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GM Advice - How can I make a Memetics/Psychology expert useful?

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Jigaleaux Jigaleaux's picture
GM Advice - How can I make a Memetics/Psychology expert useful?
So I'm going to be running a game of Eclipse Phase in the near future here, and it'll be my first time running it. We have a small group, likely only two players and myself, so I want to make sure both players get equal screen time and both feel useful. One of the players rolled up an Octomorph who is absolutely FANTASTIC at Networking, Memetics, and Psychology (Academics, not Psychosurgery). I'm wondering what kind of things I can throw at them to let these bits shine. He's also good at 'Social stuff' in general, and will ostensibly be a face, but I was curious what ideas other GMs or players might have used to help make this side of EP Shine? I was thinking about being able to use Memetics and Psychology as a sort of toned down Pattern Recognition when it came to getting overall feelings, moods, and trends about things. Maybe even going deeper (BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAM) and using it to pick out subtle changes to help identify something being amiss? Thoughts, suggestions, general "Good luck"s appreciated.
ORCACommander ORCACommander's picture
heh heh heheheheh Make him a
heh heh heheheheh Make him a basilisk hack designer }:D>
DrewDavis DrewDavis's picture
A couple of things...
I have a few ideas, but it'd be easier if we knew what that character uses Psychology for. For example, I have two characters with respectable psych skills: One is a Psychologist who freelances as a Profiler. He can use Academics: Psychology to compliment a lot of his investigative skills, and to help other group members heal stress during downtime. He might use Academics Psychology to compliment Kinesics when interviewing a suspect, compliment investigation to gain insight into a suspects' motivations, or just use the raw skill when the local law enforcement types cast doubt on his techniques and he needs to win them over. The other is a computer hacker with specialization in Artificial Intelligences. Firewall uses her as a TITAN hunter and her skills help her identify weak points in individual TITAN's psychology that Firewall can exploit. I made the decision on my own that she is so specialized in machine intelligences that she has trouble when dealing with bio intelligences (equiv to real world naiveté). So what does this character do? A face has obvious uses for these skills, but is that all? Why did the character pick up these skills in the first place. Are they a master manipulator that learned Psychology on the fly, experimenting and refining over years of cons? Are they an academic that is forced, for whatever reason, to use their skills to help firewall? Each of those characters is going to use Psychology in different ways and should gain different bonuses based on your own judgment because of that.
Jigaleaux Jigaleaux's picture
DrewDavis wrote:I have a few
DrewDavis wrote:
I have a few ideas, but it'd be easier if we knew what that character uses Psychology for. ... So what does this character do?
The character in question was an Octomorph that was created pre-fall, and trained in (regular) human psychology. The creators were curious how an Octomorph might understand human psychology different, or apply it different. This understanding was then focused in a more pragmatic approach and a deep understanding of cultural memetics was taught, with the PC ultimately winding up being a Viral Marketeer, if you could call it that (Profession: Viral Marketing). So basically the Psychology would be applied to understanding why memes pop up, what they can tell about the people who follow them, and to a degree how to exploit them for an effective marketing campaign. Academics: Memetics and Anthropology are further studies to reinforce these things.
DrewDavis DrewDavis's picture
If you gave me this character
If you gave me this character I would make them a motivational speaker who uses his knowledge of human psychology to encourage predatory behavior in the people they work with. Something like "Taking Back Your Lizard Brain for Profit". They could make money giving seminars to wealthy businesspeople who think increasing their "predatory mindset" will help them make even more money. This should give the character a sizable amount of credits to play with as well as a lot of contacts and high C-Rep. In practical terms they should be a fantastic negotiator, especially in regards to corp types. Their Viral Marketing skills can be used to put long term plans into play, ruining the rep of potential enemies and controlling hostile memes and basilisk hacks by deep cover exurgents. That's off the top of my head anyway...
Panoptic Panoptic's picture
Another option is a behind
Another option is a behind the scenes manipulator. An agent provocateur or someone more subtle, using memes and psychological tactics to influence people into acting towards a desired goal. Tactics that could take time to act but could pay off marvellously.
On 'IC Talk': Seyit Karga, Ultimate [url=http://eclipsephase.com/comment/46317#comment-46317]Character Profile[/url]
ThatWhichNeverWas ThatWhichNeverWas's picture
Oh no, inspiration.
Okay, I can't get this out of my head, so I've decided to inflict it upon you all. So there. "The club is deafening from a block away, neon lights and swirling entoptics calling the cream of transhumanism with the promise of food and mating, an angler's lure blinding the prey to the teeth beneath... Exhuman teeth in this case. And so I went to pull on the lure, to see if I could trick them into trying to bite... The bouncer wanted to turn me away - no pets allowed - but before he even saw me I had him. The tension of his shoulders as he parted the way for the high and mighty spoke of resentment... a Barsoomian sympathiser most likely, but the way he wore his sidearm betrayed his fear of authority, so not an active member. A twitch of a tentacle at a sylph, a roll of the eyes and a flash of red and I was through the door, my new "kindred spirit" wishing me the best for the evening. A corridor lined with silk curtains gave way to a sea of flesh, gracefully sculpted bodies writhing in time to a beat designed to unleash the animal within... ironic really. I looked out with trained eyes at the human ocean, and immediately the currents and waves become apparent... as did the rocks of inhumanity lurking within: figures in the throng disturbing the flow, pretending to belong. Even now their presence was having the desired effect, breaking the harmony of the group and disrupting flows of emotional communication. In about 10 minutes, a brawl was going to break out, in 15 the first deaths, and there they'd be in the middle getting buzzed on the pheromones of fear and rage. At least, that's what they thought. I called up the menu and perused it like a soldier checking his armament, and then I got to work... ...a beer to the Ruster at the back who just lost his job to stop him switching to whiskey... ...a cocktail to the splicer who's new here, to redirect her away from the dealer she was drifting towards and into a group who (judging by their hairstyles) share her interest in nanosculpture... ...a quick twist of a tentacle sends a young woman into stumbling into the arms of another (they'd be married by the end of the week, if I'm any judge), the flash of love rippling through the crowd.... ... a tip of a tentacle dipped into a drink headed to a couple by the dance floor, leaving a drop of Hither... ... inhuman eyes searched for mine as the scent of the club swung away from violence. I let them see what they expect to see - a simple uplift in over his head - and they looked right through me. They knew something was wrong, but they couldn't tell why. It was about to become much, much worse. Time to get this party started...”
In the past we've had to compensate for weaknesses, finding quick solutions that only benefit a few. But what if we never need to feel weak or morally conflicted again?
RustedPantheress RustedPantheress's picture
Oh hell yes. That's what
Oh hell yes. That's what Firewall prefers - then you take the exhumans out quietly in a secure location. If it gets to where the bodies (other than the targets, of course) are dropping, you screwed up.
Somebody is using bad science! Snark, facts, snark. Your body is corrupted: Cool, do more science to it. Your mind is warped: That's nice, want a cookie? What do we say to the God of Death? Not today!