An interesting and unexpected request came up in the most recent game.

An interesting and unexpected request came up in the most recent game.

An interesting and unexpected request came up in the most recent game.

Players are about to use a Quantum Warp Drive that will jump them 450 years in to the future. Go with it.

One player asked me…

Can I upload my AI in to Sectornet, in order to do day-trading, so that when I arrive in the future, I’ll be obscenely wealthy ?

It was the end of the night, and I was tired and really needed to think this one through with more time on my hands. I said “Let me think about it, because your AI cannot just go on to Sectornet, no more than I can upload an AI in to the WWW. It needs to have a host somewhere, at least initially, before it bounces around networks and other hosts, etc”.

His idea was not to make massive moves on trades. Just a little safe and guaranteed one each day, bank the compound interest, wash, lather and repeat for 450 years….you do the math….

Now, I know the golden rule of UW is “Yes…and…”

We left it hanging in the air…ready for the next game, and he’s yet to make the roll to see if it works…

The idea has merit. So much merit. And could spin off in to many other ideas as well.

eg…two factions who hate each other pre-future jump are known to be 1 faction post jump in the future. I asked the players why they joined together. “To combat a greater threat”. Well, they’ve not twigged it yet, but just suppose this “greater threat” is that players AI, which has grown to a Skynet level of malevolence, and is the reason the future is very bleak indeed…

I could argue that, regardless of what the player rolls, a 6- or a 10+, their AI has been successful in that context. Yes, on a 10+, your AI made an absolute killing in the markets, destabilised nations, then planets, then systems, before people tried to shut it down. At which point, it retaliated. Hard. The future is wrecked, and the enemy factions are having to work together to try and survive. Perhaps on a 6-, the same could also be true, or perhaps dial it down a bit…you arrive in the future. And your debt through failed trading is 1 quadra-giga billion. Or they managed to shut it down after it caused some damage.

Besides, you don’t technically exist in the future. All your records have been wiped. Assuming he rolls 10+, how is he going to collect this immense fortune? (Probably create a new ID using existing DNA to prove he is who he says he is). Yeah, you may be more wealthy than Midas, but your AI is 450 years old, suffering from lack of care and bug cleaning, and has spent it all on high grade silicon cooling, and pleasure droids….and cannot remember who you are…

Forgive me…just rambling…gotta love this crazy and epic game !

10 thoughts on “An interesting and unexpected request came up in the most recent game.”

  1. I adore the idea of the hyper advanced AI.

    And here’s the question that comes to my mind: why would the AI give the human all its wealth? The fleshbag didn’t acccumulate that, the AI did!

  2. Heck, the roll could even be:

    on a 10+: congratulations, you mostly have control over the most powerful AI in the cosmos.

    on a 7-9: Choose — either you don’t have control over it, or it didn’t accumulate wealth.

    On a 6-: It hates you, and is wealthy, and humanity is at war with it.

  3. I picture it as ending up more like the AIs from Person of Interest. Sure, the PC might end up with some money in their account, but only 50 or so years worth. After that the AI might become… Curious. The roll would be to determine if it ends up friend or foe. Either way, the PC should be able to get an earlier backup of the AI to relate these details to them…

  4. Oh, I like this game…

    10+, name a Faction, you own it (well you’re a major stockholder at least.)

    7-9, you’re stupidly wealthy, but there are legions of people that want your attention (charities, board members, financial consultants, tax collectors, etc.)

    6-, in the last 450 years there have been dozens of stock crashes and your fortunes have risen and fallen with them, at some point your AI was actually declared illegal but still continued to operate from pirate servers, oh and you have also been legally declared dead (several times.)

  7. Super interesting scenario.

    I’d avoid going with a flat “you lose” in all cases. This sounds like an opportunity to play the Genie instead, and give them exactly what they asked for.

    10+: You succeeded. Before it died from obsolescence, your AI built you a financial empire. It’s all there waiting for you. Exchange your “Artificial Intelligence” skill for the “Luxury” skill.

    You are technically the CEO/Leader of a Faction (prompt to introduce faction). Except that the current directors and ‘caretakers’ of your estates have grown used to having an absentee CEO… and they each have plan, just in case the rumors of your eventual return were true.

    And even if you do claim your inheritance, you now have responsibilities and duties and decisions and employees and negotiations and enemy factions breathing down your neck and governments making demands and plots and and and…

    7-9: You succeeded, to a point. Your AI has been earning significant wealth for you. But you’ll need to claim it. Choose 1:

    – Your AI died of obsolescence. It may have left clues to your fortune.

    – Your AI became insane and went AWOL. You’ll need to track it down.

    – Your AI betrayed you. It used your money to build itself a body. It’s enjoying the high-life with “your” wealth.

  8. Sounds awesome. I agree with the sentiment that if they succeed, then you don’t say “actually it all backfired” but instead “it worked but now you’ve got new problem(s) X,Y,Z as a consequence.”

    Also, I would suggest that you hold off on the actual roll until you’re in a place where the outcome could matter. I’ve had some fun doing this, where they player makes their narrative attempt, but you don’t do the roll until it’s time to find out whether or not it succeeded. Much more fun and dramatic that way!

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