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

> 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? 

I like the background, and its creativity. Mainly I think however that
it
just is an excuse...

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

I read it, definitely.

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

I've been interested in trying a Star Wars one, because of the
Micromachine
figures I have and the nifty other stuff available (the plastic AT-STs
from
KFC, which a friend has several of, as well as the scale Snowspeeders).
Also, I've been interested in a B5 background, but that's just bias - I
can't get enough of B5. :)

> 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?

A couple of pages, much like what has already been in the other books,
is
fine by me. It gives the rulebook a little more "flavour"... 

> 5) Would you like to see some FT fiction?

Definitely. Not sure in what form - I tend to agree now (whereas I
didn't
initially) that too much fiction in the rule books is just annoying. A
separate booklet, either bundled with it or available separately, would
be
good.

> 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."

I like where the current FT background is going. Detailed enough to give
ideas, but open enough to allow interpretation - the whole reason you're
doing this poll, isn't it? :)

> 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." 

I've been staying out of the AI debate, mainly because I don't give two
hoots about it. It could be men in the ships, it could be highly
developed
AIs in the ships, but who cares - it's me that makes the decisions, and
I
am definitely not an AI. :)

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

I think people should be able to talk, within reason, about pretty much
anything that could be connected to FT and associated games in this
list.
If they stray too far - well, perhaps polite requests to take it to
email
or to a newsgroup.

There's my 2 credits worth. ;)

---
Jeremy M. Sadler
sadlerj@ocean.com.au
http://www.ozemail.com.au/~jsadler
Designer/SubEditor - Frontier: The Australian Science Fiction Media
Magazine