Warshield73 wrote:Hotrod wrote:"How far can you open your mind before your brains fall out?"
Trying to not let loose on this one. Just like the phrase common sense you have to watch this cliché as it has been universally applied to almost everything we now consider to be good and wholesome like abolition of slavery and women's suffrage while also being applied to things that we now consider great historical shames like the Dawes Act. It use to be common sense that Native Americans couldn't raise there own children properly. You think they can? best make sure your mind isn't so open your brain falls out.
Historically speaking this is never really the case, it is almost always the opposite a "try not keep your mind so closed it cuts of the oxygen to your brain".
I like the final quote there as a counterpoint to the one I shared. That's the kind of debate I would want to see presented in the Lazlo book (though with more Rifts-focused examples). I want to see Erin Tarn's perspective challenged in a way that doesn't invoke the radical authoritarianism of the CS. Lazlo is a city that accepts all peoples, cultures, and philosophies, and in the context of Rifts, that comes with some significant risks of putting people, cultures, and philosophies that are fundamentally incompatible next to each other. Just a few examples:
-Psi-stalkers are unlikely to blend well with the large magic-using population, as they see magic users as prey, while magic users see them as predators.
-Psi-Nullifiers instinctively disrupts magic, which would be a problem in a city built with techno-wizardry.
-A lot of people will not tolerate necromancy or witches, no matter what the law says
-Vampires can be independent sentients, but they need to feed.
-Psi-Slayers also need to kill as a form of nutrition.
-Some refugees are going to be unrepentant veterans of the Sorcerer's Revenge. Is Lazlo OK with harboring and supporting war criminals?
-Some refugees will want to wage campaigns of revenge against the CS and leverage the power and techno-wizardry of Lazlo to do so or use Lazlo as a safe harbor.
-Some Splugorth weapons and bio-wizardry require the ongoing enslavement and even torture of a sentient being. Shoot, that's how rune weapons are described. Is that allowed?
-There are many magics and powers that allow and even focus on the enslavement, torture, and murder of others.
-If all sentients have equal rights and legal standing, how does that sit with beings naturally predisposed to dominate and enjoy positions of privilege like dragons, lizard mages, et cetera?
Some of these issues would have simple solutions, while others would be exceedingly difficult to resolve. I would want to see vehement disagreement, particularly in the context of the Tolkeen refugee crisis.
Warshield73 wrote:Hotrod wrote:Revised from another thread I started about a year ago:
How I would portray Lazlo
When I was a kid, I once read in Mad Magazine: "How far can you open your mind before your brains fall out?" This would be the spiritual core of how I'd write Lazlo. By taking in so many, so fast, it's a would-be melting pot utopia that's quickly degenerating in prosperity, security, and identity. It's got shiny and clean parts surrounded by slums and refugee camps that are messy, dirty, and often dangerous. I'd describe Lazlo as a city undergoing rapid cultural, social, and demographic change with three main groups and philosophies vying for control.
The Tarnist Faction
This is the crowd that's been in power for a long time, and it's all about high-minded idealism and trying to save the world. They've hiked taxes way up and are trying to provide all kinds of aid both within the city and abroad. Erin Tarn is a staunch supporter of this group, but their support is waning, and they may get voted out of power soon without allying themselves with one of the other two power blocks.
The Refugees
Thanks to Lazlo's efforts, its large population of refugees isn't starving and desperate anymore. However, they are very poor, mostly unemployed, crammed into slums and refugee camps, and reliant on meager relief supplies while the citizens of Lazlo enjoy luxuries in comfortable, shiny buildings just a mile or two away. Many among the refugees that resent and even hate the Lazlo leadership for doing nothing while the CS crushed Tolkeen. Others resent the citizens of Lazlo who won't hire them and look down on them. Most hate the Coalition with a passion and want to see Lazlo take a more aggressive stance against the Prosek regime. Their leaders are veterans of the Tolkeen war, and some locals who live and work closely with this group are coming around to their point of view.
The Interventionists
Finally, there's a growing group of reactionary Pre-Tolkeen residents that's all about putting Lazlo First and wants the refugees re-settled somewhere far away. For the most part, this group is isolationist and consists of a broad mix of humans and debees. They're willing to support the fight against existential threats like the Xiticix, Four Horsemen, Mechanoids, and the Minion War, but otherwise prefer to keep out of foreign affairs. This line of thinking has spread to some of the folks in power, as Plato himself has recently aligned himself with this faction, splitting the Council of Learning.
Anyway, if I were to write up Lazlo, that's how I would do it. What do you think? How would you write up Lazlo?
Sorry this just sounds boring...no that's too harsh repetitive is the right word. You could apply this to the Burbs, Northern Gun, the Colorado Baronies, really all of North America. With everything we know about Lazlo from RMB, Edict of Planetary Distress, and the Xiticix War they are just going to be different.
For me, the refreshing thing would be to see the place that Erin Tarn describes like a Utopia get the "warts and all" portrayal along with warring perspectives that clash with her own philosophy and outlook.
The other aspect that I would throw in is how these groups react to the Minion War. I could see some groups looking to work with the CS, some groups wanting to play a defensive game and let the CS pay the price in blood and treasure for beating back the hordes, and some groups taking a similar approach to what they did with the Xiticix with targeted strikes without any coordination with outsiders.
Warshield73 wrote:Mack wrote:A piece of my head-canon...
Since Lazlo has always had an emphasis on learning, the city's major institution would be a university. One that's combined with and almost dominates the government. So instead of Lazlo having a traditional intelligence service, the university would a field research branch responsible for exploration. Lazlo's military would fall under an Institute of War, where officers study the classics (Sun-Tzu, Clauswitz, Jomini, etc) as well as major battles from history, making a competent but small force. All the major guilds would effectively be departments within the School of Magic. Most of the city's leaders would be academics who rose to prominence through the university.
You get the idea. Start with a university structure, and then build Lazlo around it.
A long time player of mine ran a mercenary company as his solo game for years and wanted to work with Lazlo. This is exactly how we did it but remember "academic" is a relative term. One of my old bosses is at a major university teaching education so most would consider him an academic but he has 32 years as math and English teacher, school councilor, principal and assistant superintendent. He even drove a bus so way beyond academic knowledge. Likewise my old archaeology professor moved up to department chair and a much better university beating out older more published professors because he had extensive field experience. You see the same emphasis on practical experience in a lot of med schools too.
Looking at people like Plato and Tarn you have to imagine that in Lazlo field experience is going to be of paramount importance.
I agree. Here again, though, I'd introduce some warring perspectives. I wrote up a little ficlet a while back presenting the perspective of a"Lazlo Explorer's Guild" member who disdains Erin Tarn's methods and qualities as a scholar. I'd want to see tension and competition, harsh peer review, disdain for other departments and disciplines, arrogant egos, cynicism, presumptuous self-aggrandizement, intellectual property issues, fierce competition for funding/grants, and waste. I'd also want to see controversy with admissions, tuition, and discrimination.