Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - Cinematic Rocket Delta-V Rules

Michael Thayne · 12-28-2020, 01:03 PM

I don't know about Battletech, but I think the Epstein Drive from The Expanse should probably be modeled as a super fusion pulse drive (SS p. 22), but without the benefit of gravitic compensators (SS p. 29), so acceleration is limited by what the crew can withstand. If you have Spaceships 7 you can use the smaller systems to downgrade to a small-sized fusion pulse drive, which still gives you ~6.7G of acceleration, which is plenty for a craft with a biological crew. Really getting the feel of The Expanse probably calls for homebrewing more detailed rules for the effects of high-G maneuvers, as well as biotech to mitigate them.

OTOH, if you just not want to worry about delta-V as little as possible without technically breaking any laws of physics the total conversion torch (SS p. 23) will do the job nicely.

A third option would be to use reactionless drives, but have them run out of fuel as the plot demands. That might be more what you're thinking of by "cinematic"—not so much impossibly powerful as following movie logic rather than real-world logic.

12-28-2020, 01:03 PM	#22
Michael Thayne Join Date: May 2010	Re: Cinematic Rocket Delta-V Rules I don't know about Battletech, but I think the Epstein Drive from The Expanse should probably be modeled as a super fusion pulse drive (SS p. 22), but without the benefit of gravitic compensators (SS p. 29), so acceleration is limited by what the crew can withstand. If you have *Spaceships 7* you can use the smaller systems to downgrade to a small-sized fusion pulse drive, which still gives you ~6.7G of acceleration, which is plenty for a craft with a biological crew. Really getting the feel of *The Expanse* probably calls for homebrewing more detailed rules for the effects of high-G maneuvers, as well as biotech to mitigate them. OTOH, if you just not want to worry about delta-V as little as possible without technically breaking any laws of physics the total conversion torch (SS p. 23) will do the job nicely. A third option would be to use reactionless drives, but have them run out of fuel as the plot demands. That might be more what you're thinking of by "cinematic"—not so much impossibly powerful as following movie logic rather than real-world logic.