Compumancy

[James Palmer]

Nice - but I see the net as being a more fertile source of magick that
individual computers myself.  All those people - all those ideas - all
those patterns - all that power!  Wa ha ha ha.  

John Tynes gets a minor charge every time somebody posts to this
list, you know.

James.

On Wed, 3 Feb 1999, Andrew Shultz wrote:

> 
> Thought there should be a computer magic school.  No spells yet, but dig in.
> 
> Compumancy is a school of magic focusing on computers: specifically the
> boundaries, the new and exciting, the whole thrill of technology.  A
> compumancer must always push the boundaries of what can be done with these
> marvelous machines.  Unfortunately the compumancer cannot move back across
> this boundary, and becomes dependent on the computer for things that normal
> people do with pencil and paper.  Compumancers ride the relentless advance
> of technology, but are often overtaken and tossed aside.
> 
> Compumancers build charges by doing new things with computers.
> 
> Minor charge: use your computer to do a task most people would presently do
> offline.  This changes every few months, though - online shopping probably
> doesn't count any more, but using your computer to make your breakfast
> counts.  
> 
> Significant charge: use your computer to do something that you've never
> done by computer before.  The catch here is that now you can do it by
> computer, so your taboo comes into play.
> 
> Major charge: use your computer to do something that no one has ever done
> before.  This has to be significantly different: controlling your
> craftmatic bed doesn't count because computers have been used to control
> machines for decades.
> 
> Taboo: do something without a computer that could have been done with it.
> For instance, taking notes on a piece of paper, keeping your appointments
> in a book, ordering food (since you can sometimes order on the web now)
> with a phone, and these days buying almost anything in an actual store.
> Ouch!  Compumancers will typically carry a portable computer of some type
> everywhere - or several computers.  Note that a calculator or other special
> purpose computing device is okay for this taboo.  Also, if you've never
> done a particular thing with a computer before you don't break this taboo
> by not using a computer for it - but once you get a significant charge off
> that thing, you're stuck.
> 
> Compumancers obviously have to be careful when they use computers, and
> compumancer players have to keep track of things they've done and things
> they are only planning to do.  Older compumancers often burn out, having
> thought up everything new they will ever think up.  This is a young mage's
> school of magic.
> 
> Blast style: electricity.  A minor blast looks like a static zap, a major
> blast like a small lightning bolt.  Compumancy minor blasts may be cast
> through any sort of electronic connection to the target (phone, live TV
> broadcast, radio) without spending a significant charge, although one
> additional minor charge is required.  Compumancy significant blasts are too
> much electricity to carry that way.  Minor blasts cost 2 minor charges,
> significant blasts cost 2 significant charges.
> 
> Random magic domain: computers.  Compumancers can use computers to do the
> impossible hacking tricks seen in movies, whether it be using their palmtop
> as a remote control for a car or breaking into the alien OS and attaching a
> virus. 
> 
> Comments: minor charges should be easy to come by for this school, but
> significant charges are somewhat of a limited resource.  Many compumancers
> will use up a lot of significant charges on things they don't really need
> when they first start out and haven't done too much, then find that charges
> are hard to come by later on.
> 
> 
> Andy Shultz
> ashultz at bbn.com
> 
>