[Torg] Fish in water with bicycle (Four-case contradictions)

[Stephen John Smoogen]

On Feb 6, 2008 6:43 PM, Kansas Jim <ksjim at sdc.org> wrote:
> Benn writes:
>
> > 1)  What does it mean that a character disconnects from his home cosm
> > while in his home cosm?  What reality is he connected to?  What are his
> > personal axioms at that time?  What can or can't he do?  Does he
>
> He's not connected to any reality, that's what "disconnected" means! :)
>
> His personal axioms are the same as they've always been, those never
> change unless the character is transformed to another reality. But
> while disconnected he cannot express that personal reality, he must
> operate under the rules of the local reality (obviously it's not going
> to seem any different if he's at home.) The only real difference a
> character is going to see while disconnected in his home reality is
> that he cannot create contradictions.
>

He also can not gain possibilities during that time. Some house rules
have that he can only spend possibilities to reconnect. Some GM's like
to sneak it on a character that they disconnected in their own realm..
(as in they passively used a 4 case, it didnt work but it could just
be that they didn't understand it or knew it was a 4-case). Those GM's
secretly roll for the character and he only finds out at the end of
the act or during a combat when he finds he can't spend a possibility.


> > 2)  So in a Dominant zone, a magical elf inhabitant of Fairyland has a
> > 75% chance to pickup and use the dropped phaser?  Is that per shot or
> > per scene?  If he disconnects bu rolling a 1-4, the tech guy can still
> > take the same phaser and use it? (And as a one-case contradiction I am
> > assuming.)
>
> Actually it's an 80% chance (1-4 = 20% chance of disconnecting) that the
> elf can make the phaser work. But that is per shot so the odds are bound
> to catch up with him eventually if he goes crazy with it! And yes, if
> he disconnects anyone else can still pick up the phaser and attempt to
> use it. Disconnection only affects the user, never the tool.
>
> > 3)  In Fairyland, if the Starfleet officer risks a 5% chance of
> > disconnection every time they fire the phaser, odds are that in any
> > firefight they run a great chance of disconnecting at least once.  Are
> > disconnections by using your tools in another land that common?  If so,
> > I assume that reconnecting is fairly trivial.
>
> Yes, disconnections can be fairly common. Reconnecting can be trivial,
> though it depends a lot on where the character is from and where he is
> when he tries to reconnect. For example, an Ayslish character in the
> Nile has a DN of 8 to reconnect but he has a DN of 20 in the Living
> Land. And that's assuming it's a one-case contradiction, if it's a four-
> case then you have to figure in those penalties I mentioned in a
> previous email.
>

Which I forgot.. BUT now that I rememeber it.. it works both ways. I
think the example in the original books is if a Core Earth person uses
a Lee-Enfield musket in the Living Land he gains a bonus to reconnect
because the tool axiom is lower than their own cosm. Thus is makes
sense for Star Sphere people to use Tech 27 items as they get a +3
bonus to reconnect... which can be useful in the Living Land :).


-- 
Stephen J Smoogen. -- CSIRT/Linux System Administrator
How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed
in a naughty world. = Shakespeare. "The Merchant of Venice"