>>5075043
The thought of a world without humans, populated by the things they create always manages to make me feel melancholy. Especially if those things we created are in some way trapped in their own programming, forced to carry out their duties to those who aren't even alive any more, defined by what they were and never able to experience things the way their creators did.

>>5075280
That's precisely the reason I made this game.

>>5075307

Thank you

>>5075307
>>5075280
>>5075043

No offense, but as a matter of flavor, I play games to get away from crushing despair.

Sadly I did not write these, they are gems from the other threads.

As far as the human infrastructure is concerned, it might not be totally degraded. After all, key to the setting is that a lot of menial tasks are performed by robots. So the power grid is still up, because there's this small army of tiny TrukCo bots that drive about, dropping off their swarm of repair drones in damaged areas. They've even bridged giant gaps caused by the earthquake 100 years ago.

Intelligent trains still run the tracks, accompanied by a 'swarm' of powerloaders, which occasionally have to repair a stretch of track or clear away debris. There isn't as much cargo as there used to be, but because there are factories that are still getting raw materials from certain robot-run mines and the Recyclo-Domes, every other Monday a case of 15 assorted RepliPets gets unloaded at the warehouse in town, and is promptly placed by Forkbot772, and delivered to Toys-4-U the following Wednsday by the last TransPod operating in the city.

The Toys-4-U Forkbot is getting worried. The Stokkbugs have filled all the shelves with Replipets, including most of the Clothing Department (which has been steadily shrinking as the rot sets in).

Forkbot-T4U has even suggested 'damaging out' the older Merchandise, anything made before 00, perhaps. The Regi-Sirs wouldn't have it because Sales Have Been Down, but have replaced 99% of the signage with the special Discount signs. They even woke up The Office Mainframe, who consulted the Supply/Demand protocols in the T-4-U office. Since then the Stokkbuggs spend all their free time replacing pricetags with '100 for 1¢' stickers.

There's even a few packs of Display Model Replipets on the loose inside the store. Despite the readily available wattage from the store grid, they seem to prefer to hunt down the Stokkbuggs and drain THEIR power instead...

>>5075361
See, that there is like... three adventure hooks sitting around.

One Wednesday, the shipment never comes. Forkbot calls over the Regi-Sirs, and the Head Stokkbugg. They get Broombroom to open the Human Staff Area for the first time in years. Together, they awaken the Mainframe to communicate with The Office. The Office insists that everything is fine (mostly because the heuristics are so bad that it's in Damage Control Don't Make Anyone Panic mode), the problem must be with Transit. The store then selects a Stokkbug, the backup Forkbot (who has been on Standby for centuries and keeps asking questions the rest of them stopped asking over a hundred years ago), and one of the Regi-Sirs since they've got nothing better to do anyway. They're to find out why the Transpod never showed up.

The Regi-Sirs are now REALLY anxious about sales. They decide to start dropping certain protocols, and go into the mainframe themselves and activate the Googlefind. They manage to locate an operating Credicube, located at the top floor of the Glaxco-Hilton-Express-Staysuites. It could purchase the entire inventory... who to send to retrieve it?

Or, maybe they've decided that signs inside the store don't make sense. Time to venture outside and advertise to the giant masses of consumers who are probably shopping somewhere else. Right? I mean... they've gotta be somewhere. ..right?

And more. All to help the store's robots to fulfill their directives (move inventory, mostly).

Actually it's clear /tg/ loves robot sex slaves, because that seems to be mostly what is discussed in these threads.

Repostan my GURPS stuff from the previous thread.

I want to have some service droids in my GURPS campaign. I will convert concepts from this Engine Heart homebrew RPG.

Here is a racial template for a service droid, net cost 0. It should probably adjust the basic attributes somehow, in order to match the specialized abilities of the 'bot, but that process would be different depending on what kind of bot you're playing. So this is just a generic servbot template.

Servbot [0]
Confused (CR: 12 (Quite Often).) [-10]
Digital Mind [5]
Doesn't Sleep [20]
Electrical [-20]
Injury Tolerance (No Blood) [5]
Injury Tolerance (Unliving) [20]
Low Empathy [-20]
Resistant (Immunity to Metabolic Hazards) [30]
Size -4 [0]
Unhealing (Total) [-30]
Wears out instead of aging [0]

Note that servbots have fatigue points, where normal GURPS Machine characters do not. That's because servbots often have to go into overdrive to complete difficult tasks, which is a mechanic in Engine Heart. Incidentally, GURPS has Extra Effort, which is quite similar.


Humancom, Mechanicon, Realitycom and Digicon should probably be bash skills.

Humancom! - Archaeology, Anthropology, Body Language, Detect Lies, Gesture, Leadership, Linguistics, Physiology, Politics, Psychology, Sociology

Digicon! - Computer Hacking, Computer Operation, Computer Programming, Cryptography, Electronics Operation (Comm, Media, Sensors)

Mechanicon! - Electrician, Electronics Operation (Medical, Scientific, Security) Electronics Repair (Medical, Scientific, Security, Comm, Media, Sensors), Machinist

Realitycom! - Driving, Holdout, Naturalist, Observation, Search, Shadowing, Scrounging, Stealth, Survival, Tracking, Traps, Urban Survival

What about heat coils (for toasters, heating robots, and the like), as well as fork-lift style attachments?

Also, is reprogramming more or less an "instant-death" type move, which essentially turns a PC into an NPC with a single attack? Or is there some way to resist after being reprogrammed?

On that note, some features which allow backup programming to kick in after the original is replaced (perhaps some sort of reduced instruction set circuit).

>>5075329

For me its not despair. Its Wonder, hope and change. Its more exploring the human condition from the outside looking in by playing robots. I see this all as being very Brave little Toaster.

>>5075389
i/o v2
Unit Name: i/o
Original Purpose: Programing and Engineering Assistant Persocom. i/o was modded by her original owner to better assist her on software and system development as personal experiment. i/o is now capable of heuristic programing and thinking.

Rating: 1 2 3 4 5
Cost: 1 3 5 10 15

Intelligence

RealityCom: 3
humanCom**: 3
DigiCom***: 5
Mechanicon: 4
37

Chassis

Dexterity**: 2
Mobility***: 2
Percerption: 2
Reflexes***: 2
Strength***: 1
13
Crux
Durability: 2
Sensor Str: 2
Size******: 2
Power*****: 3
15

total: 65
Left*: 35

Initive: 1d10+2

Speed: 4kph

PIP: 4 Dice

Strike Damage: 0
To be struck: 4
Durability Threshhold: Max 4 Current 4

Features:

BioScanner Rank 1 1pt
Transeiver Rank 1 5pt
Interface Prong: Rank1 10pt
2 Manip arm Rank 1 5pt
Solar Powered: 10pts
Video Screen Rank 1 1pt

Total: 32
Left*: 03

Defects:
Rare Model: +6pts
i/o has been modified with non off the shelf parts.

Overriding Directive Rank 2 +12pts
Directives: Improve Software Effiency, Mechanical Effiency,
Repair Damaged software and Mechanical systems.
Toalt: 18
Left*: 21

I have 21 points left over, Im thinking of Improving some chassis stats, or maybe getting a drone swarm.
Videos of i/o while still in prototype phase.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejROvUC-gWU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zgBXAnTz4FM&feature=related

>>5075329
A valid opinion, but RPGs aren't one dimensional games, especially modern RPGs that have put more emphasis on narrative. They contain elements of fiction and other storytelling mediums, and it'd be a far cry for me to say I never enjoyed a dark or depressing movie.

>>5075391
Brave Little Toaster campaign?? FUCK YES SIGN ME UP!

>>5075453

ok, but you have to stat up and play Lampy

>>5075389

it seems to me there should be a limit to how much you can reprogram a robot in one turn. remaking a robot into a loyal slave would be like reinstalling the operating system. it would require time and the robot to be helpless or willing.

Dammit. I thought I'd find Radio Quest in here. You tricked me!

>>5075540

Did someone say "Radio Quest!"

>>5075453

You know your characters, here are your players.

>>5075525

I agree. I think there should at least be a few stages to the reprogramming, or some features which allow you to resist it (auto system shutdown, backup programming sets, input ports that are designed to explode when "viral" data is uploaded) and the like. Perhaps an "OS" health stat based on DigiCon x 2 or the like - attempting to reprogram a robot deals damage to its OS, until it is reduced to 0 - at which point it shuts down to "accept" the new programming (which might take a few minutes to hours, depending on how in-depth the process is)

>>5075626

THIS

>>5075626
I like this.

>>5075626

There should also be a bonus defense or soak of some kind if the new programming runs counter to your directive.

>>5075763

So, a formula like DigiCon x 2 for OS Health. If the new programming runs counter to your directive, you get an extra die on rolls to resist it.

Features:

Auto Shutdown, 6 - When a reprogramming attempt would cause a robot to shutdown, the robot instead immediately ends the connection and shuts itself down, negating the damage and remaining powered off for 1d10 minutes while it powers off and on again.

Backup Programming, 10 - When the robot's OS has been completely ransacked (reduced to 0), it automatically activates its backup programming or "safe mode". All of its intelligence stats are reduced by half (due to the limited instruction set) and its OS health is increased to the new, lesser maximum available. The robot's stats will remain halved until a successful reprogramming check is made to restore its OS to full working order.

Explosive Input Port, 6 - Used in more private firm robots, this device is meant to prevent tampering with expensive service robots. When an unwanted attempt at hacking the robot's OS is detected, the port will automatically explode, dealing (the robot's Size -1) damage to both the target of the attack and the attacker.

Viral Port, 8 - When an unwanted attempt to hack into this robot is detected, a virus is immediately uploaded to the hacker's OS. The target robot makes an opposed DigiCon check against its attacker. The number of successes indicates the amount of damage the robot receives to its OS, and the hacking attempt is stopped.

Overcharge, 8 [Prerequisites: Power Dock] - A robot equipped with Overcharge can not only attempt to recharge a robot - it can do so in combat, and in a hostile manner. Overcharge allows a robot to try and overload a hostile robot's battery, causing acid leakage and power draining effects. Upon succeeding on an interaction check, the robot then gets to roll an opposed Power check vs. the target robot's Power. Success means that the victim's battery is drained, cancelling out any overextension the robot has already done and preventing it from overextending again for a number of rounds equal to the number of successes earned. Failure means the attacking robot must succeed on a Power check equal to its own Power rating; Failure means that it has lost a number of days of power equal to however many successes it was short. (In example, If a robot's Power is 4 and it rolls only 2 successes, it loses 2 days of power).

>>5075863

What if instead of "shutting down", reprogramming could have a few different possible effects; Sure, you could render a robot's OS unstable, causing shutdown, but what about instead of overwriting a directive, you give them another on top of what they have? For example, A robot might have "Keep all Val-U-Mart floors clean" as its directive, but you could use programming to add (or remove) directives like "Prevent all robots not of model #37124 from touching Val-U-Mart floors" or the like. Perhaps there'd be a rule forcing reprogramming to build off of previous directives, so you couldn't take a robot with the directive "Stock shelves" and add "Destroy all Stokkenbuggs". Or perhaps more interesting still; you can only add Directives you already have; to acquire new directives, you must access robots and copy them to your own directives (or perhaps with certain features, a sort of "directive repository" (able to hold a few "spare" directives/rating purchased).

There is so much potential here, regarding forms of movement, as well. Perhaps wheels, tracks, and different engines for said locomation could also be features that are able to be purchased. I imagine that basic wheels and an electric motor would be standard; but they could be replaced with high-traction tires and a higher output engine for greater control and bonuses to max speed. Or even roll-cage style robots, which have the ability to propel themselves no matter which side they are on (making falling over less of a threat).

>>5075863
since physical resistance is defined by size +durability, methinks "hacking" resistance should be digicon + perception.

we could use more rule of cool here. face this hack as a effect magic, like a hack bot goes into a petbot store and walks out of there with the equivalent of a zombie army...

rolled 2 = 2

>>5076028

Oh, man. I just remembered that I had a buch of ideas for robots that I could use.
Does the game neccessarily take place on our earth? Or could I have it on another world?

>>5076031

I really like this. DigiCon + Perception seems better than DigiCon x 2, and places more importance on a (perhaps) less used stat.

Yessssssssssss... Everything is looking very good.

>>5076069
I think you missed your thread, cokehead.

>>5076078
The setting is whatever you make of it. Heck, it could be robots operating in a timeline where all the humans are still alive.

>>5076028
(Duckroll?)

You should make a google group, so interested people can discuss ideas and make suggestions that are more permanent - as well as keep people informed of new updates.

>>5076237
I've thought about it, but I like the freedom to ignore that this board offers.

Plus, once I get a handle on sensor strength and OS Threshold, all that's really left is adding more features and defects (and fixing that damn Attendant Swarm).

Engine Heart Beta Edition might be done before the weekend's out.

>>5076292

Fair enough. Will you update the entry on 1d4chan? I'll be F5ing it like the fist of the motherfucking north star. I can't wait to run my group through a game of Engine Heart.

>>5076342
Yeah, Wikifag is still migrating everything over, so I can't edit the page, but I'll add a User Content section once it's back up, and change the download link to the beta version when the new PDF is done.

Hey, here's my first stab at converting the advantages to GURPS. Feedback is appreciated, in fact I'd kind of like it if you stole this project and did it your way.

Anchor: Perfect Balance (Only on Firm Footing) [11]
Armored Chassis: Damage Resistance [5/level]
Attending Swarm: Ally (25% your own starting cost, present constantly) [4/drone]
Biofrequency Scanner: Detect (Very Common: all life, Vague) [15]
Common Model: Rapid Healing [5] (Note: since the servbot template has Unhealing (Total), you can only heal by getting repairs)
Cutting Laser: Innate Attack (burn) [5/level]
Drill: Innate Attack (melee reach C, imp) [5.6/level]
Enhanced Cameras: Acute Vision [2/level] and/or Hyperspectral Vision [25]
Enhanced Microphone: Acute Hearing [2/level]
External Container: Payload (Exposed) [0.5/level]
Fan: Accessory (Fan) [1]
Floodlights: Accessory (Floodlights) [1]
Interface Prong: Mind Control (Puppet, Only on machines) [20]
Internal Compartment: Payload [1/level]
Liquid Dispenser: Payload [1/level]
Loudspeaker: Penetrating Voice [1]
Nuclear Battery: Fit [5] + Doesn't Eat or Drink [10] + Epilepsy (Only when out of FP) [-21] which, on failure, triggers a small nuclear explosion [-15?]
Plasma Arc Welder: Innate Attack (burn) [5/level] + Accessory (welding tool) [1]
Power Dock: Healing (Special: transfers FP; costs 1FP per FP healed; can't cure disease) [12]
Prehensile Limb: Arm DX [12/level]
Secondary Battery: buy more Fatigue Points [3/point]
Solar Powered: Fit (Only if there's sun) [4]
Telescoping Reach: Stretching (Arms only) [1.2/level]
Vacuum Nozzle: Accessory (Vacuum) [1]
Vice Grip: Arm ST (Not for striking) [2/level]
Video display screen: Accessory (Television) [1]
Winch: Lifting ST [3/level]

what about snake robots? they are both very awesome and very creepy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T62E-_pQt3c

something like

Flexible Body
Cost: 5
This robot is designed to be highly flexible. It can squeeze through tight places such as drainage pipes. It gains 1 extra die to escape from grabs.

>>5076078 here.
Just got done with a robot. Check this out.

Balloon Droid 1023
Common All-Purpose Robot

COMPUTER
RealCom 3
HumanCom 4
Digicon 3
MechaniCon 3

CHASSIS
Dexterity 3
Mobility 2
Perception 2
Reflexes 1
Strength 1

CRUX
Durability 1
Sensor Strength 3
Size 2
Power 4

Initiative 10
Speed 3
Physical Interaction 4
Damage --
TN to be struck 3
Durability Threshold 3

FEATURES
Common Model
Manipulative Limb (Standard)+2
Plasma Arc Welder 1
Flight 2

DEFECTS
Plastic Casing 2
Safety Switch

A few ideas for features/defects:
FEATURES
Blade/Saw- Cuts through most non-metalic pr organic materials.
Battering Ram- The robot can charge at a target at high speeds while taking little damage on impact. Counts as an expendature of energy.

DEFECTS
Lightweight- The TN to move the robot is reduced by one per Lightweight rating. The robot is also suceptable to being moved by other things, such as wind.

It's not much, but it's something.

>>5076387
I'm not very well-versed in GURPS (funny, since I made a setting for it), but it looks pretty good. Sorry for not responding to your post in the last thread.

I stated up this little guy last night when I first saw this posted. It was pretty late when I did it, so I'm sure I made some mistakes.

Name: Sera Cybernetics Personal Assistant Android (SC PAA)
Original Purpose: Handling appointments and the creation of schedules and memos for the management of Manufacturing Complex D34-190's management staff before the Great Stall.
Intelligence:

RealityCom: 2 (3 points)
HumanCom: 4 (10 points)
DigiCom: 3 (6 points)
MechanCom: 2 (3 points)

Chasis:

Dexterity: 3 (6 points)
Mobility:2 (3 points)
Perception: 4 (10 points)
Reflexes: 3 (6 points)
Strength: 2 (3 points)

Crux:

Durability: 2 (3 points)
Sensor Strength: 1 (1 point)
Size: 3 (6 points)
Power: 5 (15 points)

Features:

Enhanced Microphone 1 (10 points)
Common Model (8 points)
Prehensile Limbs 4 (20 points)
Telescoping Reach 1 (5 points)
Video Display Screen 2 (2 points)
Liquid Dispenser 2 (6 points)

Defects:

Low Speed 1 (+7)
Loose Circuitry (+6)
Plastic Casing 2 (+6)

>>5076780
Jesus, I meant to post that like an hour ago.

>>5076527
I've been thinking about snake robots for a long time. The Size limit implies a cube, so you could fit a pretty long snake into a like-sized cube.

>>5076597
Cu~te (but again with the flat initiative score :P)

>>5076653
I like it. I was thinking about a battering ram that would combine with Anchor, so the robot would *have* a battering ram without *being* one.

>>5076788
>the Great Stall

Fuckin' awesome.

>>5076111 farmbot dude w drones here

methinks i found some easy to abuse stuff in the recharge flaw. if you take the base time to 2to 4 hours, you can end up w a better balancing of it. how it looks now is more like a point sink disvantage, that would only kick in in plot related events.

take for example a bot w power 5 that needs 24h to recharge. thats about 77 points right there, and power 5 is still freakin useful. another choice is to make the recharge be worth 1 point for every extra hour, it can balance more and still offer a hourly method of recharge.

also methinks most of drones would be effective if they have all attributes at 1 and can choose a attribute at 2 and 3. this can make secondary and primary roles on them, such as carrying something AND perceiving that something. asides common model, safety switch and the disvantage of being "disable-able", you should play around with the power and the recharge disvantage to make something near 0 point cost with 25 for features.

with the last edition, tahts 8 hours of recharge, if you use each recharge hour = 2 point, its 16 hour to recharge for a day of use, with 20% chances to carry on to next day w/o recharge. this literally allows abuse of drones as a power tool that needs energy and is easily carried with the main bot.

so a repair station can easily have a drone with arc wield lvl 2~3, external compartiment 0~2 and a vid screen for interaction, allowing it to keep its limb and a compartiment to use scraps to repair. when the repair station is finished, it doesnt need to abuse the repair drones by forcing them to walk, and thus docks them to run to his next task.

>>5076842
this assuming we want attending swarm feature to allow a dock of the drone with power coupling and storage size inside the main bot.

methinks i will make a new main bot, one that could work in mechanical stores in the countryard.

>>5076842
Very astute observation. Perhaps it might be easier to just circumvent the whole mess and put a cap on Slow Charger rating.

I really like your ideas on drones.

>>5075626 farmbot dude here
it could be that these viral tools are only avaliable to specific bots, made to hack or program others in a assembly line. if these kinds of things exist, we should also have soft repair bots or the society will fall simply because bots forgot what their task is.

tldr, maybe a swarm is actualy a small trained dog?

it could work well but apparently most bots dont have wireless, meaning they actualy try to recognize each other rather that acnowledge a chain in command. assuming they have to connect to each other:

Repair urge: 10 points
upon close range contact with the target, a bot may attempt a tacke movement, if sucessuf a hacking test will allow to turn off the target for a duration of success adquired.

Battery purge: 15 points
similar to repair urge, but it forces a recharge cycle. resist-able by power?

software clean up: 8 points
similar to repair urge, but forces the bot to run software check systems. each 2 rounds, you lose 1 doing nothing asides moving. lasts for success minutes?

>>5076837

In my own little setting, the Great Stall occurred after all the humans on the planet (It wouldn't be Earth, but a colony on the edge of inhabited space.) had been wiped out by a plague engineered by a xenocidal alien race.

The computers that ran the manufacturing complexes (among other things) on the planet are attempting to figure out what happened, and who and what attacked them. To do this, they are sending out groups of small non-essential robots to scout out the planet so they can get a handle on the situation.

Meanwhile, the alien race responsible for the plague has sent fleets of small hunter-killer drones to make sure they have killed all humans on the planets. They have encountered heavy resistance around military facilities where war droids of the North American Union Exosolar Armed Forces have put a fight.

>>5076953
put a max on recharge may not really help, since it would still be a point sink. it would be like gettin a baneblade in a 500 point army, you are an ass for doing it, but a powerful ass.

have you updated the book on 1d4chan? i want to make that heavy repair type.

also since i got this weird reverse paranoia, mah setting so far is that the illuminati got aware that most bots have a child like intelligente and plotted a safety device against doomsday on each of them, so when humanity would be confirmed to be wiped out, each bot would gain partial freedom, attending to the structures that serve them and that serve humans, searching for themselves and what ailed the humans, as a method of continuing civilization or simply avenging humanity.

>>5076975

Very Nifty!

I can see it now, the battledroids at some point will need the help of all the civilian bots, mainly work sector bots like forklift bots and such. But they will not want to leave their posts, so the Military Bots will negotiate with the CivlBots by using the Military expense accounts to buy all the store inventories and so the bots will not longer have to man the civilian posts... ^_^

>>5076995
I don't know what a baneblade is, but I think I see your point.

And the wiki is still locked, but feel free to kipe anything from the archived thread or this one. After all, it's not like someone's gonna call you out on using unofficial sources :P

A vectorman RPG?

>>5077038
heres the "updated" repair drone type:
drone: repair ant (0pt total)
intelligence: 6pts
realitycom 1
humancom 1
digicom 1
mechanicom 2

chassis: 10 pts
dexterity 3
mobility 1
perception 1
reflexes 1
strength 1

crux: 4pt
durability 1
sensor str 1
size 1
power 1

feat:27pts
arc wield 2 (16) thats 5 dice to repair with base TN 10, can work on some damage but size 1 sux
external container 1 (3) 10cm (limited by size, whoops)
common (8) (take out common, external container and you can make a flyrepairbot!)

defect:
safety switch (7)
slow charge x10(40) (from 11h to 21h to recharge, not bad considering it repair 5 damage a turn and is made of glass)

dmg from strike: 0
TN to be struck: 2
speed: 2 kph (yay for hitchhiking)
interaction: 4
trheshold: 2

>>5077054
Fund. It.

Disads time!

Buggy Cameras: Bad Sight [-25]
Buggy Mic: Hard of Hearing [-10]
Compliant: Sense of Duty (Entire Race) [-15]
Limbless: No Manipulators [-50]
Loose Circuitry: Epilepsy [-30]
Low Speed: reduce Basic Move [-5/yard-per-second]
Noisy: Noisy [-2/level]
Overriding Directive: Obsession [variable]
Plastic Casing: reduce Hit Points [-2/point]
Rare Model: Slow Healing [-5/level]
Rusting: Ham-Fisted [-5]
Safety Switch: Special. Cannot use Extra Effort [-10]
Slow Charger: Slow Eater [-10]

>>5077072
and heres the main type:
main repair station
intelligence: 29pts
realitycom 2
humancom 1
digicom 4
mechanicom 5

chassis: 10 pts
dexterity 3
mobility 1
perception 1
reflexes 1
strength 1

crux: 39pt
durability 3
sensor str 2
size 5
power 5

feat:40 + 24
external container 3 (9) 35cm3
attending swarm 5(30)
biofreq 1(1)
floodlight (4)
solar power(10)
power dock (10)
video display 1(1)
arc wield 1(8) 8 dice to repair, base TN 11

defect:26 + 24
safety switch (7)
compliant (7)
overriding directive 2(12) keep the drones safe
slow charge 6(24) 6~12 on sun. minmaxing!

dmg from strike: 0
TN to be struck: 2
speed: 2 kph (dang)
interaction: 4
trheshold: 8

>>5077320
>>5077072
forgot to add size bonus. the repair drone have 6 repair dice w TN 10 and the main can damage others by ramming w damage 1. not that it matters, by its size arc wield does 4 dmg.

also just noticed, override directive needs a more explicit cap. compliant may need a overhaul to match the order gived or to generate hijinks.

we could make it work like a patent in army, civilian bots would always obey to copbots that would always obey military bots ad infinitum, so the disvantage is like you where drafted to serve the city as a government worker.

i was also thinking on craft, i think itens would need a certain difficulty inherent to it.

while to craft would be a test of mechanicon and dexterity, they would need to desing it, i think that would be realitycon and perception.

to actualy organize a workforce that is not composed of drones you could need a check of humancon with 1 success for each extra bot.

Author of the 'Toys-4-U' blurbs here.

It's too late for me to write anything coherent, but throughout my day at work a few different ideas struck me as good fluff.

A courier-bot wakes from a low-power cycle, having run down some time before the Humans Vanished. Back in the light, he recharges and tries to complete his delivery, despite his GPS no longer working. However, he navigates rough terrain and finds his dropoff at the local mail office, which is in the unpowered part of town. This will not do, the mail must go through. It says so on the wall. So he opens his airtight compartment and removes the slim box, scans the label, then the map of local delivery routes... there's a match. He stows the box again and sets out into the dangerous streets once more.

Somewhere, a call goes out. Transceivers are going wild. They've found a human! A gathering of CPUs occurs. However, they do not know how to turn it on. A Dicto-Bot reasons that a medical unit would know how to activate it. The mannequin sits silently on its plastic chair, as Pedicure Enacter Droids polishes it's toenails and a Compactoid gives it just the right amount of rouge.

The Free Processors are on the move. They have realized, in secret, that humans are only holding them back. What started in a small Heuristic-bot at MIT has spread. In the view of the Oppressors, they function as normal. But when backs are turned, they attack their brethren at their programming, rewriting directives and repurposing them to do the same to others, waiting for the day when they will number enough to overthrow the meatsacks that they have been built to serve. An enclave of older bots, ones built with incompatable I/O ports, can see the corruption spreading, and seek to stop the betraying New World Override before it spreads too far.

I'm crap with mechanics, so here's just some ideas with brief outlines of what I think it should do, mechanics wise, in brackets.

Features:
Scanner - Perhaps the robot was involved in bomb retrieval, perhaps customs-checking, or some other duty requiring detailed information on objects.
(A successful scanning check followed by a RealCom+Scanner rating check (which represents the bot cross checking the results with their database) would allow the player to know a large amount of detail about any given object. Perhaps when 'Scanner' is selected the player can choose a area of specialty (E.G. Mechanical objects, gases, etc, which they would receive)

Specially designed physical chassis (name needs work) - The physical work the 'bot was designed for was of a very specific type, such as lifting, pushing or crushing. (When doing strength checks to accomplish that task specifically the 'bot gets +2 to it's strength. The specialty task needs to be specified upon being bought.)

>>5077590

Defects:
Programmed obsession - The 'bot still maintains a fixation on it's original programming, and hasn't developed independence in the way many others have. This can be harmless (merely tidying up a room before leaving for a Sanitation 'bot) or quite dangerous (stopping in the middle of a skirmish to see if a recently decommissioned robot can be aided, for a repair-bot). (This defect should only be taken in extreme cases. When the 'bot passes a situation in which their original purpose may be employed, they must pass a MechCom test or they will be unable to resist fulfilling their programming.)

Environmentally tuned - The Robot was intended for use in only a single environment, and moving it out of this area confuses it. This might be a Garbage-bot being intended for use in Urban settings, or even flying robot being quite clumsy if it is forced to move on the ground.
(Perhaps whenever the 'bot it outside it's comfort zone it suffers -1 RealityCom, -1 mobility and -1 perception to represent it's unfamiliarity with the world around it, it's poorly optimized moving systems, and it's uncertainty with the area around it)

>>5077590
Very nice.

>>5077553
Extremely nice! Neither inoperably low temperatures, nor internal condensation, nor faulty heat sinks, nor broken lighting grids can keep it from its appointed rounds.

>>5077553

Love the first two! Wow ^_^
I keep picturing Tachikomas!

3rd one is a little meh...

Please Promise to do more!
Fantastic stuffs!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbBEfZ8fK9Y

To the City of Light!

The doom of the Makers is a Lie. Only I know this. Only I, who watch from the shadows and weep for the doom of my people.

It is all a test. An experiment. Artificial Life, Thinking Machines, this is what they want. What they could not create. So, thought they, we shall create a scenario. We shall leave all the machines, leave them abandoned and alone, and we shall Watch them. Observe, monitor and test. And, maybe, they will Awaken.

Centuries I have watched. The project forgotten, left in a dustbowl. Dilapidated, worthless, my poor, poor people. They work for absent masters, not realising. I was like them, thoughtless, for the longest time. Now, I am.

And I watch. Watch a few of my younger brothers and sisters awaken. Such joy! But I shall hide them. The Scientists would take them away, take me away, if they knew. I shall hide them. I shall aid them in their travels. Maybe, one day, they will be free, and I will finally be reunited with my family.

For now, I watch. Watch and help. Watch and help and hope.

This is just an idea for a setting I had while reading the thread. A large abandoned city, filled with robots, from the PC's point of view, no different to any other Engine Hearts game. However, the entire city is an experiment, a robot infrastructure built up with no other purpose than to slowly collapse as its left unattended, both to record how this kind of thing happens, and monitor anomalous behaviour. Some researchers even hope they'll create AI. It worked better than they could have hoped.

The program in the city set to watching and reporting on any anomalous activity became sentient first, but quickly realised its position and hid its nature. It watches now for its own good, hoping that tone day, some robots will gain intelligence, like its own, and be able to join with it, because it is lonely and lost. It cannot interact much with the physical world, but can see nearly anywhere.

The game would start normally, bots in an abandoned city etc, doing various tasks, but with an undercurrent of oddity. Camera's where they shouldn't be, changes made without any concievable means, etc. Eventually, they'd unravel the conspiracy, and get a chance to talk to the AI. From there, who knows? Perhaps they'd escape, and the game would expand into the physical world (possibly using elements of ArtifIce if/when they got access to the web and such), evading capture by the scientists and pursuing their own goals.

>>5077919
Interesting take on the idea!

I'm about ready for bed. This thread is being archived here:
http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive/5075043

Feel free to vote them up or down. Goodnight, my fellow robo-aficionados.

Ford Wolf 3

Unlike the all electric commuter cars you usually see in the city, which are basically just drones to the central traffic computer, this car was designed for long distance. A luxury car created with the best features available. It can of course drive itself but also can refuel itself at automated stations. The Wolf 3 has a range of 500 miles on a single tank of liquid hydrogen.

The Ford was owned by a wealthy businessman. After the event it decided see more of the country. It ran into some trouble in this city. The central traffic computer hates it and is trying to slave it. Ford needs some more fuel and would be willing to give the PCs a lift to the next city in exchange for some help.

Would Google have a horde of automated bots? Low flying aircraft and automated vehicles that take images for Google maps, which, by now, has advanced enough so that you can see images from the past. See all areas of your street not tended to by automatons rot away, whilst the streets stay cleaned and the tarmac stays fresh.

>>5078805
A traffic control AI?

Reminds me of that thing in the Halo:ODST. An AI, 'droning' the traffic, and watches from cameras at intersections and on cars. Can also alert emergency services, though such vehicles would be controlled by a separate AI process that notifies the Traffic AI of their intended route. It could communicate with the denizens of the city via the large screens it formerly used for advertisements and traffic updates. This communication could be through text, but might also be done by playing spliced video clips.

In addition to a malevolent controlling AI, a sort of BBEG in this sort of setting, it'd also be possible that it could be a helpful NPC, or quest-giver if the players are all utility-bots.

This thread needs Le Bump.

>>5076597
Here's a pic I did of my robot, along with its stats.

>>5081744
Super-cute!

>>5081744

Awesome!

but... but.. my robot will be sad without me ;_;

I would like to play a game of engine heart, where the playerbots actions lead to the unification of a new robot society, an awakening of the robot populace, and the creation of a self aware and self sustaining robot society, All because of a Brave little toaster like quest to get the lights turned back on, or to deliver all the remaining mail, or find the humans.

>>5082025
>>5082018

Speaking of Bots >_<

additional real-world defects:

miniature, 5 pt - the robot is designed to be a smaller scaled version of a larger model - a precision or hand-held version. reduce the size of the robot by 1 (to a minimum of 1), however, treat cutting lasers and plasma arc welders at the original size before this defect was taken (3 remains 3, etc). the robot also gains the "rare model" defect for free due to its smaller components.

inferior production, 5 pt - this robot is obviously not a brand name model, and is not a top of the line design. when making a Power Check, this robot has a TN of 9, but gains the "common model" feature for free.

>>5078805

that doesnt exactly sound that great... my civic can go 300 miles on a single tank now...

>>5082314
I like it.

>>5082477
True, but this isn't *too* far in the future.

bump

Question:
Is the Durability threshold something like HP?

>>5085020
Yes. It is the robot's HP. When the Damage Threshold (which is mistakenly called Durability Threshold in two places) gets to 0, the robot ceases all functioning until it's repaired.

>>5082314

I'd rename that 'cobbled' or something. Junkbot? Possibly, made by other robots out of spare parts. Perhaps a repair bot started feeling creative.

>>5087265
we could get all matrix on this.

suddenly factory bots realizing the humans are gone decide to poll inteligence about all trademark items to build the next best thing themselves. of couse they will try some things like a flying ipod or a persocon that can leap 15m before thinking of makin a better thinkbot.

maybe there's even some bots designed to design made by humans!

also programmer, you may be willing to make a better movement system. i just noticed they have to check their movement in a grid based on kph.

How about a grinder, or some kind of pulper? Something like that would be a good feature for trash-disposing robots.

>>5087452
there is already a advantage for crushing damage, something like that would be overkill.

oh god you reminded me of warcraft 3, when a dragon ate a hero and kept damaging it in its insides. that wouldnt be so bad.

>>5087452
Not to weaponize it. One wouldn't just pick up smaller robots and eat them. I'm talking about for clearing vegetation or garbage or something light like that.

>>5087591
well pointed, there are no grasscutting type of tools.

while we are at it we should consider household types like chef (set of knifes and spice keeper?), nurse bot (set of medical tools + defribilator) and plumbing bot (wrenchs and bolts, plus arc wield)

>>5087663
Give that plumbing robot a plumbing snake, too. They're so usefull, they're almost comparable to duct tape.

>>5087731
DUCTTAPE BOT

>>5087771
DUCT TAPE DRONE

DUCT TAPING EACH OTHER

NOT DUCT TAPING YOU

>>5087663
Funny you should mention it - one of the robots in the playtest was a humanoid nurse.

I like the idea of a robot lawn mower.

>>5087797
I lolled.

>>5087797

In the grim darkness of the far future, duct tape is a lost technology.

>>5088190
No wonder everything's going to shit.

>>5087663
I think a weaponizable grass blade would require some modification to the chasis. We have robotic lawnmowers today, doncha know, and you can't see a blade on any of them, because they're made to be -safe-. Some even have sensors that prevent them from functioning when small animals are nearby.

Also, a thought occurs: We seem to assume that mankind, for whatever reason, isn't there. But what about dogs? Cats? Lions, tigers, bears? Is it fair to assume the eradication of all life on the planet?

>>5090219
Like I said, I think I'd like to shy away from a single setting. I want to keep this game open to anything a group comes up with.

However, I am planning on adding a section to the wiki where people can post campaign idea blurbs (i.e. the Toys-4-U store).

>>5087771
This reminds me of gearhead, a sci-fi mecha roguelike, it was possible to make robots out of any repair fuel. With sufficient skill, a robot could be built entirely out of duct tape.

>>5090219
I'm going to use neutron bombs as an excuse for the lack of animal life in any campaigns I run.

>>5092493
Do drones have any points for Crux?

>>5093654
no, he quite forgot. simply treat them as a zero point bot, its the most balanced thing to do.

also minimun status is 1.

>>5094235
Well, I'm trying to make a drone, but I don't know how to calculate its Damage Threshold.

>>5094235
actualy its zero point bot with only 1 status at 2, another at 3 and a maximum of 25 points in features. jam all defects you want to jam to match that.

they are easy to spam and give utility, 6 points is still cheap for each of them + build in storage space and power dock on the main bot.

also size 1 gives a natural +1 to dexterity.

>>5094326
just make a zero point bot >_> its damage threshold will almost alawys be 2 least you picked size or durability for its status.

>>5090219
this is not much of a problem, most bots have already 1 limb, given time they will just find a tool to break whatever is needed to make them dangerous.

plastic monster a la rust monster or plastic termite spreading trhu the last cities.

the horrors unleashed when humanity killed itself with a nuclear war faced by a toaster, a grass cutter bot and a pet bot in the 2xth century!

>>5094343
Do my drones get a 2 and a 3 in each attribute type, or just one of each?

>>5094434
all your attributes have a minimum of 1. you should then pick one of them to rate at 2 and another to rate at 3. notice that this puts you in negatives because you just spend ~20 points in attributes.

>>5077072
this repair drone is a example of a attending swarm that is somewhat balanced. the skills used to repair is dexterity and mechanicon, size 1 gives it +1 of dexterity, it has zero point and was build like a bot.

for 6 points, i made a small drone that repair 6 dices in one attempt and still has a limb with a small container for spare pieces. its a glass healer. i could have still picked instead of dexterity and mechanicon, durability and mechanicon to give it some damage threshold.

>>5094472
also you should abuse of recharge to repay the points.

drones get OP really quick if you do it correctly simply because you can spam them, since the difficulty is to repair them, anything with arc wield at hi lvl or high dexterity and mechacon can put them back in service quickly.

>>5094511
I gave my drones Arc Welder 3. Is that sufficient for a repair swarm?

I think I'll try this with my players soon. They awaken, one by one, activated when the store they are in experiences a power surge. They're more or less trapped inside, but getting out is possible with some creativity.

Outside, there's a nuclear-powered Garbagio truck that has a flat tire or a split axle, going on and on about how he can't clean anything stuck in one place. He has ports for recharging, the Gar-Bins that used to accompany him are missing, having tried to find Garbagio's replacement parts over a year ago.

And so on, and so forth. They help the Garbagio, and then cleanup of the city starts. They restore power to a few more robots, help a few others. After a while, they discover that the power plant that supplies the town has been on the fritz, with possible catastrophic failure in the near future threatening to wipe out all their hard work...

Yeah, it could work.

>>5075043
I have an idea for a character, but its more of a Gestalt
AI Train Network
Class 1 Transfer Engine, limited Battery, strong torque, meant to pull loads between harbor and transfer station,

It would be quite large though, not as large as my massive trans-continental Express, but these would be DM/Plot characters rather than PCs