Question on TECH development

[Kyle Lewis]

Does anyone know of a Tech that can be traced back to an Idea from a rolepalying game?

 

[Aquinas]

Not quite a RPG but the "Star Wars" anti-missile technology (or huge waste of money) was based on ideas from, among others R A Henlein.

And after all it was all just SciFi. Rumour has it that RAH and A C Clarke had a stand-up row over the impracticality of RAHs idea.

But Reagan liked it!!!

 

[TheDS]

RPGs really haven't been around long enough to have the kind of impact you're looking for, but you will see plenty of sci fi that does this. A lot of Clarke's stuff (notably the communications satellite), Heinlein (battle dress), Asimov (psychohistory)... these were proposed in the 30's-60's, back when people were fond of space and had dreams.

That's why all the cool stuff, like nuclear engines, were developed a long time ago, and nothing of its ilk has been seen in the last 30-40 years. Very disturbing lack of vision.

RPGs so far have not invented anything that isn't already popular in sci fi books, and considering the sheer volume of sci fi books, really, it would be hard to invent something for a game before it could appear as a story. RPGs are set in other people's worlds, near as I can tell. Even Traveller draws all of its elements from the sci fi that was popular in the day, and what came before it.

Maybe in the next 100 years, some one will beat the odds and publish a game with an idea before some one publishes a story about the same subject.

 

[Zutroi]

Of course, there is the (in)famous case of the FBI versus GURPS, in which our noble G-men thought a role-playing book contained actual instructions for hacking secure computer systems...

 

[Golan2072]

Again, not from an RPG, but I once heard a story (is it true?) that the engineer who developed the first cellphones was a Trekkie and was inspired by the (original) Trek communicators.

 

[Sifu Blackirish]

Zutroi said:

Of course, there is the (in)famous case of the FBI versus GURPS, in which our noble G-men thought a role-playing book contained actual instructions for hacking secure computer systems...

Sure this post dosen't belong in <a href="http://www.travellerrpg.com/cgi-bin/Trav/CotI/Discuss/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=60;t=000062" target="_blank">CONSPIRACY THEORIES
</a>???

Oops...that thread wasn't in existence yet.

Is this for real, or are you just pulling my lariat?

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Dominion Loyalty Officer:
Is this for real, or are you just pulling my lariat?

Nope, it's for real.

http://www.sjgames.com/SS/