BTL Addiction? Options

[the_dunner]

Hey folks, I'm working on prepping an NPC for a 'run, and the character is going to be a recovering BTL addict. Are there any game-world comments on the effects of BTL addiction published anywhere? (IE, What are the symptoms of BTL addicts?)

TIA!

[Wutasumi]

They believe that they live in the world the BTL is about.

For example, Kaka the Orc believes it;s the world of Treasure Island, and tries to hide his "booty."

[FrostyNSO]

Dude, kamikaze addict...it's the greatest thing

[Crusher Bob]

I would assume the effects would be somewhat similar to morphene (sp?) and heroin withdrawal, in that the body became used to overloaded pleasure receptors and the recovering addict now 'feels like crap' all the time. Since the normal levels of endorphins the body produces and now way below the addicts tolerance level, alot of every day life will feel pretty bad. The slight workout, where your body gives you some endorphins to make you forget the twinges in your musles... The endorphins you get after you stub your toe on the coffe table...

[Snow_Fox]

Man and Machine actually has rules for addiction.
Shadowbeat had an explanation for how screwed up people can get with an addiction.

[kryton]

I don't know if there's a whole lot out there for BTL addicts. Maybe you could use the addiction rules in Man Machine to get some colorfull ideas. Besides the Cannon Companion for the official rules I don't know of much else right off hand. There was a 1st edition game that delt with something like this. Dreamchipper where some folks who had skill wires got hold of some bad chips causing some funky behavior. I personally kind of liked the game. It's kind of what Psychotropic would be like before it had rules. I would try to be creative if it's an NPC.

I would figure out the character from the NPC's point of view:
Why did he/she start taking the BTL's in the first place?
What drove and drives his/her addiction?
Is he/her a functioning junky or disfunctional?
How bad was his/her addiction and how long did it occur?
Did the character live a corporate lifestyle or a street urchin in a back alley parlor and what drove him or her to stop?
What were the NPC's favorite BTLs? Custom stuff, crude, refined ect? What kind of conisuer (msp?) was the NPC w/BTL's?

I think that would give you a good idea of what sort of after effects the NPC faces? You would have the everyday fight to not go back to the BTL's. Flashbacks, random stimulation spikes, nerve damage, brain damage, hallucinations, psychotropic residue, a variety of psychosis', decrease pleasure from every day life, depression you name it. It would just depend on the NPC and how they relate to the story. That's how I ussually approach it. The NPC could be perminately tweeked and nervous and paranoid or possibly have personality seepage from a programed BTL that shouldn't have been on the street. BTL's are awsome the possiblities are endless. I'd think about that when decided the interesting quirks ect the NPC might have. If you want to get hard core I'd suggest either reading a book on recovering junkies or rent a good documentry on them. That will always fuel the fire and give you a starting point.

A good movie for something like this would be the old classic "Brainstorm" I think it's called. There was a cheesy one called "Brainscan" and that could be good for some nasty psychotropic stuff. If the NPC was into snuff and other twisted stuff along with the psychotropic effects his or her personality could have split into MPD or other such stuff. Maybe the NPC was addicted to snuff getting a high off A. feeling someone die and they're terror. You jack someone in and record this stuff and you get some really destructive BTL's that would sell on the black market. You could even go darker than that but I'll stop there.

[the_dunner]

Thanks for the suggestions, folks! I'll re-scan Shadowbeat, Dreamchipper, and M&M then re-watch Trainspotting. Between those and the suggestions here I should be in good shape! :D

[Edward]

It will depend partly on the type of chip used.

pfix may result in residual elements of the personality being imbedded in his mind.
Modchips would cause massive mood swings (more than normal for addicts) if he always used the same type focus on opposed emotions.
Trip chips and dream chips would possibly cause flashbacks. Not good if he was into snuff.

There is a paragraph on general side effects in canon companion page 65.

Edward