[Basic] Skills of the week: Bicycling, Driving and Piloting

johndallman · 08-09-2014, 06:16 AM

Bicycling isn't Driving (Bicycle), because it's easier than that, but it can be treated the same in most ways. It's a common background skill of the twentieth century, for the cheapest form of vehicle, and sees a revival in post-apocalypse settings but I suspect it doesn't get used a whole lot in games.

Driving requires a confession. I cannot drive (sight too poor) and don't really understand the emotional importance of the skill to so many people. Seeing it used a lot in games for (Automobile) and (Heavy Wheeled) made me wonder about the arbitrary quality of the boundary at 5 tons weight. That's 10,000lb, as GURPS always uses short tons, and since having a vehicle change skill when it gets a cargo loaded or removed seems silly, I presume it's maximum loaded weight, which is the weight in vehicle stats anyway. I could believe in lighter vehicles that had (Heavy Wheeled) characteristics, like vertical steering columns and air-brakes, and ought to use (Heavy Wheeled), but that comes under Rule Zero.

Piloting has a similar arbitrary boundary between (Light) and (Heavy) aircraft, and maximum take-off weight is a standard attribute for real-world aircraft. One could change the division to (Single-Engine) and (Multi-Engine) since single-engine aircraft over 20,000lb MTOW are mostly jet fighters capable of over 600mph, and thus (High-Performance). Air crashes are deadly, hence Piloting has an important rule for critical failures: if your skill is 15+, re-roll critical failures, which only happen on a further failure.

Vehicular dodge is Handling + Skill/2; note that there is no +3 as for personal dodges, but Handling has significant variations, in the range +/-4, although most vehicles are in the middle of that range. Skill is the main thing though; do the operator's Combat Reflexes apply?

High-Tech has rules for bicycle movement and load-carrying, notes on Driving, and more vehicles. Ultra-Tech adds more, and the Action series fills in more details.

What have you done with these skills in a game that was weird or amusing? What's missing, or wrong? Does it all feel convincing?

08-09-2014, 06:16 AM	#1
johndallman Night Watchman Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Cambridge, UK	[Basic] Skills of the week: Bicycling, Driving and Piloting Bicycling isn't Driving (Bicycle), because it's easier than that, but it can be treated the same in most ways. It's a common background skill of the twentieth century, for the cheapest form of vehicle, and sees a revival in post-apocalypse settings but I suspect it doesn't get used a whole lot in games. Driving requires a confession. I cannot drive (sight too poor) and don't really understand the emotional importance of the skill to so many people. Seeing it used a lot in games for (Automobile) and (Heavy Wheeled) made me wonder about the arbitrary quality of the boundary at 5 tons weight. That's 10,000lb, as GURPS always uses short tons, and since having a vehicle change skill when it gets a cargo loaded or removed seems silly, I presume it's maximum loaded weight, which is the weight in vehicle stats anyway. I could believe in lighter vehicles that had (Heavy Wheeled) characteristics, like vertical steering columns and air-brakes, and ought to use (Heavy Wheeled), but that comes under Rule Zero. Piloting has a similar arbitrary boundary between (Light) and (Heavy) aircraft, and maximum take-off weight is a standard attribute for real-world aircraft. One could change the division to (Single-Engine) and (Multi-Engine) since single-engine aircraft over 20,000lb MTOW are mostly jet fighters capable of over 600mph, and thus (High-Performance). Air crashes are deadly, hence Piloting has an important rule for critical failures: if your skill is 15+, re-roll critical failures, which only happen on a further failure. Vehicular dodge is Handling + Skill/2; note that there is no +3 as for personal dodges, but Handling has significant variations, in the range +/-4, although most vehicles are in the middle of that range. Skill is the main thing though; do the operator's Combat Reflexes apply? *High-Tech* has rules for bicycle movement and load-carrying, notes on Driving, and more vehicles. *Ultra-Tech* adds more, and the *Action* series fills in more details. What have you done with these skills in a game that was weird or amusing? What's missing, or wrong? Does it all feel convincing?