Advice for running Macross in GURPS?

[the adventurer]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

That being said, I'm not sure why hardpoints must be separate. They could be modular (i.e. removable) Weapon Batteries.

An idea. Are there specific rules dealing with modular systems?

Also, I stated up an ARMD Class Space Carrier, of which will be my PCs main base of operation

ARMD Class Space Carrier
Length: 450 Meters/500 Yards. Width: 220 Meters/250 Yards.
Mass: 174,000 metric tons/200,000 Tons
SM+13 (based on Mass)

Front Hull

[1-2!] Major Battery - Beam (Fix Mounted. 2dx50 damage each. Workspaces 30 each.)

[3-4] Nanocomposite Armor (dDR 300)

[5] Tactical Sensor (Multipurpose Array. Comm/sensor 14. Workspaces 30.)

[6] Antimatter Reactor (4 power points. Workspaces 30.)

Central Hull

[1!] Major Battery - Missile (80cm. 150 shots. Workspaces 30.)

[2-3!] Tertiary Battery - Beam/Launcher (30 Turreted Beam. 6dx5 damage each. 30 Turreted Missile. 48cm Launchers. 50 shots each. Workspaces 30 each.)

[4] Fuel Tanks (Fuel Tons 15k)

[5-6] Nanocomposite Armor (dDR 300)

[core] Hanger Bay (10K Capacity. Launch Rate 1000K. Workspaces 30.)

Rear Hull

[1!] Space Fold Engine (Workspaces 30.)

[2] Control Room (Complexity C10. Comm/Sensor 15. Control Stations 30. Workspaces 30.)

[3] Nanocomposite Armor (dDR 150)

[4-5] Fusion Torch Engine (0.5G acceleration each. 15mps of Delta-V per fuel tank. Workspaces 30.)

[6!] Tertiary Battery - Beam/Launcher (15 Turreted Beam. 6Dx5 damage each. 15 Turreted Missile. 48cm Launchers. 50 shots each. Workstations 30.)

[core] Antimatter Reactor (4 power points. Workspaces 30.)

It seems to do everything it should; shoot, move, launch fighters, fold in space. But I'm curious as to what its damage output actually is (how is missile damage figured out? for example), and what its maximum move is. I'm not entirely clear on how Gs equate to actual Move in game.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by the adventurer

An idea. Are there specific rules dealing with modular systems?

IIRC there's some extra cost, and you can switch them for a different one in the hangar. I really don't remember for sure.

Originally Posted by the adventurer

It seems to do everything it should; shoot, move, launch fighters, fold in space. But I'm curious as to what its damage output actually is (how is missile damage figured out? for example), and what its maximum move is. I'm not entirely clear on how Gs equate to actual Move in game.

They don't. Gs are acceleration. Your Move is theoretically limited by your Δv. In practice, you will likely want to never, ever achieve your maximal move in space.

Missile damage is the calculated as multiplication of base dDamage by collision speed in mps. And unless you nerf missiles for your Macross game, they will likely take out a Death Star equivalent* when properly used.

* == I saw very little RoboTech/Macross.

[the adventurer]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Missile damage is the calculated as multiplication of base dDamage by collision speed in mps. And unless you nerf missiles for your Macross game, they will likely take out a Death Star equivalent* when properly used.

Hmm. That might be a little too powerful. Though, in Macross, the ARMD carries are very small capital ships comparatively to most. (ex: The ARMD's mass is only 200,000 tons. The Macross's mass is 25 million tons*. By comparison, a Zentrai command Battleship is 190 million tons) These things get BIG. FAST.

*now granted, that's with two(2) ARMDs attached to it.

[vicky_molokh]

Originally Posted by the adventurer

Hmm. That might be a little too powerful. Though, in Macross, the ARMD carries are very small capital ships comparatively to most. (ex: The ARMD's mass is only 200,000 tons. The Macross's mass is 25 million tons*. By comparison, a Zentrai command Battleship is 190 million tons) These things get BIG. FAST.

*now granted, that's with two(2) ARMDs attached to it.

The problem with missiles is that they need not even necessarily be big to do enormous damage. Launching them from a fast fighter will give them high initial speed already, and if even one of them hits the carrier, the damage will be hard to ignore. Of course, I'm saying all this without checking the specific numbers, but in general this is true.

[Lord Carnifex]

Originally Posted by vicky_molokh

Missile damage is the calculated as multiplication of base dDamage by collision speed in mps. And unless you nerf missiles for your Macross game, they will likely take out a Death Star equivalent* when properly used.

* == I saw very little RoboTech/Macross.

There are a few peculiarities of the setting that are important with interaction with GURPS Spaceships.

By and large, space is treated like an atmosphere in Macross. Fighters and missiles mostly behave as though they had a maximum speed much lower than their total delta-v. Indeed, their total delta-v is very, very high when compared to their thrust, and they almost never attain anything close to the true limits to their velocities.

Fighters also tend to fly as if they were, well, flying. There's a constant, unidirectional thrust. They do loops, rolls, and banks and don't pivot in place while maintaining previous velocity like one would expect from fighters in true interplanetary space. Vectors tend to not be additive like they would be in space.

So, for best simulation, fighters and missiles should probably be treated with the atmospheric flying rules rather than as if they were true spacecraft.

[Kale]

One key thing I remember about the missiles is they seemed to be explosive. Spaceships assumes most of the damage from a missile is the impact due to the missile moving at high velocity. Macross missiles don't seem particularly speedy and make up for speed by being fired in swarms. As Lord Carnifex and Molokh say, treat space combat more like atmospheric combat. You'll probably need to come up with your own stats for the swarm missiles, but guns and lasers should translate fairly well as-is.