Re: [HoE] Re: All that Mad Science, again

[AJSolis@aol.com]

In a message dated 1/3/2000 2:43:29 AM Central Standard Time, 
Requiem@etheric.freeserve.co.uk writes:

> 
> To add to all the mad scientist 'forgetting how to do mad science after 
> the
> manitous stop telling them how', there is a point that seems to be
> overlooked (Sorry to anyone that mentioned it already, I haven't been paying
> that close attention): Mad Science isn't Science.
   That can probably be considered one of the matters under dispute.  Mad 
scientists can invent flame throwers and machine guns, and functionally the 
only difference between them and a pure science weapon would be less 
reliability and probably a ghost rock power source for the flame thrower, and 
then again I imagine that there might very well have been pure science 
technology that used ghost rock, it happens to be a very efficient fuel 
source after all.  Granted, there are then the alchemists among the mad 
scientists who do not seem constrained by the laws of physics as we know 
them, but even that can be explained as a science of magic, the forerunner of 
occult engineering.  And in the hell on earth main rulesbook, mad science was 
just future science, which would require the explanation that unreliability 
comes from not truly understanding the tools you are working with, like say 
the difficulties the crew of that movie Galaxy Quest.  When you only half 
understand what you are doing, things can definitely go wrong.  


> Yes, it uses many of the same principles, but from what I have read of Smith
> And Robards, etc. Mad science has a semi-spiritual side as well. I'm not
> sure about unpowered devices but ones that use ghostrock seem to have
> suggested that they are drawing more power from it than standard science
> generators.
  I am not sure what you are saying there.  Supposedly mad science is 
dependent on ghost rock because it is the most efficient fuel available at 
their society's support level.  Something like a thousand times better than 
coal or something, ghost rock fires lasting for years, that sort of thing.  
Presumably mad scientists could work with geothermal power, solar power, 
conventional nuclear, what have you, presuming that the manitous would 
inspire such a device that doesn't help their plan that well, or the mad 
scientist was a scientist and as such capable of fiddling with the designs.  

.
> If all the Manitous do is allow the Mad scientist to ignore that principle
   Uhm, just what principle would that be?  The spiritual energy to physical 
energy conversion?  

>  by 'translating' it for them when creating/reading blueprints, rather than
>  explaining that principle to them, when the manitous stopped, the 
scientist,
>  no matter how much knowledge of normal science they had, would no longer be
>  able to understand the physical component.
>  Not neccesarily the whole answer, but it may be part of it.
>  Of course, I may be wrong, I haven't played Deadlands that much since HOE
>  came out ;)
>