[Spaceships 5] Eggshells and Eastereggs

[PK]

Originally Posted by Langy

We actually do have arrays for SM+0 ships. Well, not ships, really. Missiles. They're in Spaceships 5, page 27. They follow the same progression as Enhanced Comm/Sensor Arrays.

Ah, so your "SM 0 ship array" is really a "SM 0 missile array". That's reasonable -- I see your point. (I can't speak to the rest of your post, unfortunately, as I'm not really an authority on long-range detection of EM signals.)

[jacobmuller]

Originally Posted by Brett

Here's what it has in it:

• over thirty ship specs, and a few space stations;
• rules for sensor drones you can launch from hangar bays or through missile launchers, including rules for using theim as improvised weapons;
• operational descriptions for colony ventures and exploration surveys;
• rules for finding the plane of, and planets in, a star system either from a distance while approaching through realspace or after emergence from hyperspace etc.;
• rules for planetological surveying from orbit and with probes;
• rules for biological surveying on the ground, covering land and oceans, and extending into ecological surveying, and covering non-Garden worlds;
• operational descriptions for linguistic assessment, sociological assessment, covert first contact and overt first contact;
• rules for GURPS characters engaged in linguistic and sociological assessment and covert and overt first contact;
• rules for radiation damage to ships and crew;
• rules for protecting ships and crew from radiation damage;
• rules for damage to ships from meteroids and space junk, noting the differences between orbital space, interplanetary space, and interstellar space, and with exciting notes on cascade catastrophes;
• rules on how to get un-lost in galactic space, depending on your skills and your ship's sensors; and finally
• notes for the GM about ways to use space monsters in Space Opera campaigns.

Normally, I'd a bought, and read and integrated, by now but this is bad cash-flow month. Dang, am I lookin forward to a good month!
I give up - I've bought it already, a fiver'll no make a mark compared to the rest:)

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by jacobmuller

Normally, I'd a bought, and read and integrated, by now but this is bad cash-flow month. Dang, am I lookin forward to a good month!
I give up - I've bought it already, a fiver'll no make a mark compared to the rest:)

Thank you. Hope you enjoy it!

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Brett

Upshot. If you are running an exploration campaign, whether it be Star Trek or The Voyage of the Space Beagle, you need this PDF. If your players are limping home in a damaged ship from the Zeta Octant, you need this PDF. If not, maybe you don't. But I've got it, and you didn't have to pay for it, which suits us both fine, neh?

Thanks for posting the detailed review!

[hal]

Originally Posted by David L Pulver

Thanks for posting the detailed review!

Brett's review (by the way, Thank you Brett), is precisely the kind of thing that helps sales. While it is nice to see the index and/or table of contents, that doesn't do more than hint at what is the value of the content.

Mind you, I am not trying to be a pain, but the contents of Brett's review should be in the official blurb for those who read about the availability of Spaceships 5. The material in his review does a VERY good job of SELLING the idea "buy me" :)

[AmesJainchill]

Originally Posted by Brett

[*] rules for sensor drones you can launch from hangar bays or through missile launchers, including rules for using theim as improvised weapons;[*] rules for finding the plane of, and planets in, a star system either from a distance while approaching through realspace or after emergence from hyperspace etc.;

Great! I could use those!

[*] rules for radiation damage to ships and crew;[*] rules for protecting ships and crew from radiation damage;

Hitpoints come and go, rads are forever!

[*] rules for damage to ships from meteroids and space junk, noting the differences between orbital space, interplanetary space, and interstellar space, and with exciting notes on cascade catastrophes;

Is that an Apollo 13 reference?

[*] notes for the GM about ways to use space monsters in Space Opera campaigns.

Also useful!

[Langy]

Is that an Apollo 13 reference?

Nope. It's also called an ablation cascade or Kessler Syndrome. It's when a cloud of debris orbitting a planet becomes so dense that crashing into one satellite will cause the debris from that impact to crash into other satellites and so on, causing a feedback runaway or domino effect.

[AmesJainchill]

Ah! Okay, I understand now.

[scc]

OK, as this seems to be the official thread for this release I'm going to post the problems I found with it here.

Why does the Polaris Booster Stage (p. 5) have armor on it? I thought the armor went on the (Small) Upper Stage? And why does it have the wrong value for dDR? As a vehicle with an upper stage is is automatically streamlined, which means it gets dDR 20 from Advanced Metallic Laminate Armor. The Polaris Star Probe has several of the same problems, it should be streamlined as it's an Upper Stage, and it's using the streamlined armor value.

The Nova III: Chariot-Class Nuclear Booster (p.7) mentions Upper Stage (Mars Lander, Phobos, or Deep Space Rocket), there's a Phobos-Class Deep Space Rocket just below it, but I can't seem to mind a Mars Lander, unless it the Lowell-Class Planetary Lander that refers back to the Nova/Chariot.

Now the Phobos-Class Deep Space Rocket, it's said to be an Upper-Stage option for the Nova III/Chariot, but it is neither Streamlined or armored.

The Lowell-Class Ascent Vehicle, from what I can read it's supposed to return the crew to earth by itself, but it doesn't have the crew space to do so, it only has seating

[SCAR]

Originally Posted by scc

OK, as this seems to be the official thread for this release I'm going to post the problems I found with it here.

Why does the Polaris Booster Stage (p. 5) have armor on it? I thought the armor went on the (Small) Upper Stage? And why does it have the wrong value for dDR? As a vehicle with an upper stage is is automatically streamlined, which means it gets dDR 20 from Advanced Metallic Laminate Armor. The Polaris Star Probe has several of the same problems, it should be streamlined as it's an Upper Stage, and it's using the streamlined armor value.

Where does it say a spacecraft with an Upper Stage is Streamlined? - Certainly not in Spaceships under the Upper Stage Listing, or on that page for the Small Upper Stage Listing.

I seem no problem with having Armour in the Front Hull of a spaceship with a Small Upper Stage elsewhere in the Front Hull.

If the Spacecraft is therefore Un-streamlined, the dDR is correct at 30.

Originally Posted by scc

The Nova III: Chariot-Class Nuclear Booster (p.7) mentions Upper Stage (Mars Lander, Phobos, or Deep Space Rocket), there's a Phobos-Class Deep Space Rocket just below it, but I can't seem to mind a Mars Lander, unless it the Lowell-Class Planetary Lander that refers back to the Nova/Chariot.

Aside from it not being named 'Mars Lander' the text seems perfectly clear to me that this is the referenced vessel.

Originally Posted by scc

Now the Phobos-Class Deep Space Rocket, it's said to be an Upper-Stage option for the Nova III/Chariot, but it is neither Streamlined or armored.

Again, where does it say an Upper Stage needs to be Streamlined or have Armour?

Originally Posted by scc

The Lowell-Class Ascent Vehicle, from what I can read it's supposed to return the crew to earth by itself, but it doesn't have the crew space to do so, it only has seating

Originally Posted by SS5.p13 'Lowell-Class Planetary Lander'

After the mission is complete, the Ascent Vehicle blasts off to rendezvous in orbit with a supporting spacecraft. In the sample Mars mission this is a separately launched Phobosclass rocket serving as an Earth Return Vehicle.

So its the Phobos-class Deep-Space Rocket [p7] which is the ERV (as it also states).