[Spaceships] Campgain Idea: Heaven Fire

[scc]

I really need to work on coming up with better campaign names.

OK, basic premise is the players are members of either a supranational or interplanetary government military force, specifically space-fighter pilots and they'll have to deal with a Bug invasion. DF is space fighter planes really.

Questions:

1) Does it need more plot? There are potential angles with conflicting national interests, but is it worth ploting them out?

2) How much time in cockpit Vs. how much time out? And should any of the later be (ground) combat or should it all just be talking?

3) Below are stats for the Eclipse-Class Long-Range Strike Fighter, is there anything people think I should change about it?

0

TL  Spacecraft  dST/dHP  Hnd/SR  HT     Move      LWt.     Load   SM    Occ     dDR   Range   Cost  
 9       0         20     +0/4   12  4G/4.2 mps  30 [1]  0.6 [2]  +5  6SV [3]  6/3/3    —    $1.9M

Length: 31 yd. (93 ft.) Crush Depth: 7.3 Atmospheres (242 ft.)
Power Points: +2 / -3
Space Performance: sAccel: 4Gs/4.2 mps
Air Performance: aAccel: 4Gs (88 mph/s) aSpeed: 5,000 mph (1.39 mps) Hnd/SR: +4/5


SHIP SYSTEMS

 FRONT   
[1-2]    Armor - Advanced Metallic Laminate
           dDR 6
[3-4!!]  Weapon Battery - Major
           2 Weapon Mounts
  [3,a]  Weapon Battery - Medium
           1 Weapon Mount [4]
  [4,a]  Weapon Battery - Medium
           1 Weapon Mount [4]
[5]      Defensive ECM
           -2 to Hit
[6]      Comm/Sensor Array - Tactical
           Array level: 5
[Core]   Control Room
           Comp: C4 / Comm/Sensor: 3 / 1 Station

 CENTER  
[1]      Armor - Advanced Metallic Laminate
           dDR 3
[2-5]    Fuel Tank
           6 Tons of Metallic Hydrogen [5]
[6!]     Weapon Battery - Major
           1 Weapon Mount
[Core‡]  Power Plant - MHD Turbine
           2 Power Points / 6 hr Fuel [6]

  REAR   
[1]      Armor - Advanced Metallic Laminate
           dDR 3
[2-3]    Reaction Engine - HEDM Rocket
           4Gs / 4.2 mps / 2.39 min Fuel [5,7]
[4-6]    Fuel Tank
           4.5 Tons of Metallic Hydrogen [5]

Design Switches, Features, & Notes: 1 Airlock (Capacity: 1 Person), Ammunition Cost: $666,670, Refueling Cost: $63,000
SHIP OPTIONS: Streamlined, Winged
[1] Plus 1 Ton in Equipment Packs
[2] Load includes: 0.6*tons of Crew & Passengers
[3] Crew Requirement (6 total): 1 Control Station (1 Pilot), 5 Gunners,
[4] Equipment Pack, [5] Volatile System (see p. SS1:62)
FUEL USED: [6] Hydrogen-Oxygen, [7] Metallic Hydrogen (10.5 tons)


WEAPONS TABLE

          Range Scale:     Basic Combat Ranges    Turn Length:    20-sec  
Qty.         Mount                Weapon            Options      Options   Size     Damage      sAcc   Rcl.  RoF  Shots  MPS  Accel      SM      Range  
   1   Front [3] - Major          Laser                                    10 MJ  4d(2) burn   +2 [2]    1    1                                    S
   1   Front [4] - Major          Laser                                    10 MJ  4d(2) burn   +2 [2]    1    1                                    S
   1   Center [6] - Major         Laser         Very Rapid Fire           100 kJ  1d(2) burn  +0 (+7)    1   100                                  C/S
   1  Front [3a] - Medium    Missile Launcher                              16 cm  6dx4(2) cr   +3 [2]    1    1     5     10    5G       -1        X
   1  Front [4a] - Medium    Missile Launcher                              16 cm  6dx4(2) cr   +3 [2]    1    1     5     10    5G       -1        X

[1] Parenthetical value is the Rapid Fire bonus (p. SS1:60), [2] Includes +2 sAcc for Fixed Mount
Created using GURPS Spaceship Design Spreadsheet v2.0 RC 9. GURPS Spaceships Design Spreadsheet is copyright © 2009-2015 Eric B. Smith. This spreadsheet is based on information contained in the GURPS Spaceships series of books.

[weby]

Originally Posted by scc

I really need to work on coming up with better campaign names.

OK, basic premise is the players are members of either a supranational or interplanetary government military force, specifically space-fighter pilots and they'll have to deal with a Bug invasion. DF is space fighter planes really.

Questions:

1) Does it need more plot? There are potential angles with conflicting national interests, but is it worth ploting them out?

Depends on your campaign goals for a few sessions of bug splatting, likely not, but for longer, likely yes.

2) How much time in cockpit Vs. how much time out? And should any of the later be (ground) combat or should it all just be talking?

It depends a lot on your players and their expectations. In my own scifi campaigns most things happen on planets or inside large ships/stations and the ship combat is a mini game for a change of pace.

3) Below are stats for the Eclipse-Class Long-Range Strike Fighter, is there anything people think I should change about it?

The ship in question does not feel like a fighter, more like a gunship. For a fighter feel you would likely want 1-2 crew with a pilot controlling forward firing weapons. there might be a second crew member to support in something like point defense or engineering.

But if it is a gunship you want feel free. But In that case I would recommend not calling it a fighter so your players do not expect something else.

Also depending on the enemies power increasing the forward armor and reducing the weapon load slightly might make sense to allow surviving few frontal hits from enemy base ship antimissile/antifighter armament and other fighter weapons. Currently at 4d(2) and 6 frontal armor two hits by equivalent armament will on average take it below 0 hp and even the very rapid fire point defense laser will often punch though the frontal armor.

[RogerBW]

In the real world, pilot training is sufficiently demanding of time (and expensive) that people given it aren't trained to act as infantry too: it would be a waste of them, the sort of thing you only do in a last-ditch defence when you're throwing every warm body on the line.

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

In the real world, pilot training is sufficiently demanding of time (and expensive) that people given it aren't trained to act as infantry too: it would be a waste of them, the sort of thing you only do in a last-ditch defence when you're throwing every warm body on the line.

However, fighter pilots getting into gunfights with their sidearms is a common enough deal in space opera fiction that the players may anticipate it. Same with fighter pilots doubling as a small special forces strike team - Battelstar Galactica, classic series, "The Gun On Ice Station Zero" episode comes to mind, actually.

Note that in most cases, fighter pilots won't be issued a rifle; usually a pistol or PDW they'll have on or near them at all times, sometimes a carbine on the ejection seat in case they get shot down during a fight.

[scc]

The reason that Occ is showing up as 6SV is because of a bug in the spreadsheet program, turrets get a control station (I think) but not fixed weapons and DEFIANTLY not Equipment Packs

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by tbrock1031

However, fighter pilots getting into gunfights with their sidearms is a common enough deal in space opera fiction that the players may anticipate it. Same with fighter pilots doubling as a small special forces strike team - Battelstar Galactica, classic series, "The Gun On Ice Station Zero" episode comes to mind, actually.

.

....and Gurps enables this by making Pilot, Gunnery and Guns/Beam Weapons all DX-based Skllls. Melee Combat and Stealth Skills too. You'd really have to ride herd on Skill selection quite firmly to prevent this.