| Thatbalddude |
So Long story short I have been having an argument with my Co-GM. He believes UPB can synthesize metals and minerals, I believe they can't. There is evidence for both sides of this in the book. It states (to Once again quote the book)
"A universal polymer base, or UPB, is the basis for most technology in the Pact Worlds, the Veskarium, and many other systems. Each UPB is a tiny multifunction component, not much larger than a grain of rice, capable of being configured to act as a brace, capacitor, circuit, diode, fastener, insulator, lens, modulator, pipe, resistor, and dozens of other constituent parts. UPBs can even be spun out into fabric, broken down into component chemicals, reconstituted into new chemicals, or supplemented with base materials (such as dirt or sand) to form massive braces or walls. The right combination of hundreds or even thousands of UPBs can create everything from a comm unit to a laser weapon to powered armor. In their raw form, UPBs have a bulk of 1 per 1,000 UPBs, though when aligned and configured they can easily take up less bulk, and when configured for a specific purpose that calls for a minimum size and bracing (possibly combining them with inert materials), they can have a higher bulk."
Argument 1. I believe it is intended for UPB to be the be all and end all of Crafting, that is why it is described as being used for any number of parts including some what I believe are metallic parts such as "Circut, Diode, Capacitor" as well as parts involving silica for Glass in the lens example. it's even described as being able to form Chemicals through some unnamed process, Meaning that it is said to be able to synthesize nearly anything from a singular polymer Unit. taking UPB as described it is an unbelievably versatile material with few limitations, the ones in the passage
"supplemented with base materials (such as dirt or sand) to form massive braces or walls"
This passage implies that the Silicates and Minerals are being used not to react but as a filler material included to dilute the valuable UPB for larger projects.
Argument 2. The Book goes on to claim Gemstones as a Valuable trade commodity. Citing
"Gems are valued for their scarcity, their beauty, and, in some cases, their utility for some forms of magic rituals and technology. The value of a gemstone is determined by many factors, including size, rarity, clarity, cut, polish, and potential cultural influences. Gems considered of low quality are usually priced at 5–45 credits. Gems rated as semi precious are generally priced at 50–95 credits. Gems rated as precious are generally priced at 150–450 credits, and those rated as jewels are generally priced at 1,000–4,500 credits. Gems rated as grand jewels are priced no lower than 5,000 credits, and the rarest and most valued can be worth hundreds of thousands or even millions of credits.
"
This Confuses me because if I accept UPB as it is then These gems have little worth because as a manufactured Item there is no limit to the amount or quality of Gems available. This is a similar issue to Fine textiles as referenced in the same trade commodities table (233 CRB) which I won't Cite here to futile attempt to Shorten this Discussion. Thirdly the existence of UPB negates the Existence For Mineral excavation and refinement, Chemical Distillation and distribution. It makes things like Adamantine as common as any other metal because they can all be synthesized. thirdy in the Starship operations manual it States
"Although immense dreadnoughts represent the pinnacle of starship engineering in most starfarer's minds, the rare supercolossal spacecraft dwarf even those infamous ships. These titanic starships are of such extraordinary proportions that only the mightiest navies can afford to field one, and their hulls might represent the mineral wealth of entire moons. This section presents the new Supercolossal size category of starship and rules for creating and operating these leviathans."
This represents one of several instances in the core books that it is stated that Mineral excavation and refinement are an important part of the economy and infrastructure. Which simply would not be efficient with the advent of UPB. instead any investor would simply put their resources into more Upb Manufacturing facilities. UPB Utilization Facilities, research and development, and Cybersecurity, ECT. There is no place for anything besides UPB in a world Where UPB exists.
In conclusion, We want to settle this debate but neither want to give ground due to Personal Values and Personal Bias. We hope a larger discord on the issue will settle the debate.
Thank you for your time