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Old 09-08-2017, 10:41 AM   #31
Mark Skarr
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
Shouldn't that be 2d+2 for punches and 2d+4 for kicks with the bonus from a hard striking surface?
Not really. Striking Surface and kicking both give +1, not +1/die. At D-scale, that's not going to modify the damage.
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Old 09-08-2017, 10:56 AM   #32
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by Mark Skarr View Post
Not really. Striking Surface and kicking both give +1, not +1/die. At D-scale, that's not going to modify the damage.
They probably should be +1/die; it ought to be worse getting kicked by a Warhammer than by the Stay-Puft man.
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Old 09-08-2017, 11:10 AM   #33
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by sir_pudding View Post
They probably should be +1/die; it ought to be worse getting kicked by a Warhammer than by the Stay-Puft man.
I would, generally, agree. But, if going by RAW, then, no.

My point would be that, unless you're going to make a lot of changes to GURPS, you won't get a game that feels like BattleTech. This is why a lot of us who run BattleTech through GURPS have lifted the 'Mech combat from BattleTech whole cloth, only tweaking it for GURPS skills.

This isn't to say that GURPS can't do Mecha combat--far from it. It's just saying that if you want an explicitly BattleTech experience, you're going to have to be using a lot of BattleTech.

ETA:
The Rheinmetall 3.7cm, in GURPS (as defined in High Tech) does 7dx4(2) pi++ damage, in BattleTech Technical Readout 1945 that gun is defined as a Medium Recoilless Rifle which does 3 points of ‘Mech damage. The average damage, in GURPS is almost 100 points of damage (98 actually).

On the other hand, in TRO 1945 they have improved the weapons capabilities for use against BAR 5 armor. The 37mm has a long range of 78, which equates to 2,340 meters, which is better than its GURPS half-damage range. These extra numbers and improved ranges only count against BAR 5 armor. If fighting 'Mechs, they use the normal ranges for their BattleTech weapons equivalencies.

The Rheinmetall 7.5cm, in GURPS (as defined in High Tech) does 6dx10(2) pi++, in TRO 1945, that gun is defined as a Light Rifle, which also does 3 points of ‘Mech damage. The average GURPS damage would be 210 points.

The 75mm has a long range of 54 hexes (1,620 meters), and a -1 bonus to hit (in BattleTech negative numbers are good). Against BAR 5 armor, it’s doing 7 points of damage (the 37mm only does 4). But, against ‘Mechs, both weapons only do 3 points of damage.

Last edited by Mark Skarr; 09-08-2017 at 11:24 AM. Reason: added some research from TRO 1945
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Old 09-08-2017, 11:28 AM   #34
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

My general inclination is to make an original setting with the elements of the inspiration that I like and ditch the silly or less useful for RPG parts. Fading Suns is a better for gaming setting than Dune. In this case I would keep the neo-feudalism, the concept of mechs, and the technological discontinuity, but ditch the weird scaling.
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:04 PM   #35
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

Which is a perfectly valid way to approach this. And, if you're not going to copy BattleTech's combat, it's the best.

But, it's very important to let your players know that's what your doing. Don't tell them it's GURPS BattleTech and then have 'Mech combat play like GURPS which does not feel anything like BattleTech combat.

I wouldn't tell my players "we're playing Star Trek in GURPS" and use Spaceships for the combat. (No, I'd use the Star Trek Tactical Starship Combat rules.) You'd lose a lot of the feeling for the game. Now, if you told them "We're playing a game based on Star Trek" then used Spaceships, you'd be better off.
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:14 PM   #36
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Originally Posted by Mark Skarr View Post
Which is a perfectly valid way to approach this. And, if you're not going to copy BattleTech's combat, it's the best.

But, it's very important to let your players know that's what your doing. Don't tell them it's GURPS BattleTech and then have 'Mech combat play like GURPS which does not feel anything like BattleTech combat.
Sure, you definitely want to give your original setting an orignal name.
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:30 PM   #37
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Sure, you definitely want to give your original setting an orignal name.
Absolutely. I'm not usually allowed to name my games, my players do that (because I'm bad at it). I'd probably name it something like "Bob" or "Hank."

As an aside, back to BattleTech damage, I found some more information in Tactical Operations which puts the information above into a different, bleaker, perspective.

First of all
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tactical Operations, pg 338
RIFLE (CANNON)
Introduced: Pre-spaceflight
A weapon system hearkening back to the early twentieth century, vehicle-scale rifles (or cannons) were either rifled- or smooth-bore weapons designed with lower reloading and firing rates compared to even the smallest standard autocannons of today. Relying more on larger-caliber rounds and greater concentrations of propellant to deliver their damage, these weapons were developed by various Inner Sphere and Periphery manufacturers for centuries before the autocannon rendered them obsolete.
Then there's this little gem specifically addressing Cannons:
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tactical Operations, pg 338
However, because they lack the armor-penetrating power of modern autocannons, rifles of all sizes must subtract 3 points of damage (to a minimum of 0) for successful attacks against any unit except for conventional infantry, battle armor, ’Mechs using Commercial Armor, or Support Vehicles with a BAR rating below 8.
So . . . those weapons wouldn't actually do any damage against a front-line 'Mech. The 88mm is compared to a medium cannon, which does 6 points of 'Mech damage, so it would inflict 3.
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:39 PM   #38
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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Absolutely. I'm not usually allowed to name my games, my players do that (because I'm bad at it). I'd probably name it something like "Bob" or "Hank."
"Mechlords", "Age of Titans", "Mecha Shogun", or "Jaegerkencht".

Last edited by sir_pudding; 09-08-2017 at 12:43 PM.
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Old 09-08-2017, 12:47 PM   #39
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

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"Mechlords", "Age of Titans", or "Mecha Shogun".
Those are all really good names. And I could see "Reign of Steel vs Age of Titans!"

I'm more a Megas XLR sorta guy when it comes to naming things.

Chicks dig giant robots.
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Old 09-08-2017, 01:08 PM   #40
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Default Re: Battletech/Mechwarrior mechs in GURPS

Quick and dirty GURPS BattleTech:
First off, forget about the difference between a meter and a yard.

‘Mechs and other BattleTech vehicles are C-Scale. All ‘Mechs have a HT of 12.

Light ‘Mechs have 10 cHP and are SM +2
Mediums have 15 cHP and are SM +3
Heavies have 20 cHP and are SM +3
Assaults have 30 cHP and are SM +4

Double the ‘Mech’s armor tonnage to get their frontal DR. Side, Top and Under armor are equal to the ‘Mech’s Armor Tonnage. Rear DR is 1/10th the ‘Mech’s armor tonnage, round up. This armor is semi-ablative. (Yes, getting hit in the back is the suck.)

Take the ‘Mechs running MP and triple it for their GURPS move. That works out pretty well.

Take the BattleTech damage and figure that as average damage. So, a Medium Laser, which does 5 points would be 1d+2. A PPC, with 10 average damage, would be 3d. Give all the weapons a functionally LoS range and calculate range penalties from GURPS as normal.

Heat can be factored as a HT check. Add 1/10th a ‘Mechs Heat Sinks (round down) to their HT score. At the end of their turn, make a HT check with -1 for each weapon the ‘Mech fired and if it moved more than a step. If it fails the roll, it’s stunned and can recover from stunning with its normal HT+HS next turn. If it critically fails a HT check, something bad happens and takes the ‘Mech out of the fight.
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