11-15-2018, 03:28 AM | #1 |
Join Date: Mar 2013
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Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
I'm not talking about traditional rocket or jet-packs, but rather a powered glider. Leonardo da Vinci's glider is TL4, so it's believable that someone could design one that could actually work, the major hurdles would be finding enough money and test pilots to work out the bugs and for the setting I'm working on those aren't major issues.
What I'm wondering is how well someone getting the idea to strap a gunpowder rocket or two to one to one to get some extra lift and/or speed might work out in a cinematic campaign. |
11-15-2018, 03:58 AM | #2 |
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
Gadgeteering seems an obvious route - in fact, as I understand the cinematic gadgeteering rules, this is exactly the sort of thing they are intended for.
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11-15-2018, 04:05 AM | #3 | |
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Vilnius, Lithuania
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
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The "rocket motor" (i.e. the burn-chamber of rockets) is a non-trivial machine (although nothing moves). just my 2 cents ...
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garfield |
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11-15-2018, 04:31 AM | #4 | |
GURPS FAQ Keeper
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Kyïv, Ukraine
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
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11-15-2018, 05:05 AM | #5 |
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: U.K.
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
Rather more than that, really.
To answer the thread question; if you mean "Build a TL4 glider with a black-powder-rocket-assisted launch", then the answer would be "probably", in the sense that you can gather enough black powder to throw someone into the air, and glider wings that could in principle enable a skilled pilot to get back to the ground again alive. If you mean "Could you do this to any useful effect in a faintly realistic setting?", then the answer would be "aaargh, those poor test pilots and their families". I'm pretty sure that you'd regularly kill off pilots in routine use; the casualty rate in the development process would be... unspeakable. Even by TL4 standards. Getting any kind of useful control in rocket-powered flight takes you to TL(4+2), pretty much by definition; TL4 black powder rockets burn until they stop (which can mean "burn out" or "explode"). Actually, getting good enough glider control to make safe landings more likely than not probably makes the thing TL(4+1), minimum. However, the first answer means that, if you're talking about a cinematic clockpunk game, please feel free to have rocket-launched glider recon and assault forces. Though even there, they should probably all to a man have the Daredevil advantage.
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11-15-2018, 05:30 AM | #6 |
Join Date: Oct 2018
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
sounds like it works best as a “i have an idea but you won’t like it” sorta plan cause you’re probably gonna die if it doesn’t work.
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11-15-2018, 05:44 AM | #7 |
Join Date: Jul 2006
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
Esoteric Chinese know-wotz would also work, albeit more Victorian in flavour than TL4 - I could definitely imagine Chinese man-carrying kites boosted to altitude by rockets.
It's not remotely realistic, but since the OP specified cinematic I'm not sure that we care. |
11-15-2018, 08:35 AM | #8 |
Join Date: Jan 2006
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
I'm 90% sure that these already have (3e) stats in one of the GURPS Alternate Earths books. However, by brain can't sort out if it was Romans, Aztecs, or Ming using them.
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11-15-2018, 09:03 AM | #9 |
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Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Southeast NC
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
There was a steampunk glider article in Pyramid, which included rocket boosted gliders. Might be what you're thinking of.
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RyanW - Actually one normal sized guy in three tiny trenchcoats. |
11-15-2018, 09:08 AM | #10 | |
Banned
Join Date: Jun 2005
Location: Bristol
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Re: Are TL4 'Rocket-Pack's Possible?
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The problem with gunpowder is it is an explosive, if it goes wrong then bang goes a PC. Also, the size to produce any significant boost for propelling a 50 to 70kg human any distance will require the proverbial bucket of thrust. It could be possible to have hot air balloons or an aerial propeller for the glider or balloons. |
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