'Person of Interest' applied to 40K

[YorkNecromancer]

I am a massive fan of ‘Person of Interest’. For those of you who don’t watch the show, it’s set in the modern day, and it’s a very clever little show. On the surface, it’s a ‘villain of the week’ police procedural about two vigilantes who use surveillance technology to beat the bad guys. This was actually active camouflage to lure in unsuspecting punters who ordinarily wouldn’t watch sci-fi, because it’s actually about the issues of emergent AI and sapient machine intelligences.



Now, the reason I’m relating this to wargaming is because in the show, the heroes have access to an AI called The Machine. It’s a relatively simple premise: The Machine sees through all the cameras that are wired to the internet, all the time. Home webcams, CCTV, police feeds, everything. It watches and it runs advanced probability diagnostics, looking for conspiracies that will lead to people’s deaths. It can’t predict random acts of violence, but that’s not its purpose; it’s been designed to look for terror plots.



And when The Machine goes to war, it is something to f**king behold.

Because it’s based in a world that is covered in cameras, it sees everything, and thus, it has perfect situational knowledge. Not only this, but because of its advanced probability engines, while it cannot predict random acts of violence, it can predict bullet trajectories, the arrival of enemy agents, and so on. It can feed this data to its servants (called ‘analogue interfaces’), and tell them where to shoot, improving their aim, allowing them otherwise impossible shots, allowing them to get the drop on opponents and so on.

It’s a fascinating idea.

For example, in this scene, Amy Acker’s character does her two-gun mojo, only the show makes it explicit: she’s not actually aiming. Her Bluetooth earpiece is relaying the Machine’s targeting data as a constant stream of sound. When the pitch it gets high enough, that means shoot.



Therefore, she doesn’t need to aim; the Machine is doing it for her.

In later seasons, the emergent AI has an army of agents that obey it without question. It reaches out with its agents, and none can stand before it, because there’s almost no way to fight an enemy with perfect situational awareness, that can also predict exactly where you’re going to be and when.

I think it would be interesting to have an army like that in 40K. Yes, the AdMech already have things like biharic omniscience, but I think this could be a little more interestingly implemented.

Essentially, dot the battlefield with ‘surveillance’ counters; each counter projects in a 360 degree arc that’s blocked by LOS. While enemy forces are within LOS of a surveillance counter, they suffer significant debuffs – no cover save, may be targeted by any opposing model (even ones without LOS or behind solid scenery), that sort of thing.

Then introduce ways to counter the surveillance.

It would be pretty complicated, and probably better suited to skirmish games than full-on battles, but I think it could be good.

[Psychosplodge]

And that's why you don't use an IP system or connect your cctv (the clues in the name) to the internet. Damn machines.

Yeah my brother watches this. Looks interesting, but it's so far in, and I have so many series already I need to watch its something I'll get round to eventually.

Gamewise +1BS to mechanicus units. there done.

[YorkNecromancer]

And that's why you don't use an IP system or connect your cctv (the clues in the name) to the internet. Damn machines.

I tell you, I wasn't scared of AI until I watched 'Person of Interest'.

Gamewise +1BS to mechanicus units. there done.

No. We're not doing that. That is a bad idea.

[Psychosplodge]

lols, sorry it seemed the simplest solution.

[CoffeeGrunt]

Arguably you could play Tau and use Sensor Towers, they have Markerlights, buff shooting in a small radius, and are deployed like a Fortification.

[Haighus]

And that's why you don't use an IP system or connect your cctv (the clues in the name) to the internet. Damn machines.

Yup, exactly. Concept my brother has been referring to as an air gap. He reckons we are becoming to connected and reliant on technology as a society, and need to start working in more failsafes at a fundamental level, in case something like this starts to develop. The idea is that some things should always require a person to do, in a way that cannot be over-ridden by a computer, a physical air gap in the wires so to speak. Basically building fire breaks in, so some malignant intelligence couldn't spread indefinitely.

[henrythesecond]

Yup, exactly. Concept my brother has been referring to as an air gap. He reckons we are becoming to connected and reliant on technology as a society, and need to start working in more failsafes at a fundamental level, in case something like this starts to develop. The idea is that some things should always require a person to do, in a way that cannot be over-ridden by a computer, a physical air gap in the wires so to speak. Basically building fire breaks in, so some malignant intelligence couldn't spread indefinitely.

You know it's read your post, right?

I just want to mention that I don't know you and certainly don't condone in any way what you've just written...

[Psychosplodge]

[Deathmage]

Big Sister is always watching you. By the way, everyone knows whats on those tissues, its not subtle.
All the worst,
Pony Overlord x

[Psychosplodge]