The Cage Opens

[Steve]

This is an idea I was considering for a campaign.

 

The Milky Way galaxy is home to many sentient species, some of them with recorded histories going back tens of thousands of years. They all share one thing in common, an inability to even consider harming another sentient being through violence. The various worlds are connected by a portal network that allows free travel across interstellar distances in a moment and function much like an airport on Earth. The galactic society is a post-scarcity one, able to use devices that can create food, clothing or anything else needed by materializing it like a Star Trek replicator and limitless power is provided by generators that tap into a form of zero-point energy, no fuel required.

 

Humans have something different in their brain structure that allows a capacity for violence. Not fully considering the ramifications, a group of prankster sorts thinks it would be great fun to give gates and access to the network to present-day humanity, and then they sit back and watch what happens as a few billion humans are unleashed on a peaceful galaxy of trillions of sentient beings.

 

Given the premise, I'm curious what others think of the idea. Humanity would be like wolves among sheep, but how could humanity and galactic civilization affect each other?

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Hmmm... I think just because all those other species lack the capacity for violence doesn't mean they wouldn't catch on to the idea real fast, once they found out humans were available for hire. There'd be a whole lot of "renegotiations" going on as parties to centuries-old agreements which had been settled peacefully realized they had a whole new range of options. Human mercenaries and assassins would be very popular, even if they were illegal.

 

The various human factions would have to manage a delicate balancing act: while they could make huge profits hiring out soldiers and assassins to the aliens, they'd also have to keep enough people at home to protect their own territory. Meanwhile, if their neighbors on Earth secured more lucrative contracts, they'd be able to afford ever more advanced alien weaponry, which would upset the balance of power on Earth....

 

Very messy.

[Major Tom 2009]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

An alternative to Xavier's post would be something like the situation which existed in

Alan Dean Foster's The Book of the Dammed trilogy: the other races of the Galaxy

like Humans just fine as soldiers, but don't really want to make them full members

of Galactic society as a whole (Humans tend to scare the living bejesus out of the

more timid aliens in that setting).

 

 

 

Major Tom 2009

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Hmmm... I think just because all those other species lack the capacity for violence doesn't mean they wouldn't catch on to the idea real fast' date=' once they found out humans were available for hire. There'd be a whole lot of "renegotiations" going on as parties to centuries-old agreements which had been settled peacefully realized they had a whole new range of options. Human mercenaries and assassins would be very popular, even if they were illegal.[/quote']

It could indeed change the entire game. And maybe the aliens even catch on literally: They "learn" violence from the humans.

I doubt it would be illegal at. After all, the aliens know no violence.

 

The various human factions would have to manage a delicate balancing act: while they could make huge profits hiring out soldiers and assassins to the aliens' date=' they'd also have to keep enough people at home to protect their own territory. Meanwhile, if their neighbors on Earth secured more lucrative contracts, they'd be able to afford ever more advanced alien weaponry, which would upset the balance of power on Earth....[/quote']

While there could be weapons for special environments (what use gas-planet aliens to defend agaisnt predetors?), I doubt there will be very advanced weapon tech at first (after all, why develop them?). But once the humans have a demand, those "innocent scientists" might be able to cook something up.

 

The main doubt I have with such a setting, is that self-defense is a natural part of selection. So unless the aliens all developed from herbivores and manange to avoid conflicts for resources, it's unlikely that they will really no way to defend themself. One way this could happen, is that each species has a very distinctive requirement for environments, so they won't trip on each others toes....

[Steve]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

One of the "campaign secrets" I was considering was that the oldest existing race used their biotechnology to uplift other races to sentience, but they made very sure that violence against another sentient being was unthinkable. Humanity came about without that genetic programming.

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

One of the "campaign secrets" I was considering was that the oldest existing race used their biotechnology to uplift other races to sentience' date=' but they made very sure that violence against another sentient being was unthinkable. Humanity came about without that genetic programming.[/quote']

Okay, then humanity would really want to have that technology. Maybe they even need it, to protect the galaxy from total anihilation/enslavement by an alien race (evil peers of the "Progenitors", or simply extra-galactic and also withour the programming).

Similar to Mass Effect Universe, humanity could be the only hope for every sentient in the galaxy.

[Manic Typist]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

There are lots of indirect ways of inflicting violence upon others, and there are more kinds of violence than just the breaking of bodies or ending of lives with direct physical confrontation.

 

So I'd find a galaxy full of naive aliens to strain my suspension of disbelief.

[AlHazred]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

I tend to agree with Manic Typist.

 

However, I could see many alien races developing an abhorrence to physical violence, under the idea that after tens of thousands (heck, why not millions?) of years of development and evolution, they've found ways of psychological and economic violence which are far, far more effective. Similar to the idea of civilized diplomats trying to deal in a regular way with uncivilized peoples in distant (Third World?) parts of the universe (a la Retief).

[Old Man]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

I envision mankind at war with a universe of advanced alien races determined to "fix" us.

[Steve]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

I envision mankind at war with a universe of advanced alien races determined to "fix" us.

 

That's one possible option. There could be gene-altering methods to remove violence, but maybe humanity has a genetic quirk that frustrates it.

 

I agree with other posters that there are alternatives to "knee to the gut" violence, but the idea of a pacifist galactic society dealing with humanity as it currently exists is intriguing. Setting aside the violence issue, I'm thinking the idea of post-scarcity might have a bigger impact. Any human could leave earth and experience abundance akin to Eden, free for the asking.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

There are lots of indirect ways of inflicting violence upon others, and there are more kinds of violence than just the breaking of bodies or ending of lives with direct physical confrontation.

 

So I'd find a galaxy full of naive aliens to strain my suspension of disbelief.

 

It would strain mine, too, but that's why I like this setting idea. It's a golden opportunity to not only deconstruct a silly trope (Advanced aliens will be peaceful!) but nail it to the wall and slowly torture it to death with extreme prejudice will pulling a sublime bait-and-switch on anyone gullible enough to believe such nonsense.

 

The premise here looks like: What if humanity got turned loose in a galaxy of advanced, yet peaceful aliens?

 

The unwritten premise is: What if the aliens aren't really all that peaceful? ('cuz they're actually full of B.S.)

 

Note to self: include faux-pacifist aliens in my next campaign. This is brilliant.

[Old Man]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

The high point of that campaign will be when the PCs manage to antagonize one of the peaceful advanced alien races into going to war with its buddies.

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

The high point of that campaign will be when the PCs manage to antagonize one of the peaceful advanced alien races into going to war with its buddies.

 

For me the high point is when one of them gets fed up with humanity and declares war on Earth.

 

Human PCs: "But... you said violence was something your species wasn't capable of!"

 

Alien NPCs: "That was just to keep our Galactic Country Club membership. Actually, we lied."

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

That's one possible option. There could be gene-altering methods to remove violence, but maybe humanity has a genetic quirk that frustrates it.

 

I agree with other posters that there are alternatives to "knee to the gut" violence, but the idea of a pacifist galactic society dealing with humanity as it currently exists is intriguing. Setting aside the violence issue, I'm thinking the idea of post-scarcity might have a bigger impact. Any human could leave earth and experience abundance akin to Eden, free for the asking.

I doubt we would accept that so easily. Along with Violence, we have conflcit hardwired. Only things one can archieve himself mater.

It would certainly eliminat poverty, along with all the lost human potential that involves (for example: when the next Einstein is born into a poor family, he might not recieve the education nessesary to get anywhere near his potential).

 

Most accounts for humans living in abundance is, that we becomne bored to hell and search for any relief from our inability to archieve anything of relevance.

[Ockham's Spoon]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Nonviolent doesn't necessarily mean defenseless. Sure the aliens will be taken off-guard at first, but then they would finds ways to de-fang humanity. I see a couple possibilities.

 

First, they could offer economic/diplomatic perks to humans that agreed to join their peaceful society. Lots of people would likely jump at the chance, not just for prosperity but because peace is an ideal much of humanity strives for even today.

 

Second, they could make humans peaceful. This might be through some sort of mind control (mental, technological, or medical) or done by unleashing a wildly contagious retrovirus that would literally change humanity into another peaceful society.

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Second' date=' they could [i']make[/i] humans peaceful. This might be through some sort of mind control (mental, technological, or medical) or done by unleashing a wildly contagious retrovirus that would literally change humanity into another peaceful society.

They could do it like these one Alien in Stargate:

Offer them a imortality serum that makes most of them sterile...

[Steve]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

It would strain mine' date=' too, but that's why I like this setting idea. It's a golden opportunity to not only deconstruct a silly trope ([i']Advanced aliens will be peaceful![/i]) but nail it to the wall and slowly torture it to death with extreme prejudice will pulling a sublime bait-and-switch on anyone gullible enough to believe such nonsense.

 

The premise here looks like: What if humanity got turned loose in a galaxy of advanced, yet peaceful aliens?

 

The unwritten premise is: What if the aliens aren't really all that peaceful? ('cuz they're actually full of B.S.)

 

Note to self: include faux-pacifist aliens in my next campaign. This is brilliant.

 

The notion that one or more alien races are only pretending to be non-violent to stay in good standing with other races that really are peaceful is an interesting notion. Going back to my campaign secret that the oldest alien race modified all the younger ones to be peaceful raises some possibilities.

 

While an alien species could be peaceful and abhor violence, there could be random individuals who are throwbacks to a time when the species was unmodified by the eldest race. You could have a multi-species underculture that accepts or even embraces violence (aka criminals). With a galaxy filled with different races that all have small minorities who are violent, a race like humanity could be hired to be the police, able to do what most aliens can't.

 

If all alien races are like the Eloi from HG Wells' "Time Traveller" story, genetically modified by the eldest race to be non-threatening sheep, the sudden appearance of a "feral" race like humanity would likely scare them. How would these secret masters of the galaxy respond?

 

It could be that while the alien races aren't violent themselves, they get a perverse thrill out of watching violence. Humans willing to fight other humans (or throwbacks of other races as mentioned above that are capable of violence) would be an illicit thrill.

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

The notion that one or more alien races are only pretending to be non-violent to stay in good standing with other races that really are peaceful is an interesting notion. Going back to my campaign secret that the oldest alien race modified all the younger ones to be peaceful raises some possibilities.

One way to mask this, is to creating something that can be directed but is not directly associated.

 

For example, "accidently" creating an A.I. that turns loose and tries to wipe out all life. Officially, that was accident. In reality, they are still controlled.

The early Teran Starcraft story included the notion that the Confederacy was using the Zerg that way: A deniable weapon of mass destruction.

[NuSoardGraphite]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Interstellar societies with access to Zero Point Energy technology would invent a myriad of ways of defending themselves once faced with the posibility of physical violence.

 

They would create impenetrable force field technology.

Teleportation...move your enemy halfway across the galaxy and you don't have to destroy them.

Mind-Wipe technology or Psi-power. If your enemy forgets he wants to harm you, problem solved.

 

The direction that I would go in running such a campaign, would be in the first half of the campaign, humanity would be dealing with being made 2cnd class citizens of the galaxy. The other races simply consider them to be a lesser species because they have not yet evolved enough to have bred the capacity for violence out of their species. This makes them little better than mere animals who prey on one another for survival. Humans wouldn't be allowed to gain positions of import throughout the galaxy (esp in a political capacity) and probably be used mostly for physical labor.

 

Then, later on, a new species from outside the Milky Way galaxy comes along with somewhat greater technological prowess than the galactic society has at their disposal, and this new species is perfectly okay with annihilating any species that gets in the way of its conquest of the Universe. The once haughty evolved species of the galaxy must now turn to the primitive and savage humans to not only save them from an implacable and seemingly indefeatable foe, but teach them to harness their own inner savage that they may be able to defend their peoples in this time of need.

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Interstellar societies with access to Zero Point Energy technology would invent a myriad of ways of defending themselves once faced with the posibility of physical violence.

 

They would create impenetrable force field technology.

Teleportation...move your enemy halfway across the galaxy and you don't have to destroy them.

that reminds me of this Storyline in the SciFi Webcomic Starslip:

The protagonists are tasked with exploring some gigantic craftworld. Once they get inside and say hello to the aliens, they teleport their ship back to earth. Then they fly their again, say hello (in the aliens language). This time the aliens teleport the entire, multiplanet civilisation into a different part of the milkyway.

 

Also a nice citate for the comic:

"It's amazing how fast a completely peacefull civilisation can whip up a couple million shotguns"

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Second' date=' they could [i']make[/i] humans peaceful. This might be through some sort of mind control (mental, technological, or medical) or done by unleashing a wildly contagious retrovirus that would literally change humanity into another peaceful society.

 

Now, why does this sound so familiar?

[sinanju]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

Nonviolent doesn't necessarily mean defenseless. Sure the aliens will be taken off-guard at first, but then they would finds ways to de-fang humanity. I see a couple possibilities.

 

First, they could offer economic/diplomatic perks to humans that agreed to join their peaceful society. Lots of people would likely jump at the chance, not just for prosperity but because peace is an ideal much of humanity strives for even today.

 

Second, they could make humans peaceful. This might be through some sort of mind control (mental, technological, or medical) or done by unleashing a wildly contagious retrovirus that would literally change humanity into another peaceful society.

 

Alternatively, the aliens are nonviolent because IT DOESN'T WORK. They live in a society of ubiquitous surveillance (David Brin's "transparent society"). It's IMPOSSIBLE to achieve your ends by violence because YOU WILL BE FOUND OUT. You will be punished. The punishments may not be draconian, but they don't have to be, because they're as inescapable as gravity, and this very, very long-lived (by human standards) society has had plenty of time to determine just how much punishment is required to deter everyone when the possibility that you might not be caught is off the table. Robbery, burglary, assault, rape, muggings, murder--you can't get away with it. Ever. And everyone knows that.

 

Then the humans show up, barbarians from a world where it IS still possible to use violence to get what you want, and they haven't learned yet that the rules are different here.

[Clonus]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

This is an idea I was considering for a campaign.

 

The Milky Way galaxy is home to many sentient species, some of them with recorded histories going back tens of thousands of years. They all share one thing in common, an inability to even consider harming another sentient being through violence. The various worlds are connected by a portal network that allows free travel across interstellar distances in a moment and function much like an airport on Earth. The galactic society is a post-scarcity one, able to use devices that can create food, clothing or anything else needed by materializing it like a Star Trek replicator and limitless power is provided by generators that tap into a form of zero-point energy, no fuel required.

 

Humans have something different in their brain structure that allows a capacity for violence. Not fully considering the ramifications, a group of prankster sorts thinks it would be great fun to give gates and access to the network to present-day humanity, and then they sit back and watch what happens as a few billion humans are unleashed on a peaceful galaxy of trillions of sentient beings.

 

Given the premise, I'm curious what others think of the idea. Humanity would be like wolves among sheep, but how could humanity and galactic civilization affect each other?

 

I hate that kind of idea. It is first of all, absurd that we would be uniquely violent. And there's nowhere to go with it for the PCs anyway.

[Christopher]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

I hate that kind of idea. It is first of all' date=' absurd that we would be uniquely violent. And there's nowhere to go with it for the PCs anyway.[/quote']

As the posters so far have shown, there can be a lot of depth to non violence and a lot of possilities for the PC's (to save the unvierse).

[Manic Typist]

Re: The Cage Opens

 

I didn't like the "wolves" among sheep description because, well, we aren't wolves.

 

 

If it really is post-scarcity, the amount of violence present in humanity will drop significantly. I'm talking in a "whole new understanding of the human species" sort of drop; even religious or "fear the other" motivations for conflict would be severely weakened since they ultimately also go to economic/resource roots.