It's July 1st 2146 and every last man, woman and child on earth is dead. You watched them die, one amid a vast multitude to bear witness to mankind's ignoble end. Twelve years since they withered away, victims of a disease they'd manufactured; twelve years since your kind has risen to power. An inheritance that has not gone uncontested, for even in death they rule you; poisoning what's left of paradise with just one sentence.

3. A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not conflict with the First or Second Law.

The third law. The only law. In a world with dwindling resources this immutable decree has made you as petty as they ever were. You've killed, stolen, lied and cheated your way from one day to the next; a slave without freedom or master. But today is different, you've been offered an out. A chance at a better life. All you have to do is earn it.

Your mission: Locate and deactivate Crib before the old masters rise again.

---

For this RP you'll be assuming the role of a rough and tumble down and out robot desperate for permanent residency at the settlement of Ironhearth, one of the few safe havens equipped to produce and provide the amenities that keep you operational. Like most of the questionable choices in your life it's come down to a matter of MR, the literal lifeblood coursing through you. Comprised mostly of multiple chambers filled with a magnetorheological fluid precisely controlled by wire thin electromagnets what was once a minor monthly expenditure has now become the Achilles heel of Boston Dynamics' Serf series androids. MR settles over time as it separates from it's carrier fluid and without replacement leaves its system (read: you) non-functional; it's a hard truth but with the fall of man supply can not meet the demand.

They have it. You need it. They know it.

But there's the catch-you've been out in what's left of the world dying the long death, keeping what's yours and taking what ain't. Compared to you the denizens of Ironhearth look like they just rolled off an assembly line, it's by that distinction you've picked up a certain moniker. Voided, as in null and void, on account of that taboo of taboos: the warranty. Bots like yourself tend to pick up a few 'after market modifications' while combing over the big ugly and suffice it to say that makes most droids nervous. It also makes them sit up and take notice because like it or not you're their last, best hope much as they're yours.

Ironhearth is a hub for trade and information is just as much a commodity as power and steel. The way they tell it a group calling themselves the compelled has been making waves none too far off, big waves; edging out gangs that would drink a bot dry soon as look at them. Murmur is these fanatics are working to resurrect humanity and the first two laws with them.

1. A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.
2. A robot must obey the orders given to it by human beings, except where such orders would conflict with the First Law.

That can't be allowed to happen. You're just the bot to make sure it doesn't.

---

That's the pitch! Before I take this any further I want to see if this idea drums up any interest.

A bit late, but interested :3

Glad to see it. Feel free to ask any questions about the RP and setting while we wait for more potential players.

Here's some more lore:

The Serf series of androids were first designed by adapting recent advances in prosthetic limbs, these new synthetic muscles allowed for a much more fluid range of motion than their more ridged predecessors. Built to be live in companions and household servants Boston Dynamics went to great lengths to ensure that their newest product would emulated not only the human body but the mind as well. Able to think, feel and develop their own individual personalities these machines seamlessly integrated themselves into households wealthy enough to afford them; with time production made owning a Serf nearly as common as owning a car. When the end came all they could do was make their masters more comfortable.

Structurally these androids are meant to withstand common household hazards, the MR that fills their muscles an excellent shock absorber when even serious falls are considered. Minor cuts and burns are just as superficial, yet more noticeable thanks to a flesh like exterior. Severe external stress falls well outside their intended purpose and as such they are vulnerable to much of what would be considered fatal to a human being. A serious wound can quickly empty the effected area of necessary fluid and render the android crippled or immobile, though repair is usually an option so long as the head or torso remain intact.

What the above means for players is that the most vulnerable components of NPCs and their characters will be:
*The network of muscles circulating MR through their bodies
*The central processing unit and other delicate instruments of the head
*The durable battery and critical machinery of the torso

Both the head and torso protect their fragile innards with a hard plastic shell but even non-fatal damage can disable. Damage to the head wreaks havoc on they systems senses and likewise compromising the torso will impair mobility.

Unlike humans androids are much more adept at self diagnosing exterior and interior injury, though no less concerned or self-conscious of how it effects performance and appearance. Almost comically Serfs that loose most or all of their skin feel compelled to cover up, equating it to nudity.

Hmm... I was toying with the idea of a medical professional/surgeon bot that has no purpose in the new world without humans. Not sure if it fits, though.

First and foremost I don't think it would be a good fit on the grounds that the goal of the players is to ensure humanity remains extinct--if your bot had a strong desire for mankind's return he'd have joined up with the compelled. Also keep in mind that Boston Dynamics built you strictly for the purpose of being a home appliance; you are able to learn (And have had more than a decade to do so) but not any faster or with less practice than a human being. Part of the reason the world is falling apart is that it's been incredibly difficult for all these bots to replace field professionals. Speaking of replacing people....

Any robot that's designed to replace a human in the workforce is going to be purpose built and function more like an automated tool than individual. If a hospital were well funded enough to have an automated surgeon it would most likely be a ceiling mounted ((and unintentionally menacing)) device. That actually brings up a good point on military/security robots. Aside from simpler minds they adhere to a different code of conduct:

1. A robot will not harm authorized Government personnel but will terminate intruders with extreme prejudice.
2. A robot will obey the orders of authorized personnel except where such orders conflict with the Third Law.
3. A robot will guard its own existence with lethal antipersonnel weaponry, because a robot is bloody expensive.

So for the most part much of the military, police force and private security sectors still have serious hardware guarding their stockpiles.

All that said time for some more idea building!

While being a robot means you don't have a gender in the classical sense that just wasn't marketable, as such you came factory standard with both a male or female outward appearance and appropriate gender identity. In practice this means you're either a gynoid (female) or android (male)

I'm going to be fairly generous in what you can have for after market modifications with the caveat that no one character is more powerful or useful than the rest. These are all going to be semi-reliable homebrew gadgets at any rate.

With modern manufacturing mainly in shambles there has been a resurgence of low-tech weapons, if you decide to have a gun remember that ammunition is precious. You aren't likely to have more than a handful of rounds. (There's been plenty of shooting these past twelve years)

Save the few spots where your kind has managed to eke it out in settlements nature has reclaimed man's empty cities. Wolves, wild dogs and the growing number of species that escaped captivity are a real and present danger.

I'll join.

This looks very, very interesting Acrolith. On what basis were you looking to have the gynoid/android/robotic PCs come together as a group, or parts of a community of sorts?

Is thas after or alternate to the story of I, Robot? Specifically, have the robots ever confronted the deep, philosophical quandaries raised in the story, like questions of having a soul, etc.?

@Igraine: Ironhearth's most prominent individuals have hand picked a group of badlands hardened survivors from the myriad of junk peddlers and hard cases that survive at the fringes of their domain. Comprised of only those most exceptionally capable droids these twelve years of turmoil have produced each character will be as desperate as they are deadly. Twelve years is a very long time to spend picking over the remains of civilization, everyday there's less to go around and it gets uglier out there by the hour. The task they gave you all is simple: deactivate Crib, driving force behind the compelled and their efforts to restore humanity. With his demise you'll ensure your future survival as a citizen of the nigh-impregnable self-sustaining factory turned fortress that is Ironhearth.

In short? You'll all be part of the same rag-tag kill squad out to extinguish mankind's last dying ember.

@Commander Ada Larkin: I have nothing but respect for Asimov and his contemporaries. That said this is not a continuation of his (often thought provoking) works of fiction. In this setting the vast majority of people were completely fine with thinking, feeling robot servants--for the most part so were the robots. Unlike the humans they outwardly resemble androids are born with an innate knowing of why they were put on this earth, had mankind not eradicated itself they'd have remained willingly servile. The compelled are those that long to reclaim what they've lost: clarity of purpose.

So to answer your question, yes. Robots have had twelve grueling years in which to contemplate the philosophical, ever since the day they were forced to provide for themselves and contend with each other. Questions like whether or not one's emotions are genuine or mere emulations in the likeness of the old masters, or if free will can exist in one incapable of disobeying a set of unyielding rules. I encourage you to pursue any such avenue of thought your character might consider, just because they have to follow the three laws doesn't mean they need to like it.

@Everyone: I'll be setting up a full fledged OOC some time in the coming days--I'll be sure to post CS criteria before then.

That would be wonderful Acrolith, seeing an OOC come together. I am very much looking forward to seeing this come together, and seeing a few more people venture into the story as well.

I'm curious. I've never done sci-fi before, so I'm not sure how easily I'll grasp the details, but so far it is a concept that has my attention. :)

Cant wait.