NationStates Jolt Archive


OOC: A new tech level!? Not really, but...

The Infinite Crucible
05-10-2005, 21:40
Heroic Tech Level

Introduction
I am really calling this heroic tech, or HT, for lack of a better term and simplicity in writing this. It really isn’t a new tech level, but rather a larger than life version of MT. I have always liked modern tech due to the fact it is easier to associate to and there are more RP options. However, it has always had the nasty side effect of limiting a good deal of creativity, because some things just wouldn’t work out realistically in the MT universe, even in nationstates. Heroic tech, as I have already stated, is meant to be MT, but the restrictions of reality are less strict. A Hollywood movie could be considered around the HT level. Let me explain further, in my wonderful detailed breakdown.

The Capacity of a Man
There are some truly fantastic characters within nationstates, who in themselves are a bit larger than life, take AMG’s Dreadfire. In many MT RP’s it would be considered a god mod to have people who manage to break through thick and thin and cut down a hundred foes. In heroic tech this would be more acceptable. In fact this is where the name comes from. Heroic tech is meant to have more “heros” than an regular MT would have. This could really add a lot of spice to any RP. Marv from Sin City is a great representation of what a hero’s strength would be around. The guy is strong and can get through many sticky situations, but is hardly invincible. A good hero would have some extreme strengths and be on a level above the average man, but would have some faults, most likely at least one big one.

Hero Examples
Jack Sparrow
Marv
Spooner from iRobot

Iffy, bordering on too powerful
Batman
Daredevil

Too Powerful
Superman
Goku

Location, location, location
Just like men, locations in heroic tech are larger than life. This means that under HT you can create towns or cities where in RL or even MT the infrastructure may not be sufficient, or they would never exist. For example, a town built within a beached super dreadnaught above the artic circle would be a good example. I don’t really see that happening in RL or too much in MT either. The location in HT should work more to set the mood of the story rather than actually be feasible within the laws of reality.

War and… just war
War in HT can really be fought in whatever way the two parties feel like, but I think HT is more inclined to more story based wars. For example RP’ing your army as a whole, as well as a single squad within it would work out quite well. Battle strategy on the whole would most likely remain the same under HT, but tactics would change a good deal, if it suits the Rp’ers fancy. One could expect to see a lot more charges and close combat encounters. For example history has shown that charges tend to lead to a lot of your own dead, but in HT their effectiveness would be greater. This is just an example, any example of warfare can be made larger than life based on the RP’ers agreement. Here are some general ideas.

Good:
Charges are more effective
Soldiers are more often engaged in CC
Forces are completely mechanized, no ground troops at all

Bad:
Heroes are not RP’ed they are just another statistic a.k.a Saying 23 heroes beats 14
Refusing to take loses, claiming that your men are all larger than life

Beyond the Pale of Reality
This is where HT stretches farthest from its MT roots. Now HT is hardly like fantasy tech, and not every person is a spell wielding wizard, but there are some rather supernatural beings and creatures. These, however, are very few and far between. Additionally they are not wizards or goblin the in the traditional sense, but be something a bit more creative. Once again, it is up to the two RP’ers. For example there may be a yeti that lives deep in a nation’s frozen wastes, but not an entire city powered by magic.

Good:
Yeti
A soldier with psychic powers
A family of undead

Bad
A goblin cave
An orc camp
Gandalf

Some final notes
So this description is hardly complete, and it is not meant to be a set of rules, or even guidelines, more inspiration. I realize that many aspects of this are RP’ed all over NS but it never really seems like they are all in the same RP. I am open to any suggestions, comments, or WTF n00b stfu! Well not the last one… At the very least this could help bring people with similar RP interests together.
Al-Imvadjah
05-10-2005, 21:44
This is very much totally awesome in every way, and I encourage it to be expanded upon and made a generally accepted RP style.
The Infinite Crucible
05-10-2005, 21:53
Thanks!
I will post anything new that comes to me.
Starenell
05-10-2005, 22:00
Very cool. I actually have a thread that should be this "tech level"
Kriegorgrad
05-10-2005, 22:04
I already RP like this to an extent, although my ideas differ on yours in quite a few places, it's nice to see someone wrote up something like this.
The Infinite Crucible
05-10-2005, 22:09
Krieg, what are some of those ideas. I am honsetly curious, as this document is hardly final. I think this could become a great style of RP.
The Infinite Crucible
05-10-2005, 23:04
bump
Spooty
05-10-2005, 23:09
WTF n00b stfu

no only joking, but seriously, kikass idea dude, makes me want to ram a lead pipe through my head for having not thought of it myself, or to ram a lead pipe through your head and steal the idea O_o, joking again, oh i'm such a comedian, HT also stands for Holywood Tech which sounds better in the long run, seems good as i've been looking to expand into a new Tech level, PreMT is a bit lame =(
The Infinite Crucible
06-10-2005, 01:49
oh noes!!!

bump
The Infinite Crucible
06-10-2005, 23:10
bump :(
SeaQuest
06-10-2005, 23:13
Bump for interest
Spizania
06-10-2005, 23:15
Nice idea, hope it gets accepted
The Infinite Crucible
09-10-2005, 15:58
The Future is Now

Many MT RP's are constricted to soley existing and modern technology, hence the name of the tech. HT would allow for some stretching into PMT, and possibly, only if used very correctly, FT. Now here is the catch, any futuristic technology should not really be used to "win" the war of the RP, but to enrich it. Sure you could have soldiers clad in electronic battle armor which makes them two times stronger, but make sure you are doing it so the RP is better, no so you win. As with all things it would pay to make the technology creative or at least use it in a way most have not seen. For example having an elite group of soldiers armed with laser weapons is not very interesting.
Siesatia
14-10-2005, 03:07
Sounds like I was ahead of the trend when I made my 'Guide to Hero Units' thread.
The Transylvania
14-10-2005, 04:05
Nice read man. Makes me think of my nation’s royal family a lot and Green Sun‘s royal family, too. My nation’s royal family is a bunch of vampire/mutants (Think mutant in X-Men movies/comics.) and in GS’s royal family each member has a special power.

And your example about a soldier with psychic powers, that made me think of somebody I RP with.

Major General Max Kane looks like demon/human hybrid with the power to teleport by propelling himself out of synch with reality and then realigning with our plane of existence at a different point of space. But he did not start out as a demon/human looking person. It is a long story. But Major General Max Kane is the leader of best shadow ops soldiers, the Shadow Foxes, in one of my ally’s nation.

And I know how to RP with all of my people.
Shasoria
14-10-2005, 04:30
That's a pretty good idea. Maybe I'll talk to the RPers in TWP into maybe using this sometime!
Kaukolastan
14-10-2005, 05:19
This is sort of what I play, a post modern tech with EXTREME tributes to movies/comics in it's styling. (Guy gets shot five times in chest, keeps pushing onward towards goal, dies later after heroic acts... yada yada.) Nice work on this, as this is a lot more fun when you can field larger than life characters.

Oh, and one more note:

Combat in Real Life (what you call "modern tech"):
AIR: Long range engagements at non-visual range.
SEA: Combat? The US Navy pwns.
LAND: Brutal but short fights with one-shot kill/incapacitate weaponry.


Hero Tech:
AIR: Gun dogfights, bomber formations, massive aerial duels.
SEA: Classic battleship duels at point blank range.
LAND: Pistol volleys with acrobatics, sword fights, and lots of one liners.
Kriegorgrad
14-10-2005, 21:51
Krieg, what are some of those ideas. I am honsetly curious, as this document is hardly final. I think this could become a great style of RP.

I do go for the whole "A jolly spiffing charge can win the day chaps" mindset, of course, some of my men get chewed up by machineguns but conscripts aren't hard to replace, are they! Also, I don't go for the "take a bullet and be a-okay" idea, I can understand why some people would but I feel that detracts from the power a gun a can wield in a story, I prefer to simply have my character be lucky enough not to get hit.

However, I do totally agree with you on the fact that story should always come before realism...if you want realism, there are simulators for that...

Truth be told, I forgot my real views, sorry!
The Infinite Crucible
14-10-2005, 22:44
Not an issue krieg. Yea I am sure whether or not the character can eat bullets for lunch or just is lucky enough to not get hit would depend on the character. Both would be okay. Any other comments?