Notes on Using GURPS Ultra-Tech (4e) in TS: Chapter 1 - Page 3

Phil Masters · 05-22-2007, 04:47 AM

Chapter Four

More Songs About Buildings and Food; more stuff that's good for establishing the look of the scenery for TS games, and more basic gear for many adventures...

Housing and Food

* The Housebot could be used as a standard domestic item in TS. To convert the character sheet into a cybershell template, apply either the TL9 or TL10 lenses (the former for old or cheap models, obviously) and then replace Electrical with Cybershell Body (raising the template cost by 5).

In addition, by the way, the TL9 version ought to have Extra "Legs" - actually extra wheels, probably three or four wheels for +5 points (I've had a ruling from Kromm that number of wheels works like number of legs, and I doubt that this thing runs around on two wheels), and I'd delete the Secure enhancement from its radio (that's been treated as a military sort of feature in TS) and add a cable jack with Video - you need a quick I/O port for software updates, and the ability to transfer pictures of, say, possible burglars. But no doubt there's a lot of variety in cybershell features.

* Sleep Set: Something like this, if only in the sense of sound insulation, is probably common on small spacecraft and so on. But is ultrasonic technology as a way of inducing sleep really plausible?

* Autokitchen: Likely to be common enough but usually controlled by a housecomp in TS, I'd say.

* Domestic Nanocleanser: Plausible enough for TS, I think, though I'd think that you'd still get different cleaning products for different purposes. Something fierce enough to clean a sink (let alone a lavatory pan) will be a little stronger than I'd want on my scalp, thanks very much, while a purpose-made shampoo will always have elements designed to improve hair texture that'd be wasted anywhere else.

* Sonic Shower Head: It's up to GMs whether they buy ultrasound as a personal cleaning method, but if they do, yep, you'll want these on small spacecraft.

Expedition Gear

* Worldscaping: The notes on Mars-type terraforming would seem to implicitly admit that the schedule of the TS Martian project is... well, optimistic. It would have to be a Fast project running at TL11 or better from the start, I think.

* Robots: The Robot Mule could be fudged into a (probably rather points-expensive) cybershell template with a little work, and the Scout Robot with a bit less (see the treatment of the Housebot above) - though TS already has things like the Buzzbot covering the latter's ground.

Tools and Construction Materials

A nice collection of stuff for the "working stiffs in a weird world" games to which TS lends itself so pleasingly...

* Laser and Plasma Torches: Am I being too prosaic if I mutter that any kind of domestic "plasma" technology at TL9 sounds a bit skiffy? Let alone the personal fusion torch at TL10? I think, in TS games, I'd just let people have the laser torches - more than sufficient for most practical purposes - and mostly have them run off static power supplies, ships' reactors, etc. (The times in the "Notes" column of the table don't seem to be explained; I'd assume that they're how long the thing can run off the listed power cells.)

* Tool Kits: Prices, weights, and skill modifiers are a little different to p.TS153... And of course the skills mentioned match 4th edition categories. I'd probably tend to follow the Ultra-Tech model in games now, if only for the latter reason, but others might prefer to maintain backward compatibility. The Robotic Workshop could be regarded as a sort of static specialist cybershell in TS, though I'd probably tend to go for a standard Portable Workshop plus a tech spider or something plus an appropriately trained infomorph.

* Slipspray: Sounds a little bit skiffy, but it could actually be the product of some kind of clever nanotech... But if you let this in any game, be prepared for players to try and get far too clever with it.

* Morph Axe: Basically this is the ice axe from In the Well (p.96), but the description is somehow a notch more skiffy. "Memory metal" hasn't been mentioned in TS that I recall, and I'd tend to avoid the term.

* Worker Robots: Converting the Techbot to a TS cybershell template wouldn't be hard, but TS already has tech spiders for this sort of thing, which I think are cooler. The TS Bushbot can be considered to be a late TL10 predecessor to the full TL11+ Bush Robot from this book, with its "gadgeteering" matter-manipulation and all. See previous notes on microbot swarms.

* Explosives: "Plastex B" and "High-Energy Explosive" are of course the equivalent of "Explosives, Plastic" and "Explosive, Metal" from the TS core book, brought into line with the 4th edition explosives rules - which already had counterparts for these things... Note that a pound of either does somewhat less damage under the new rules than under the old. (6dx4 and about 6dx5 respectively), if I read these rules correctly.

Anthony · 05-22-2007, 10:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

* Sleep Set: Something like this, if only in the sense of sound insulation, is probably common on small spacecraft and so on. But is ultrasonic technology as a way of inducing sleep really plausible?

Ultrasonic? No. Sonic? Well, yes to some degree, though not in any particularly ultratech manner (relaxing music, etc).

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

* Sonic Shower Head: It's up to GMs whether they buy ultrasound as a personal cleaning method, but if they do, yep, you'll want these on small spacecraft.

Sonic toothbrush, maybe. Sonic fingernail cleaner, maybe. Sonic skin cleaner, not so much.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

* Worldscaping: The notes on Mars-type terraforming would seem to implicitly admit that the schedule of the TS Martian project is... well, optimistic.

The terraforming of Mars being optimistic first came up in the original TS playtest. The decision was made to ignore the problem, though we did kill the terraforming of Venus...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

* Laser and Plasma Torches: Am I being too prosaic if I mutter that any kind of domestic "plasma" technology at TL9 sounds a bit skiffy? Let alone the personal fusion torch at TL10?

Based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_cutting, domestic plasma torches are TL 8.

dscheidt · 05-22-2007, 01:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony

Based on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_cutting, domestic plasma torches are TL 8.

Plasma cutting is pretty solidly TL7 tech. It was developed just after WWII. The current state of portable equipment are luggable cutters, weighing about 40 lbs. They've got a built in air compressor, and run off 120V wall circuits. They'll cut 1/8 inch or steel, if a bit slowly. On sheet stock, like a car body, or HVAC ducts, the limiting factor on speed is basically the operator being able to control the cutter to produce a quality cut, an inch or two a second. Prices start at 600 or 800. The air compressor is about half the mass and volume of these little units; work out how to miniaturize that, and they'll get a lot smaller and lighter.

Anthony · 05-22-2007, 02:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dscheidt

Plasma cutting is pretty solidly TL7 tech.

Thus the reason I said 'domestic plasma torches'. Industrial tools usually run a TL or so ahead of domestic tools.

leslie · 05-22-2007, 03:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dscheidt

Plasma cutting is pretty solidly TL7 tech. It was developed just after WWII. The current state of portable equipment are luggable cutters, weighing about 40 lbs.

As I've posted on the THS yahoo group, there are smaller plasma cutters you can have for a bit over 1 k$ and weighing only 20 pounds:

http://www.hypertherm.com/languages/...powermax30.php

So small plasma cutters in THS are pretty solid, nothing skiffy about them.

Phil Masters · 05-22-2007, 05:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leslie

So small plasma cutters in THS are pretty solid, nothing skiffy about them.

Okay, I stand educated. Thanks.

(I'm guessing that these produce something somewhat less than the results achieved by SF plasma weapons... But doubtless there's a continuum.)

Anthony · 05-22-2007, 05:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Phil Masters

(I'm guessing that these produce something somewhat less than the results achieved by SF plasma weapons... But doubtless there's a continuum.)

Projecting plasma at any range is magitech. Creating plasma, however, is not hard -- you just need a high voltage/high amperage source (see THS power cells) and a system durable enough that it doesn't melt, catch fire, or explode from the power you're running through it.

David L Pulver · 05-23-2007, 12:36 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Anthony

The terraforming of Mars being optimistic first came up in the original TS playtest. The decision was made to ignore the problem, though we did kill the terraforming of Venus...

The fact that the terraforming of Mars was too fast actually came up well before the TS playtest, during the "working group" discussions. Initial plans were to have Mars much less fully terraformed (and almost entirely Chinese) but this did not sit well with the IN THE WELL author's vision of a much more heavily-developed Mars split beteeen the US, China, and other powers. (Each of the early book authors had a fair degree of autonomy to help develop their sphere of interest.) We considered a 2150 date, but that proved problematic with other setting elements, and in any case SJ Games decided it was best to keep the iconic 2100 date. However, the THS playtest did lead to various additional suggestions for dealing with the terraforming issue, and these were incorporated.

dscheidt · 05-25-2007, 04:48 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by leslie

As I've posted on the THS yahoo group, there are smaller plasma cutters you can have for a bit over 1 k$ and weighing only 20 pounds:

http://www.hypertherm.com/languages/...powermax30.php

So small plasma cutters in THS are pretty solid, nothing skiffy about them.

Note that the hypertherm plasma cutter isn't truely self-contained. It still requires an external air supply. That's no problem in most industrial settings, but it does reduce portability. I was thinking of something like

http://www.millerwelds.com/products/...spectrum_125c/
which has a built in compressor. There are others, as well. They are getting pretty cheap: You can get a good plasma cutter for what I paid for my oxy-acetylene torch. The torch can do a lot thicker material, for the same money.

Anthony · 05-25-2007, 10:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dscheidt

You can get a good plasma cutter for what I paid for my oxy-acetylene torch. The torch can do a lot thicker material, for the same money.

Note that an oxy-acetylene torch (in fact, just about any torch) is technically a plasma cutter. Flame is plasma.

05-22-2007, 04:47 AM	#21
Phil Masters Join Date: Aug 2004 Location: U.K.	Re: Notes on Using GURPS Ultra-Tech (4e) in TS: Chapter 3 *Chapter Four* More Songs About Buildings and Food; more stuff that's good for establishing the look of the scenery for TS games, and more basic gear for many adventures... Housing and Food * The Housebot could be used as a standard domestic item in TS. To convert the character sheet into a cybershell template, apply either the TL9 or TL10 lenses (the former for old or cheap models, obviously) and then replace Electrical with Cybershell Body (raising the template cost by 5). In addition, by the way, the TL9 version ought to have Extra "Legs" - actually extra wheels, probably three or four wheels for +5 points (I've had a ruling from Kromm that number of wheels works like number of legs, and I doubt that this thing runs around on two wheels), and I'd delete the Secure enhancement from its radio (that's been treated as a military sort of feature in TS) and add a cable jack with Video - you need a quick I/O port for software updates, and the ability to transfer pictures of, say, possible burglars. But no doubt there's a lot of variety in cybershell features. * Sleep Set: Something like this, if only in the sense of sound insulation, is probably common on small spacecraft and so on. But is ultrasonic technology as a way of inducing sleep really plausible? * Autokitchen: Likely to be common enough but usually controlled by a housecomp in TS, I'd say. * Domestic Nanocleanser: Plausible enough for TS, I think, though I'd think that you'd still get different cleaning products for different purposes. Something fierce enough to clean a sink (let alone a lavatory pan) will be a little stronger than I'd want on my scalp, thanks very much, while a purpose-made shampoo will always have elements designed to improve hair texture that'd be wasted anywhere else. * Sonic Shower Head: It's up to GMs whether they buy ultrasound as a personal cleaning method, but if they do, yep, you'll want these on small spacecraft. Expedition Gear * Worldscaping: The notes on Mars-type terraforming would seem to implicitly admit that the schedule of the TS Martian project is... well, optimistic. It would have to be a Fast project running at TL11 or better from the start, I think. * Robots: The Robot Mule could be fudged into a (probably rather points-expensive) cybershell template with a little work, and the Scout Robot with a bit less (see the treatment of the Housebot above) - though TS already has things like the Buzzbot covering the latter's ground. Tools and Construction Materials A nice collection of stuff for the "working stiffs in a weird world" games to which TS lends itself so pleasingly... * Laser and Plasma Torches: Am I being too prosaic if I mutter that any kind of domestic "plasma" technology at TL9 sounds a bit skiffy? Let alone the personal fusion torch at TL10? I think, in TS games, I'd just let people have the laser torches - more than sufficient for most practical purposes - and mostly have them run off static power supplies, ships' reactors, etc. (The times in the "Notes" column of the table don't seem to be explained; I'd assume that they're how long the thing can run off the listed power cells.) * Tool Kits: Prices, weights, and skill modifiers are a little different to p.TS153... And of course the skills mentioned match 4th edition categories. I'd probably tend to follow the Ultra-Tech model in games now, if only for the latter reason, but others might prefer to maintain backward compatibility. The Robotic Workshop could be regarded as a sort of static specialist cybershell in TS, though I'd probably tend to go for a standard Portable Workshop plus a tech spider or something plus an appropriately trained infomorph. * Slipspray: Sounds a little bit skiffy, but it could actually be the product of some kind of clever nanotech... But if you let this in any game, be prepared for players to try and get far too clever with it. * Morph Axe: Basically this is the ice axe from In the Well (p.96), but the description is somehow a notch more skiffy. "Memory metal" hasn't been mentioned in TS that I recall, and I'd tend to avoid the term. * Worker Robots: Converting the Techbot to a TS cybershell template wouldn't be hard, but TS already has tech spiders for this sort of thing, which I think are cooler. The TS Bushbot can be considered to be a late TL10 predecessor to the full TL11+ Bush Robot from this book, with its "gadgeteering" matter-manipulation and all. See previous notes on microbot swarms. * Explosives: "Plastex B" and "High-Energy Explosive" are of course the equivalent of "Explosives, Plastic" and "Explosive, Metal" from the TS core book, brought into line with the 4th edition explosives rules - which already had counterparts for these things... Note that a pound of either does somewhat less damage under the new rules than under the old. (6dx4 and about 6dx5 respectively), if I read these rules correctly. __________________ -- Phil Masters My Home Page. My Self-Publications: On Warehouse 23 and On DriveThruRPG.