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06-03-2019, 01:38 PM | #1 |
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Oregon
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Shipbuilding in ISW vs Spaceships
I'm familiar with Spaceships, but just got into Interstellar Wars. I've seeing a handful of distinct differences between the two systems. I'm considering designing ISW ships via Spaceships, but I'm worried about consistency. What functional differences are there that I may be missing at first glance?
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06-03-2019, 06:29 PM | #2 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Shipbuilding in ISW vs Spaceships
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I've never tried very hard to make ships with the ISW ssytem. I'm put off by its' complexity relative to its' output. Also, ISW has very poor comaptibility with earlier versions of Traveller (J2 Beowulf for starters). Spaceships at least has the virtue of simplicity. I can make Spaceships desgins by counting on my fingers (to 20).
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Fred Brackin |
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06-03-2019, 07:06 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Oregon
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Re: Shipbuilding in ISW vs Spaceships
I know ISW came before Spaceships, ISW as a whole has a few issues that were later solved as 4e matured.
I only prefer Spaceships because I'm familiar with it, but I was worried that I'd break something. I worry too much. Also, I'm not concerned about other editions of Traveller because I'm not familiar with any other Traveller setting, aside from what I've read in the last week. As is, I think I prefer ISW (over other Traveller time periods) since I was imagining a TL9-10 ish BSG inspired setting for my campaign. I was originally trying to shoehorn Star Wars into a TL9-10 GURPS existence-- it was ugly. I'm put off by ISW shipbuilding complexity as well -- that's why I was asking about its output. Does it do anything better than Spaceships? If not, does using Spaceships break anything in ISW? Will I have to reimagine existing ISW ships? If not, I'll go with what I already know and run with Spaceships. |
06-03-2019, 07:38 PM | #4 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Shipbuilding in ISW vs Spaceships
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ISW can be the other way. One of my issues with it is that some Vilani ships have so much armor that a Terran ship of comparable mass couldn't damage it. It would be very hard for the Terrans to win any of those match-ups.
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Fred Brackin |
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06-03-2019, 08:19 PM | #5 |
Join Date: Feb 2017
Location: Oregon
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Re: Shipbuilding in ISW vs Spaceships
My concern with TL11+ was one my players brought up: death was inevitable. They realized that TL11 energy weapons were brutal. Short of everyone wearing space armor and having personal shields, a solid shot would end them. I dialed my game back to TL9 (with a few exceptions) as it seemed more reasonable (and survivable).
Is "eggshells and hammer" worse than "plink, plink, plink, red mist"? |
06-04-2019, 09:35 AM | #6 | |
Join Date: Aug 2007
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Re: Shipbuilding in ISW vs Spaceships
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Now you're talking about personal combat and i fiind your player's concerns difficult to understand as well. In UT (until you get to TL12^Disintegrators) lethality to unarmored targets goes _down_ when you switch from TL9 projectile weapons to higher TL energy weapons. A TL11 Heavy Blaster Pistol does 4d damage or an average of 14 pts. That's a weapon the size of a .44 magnum. A standard 9mm cop gun from TL8 loaded with HP does 13.5 pts of wounding. A TL9 15mm Magnum does 4d+1 P++ or 30 pts of wounding to an unarmored target. A TL 9 Gyroc does 6D P++ or 42 pts of wounding and that's with non-explosive rounds. The lower RCL and hgh ACC of energy weapons can get a target in trouble with multiple hits but that's not the "one solid shot" you mentioned. You won't find Gurps combat with Piercing weapons at lower TLs notably more survivable.
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Fred Brackin |
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Tags |
interstellar wars, isw, isw ship design, spaceships |
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