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?

Yes, I care. Maybe its because I came into the hobby as a roleplayer,
but I
like to empathise with whoever I'm playing.

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

Read it.

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

Occaisionally. The advantage of the official background is that it is a
"common language" between people who don't normally game together.

>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?

Given that not everyone likes the background, I think the current
proportions are probably okay. Otherwise go for books (such as the Fleet
Book) completely devoted to the background. Then you really find out how
popular it is.

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

Yes, though I tend to have a pretty low opinion of game-derived 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."

Depends on my mood. I'm not sure a dead-accurate system would be
terribly
interesting as a game.

>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 don't think large-scale use of AI is in the spirit of GZG's universe,
or
most of the military and game SF it is inspired by. The high loss rates
can
be explained away as: putting inappropriate ships in the line of battle,
the excessive bloodthirstiness of players vs. real commanders and,
particularly for fighters, "killed" ships sometimes just being
mission-killed rather than vapourised. 

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

I don't mind them as long as they stay within reasonable bounds.