Magic and realism

Leonard Erickson writes:
>Yes, it is just a game. But *any* game where the rules don't match
>reality is going to get itself into trouble because this *will* set up
>internal contradictions.

I agree that keeping things realistic is a good way of keeping them
consistent. I'll even agree that deviating from reality is _likely_
to set up internal contradictions. But I do not agree that it *will*,
absolutely, set up internal contradictions.

And as I've stated before, what a game needs is consistency, not realism.
There are aspects of reality that makes a SF RPG less fun.

>Think back over our history here on earth. We've had aircraft and
>shipping disasters of a size that would *horrify* folks a few hundred
>years ago. (like the jumbo jet that crashed into a residential
>neighborhood  here about 15 years back. Wiped out 4 block, plus all the
>passengers). Or the Texas City disaster where *one* freighter took out
>most of a city. The idea of one man controlling something that could
>kill *thousand* of people, and having it accepted as commonplace WOULD
>NOT HAVE BEEN BELIEVED. But we do.

>So why is it so hard to believe thaty a culture with populations in the
>*trillions* (or possibly qudrillions?) is not going to think much of a
>vehicle that is relatively speaking, about as hard to get as a
>freighter or jumbo jet, could destroy a few million people if the
>operator chose to?

Its not hard to believe. Its just hard to believe that it would create
a culture like the Traveller Imperium. After all, whenever we've had
disasters like the ones you describe steps are usually taken to avoid a
repetition of same (or at least to minimize the chance of a repetition).
And so far we've not had any examples of terrorists crashing aircraft
into residental areas. Logically the fact that terrorists have been
known to make suicide runs in trucks should make people wary of how
aircarft could be used the same way, but most people are not logical.
Steps to avoid aircraft suicide runs won't be taken until such runs
are made. But it is my belief that steps _will_ be taken afterwards.
So picture the Traveller societies after 10,000 years of space travel.
Do you think that _noone_ would have tried to use a starship for a
weapon in all that time? It's possible, I suppose, but I consider it
damn unrealistic.


      Hans Rancke
University of Copenhagen
     [email removed]
- ------------
        "A  subsector  official  pompously states that the
        subsector  armed  forces  have  four Kinunir class
        ships in service,  each with enough troop strength
        to put down any military operations that threathen
        the peace of the Imperium."

                        ---Adventure 1, The Kinunir