Research Mechanic

Current Research Projects

Current Week: 2782.197 - 2782.203

Project Lead Researcher Phase
 
Xenopsychohistory Jim Experimentation (4+ out of 6)
    Experiments:
  1. Modelling First Frost as a Tinoori Lever: Success
  2. Finding Brochoahan Inverse Linkages: Success
  3. Rabble-rousing on Pierogi and the Well: Success
  4. Beating Deep Blue at Counter Commander: Success
  5. Searching for Hive in Blue: ?
  6. Comparing reactions between Phaeton and AI Phaeton: ?
 
Acid Munition Sharra Experimentation (2 out of 3)
    Experiments:
  1. Acid Races
  2. Interaction with Other Substances
 
Gel Chip Hippocrates Experimenting (1 out of 3)
    Experiments:
  1. Sensor nets on the Mud Dragon
 
Decider Ship Tech Da Vinci Experimenting (0 out of 4)
 
Psychic Memory Crystals Katya/Ruehan Testing Prototype
    Experiments:
  1. Zap it with different energies
  2. Test wierd psi situations
  3. 3-substats Power Projection
    Prototype Test:
  1. Playing with crystal stuff on the Lost world
 
Kaufman Phase II Kith/Sophia/Grimblemaury Extra Stressy Test
    Tests:
  1. Curing a White Addict
  2. Clear Tube Side Effects
  3. Clear v. Green Operation Risk
  4. Healing Tech is Wonky
  5. Sharra Zombies, Take Two
 
Fortune Implants Grimblemaury Experimenting (1 out of 3)
    Experiments:
  1. Gamble, then gamble again holding down fortune dice
 
Fractal Neutrino Destabilization Dr. Kye Discovery (0 out of 24)

Completed Research Projects

 
Scout Manual Jim Done!
    Experiments:
  1. Integrate ("Lord of Toast") with a manual.
  2. Hack into all three manual types.
  3. Fake out the Scout manual syncing process to the Scoutmaster manual
    Building Prototype:
  1. Tech 5, completed week of 2782.071
    Prototype Stress Tests:
  1. [Girl Scout Manual blueprints used as one test.]
  2. How To Disarm A Ticking Time-Bomb Using Your Swiss Army Knife: SUCCESS!
  3. Develop a New Badge and Insert it into the Manual: SUCCESS!
    Extra Stressy Test:
  1. Aux Power / Holosuite / Simulation Tests
 
Plasma Bomb Dr. Kye Done!
    Experiments:
  1. Blowing Up Lots Of Places
  2. Overloading the Engines
  3. Driving Through the Sun
  4. Blowing up the Deciders with a Plasma Bomb
    Prototype Stress Tests (4 needed):
  1. Blowing up near Deciders/Mothership
  2. Blowing up near Mothership
  3. Blowing up Deciders at Sparta
  4. Observe Decider planet-buster FAIL
  5. Blowing up the Ghost of the Strategos
    Extra Stressy Test
  1. Used in Battle of Tinara
 
Decider Amulet Ruehan Done!
    Experiments:
  1. Scan different species while holding the amulet
  2. Different species using different psi abilities
  3. Exposing the amulet to different types of energies
    Prototype Stress Tests (3 needed):
  1. Probing the Deciders missing psi stats
  2. Vertaki fortune effects on deathtrap
  3. Dryad resolution stat (Mirror-mirror of Brochoah)
      Extra Stressy Test:
    1. Plasma Crit
 
Tarn Redliner Defense Grimblemaury Done!
    Experiments:
  1. Vircus HBX v. Jim and the Gravity Mirror
  2. Better Piloting Through Gravity
  3. Hippocrates v. Spartan Steadfasts
  4. Into the Vacuum Wickets
    Prototype Stress Tests (4 needed):
  1. Shooting the Dancer with the Redliner
  2. Combat with the Deciders
  3. Vircus HBX v. the Dancer
  4. Vacuum Wickets Part Two
  5. Wave Motion EM Gun
    Extra Stressy Test:
  1. Shooting Inside the Shuttle Bay
 
Tarn Neural Disruptor Sharra Wade Done!
    Experiments:
  1. Shooting Katya with the Neural Disruptor
  2. Shooting a lot of different generators
  3. Stunning people with a big electromagnetic device
    Prototype Stress Tests (3 needed):
  1. Combat with Kidnappers on Nonesuch
  2. Underwater Combat
  3. Shooting Until Burnt Out
 
Kaufman Process, Phase I Kith Done!
    Experiments:
  1. Bad Thinging Cell Cultures
  2. Varied Damage, Varied Healers
  3. Varied Damage Scavenger Hunt
  4. Nanotech Side Effects
    Prototype Stress Tests (4 needed):
  1. Katya: Frostbite
  2. Anya: hypothermia + physical trauma
  3. Sharra: infection
  4. Jayla: extreme muscle fatigue
    Extra Stressy Test (1 needed):
  1. Eva poisoned.
 
AI Hippocrates Done!
    Prototype Stress Tests
  1. Self-analysis of behavior in The Great Ship Robbery: FAIL
  2. Consideration of Riden network experiment: Pass
  3. Marshmallow Factory: Pass
  4. Detective Nero: Pass
  5. Oktoberhackerfest: Pass
    Skills taught:
  • Computer Wizardry 4
  • DB: Computer Culture 2
  • Philosophy 2
  • DB: Linked Worlds Law 2
  • Ethics 2
  • Peripherals 1
  • Intelligence Analysis 1
  • Cryptography 1
  • Humor 1
  • Logic 1
  • Passive Perception 1
 
Chartreuse Kith / Sophia Symphony-Hayes Done!

(Each research sheet leads to a specific goal, although it is not necessarily clear to the players what that goal may be.)

The general research scheme:

Lead Researcher
Each person can only be lead researcher on one project at a time. You can't become lead researcher on a new project until you complete or abandon a previous one. Abandoned projects need not be started over completely, but will suffer significant set-backs.
 
Inspiration
First step in any research project is inspiration. You can't be given a path until inspiration strikes. Inspiration generally takes the part of some sort of find, or discovery, or other means of beginning the research.

Examples:

We need a redline defense!
Inspiration: Study a broken redline weapon.
We need to create light without heat!
Inspiration: Study a bunch of fireflies.
I wonder what this crazy thing does?
Inspiration: Study it!
 
As the last example illustrates, often people may wish to take some piece of technology they find and start working on it, thus getting inspiration that puts them on a path which they don't know where it leads.
 
Find some source of inspiration thing, and score (3*project difficulty) successes working on it using any appropriate skills. One research roll can be made each week per person working; any given person can only work on one project at a time. People can just add up their successes.
 
Discovery:
The GM will give you the relevant skill for this particular path. The research team must accumulate (2*projectdifficulty) more successes using only this skill to reveal the goal of the greensheet. Also revealed will be the number of crucial experiments needed to discover the necessary component for a prototype.
Experimenting:
Perform the crucial experiments (PCs come up with these) needed to gather the data necessary to construct a prototype. Each experiment must ``score'' a number of successes equal to the project difficulty (possibly through repetition.)

Example:
To experiment with something that will protect a ship from the gravity bending effects of a ``redline'', one might...

  • Drop instruments into a black hole to study the effects of changing gravity.
  • Capture a redliner ship and blast a hundred different materials with its weapon.
  • Fill a ship with lots of detectors and have it get repeatedly shot with ``redlines''.

Charles's explanation, which is pretty accurate:
Experiments are designed theoretically by the players ("I want to test my new uber-magno-glue-machine by rigging a few flakes of iron filings and seeing how much weight I can hang off them.") and then the gms tell you how to roll for it. ("Ok. You need someone with merchant to get you the set of weights, that takes 5 successes on a str/mind roll, a materials engineer to refine the iron flakes properly (three rolls, one for sevens, one for eights, one for nines, you need at least two successes on each), and someone to operate the machine, System's Operations for 10s, needing 8 successes over multiple rolls, can't have no successes on any of the rolls.")
Prototyping:
Acquire the prototype component and build a prototype using relevant building skills, and the main relevant skill is a cap on other skills used. Prototype successes needed vary depending upon prototype. People can work together when prototyping combining skills towards the cap. This gives the prototype EPs, which are spent towards the three Tech substats of the prototype.

The prototype will have its maximum Tech stat limited by the amount of time spent in development during this stage according to the chart.

1 Week Tech 1
2 Week Tech 2
1 Month Tech 3
4 Months Tech 4
1 Year Tech 5

Testing:
Test the prototype. This mostly involves getting the prototype in various situations related to its intended function and tweaking it. This is similar to the Experimentation phase, above, in that you must come up with a set of ways you try to break the prototype.
 
Destructive Testing:
The prototype must be pushed to its extreme. (Example: Deploy the redline shield and get shot by a bunch of redliners.) This may destroy the prototype (it'll roll its tech dice), but will reveal the crucial clue for building a working production model.
 
Final Product:
You build the final product, you overcome the final obstacle, and it works!
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