[OOC] MnM 3e - Geneforge: the Created

[Tony Jones]

Meat Shield is currently living in a constant state of low level fear for their existence. They do not know what Scout did - what mistake they made - that caused the Shaper to 'recycle' them into Chips. And so they have no idea how to avoid making that same mistake and likewise ending up recycled into a new creature. So they are being as obedient as possible to keep the Shaper happy. But that then conflicts with their thrill-seeking nature, so they also feel the need to push the boundaries, like sneaking away to have a look at the tube once the Shaper was done with it...

[kenseido]

Y'all are all crazy. Shaper D'Tan is great. Why wouldn't you want to obey him and make him happy?

[Doctor Malsyn]

No reason at all!

[kenseido]

I am waiting to post to see if Sakuro allows the stunt Mind is trying. If it's not allowed, Mind wouldn't tell Chips to let him up like that.

[Doctor Malsyn]

I do apologize for my character making orders like that. It fits the Mind's role as a 'coordinator' for the other Creatures, but I personally feel iffy on the matter.

[Sakuro]

This Servile is barely above a Bystander. As such I'll let you spend a HP to edit their memory as you described without taking the time to stat out a specific mechanical Effect.

On the topic of fearing for your lives ... has your Shaper actually been an unpleasant person to be in the service of?

[kenseido]

Obviously, from a meta perspective, nothing has changed. I changed characters and there is no reason for anyone to think their PC will just be killed off.

But from an in-game perspective, Scout is just gone. I don't know if any other PC thought Scout had screwed up as badly as he thought he did. So, if they don't see a screw up on Scout's part, then it means he was just replaced. Swapped. Something. Nobody really knows because D'Tan isn't giving any sort of explanation. No news is worse than bad news because the imagination is far more creative about things going wrong than reality can ever deliver. Add to that at least one of them knowing about D'Tan having creations before the PCs.

It's not unreasonable for the PCs to be concerned that they might be swapped out next for no reason.

Except Chips who has no idea about Scout. And that's how I am trying to play him.

[Sakuro]

I get that. The reactions everyone has had to Scout's replacement are good and fitting with their character. That isn't what I'm asking about. I'm looking for your impressions on D'Tan himself.

[kenseido]

I don't think D'Tan has been unpleasant. He is reserved, though its hard to say if he is that way naturally or because of his position to the creations. We haven't seen him interact with other people.

He comes across as a dog owner who bought the dog to be a guard dog. He cares about the dog in that it helps the dog do its job. The dog isn't "part of the family" the way pet owners who have pets to be companions.

At least that is my read.

[mrdent12]

Kendeidos impression matches my own. The creations are tools, al beit ones he takes care of. For his part, Craze is just in awe of the world and everything he can mess with. While he does have an affinity for D'Tan, he doesn't feel super bound to him or afraid of him. To keep the guard dog analogy going, Craze knows his job and D'Tan holds the leash. It doesn't mean he won't test the leash at times.

On another topic, how much did Mind relay to the others on what they found out?

[pathfinderq1]

Sure the Shaper seems distant, but I'm fine with that. He is young, inexperienced, and in a survival situation- and my general impression is that Shapers are not deeply emotionally invested in their creations (possibly trained and/or culturally conditioned to be that way). I don't expect him to give us presents or throw us a birthday party or anything. Sure their is the whole "he can kill us with his brain" thing, but that doesn't seem to be an ACTIVE threat, more of a passive plot device.

This is my read as a player. Pounce, as a character, has no concerns whatsoever.

[Doctor Malsyn]

The Mind I, in a way, a more cold and logical version of their Shaper. It understands D'Tan to a certain level, both what his attitude is like and what he's capable of. And it overthinks. Too much. Constantly.

For it, D'Tan is something to be both feared and respected.

As for the information, it has only informed the Shaper about all the details thus far, for it does not know what the others are not meant to know.

[Tony Jones]

Meat Shield does worry that Scout was disposed of because they failed in some way that Meat Shield at least is unaware of. And Meat Shield knows that they have failed at things - providing first aid and so on - which did directly impact the Shaper. So they worry that the Shaper is keeping some kind of score on each of them, and if their failures cause that score to drop too low then that's the end of them and they will be replaced by a new creation...

As for D'Tan he comes across as someone who plays his cards very close to the chest. There are clearly things he knows and does that he thinks we, his creations, have no need to know. And so he keeps us in ignorance 'for our own good'.

The guard dog analogy sounds reasonable to me.

[Doctor Malsyn]

I know a bit more about things after reading up on Geneforged, back towards when we started. If I recall right the main character of that game could choose which faction to join/help. At a glance it seems obvious which way our own Shaper would go, but who knows.

Fun fact; in the third game, seems you could choose to be a Servile instead of a human. Weird stuff.

[Sakuro]

Thank you for your observations on the Shaper. Given what you've said, I've been portraying him as I'd hoped to. The fears, concerns, and conflicts between self and service are reasonable. The Shaper and Creation relationship is something I've been wanting to explore in a story for a long time.

In all of the Geneforge games there are factions, and you can aid, join, or hinder them. Aiding one looses favor with the others. In the first game, Awakened, Obeyers, and Takers are the factions. Yes, in Geneforge 3 you have the option of playing a Servile and in Geneforge 5 you play as an Outsider.

I do have another question. Doctor Malsyn mentioned they were iffy on Mind telling the other PCs what to do in their coordinator role. I get the feeling part of that is because of inexperiance in such a role and part is uncertainty in whether he is upsetting the rest of you in doing so (correct me if I'm wrong Doctor Malsyn). So, how do the rest of you feel about Mind telling other PCs what to do?