POSTHUMAN CYBERWARE: The idea of an implantable memory chip that lets you instantly Blurring the Boundaries of Mind, download new skills sounds great, but could such a device actually Body, and Computer work? Given the different formats that their brains use for storing semantic content, would you need, say, one version of the implant for English speakers and another for Japanese speakers? And which Volume 01 in the of your cognitive functions could a hacker access by compromising Posthuman Cyberware Sourcebook series such a device? Could a human mind figure out how to operate a cy- borg body that has wheels or dozens of robotic tentacles? If relatively small changes in brain temperature can cause behavioral impacts (or Written and edited by: Matthew E. Gladden even brain damage), is it really advisable to implant a heat-spewing miniaturized supercomputer in someone’s cranium? If you’ve ever Special thanks to thought about any of these questions when designing or running an All those who offered feedback regarding the research and ma- adventure, then this is the book – and series – for you. terials that eventually found their way into this volume, as well There are many remarkable and pioneering games (like Cyber- as those whose work as game designers, gamers, scholars, and punk 2020, Shadowrun, Cyberspace, GURPS Cyberpunk, Kazei-5, Trans- authors provided inspiration for this project, including: human Space, Ex Machina, Eclipse Phase, and Interface Zero 2.0) that in- Magdalena Szczepocka Sven Dwulecki corporate futuristic neuroprosthetic hardware and cybernetic aug- mentation as significant elements of their game-worlds, character Bartosz Kłoda-Staniecko Mateusz Zimnoch design, and adventure plots. One reasonable way of devising the Paweł Gąska Nicole Cunningham cyberware to be depicted in such games is to first envision the neu- Krzysztof Maj Ted Snider rotech that’s necessary for in-game dramatic purposes – in order to Ksenia Olkusz Ken Spencer create the desired atmosphere and story possibilities – and then work backwards to fashion a technological and sociopolitical rationale that Michał Kłosiński Nathan Fouts explains how such cybertech could have come about. (E.g., “It’d be awesome to have a natural-looking cyberarm with a thought-con- Copyright © 2017 Matthew E. Gladden. All rights reserved. trolled shotgun hidden inside. That’s more or less doable, right?”) Mnemoclave produces resources designed to support game In an effort to investigate such terrain with a fresh eye, our designers, game masters, and players in their creative work, Posthuman Cyberware Sourcebook series takes a different and comple- with the hope that such materials will be as useful as possible. mentary approach: we start with the cutting-edge cyberware that’s To that end, permission is given for owners of a print or elec- actually under development today (largely by military R&D agen- tronic copy of this volume to freely photocopy, share, adapt, cies) and our best scientific understanding of the limits and potential transform, build on, or otherwise exploit its contents for pur- of future neuroprosthetics – and then extrapolate with reckless aban- poses of any game session or campaign in which they are par- don to envision the wildest, weirdest, most mundane, and most ticipating, for either non-commercial or commercial ends; ac- probable technologies that might realistically be expected to appear knowledgment and attribution of material contained within in the coming years and decades. Our explorations suggest that many this volume utilized for such purposes is appreciated but not types of cyberware envisioned in popular RPGs are actually feasible, required. Apart from such uses, no part of this publication may if not quite coming soon to a cyberclinic near you. On the other be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in hand, we can see that other forms of neurotech prevalent in cyber- any form or any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior permission of the punk literature and its subgenres are – while dramatically useful and publisher, other than for those fair-use purposes permitted by a lot of fun – ridiculously implausible or even self-contradictory law. from scientific, technological, philosophical, economic, political, or cultural perspectives. It’s also possible to identify some ‘blind spots’ in current game design: real-world engineers are working to develop ISBN 978-1-944373-18-4 (paperback print edition) some truly bizarre forms of cyberware that haven’t yet filtered into ISBN 978-1-944373-17-7 (ebook) RPG design – but which can be readily adapted for such purposes. 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 This first volume in the Posthuman Cyberware Sourcebook series of- August 2017 • Version 1.0 fers an introduction to a near-future neuroprosthetically augmented world that will be explored in more depth in later books. Its material Published in the United States of America by Mnemoclave, is presented in a form that can be utilized with any rule system. the RPG imprint of Synthypnion Press LLC My aim in writing this volume was to create a resource for fellow gamers and game designers of the sort of that I would love to read Synthypnion Press LLC and re-read and ponder myself. It may be of special interest to those Indianapolis, IN 46227 GMs who are running a hard sci-fi campaign set in the near future www.synthypnionpress.com and who want to give their adventures a grittier edge and some un- expected twists to keep their players on their toes. I hope that within these pages you’ll find some useful nuggets that you can employ in your next campaign – and that reading the volume will bring you as MNEMOCLAVE much enjoyment as I found in writing it. www.mnemoclave.com – Matthew E. Gladden 1 POSTHUMAN CYBERWARE: Blurring the Boundaries of Mind, Body, and Computer A POSTHUMAN CYBERWARE SOURCEBOOK Devices working in tandem ........................................... 14 Neuroprosthetics 101 ............................................. 4 Invading what, exactly? ................................................... 14 Essentials of human-computer fusion ............................. 4 Neuroimplant on the rocks ............................................. 14 The good news is, we’ve found the implant ................... 4 Is it a ‘machine’… or an ‘organ’? ................................... 14 The goals of applied neuroprosthetics .............................. 5 By device agency: Active or passive? ............................... 15 Forget the user’s manual: What can we make We must fight the cyborg menace! ............................... 15 it do? .................................................................................... 5 I wish I knew… ................................................................... 15 A deeper dive into neuroprostheses ................................ 6 Cyberattacks against active versus passive The long history of ‘proto-neuroprostheses’ ................... 6 neuroprostheses ................................................................ 16 The definition of a neuroprosthesis: Further Biohacking by proxy ......................................................... 16 implications ................................................................................. 6 The unwitting courier ....................................................... 16 My other body is an oil rig .................................................. 6 Neuroprosthesis or implantable computer? ................. 17 The body as neuroprosthetic battlefield ......................... 7 The Departure Point: Current Neuroprosthetic Classification schemes for neuroprostheses ................. 8 Device Usage ......................................................... 18 By device function: Sensory, motor, bidirectional, Types of neuroprostheses already in or cognitive? ................................................................................ 8 widespread use .................................................................... 18 Sensory neural implants .................................................... 8 The total global installed user base and rate of But if electric eels can generate 850 volts… .................. 8 growth ...................................................................................... 19 Motor neural implants ........................................................ 9 What factors constrain the adoption of neural I see your lips moving, but… ............................................. 9 implants? ................................................................................. 19 Bidirectional sensorimotor neural implants ............ 10 How much extra for the hardwood accents? .............. 19 Can I borrow your scarf? ................................................... 10 With diagnostic leads (and Cognitive neural implants .............................................. 11 strings) attached… ........................................................... 19 Don’t worry; I would never really press the… .............. 11 High costs .................................................................................. 20 The mysteries of the engram ........................................... 11 Lack of qualified implantation surgeons ........................ 20 By device purpose: Therapy or enhancement? ........... 12 Limited need for therapeutic devices ............................. 20 Miniaturization to the nth degree ................................... 12 DIY not recommended ....................................................