From: rose@acf9.nyu.edu (David Rose)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: MY VIEW: Cyberpapacy
Date: 7 Apr 92 17:03:52 GMT
Organization: New York University

albert@chain.ssctr.bcm.tmc.edu (Rick Jones) responds to me:

>	Faith chips are described in the cyberpapacy SB.  Bascially,
>if you want to perform an action that is contrary to cyberpapal
>doctrine, you have to make a spirit check against a difficulty of 
>20.  (or something remarkably like it)

    Limits the effectiveness of decking, but surely there is a clearly
defined algorithm for determining what is against cyberpapal doctrine.

    Rule #1.  Everything that the pope says is true and the pope's
              commands are to be obeyed immediately w/o question.

    Rule #2.  You must answer truthfully all questions asked of you
              by a priest and obey any request of a priest unless
              this contradicts rule #1 or the orders of an equal or
              more senior priest.

    Rule #3.  You must report the discovery of activity or persons
              which you suspect to be counter to the wishes of the
              cyberpapacy, except when this is countermandated by
              rule #1 or by rule #2.
              

  Rule 3 especially must be carefully tweaked to limit what people report
to important things.  Even so, I would expect that Babel central would
hear a large number of complaints of little value.  (Though this could
be used to create a set of personal data files like those of J.E.H.)

  Rule 2 is required to over-ride rule 3, else you will never get someone
to shut up about any suspected disloyalty.  Rule 1 is more than rule 2,
you are not required to believe what a priest says, only carry out that
priest's orders.

>  It's true that homers 
>would require tracking devices, and I'd bet they wouldn't be always
>monitoring someone, but once they did something heretical, you can 
>bet the Church Police will be out with trackers.

   True, and this would make a very interesting chase!  I don't think
that portable trackers would be able to give more than relative
direction and approximate distance.  Two, preferably three trackers
would be necessary to triangulate and would not necessarily warn the
Church Police of traps or obstacles.  Would trackers be fooled by
echo signals?  What about EM shielding?

   More annoying would be that your homer ID would be out on a APB,
so that wandering around in public would be distinctly lethal.

  (As an aside, would the chase of Church Police after a heretic be
shown on national T.V.?  I bet it would be the top-rated program
during prime-time.)

>>  However
>>I never saw faith in the religion as necessarily meaning that one had
>>been corrupted by the CyberPope...

>	Well, I was under the impression that most cyberpriests totally
>embrace Malreaux's teachings, and that includes the Inquisition.  I'd guess
>that anyone who questions the teachings too much ends up like the renegade
>hospitalier template (having to flee/rebel).

  The Inquisition is a special case, and would naturally be assumed to
fully support the Pope as the base of their own power, and be desirous
of that power, as they would support the Pope out of religious reasons.
It is reasonable to assume that however planned, the Inquisition attracts
those who like to wield the power of fear and threat over others, which
would be people who are much to Jean Malreux I's own tastes.

  A typical Inquisition Agent might have average or below average faith,
but would have no reason to question that faith in the performance of
their duty.  They would be inclined, in general, to bolster their own
faith with their own justifications.

>>  Such a person would be able to
>>spearhead a religious revolution to overthrow the anti-pope from his
>>usurped office.

  Well, I don't mean that they have much hope of success, I mean that to
such a person this course of action becomes possible.

>	It's possible for folks to reject the cyber part of the cyberpapacy
>and keep Magna Veritas faith (which would be an interesting character),
>and form a schism to bring the church back to the old ways, but I think
>that most of the clerecy embrace the church, corruption and all.

  Oh, of course!  Part of the fun is determining how much of the church
establishment a rebelling priest will rebel against, don't you think?

  [Parish priest of Apartment block 14 of Marseille speaking to our Heroes.]

  "By the way, I know that you all intend well and that I have been allowing
   you the use of my chapel and jack and all, but it's been bothering my
   conscience, really, and I have just called up my Bishop superior in
   order to confess to him that I have been harboring you.  It has set
   my mind at peace, and I'm sure that the Bishop will take a clement
   outlook upon you."

  [After the meeting, the Priest runs into our party, who is hiding elsewhere.]
  "Now there really is no need to be hiding like this, you are just making
   it worse on your souls.  See, I talked with the bishop and as I surmised
   he has decided to be clement and send you all to Purgatory.  Now if you
   all will stop these games before he relents and something more serious
   happens..."
--
David Rose
Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences
251 Mercer Street, New York, NY 10012
rose@math12.cims.nyu.edu