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Steve wrote:To anyone curious as to how Sir James has the full note from the MEH to the Chamarrans.... he is one of the galaxy's most capable spymasters. So the reply is only that he got it "from an asset".

(For what it's worth I imagine that UN Intelligence and the CEID, at the very least, have also acquired the note in full. I'd be disappointed in them if the Collective, the Bragulans, and the Haruhiists haven't gotten it as well.)

He bedded a Chamarran over some martinis, shaken not stirred! If not Bronson himself, then one of the other guys, the, ah, double-Os.

Collective? But yeah, the Brags probably got it. If anything else, we can ask it nicely from the Sheppoes-kuns! ^_______^

I hope I get my test subjects before the Shepistanis figure out what I'm trying to use them for.

I love how I'm about to have two separate nations from the other side of the galaxy declare war on me before I've even killed large numbers of people.

This sort of thing tends to happen when you openly declare you're experimenting on humans.

What does it matter if I'm open or not? Shepistan isn't getting invaded, nor are the Bragulans or The Centrality.

That is because Bragule is greatest country in universe, all other countries run by little cubs. Bragule number one exporter of vegemite, all other countries have inferior vegemite. Bragula Bragula you is very nice place!

The difference is that you're talking about doing it in diplomatic messages, they're being discreet. It's like saying hi I'm new at school and I'm looking for people who's skulls I can slice open in order that I may poke and prod their brains. People generally don't like someone who does that. It makes them nervous and prone to forming groups who's goal is to protect themselves from the crazy skull slicing, brain poking guy. This protection usually manifests itself by the forcible removal of said crazy skull slicing, brain poking guy by aforementioned group.

Chaotic Neutral wrote:What does it matter if I'm open or not? Shepistan isn't getting invaded, nor are the Bragulans or The Centrality.

Umm... Every time the Shepistanis twitch, someone thinks they're about to declare war and seriously considers doing it preemptively, the Bragulans are at war with the entire Koprulu Zone, and the Centrality doesn't experiment on humans, as far as I know.

You, on the other hand, just sent an admission to one worst war crimes there is, the kind of thing that gets people hung after Space Nuremburg, as part of your standard greeting.

Master_Baerne wrote: You, on the other hand, just sent an admission to one worst war crimes there is, the kind of thing that gets people hung after Space Nuremburg, as part of your standard greeting.

Someone needs to die to further science, better a prisoner than a physicist. Besides, why lie about it, when you can it just do it by asking nicely?

Because the rest of the galaxy isn't doing it, people don't need to die to further science in an already well-understood field, and because, again, this is exactly the sort of thing people can declare war over and not have anyone mind.

Master_Baerne wrote:Because the rest of the galaxy isn't doing it, people don't need to die to further science in an already well-understood field, and because, again, this is exactly the sort of thing people can declare war over and not have anyone mind.

None of the nations I've read of on the wiki seem to be trying to create an esper only species, so I wouldn't call it "well understood".

Has it occured to you that there may be unintended side effects that humanity as a whole isn't interested in exploring? I mean, really, CN, I think your life would be quite miserable if everyone around you could read your mind. I know mine would be unfun in a number of ways.

For various reasons, no one (or at least no human nation) wanted to play an omnitelepathic hive mind. That's the real reason you don't see any of the active players trying to "upgrade" their population.

Simon_Jester wrote:Has it occured to you that there may be unintended side effects that humanity as a whole isn't interested in exploring? I mean, really, CN, I think your life would be quite miserable if everyone around you could read your mind. I know mine would be unfun in a number of ways.

If you can block them, I don't see what the problem is. And when your entire population can block telepathic attacks...

Simon_Jester wrote:For various reasons, no one (or at least no human nation) wanted to play an omnitelepathic hive mind. That's the real reason you don't see any of the active players trying to "upgrade" their population.

If I wanted a hive mind, I would have made one. I do see how that's even remotely related though.

I'm essentially following the opposite of Shepistan, which is always a good idea.

"If you can't beat'em; join'em."

Simon_Jester wrote:Has it occured to you that there may be unintended side effects that humanity as a whole isn't interested in exploring? I mean, really, CN, I think your life would be quite miserable if everyone around you could read your mind. I know mine would be unfun in a number of ways.

For various reasons, no one (or at least no human nation) wanted to play an omnitelepathic hive mind. That's the real reason you don't see any of the active players trying to "upgrade" their population.

Plus, possibly the in-game reason they aren't trying to make an all-psyker nation is because they understand psykers. My nation is having enough trouble with a coup that has no psychic support; with psychic support, things would have been even more troublesome. Hell, that's why you see most nations with the psychics under a whole lot of government control; that's why in the NenAltKik, all the psykers have been indoctrinated into being strong supporters of the central government on Tlali just so they wouldn't have the bright idea to start a coup. If they weren't, this coup of mine would go from colonial uprising to genocide of the moxli and possibly a psyker allosaurus crusade to purify the galaxy.

That's the wonder of the plan! When everyone is a super, no one is.

Only in comparison to each other, you twit! In absolute terms, they most definately are!

Double post

OF COURSE! THAT'S THE ENTIRE POINT OF THE PROJECT!

It would give The MEH a massive lead over other nations, in many different ways.

Sure, the first two decades would be a pain in the ass, but after that, I have the master species!

Chaotic Neutral wrote:That's the wonder of the plan! When everyone is a super, no one is.

You also assume that everyone can be equally super. There is a clear gradient of powers that aren't necessarily entirely due to training or genetics; some of it is just luck and randomness. What happens when you get someone who is completely uncontrollable and insanely dangerous?

There's also the problem that humans aren't adapted to living as psychic critters, unlike the Karlack or Amplitur. Just switching everyone over willy-nilly like is bound to cause long-range problems as of yet unthought of or unheard of. Just because it sounds awesome isn't necessarily a great reason to hop headlong into something.

Hmm.

Psychic tyrannosaurus crusade to purge the humans. Yep, I think it's safe to say that we're just as well off not having to deal with one of those.

More generally, this applies to a lot of nations: espers have powers that are difficult for governments to control except by effectively locking down their own use of espers (as Shepistan does). Some nations solve the problem by putting espers in charge (the Centrality), others by extensive monitoring (the Chamarrans).

In the former case there's no incentive to make everyone an esper because it weakens the state's power by creating competition. In the latter case, making more espers makes the government's problem of control much worse.

Other nations try to muddle through without strong esper policies (this includes, say, Umeria). Many of them get away with it because espers are rare and heavily outnumbered by forces the government can rely on to keep organized esper movements in check even without strict government control over the espers.

Which, again, goes out the window if someone starts deliberately breeding massive numbers of extra psychics.

Chaotic Neutral wrote:That's the wonder of the plan! When everyone is a super, no one is.

But would you want to live in that society?

Seriously, CN, think for a moment about what your life would be like if everyone could read the horrible things I'm sure go through your mind now and then, and react accordingly.

Very few people would relish the thought of making everyone able to read their mind, regardless of whether they gain the same ability. Very few people would relish that for their children, either. It is far from certain that anyone with the resources to do it would try to breed a species of human-based espers, even if it's possible.

Unless, of course, they're batshit crazy.

Akhlut wrote: You also assume that everyone can be equally super. There is a clear gradient of powers that aren't necessarily entirely due to training or genetics; some of it is just luck and randomness. What happens when you get someone who is completely uncontrollable and insanely dangerous?

So some people need to wear an amplifier, and others need to wear a null field. Boo hoo

Akhlut wrote: There's also the problem that humans aren't adapted to living as psychic critters, unlike the Karlack or Amplitur. Just switching everyone over willy-nilly like is bound to cause long-range problems as of yet unthought of or unheard of. Just because it sounds awesome isn't necessarily a great reason to hop headlong into something.

It lose my eyes for superpowers. (Not sure about my soul though.)

Simon_Jester wrote: Seriously, CN, think for a moment about what your life would be like if everyone could read the horrible things I'm sure go through your mind now and then, and react accordingly.

Very few people would relish the thought of making everyone able to read their mind, regardless of whether they gain the same ability. Very few people would relish that for their children, either. It is far from certain that anyone with the resources to do it would try to breed a species of human-based espers, even if it's possible.

Everyone develops passive blocks. Government is now resistant to enemy esper infiltrators.

Simon_Jester wrote:Unless, of course, they're batshit crazy.

Eckhem!!

Biggish post(for me). I gave up and just decided to indicate sectors past the verge with a "+" instead of "-"

Good post. Nice to see someone presenting a long term threat without immediately soiling their collective britches and sending off battlefleets to go pound on it.

Chaotic Neutral wrote:Everyone develops passive blocks. Government is now resistant to enemy esper infiltrators.

That's not an infinitely elastic ability and the enemy psykers are going to have government-sponsored bypass technology for such passive blocks.

There's also the question of how much your government can afford to actually purchase a sufficient number of amplifiers or null fields, given that populations are hundreds of billions to low trillions per nation. There's a difference between providing mass-produced technological goods and highly personalized psyker-equipment that must be customized for everyone so that it doesn't backfire and put a large percentage of your citizens into irreversible comas due to a wrongly calibrated nullifier or cause them to unleash psychic hellfire on cities because of a fucked up amplifier.

Simon_Jester wrote:Unless, of course, they're batshit crazy.

Eckhem!!

I don't think that's something to really be that proud of.