BOB Herding

The following page is a secret brief that is only available to those involved with BOB herding. It represents a significant investment of IC time and effort. Please do not directly copy and paste the contents to other players. With that proviso you may feel free to communicate the information IC using your own words.

Following a courageous mission by a number of BOB-Herders and Engineers, GRAMPS HAS FINALLY BEEN CAUGHT!!! The 7pt bounty is going to all those involved in catching him. About time too!

Guys, I heard Craig Rainbow passed away during the last month. Real shame… he was a good BOB Herder who was loved by many. - Charles Bouillon

Guys, we may have lost the source of whatever was making the BOBs go crazy, but they're still out there. Computer reckons only 130 BOBs are in action, and we know there are like hundreds of the things. As such, we're now posting extra point Bounties for particularly difficult BOBs - we've gotta get these all back. [OOC: If you want a BOB added to the list, contact the GMs]

So Craig Rainbow apparently made a bunch of BOBs combined with lizards before he died… kinda like that freak-of-nature Brain BOB thing. They're not exactly dumb like a standard BOB… extra points for these ones!

Last seen: Rainbow, Blackout

“Gramps”: 7pts

Laser BOB: 5pts CLAIMED

“Flying” BOB: 4pts CLAIMED

BOB herders maintain an unofficial league table. The best BOB herders quickly rise towards the top, because injury rates are high and the league table is reset every year. This occurred before the first meeting of the ACTP, and is occurring again now as the ACTP is about to be disbanded as the Asimov leaves the heliosphere of the star.

The current league table is as follows:

To score points on the league table, a BOB herder must successfully respond to alerts of the following types:

• Type II (stranded or trapped BOB) - BOBs often get stranded in hard-to-reach and dangerous locations. Successfully answering this alert is worth 1 point, and the race against other engineers to reach the BOB is often harder than the rescue itself.
• Type III (missing or out-of-contact BOB) - BOBs that go missing are somewhat harder to track down. Computer will usually give the last known location but it is up to the engineer to find them. This is more difficult, and worth 2 points.
• Type VI (rogue BOB) - Rogue BOBs are (thankfully) rare, but can be remarkably dangerous and hard to track down. These get the least competition but are worth 3 points.

There are various other types of alert that don't score points, since they're much simpler to deal with. Type I alerts are BOBs which need a part replacing, and Type IV and V refer to BOBs that need to be given routine maintenance or be recycled respectively.

The winner of this year's league table, with a staggering 159 pts is Callie Blue, followed by the late John White on 120 and Marcia Blue on 96. Whilst the League is unofficial, bonus fabber rations will be provided to each of the three highest scorers (or in the case of John White, to his next of kin). The table will now be reset, but stood as follows:

Every single BOB… all of them… again… why? WHY?! Agh… okay. Computer reckons there are fifty BOBs working at the moment on the ship. FIVE ZERO… agh… You know the drill guys… - Gordon Red

UPDATE TURN 11 - The BOBs seem to almost all be working again! Well, for BOBs anyway.

Investigation of footage has proven that Callie Blue adulterated the BOBking statue to “go haywire” before wandering back at a later time to dismantle it. This is a clear case of trying to create more of a callout than was actually issued, in order to gain more League points. Therefore, Callie Blue's score for this League season has been reset to zero.

As no one was injured, no further action will be taken.

OK, guys, we each of us have a BOB or two in our workrooms. That's par for the course. Whoever raided White, put them back before Computer gets harsh on us. Or, worse, Kalys.

Slightly less informally, any BOBherder caught using any more BOB resources for such wasteful purposes as Samurai Vikings will have resource allocations cut. This applies to ACTP members as well as normal crew.

BOBs are surprisingly simple, when you get into their guts. They are designed to be easy to manufacture, easy to repair, light on resources and mechanically speaking are really just a box on wheels powered by a few electric motors. The two major systems which are the most complicated are the interchangeable robotic arm that is fitted to the BOB to allow it to interact with the world, and the onboard computing system.

Arms range far and wide in function and complexity. The most common one is a general purpose grasping arm, which allows the BOB to pick up objects, hold tools, and access mechanical doors and panels. Also commonly seen are attachments with tools built in, extensible computer interfaces, and cutting torches.

The onboard computing system is also remarkably simple. A basic artificial intelligence, little more than a complex behavioural algorithm, guides the BOB in its mechanical functions. Complex processing like decision making, however, is handled elsewhere - this accounts for BOBs getting stranded when their communication with the ship is severed. Some BOB herders claim to have noticed groups of BOBs working together in a highly co-ordinated fashion uncharacteristic of their normal behaviour; this is usually put down to some higher-order processing taking place that links the units.

BOBs occasionally get names, painted lovingly or scratched triumphantly onto their chassis by herders who encounter them frequently and learn the idiosyncrasies of a unit's behavioural algorithm. Some herders even go as far as “tagging” units they've encountered before with a spot of paint, or leave a signature of some sort in a repair job, so over time BOBs tend to accumulate a bit of history and identity.