Favorite Technobabble

RPGPundit · October 27, 2009, 02:55:19 PM

Do you use technobabble in your game?
if so, what's your favorite technobabble or scientific pseudo-jargon?

You can choose different ones in terms of verbal appeal and technical utility.

RPGPundit

thedungeondelver · October 27, 2009, 04:20:51 PM

While I haven't played the games in a long time, all of the technobabble in FASA's Mechwarrior/Battletech games and the sadly long forgotten Renegade Legion are/were fantastic. Loved it.

Werekoala · October 27, 2009, 04:29:59 PM

Treknobabble for the win. Although I think my upcoming Star Wars game will have to be a close second.

FASERIP · October 27, 2009, 04:44:52 PM

Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

Imp · October 27, 2009, 05:00:47 PM

Well, that would require some sort of rebigulator.

thedungeondelver · October 27, 2009, 06:15:29 PM

Quote from: Imp;340713Well, that would require some sort of rebigulator.

...which is a concept so ridiculous it makes me want to laugh out loud and chortle.. but not at you O holiest of gods with the wrathfulness and the vengence and the bloodrain and the "hey hey hey it hurts me"

Fiasco · October 27, 2009, 06:16:38 PM

Quote from: FASERIP;340709Reverse the polarity of the neutron flow.

Testify. That is all you need to know.

thedungeondelver · October 27, 2009, 06:17:39 PM

Quote from: Werekoala;340705Treknobabble for the win. Although I think my upcoming Star Wars game will have to be a close second.

Diagnostics show the hyper drive motivator has been damaged and the power coupling on the negative axis has been polarized. I'm afraid you'll have to replace it.

jeff37923 · October 27, 2009, 07:12:59 PM

I really don't like technobabble outside of Star Wars, but some of it in that genre is absolutely hysterical.

The one I cannot forget is the "boron fission reactor" from the d6 Star Wars Imperial Sourcebook. Because out in a world that understands engineering, you find that it is very difficult to cause boron to fission - in fact, it is used as a neutron absorber because it is so difficult to cause to fission.

Koltar · October 27, 2009, 07:18:54 PM

Quote from: Werekoala;340705Treknobabble for the win. Although I think my upcoming Star Wars game will have to be a close second.

The trouble with " TREKnicalities" talk is that I had the writer & director's Bible for NEXT GEN for so long that it never sounded like nonsense talk when I watched the show. Also means that it now bores me a tad.

QuoteWhile watching an episode....:

FRIEND: "Ed, whats an ODN bypass?"
ED: ODN stands for Optical Data network.
FRIEND: Oh, okay.

I was most impressed when STARGATE: UNIVERSE had to worry about real world normal tech like Co2 scrubbers.

- Ed C.

jeff37923 · October 27, 2009, 11:23:20 PM

Quote from: Koltar;340741I was most impressed when STARGATE: UNIVERSE had to worry about real world normal tech like Co2 scrubbers.

- Ed C.

That is because it has an awesome Creative Consultant named John Scalzi.at

(For those amoung the Great Unwashed who don't know who he is, his first brush with fame came when he taped bacon to his cat. Oh, and he writes some ass-kickin' science fiction too.)

Koltar · October 28, 2009, 01:02:00 AM

Quote from: jeff37923;340768That is because it has an awesome Creative Consultant named John Scalzi.at

(For those amoung the Great Unwashed who don't know who he is, his first brush with fame came when he taped bacon to his cat. Oh, and he writes some ass-kickin' science fiction too.)

Ye...I know that...

Because back in March I told you guys he was going to be the consultant on SG:U. Scalzi was the Guest of Honor at a local Sci Fi Con called Millennicon. I'm on the organizing committee of that con.

- Ed C.