Cyborg Implants

[DoubleSkulls]

Cyborg implants are an old idea from 2ed which I think would be fun to resurrect.

The idea is that you spend cash for an operation, have a chance of failure - which may permantently injure or kill the player, but gain a benefit. For simplicity I think all the benefits should be existing skills.

e.g. Cyborg Eye - the player gains the Accurate Skill
Cyborg Legs - the player gains Very Long Legs and Leap
Cyborg Skull - the player gains Thick Skull

So something like

During the pre-match sequence, prior to the gate roll you may spend money on a cyborg implant for one of your players. Pay $X, roll D6 on the following table:

1 Failed implant - roll on the casualty table for the player. If you have one you can use your apothecary on this casualty.
2 Partial success - implant is in place but the player gains a niggle as it breaks down frequently.
3+ Succesful implant

What do people think? Worth expanding?

[frogbear]

That's not a bad idea DS.

I would probably make it 4+ success to really hit home that you should not really try this with your best players, but I like it.

[voyagers_uk]

resistance is futile - i like it as an inducement...

[Darkson]

resistance is futile - i like it as an inducement...

Doesn't make much sense as an inducement, as if I take a cyborg arm, what happens to my real one?
Also, inducements aren't meant to have any effect outside the single game in question.

[DoubleSkulls]

Ah, well the reason for putting it pre-game is to give you the nasty decision about whether to use an apothecary on an injury - and not have it for the game. I also put it prior to inducements/petty cash since I didn't want it interfering with them - this is a long term benefit to the player.

• Eye - accurate
• Legs - VLL & Leap
• Boots - Dirty Player
• Arms - Wrestle
• Hands - nerves of steel (pun intended )
• Skull - thick skull
• Shoulders - juggernaut

30k per roll, and you have to have normal access to the skill group too.

[duckwing]

Fun idea.
However I think that cybernetic implants in the Old World wouldn't be the perfectly tuned and reliable ones we see in most scifi movies. The ones available to blood bowl players are probably sold and implanted by mad scientists who use the players as their guinnea pigs. To represent the risk of the implant locking up or stunning the player with electric shocks a player who gets a cybernetic implant should also gain Bonehead.

[UncleBob]

I don't think getting Wrestle, Dirty Player or such is worth getting Bone-head. I would only agree to this if the implants would give +1 MA/AG/ST instead skills.

[voyagers_uk]

the trouble with having it longer lasting than an Inducement is that it makes skill tracking harder and is worth more after game 1 as there is no risk for installing it once it is in.

make it just like Nanites who get implanted to do the job for one game...

[Joemanji]

As discussed so far, the juice isn't worth the squeeze. No way I am spending money to possibly kill my own player in return for Thick Skull. Especially not if it adds 30K to his TV. Although the Legs are an exception ... that would be amazing, especially on Beastmen.

[UncleBob]

After some thoughts I feel the same, normal skills are just not thrilling. Implants should be something special to make the punishment (death, niggling, bone-head, really stupid) worth it.
Like Very Long Legs, so perhaps mutation and extraordinary skills. Get a really stupid chainsaw. Some sort of a dull blade.

[Thetian]

Seems like to me that the teams that end up having tons of cash (Dwarfs & Chaos) at higher TV will start trading cash for long-term upgrades. If there isn't a game-by-game chance of failure (at least like the old niggle) it will get out of hand. I think we've all seen a league with a Dwarf team with 12 players plus deathroller, 4 rerolls, apoth and 300k+ in the bank. That coach would gladly spend cash to upgrade a player or 2 every game if it were permanent and didn't affect him next game. He would probably even stop trying to spread out SPP for better team developement and just let his home-grown stars score every TD, make every pass etc.

I propose needing to roll a 4+ every game for the player to be able to play. For each additional cyber-upgrade it subtracts one from the roll.
Just being boneheaded for the game isn't a bad idea either on a failed roll.
Perhaps a failed roll would produce the opposite effect due to the implant malfunctioning. Each item would need an "if the implant malfunctions, x happens" added to its description.

[mage75]

I really like the idea. I wasn't playing when 2nd edition was around, so seems new to me. I would love to see it fleshed out more - with costs, etc. Not sure I could ever convince my league to adopt optional rules though...

[lerchey]

While I'm generally not in favor of "cybernetics" as they're a little too sci-fi for BB (says the guy who regularly runs a robot team!), I like the concept. I think I would make it a little more extreme in some ways though...

Surgical Enhancement
During the pre-game a coach may elect to have "voluntary surgery" performed on one of his teams players. The surgery costs 50,000 gp to attempt. A D6 is rolled with the following results:

1 - Surgery fails miserably. Roll on the Casualty Table (the Team's apothecary may be used if they have one, but this counts as the use for the game) and apply results.
2 - Surgery fails. Roll on the Injury Table for the player. The teams apothecary may be used as above, if one is available. Apply results immediately, pre-game. A stunned player may be used normally, but a K.O.'d player starts in the K.O. box. Casualties may not participate in the current game regardless of outcome.
3 - Surgery is unsuccessful. Player recovers in time to play, but no benefit is gained.
4 - Surgery is partially successful. The player is given one Extraordinary Skill of the owning coaches choice, but may not participate in the current game as he recovers. The players cost is increased by 50,000 gp.
5-6 - Surgery is successful! The player is given one Extraordinary Skill of the owning coaches choice. The players cost is increased by 50,000 gp.

This would give an option (the only option) to gain Extraordinary skills, but there is serious risk involved. I would also limit it to 1 successful surgery per player, period. This is also somewhat prohibitive for the coach as adding 50k to the players value has a real impact on the TV.

Just some more thoughts...

[Heff]

Hate to be a nay sayer but I say nay. Just don't feel right to me.

Sort of feel the whole idea belongs on the nerfing thread as this means that sucessful teams could just keep getting skills for money and with minimum risk. buy linesman and cyber him up. If he dies I don't care as I am drowning in cash if he doesn't then I have a super soldier who has not used any of his skill slots for spps.unbalancing and BAD IDEA I am afraid

[duckwing]

An alternative to giving Bonehead to the player taking the cybernetic implant is to give them Secret Weapon, as the implants are illegal.

Or if that too would still be too big a benefit for teams with much money, let the cybork have both