Sheltered life for the colony of pacifists.

[UrbanBourbon]

I know that might sound outrageous but hear me out. 'Pacifist', in this case, is a relative term, since raider attacks cannot be prevented. Violence is inevitable in RimWorld. But as it stands, the colonists cannot put up much automated defences. I'm fascinated with the idea that all combat could be resolved outside the view of colonists... and that the mess created by the said combat could be cleaned automatically as well. Perhaps we need cleaner robots on top of more resilient automated defences? A robot would not be demoralized by the sight of a field of mutilated corpses.


Can you imagine it? It's almost like a setup from Fallout.


A vault full of civilized and enlightened people, living their lives in the modern and brightly lit underground shelter. Smooth jazz plays through the hallway loudspeakers, occasionally interrupted by various pleasant announcements. The vault's inhabitants are care-free and happy. Their days consist mostly of socializing, occasionally tending to the crops. Indeed they have to do gardening a lot, since they're all vegetarians. These people are researchers and psychologists. Professional chefs and artists. Engineers and craftsmen. They all loathe violence. It churns their stomach. Firearms are banned in this settlement. They're aware of the outside dangers - The bandits, or the desperate souls who just seek food or shelter, but they've chosen to resort to violence in order to have it.

Every now and then a random solitary traveler might pass through the vault territory, oblivious to the surveillance drones and cameras, hidden all over the rocky mountainous environment, filled with tiny nooks and crannies, perfect for concealed surveillance equipment. Trespassers will not be shot. Trespassers will be watched. If a trespasser looks promising, he or she should be... detained. Conversion and assimilation should be attempted. "We can talk about this", some say. "We WILL talk about this", is what a good overseer says. Seemingly worthy additions to the colony should be captured and... persuated... into joining. One can learn a lot from a random passer-by just by observing them. You watch how they walk, how they look around. You identify their gear. Those are the first stages. Then you send a drone after them. At first you try to stay hidden. Observe when the candidate seemingly notices the drone. Once the drone is spotted by the candidate, you observe their behavior. Is there imminent aggression, or is there avoidance or counter-observation? Does the candidate attempt to communicate? Does the candidate show signs of intelligence or cooperation? Will the candidate attempt to ignore the drone and move along? The more cautious, peaceful, communicative and intelligent the subject seems, the harder you should try to detain them and have them join your settlement. It is up to your discretion what to do if the subject shows aggression towards the drone. After all, the subject cannot know who or what is controlling the drone, or if the drone is even controlled by any human. Nevertheless, even in the case of aggression, the subject may have recently gone through a traumatic event, and underneath the hostile initial behaviour, might very well reside a kind person, full of productivity potential. You should always do your best to find out the truth, because when it comes to humans, first impressions can be so very deceiving. A doctor can be a passive sociopath just as well as a deranged killer can be a victim of a recent tragedy, driven temporarily insane by his or her loss.

Speaking of losses, the greatest loss happens when a human lets go of his humanity and permanently succumbs to animalistic anti-social behavior. Out here we simply refer to these people as raiders. They cannot be talked to, since they won't listen. They only understand various applications of force. Defensive measures are necessary, and among your first tasks as an overseer, you should assign your engineers and aspiring inventors to come up with technological solutions to isolate your colonists from these barbarians, permanently. Thick walls, doors and strong passcodes, are among the passive methods. Active methods should involve firearm platforms (both stationary and mobile), electrified doors or floors, and entrance chambers with special ventilation shafts, to deliver various gasseous agents into these chambers, to neutralize any persistent intruding forces. I'll leave it up to you to decide whether they should be lethal or non-lethal gasses. At any rate, it is mandatory that you do not expose your colonists to violence. Even a single colonist going through PTSD can be catastrophic for the entire colony. To know about death occurring is one thing. To see footage of it, or to witness it first-hand, are entirely different things, not to mention forcing a non-violent person to commit acts of brutal violence against his or her own will. The mental health professionals in your team are therefore invaluable, and your priority should be to have all the other colonists protect them, and not the other way around, even if the aptitude test results show that your therapist is more suited for active defensive tasks and high-stress situations.

[TimMartland]

...electrified doors or floors, and entrance chambers with special ventilation shafts, to deliver various gasseous agents into these chambers, to neutralize any persistent intruding forces...

Im not sure what this post was exactly about, but electrified traps? Yes, yes and yes!