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Old 03-18-2016, 05:11 AM   #181
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

I'm on the fence about brachiator, its less swinging and more climbing, they would have hunted brachiators. Went with terrain adaption though and increased climbing.
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Old 03-18-2016, 06:04 AM   #182
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

More on Jump Drives
I've sorted out how I think jump drives should work somewhat. Drives have a range class- Short/Medium/Long/Galactic. This determines how well they inject the hyperplasma beam into 7D space, and how much energy it has. I imagine that the first part of the beam, the "tight" portion, is pretty strong and suffers little gravitational dispersion. The "spread" and "frayed" portions of the beam are at increasingly longer ranges and suffer much more deflection. I've made a table --here-- (which is what held me up a bit- the forum code doesn't support tables very well, so I've put it on a wiki).

The amount of deflection depends on the results of the navigator's Astrogation skill roll- minimal deflection with a MoS of 10+, up to maximum if they make the roll exactly. Equipment, time taken, computers, charts and rutters will all add modifiers to this roll. For example, making the roll by 10 for a Medium Range drive will give 2% deflection for a jump up to 5 light years, meaning a miss of 0.1 light years, and they can hone in on the destination with the in-system 5D drive. Making the roll exactly on a 100 light year jump will mean 50% deflection, or being 50 light years off-target, and they'll have to make several more jumps to get to port.

I envision Sensors makes a roll to analyse the gravimetric mapping of the area, the Navigator makes a roll to plan the course, the Pilot makes a roll to match the ship's position and vector to the Navigator's plotted solution, then the Engineer makes a roll to activate the drive smoothly, but more on these details later.

With the figures as they are in the table, I ran a few min/max calculations to see how many jumps it would take to arrive anywhere. Presuming excellent rolls and minimum deviation, all drives take 2 jumps to travel inside their tight beam range, up to 4 jumps at their fraying range. With all "made by 0" rolls and maximum deviation, tight beam range still means 2 or 3 jumps, while fraying range means 5 to 7 jumps, depending on the range class. I'll stick up a table of these results at some point too. I haven't decided what to do for failed rolls yet.

So, that means short range travel can be accomplished in under 6 jumps, so ships will need 2 fuel tank systems at 3 jumps per tank. More ambitious jumping will need more equipment and contingency planning for getting lost. Is that the kind of thing we're going for? Are the ranges and deviations looking good?

And.... there's a wiki
Here.
With close to 200 posts, this forum thread is a bit unwieldy for finding what someone established earlier on, so I'm hoping the wiki can be a nicer way of organising stuff. At the moment it's all just cut and paste directly from the forum, and ideally appropriate attributions should be kept up. The Q&A Stream pages just match up each question with its answer, cutting out intervening chat. The other sections of the wiki are for grouping ideas together by topic.

Others can sign up and edit what's there, but I think it'd be better if all original material came here first before copying it across. However, summarising stuff directly on the wiki pages should be fine, and would make it clearer for a 3rd party to follow.

I haven't got anywhere near completing just a copy and paste. I started by pasting to the Q&A Stream pages, and combing posts for ideas to stick onto topic pages, such as the Artefacts page or the Jump Drive Discussion page. Anyway, let's see how it goes.
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Old 03-19-2016, 02:44 AM   #183
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This requires one fuel tank module for every 3(?) jumps worth of fuel. Fuel
playing with ship construction and I think Fuel tanks should hold more. Maybe twice as much?

For arguments sake can you go to and from a gas giant free system at medium range with a margin of error. Remember the shallow jumps will cost a fuel unit total
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Old 03-19-2016, 03:06 AM   #184
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playing with ship construction and I think Fuel tanks should hold more. Maybe twice as much?

For arguments sake can you go to and from a gas giant free system at medium range with a margin of error. Remember the shallow jumps will cost a fuel unit total
I was thinking ships would need 2 fuel tank systems in general, for 6 jumps. And I put shallow jumps as either 10 jumps per tank, or 10x better than 7D jumps, so 30 jumps per tank- I'd have to look back.

But, I was thinking about how the Cosmic Class drive would work to get to Andromeda in 3 years. There's no way they'd be able to carry enough fuel, unless we just said the drive has a huuuge range, so instead we could say there are different grades of fuel. Regular hydrogen skimmed from a gas giant could stay at 3 jumps/tank, while better super fuels are more efficient, such as Lithium-doped Hydrogen for 5/tank, Strangelet-doped for 30/tank, then Strangelet-doped superdense eka-radon could be 300/tank. Of course all the fuel grades would have a trade-off with cost and ease of refining on-board.

So are you finding 2 fuel tanks + jump drive hard to fit in a ship and still have enough space to work with?

Does having better fuels seem more interesting or too much hassle?
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Old 03-19-2016, 03:35 AM   #185
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

I think fuel quality would be a good addition.

I was just playing with a design for a long range trader/scout (a worst case kind of example I know) SM 8

systems I wanted to include where an additional sensor array for the "off the beaten track" work, a Hanger bay and a refinery to refuel at gas giants, engine room. with cramped space for a crew of 8 ish there was 7 spaces left for fuel and cargo, or six spaces with more "scenery" space.

Say 3 cargo spaces and you have 3 or 4 fuel spaces, which I thought was a bit lite as it means only 8 to 11 deep jumps.

Its definitely functional but 2 or 3 spaces for fuel seemed closer to what I envisioned.

On a side note, do we want the number of jumps between systems to be less or more varied?

Edit

travel example
Ship with 3 tanks fuels at a 'Hook fuel = [9]
reactionless thrust takes ship out of gas giants gravity well
shallow jump to "clear space" (?) [8.9]
jump to close system takes 2 deep jumps and say 2 shallow jumps to get to asteroid mining habitat [6.7] (no gas giant and planetary conditions make getting water tricky)
jump to planet [6.6]
jump to other habitat [6.5]
Jump to clear space [6.4]
jump to close system takes 3 jumps and 3 shallow jumps [3.1]
one last shallow jump to get close to the hook [3]

too extreme? or what if it was a longer jump?

not sure about the different classes of engines. something similar maybe, drive configuration(?) ("retool the converter ring for a long jump""that'll take hours" etc)
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Old 03-19-2016, 09:44 AM   #186
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

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not sure about the different classes of engines. something similar maybe, drive configuration(?) ("retool the converter ring for a long jump""that'll take hours" etc)
I'll just cover this bit for now.

Perhaps it's possible to push an engine to work as one range class higher- Mechanic roll (-5?), 1d6 hours of work, add a possibility of damage or malfunction.
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Old 03-19-2016, 04:31 PM   #187
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

Thoughts on the jump drive
- I think if there are long range drives they should perform worse at shorter distances than shorter range drive.
- The component of the drive that determines the range would be the hyperplasma lattice. I think there was something in one of the earlier posts about having it relatively larger for longer range jumps. If so longer range drives have a larger matrix (more systems on a ship) but don't need more power as they just take longer to charge. This gives trade offs for different types of ships, range vs charge time vs payload.
- Fuel use vs distance?
- Have to have historic capacity for 1000+ light year voyages to fit with the current history.
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Old 03-21-2016, 03:23 AM   #188
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

Quote:
Question 98:
Are there any nasty diseases that have been picked up? Like what? anything that crosses species?
The nature of diseases, short lived microbes than evolve to suit their current circumstances quickly is a bane of life in the Drift. There are millions of different viruses, prions, bacteria, amebas, theyt, Sub-virii, fungi, plants and parasites. Fortunately most of these can be easily treated with a trip to a doctor and a custom AntiOmnic being printed to treat the disease.

There are oddities however such as the rogue Proteus virus "Jillian's Wish" This virus is highly contagious for about a week in humans and then makes them very susceptible to orders when in the presence of specific pheromones. This virus effects all air breathing species, the original creator has long since been brought to justice by Terran Marshals but unscrupulous medical staff who detect "wild" cases of it can use it to their advantage.

The Sub-virii GilReth gh-jk-12 of CyKoi origin is a lot more challenging to deal with, it infects other viruses and gives them the ability to pass through the blood brain barrier in Humans, Mar Kan and Sulth. The first phase of the illness causes an increase in the flight reflex. Humans hide, Sulth Run and Mar Kan gorge and seek higher ground. The second phase increases the fight reflex and the subject is quite contagious during this phase. The severity varies greatly based on what virus has been infected and the subjects mental state.

The Adonis Treatment, this is a human only ailment. It is a product of a High end Beauty clinic on Io that has escaped into the population in general. The symptoms are savage gastrointestinal cramps as the victims stomach shrinks and the body expels all surplus fat. Painful skin tightening occurs requiring continual moisturizing to avoid scarring. The subject goes through hell for about a week then comes out the other side looking slimmer and younger provided they have had someone to care for them.

Armour Phage effects Rhii and Akriti it is a semi parasitic organism that lives beneath the skin and leaves bioplastic fibers behind it as it moves. The host looses mobility but becomes tougher as a result.

Sulth Bio-engineers have developed several strains of bacteria for all species digestive systems to help them adapt to different biological environments, these of course are coded to be ignored by standard medical equipment. However the results of getting accidental infected with the wrong strain can be catastrophic with effects from digestive discomfort to hallucinations to urgent need of hospitalization.

The Gaiaplague has been mentioned and while that just maybe a myth there are other diseases that echo its effects, The Deity Strain that hyper stimulates the religious and communication centers of the brain is one.

Space Rust has an evil sibling too, the vacuum life form wormlice, untreated victims of this mysterious organism are found cocooned floating in the vacuum of space after suicidally leaving their ships.

Random technology: Flavour teeth, These designer dental attachments are placed on the inner surface of the teeth and electrically stimulate the taste buds and smell receptors to make bland food more palatable by adding a huge range of flavours. Its a shame they are so easy to hack.

Question 101a
Whats the smallest ship that can have a Jump drive?
Question 101b
Big ships have been mentioned, the biggest so far has a precursor hull (the library). How big are the biggest ships being made?
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Old 03-21-2016, 07:49 AM   #189
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

Question 101a
Whats the smallest ship that can have a Jump drive?
Smallest? The smallest practical ships are about the size of a jumbo jet. You can get smaller though; someone from the German Confederation built one the size of a bus, though it ran into trouble with fuel. You see, fueling a jump drive is generally proportional to the size of the ship, though very small ships (100 tons or less) require more and more fuel. The bus sized ship could only get away with about 1 7D jump before running out of fuel. However, smaller ships have an advantage in that they are significantly easier to jump with; BDC bought the bus because it is apparently capable of making jumps from Jovian moons.

Question 101b
Big ships have been mentioned, the biggest so far has a precursor hull (the library). How big are the biggest ships being made?
Biggest? You generally don't see any trade ships bigger than 50,000 tons, though Laurentian Networks has a factory ship to produce network infrastructure for colonies on the order of 150,000 tons. The biggest military ships can't get too big; even the best armored can be taken out with a stray missile. I do seem to recall some mobile colonies that might be over 250,000 tons, though those are few and far between. Ships like the library and Archimedes are the exceptions, not the rule.
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Old 03-21-2016, 11:15 AM   #190
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Default Re: [Game] Generate a Space Trader Setting

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Question 101a
Whats the smallest ship that can have a Jump drive?
Smallest? The smallest practical ships are about the size of a jumbo jet.
So about 70 metres long, ~400 tonnes- SM+7 is 300t and 30 yards.
Quote:
Question 101b
Big ships have been mentioned, the biggest so far has a precursor hull (the library). How big are the biggest ships being made?
Biggest? You generally don't see any trade ships bigger than 50,000 tons, though Laurentian Networks has a factory ship to produce network infrastructure for colonies on the order of 150,000 tons.
SM+11 is 30,000t & 150 yds long, and SM+12 is 100,000/200yds. Then 250,000t is just under SM+13, at 300,000t/300 yds. How would they compare with modern day container ships, or with other fictional starships?

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Thoughts on the jump drive
- I think if there are long range drives they should perform worse at shorter distances than shorter range drive.
Regarding your "if", I thought long distances were baked in at the start, with post #2. But if you want to privilege shorter ranges over longer ones, I think economics will do that anyway.
Quote:
- The component of the drive that determines the range would be the hyperplasma lattice. I think there was something in one of the earlier posts about having it relatively larger for longer range jumps. If so longer range drives have a larger matrix (more systems on a ship) but don't need more power as they just take longer to charge. This gives trade offs for different types of ships, range vs charge time vs payload.
I was going with what's on Spaceships p25, which gives a basic FTL-1 rating for the standard drive, then allows better drives which cost more and use more power, their FTL-2 for 5x cost, and then extended it up the scale, substituting FTL-1/FTL-2 with Short/Medium/Long/Galactic. Spaceships does also allow FTL-2 with two drives, but I wasn't sure how that would work with the plasma cannon, so I thought it could mean having one charged ready for the next jump. Using more power means shooting the hyperplasma "harder", which gives it the extra range.

For the ranges, early on ericthered was talking about crossing the galaxy, with diameter 100,000 ly, but I went a bit more modest than that with 2000 ly max for the Galactic drive.

As for trade-offs, we could set the standard drive- Short Range, 2(?) hours to charge- then add cost multipliers to enhance those (high speed charging drive- x5 cost, halves time), or maybe an extra system if you want to trade off with tonnage instead- an External Charger Unit (half cost of a full star drive, halves time again).

Quote:
- Fuel use vs distance?
Possible, and logical in itself, but might get tedious to keep track of. A simple way could be 3 units of fuel per tank, and use 1 unit for the Tight range, 2 for the Spread range, and 4 for the Fraying range.
BTW- I went with 3 jumps per tank as the Spaceships rules scale with SM on a 1/3/10 cycle, so it helps with figuring sub-sized systems and such.
Quote:
- Have to have historic capacity for 1000+ light year voyages to fit with the current history.
Were there any particular contradictions? In any case, the current schema doesn't have to have held for the entirety of the history.

ETA- Back to ship size, what size would a jump carrier have to be, or the Hiveship talked about before?
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