Re: [HoE] Question #2 of the Day - Powerup

["Steve Crow" <crow_steve@hotmail.com>]

> > Just as a note, isn't this kind of silly?  As I observed, many 
>generators
> > (and no doubt more in 2081) require _nuclear_ energy.  But according to 
>the
> > miracle description, you can't use this miracle on things that require
> > Nuclear energy, even though the Glow itself is powering the miracle.
> > Rather, you can only use it on stuff that requires _electricity_.
>
>Nuclear energy is not a new type of energy. Whether you use solar, 
>geothermal,
>or nuclear fission/fusion to rotate a turbine, the same kind of juice
>(electricity) comes out no matter how you generated it.
>

Agreed.  But Powerup (apparently) does care what kind of energy comes _out_, 
but what kind of energy is required to power the device itself.  Electricity 
isn't typically used to power electrical generators.  :)

>For Power Up, I think you only need to satisfy two basic conditions:
>
>1) Does the device require electricity to operate? (We won't get into AC or 
>DC
>here... but if its got a battery or an electrical cord, then the answer 
>would be
>yes.)
>

See my earlier example - would a light bulb or fluoresecent tube fit into 
your guideline here?

>2) Is the device currently not functioning due to a lack of electricity?
>(Batteries dead, no outlet, just got hit with EMP, etc.)
>

Mot sure I understand this, given that if it were functioning, you wouldn't 
need Powerup.  I'd agree, there's no way to Powerup something that 
is...well, powered up, so that you can't try to overload it or something.

>If the answer is yes to both, I think you've got a prime candidate for 
>Power Up.

I'm less interested in the prime candidates then the secondary ones.  It's 
easy to figure out the simpel stuff - it's the more complicated stuff (the 
first time I thought of a light bulb as "complicated") that we're trying to 
pin down.

>Of course, some complex machines such as cars don't rely entirely on
>electricity, so you'll have to go with a best guess.
>

Since "Hovercar" is given as an example, it seems the intent was that 
carscould be powered by this miracle as well.  From what I recall of the WW 
Companion, many cars are electrical by 2081.

>The real wrench in the gears is PEG has introduced Ghost Rock batteries and
>Junker devices that may or may not use electricity... I have no idea of 
>Ghost
>Rock Radiation or Spook Juice or whatever constitutes a new kind of
>"supernatural energy" and hence Power Up/EMP doesn't work at all, or if it 
>just
>supplements your standard electricity. My guess is any device that relies 
>on
>electronic components is subject to mucky-muck with EMP, but I'm guessing 
>you
>can't activate it with Power Up without hooking it up to an honest-to-gawd 
>GR
>battery.
>

Haven't seen the Junker book yet.  From what I recall of the Junker rules, 
Powerup wouldn't work on gadgets based on the base-rulebook stuff.  Gadgets 
require Ghost Rock-type energies.  If it don't require electricity, then it 
can't be a target for Powerup.  The description of the miracle seems clear 
on that in this case.

> > Besides, a generator or battery typically powers _other_ things - 
>wouldn't
> > it just be easy to power up those things, that require electricity, 
>rather
> > then the generator/battery (which does not require electricity to 
>generate
> > electricity)?
>
>A battery stores electricity, it doesn't do anything with it other than 
>that.
>Power Up would have no effect on a battery or other device that only 
>functions
>as a power source. My idea of what Power Up does is it works as a power 
>source,
>so I don't see why it would make another one "work".
>

Neither do I, but "battery power" is listed as a TN 3 use for Powerup.  Thus 
my confusion.

>A generator is different. A gas or combustion generator relies on 
>electricity to
>activate the spark plug. If this part of the generator is malfunctioning
>(battery is dead/gone, spark plug burned out, coil is dead, or whatever) 
>then
>Power Up might get it working again, but the generator would still require 
>fuel
>(usually gasoline) or something else to combust. Most portable generators 
>like
>this have a pullcord like on a lawn mower that replaces a battery/starter 
>coil
>arrangement. I'm not sure if Power Up can do things like temporarily 
>replace a
>missing spark plug or distributor cap, or mend broken wiring or whatever. 
>You
>may have to deal with this on a case-by-case basis, and just tell your 
>Doomsayer
>stuff about "the spirits in the machine are angry, they won't cooperate 
>with
>you", or "you manage to coax a minor spark spirit to fill in for the 
>missing
>spark plug for a bit". I'm hoping the new Shamans book will get into this 
>in
>more detail, but I'm not sure how it'll apply to Doomsayer magic.
>

Well, again, the Powerup description simply says you can powerup a 
generator.  I would agree with your interpretation, but the intent in the 
rules seems different from that.

I don't think a Doomsayer has any idea what "the spirit in a machine" means, 
though.  That sound like Shaman/Spook Magic stuff.

>Other types of generators... well, again, these devices, like batteries, 
>are
>designed to provide electricity, not use it. If a particular generator 
>relies on
>electronic components to generate electricity, and these components aren't
>working, then Power Up may work. But in general I get the idea that Power 
>Up is
>supposed to replace these devices, not make them function without fuel.
>
>
>

Again, this seems to be making important distinctions that Powerup raises 
(by listing "Generator" as something you can use Powerup on) but does not 
distinguish among.  Certainly, as a Marshall, I wouldn't want to be making 
these kind of case-by-case distinctions - it requires more technical 
knowledge than I possess of modern-day machines.  Much less the much more 
vaguely described stuff coming up in the next 81 years.


---

Steve Crow

"Worm Can Opener Extraordinare"

Check out my website at:  http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Stargate/4991/


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