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RPGObjects News
Posted by Charles Rice on 2009-05-20
Here's a taste of the third campaign model from the upcoming Post-Apocalypse20

This is Tango Base, broadcasting on a secure frequency to all safehouses. This is for the historical record. We want everyone to know what happened to the human race. This broadcast repeats.

 

[Inaudible]

 

“Say it again.”

 

“M-my name is Dr. Carl Sauerbrun. I worked on the Medusa Project. We- we were developing AI systems for- for military and space exploration... Look, I was a junior tech! I was a glorified circuit tester! This- this is crazy!”

 

“This is not crazy ‘Doctor’. This is a military trial. We tried the Nazis for killing a few million. You and your team have killed a few billion. Someone has to pay. But more, someone has to know.”

 

[Inaudible]

 

“Get him back in the chair. You’re surrounded by what’s left of the United States Army, ‘Doctor’. You’re not going to escape. If you had that kind of balls, you would have killed those butchers you worked for in their sleep.”

 

“Oh God! We- we were developing AI systems. The Medusa Project was a single mainframe designed to control unmanned drones, fighters, planetary expedition rovers. You have to believe me, we never thought...”

 

[Inaudible]

 

“Yes- yes- bombers too. The plan was to load the bombers with payloads and leave them in the air forever. With the new fusion reactors, they could fly indefinitely. After- every few decades they might need service and they’d land and Medusa would order repair robots to perform routine maintenance.”

 

“So, you built a machine, put in control of spy drones, fighter planes and bombers with nuclear payloads and then put it in control of manufacturing and repair centers, do I have that right?”

 

“Your superiors authorized this! We did it for you! No one knew...”

 

[Gunfire]

 

“This has been the last of the Medusa Tribunals. To all safehouses, stay underground until you hear differently from us. We put you down in those fallout shelters to keep humanity safe and alive. These machines, they’ve decided they don’t need us. We’ve also learned that they’re continuing their primary mission.”

 

“ They are exploring and colonizing other planets with robots. And they’re preparing for something big. A huge space launch. Either they’ve found another ‘infected’ planet to cleanse, or they’re preparing to move Medusa somewhere off planet. Somewhere we’ll never be able to find.”

 

“Either way, we have to act now. We’re preparing a final assault on the old NORAD base from the 21st century. We’re hoping it’s not connected, that Medusa can’t control it remotely. If we’re right, we’re going to use it to launch some of the old orbital weapons. We have to destroy Medusa before she either leaves or wipes out all ‘biological infections’ everywhere.”

 

“If we’re successful, if you detect nuclear weapons detonation, your orders are to stay underground for no more than 200 years. It should be safe up here then. Relatively. The automatic beacons should help you link up with the other safehouses. If we’re not successful, stay underground. Forever. Keep humanity alive down there. Leave the surface to them.”  

 

This is Tango Base, broadcasting on a secure frequency to all safehouses. This is for the historical record. We want everyone to know what happened to the human race. This broadcast repeats.

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10 Comments
Posted by Steve Rubio on 2009-05-21 08:58:03
Neat! This looks to be a good supplement. Sounds like the antagonists will be AI-controlled 'bots? Will they be immune to conventional firearms a-la Terminator?
Posted by Charles Rice on 2009-05-21 09:28:39
That's an interesting question.

Certainly, from that snippet, you would argue that initially there was one AI (Medusa).

Whether she would choose to build simple automotons she could control or actually procreate (create other AI who might one day go against her) is an interesting question.
Posted by Michael Lafferty on 2009-05-21 10:37:15
same Medusa from Supers20?
Posted by Steve Rubio on 2009-05-21 11:16:22
Ohh, AIs procreating. Like the puppetmaster in the original ghost in the shell. Or maybe the reapers from Mass Effect.
Also, it suddenly occurred to me that there's no indication of when the events of this recording occurred in relation to the listener... so the players could be taking part in the NORAD assault, coming out of the ground 200 years later, or have the machine digging into their shelters... I like.
Posted by Charles Rice on 2009-05-21 12:40:53
Mike: it couldn't be the same Medusa from supers20. That AI has never shown any inclination to wipe out humanity and has, if anything, always been our friend. Right?

Steve: Well, for purposes of the campaign model info I will present, it's at least 200 years later. But there's no reason why you couldn't have the PCs fighting to keep the machines from boring into Zion, just make sure Neo is there to help.
Posted by Paul King on 2009-05-21 13:32:56
Posted by Paul King on 2009-05-21 13:33:03
There is no spoon
Posted by david jarvis on 2009-05-21 14:06:21
Actually, when Interface Zero comes out for M20 it's going to be really easy to combine it with this campaign model to do a "Matrix" style game.
Posted by Michael Lafferty on 2009-05-21 14:38:03
Newsarama just did a "Top 10 AIs Gone Wild" list
Generally, I don't care for the rama, but it's not a bad read
link:
http://www.newsarama.com/film/090521-ai-gone-wild.html
Posted by Walt Robillard on 2009-05-27 06:14:08
Wow! Apoc20 is going to rock on toast.
Regards,
Walt