Treating your ship as a Character

[BackworldTraveller]

Should you wish to treat a ship's computer as if it were a character, what would you do to change the standard character generation sequence to work for such a creation?

What classes work well, and which don't?

What skills should a ship have by default as part of background? (Agility(Dexterity) in MGTv2 or Zero_G in other versions? Pilot(Spacecraft/Capital Ship)? Language(Galanglic)?)

What attributes are relevant? DEX, INT, EDU and SOC=0?
What initiative rating should a ships computer that works in nono-seconds have?
How should you treat computer programs?

 

[Condottiere]

What happens when you upgrade your computer for a newer trophy model?

 

[whulorigan]

What happens when you upgrade your computer for a newer trophy model?

You never want your ship's computer to be a free-willed individual for this reason. If you want a self-aware AI for a computer core, make sure it has its own independent robot brain (and perhaps "body" as well, that it "owns") that interfaces with the installed ship's computer. That way your ship doesn't say "I quit" and kick you off to go about its own business.

 

[Vargr Breath]

Should you wish to treat a ship's computer as if it were a character, what would you do to change the standard character generation sequence to work for such a creation?

What classes work well, and which don't?

What skills should a ship have by default as part of background? (Agility(Dexterity) in MGTv2 or Zero_G in other versions? Pilot(Spacecraft/Capital Ship)? Language(Galanglic)?)

What attributes are relevant? DEX, INT, EDU and SOC=0?
What initiative rating should a ships computer that works in nono-seconds have?
How should you treat computer programs?

"I'm sorry Dave, I'm afraid I can't do that." - Hal 9000.

 

[whartung]

"Sentient" computers would be very scary. Mind, we don't know much about sentience. The singular biggest potential issue with sentient computers is multi-tasking and decision making.

Since we don't know much about sentience, we can't say if our inability to multi-task is due to our sentient nature, or something else.

Also, how much of our reaction time is simply physical (neurons and nerves carry information only so fast) vs our conscious and unconscious minds churning on the inputs to quickly enough give us an output.

It may simply be the fuzzy experience of sentience that makes us go "uh".

If computers are not hindered by either of these, that is able to multi-task at a high level, an reactions limited to propagation delay, then we're in real trouble. Unless, of course, sentient computers don't develop patience. Then they'd probably just go mad "waiting" the eternity of microseconds for use to respond.

A quick reacting, multi-tasking, sentient computer is real trouble. You would have real trouble distracting such a thing, which is our primary weakness in many, many areas.

Simply, imagine these, more intelligent, and coming after you.

Now imagine 100 of them, all coordinated, all with perfect, environmental awareness. They know where you are (assuming they can sense you), they know where all of their brethren are, they know where they are in the ship, or building, or street. If they have wider awareness, they know the surrounding corridors and streets.

Then give them guns.

Give them a gun that they simply have to sweep across you and it fires at the precise point it needs to, already compensating for the fact that it sees you trying to jump out of the way. It's been watching you for that past several hundredths of a second. It not only sees you're turning, it also knows your velocity, and angle of motion, and can predict where you will be when the gun fire 1/10th of a second later, and where that bullet will be in the 1/10th of second it takes to fly toward you, as well as the ballistics of the bullet.

Now, think how much character you want your computer to have.

 

[aramis]

It's a topic being addressed in recent episodes of Star Trek: Discovery. The writers present an interesting progression happening.

 

[McPerth]

Most Traveller versions set true AI (sentient compiuters) at TL 17, s ofar in future even for Traveller (at last CT/MT/TNE/T4, not su re about other versions).

So, if a computer (starhisp's in this case) is to be used as a character, I guess the hints given in LLB8 would be applicable. After all, if the ship is able to act by itself, I guess it can be considered a "robot ship"...

 

[agorski]

if the ship is able to act by itself, I guess it can be considered a "robot ship"

The T5 robot rules indicate what levels and number of skills are available depending on what the C5 characteristic is. You can also give the brain a wafer jack. A robot ship could have an automated carousel of wafers with lots of 'temporary' skills as needed. I'd stay away from the 'emotional supplement' option.

 

[Dragoner]

The last game had the ship as an NPC, a rogue AI, and I gave them/it all starship skills at 1. This idea is old as adventure 1, the Kinunir, and recovering that ship. In that game we ran around fighting the Imperium, like in Blake's 7.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Well ... if you want a computer with attitude ...

 

[Vargr Breath]

Well ... if you want a computer with attitude ...

Twiki I am your father.

 

[Dragoner]

Good call, yes, the ref ran it as Orac.

 

[Blue Ghost]

Should you wish to treat a ship's computer as if it were a character, what would you do to change the standard character generation sequence to work for such a creation?

What classes work well, and which don't?

What skills should a ship have by default as part of background? (Agility(Dexterity) in MGTv2 or Zero_G in other versions? Pilot(Spacecraft/Capital Ship)? Language(Galanglic)?)

What attributes are relevant? DEX, INT, EDU and SOC=0?
What initiative rating should a ships computer that works in nono-seconds have?
How should you treat computer programs?

I think one of the reasons AI in the 3rd Imperium is so comparatively primitive is that it would take away the need for a skilled pilot, navigator and engineer to operate the vessel. Any starship would in fact become a giant bus, maybe with a medic or two to help the ship's medical AI in an emergency or other crisis.

I am told that hijacked planes or planes with incapacitated crew only need punch in a code to get an ALS to kick in and land the plane. That tidbit came from a professional 747 pilot who does an aviation series on YouTube. Having said that, I would put the ship's skill level for pilot, navigation and even gunnery at 5. Engineering might be a different story, because there the ship needs a free pair of hands to fix things, and where mechanics in days prior to scanners could readily trouble shoot a car's problem, to me it seems like being reliant on scanners tends to turn off newer mechanics' brains; i.e. instead of knowing the cause of a problem from experience there's a tendency to rely on a scanner to tell you what's wrong with a vehicle. Go ahead and hit me with your best FGMP, but mechanics today seem to be a different breed from those of say thirty years ago and before.

My experience with computer games, (not console video games) is that computers just operate faster and use basic strategies infinitely faster than humans. And the AI for RTS and FPS shooters are tonned down so we mere simians can have a chance at beating the computer. Meaning that things like gunnery and general security for an AI starship are always going to favor the AI over biologics like us humans.

In terms of gameplay I would be all for it. It would relieve the need to hire or char-gen a skilled pilot, navigator and engineer, though those people would be a must should your ship suffer damage to the computer, and suddenly your starship has suffered the equivalent of a stroke or aneurysm due to a stray pirate laser bolt. Even if you fight off that pirate somehow, if you're completely reliant on the starship to get you from A to B, and you're in some X or Type-E area, then good luck trying to get home.

In short, I think it's an idea that's been long over due, but relying on the ship too much can potentially be catastrophic.

 

[Grav_Moped]

The thing is, that's absolutely correct from a simulationist perspective: of course you can automate almost everything on a starship!

It strips away most of the role-playing aspects of ship operation, though, which means it's not viable for RPG purposes.

Well, unless your player group wants to pretend to all be computers.

 

[Spinward Flow]

of course you can automate almost everything on a starship!

Well, everything except the switch that drops the landing gear on the Space Shuttles ...

 

[coliver988]

way back in the college days, my Scout character (Nathan Brazil, yeah, I was reading the Well-World series at the time & liked the name; the character was also based on an image in one of the JTAS as that flowery shirt screamed Scout to me at the time. Still does).

Regardless, after more than a year of playing real time, and probably a few years game time, he managed to do something and got notice of the Emperor. Also having a few supplements, including Merchants and Merchandise, he ended up with a 200 ton version of the typical Scout ship (so I *could* have 3 full decks, the top one was the library) but it also had an AI, Marilyn, that was an overly protective version of Marylin Monroe. So that ship became a character that both I and the referee played depending on circumstances. But she could fly herself.

Fun times!

edit: and yes, she had a very sultry voice. I was in college at the time. Though I'd probably do the same thing today as it was pure fun. And why we play games - to have fun.

 

[Dragoner]

Trains and airplanes have had automated systems since the 1940's, the reasons the operators are there are to run them, and of course be culpable if anything goes wrong.

 

[Condottiere]

Currently, it's also psychological.

First, you have to get the proletariat used to seeing driverless trucks; or mostly driverless, with a single caravan driver.

 

[aramis]

Should you wish to treat a ship's computer as if it were a character, what would you do to change the standard character generation sequence to work for such a creation?

Canonically (CT/MT), you build the robot brain and plug it into the ship's computer. Then build the robots for the engineering & maintenance crews...
If using MT, there's a provision for the robot brain to supplant the computer - See the fan converted MT Robots (On DTRPG via FFE.)

 

[vegascat]

How would a sentient computer be different from a virus infected computer?

How would you convince a computer of your ship that going into battle was a good idea?

How would a sentient ships computer react to damage? Of the ship or the ships computer?

A simple reset of the computer may cause the removal of safeguards to keep the crew alive.

Programming by someone who is not completely proficient in computer programming may delete a needed safeguard.

Anyone use Asimov’s three laws of robotics?

Anyone of you read Agent of the Imperium? The agent came across an unfriendly robot society.

Ya want to take a free ride in my terminator programmed ship?

Passenger liners should always have an antihijack program running. How would that react to a passenger pirate using a preprogramed portable computer to load malicious malware on the ship’s computer?

A self-aware computer may modify the ships transponder coding to broadcast a skip jump signal or a copied pirate signal.

The first thing letting you know something might be wrong with the computer would be all the airlock and all airtight door to all open at the same time. This could be a computer becoming self-aware on it’s own or a computer that is unhappy with its crew.

Is your ships computer on the regular maintenance schedule? Would it be annoyed if you let the regular maintenance slip a bit behind schedule?

How would your Vargr programmed ships computer react when you tell it that repainting the ship to Vargr dazzle standards is not going to happen?

So many options, so little time.