CT Only: Alternative Methods of Experience

[Supplement Four]

It's the last section of the Experience rules in TTB.

The rules say that the ordinary methods of skill/attribute improvement are all spelled out for us in that chapter, but that there are some un-ordinary methods.

RNA INT or EDU implants are given as an example. That's DNA manipulation, and it sounds both very expensive and very high tech.

Military or mercenary training is also provided as an example, but that seems to be covered fully in Book 4.

And...then it says "other systems."



SLEEP LEARNING

I was thinking about Sleep Training. It's a common sci-fi trope. While a person sleeps, his brain is being fed by some device.

How do you think this would work in the game?

What are the mechanics of it? Throws required? How would it fit with the game so that player could not take advantage of it and mess with game/skill balance.



It sounds high tech, given current tech in the game. Maybe TL 16? And, that makes it expensive, too. Those are two balancing barriers.

Maybe only certain people can learn this way. Is there an INT requirement?

 

[kilemall]

I would tend to use RNA assuming mRNA for physical skills like Gun Combat or possibly a reaction bonus to Pilot/Ship's Boat/Vehicle.

Or you could make it work quickly, but it fades off as the 'normal' body reasserts itself and is an expensive way to 'get good' that does not last.

CT doesn't get into the cyberpunk 'jack in' skillchip ethos, but it occurs to me that such a chip would be problematic anyway as a plug n play both in calibrating to people at usable skill speeds and as too convenient a game problem solver.

But, they may be a faster way to learn a skill as the chip could then 'run a macro' and show you how to do something slow motion while explaining the what and why of it without creating instant superbeings.

The fastest skill intro in CT is the Instruction mechanic, but it requires fabulously skilled people that have both Instruction-3 AND Skill-3 to get you to a Skill-2 just from a regular sabbatical. It's best for Skill-0 and Skill-1 rounding.

Several ways to go with Instruction I can think of-

• Getting Skill-0 is as easy as an adult ed class, Skill-1 is more a professional certification/MOS school/technical college thing
• Skill-2 is more like sabbatical levels of expense and moreso if it is to be done faster then 4 years and should cost/be troublesome accordingly
• Don't hesitate to apply the failure to 'learn' and cost characters time/money for said failure
• Skill-3+ Instruction should be more of a quest to convince a sensei you are 'worthy' of their time and effort, with commensurate costs and risks
• The one thing any org that wants skilled people is Instruction-5/Skill-5 bots that could instruct people to get to Skill-4 tirelessly and relatively cheaply, and mass produce them. Of course this should never be allowed, with similar efforts for enlisting a legendary sensei for any that might exist

 

[mike wightman]

You can build a robot brain and give it instruction 4, emotion simulation and link it up to a VR rig or the like. You can then pick from any skill training programme from its library (all of them have a pretty steep cost) and learn it to skill level of 1 to 3.

An alternative is to use personality overlay technology to write false memories and experiences of skills directly to the brain, at lower TLs you use wafers or the like.

Very high TLs allow for the permanent implant of the memory of any skill of any level...