Pyramid. Alternate GURPS

36 Pages·2011·2.927 MB·English

by  Steve Jackson

Stock #37-2634
C
ONTENTS
Neverinterruptsomeonedoingwhat
yousaidcouldn’tbedone.
–AmeliaEarhart
FROM THE EDITOR . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
ALTERNATE SPACESHIPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
I T
byDavidL.Pulver
N HIS
A NEW TAKE ON GRAPPLING . . . . . . . . . . 11
byKenClary
I
WHEN WE WERE VERY SMALL . . . . . . . . 19 SSUE
byMarkGellis
EIDETIC MEMORY: EXTREME DAMAGE . . . 24
Watchout:ThecuttingedgeofGURPSissharp!Thismonth
byDavidL.Pulver
isdedicatedtonovelnotionsandmajormanipulationsforthe
TEN TWEAKS TO CUSTOMIZE COMBAT. . . . 26 greatestgenericuniversalroleplayingsystemofalltime!
Docking first is Alternate Spaceships, a look at significant
byTBone
modificationstotheGURPS Spaceshipssystem–writtenby
A DECK OF DICE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 thatseries’mastermind,DavidL.Pulver.Harnessthepowerof
byStevenMarsh coretweaks,newsystems,variantdesignfeatures,andmore.
ANewTakeonGrapplingoffersaradicalrevisionthatseeks
ARMOR REVISITED. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 tounifyandexpandthegrapplingsystemfromtheBasicSet
byDouglasH.Cole andGURPS Martial Arts.Forthosetimeswhenonlyhands-
onheroicswillsuffice,givetheserulesatry!
RANDOM THOUGHT TABLE: I NEVER Watchyourstep!WhenWeWereVerySmallprovidesalittle
META-RULE I DIDN’T LIKE. . . . . . . . . 33 tweaktothecorerulesthatpermitbettergradationandvaria-
byStevenMarsh,PyramidEditor tiononthesmallersideoftheGURPSscale.Itincludesadvice
forplayinganimalsandothersofundersizedstature,plussize
ODDS AND ENDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 andstrengthguidelinesforover100tinytroublemakers.
featuringMurphy’sRules Who can forget David Pulver’s monthly Eidetic Memory
offering?Notus!ThismonthhelooksatExtremeDamage,an
ABOUT GURPS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
examinationofthehigherendofthescale.Ifyouwantedtosee
how one of the principle architects of the GURPS Fourth
Edition can shake up fundamental assumptions of size, HP,
explosions,andmore,looknofurther!
Longtime GURPS tinkerer T Bone offers Ten Tweaks to
Article Colors
CustomizeCombat,abunchofbite-sizedmodsthatcanbring
anewsparktocombat.
Each article is color-coded to help you find your
Whoneedssix-siders?ADeckofDiceoffersaradicalrevi-
favoritesections.
sion of a beloved basic concept – and what possibilities it
PaleBlue:InThisIssue opens.Dealwithit!
Brown:InEveryIssue(letters,humor,editorial,etc.) Forthosewhoarelookingformorevariabilityandoptions
onthedefensiveside,ArmorRevisiteddescribesanumberof
DarkBlue:GURPSFeatures
newpossibilities.Staysafe!
Purple:SystemlessFeatures
Pyramid Editor Steven Marsh uses this month’s Random
Green:DistinguishedColumnists Thought Table to suggest methods for introducing new rules
andtweakswithoutwreckingtheworld,whileOddsandEnds
COVER ART INTERIOR ART featurestheusualgoodieswecouldn’tfitelsewhere–includ-
JeffKoke GregHyland
ingagroovyGURPSinstallmentofMurphy’sRules.
Don’t settle for great. With this month’s GURPS, you’ll
unleashnewideasandpossibilitiestotakeyourgamefurther!
Editor-in-Chief!STEVEJACKSON GURPSLineEditor!SEANPUNCH PageDesign!PHILREEDand
ChiefOperatingOfficer!PHILIPREED EditorialAssistant!JASON“PK”LEVINE JUSTINDEWITT
ArtDirector!SAMUELMITSCHKE ProductionArtist!NIKOLAVRTIS MarketingDirector!PAULCHAPMAN
e23Manager!STEVENMARSH PrepressChecker!MONICASTEPHENS DirectorofSales!ROSSJEPSON
P M 2 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
F
ROM THE
E
DITOR
T W system,etc.ThefactthatTacticalShootingexistsinthesame
HAT AS THE
ecosphereasUltra-Litemakesmegiggly.
TWEAK THAT WAS Thisissue,then,isdedicatedtotheinveteratetinkerers.We
lookatsomeofthecoreassumptionsofthegame(andsome
Not too long ago, there was a meme floating around that subsystems),andweseehowwecanshakethemup.Someof
informed the world, “You’re playing Monopoly wrong!” (The thetweaksareminor(sometriviallyso),whileothersarecom-
premisewasthatmany–perhapsmost–peoplefailtoauction pleteoverhauls.
propertieswhentheyaren’tpurchasedbysomeonelandingon Even if you use none of these ideas as-is, hopefully they
them.IwaspleasedtonotethatIhadbeenplayingcorrectly, inspire you to pop the hood, roll up your sleeves, get your
onthoserareoccasionswhenIplayedMonopoly.) handsdirty,andseehowyoucanmakeGURPSwhatyouwant
Theundercurrentoftheanecdotewasthat,bynotplaying ittobe.That’swhatit’sfor!
with all the rules, you’re not playing the game right. For a
gamelikeMonopoly,thatmakessense.
W H , W N
However, that’s impossible with a game like GURPS. To RITE ERE RITE OW
me, the beauty of GURPS has always been in its modular
Speakingofgettingyourhandsdirty,whynotdipthequill
nature. Many of those pieces are inherently contradictory;
in the virtual ink and send us a note? We’re open for public
usingabatchofrulestomakecombatmoreandlessdeadlyat
discussiononlineatforums.sjgames.com,andthetippy-top
thesametimewouldbe...odd.However,thismakesitcon-
secret ultra-private mailbox to reach us virtually is at
ceivabletotailorGURPStobeexactlythekindofgameyou
[email protected]!
want: a cinematic romp, a realistic simulation, a quick-play
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P M 3 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
A
LTERNATE
S
PACESHIPS
D L. P
BY AVID ULVER
GURPS Spaceships and its supplements (especially assumptions are overturned. This article offers several vari-
GURPS Spaceships 7: Divergent and Paranormal Tech) ant rules that let you build ground vehicles, aircraft, water-
provideacomprehensivesystemforspacecraftdesign...but craft, and even buildings with the system, as well as new
it can be used for a lot more than that if some of its core waystocreateandmodifyspacecraft.
D R
ESIGN ULES
Ifthesevariantwaystodesignspacecraftandothervehicles Armorsystemsthatareice,organic,etherwood,orwooden
are used, they may change the statistics of any existing craft arenotappreciablydenserthanothersystemsandsoarenot
builtwiththesystem. countedasarmorsystemsforthisrule.
A V Armor and Size Table
RMOR AND OLUME
NumberofArmorSystems dDR TargetSM
GURPS Spaceshipsisamass-basedsystem.Forthemost
4orless ¥1 0
part, it makes the assumption that mass and volume are
5-6 ¥1.2 0
roughlyequivalent,soamoremassiveshipisalsolarger.That’s
7 ¥1.3 0
trueformanydesigns,but,realistically,somesystemswillbe
8-9 ¥1.4 0
less dense than others. In particular, a ship built mainly of
10 ¥1.5 0
armorsystemswillhaveasmallervolumethanonethatiscon-
11 ¥1.6 0
structedofothersystemssuchascargo,weaponsbatteries,or
12-13 ¥1.8 -1
engines. This is normally not enough to actually reduce the
14 ¥2 -1
SM,butisenoughtoreducethesurfaceareathatthisarmoris
15 ¥2.3 -1
spreadover,andhenceincreaseoverallDR.
16 ¥2.6 -1
If this rule is used, the dDR provided by a vessel’s Armor
17 ¥3 -1
systemswillincreaseifatleastfivesystems(25%ofitsmass)
18+ ¥3.6 -2
is devoted to sufficiently-dense armor. Total the number of
armorsystemsandcomparethemtotheArmorandSizeTable Example:AnunstreamlinedSM+6crafthasonediamondoid
(below). armorandthreenanocompositearmorsystemsinitsfronthull
dDRisthemultipletothedDRofallarmorsystems(round (total dDR 45), three nanocomposite armor in its central hull
fractionsdown). (dDR30),andtwonanocompositearmorinitsrearhull(dDR
TargetSMistheadjustmenttothevessel’sSM,whenrolling 20).Asithasatotalofninearmorsystems,theirdDRismulti-
todetectorattackit.(Sincemassisunchanged,theSMchange plied by 1.4: its front hull increases to dDR 63, central hull to
doesnototherwiseaffectcapabilities.) dDR42,andrearhulltodDR28.SMisnotaffected.
The Defiant itself took considerable fire, but its shields held – and when they fell, the
ship also had ablative armor, which would enable them to last even longer in a fight.
– Keith R.A. DeCandido, “A Gutted World,” Star Trek: Myriad Universes #2
P M 4 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
N S
EW YSTEMS
TheseareadditionalGURPSSpaceshipssystemsthatcan InternalCombustionEngine(ICE)(TL6):Thisisagasoline
beinstalled. or diesel engine. It provides one Power Point per system.
Internalfuelprovidessixhours(TL6),eighthours(TL7),or10
C P hours (TL8+) of operation. Additionally, each Fuel Tank of
OMBUSTION OWER
hydrocarbonfuelconsumedbytheengineletsitoperateforsix
P (TL6) [A ] timesthatduration.
LANT NY
GasTurbineEngine(TL7):Ahigh-performancecombustion
These power plants burn fuel and air to generate power. power plant derived from jet engine technology. It provides
Theyaremostusefulforcreatinggroundorwatervehicles,as two Power Points per system. Internal fuel provides three
they won’t function in space (or in any environment lacking hours (TL7) or four hours (TL8) of operation. Additionally,
atmospheric oxygen). They only function underwater if the eachFuelTankofhydrocarbonfuelconsumedletsitoperate
vesseliscruisingjustbeneaththesurfaceandequippedwitha forsixtimesthatduration.
snorkel(TL7;+$10pertonofvesselmass).
Hydrocarbonfuelisapproximately$2,000perton.
Combustion Engine Table
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
Workspaces 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 30 100 300
Cost($) 3K 10K 30K 100K 300K 1M 3M 10M 30M 100M 300M 1B
RepairSkill:Mechanic(InternalCombustionEngineorGasTurbine).
UsethelistedcostforICE;doublecostforgasturbines.
Ground Performance
It’spossibletousethedesignsystemtocreatevan-size Move:Refertothetablesundertheappropriatesystem
orlargergroundvehicles.GURPSSpaceships4:Fighters, entriestogetgroundMove.
Carriers, and Mecha introduced rules for leg-equipped GroundHnd/SR:ThisdependsonSM.Thefirstnumber
walking vehicles. Craft with the flexibody, tracked or on the table is Handling; the second is Stability Rating.
wheeleddrivetrainsystemscoveredinthisarticlealsohave Apply a -1 modifier to Handling if a Tracked or Wheeled
agroundMoveandSpeed,aswellasagroundHnd/SR. craftisWinged.
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
Tracked -3/5 -3/5 -3/6 -4/6 -4/6 -4/6 -5/6 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Wheeled -1/4 -1/5 -1/5 -2/6 -2/6 -3/6 -3/6 N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A
Flexibody 0/4 0/4 -1/5 -1/5 -1/5 -2/5 -2/5 -2/5 -3/5 -3/5 -3/5 -3/5
F D high-energy system, only one Power Point is required regard-
LEXIBODY RIVETRAIN
lessofthenumberofsystems.UptothreePowerPointscanbe
(TL9) [SPECIAL!] used, with greater power increasing speed and acceleration.
The table shows the resultant Move depending on Power
Thissystemisasetofmotorsandpoweredbodysegments Points:Thisisgroundacceleration/topspeedandwateraccel-
thatallowthevehicletoflexitsbodyandslitherlikeawormor eration/topspeedinyardspersecond.
snake,orswimthroughwater.
A flexibody has the same cross-country travel speed as a
Move Move
leggedvehicle(asdetailedintheBasicSetvehiclerules),but
PowerPoints (Ground) (WaterorUnderwater)
can squirm through narrow tunnels, burrow through soft
1 1/4 1/2
soil, or swim in or underwater. It can easily change facing.
2 2/8 2/4
This effectively doubles the normal arc of fire of any fixed
3 3/12 3/6
mountweapons.
Three flexibody drivetrain systems must be installed, one If a flexibody has the nautical lines option (GURPS
perhullsection,justlikeaSpinalBattery.Despitethisbeinga Spaceships7,p.21),doublewaterandunderwaterspeed.
P M 5 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
Thesystemisnotconsidereddestroyeduntilallthreeofits Flexibody drivetrains are available for all sizes of vehicle,
parts are disabled; disabling one part reduces the number of since it wouldn’t be much fun if giant robotic sand worms
PowerPointsthatcanbeappliedtomovementbyone. capable of devouring entire starships were not possible.
RealisticdesignsmaybelimitedtoSM+10orless,however.
Flexibody Drivetrain Table
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
Workspaces 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 30 100 300
Cost($) 30K 100K 300K 1M 3M 10M 30M 100M 300M 1B 3B 10B
RepairSkill:Mechanic(Flexibody).
S P screwpropellersystemcanbeallocated.Morepowerincreases
CREW ROPELLER
speedandaccelerationasdetailedbelow.
(TL6) [REAR HULL!] Screwpropellersystemsaremostefficientwhencombined
with the nautical lines feature (see GURPS Spaceships 7,
Thesearescrewpropellers(orductedpropellers)plusasso- p.21).
ciated gearing or electric motors for surface or underwater A vessel with a screw propeller can operate in or under
propulsion.Theymustbeplacedintherearhull.Nomorethan water. For simplicity, assume that Handling and Stability
twoscrewpropellersystemsmaybeinstalled.Despitebeinga RatinginorunderwateristhebaseHnd/SRshownontheHull
high-energy system, only one Power Point is required regard- SizeTable(GURPSSpaceships,p.9)ignoringallothermodi-
lessofthenumberofsystems,butuptotwoPowerPointsper fiers(includingTL).
Screw Propeller Table
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
Workspaces 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 10 30 100 300
Cost($) 2K 6K 20K 60K 200K 600K 2M 6M 20M 60M 200M 600M
RepairSkill:Mechanic(ScrewPropeller).
Surface Water Movement availableforscrewpropellerpropulsionandthevehicle’sSM,
asshowninthetablebelow.
A vessel’s Acceleration is equal to the half the number of
Thetableassumesthatthevehiclehasthenauticallinesfea-
Power Points (e.g., four Power Points give Acceleration 2).
ture.Ifithasonlyordinarystreamlining,multiplyspeedby0.8.
TopSpeedinyardsperseconddependsonthePowerPoints
If it has no streamlining, multiply speed by 0.5. Round frac-
tionsdown.
Top Surface Water Speed
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
1Power 15 15 14 12 12 13 15 16 17 19 21 23
2Power 20 19 17 15 15 16 17 18 20 21 24 26
3Power 25 24 20 17 16 17 18 20 22 24 26 28
4Power 30 26 22 20 20 20 21 22 23 25 26 30
Underwater Movement AccelerationisequaltohalfthePowerPoints;underwater
TopSpeeddependsonSMandPowerPointsasshowninthe
Avesselwithscrewpropellerscanalsooperateunderwater,
tablebelow.
providedithaseithercontragravityliftersorsubmarineballast
Thetableassumesthatthevehiclehaseithernauticallines
tanks(p.7)andanycrewandoccupantscanstillbreath(that
orordinarystreamlining.Ifitisunstreamlined,multiplyspeed
is,thevesseldoesnothaveNBCFilterOnlyorNoLifeSupport;
by0.5(roundfractionsdown).
seepp.8-9).
Top Underwater Speed
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
1Power 8 9 10 11 13 15 17 19 22 25 28 32
2Power 10 11 13 15 17 19 22 25 28 32 36 40
3Power 11 13 15 17 19 22 25 28 32 36 40 45
4Power 13 15 17 19 22 25 28 32 36 40 45 50
P M 6 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
S B pumpstorapidlytakeinordumpwaterballast.Thiswillgiveit
UBMARINE ALLAST
positivebuoyancy(torisetothesurface),neutralbuoyancy(to
TANKS (TL6) [ANY] swimunderwater),ornegativebuoyancy(todive).Afilledbal-
lasttankmayalsobeusedasafilledFuelTankofthesameSM.
Vesselsintendedtooperateunderwatermayinstallfloodable OnlyoneSubmarineBallastTankneedbeinstalledonavessel
tanks spaced through the vessel along with high-performance toletitoperateasasubmarine.
Submarine Ballast Tank Table
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10 +11 +12 +13 +14 +15
Cost($) 4K 12K 40K 120K 400K 1.2M 4M 12M 40M 120M 400M 1.2B
RepairSkill:Mechanic(VehicleType).
Depth
Thisismaximumdepthavesselcandivewithoutbeing dDRisthedecade-scaledamageresistance.
crushed by pressure. It’s useful for submarines, but can Listhehulllengthinfeet.
also be important for spaceships landing in hostile high- For alien liquids, multiply the crush depth by (world’s
pressure environments like Venus or flying in a gas giant gravity in G ¥ density of liquid relative to water). For
atmosphere. atmospheric operations (e.g., in a gas giant), a pressure
The standard crush depth assumes a terrestrial ocean measured in atmospheres rather than depth is useful.
andaninternalatmosphericpressureof1atmosphere. Dividecrushdepthby33togetpressureinatmospheres.
Forexample,avehiclethatcansurvive1,000feetofwater
Crushdepth(inyards)=dDR¥150/L.
cansurvive30atmospherespressure.
T D drivetraincanbeused,withgreaterpowerincreasingtracked
RACKED RIVETRAIN
speed and acceleration. Ground Move (Acceleration/Top
(TL6) [HULL!] Speed, in yards/second) depends on the number of Power
Pointsallocatedasshownonthetablebelow.
Thissystemisasetoftank-likecaterpillartracksandrun-
ninggearalongwithasuspensionandpowertrain,intended PowerPoints Move PowerPoints Move
for ground mobility. Tracks are excellent for clambering over 1 1/10 4 4/40
roughterrain,butareslowerthanwheelsonroads.Oneortwo 2 2/20 5 5/50
trackeddrivetrainsystemscanbeinstalled;twosystemsrepre- 3 3/30 6 6/55
sentamorepowerfuldrivetrain.
Regardlessofwhetherthereareoneortwodrivetrains,the Tracked drivetrains are only available for vehicles of SM
crafthasonepairoftracks,orpossiblyfourtracksifSM+7 +10orsmaller.Theymustgointhecentralhull.Addtoloca-
orlarger. tionsthenote“2C”(optionally4CifSM+7ormore).
OnlyonePowerPointisneeded,eveniftherearetwodri-
vetrains! However, as many as three Power Points per
Tracked Drivetrain Table
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10
Workspaces 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Cost($) 15K 50K 150K 500K 1.5M 5M 15M
RepairSkill:Mechanic(Tracked).
W D Although a high-energy system, only one Power Point is
HEELED RIVETRAIN
requiredregardlessofthenumberofwheelsystemsinstalled.
(TL5) [HULL!] However, up to three Power Points can be allocated per dri-
vetrain system, with greater power increasing speed and
Thissystemisasetofmultiplepoweredwheelsalongwith acceleration.
a suspension and transmission or electric motor. It lets the Thevehicle’sgroundMovedependsonthenumberofallo-
craftmoveontheground.Oneortwowheeleddrivetrainsys- cated Power Points and the vehicle’s streamlining, as shown
temscanbeinstalled;twosystemsrepresentamorepowerful below. Move is the vehicle’s ground acceleration/top speed in
drivetrain. yardspersecond;doublethemtogetafigureinmph.
P M 7 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
PowerPoints Unstreamlinedor Streamlined Wheeled drivetrains are normally road-bound (p. B463);
NauticalLines addan*totheirspeed.Toremovethislimitation,allwheeled
1 2/28 2/42 drivetrainsonavehiclemayoptionallyhaveanoff-roaddesign
2 4/35 4/52 feature, representing a system with bigger tires, heavier sus-
3 6/40 6/60 pensions,andall-wheeldrive.Thesereducetopspeed(thesec-
4 6/44 8/66 ondnumber)by5(e.g.,astreamlinedvehiclewithonePower
5 10/48 10/72 Pointis2/37)duetoincreasedfriction.
6 12/50 12/75 Wheeled drivetrains are only available for vehicles of SM
+10orsmaller.AvehiclewiththissystemaddstheWnotation
tolocation:either4W,6W,or8W(asdesired).
Wheeled Drivetrain Table
SM +4 +5 +6 +7 +8 +9 +10
Workspaces 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
Cost($) 3K 10K 30K 100K 300K 1M 3M
Doublecostforoff-roaddrivetrains.
RepairSkill:Mechanic(Wheeled).
The crew of Discovery One consists of five men and one of the
latest generation of the HAL-9000 computers. Three of the five men
were put aboard asleep, or to be more precise, a state of hibernation.
– Interviewer, 2001: A Space Odyssey
V D F
ARIANT ESIGN EATURES
Theseareadditionalnonsystemoptionsthatcanbeadded separation between a radiation-spitting drive and the crew
tovessels. habitat, and also provide room for hull radiators. Doubling
length is reasonable for any unstreamlined craft using the
Armor by Facing Exposed Radiators option (GURPS Spaceships, p. 31), espe-
cially if thrust is under 0.1G. A good fictional example is the
Land and watercraft often have much more complex
Discoveryin2001:ASpaceOdyssey.
armor schemes than spacecraft. To satisfy this, consider
ignoring the rule that Armor systems only protect the sub-
NBC Filters Only, No Life Support
assemblythey’replacedin.Instead,locationofanarmorsys-
tem is irrelevant. Just add the dDR of all subassemblies Acraftbuilttooperateinabreathableatmospherecanomit
together,multiplyby2,anddividethatdDRasdesiredamong oxygenproductionequipment.Therearetwovariationsonthis.
six facings: Front (F), Right (R), Left (L), Back (B), Top (T),
NBCFiltersOnly(TL7):Anuclear-biological-chemicalover-
and Underside (U). (Assume that underside armor also pro-
pressure system that removes airborne fallout and toxins but
tectsanytracks,legs,orwheels.)
won’tprovidebreathableairifnoneexists.Thisistypicaloffil-
Thisoptionisnotrecommendedforspacecraft,asthespace
trationsystemsontanksorsurfacewarships.Theextraspace
combatrulesarebuiltaroundmaneuversandarcsoffirethat
meansithas1.5¥asmanycabinequivalentsinHabitatsor1.5
makeuseoffront,central,andrearhulldivisions.
¥ as many seats in Passenger Seating (round up). It’s still
sealed,butremovethe“V”notationforoccupancy.
Hull Length
NoLifeSupport:Thesystemhasnooxygengenerationorfil-
Thehulllengthguidelinesrecommendstreamlinedvessels trationcapabilityatall!It’snolongersealed.OmittheVandS
be twice as long as listed on the Hull Size Table (GURPS occupancy notations in the statistic block. The extra room
Spaceships, p. 9). Realistically, many unstreamlined space- fromremovinglifesupportallowstwiceasmanycabinequiv-
shipswillalsobethatlong.Manyspeculativenuclearoranti- alents in Habitats or twice as many passenger seats in
matter-powered spacecraft tend to be extremely skinny for PassengerSeatingtobecarried.Cabinsstillhaveaircondition-
theirmass(doublingtheirlength),mainlytoensuremaximum ing,lights,plumbing,etc.
P M 8 A 2011
YRAMID AGAZINE UGUST
Minifacs, teleport projectors, or hibernationsystems don’t multiply-hardened armor. Otherwise, ships will whiff out of
benefit much from the extra space that reducing life support existencetooeasily!
makesavailable.Torepresentthis,increasethenumberofcab-
insthesespecializedroomsareexchangedforby1.5¥(ifNBC Beam Damage Table
FiltersOnly)or2¥(ifNoLifeSupport).Thus,ifavesselhas
Output dDam2 dDam1
No Life Support (doubling the number of cabins that fit in
3kJ 1d-3 1d-5
eachHabitat),eachminifacinstalledwouldbeexchangedfor
10kJ 1d-2 1d-4
twocabinsinsteadoftheusualone.Similarly,whenreplacing
30kJ 1d 1d-2
cabins with cargo, each unused cabin only provides either
100kJ 2d 1d
three tons (NBC Filters Only) or 2.5 tons cargo (No Life
300kJ 3d 1d+2
Support)ratherthantheusualfivetons.
1MJ 6d 3d
Both of these options are incompatible with Total Life
3MJ 10d 5d
Support.However,eithercanstillbecombinedwiththeuseof
10MJ 2d¥10 9d+2
OpenSpacesystemstogrowfood.
30MJ 8d¥4 8d¥2
Notethattheseoptionscanbeconsideredageneralization
100MJ 6d¥10 6d¥5
ofmagicallifesupport(GURPSSpaceships7,p.9).
300MJ 5d¥20 5d¥10
1GJ 6d¥30 6d¥15
The Square Root of Destruction
3GJ 8d¥40 8d¥20
In GURPS Spaceships, the assumption underlying the 10GJ 6d¥100 6d¥50
beam weapon damage is that it scales with the cube root of 30GJ 5d¥2,000 5d¥100
inputenergy.Thishastheadvantageofensuringthatdamage 100GJ 9d¥200 9d¥100
ofmoremassiveweaponsincreasesatthesameratioasHPof 300GJ 8d¥400 8d¥200
more massive ships. It also reflects a reasonable assumption 1TJ 6d¥1,000 6d¥500
onefficiencyofbeamsvs.othertypesofattacks. 3TJ 5d¥2,000 5d¥1,000
However,there’sanotherpossibility.InGURPS,explosion 10TJ 9d¥2,000 9d¥1,000
effects and damage from kinetic energy projectiles like bul- 30TJ 8d¥4,000 8d¥2,000
lets are normally scaled to the square root of energy. It’s not 100TJ 6d¥10,000 6d¥5,000
unreasonable to assume an energy beam or pulse might 300TJ 5d¥20,000 5d¥10,000
behavelikeanexplosion.So,whatifspaceshipbeamweapon 1PJ 9d¥20,000 9d¥10,000
damagestartedoutatavaluesimilartotheexistingnumbers, 3PJ 8d¥40,000 8d¥20,000
but increased at the same progression rate as either bullets
Rangesareunchangedfromtheoriginaltable.
orexplosions?
The primary effect would be to make more powerful
Torpedo Tubes and Torpedoes
weaponslikegigawattorterawattbeamsdoalotmoredam-
age. Cruiser and battleship-sized batteries could emit awe- Anylaunchersmaybedesignatedastorpedotubestofirepro-
some energy barrages that burn through nearly anything, jectiles underwater. Torpedo tubes holds only 80% of normal
levelingcitieswithafewsweepsoftheirbeams(especiallyif shots(roundup)butcanfirebothtorpedoesandmissiles(the
the cosmic option is added). This may better fit cinematic latterriseoutofwatertohitsurface,air,orspacetargets).
campaigns and science-fiction sources. It also ensures that Torpedoeshavethesamewarhead,cost,etc.asmissilesbut
powerful beam weapons are the equal to high-velocity mis- operate underwater. Typical TL8+ torpedo are Acc (TL-5),
silesintheirsheerdestructiveness. guidedorsonarhoming,withMove25andarangeof(1,000¥
Ifthisoptionisused,it’sagoodideatopairitwithadesign diameter)yards.TL7torpedoesareAcc2withhalfthatrange
switchthatincreasesarmorprotection,likeArmorandVolume and Move 25. TL6 torpedoes are unguided, Move 20, Acc 1,
(p.4),oruseitinconjunctionwithupgradedforcescreensor witharangeof(100¥diameter)yards.
B
UILDINGS
But unlike the bulky starships, the
Wantasecretheadquartersforyourteamofsupers,mon-
torpedoes were too many and too fast.
ster hunters, or mercenaries? The GURPS Spaceships rules
Sleek and unencumbered by their can be pressed into service as a quick way to create cus-
tomized,wellequippedbuildings.Designabuildingmuchlike
mass, they locked onto their target anunstreamlinedhullwithwhateversystemsandfeaturesare
desired,butwiththesespecialrules.
and the guidance computers in the
VerticalDesign:Whileusingfront,rear,andcentralsections
torpedoes made sure that they stayed
isreasonableforsomebuildings,abuildingcanalternatively
on track. beclassedasaverticaldesign,itsthreesectionsinsteadbeing
categorizedaslower,middle,andupperfloors.Ifso,thebuild-
– Ralph A. Gilson,
ing’s length is actually its height. In large vertical buildings
The Hexan Protocol (skyscrapers, towers, etc.), these represent multiple stories.
Attackersmaychoosetotargetanyparticularsection.
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Basement:Averticaldesignbuildingmayoptionallyhavean Weapons:Inaverticaldesign,fixedmountsmustbegiven
extensive underground level. Designate one or more of the afacing.Thismaybeeitherright,left,back,front;upperlevel
lowerstorysystemsasbasements.Basementsystemscostan mountsmayalsofacetop,aimingupward.Theycanonlyhit
extra$1,000pertonofbuildingmasstocoverexcavationcosts targetswithina60°arcfromthatfacing.Turretsinstalledin
overandabovetheirnormalsystemcosts,butarehiddenfrom lower or middle sections must be assigned one of these fac-
view and cannot be targeted directly. However, they’re auto- ings (excluding top), but may swivel to hit targets within a
matically buried if the rest of the building is disabled, and 120°arc.Turretsinanuppersectionareassumedtoberoof-
destroyediftherestofthebuildingisdestroyed. mountedandhavea360°arcoffire.Missilesinspinalbatter-
Armor: A building requires a minimum of one Armor sys- iesorinfixedmountsinupperstoriesmaybenotedasfacing
tempersection,representingitsstructuralcomposition. upward(allowingverticallaunch).Weaponscan’tgoinbase-
Control Room: A control room is not required, but if ment systems unless either the entire building is under-
installed,itcanrepresentacomputerroomorcommandcen- ground (in which case top-facing fixed mount or any turret
ter.Sincethebuildingdoesnotneedassophisticatedcontrols weapons can be installed in upper level section of the base-
and can omit gyros or attitude thrusters, halve the Control ment),orunlessthey’reathirdofaspinalbatteryoraghost
Roomcost.Eachcontrolstationremovedsavesonly$25K. particlebeam.
Engine Room, Workspaces: In a building, these are often
referredtoasamaintenancesroomsorspaces. A A
BOUT THE UTHOR
Engines,Etc:Abuildingshouldn’thaveanysystemorfea-
turerelatedtomobilityorpropulsion.IthasHPbutnoST,and DavidL.Pulverisafreelancewriterandgamedesignerbased
lacksHnd,SR,orMovestatistics. inVictoria,BritishColumbia.Heistheco-authoroftheGURPS
Enhanced,Multipurpose,andTacticalComm/SensorArrays: Basic Set Fourth Edition, and author of Transhuman Space,
Sensor and directional comm ranges will be limited by the GURPS Mass Combat, GURPS Spaceships, and numerous
horizon.Inavertical-design(p.9)building,thesearrays(and othergamingproducts.Foradditionaldetailsabouttheauthor,
Control Rooms) should be placed on the upper section to seehisEideticMemorycolumn(pp.24-25).
ensurealonglineofsight.
Medusa-Class Guided Missile Cruiser (TL8)
ThisisanexampleofhowtousetheSpaceshipssystem CentralHull System
withtheseoptionstobuildwatercraft.TheMedusaclassis [core] Habitat(3opscenters,10sickbay,
awet-navy,guided-missilecruiser,equippedwithaphased- 20cabins,24bunkrooms,
arrayradar,guns,andmultiplevertical-launchmissileand 18tonscargo).*
torpedo tubes. The hangar is designed to carry a pair of RearHull System
helicoptersandtheirweaponry. [1] SteelArmor(dDR7).
[2] TertiaryBattery(30fixed28cm
FrontHull System
launchers).*
[1] SteelArmor(totaldDR7).
[3] TertiaryBattery(29fixed28cm
[2] MajorBattery(turretwith12cmrapid
launchers;oneturretwith
firegun).*
veryrapidfire3.5cmgun).*
[3] SecondaryBattery(sixfixed32cm
[4] Hangar(300tonscapacity;helicopters
torpedotubelaunchers;200tons
andsmallboats).*
cargo).*
[5-6!] ScrewPropellers.*
[4] TertiaryBattery(30fixed28cm
[core] Habitat(50bunkrooms,25cabins,
launchers).*
establishment,sevenoffices,
[5] ControlRoom(C5computers,
18tonscargo).*
comm/sensor7,10controlstations).*
[6] FuelTank(500tonshydrocarbonfuel). *10workspacespersystem.
CentralHull System
IthastheLacksAutomation†,Nauticalhull†,andNBC
[1] SteelArmor(dDR7).
FiltersOnly(p.8)features.Thevessel’stypicalcomplement
[2] TacticalComm/SensorArray
consistsof10bridgecrew,30opsstationcrewandgunners,
(comm/sensor9).*
150techniciansandservicepersonnel,andavariablenum-
[3-4] FuelTanks(1,000tonsofhydrocarbon
berofflightcrew.
fuel).
[5-6] GasTurbineEngines(provides † See GURPS Spaceships 7: Divergent and
fourPowerPoints).* ParanormalTechnology.
TL Name dST/HP Hnd/SR HT Move LWt. Load SM Occ dDR Cost
SEAMANSHIP/TL8
8 Medusa-class 150 -2/5 13 2/21 10,000 574.6 +10 386AS 7 $448M
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