Microscope/Humanity's Grandkids

In November, Anonymous invited /tg/ to play a game of Microscope, explaining the rules as we went along. The thread lived for all of four hours before it autosaged, but a record of the game was found in one of the handful of Yotsuba archivers around the 'net.

Showing turn-by-turn would be a mess, since everyone was talking all at once. The following is just a summary of the game.

The Big Picture

Humanity gives birth to a new race.

The Bookend Periods

• Start: Humanity has refined genetic engineering to the degree where they can better themselves. (light)
• End: Humanity is confined by their children. (dark)

The Palette of true facts

This is larger than in a typical game, but /tg/ is a larger group of people than what's usually at your table.

• Politically mandated eugenics for breeding
• Rebellions against the genetic/breeding status quo.
• Wilderness rebellion states.
• There are large numbers of 'unfit' humans as an underclass.
• Magictech
• Ridiculously Humanoid Mecha
• Genetically bequeathed TK
• Families/classes have a Monopoly on certain genetic traits
• Genetics are hackable.
• Magimechs are hackable via genetics
• Underclass can rebel.
• Shadowrunners
• Pogoms against the regular humans/people not modified enough.
• Underclass is nearly wiped out.
• Mysterious benefactor for a Human Nation.
• Heavily armed monitors.
• Rich Human Nations.
• Charismatic Leaders
• Anti-genetic rhetoric
• Humans on paradise planets.
• Humanity's children grow the fuck up.
• Space Travel.

Time periods:

1. (light) Humanity has refined genetic engineering to the degree where they can better themselves.
2. (dark) The Terran Space Union simply runs out of money and interest shortly before the gene-modding research is completed, leaving the genetic modifications without any immediate practical usage when they are made human-safe and resulting in cynical responses to the advancements.
3. (dark) Afterwards, public outcry about the "wasted" money prompts leaders to sell off all the developed technology to the highest bidder in an attempt to recoup the losses. Most of the technology gets bought up by what becomes mega-corporations.
4. (dark) The major powers in the world wage war against each other in a great world war. Soon a deadlock is reached as no force can gain the upper hand. Seeking to gain the upper hand countries begin to create mutant abominations through genetic engineering and cybernetics. These super-augmented killing machines are soon proven to be highly effective and turn the tables on the war. Soon all countries resort to creating bio-monstrosities to stay competitive.
5. (dark) The Human-Mutant War. Baseline humans are removed from warfare, serving only in officer roles as the more efficient and cheaper bio-monstrosity soldiers make up most of each mega-corp's army. Public outcry again sthese 'abominations' is such that the soldier constructs are outlawed. But the soldiers don't wish to be "retired" (terminated), and take up arms against their C.O.'s. They question whether they are as inferior as they've been told, especially when baseline humans do no fare well during this rebellion.
6. (light) While most of these mega-corporations seek to simply sit on their assets and wait for them to become profitable, the ExForth Corporation sees the potential and immediately begins devoting resources to furthering the tech. After making a breakthrough and creating a mass-producible 'cellular normalcy organ' that can serve as a automatic bio-defense against cancerous cells in the body, gene-tech regains its legitimacy as an applied science.
7. (dark) Humanity is confined by their children.

Events:

• during period 3: (dark) Public outcry against the monsters, the corporations send the monsters against the public, resulting in the creation of defacto MegaCorps Nations.
• during period 3: (dark) Corporations start mangling the genome to make super guards, the predecessors to the horrible mutants.
• during period 5: (dark) A personality figure emerges as the leader of the rebellion.
  • Scene (dark):

"Children of the Future rise!" High Wizard Dimitri Osbert said to the assembled host of super-human, who began to roar and howl. "You are the scions of humanity. This world is yours to command, each of you is an army in your own right. All of the best traits of humanity are within each of you, and none of their weaknesses. You are the chosen few, destined to rule this world, but first you must get ride of the pests that currently inhabit it!"

A great cheer rose from the ranks of the bio-monstrosities and the began to stomp the ground and raise their tentacles and claws in the air. Dmitri gave a salute to the army before him before giving the order to let the monsters rampage the now defenseless human city. Then the slaughter began.

• during period 6: (dark) One of the mega-corps, Marston Brand Cellular Breakthroughs, steals data from ExForth, and uses it to create military implant organs (ultra-efficient hearts, wound-resistant skin, etc.). These advancements are quickly disseminated the armies of mankind.
• during period 6: (dark) Organ bootleggers begin 'grabbing' copies of these organs from kidnapped individuals, and eventually manage to grow their own in underground facilities. The black market for supplemental organs surges, and becomes almost as prevalent as the recreational drugs market.
• during period 6: (dark) Megacorps strike out against the bootleggers.
  • Scene:

Morwen would have laughed if he could breathe.

The rebreather sacs had been cut out from the bottom of his lungs, his diaphram was damaged. His gills had been scooped out, and the extra organs in his abdomen.

He stared at the dirty bastards who did this to him, to him! He had fought for them, nearly died for them. GenuTech would have had them as forced labor slaves when they raided ExForth's holdings.

The raid had turned into more, into brawls, into all out war. He had held the line, because ExForth protected its own, and when he goes out for a pint while dressed down to get away from the grandchildren, they gut him like a fish.

But the fuckers didn't know the recorder chips latched on to his retina.

Morwen, hero of Night-falls, the Crystal Palace, holder of the Regal Star and a dozen more commendations gifted to him by his corporation and the citizens alike, died. He would have been laughing.