[gurps] Brainships in GURPs 3ed

[Jon Lang]

Classified TS/BBR wrote:
>  Since Shellpeople exist in a world where Brain-transplant/Full-body Cyborgs
> apparently don't, I'd probably define the "shell" itself as an Automed
> (VE68) plus Neural Interface as a minimum. to do it properly you'd want to
> design a minimalist vehicle around it (Wheels, Robot arms, Auditory & Visual
> Sensors) & call the entire thing the "shell" (IIRC the use of the Neural
> interface should let you rule that the space occupied by the Automed is the
> Crew Quarters, Life Support (ESU functions), & Crew "position"), with
> commlinks both for communication & linking into whatever the larger vehicle
> or installation the Shellperson is in charge of.

:nod: I'm definitely with you here, except that the shell should be a
bit more stripped-down than that: think Automed + Neural Interface +
basic sensors + power supply + armor; the shells themselves didn't
have any mobility or manipulatory capabilities, as all of that was
provided by whatever it was to which the shell was attached.  The
neural interface should be bulky, too; later books indicate that one
of the reasons given as to why full-body cyborgs don't exist in the
setting is that there's no way to fit both the brain and the neural
interface in a human-sized frame.

I'm guessing that there are also difficulties that prevent
"disembodied brain" technology: apparently, even a fully quadriplegic
body that's unable to survive off of life support is a more viable
option in the Brainships setting than removing the brain from the body
and providing life support just for it.  In practice, though, the
effects are the same: the shellperson acts as a "cyborg brain" for the
ship in which she's installed, running all of its systems as if they
were her own body.  The only practical difference is the sheer amount
of equipment needed to make it happen.

I'd also pull out Basic Set and Compendium I in order to define some
of the traits that are inherent to the shellperson.  Again, use the
"cyborg brain" option from Robots as a model, and pay special
attention to the various mental traits.

-- 
Jonathan "Dataweaver" Lang