[Spaceships] Starfire to GURPS conversions? (revisited)

[DaltonS]

It's been over four years since the last post to that thread, so I thought I'd start fresh. Since then, a new version of the Starfire game called Solar Starfire has come out. Based on the Ultra Starfire rules, this game is set in a different universe from that of the Starfire books by David Weber and Steve White. Some things are the same:

1. Warp Points - which in GURPS terms are natural Jump Points connected in jumplines that can used by any vessel with a sufficiently strong Drive Field and are anomalies in space/time which allow starships to make instantaneous transits over interstellar distances. They usually form in the strong gravitational fields around stars and do not orbit the star, but move with it through space at a fixed distance and bearing relative to the local stellar neighborhood. Occasionally, a group of warp points will form in deep space, away from a star’s influence but still remain in the same relative positions in respect to each other. Oddly enough, a “Starless Nexus” (starless area with warp points) generally has a larger number of jump points than star systems do, and scientists speculate the reason is because the gravitational fields either distort, hide, or simply degenerate (destroy) warp points around the stars. They share certain common traits;
   1. Capacity - which is the maximum size of the vessel that can transit a WP in a single turn. Larger vessels can still transit the WP in Size/Capacity turns. Multiple smaller vessels may transit a WP simultaneously, but if the total size of the transit exceeds the WP’s capacity, some vessels may inter-penetrate on arrival and be destroyed. Warp points may be thought of as “gravity whirlpools” whose “gravity surge” will destroy units or objects without sufficient drive-field strength to protect them (such as missiles, fighters, etc.). Only WPs of the same capacity may be linked. Vessels may adjust their effective “transit size” by selecting specific types of drives and hull configurations.
   2. Visibility - which determines how difficult it is to find the WP in the first place. Finding any WPs at all is difficult task at best, requiring either a) a detailed gravimetric survey of the entire system or nexus (this is where “visibility” factors in), or b) observing another vessel’s “transit signature” as they use a WP. For option (a) to occur, a race must first know that WPs even exist, which doesn’t happen until they have mastered the physics behind “reactionless drive”; once they have however, predicting the existence ofWJPs is inevitable. Option (b) is much easier and needs less advanced tech, but requires that someone is looking in the right direction first. WPs of any visibility may be linked (except under optional rules).
2. Reactionless Drive - which in GURPS terms might be considered a “Stardrive (Reactionless)” with “Drive Field”, “Pseudo-Velocity” and “Boost Drives” design switches. While technically a Stardrive, its FTL capability cannot be discovered until the existence of Warp Points is, so it is treated as an STL drive most of the time. In fact, since its FTL function is an incidental side-effect of its Drive Field and is unleveled, it would be more accurately described as a “Reactionless (Star)Drive” with the above design switches. Since it allows travel at c-fractional speeds (1 speed level=1/120 c = 2,500 kps = 1,550 mps = 30 c-seconds/hour) in deep space it quickly replaces all other types of space drive for interplanetary (and later interstellar) travel. (The only reaction engine mentioned was essentially a bi-directional spinal charged particle beam used for propulsion that requires an “Inertia-Conversion Field” to transit a Warp Point.) Maximum speed is limited by the engine type, its tech level and the ship’s hull size (larger hulls are slower). After that point, additional systems are only useful a spares unless the ship’s effective tonnage is increased by towing or carrying (externally) other vessels.

My attempt at the GURPSification of Starfire has focused on how to insert these two elements into a GURPS Space campaign. The first sentence of the introduction to Solar Starfire by Marvin R. Lamb is

The STARFIRE gaming system is a “4X” (eXplore, eXpand, eXploit, eXterminate) game that has been designed to simulate tactical combat between starships and campaign-style empire building in space.

Not exactly the RPG style, is it? (Unless you're Igor Olman of “Dork Tower”. ;) ) The following posts will describe in detail what I've come up with. (BTW, from here on I'll be referring to "Warp Points" as "Jump Points" because this is GURPS. :) )

Dalton "whose ideas may be warped, but to the point" Spence