iPhones, iPhone apps, and Bluetooth

[Ed the Coastie]

I was talking with one of my Usual Suspects the other day and mentioned that I may be in town long enough for us to get everyone together for a decent session of our long-running GURPS Spellgate campaign. The conversation then turned to the PCs doing an equipment upgrade...including issuing a Bluetooth-equipped iPhone to each of the characters.

Now I figure that an iPhone would be a TL8 cell phone that includes a built-in Tiny computer with the High Capacity option...but I got a bit stumped when I tried to figure out the whole Bluetooth thing would work. (My own cellphone is a simple Nokia Tracfone...no apps, no Bluetooth.) Then I took a look at the apps available for the iPhone...and my head pretty much exploded. There are apps for just about anything I can imagine the PCs doing except combat...and if there isn't an app for something, the party includes a PC who is capable of creating one.

What kind of kettle of fish have I gotten myself into, and how do I get out of it?

[Ulzgoroth]

What sort of challenges is the iPhone negating? It can't do much of anything physical, and it doesn't seem like it could do all that much mental either...

[Sense of Duty (Kittens)]

Perhaps there are apps to facilitate many tasks, but the PCs still need to know how to interpret the aide they receive. In other words, think of it as an equipment bonus.

[dcarson]

http://www.defensereview.com/kac-bul...or-ipod-touch/

[RedMattis]

I don't see it giving huge bonuses to much, but if we're talking about Signature Gear you could always charge points for special programs or collections of programs. Say:

Signature Gear Perks/Add-ons

• Signature Gear counts as improvised equipment penalties to a number of vaguely related skills. (Mini-Computer)
• Signature Gear works as basic equipment for a skill or small collection of closely related skills (Digital Lockpick)
• Signature Gear grants +1 to up to half a dozen skills when used appropriately. (Sound Enhancer/Hearing Aid)
• Signature Gear grants +2 to one skill when used appropriately. (Hacker Software, CAD program...)

In the case of programs, program costs which goes above 1 level of signature gear should instead be payed for according to the standard Signature Gear rules.

How's that? All perk-level by the way.

[tratclif]

Originally Posted by Ed the Coastie

There are apps for just about anything I can imagine the PCs doing except combat.

dcarson beat me to it.

"Need to drop an Al-Qaeda target with an AR-50 from five miles away? There's an app for that!"

[Kromm]

I own an iPhone. I have a lot of apps, including "expert system" ones. These don't substitute for skills. They sometimes help skills:

• Most amount to ultra-light reference works or tables that remove part of the penalty that the GM assigns for not having such a reference handy when performing a task that needs one.

• A few might give +1 or +2 to default use; e.g., I have a bartending app that would let you mix drinks at IQ-3 or IQ-4 instead of at IQ-5. Seem low? It is! A list of steps and ingredients doesn't substitute for actually knowing how to use the tools.

• The rest are about as good as a calculator, calendar, or other common information tool, maybe giving +1 if optimized for a specific task.

And there's a price: All of these rather small benefits take extra time to call up, because you're running an app on a slow computer with a tiny screen, operating the sometimes-unintuitive interface, and interpreting the indifferent spelling of the app developer. I'd add 10-15 seconds to each task, and require a Computer Operation roll to claim any benefits.

[Kromm]

As for Bluetooth . . . it isn't especially useful in tactical situations, unless all the devices are firmly attached to your body. Get a couple of Bluetooth devices. Pair them up. Now carry one while running around the room, going behind doors, etc. You will not have connectivity for long.

[safisher]

Originally Posted by Kromm

And there's a price: All of these rather small benefits take extra time to call up, because you're running an app on a slow computer with a tiny screen, operating the sometimes-unintuitive interface, and interpreting the indifferent spelling of the app developer. I'd add 10-15 seconds to each task, and require a Computer Operation roll to claim any benefits.

In High-Tech we said it this way: "A phone might count as basic equipment in absolutely mundane situations, but it’s probably no better than improvised equipment (-5 quality) the rest of the time. To reduce the penalty, the operator must spend extra time fiddling with the controls (see Time Spent, p. B346)."

[Kromm]

Originally Posted by safisher

In High-Tech we said it this way: "A phone might count as basic equipment in absolutely mundane situations, but it’s probably no better than improvised equipment (-5 quality) the rest of the time. To reduce the penalty, the operator must spend extra time fiddling with the controls (see Time Spent, p. B346)."

This matches my experience. To use my example: I do not have Professional Skill (Bartender). I probably have a Dabbler perk that includes improved defaults to this, Cooking, and a few other "lifestyle" skills, because I like food, drink, music, dancing, etc. more than many people I know, and spend more time and money than average on these.

Generally, when I mix drinks, I prefer to use my proper bartending guide. This is a thick book that had to be sufficiently well-written to impress a publisher enough to release it into an already saturated market. It includes instructions that practically erase my default penalty.

In a pinch, I use my iPhone app. To make that work for me, I need to scan the recipe up and down on the little screen, poke it to keep it alive, touch through to ingredients pages to learn what Joe App Developer meant by "rum" (black rum isn't the same as clear, colorless rhum agricole, and 80 proof isn't 151 proof!), etc. Fussy and time-consuming. At best, it's "better than nothing." Often, I trust my memory more, and frequently, I've revised on the fly. A PDF of my paper book would be preferable, but it isn't currently out there.