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plotulus wrote:Howdy, I am wondering some stuff. I noticed that lots of humans were genetically engineered prior to 2098 to live longer among other details. Then I noticed that the average height of male humans in Rifts is 6'2''. Does that mean that the human survivors live 150+ years and are taller than humans in the late 2010s? If so that might explain why Erin Tarn is still alive and kicking ass despite being 80+ years old.

Mark Hall wrote:One idea I liked, mentioned in Guardians of the Flame series, is that a longer, healthy and useful life can be partially attributed to the presence of magical care, which heals you better than normal healing would. Your body still gets battered, sure, but magical (or psionic) healing not only fixes THAT, but it fixes sub-HP damage like small muscle tears, or abrasions to cartilage. If you can afford semi-regular magical or psionic healing (or are in a line of work which requires them), you're going to have better OVERALL health, because healing magic will fix things that you otherwise need nanomachines for.

Vincent Takeda wrote:I also like to think that as the japanese seniors did, volunteering to clean up the high radiation site in order to minimize the risk to younger countrymen, a retiree in failing health who has spent his entire life under the relative safety coalition protection might volunteer to spend his twilight years paying back the coalition by joining the borg troops when his body begins to fail him... Need an artificial heart? Why not go whole hog?

I'd like to think of full conversion borgs as a band of crusty old clint eastwoods gettin one last badass hurrah.

Colonel_Tetsuya wrote:I was off. 100-130 for CS citizens, 100-140 for Lazlo, 120-150 in the NGR, and up to 200 in the Republic of Japan. Its attributed to nanotech medicine and bio systems. Ranges from 45 to 90 in the sticks, depending access to medical care and exposure to alien weirdness.

Father Goose wrote:

Vincent Takeda wrote:I also like to think that as the japanese seniors did, volunteering to clean up the high radiation site in order to minimize the risk to younger countrymen, a retiree in failing health who has spent his entire life under the relative safety coalition protection might volunteer to spend his twilight years paying back the coalition by joining the borg troops when his body begins to fail him... Need an artificial heart? Why not go whole hog?

I'd like to think of full conversion borgs as a band of crusty old clint eastwoods gettin one last badass hurrah.

Have you read 'Old Man's War' by John Scalzi? Imagine applying that concept to Rifts.

Warshield73 wrote:

Father Goose wrote:

Vincent Takeda wrote:I also like to think that as the japanese seniors did, volunteering to clean up the high radiation site in order to minimize the risk to younger countrymen, a retiree in failing health who has spent his entire life under the relative safety coalition protection might volunteer to spend his twilight years paying back the coalition by joining the borg troops when his body begins to fail him... Need an artificial heart? Why not go whole hog?

I'd like to think of full conversion borgs as a band of crusty old clint eastwoods gettin one last badass hurrah.

Have you read 'Old Man's War' by John Scalzi? Imagine applying that concept to Rifts.

I've never read this but a friend of mine brought it up a few years ago. I actually thought about applying it to groups within the FWC in Phase World.

plotulus wrote:So if it's just the healthcare of the various Polities does that mean Humans in Rifts earth are just taller because of better Healthcare? Or is it due to something else?

Colonel_Tetsuya wrote:Life spans are covered in Lone Star. IIRC, very civilized places like the CS, NG, Free Quebec, and Lazlo have lifespans into the 80s and 90s (and even longer for upper-class citizens who can get Bio Systems to replace failing organs).

Also, the CS has some cutting edge gene therapy that will extend lifespans greatly, that is currently reserved for the Prosek Family and their close confidants (General Underhill is mentioned as having received it).

Places less civilized have lower life expectancies. Out in the boondocks, as low as 50ish, not accounting for lethal encounters.

I may be off on the numbers, but i know its mentioned in Lone Star.

kaid wrote:

Colonel_Tetsuya wrote:Life spans are covered in Lone Star. IIRC, very civilized places like the CS, NG, Free Quebec, and Lazlo have lifespans into the 80s and 90s (and even longer for upper-class citizens who can get Bio Systems to replace failing organs).

Also, the CS has some cutting edge gene therapy that will extend lifespans greatly, that is currently reserved for the Prosek Family and their close confidants (General Underhill is mentioned as having received it).

Places less civilized have lower life expectancies. Out in the boondocks, as low as 50ish, not accounting for lethal encounters.

I may be off on the numbers, but i know its mentioned in Lone Star.

I think also that most humans being descendants of golden age humans probably have a lot less problems with genetic diseases/issues. A lot of that would have been cleaned up prior to the rifts appearance so even without new CS updates to the process most probably still benefit from it to some extent. Most of the mortality rate on rifts earth is not death by old age but by disease/violence/accident/acts of rifts.
So baring being eaten by some random horrible monster or having random molten balls of lead fall on you from a leyline storm you could live to pretty old ages in good shape.

Colonel_Tetsuya wrote:

kaid wrote:

Colonel_Tetsuya wrote:Life spans are covered in Lone Star. IIRC, very civilized places like the CS, NG, Free Quebec, and Lazlo have lifespans into the 80s and 90s (and even longer for upper-class citizens who can get Bio Systems to replace failing organs).

Also, the CS has some cutting edge gene therapy that will extend lifespans greatly, that is currently reserved for the Prosek Family and their close confidants (General Underhill is mentioned as having received it).

Places less civilized have lower life expectancies. Out in the boondocks, as low as 50ish, not accounting for lethal encounters.

I may be off on the numbers, but i know its mentioned in Lone Star.

I think also that most humans being descendants of golden age humans probably have a lot less problems with genetic diseases/issues. A lot of that would have been cleaned up prior to the rifts appearance so even without new CS updates to the process most probably still benefit from it to some extent. Most of the mortality rate on rifts earth is not death by old age but by disease/violence/accident/acts of rifts.
So baring being eaten by some random horrible monster or having random molten balls of lead fall on you from a leyline storm you could live to pretty old ages in good shape.

Also a good point. A lot of the congenital isues and herditary diseases that kill us nowadays were probably removed from the general populace during the golden age, so average “i didnt catch a fatal external disease or a laser to the face” lifespan is probably still pretty high even in Rifts Earth.

Wise_Owl wrote:It's important to remember that Life Expectancy and Lifespan are two different things. The first is a mathematical average of the age at which everyone in a society dies. The Second is the age at which people who reach old age die in. While the later fluctuates HUGELY with social factors(Parts of Victorian England had Life Expectancies in the 20's) the later is a much harder number to budge.

Warshield73 wrote:

Colonel_Tetsuya wrote:I was off. 100-130 for CS citizens, 100-140 for Lazlo, 120-150 in the NGR, and up to 200 in the Republic of Japan. Its attributed to nanotech medicine and bio systems. Ranges from 45 to 90 in the sticks, depending access to medical care and exposure to alien weirdness.

Did these numbers through off any longtime players the way they did me? I have to admit I had life expectancies much lower than this back in the days of RMB.