Background Irrelevancy--and Poll (was Re: AIs and such...)

At 11:44 PM 7/18/97 +0000, Alfredo wrote:
>
>You aren't the only way...  The only reason I made the comment as to 
>the esoteric type of thread this has become is because, well, this 
>thread has pretty much degenerated into a "I'm right!" "No, I am!" 
>kinda argument.  But the opinions are too strong to just be 
>dropped....

I disagree. I don't think it ever degenerated to that point. I've been
in
threads (briefly) that got that far and this wasn't one of them. I've
gotten
a lot out of all the messages, including those I didn't agree with. 

Funny enough, there is one thing I REALLY got out of this thread and
from
the people who didn't participate in this thread: there isn't really
that
much interest in the FT universe as a background!

I proposed an AI creation "background" for the universe and most people
didn't even bother commenting on it. Half of those that did disagreed
with
some parts and agreed with the rest. 

The point is, very few list members even bothered with it. The
background
just seems to be an excuse for a game. Personally, I find this
refreshing.
I'm tired of buying games to find that half of it is the SF novel the
designer could never get published by a book company.

So, here's a quick poll:

1) Do you REALLY care about the FT background? Are you really interested
in
what happens to the ESU, NAC, etc. or is it just an excuse for a battle
and
nothing more? 

2) Did you read the FT background stuff or did you ignore it? 

3) Do you use another background for your games (like Star Trek, Star
Wars,
B5, homegrown)? 

4) Would you like to see the FT background enhanced, with a more
detailed
timeline, in future supplements? If so, how many pages out of a typical
sized rulebook would you be willing to give up to the background?

5) Would you like to see some FT fiction?

6) How "accurate" a background do you want? "I want a hard science
background taking into effect things like AI development, genetic
engineering, relativity, etc." or ""Star Wars was accurate enough for
me."

7) Regardless of number 6, do you want to see guys in fighters, escorts
and
fleet ships? "Don't bother too much about AI, it's men versus men or men
versus bugs that interest me." 

8) "Stop with the stupid science posts, already! This is just a game!"

Allan Goodall:	agoodall@sympatico.ca 
"You'll want to hear about my new obsession.
 I'm riding high upon a deep depression. 
 I'm only happy when it rains."    - Garbage