Forums of the Megaverse®

I don't know much about either of these settings but they stood out to me a bit due to them both being 1-shots that haven't had subsequent sourcebooks (just some Rifter material).

For those who know more about the Bugs and NEXUS and all that stuff... I am wondering if anyone has theories on how a merged setting/world would look? Like how historical events would happen... would bugs fight bots... how humans would factor into things, etc.

Do you think it would be better to make it an SDC or an MDC setting? Is it easier to convert bugs to MDC or to convert Splicers bots/humans into SDC?

Heck, throw Dead Reign into the mix if you want, too. Although they don't seem like a major threat compared to bugs/bots.

In all three cases we have post-apocalypses that lack complicating fleshed-out civilizations like we have in PF/HU/Rifts/Nightbane which don't make them as condusive to exploring a comparatively vague wasteland like these 3 settings introduce.

How about SF crossed with Mechanoids, could you imagen the unholy hell the bugs could inflict on a 'Noids's ship?

Since they are not humanoid, the Bugs are potential allies for the Mechanoids right?

I guess the question is whether or not the Bugs would be open to alliance with Mechs or always fight them.

Perhaps forceful subjugation?

A main problem attacking Mechs is sheer numbers.

SDC Rifts

Systems Failure + Nightbane + Dead Reign.

The Meltdown, 31 December 1999
Dark Day, 6 March 2000
The Wave, 12 or 20 June 2012

Agreed

Another cool thing is that the Mechanoids are very psionic so it would be a very interesting battle.

For System Failure, I'd set up a three-way conflict between NEXUS, the Bugs, and humanity. I'd do it by adding the Bugs to the Splicers setting.

The Bugs

Bugs are further empowered in this setting by being able to possess and control anything infected by the Nanobot Plague (that is, they're not limited to electronic machines; and when possessing a metal object, they can trigger and control a Hostile Response as if a human had touched it). And given that Splicers is an MD setting, I'd also strongly recommend coming up with some sort of justification to upgrade the Bugs to MD standards; otherwise, they'll probably be squashed like bugs. The usual justification (“it's a PPE-rich environment!”) doesn't work here, because the Splicers world is explicitly devoid of PPE.

One possibility would be to say that Bug Lightning has a quirk that lets it do Mega-Damage to MDC structures while doing standard damage to SDC. This would make them competitive in terms of offense, and without letting them instantly overpower regular humans; but they'd still die when Mega-Damage weapons are directed their way.

The Human Resistance

Perversely, humans are also empowered by the arrival of the Bugs: I'd add a new Metabolism for Host Armor that works like the Bug metabolism, allowing it to charge up from power cells or electrical grids. Likewise, they'd possibly have access to Systems Failure's Organitechnology. That said, most of it is obsolete by Splicers standards; the only exceptions I can think of would be the Bug Motels and the Organitech Batteries and Electronics — which, being biological, would be immune to the Nanobot Plague as well as to the Bugs. Which shouldn't be widely available in the Splicers setting, as it largely undermines a major reason why Biotech is such a big thing in the setting.

Maybe limit it to a single “Great House”, adapted from System Failure's NORAD, which serves as a pocket of relative normalcy in the setting? Here, you would find something not unlike the Human Resistance that's outlined in Systems Failure, complete with System Failure's OCCs instead of Splicer OCCs — although I'd at least allow them access to techniques for “ruggedizing” SDC gear for use in a Mega-Damage environment: e.g., the “ways to transform wood and bone into MDC materials” (Splicers p.130), as well as the ceramics, plastics, and miracle fibers referenced under “Conventional MDC Body Armor” (Splicers p.137). My inclination, though, would be to say that Bug Zappers, Bug Juice, and Bug Motels remain SDC weapons, with one catch: I'd give the Zappers and Motels the same quirk I'd give the Bugs; and I'd have Bug Juice damage MDC Bugs as if they were SDC.

And add a lot of the Organitech that “NORAD has in the works” (e.g., Zappers capable of burst or full auto); they'll be needed to keep Organitech competitive in the setting.

I'd also allow most of the Systems Failure OCCs anywhere in the setting, excepting the NORAD Psychics and the NORAD Splicers (which I might remake to be a bit more like a Biotic, but restricted to Bug-based Bio-Enhancements); and I might recast the Technojackers as an RCC that scraps the OCC Skill Programs but can be stacked with the Systems Failure OCCs — again, excepting the NORAD-specific ones. And “NORAD” (or whatever it's called here) would be the one “Great House” where the Technojacker stigma doesn't apply. That said, “NORAD” itself might be stigmatized by the other Great Houses.

The Machine

The loser appears to be the Machine, which explicitly can't use the one defense against the Bugs that exists in the setting: Biotechnology. I'm not sure how to address this issue. Perhaps say that possession by a Bug is kind of like an EMP; and when a Bug tries to possess a robot, it should roll on the tables on Splicers pp.134–135 to see what subsystem it controls instead of just possessing it outright? So Bugs can mess with robots, but they can't completely subvert them. On the other hand, the Bug could then trigger the Nanobot Plague against the robot; and that's not all that different from complete subversion.

It's a good start; but I don't think it's enough. Maybe also let NEXUS develop analogs of Bug Repellent, Bug Juice, and especially Bug Motels and Shriekers (System Failure p.135)? Maybe deploy Bughunter robots with built-in Shriekers or Bug Motels? Or maybe just leave Bugs as SDC beings, and require them to be extra sneaky to survive?

Not exactly on topic, but I've used all three settings(in pieces) as part of my HU games.

Being MDC Splicers is a little harder to convert, but it gives you Genetic PA, animals etc with a different focus to HU stuff. Could represent aliens etc. Same with the Machine. I have used bits and pieces, especially Proto-Armor in my Rifts games. It is more simple to convert, or at least I thought it was at the time.

The Bugs work pretty well as an alien invader to HU. Could be a small group, or an entire invasion. I've also used the bits of spliced biotech stuff as in in HU.

Zombies......I mean they can be in any setting really.

SF and DR also give a lot of just statted out background stuff for the 20/21st century.