Techno-organic as the superior tech

[Yrtalien]

Is Organic-technology the be-all-end-all in your game?

On a different topic it was mentioned that B5 presents organic technology as the final growth in technology... of course fomr what we see that appears to be the case... but in the games you run do you ever intro alternative technologies? Technologies just as strong but incredibly advanced...

Reading through Legend of the Rangers (sourcebook) I cam cross the Hand tech (----------------SPOILERS FOLLOW---------------------)









OK we're looking at another first one race and their technology seems different. In most of your minds is it? Or is it just Organic crystal that is only aesthetically different from standard Organic tech. I have a player in my game who devours tech and scours the universe for samples of Organic technology (he's a technomage and is trying to find a way to replicate his own tech). They will soon encounter the hand and I am considering his finding this technology and it being completely unlike Shadow or Vorlon tech... he could study it but that means a new Knowledge and Tech skill... I like the idea but I wonder if he will even consider it I know he thinks much along the same lines as most people that Organic-tech is the end of the road...

I had one game years ago that I created Psi-tech for... basically a psychically advanced civilizations psi-responsive technology... any of you throw in new tech? Do you allow anything to rival organic tech? If so what?

 

[Mage]

Well, that stuff is mostly made up as LoTR was such a short tv movie.
IMHO the end all technology would be whatever the first one used personally, or failing that the ancients or whatever they were called, but then again that is never explained either. The Hand were pretty bad ass, as the kicked the tar out of the vorlons, from what I can remember at least.

 

[Ulkesh]

In the movie, nothing is truly explained about the Hand so we don't really know how powerful they are, who banished them or if they fought the Vorlons. To me though, the Hands technology (which were just toys according to the ambassador but it could have been simple propaganda) was not organic in appearance but more crystalline in appearance at least. The benefits of which well... can't say, lack of info. I really do hope in a future Lost Tales DVD that JMS goes back to the Hand business and make it worthy of being part of the B5 continuity rather then being remembered as a race in that "horrible B5 movie".

Out of the movie, well can't say. I'm still waiting for my order to go through so I can get the Legend of the Rangers book. Will comment once I get that.

Anyway, if you take AoG War of the Ancients book, there are quite a few Firt Ones that don't even use organic tech. The Walkers I don't believe have it, neither do the Torvalus or the Kirishiac the latter of which use crystal technology I think. The Triad and the Mindriders don't count since they can just make anything they want rather then rely on conventional technology. Minus the First Ones, the Tal-kona'sha also use organic technology mixed with nanites to make organic ships and stuff but these guy are Mid-born; not one of the younger races at all.

In B5, I think a lot of whats shown shows that organic technology is the pinnacle of advanced technology but I don't think its the end of it. I believe its because its just so difficult to actually make something organic that can survive the rigors of space and be an effective weapon that its considered an advanced piece of tech.

 

[Mongoose Gar]

I sort of touched on this in the IPX book. My theory is that organic tech isn't the uberest of the ubertechs, but it is as high as humanity and the other younger races can currently comprehend and utilise. The Walkers may have better hyperspace technology than the Vorlons, but EarthForce would prefer to get their hands on an organic jump drive. That, they might be able to reverse-engineer, but they wouldn't have a clue about where to even start with a Walker device.

 

[Shadow Queen]

It would be nasty if the younger races got there hands on a Hyperspace power tap like the Vorlons and Shadows

 

[Sapphire]

I sort of touched on this in the IPX book. My theory is that organic tech isn't the uberest of the ubertechs, but it is as high as humanity and the other younger races can currently comprehend and utilise. The Walkers may have better hyperspace technology than the Vorlons, but EarthForce would prefer to get their hands on an organic jump drive. That, they might be able to reverse-engineer, but they wouldn't have a clue about where to even start with a Walker device.

Well, will look forward to the Rim and the Thirdspace on DriveThruRPG. It did occurred to me that Walkers may have much faster way to travel Hyperspace.

Cheers

Sappy.