Hello everyone,
Ok first off my campaign is Non-Standard to say the least, BUT here is how I handle Robots or Bots in my campaign.
To start off a Robot has skill sets (skills with levels) loaded into their CPU on-board within them, with internal power supply. They might have communications available to talk to a command base CPU/AI but they mostly follow Independent set of parameters. They have the ability to leave any area and work on their own. If they run out of power they will do a controlled shutdown. Once power is restored, they will reboot up and come online with their stored knowledge and control parameters and be able to carry on as they were programmed to do/follow.
A Bot is totally controlled by a Central Base/AI and uses uploaded knowledge and skill sets via Broad Band Wireless fed from their command AI. They also use primary broadcast power in which to run, and have battery backup. Most Bots will work on a ship or facility and stay within a range of the transmitted Command AI and Power. Their knowledge base is stored in memory, and as long as they have power they will have access to this memory. If they loose power and go off line, all stored knowledge is totally lost. If they have battery backup replaced and rebooted, they will come online awaiting for knowledge upload from Base control/AI.
Now I do this for use in game play and it matters not the technology level. Call it a game element that adds to the background of the game campaign. One sees a Robot/Bot and may or may not be able to determine what it is, they need to interact with it to better make a guess what they are actually dealing with. BTW in my game AIs are quite fun as well too, because all my AIs have and use a Hologram Avatar that depending on the system can project that Avatar in different places...mostly a Hologram Ring is used, but some systems allow the Avatar to projected and move around in locations. A Hologram Avatar looks 3D and can be seen, but can not be touched or touch anything.
All of this allows for much more fun and adds to the fun in the game and for me the GM for plots and etc. Next depending on the CPU that a Robot has, this defines how many "SLOTS" or points of skill knowledge can be loaded into a Robots onboard memory. It takes two slots to just load a skill level one, and add two plus the skill level to get the next level. So a Skill level 2 would be 2 slots for level 1, and 2 + 2 for level 2. That would mean 7 slots to load up a Level 2 skill of something. To give a Robot a Level 0 skill would cost 1 slot.
One can also improve a Robots base INT score which starts as a level 3. I refer to the score as Reason Ability to replace Intelligence. So to get that ability up, to a 4 it cost +1 slot, to a 5 it costs +2 slots, and to a 6 it costs +3 slots. So a RA max is 6, with only special cases making a RA 7 possible.
Robots Models are called Mark 30s, 40s, 50s with that number of slots to build out the their RA and Skill Set with. I have a whole set of rules that I use for my system, but this is the basics. I use this same style in all of my Traveller games.
Ok first off my campaign is Non-Standard to say the least, BUT here is how I handle Robots or Bots in my campaign.
To start off a Robot has skill sets (skills with levels) loaded into their CPU on-board within them, with internal power supply. They might have communications available to talk to a command base CPU/AI but they mostly follow Independent set of parameters. They have the ability to leave any area and work on their own. If they run out of power they will do a controlled shutdown. Once power is restored, they will reboot up and come online with their stored knowledge and control parameters and be able to carry on as they were programmed to do/follow.
A Bot is totally controlled by a Central Base/AI and uses uploaded knowledge and skill sets via Broad Band Wireless fed from their command AI. They also use primary broadcast power in which to run, and have battery backup. Most Bots will work on a ship or facility and stay within a range of the transmitted Command AI and Power. Their knowledge base is stored in memory, and as long as they have power they will have access to this memory. If they loose power and go off line, all stored knowledge is totally lost. If they have battery backup replaced and rebooted, they will come online awaiting for knowledge upload from Base control/AI.
Now I do this for use in game play and it matters not the technology level. Call it a game element that adds to the background of the game campaign. One sees a Robot/Bot and may or may not be able to determine what it is, they need to interact with it to better make a guess what they are actually dealing with. BTW in my game AIs are quite fun as well too, because all my AIs have and use a Hologram Avatar that depending on the system can project that Avatar in different places...mostly a Hologram Ring is used, but some systems allow the Avatar to projected and move around in locations. A Hologram Avatar looks 3D and can be seen, but can not be touched or touch anything.
All of this allows for much more fun and adds to the fun in the game and for me the GM for plots and etc. Next depending on the CPU that a Robot has, this defines how many "SLOTS" or points of skill knowledge can be loaded into a Robots onboard memory. It takes two slots to just load a skill level one, and add two plus the skill level to get the next level. So a Skill level 2 would be 2 slots for level 1, and 2 + 2 for level 2. That would mean 7 slots to load up a Level 2 skill of something. To give a Robot a Level 0 skill would cost 1 slot.
One can also improve a Robots base INT score which starts as a level 3. I refer to the score as Reason Ability to replace Intelligence. So to get that ability up, to a 4 it cost +1 slot, to a 5 it costs +2 slots, and to a 6 it costs +3 slots. So a RA max is 6, with only special cases making a RA 7 possible.
Robots Models are called Mark 30s, 40s, 50s with that number of slots to build out the their RA and Skill Set with. I have a whole set of rules that I use for my system, but this is the basics. I use this same style in all of my Traveller games.
