Flight Skills

[Eddie T]

Am I correct in interpreting the piloting skill specializations do not care about the design/shape of the airframe, just the lift mechanism, environment, and speed/acceleration?

For example, a winged, species-compatible battlesuit that flies at 300 mph in atmosphere only would still use Light Airplane, correct?

My other thought, is there a formal way to limit the scope of a specialization like you can with ads/disads and similar? In the above example, how do I prevent that character from being able to sit behind the yoke of a Cessna and fly it? I'm leaning towards just good old-fashioned common sense and saying they're not the same thing. I know I can create other specializations (I tend to avoid that if possible, though). I just want to make sure I'm not missing any other tools at my disposal. Ads/Disads get discussed a lot, I haven't seen much on skills.

[Humabout]

Idhmbwm, but you could use Comtragrav, Low-Performance Aircraft, or VToL, depending on the flight characteristics and technology. You also wouldn't be out of place to create a Mecha specialization, if you wanted one.

As for limiting the scope across a specialization, that is usually handled with familiarity penalties. Those are typically -2 to skill, but can be set more steep, if you want.

[Gnomasz]

Originally Posted by Eddie T

For example, a winged, species-compatible battlesuit that flies at 300 mph in atmosphere only would still use Light Airplane, correct?

I'd call it a Flight Pack, personally.

My other thought, is there a formal way to limit the scope of a specialization like you can with ads/disads and similar? In the above example, how do I prevent that character from being able to sit behind the yoke of a Cessna and fly it? I'm leaning towards just good old-fashioned common sense and saying they're not the same thing. I know I can create other specializations (I tend to avoid that if possible, though). I just want to make sure I'm not missing any other tools at my disposal. Ads/Disads get discussed a lot, I haven't seen much on skills.

Familiarity (p. B169)? -2 for a different position in the cockpit, -2 for different controls, -2 for a different engine or position of engine on the craft. If you run out of meaningful differences, it's probably a sign that it shouldn't be harder to switch.

[Eddie T]

But it is based on the lifting mechanism, the environment, and the speeds, and not airframe shapes, correct?

[sir_pudding]

Originally Posted by Eddie T

For example, a winged, species-compatible battlesuit that flies at 300 mph in atmosphere only would still use Light Airplane, correct?

I would use Battlesuit.

My other thought, is there a formal way to limit the scope of a specialization like you can with ads/disads and similar? In the above example, how do I prevent that character from being able to sit behind the yoke of a Cessna and fly it? I'm leaning towards just good old-fashioned common sense and saying they're not the same thing. I know I can create other specializations (I tend to avoid that if possible, though). I just want to make sure I'm not missing any other tools at my disposal. Ads/Disads get discussed a lot, I haven't seen much on skills.

There's the One-Task Wonder perk.

[Eddie T]

Originally Posted by sir_pudding

I would use Battlesuit.

Well, I was just using that as an example because I used to be a big Rifts player a decade or two ago and the SAMAS has always been a great visual in my head which also fit the parameters I was picturing (not aerodynamic, only lifting surface are a couple of wings and fins, and massive thrusters on the back - and how transitioning from that to an airplane would be very illogical). I didn't think Battlesuit or Driving (Mecha) for cockpit mechas would transition over to flight charateristics, though?

I'm really more concerned with the differentiation in the Piloting skill itself instead of the aircraft. That's why my first sentence was about the lift mechanism (wing, rotor, brute-force thrust, etc.), environment (atmospheric, space, transatmospheric), and speed (<600mph, <.1G). Looking through the specialties, I see nothing about shape, streamlining or anything that makes me think of an F-16 or F-18 or the Millenium Falcon or a Firefly-class ship.

Plus, it's not in the game I'm running. I was just thumbing through the skills and stopped to reread that and got myself on a tangent.

[Bilanthri]

Coming from a background in Palladium games myself, the generalizations of GURPS can seem a bit odd. But I agree that specialization/familiarity is the way to handle these issues.

Look at the Guns skill (p. B198) as a prime example. All the wide array of different characteristics found in various firearms are grouped together under the single word "Guns". You must specialize, with most of the specialties defaulting to the others at -2. In fact, the Rifle specialty is used to describe this exact sort of scenario:

Familiarity is crucial here! Guns (Rifle) covers both bolt-action 12.7mm sniper rifles and 5.56mm assault rifles, but going from one to the other gives you -2 for weapon type (12.7mm to 5.56mm), -2 for action (bolt-action to self-loader), and -2 for grip (bipod to hand-held), for a total of -6 to skill until you familiarize yourself with all the differences.