Any ideas, people?

  Don't know how I missed this thread.


I like this idea, but it would be tough to play out.  I am rather reluctant to use mind controls, or emotion controls on players cause it interferes with "free will."    I just think that coming to my house on a Friday and making plans with family is a big deal these days, and then to be told that their character HAS to do this or behave this way, is a bit much to do.

Having said that,  I never said I wouldn't use mind controls or emotion controls, just not over use them.

   So, I would have it act like some invading thought system, almost like schizophrenia.  I would have the players roll vs their intellegence every day and if they fail, then they would, without realising it, as it would be normal for  them, to do things that were out of character.

    Each week or so, I would give a cumulative -1 on their saves for this roll.

  And I would gauge how odd their behavior was based on how badly their save roll failed.    So with the cumulative penalties, sooner or later, the players would be acting very bizzare;   living in a trainstation,  building a giant robot to defeat single handidly to look the hero,   colonising  Newark in the name of the Empire, etc...
    I wouldn't have them do anything outright evil, like murder or such, cause there is no turning back from that, but  amusing to out right scary tangents that will cause them on lucid days to seek a cure.
    At the very least,  if you have honest role players rather than hack and slashers,  they can have fun acting out of character and doing some truely bizarre and fun things.

     One player years ago developed a sleepwalking persona  that went out at night and solved crimes.  Keep in mind that it was a vilain character that did this!  It was fun as  he basically fought muggers in his pyjamas!

i disagree on elecrtical/magnetics wasting nanomachines, but on topic: you could have the thought virus be a manipulative tool of a greater intelligence, becoming more evident as time goes on. sorta like Quatermass and the pit.