Organic hulls... I see three ways they could exist

[Cralis]

I'm a passenger on a road trip today, so I've been reading news and stuff on my phone. I read this article: http://www.popsci.com/bae-wants-to-grow ... -on-demand

And it reminded me of one of the methods of organic hull that I've thought about. Organic hulls (and technologies) are one of those things I've thought about doing someday.

1. Organic materials grown or 3D printed into otherwise recognizeable technologies and hulls from the standard tech tree. Obviously this is going to be the way inorganic hulls and techs will be done. The difference being that perhaps organic hulls and techs will require different resources and perhaps pick up organic traits like self-repairing, photosynthetic energy production, etc.

But honestly speaking, this type and standard inorganic hulls and technologies would probably just be treated the same in the rules.

2. Organic creatures as vessels. These are creatures that maybe have some inherent tech-like abilities, but also have technologies installed into them like inorganic hulls.

3. Organic creatures. This was the one that really fascinated me. Instead of technological advancement, I considered a tree of evolution instead. Systems would be like organs in the creature and off-spring could advance the evolution of better abilities with chances of new evolutionary offshoots. Brings a whole new meaning to Trees and Branches!

So what do ya'll think? Can anyone think of other possibilities? Other ideas related the above? Or do you just hate the idea altogether?

[Dawn Falcon]

There's also;

Hulls which are grown organically, but the base materials from the growth are not themselves alive (think coral deposition, just with metals - some bacteria can do this on a small scale). There would still be living portions of the vessel...

But I think we already have this sort of thing with crystal hulls.

[Cralis]

That's actually what I was trying to say with "that's how inorganic hulls are tech (grown) this way are done" in direct reference to a biological based equivalent to what the article is about. Sorry for not being clear.

Either way, I think lumping 3D printing, growing, chemical or nano assembling methods for inorganic and semi-living and non-living organic hulls/techs can all be treated the same under the rules. Where we get the complexities are (I think) when we grow a living design or when the unit is an actual creature (treated as a whole, perhaps, rather than a sum assembly of parts as ships are in Starfire now.

[Cralis]

This has previously been a hot topic. I'm surprised there isn't more conversation about it...