[Torg] Torg Timeline + A United Living Land

[Kansas Jim]

James Knevitt wrote:

> Which brings me to my next point (which I think is the sum total of all 
> the intellectual pursuits on this list): how does Torg 'date'? apart 
> from the Tech 23 and a half issue and the geopolitical issue (the latter 
> of which is very easily remedied) how would a Torg c. 2008 play out?

The early 90's geopolitical situations is probably the most dated
material in the published material, along with some of the 'advanced'
technology given to Nippon Tech that was already being surpassed
when the material was originally published (especially with regard to
computers.)

Though on the subject of Nippon Tech, it's not just some of the
technology that's dated but a lot of the underlying concepts of
the realm itself. Super-ninjas, megacorps and fears of Japan buying
up everything in the United States are very early 90s cyberpunk
(minus the cyber, of course) and may not play that well transplanted
into today's world. If I ever get another Torg game going my plan is
to change Nippon Tech from "mega-corporate reality" to more of an
espionage reality ala Bond, Bourne and "Alias". Maybe with a little
"Chuck" thrown in. :)

And on the subject of cyberpunk, going with the cyber this time, both
the Cyberpapacy and Tharkold are what I'd call "old school" in terms
of their take on cybernetics and technology compared to what you find
in most genre fiction these days. I think it's still playable, but you
may have players who don't get why it's all chrome and meat instead
of post-singularity AIs, transhuman biomods, nanocloud technology and
other current 'hot' science fictional elements. (Of course the easy
answer there is "because Tech 26 doesn't support any of that"!)

And speaking of biomods, the Space Gods. While there's still some life
to the whole "Chariots of the Gods" angle, as evidenced by the latest
Indiana Jones movie, it probably needs to be rethought and developed in
somewhat different directions in light of archaeological discoveries
made in the last two decades about the Incans and other supposedly
uplifted cultures (like the Incans sacrificing children to these
gods - what's up with allowing that, Akashans?) Not to mention changing
views on aliens and UFOs, even in the early 90s the whole concept of
human-looking space gods had pretty much been replaced by the aliens
like the Greys (as again seen in Indy IV).

-- 
Kansas Jim, Torg guru (ksjim (at) sdc (dot) org)
Torg website: http://www.sdc.org/~ksjim/index.html