Quick Vehicle Write-Up Rules

[Atgxtg]

[quote=rust;9130]Well, there is at least one reader waiting for that stuff ...

Edit.: I have used your system for some calculations for both real world vehicles
(e.g. the research submarine Alvin) and science fiction vehicles (e.g. a re-
search submarine I designed with GURPS Vehicles), and your system is doing
very well.
To give an example: Alvin has a safe depth of 4,500 m, which according to
your formula would require 32 AP. The real vehicle has a hull of 50 mm of ti-
tanium, which would give it an AP 27 on your table - quite close enough for
my purposes, especially since Alvin is a small vehicle with a pressure-resistant
form, which helps to absorb pressure and reduces the need for armor at least
somewhat. [quote]


I'd like to twwak the formula a bit for subs, but so far have had a hard time getting enough data points. I've only manage to get hull thickness for about 3 subs, including the one you just mentioned. It's possible that the formula is off by 4 or 5 points. I do know earlier formulas had the Swiftsure matching up with the AP rating for the "modern" sub in the book.


I'll see what else I can dredge up for hull thicknesses.


Thanks for the feedback. The more people try to do with this, the more info I'll have for adjustments. Ten peole can test these rules and find the weak spots fater than I can alone.

Originally Posted by rust

Your system did even better with my science fiction submarines, which have
more conventional forms, and I am now looking forward to using it with anti-
gravity vehicles and spaceships.

Way more that what I had expected. I'll keep my fingers crossed, but I suspect will futuristic spaceships you will probably have to assume that the have new materials that are stronger than what we use, and would have a + on the AP table.

I am working on a couple different ideas for spaceship rules. The simple one might be ready for viewing soon, but it uses a "spaceship scale" to keep numbers down in about the 3-18 range. It does have a scaling chart though, so a SIZ 95 spaceship would work out to a SIZ 9 in the starship scale. So far, it looks like it could work for normal vehicles too since BRP vehicle write ups are in the same scale as characters (a human is SIZ 3 on the starship scale).

[rust]

@ Atgxtg:

Thank you very much for the detailed answers !

I will raise the Hit Points for vehicles with futuristic materials somewhat to
give them the same number of Hit Points vehicles with conventional materials
do have.

Unfortunately I cannot write much about the Handling numbers. The vehicles
of my setting are almost all computer-operated, and I have not yet decided
how to determine the relevant skill levels of the "flight" computers used, and
how to give the characters an opportunity to use their own skills despite the
computer's "superiority".

I am eagerly looking forward to your new material.

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by rust

@ Atgxtg:

Thank you very much for the detailed answers !

Thanks for the detailed feedback. It helps me adjust the values. I built this on a couple of dozen examples so every new vehicles is another test case.

Originally Posted by rust

I will raise the Hit Points for vehicles with futuristic materials somewhat to
give them the same number of Hit Points vehicles with conventional materials
do have.

I'd suggest raising the vehicle hit point bonus by a flat amount, that way you will still have variance by type. For instance if standard subs are +100 hit points, and your want you future subs to have a bit more, give them +150 HP and use the SIZ chart.

Originally Posted by rust

Unfortunately I cannot write much about the Handling numbers. The vehicles
of my setting are almost all computer-operated, and I have not yet decided
how to determine the relevant skill levels of the "flight" computers used, and
how to give the characters an opportunity to use their own skills despite the
computer's "superiority".

A couple of us have thought about this earlier, for SPACE: 1999. What we came up with was something along the lines of the the old James Bond RPG where tech adds a bonus to the character skill chance rather than work on it's own. So a computer could give +10% or +20% to someone's math skill or some such for a problem. That way it is always the PC who solve the problem and not the stuff they brought along with them.

For something that can perform some task on it's own, we thought of using twice the bonus as the skill for something like an autopilot. So if a high tech computer assisted craft adds +20% to Handling, then it would have a skill of 40%.

That is just the idea that we came up with. Like all my mods it's nothing official, just an idea.

Originally Posted by rust

I am eagerly looking forward to your new material.

Okay, I got a "official reviewer" if I decide to go pro.

Hope my future work doesn't suck.

[rust]

I have just finished "translating" some civilian antigravity vehicles, with this
Skimmer a typical example:

Grav Skimmer Mk. I
This is the colony's standard skimmer, it can carry the pilot plus 5 passen-
gers or 1 ton of cargo, has a range of 3,000 km with a standard energy
cell, and is outfitted with a flight computer, inertial and satellite navigation
systems and a long-range communicator.
Weight 2,000 kg / SIZ 51
Hit Points 51 (built as "airship")
Hull 10 mm Aluminum / AP 13 (without the -10 for civilian vehicles)
Top Speed 200 km/h / MOV 170

As you see, the AP is somewhat high for a civilian vehicle, but this is very
welcome, as this skimmer has to be able to withstand ocean landings in a
rough sea.

The skill system I am currently working on has a root skill maximum of 60 %,
and I have decided that this is also the maximum performance of a flight
computer. Using your proposal, it would give either a skill bonus of + 30 %
or fly the craft itself at 60 % - which means that even an unexperienced
person should be able to fly the craft under routine conditions, while severe
weather conditions could be a problem even for an experienced pilot.

Of course, I cannot compare your numbers to any real vehicle in this case,
but they make sense and work well within the framework of my setting.

[rust]

I just "translated" two airships, one designed after Nobile's "Italia" and the
other after the modern "Stratellite", with your system.
In both cases the stats seem to fit perfectly, although the Handling is still
a problem (because it is done mostly by the flight computer), and I was
somewhat at a loss with the AP value (which I finally decided to put at 8,
because of the modern self-sealing materials of my setting).

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by rust

I just "translated" two airships, one designed after Nobile's "Italia" and the
other after the modern "Stratellite", with your system.
In both cases the stats seem to fit perfectly, although the Handling is still
a problem (because it is done mostly by the flight computer), and I was
somewhat at a loss with the AP value (which I finally decided to put at 8,
because of the modern self-sealing materials of my setting).

Glad it worked.

Some suggestions:

If it is an advanced setting, you might want to assume they have something better than aluminum and sneak up the AP a little. Perhaps they have crush on impact fenders that work like ablative armor (extra hit points).

Self sealing: Sounds to me like the ship can do First Aid on itself.

[rust]

Originally Posted by Atgxtg

Self sealing: Sounds to me like the ship can do First Aid on itself.

Yep, it does. The "gasbag material" has a thin middle layer of a gelatinous /
semi-liquid substance. When the "gasbag" is damaged, this material leaks
out and begins to harden in contact with oxygen. This is sufficient to "heal"
bullet holes or other very minor damage, but of course it is useless against
any serious damage.

Thank you for your suggestions !

[Atgxtg]

Originally Posted by rust

Yep, it does. The "gasbag material" has a thin middle layer of a gelatinous /
semi-liquid substance. When the "gasbag" is damaged, this material leaks
out and begins to harden in contact with oxygen. This is sufficient to "heal"
bullet holes or other very minor damage, but of course it is useless against
any serious damage.

Thank you for your suggestions !

I put something like that in the spaceship rules, where the ships get to heal like a character (1d3 hp).