Space Combat Systems

[DaosusLeghki]

I'm looking for various GURPS-based space combat systems to evaluate. I've looked at Spaceships. Interstellar Wars is next on the list. Are there any other space combat systems out there?

[the-red-scare]

Space 3e, Transhuman Space, and 3e GURPS Traveller all have combat systems. I don’t think there’s any other 4th edition space combat, but I could be wrong.

[Rupert]

The system in Spaceships has extensions in some of the other books in the line, have you also checked those?

[DaosusLeghki]

Originally Posted by Rupert

The system in Spaceships has extensions in some of the other books in the line, have you also checked those?

I've looked at the ones in SS1, 3, and 4.

[sgtcallistan]

Originally Posted by DaosusLeghki

I'm looking for various GURPS-based space combat systems to evaluate. I've looked at Spaceships. Interstellar Wars is next on the list. Are there any other space combat systems out there?

Yes, GURPS: Lensman had a Space Opera Combat System, intended for battles like in the movies, or in pulp SF.

A different flavour, simple, fast, and adaptable; I have used it in my 1930s Cliffhangers style game, frex.

Hope this helps.

[Phantasm]

What kind of space combat are you looking for?

One of the Pyramids has an article entitled "Action Dogfighting", which adapts the Chase rules from Action 2: Exploits into dogfighting aircraft. It's not that great a stretch to use it for small one- and two-person spacecraft.

You may even want to use the Chase rules for capital ship combat in space.

[Varyon]

You'll likely need to make the hexes larger than 1 yard each (assuming use of a battle map), but the Basic Vehicle Combat rules (B467) can work for space opera space battles and the like. You may want to allow for something like Move and Aim - and let the bonus apply to the follow-up Move and Attack - to have pilot-controlled weapons be of use (I'd suggest only allowing it for forward-facing weapons).

[David Johnston2]

I've fiddled with using Mass Combat to represent fleet actions.

[David Johansen]

GURPS Space 1st edition had an expanded version of the abstract system from GURPS Humanx. The Space Opera Combat System originally appeared in GURPS Lensman and was repeated in Compendium 2, but without any supporting ship stats. Fortunately the GURPS Space design system's ship stats are pretty compatible with the Space Opera Combat System. Which is brilliant, incidentally.

[DaosusLeghki]

Thanks for the suggestions, all. I was simply dissatisfied with how powerful ballistic weapons are in spaceships, so I thought I'd look Kat other systems before I started tinkering.