Cold War Spaceship Builds

Cedric · 03-25-2019, 06:51 PM

Howdy. I'm trying to set up a game that simulates the Space Race from the early 1950's into mid 21st century, maybe a bit beyond. Originally I was going to use my old copy of 2300AD Naval Architect Manual but it's a very buggy rules set. I was just given a copy of GURPS Space, but I'm not really familiar with it. Would it be a good rules set for what I'm trying for or would another system be better suited?

Kelly Pedersen · 03-25-2019, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cedric

I was just given a copy of GURPS Space, but I'm not really familiar with it. Would it be a good rules set for what I'm trying for or would another system be better suited?

Which edition of GURPS Space? If it's the most recent one, I'm afraid it won't be particularly useful for building spaceships at all, as it has no spaceship design system. The 4th Edition books you want if you're building TL 7-8 spaceships are probably going to be Spaceships 1 for the basic spaceship design system, and Spaceships 7. The latter, while mostly devoted to more unusual technology and magic and such, also has a few add-ons to the basic system that you probably want for lower-TL spaceships.

Cedric · 03-25-2019, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

Which edition of GURPS Space? If it's the most recent one, I'm afraid it won't be particularly useful for building spaceships at all, as it has no spaceship design system.

Nope, its 3rd Edition. There's some nice stuff in it, but its a little thin on shipbuilding and I'll have to do a lot of house rule fill-ins, which I'd rather not do if I don't have to. I'll ask around and see if anybody I know has a copy of Spaceships 1.

Spaceships 7? Zombies and space whales? Heh. Okay. We'll see how that goes.

Michael Thayne · 03-25-2019, 08:57 PM

I love the Spaceships series but be warned that at TL7-TL8, if both sides use sensible tactics, the result is pretty much mutually assured destruction. "Sensible tactics" in this case mostly means spamming attacks from relatively small ballistic weapons, primarily from SM+4 major batteries. (Check out Spaceships 4 for rules for small spacecraft.)

At TL9 the tactics don't change much but point-defense lasers make space combat somewhat more survivable.

AlexanderHowl · 03-25-2019, 09:36 PM

The tactics of TL9+ start to favor lasers, missile drones, and point defense drones as the spacecraft scale up in size. At SM+15, it makes sense to have 10,000 point defense drones, 10,000 missile drones, and a couple of 1 TJ lasers to chew up the enemy from 30,000 miles away.

YankeeGamer · 03-25-2019, 10:32 PM

Spaceships 7 includes rules for mini systems and oversized systems. That makes it worthwhile right tehre.

Kelly Pedersen · 03-25-2019, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cedric

Spaceships 7? Zombies and space whales? Heh. Okay. We'll see how that goes.

Mostly, I recommend it for just a few of the systems. It's got rules for helicoptor rotors, some TL 7 jet engines that aren't in Spaceships 1, and rules for small upper stages, all of which I think could be useful when designing TL 7 or 8 spaceships and high-altitude aircraft. If you don't want to shell out for it, you can probably make do with just Spaceships 1, and Spaceships 4 as Michael Thayne mentioned, for the rules for SM +4 ships.

Cedric · 03-26-2019, 07:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kelly Pedersen

...and Spaceships 7.

So, my buddy's e-book of SpSh-1 was corrupted, but he still had SpSh-7.
I am ashamed for having doubted. SpHs-7 is packed with usable stuff!
Some of its over the time-limit, but plenty good for a later-era game like duplicating tech from 2001/2010 Space Odyssey or Space 1999.

I know one other guy that may have it. Otherwise, time start saving up or taking donations.

Any other game systems that I might use to graft in some additional tech and mechanics?

PTTG · 03-27-2019, 12:41 AM

My big advice for spaceship combat is think very carefully about the situations and strategy of space combat first.

Few situations are going to call for both sides to build massive space fleets while knowing full well that they'll mutually annihilate. More likely, they'll both try to do something in particular.

If one side can militarize orbit first (even by a matter of hours, if it matters,) the other can likely be locked out of space... unless both sides have multiple bases throughout the solar system. In that case, expect blockades and negotiation while fleets reposition.

johndallman · 03-27-2019, 02:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cedric

my buddy's e-book of SpSh-1 was corrupted . . .

If he has a Warehouse 23 account and his purchase was associated with that, he can download a clean copy.

03-25-2019, 06:51 PM	#1
Cedric Join Date: Mar 2019	Cold War Spaceship Builds Howdy. I'm trying to set up a game that simulates the Space Race from the early 1950's into mid 21st century, maybe a bit beyond. Originally I was going to use my old copy of 2300AD Naval Architect Manual but it's a very buggy rules set. I was just given a copy of GURPS Space, but I'm not really familiar with it. Would it be a good rules set for what I'm trying for or would another system be better suited?

03-25-2019, 08:57 PM	#4
Michael Thayne Join Date: May 2010	Re: Cold War Spaceship Builds I love the *Spaceships* series but be warned that at TL7-TL8, if both sides use sensible tactics, the result is pretty much mutually assured destruction. "Sensible tactics" in this case mostly means spamming attacks from relatively small ballistic weapons, primarily from SM+4 major batteries. (Check out *Spaceships 4* for rules for small spacecraft.) At TL9 the tactics don't change much but point-defense lasers make space combat somewhat more survivable.

03-25-2019, 09:36 PM	#5
AlexanderHowl Join Date: Feb 2016	Re: Cold War Spaceship Builds The tactics of TL9+ start to favor lasers, missile drones, and point defense drones as the spacecraft scale up in size. At SM+15, it makes sense to have 10,000 point defense drones, 10,000 missile drones, and a couple of 1 TJ lasers to chew up the enemy from 30,000 miles away.

03-25-2019, 10:32 PM	#6
YankeeGamer Join Date: Dec 2017	Re: Cold War Spaceship Builds Spaceships 7 includes rules for mini systems and oversized systems. That makes it worthwhile right tehre.

03-27-2019, 12:41 AM	#9
PTTG Join Date: Feb 2011	Re: Cold War Spaceship Builds My big advice for spaceship combat is think very carefully about the situations and strategy of space combat first. Few situations are going to call for both sides to build massive space fleets while knowing full well that they'll mutually annihilate. More likely, they'll both try to do something in particular. If one side can militarize orbit first (even by a matter of hours, if it matters,) the other can likely be locked out of space... unless both sides have multiple bases throughout the solar system. In that case, expect blockades and negotiation while fleets reposition.