrick Northedgers
In my opinion...
I would personally avoid religious explanation due to the fact that this is a touchy subject - and would force you to explain whence the religion came to humanity some thousand years ago, anyway.
I would say exsurgent virus is not exactly the ETI itself, but its method of reproduction - they seed the galaxy with their probes and if a seed hits the right spot (ie. a sufficiently advanced civilisation), it blooms, uses the civilisation as disposable resource (like parasitic larvae use a host or plant uses the soil), builds the gates and leaves in search for its species colony - bringing some new insight / perspective with them. And, of course, leaving total devastation behind itself.
—
"Normal" does not exist anymore. I consider it a good symptom, though.
Fri, 2013-09-06 06:48
#8
nizkateth
Baalbamoth wrote:the titans
That's a good one. In which case, said brinker cult could be seeking out exsurgents to join the side of 'good' in the tribulation and help destroy all the 'wicked' people left behind after the fall. After all, if the Titans were the rapture then anything associated with them must be heavenly.
—
Reapers: Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball.
My watch also has a minute hand, millenium hand, and an eon hand.
Fri, 2013-09-06 07:37
#9
Baalbamoth
wow patrick
it started as a joke and became a good background for a brinker cult, nobody was talking about seriously having the x-virus be gods judgement of mankind. but to touch on a different subject... hell no I dont avoid religion as a topic in my games because stupid people are sensitive, and wouldent be able to handle the subject of religion in a sci fi game. I pack my games with as much religion, racial and ethnic relations, sexual subjects like same sex relations and sexual identity, politics, radical science (stem cell debate) any anything else which draws players into discussions and arguements.
The crow of my firewall team is still a devout southern catholic who belives the addage of praise god and pass the ammo.
(I'm basing him on Audie Murphy, if you havent read "to hell and back" read it! June 2, 1945 presented Murphy with the Medal of Honor and Legion of Merit for his actions at Holtzwihr. When asked after the war why he had seized the machine gun and taken on an entire company of German infantry, he replied simply, "They were killing my friends.")
—
"what do I want? The usual — hundreds of grandchildren, complete dominion over the known worlds, and the pleasure of hearing that all my enemies have died in highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me."
Fri, 2013-09-06 08:56
#10
Patrick Northedgers
Hey!
Saying "touchy" does not mean "do not touch" - it means "touch with care" and "know your players".
And to stay on topic, brinker cult that considers TITANs and exsurgent plague some kind of religious judgement (Second Coming, The Rapture, call it how you will - every branch has their own name) is a good idea, both as allies (experts on the subject, after all, studying their deity manifestation) and as enemies (obviously trying to spread the good message, while staying "clean" to be able to work on). I think I can use it... carefully.
—
"Normal" does not exist anymore. I consider it a good symptom, though.
Fri, 2013-09-06 09:10
#11
nizkateth
Patrick Northedgers wrote:I
Glad to help ^_^
Edit: It occurs to me, such a cult would be [i]opposite[/i] the way the Jovian church sees things. If the Titans and their forced uploading were the Rapture... then uploading [b]must[/b] move the soul. So resleeving and such should be [i]perfectly[/i] acceptable. I'd think at least.
—
Reapers: Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball.
My watch also has a minute hand, millenium hand, and an eon hand.
Fri, 2013-09-06 10:00
#12
nerdnumber1
I don't think religion
I don't think religion shouldn't be used in gaming, but I wouldn't single out one religion as "right" and then shift it in horrifying ways (thus alienating both the secular and religious alike). Rather, I prefer to have religious orders who are not proven correct.
There is a significant difference between divine agents removing the soul and men trying to do the same in most religions. Also, religion isn't always perfectly consistent. But yes, the Jovians (and Catholic Church) do NOT believe that the TITANS were angelic.
edit: Plus, a religious order could easily ignore any anecdote that conflict with what constitutes the divine actions of the angels as the lies of evil secular governments who, either knowingly or unknowingly, serve as agents for the devil (I mean they call the angels evil and actively fight against them!)
Fri, 2013-09-06 10:17
#13
Patrick Northedgers
Double posted
Double posted. Discreet removal ;)
—
"Normal" does not exist anymore. I consider it a good symptom, though.
Fri, 2013-09-06 10:20
#14
Patrick Northedgers
Not angels nor demons
Not angels nor demons
I prefer to leave the matter who is "right" unsolved in the games, especially that my gaming group is religiously diverse - after all, all we know about exsurgent virus (canonically) is that it came from ETI. I think portraying a single religious denomination (especially fictional one) as definitely misguided would be acceptable - after all, believers fight each other constantly, even if only verbally, and for example the Catholic Church consider some more radical Christian denominations not to be Christian at all.
Religion is rarely consistent among believers of the same sect - "ask two Jews about anything and you will get three opinions". But the Jovians - whose religious stance is basically identical to that of the Catholic Church - indeed see TITANs as example of human hubris bringing downfall, not anything angelic, nor demonic. The Fall does not have a religious meaning to them - at least I found no such reference. It was simply another trial of humanity, along the wars and maladies of previous centuries. Not the next Deluge (I guess considering it the next Deluge would be heretical in eyes of many Christian believers).
This is why religion is a good motivation for both allies and antagonists for PCs - it allows you to rewrite values and motivations completely and still stay within plausibility of human behaviour. Mind you, TITANs as angels... all right, but if some of them have fallen?
In this stance, yes - resleeving by an annointed priest, possibly, just as a Christian priest can say that the sins are no longer valid. He has the power to do so, I suppose a priest of such sect could have a power to resleeve "correctly".
I think we derailed the topic. Sorry about that.
—
"Normal" does not exist anymore. I consider it a good symptom, though.
Sat, 2013-09-07 07:45
#15
Baalbamoth
ever play dogs in the vinyard?
In that game, the mormons are right and theres not debate and every character is a mormon demon hunter.
I dont have any problem saying which religion is right if its appropriate to the setting, (in many tolken/gygaxian fantasy games, theres many gods and all of them are right)
but EP isnt one of those settings, I wouldent throw actual divine power into the game, but I wouldent stop insane asyncs from believing their psi abilities come from god or alien religions using high tech and claiming its their god's power in the game game
—
"what do I want? The usual — hundreds of grandchildren, complete dominion over the known worlds, and the pleasure of hearing that all my enemies have died in highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me."
Sat, 2013-09-07 08:11
#16
nizkateth
Reminds me...
Reminds me of a D&D setting I made once, where the gods were all dead. Divine magic came from tapping into the energy that was released after their deaths and permeated the universe, which required a strong will and purpose. Divine casters were anything from philosophers (even scientists), to powerful leaders who believed very strongly in their right to rule (for good or ill). In essence, an atheist world that still had the cleric class as an option.
^_^
—
Reapers: Do Not Taunt Happy Fun Ball.
My watch also has a minute hand, millenium hand, and an eon hand.
Sat, 2013-09-07 11:40
#17
Baalbamoth
heh
there's a fantasy book about a world where all evil was eliminated except for a handful of evil doers who have to bring balance back to the world... pretty funny... (shakes off fantasy nostalgia)
but uh... whats this topic about again?
—
"what do I want? The usual — hundreds of grandchildren, complete dominion over the known worlds, and the pleasure of hearing that all my enemies have died in highly improbable accidents that cannot be connected to me."
Tue, 2013-09-24 23:05
#18
DrDoomsday112
Lmao WTF
I actually just got back to this after the second last session of my game. Lmao i got to say theres alot of religous debate. I agree with Baalbamoth though. I grew up in a catholic school and hes right stupid people will get offended easily. But this is why i like the game. Religious people already say where immortal, but they do so without evidence. In Eclipse Phase(or atleast in my campaign)your already immortal firewall has your backups so if your ego dies and cant be retrieved we will still come back resurrected almost, But not through any spooky, mystical force but by technology. But still interesting to learn, they werent of any religious significance in my game. in fact i made the villian of my game religious. I did so because i know first hand that in order to get a good person to do a bad thing you need religion.