"Would Robots Like These Be Wrong In 15mm Firefly Gaming?" Topic

I mean servile "mule" bots like these yellow GZG "Quad Transport Walkers" (GMM-34), though they were originally made for 2mm gaming:

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I may be wrong, but I don't recall seeing a single "mule" robot in "Firefly" and the film "Serenity", even in the Central Planets, though it's all supposed to take place in the 26th century.

But those look too cute not to use! Right?

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Thanks,

Dan
PS. DARPA keeps working on them:
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I thnk androids would be more appropriate in the Verse than robots. Just my 2p worth.

I think in the firefly setting you can get cheap disposable people so robots are not that common. But no I don't think they would be wrong or out of place.

The Central Planets might have this sort of stuff, but as PJ says live is cheap on the Outer Planets….

-Will

For that matter, pack animals. Wasn't there an episode where the job was cattle rustling?

I concur about the "people are cheap" feel of the setting. The way Simon and River (Both from a core world) were treated, suggest that life is cheap there as well. Even for the relatively upper classes.

So Androids would be unlikely (unless the ultra rich simply did not want to deal with humans). However, having tools to do what man-power can not, makes sense. Like the use of the MF-813 Flying Mule, working robots would seem to fit the feel. Your "Mr. Handy" or your exoskeleton lifting frame make sense.

I suspect they would be around but probably in ports or factories or other areas in the Central Planets that the Serenity crew did not visit on the all-too brief show

In the episode "Trash" they dump the Lassiter in a trash recepticle that gets picked up by some kind of automated trash transport.

Effectively this is some form of robot. It would have to be fairly sophisticated to be able to fly back and forth and not interfere with the air traffic which appears to be fairly common on the core worlds.

The one thing about Firefly and a lot of sci fi in general is that they sometimes have things that don't make much sense either because the plot requires it or it makes it "cool". Use this to your advantage.

Since our look into the 'verse was so limited, I think it's reasonable to add anything to your games that you (and your group) would enjoy.

I think there where robots in one of the graphic novels.

mr. universe had a human droid bride.

People are cheap in Firefly, so I wouldn't expect to see 'bots unless it was a job a human absolutely couldn't do – radhaz, no atmosphere (or, more appropriately 'bots are cheaper than atmosphere), high g, flying, no sleep, etc.

I don't know if robots fit with my impression about Firefly. I agree with the previous sentiment that people are cheap, so why bother with robots? I remember a similar discussion on RPG.net; someone said that horses in sci-fi were illogical, but someone else pointed out that a freezer with a million fertilized horse embryos would take up less space than a fusion-powered tractor on a transport, so horses actually made perfect sense. I feel like the robot prospect would be similar. Could be that robots exist, but mostly just as toys for the super-rich (or perverted technophiles living alone on a strange planet…).

>mr. universe had a human droid bride.

Yes, I could easily imagine sex-bots in the 'verse.

Ok.

1) Flying trash bins; and
2) Love bots

Dan
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People are cheap in Firefly, but in 500 years, how cheap will a basic labor robot be?

-You can pay people a small wage, but you have to keep paying it over and over

-If you pay people a low wage, you have to worry about them slacking off or stealing from you

-Robots are a one time expense, but you do have to pay for repairs and recharging

-Robots always work hard, but can be a target for thieves

-Robots will one day rise up and "kill all humans"

There is sufficient lack of information in Firefly to make lots of things plausible to some degree. Again, I say go with what you will enjoy.

"-Robots will one day rise up and 'kill all humans'"

I guess that's why the Alliance doesn't have AMEE:

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Come to think of it, perhaps "Earth that was" was taken over by Skynet.

Dan

Recall the "Mudders"

Whose job was to shovel mud, they were essentially slaves. If robots were common, one might expect them to do such a job, or least the loyal guards would have been robots. Perhaps autonomous action is something the Alliance does not what machines to have.

Indentured service did seem to be pretty common. Apparently to pay off for relocation expenses to move between worlds.

Reminds me a lot of what happened to some of the characters in Earth2, another short-lived series. One of those was a cybernetically "re-programmed" ex-con.

Dan

This is interesting …

"The outer planets were meant to be kept under the same level of strict control, but the Alliance is short on manpower and ships. They just don't have enough people to keep a proper eye on things. They hire security firms to help enforce their laws and maintain order. And they send their hulking patrol ships out to remind everyone who is in charge."

"Still, the cracks in the system are large enough for folk to fly a Firefly-class ship through. Slavery for example, although outlawed by the Alliance government, exists as something of an open secret among terraforming companies, mine owners and the wealthy on the Rim. Every so often, the Alliance will bust one of these owners and free the slaves because it looks good in the media from a public relations point of view, but then it's back to business as usual. It is the same with indentured servants. Indentured servitude is also not legal, but most people on the Border planets accept it as a way of life. If a person is desperate for the money and they have nothing to offer up as collateral except themselves, then that is what they will do."

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Dan

Mmmm makes you wonder if there are any good Minis that could stand in for slaves or indentured servents out there as well.

According to the RPG, when you need a horse in the outer worlds- you get a horse. If you can ride a horse, it is usually asked, not usually answered, "why buy the shiny grav-car when you can breed horses and not have to worry about importing parts from other worlds?"
(In my case the answer is that I never learned to ride a horse…)
Presumably a mule is much the same.

but the Alliance is short on manpower and ships.

Might just be an excuse for Alliance to be packing 'em, but THAT might also be a reason why the locals would hate them.

Given the robots would be seen as 'stealing food out of the mouths of children', I'd think automatons would see a short existence on the Rim.

Doug

Some things were automated I remember they had the garbage haulers for those small citied on/above the water, I would think on some of the wealthier fram plants they would have automated farm equipment.

A mobile power plant would be handy, and something worth stealing too

>>1) Flying trash bins; and
>>2) Love bots

3) The entire premise of the "Better Days" comic revolved around an autonomous AI drone.

Well considering that I am all about the Wild Science Fiction West I say Go for it. Mind you I am specifically less about Firefly et al than I am some weird fusion of SF setting with a western theme starting with Fallout and Borderlands and mugging other settings with tropes I can use, specifically Stargate. But you have to move between gates to get anywhere….

Used sparingly, I think they would fit right in.

Excellent!

Thanks all,

Dan

Order finally placed. Can't wait to see them in person.

Dan

"-Robots will one day rise up and "kill all humans"

No, no, no! We will not become the slaves of the computers and robots! Sci-fi had it wrong!

We are becoming the perpetual _day-care providers_ to our ubiquitous cybernetic charges. A fate even more soul-chilling!

LOL. But how is that different?

Dan