Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-13-2018, 12:13 PM   #41
kreios
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Space Combat Iteration 1: Low Earth Orbit
Having decided on the general technology available in-setting, we can now look at how space combat is going to look like.

For this, let’s take the spacecraft from GURPS Spaceships 8: Transhuman Spacecraft. Specifically, let’s first take the Predator AKV from page 12. Exchanging the drive to a water fusion torch increases acceleration to 4.5G, and delta v to 45km/s, for a burn time of slightly over eleven minutes. This also increases cost to about $17M. I’m using armour-as-dice, so they have 15d/6d/9d armour.

The next spacecraft is one of the smaller SDVs: The EU’s Hermann Oberth SDV (page 30). Replacing the drives as above gives it an acceleration of 3G and a delta v of 60km/s. Armour is 24d/6d/6d. Normally, that’d include four Predator AKVs.
Continue reading...

A first - if fairly small - look at space combat as written in an example scenario.
kreios is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-20-2018, 11:25 AM   #42
kreios
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Space Combat Iteration 1: Deep Space
Since last time, we admittedly suffered from sub-optimal engagement decisions by the SDV, we’ll now be looking at a more reasonable scenario.

Now, the same officer-in-training who had failed the previous scenario is allowed a repetition. This time, he decides to try another approach: He’s taking the Oberth to a highly-eccentric orbit, timed to reach apogee just as the AKVs get close. This minimizes the relative engagement velocity.
Continue reading...
kreios is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2018, 09:14 AM   #43
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

I wonder how the last battle would have went if the Oberth targeted the missiles with lasers and trusted its own kinetics (with proximity explosions) to keep them from ramming it.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2018, 01:36 PM   #44
kreios
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
I wonder how the last battle would have went if the Oberth targeted the missiles with lasers and trusted its own kinetics (with proximity explosions) to keep them from ramming it.
Which missiles? Only four AKVs (and the SDV) were involved in the battle, and the Oberth targeted the AKVs.

(The next battle will involve missiles, though)
kreios is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2018, 01:51 PM   #45
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by kreios View Post
Which missiles? Only four AKVs (and the SDV) were involved in the battle, and the Oberth targeted the AKVs.

(The next battle will involve missiles, though)
Your electromagnetic guns. Those are conventional shells that are quite vulnerable to laser fire, particularly if you have several rounds to shoot at them, as they really don't dodge. I usually call them missiles because if you read the description on SS28 they actually have propulsion systems on them, just not the same as a missile.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is online now   Reply With Quote
Old 01-22-2018, 02:08 PM   #46
kreios
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
Your electromagnetic guns. Those are conventional shells that are quite vulnerable to laser fire, particularly if you have several rounds to shoot at them, as they really don't dodge. I usually call them missiles because if you read the description on SS28 they actually have propulsion systems on them, just not the same as a missile.
That makes quite sense, and I had forgotten about PD fire against shells. This'll probably be my next post then, though I'm probably going to introduce rapid-fire guns for that.
kreios is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2018, 09:18 AM   #47
kreios
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Space Combat Iteration 1: Variations
We did test the space combat system. But this was only one configuration of weapons - what other things can we change?
Continue reading...

Features point defence, particle beams, and missiles.
kreios is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-28-2018, 10:08 AM   #48
Humabout
 
Humabout's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

What are you trying to accomplish with this analysis exactly? It feels like you're trying to see what sort of gameplay using everything in GURPS Spaceships dictates instead of letting your design goals dictate which parts of GURPS Spaceships you should use. For four worked examples of the latter approach, check out So You Want to Build a Spaceship... in Pyramid #3/94 - Spaceships III.
__________________
Buy My Stuff!

Free Stuff:
Dungeon Action!
Totem Spirits

My Blog: Above the Flatline.
Humabout is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2018, 12:54 PM   #49
kreios
 
Join Date: Jul 2013
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

Quote:
Originally Posted by Humabout View Post
What are you trying to accomplish with this analysis exactly? It feels like you're trying to see what sort of gameplay using everything in GURPS Spaceships dictates instead of letting your design goals dictate which parts of GURPS Spaceships you should use.
Actually, I'm trying to do it the other way around - I have a set of rough design goals (or maybe a 'feeling of how it should look like'). However, I have difficulties going from the abstract design choices (types of weapon allowed, space drives, etc) directly to (a) how this changes the feeling of space combat and (b) how it influences space combat doctrine. And if I don't think about it, a player could end up slaughtering military forces with ease.

Going away from the abstract musings, consider the following: I like the concept of AKVs as a kind of networked and distributed lethality and as the extension of the cruise missile concept. For AKVs to be viable, several factors are necessary: They must be fairly difficult to intercept (otherwise they're toothless) and ramming must feature as a sometimes-necessary tactic (otherwise, they're a bit boring). Accordingly, damage of normal weapons shouldn't be able to vapourize any enemy spacecraft.

Another example: The last playtest showed that particle beams are a very useful secondary anti-AKV weapon. I'd have defaulted to lasers without gaming it out.

Quote:
For four worked examples of the latter approach, check out So You Want to Build a Spaceship... in Pyramid #3/94 - Spaceships III.
I have, and especially Working Stiffs is an inspiration to me (it's actually mentioned in the first post :-) )
kreios is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-29-2018, 03:29 PM   #50
Humabout
 
Humabout's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2008
Default Re: [Blog] n-Body Politics

I guess what I'm getting at is that you're still taking everything as it is written in the books. If you want guns to have a certain feel, just change their stats so they meet your needs. Deciding weaponry and technology based on what works in RAW Spaceships combat may be contrary to your overall setting goals.
__________________
Buy My Stuff!

Free Stuff:
Dungeon Action!
Totem Spirits

My Blog: Above the Flatline.
Humabout is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
blog, blogs

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:06 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.