Setting Idea: Alien Nano-bot Invasion

[BabbageCliologic]

So I've been kicking around an idea for the past couple of weeks.

Aliens send nano-bots to earth to prepare it for take-over. The alien nano-bots take the form of eyeglasses and sunglasses. Every piece of eyewear in the world could be potentially an alien nano-bot. The "glasses" control the "hosts," influencing what they see and how they act. Ever wonder why certain people do things? Check if they're wearing glasses, the odds are they're doing it for the invasion!

But the aliens are all mixed up with factions, each trying to gain the upper hand so when the invasion comes, their faction would be in control. So the PCs would be "glasses" that are in one particular faction, fighting to gain info on the Earth while beating out the other factions.

Any ideas on system? I've been thinking of a homebrew that deals simply with the ability to manipulate the hosts.

Any ideas on adventures? I've been thinking of some possible clandestine stuff, but nothing specific.

Whaddya think, sirs?

/BC

[Simon C]

Whaddya think, sirs?

I think you'd be better off addressing yourself to everyone who posts here, rather than just a portion of us.

[BabbageCliologic]

Whaddya think, sirs?

I think you'd be better off addressing yourself to everyone who posts here, rather than just a portion of us.

Watch an episode of MST3K, especially the "invention exchange" part. It's a familiar question to the Mads, not a focus on one specific gender.



/BC

[johnwedd]

now that was a very intreging idea.

my suggestion would be to make a few factions. both with the humans that know the truth, humans that are scewed by the illusions given them (cults, corporations, schools of thought), and humans that have no say in the matter.
and with the aliens, aliens that want to pillage and conquer, aliens that want extermination, aliens that want trade and marketing stuff, and aliens that are super-"tree huger" types.

its really nice, how to push the frictions between them all, you'll have to have like an overpower. a government body for the aliens that regulates the process while the factions fight to stake there claim before the primary "colonization"....... alien invasion with cyberpunk spice. i look forward to it.

[TroyLovesRPG]

Hello

Think about portable electronic devices as the carriers of the nano-bots. Lots of people have them, are addicted to them, would rather have a remote conversation than face-to-face and display bizarre behavior when they use them. Check out the latest "Dr. Who, Cybermen" episode. The controlling devices look a lot like bluetooth headsets. Hmmm.

Also, the faction thing is interesting. Chocolate vs Blackberry.

The mind-control could result in the alien's goals to put idiots in positions of power, dominate news services and distract the public with celebrity scandals. It could be happening right now! The only source of factual information would be the tabloids. Bat-boy could be our only hope.

Troy

[Chainsaw Aardvark]

Have you ever seen the film <They Live? A rather similar concept where a pair of sunglasses alters perception to see the "real world". (The movie is about consumerism and subliminal messages much like the "Fnord")

In your case, the device may make you see what it wants you to see, and there are competing truths. I'm wondering a bit about how you would pull it off rules wise? How do the glasses take people over, can they change hosts, and are there any difficulties with interacting with civilization? (I'm a pair of Ray-Bans! What do I know about raising kids? Oy, I need a new host...)

This is a very interesting idea, and I certainly hope you can pull it off.

[johnwedd]

LOL then of course the glasses that enhance the wearers view so its better. depending on what is happening around them.

[BabbageCliologic]

Hello

Think about portable electronic devices as the carriers of the nano-bots. Lots of people have them, are addicted to them, would rather have a remote conversation than face-to-face and display bizarre behavior when they use them. Check out the latest "Dr. Who, Cybermen" episode. The controlling devices look a lot like bluetooth headsets. Hmmm.

Also, the faction thing is interesting. Chocolate vs Blackberry.

The mind-control could result in the alien's goals to put idiots in positions of power, dominate news services and distract the public with celebrity scandals. It could be happening right now! The only source of factual information would be the tabloids. Bat-boy could be our only hope.

Troy

Mixing in the Tabloids would be interesting. Would the Tabs be controlled by yet another faction, one that wants the alien invasion to fail and is presenting the truth but people are too blinded by the nano-bots to do anything but think it's kooky stuff?

Hmmm. Gotta think about that.

/BC