Converting Twilight 2000 for use with GURPS 4e

[acrosome]

Are you looking for critiques /editing / recommendations? If so:

Yeah, I think no ESAPI, too. I would also propose removing the M1A3 Abrams II "Giraffe". It never happened. It was never even considered, for that matter- it's pure fiction on GDW's part. And you're clearly making adjustments for real life happenings if you're including the M240 and dropping the "Giraffe"-like T90.

I definitely would believe the M8 gun happening if the Cold War continued, though. Hell, the airborne guys said it met all of their requirements and they wanted it badly, but budget cuts. Conversely IRL the Stingray tank only sold to Singapore with the last delivery in 1990 so it's probably a lot less likely, but if the tooling was mothballed and the US was desperate, sure, they could open production again- and a lot cheaper than the incredibly high-tech M1.

On that subject, you need the M1, not just the M1A1. I might throw the BTR-60 in there too. It also seems likely that the M60 and T-55/T-62/T-64 would be coming out of mothballs. Otherwise, I generally think you have all of the important vehicles. (I could definitely keep listing ones I'd like to see, though, if you like.)

I'd seriously consider including the M47 Dragon. It wasn't wasn't retired until 2001, and we still have them mothballed. Yes, in a mechanized European was it's deficiencies would be starkly revealed- thus speeding procurement of the Javelin- but it would still be cheap and easy to manufacture and still quite effective against lesser ATVs and technicals. National Guard units would almost certainly have fielded them at the very least.

I can't tell if you're including only stuff that isn't in High-Tech or not. If not then the RPG-7 seems like a pretty glaring omission. And almost everyone in NATO used the Carl Gustav except the US.

With a Surgery skill of 14, your Doctor template is a friggin trauma surgeon. Was that your intent? Physician-16 also makes him almost an outright genius. You might want to make a couple of lenses for that. But I'm a surgeon, so maybe I'm just sensitive to this.

What edition of GURPS is this for? Some of your templates list languages as skills, but in 4e they are advantages.

Including the practical differences between burning petroleum, ethanol, or methanol in your vehicle would be pretty key. I think there is something about it in other GURPS supplements somewhere.

You might consider throwing in more calibers for the civilian Mauser hunting rifles and the Winchester Model 70. I'd also add the Remington 700, at the very least. I always bemoaned the unsatisfying dearth of weapon options for civilians in T2K.

[Z09SS]

I tried to avoid including stuff that's in High Tech. Yes, it does make for some apparent glaring omissions.

Even when I was in the M1(IP) days were numbered and all of the original M1 were gone. Ten years later, weren't none because the IP is just a rebarrel away from being an M1A1 (and the ammo storage changes). Many of them were.

The Giraffe is an iconic item from the original game to me. I know it was considered because I've actually touched the Abrams TTB! http://warfaretech.blogspot.com/2015...-unmanned.html

I agonized on dropping the T-90, and ultimately did so because the Russians were a LOT farther behind than we thought they were in 1985 or even 1995.

[acrosome]

Originally Posted by Z09SS

I tried to avoid including stuff that's in High Tech. Yes, it does make for some apparent glaring omissions.

I thought that might be it, but then you list the AKs and M16s, and a whole lot of other stuff that's in High-Tech. So I wasn't sure. If the criterium is how vital a weapon is to the setting then the RPG-7 is probably ubiquitous enough that you should throw it in there, too, though. $0.02.

Originally Posted by Z09SS

The Giraffe is an iconic item from the original game to me. I know it was considered because I've actually touched the Abrams TTB! http://warfaretech.blogspot.com/2015...-unmanned.html

I always thought that the Giraffe was silly as hell, even when T2K 1e came out. Not the concept of an unmanned turret- just the ridiculous height of the one on the Giraffe. And I severely doubted that one would be fielded by the time setting. But it's your product, and it's awesome! The M1 debate is pretty pointless anyway. I have never ever heard of a T2K party that got to start with one...

I truly dislike the weird stuff like the LAV-75, and the laser ADA, though. I wasn't so much interested in the science fiction aspect- just the military post-apoc, which was so revolutionary at the time. (GDW always had awesome concepts- just poorly executed mechanics.)

The Soviets never threw anything away, though. Their older tanks would be fielded. And heck even today upgraded T-55s make up most of some national armies.

How do you do starting wealth and equipment purchase? Did I miss it in my skimming? I assume that 100% of wealth can be used to purchase "adventuring equipment?" And I see something about a "patron roll" to get vehicles? You might want to include some civilian body armor for North American campaigns- I assume that police armor would have been desirable.

Damn. Now I have to stat myself as a T2K character... When did they mobilize the reserves? 1996? I wouldn't get to graduate from college- that was 1997... What happened to 99th ARCOM? :) Well, actually I was a Russia-targeted SIGINT guy, so I might well get dragged back to active duty elsewhere, I guess. I would have been rather busy after 1991 until I got out in 1993. Just back from the Gulf, and the coup against Yeltsin succeeds... dammit. I note that your Intelligence Analyst template lacks the skill Electronics Operation (Electronic Warfare). I would need that. Should you throw it in as an optional skill? This template and some others also need Security Clearance advantage. Though, in T2K that might actually mean nothing, or just be a quirk.

EDIT- I'm reading more comprehensively now, and I found some typos.

In the timeline, in 1990, it's RSFSR, not RSFSS. Unless something got butterflied.

There's a missing period on the third line from the bottom on page 2, in the 1992 timeline: "...strikes demanding political autonomy and an eventual union with Romania Riots are suppressed by Soviet MVD troops..."

There's one in 1996, too: "The Romanians conduct mass arrests of Magyars throughout Romania Police sweeps are met with armed resistance ..." A little later on the spelling changes to "Rumania", once.

Then another period: "The Ukraine also recognizes the incorporation of Moldavia into Romania NATO responds shortly thereafter..."

Phill Gramm should be spelled Phil Gramm (one L in Phil).

In 1997: "...promising to intervene of Greece's side if NATO tries to tip the balance in Turkey's favor." and "At the same time, the limited use of tactical nuclear weapons, in the increasing numbers of Soviet reserves, and the withdrawal of the Yugoslavians cause the Romanian front to collapse."

In 1999, I presume this 'with' should be a 'the': "In other areas, with security the military unit provides to its civilians was from the unit itself, a post-nuclear version of the ancient "protection" racket." You also mix present and past tense a bit.

[ronom]

Originally Posted by acrosome

Are you looking for critiques /editing / recommendations? If so:

Yeah, I think no ESAPI, too. I would also propose removing the M1A3 Abrams II "Giraffe". It never happened. It was never even considered, for that matter- it's pure fiction on GDW's part. And you're clearly making adjustments for real life happenings if you're including the M240 and dropping the "Giraffe"-like T90.

I definitely would believe the M8 gun happening if the Cold War continued, though. Hell, the airborne guys said it met all of their requirements and they wanted it badly, but budget cuts. Conversely IRL the Stingray tank only sold to Singapore with the last delivery in 1990 so it's probably a lot less likely, but if the tooling was mothballed and the US was desperate, sure, they could open production again- and a lot cheaper than the incredibly high-tech M1.

On that subject, you need the M1, not just the M1A1. I might throw the BTR-60 in there too. It also seems likely that the M60 and T-55/T-62/T-64 would be coming out of mothballs. Otherwise, I generally think you have all of the important vehicles. (I could definitely keep listing ones I'd like to see, though, if you like.)

I'd seriously consider including the M47 Dragon. It wasn't wasn't retired until 2001, and we still have them mothballed. Yes, in a mechanized European was it's deficiencies would be starkly revealed- thus speeding procurement of the Javelin- but it would still be cheap and easy to manufacture and still quite effective against lesser ATVs and technicals. National Guard units would almost certainly have fielded them at the very least.

I can't tell if you're including only stuff that isn't in High-Tech or not. If not then the RPG-7 seems like a pretty glaring omission. And almost everyone in NATO used the Carl Gustav except the US.

With a Surgery skill of 14, your Doctor template is a friggin trauma surgeon. Was that your intent? Physician-16 also makes him almost an outright genius. You might want to make a couple of lenses for that. But I'm a surgeon, so maybe I'm just sensitive to this.

What edition of GURPS is this for? Some of your templates list languages as skills, but in 4e they are advantages.

Including the practical differences between burning petroleum, ethanol, or methanol in your vehicle would be pretty key. I think there is something about it in other GURPS supplements somewhere.

You might consider throwing in more calibers for the civilian Mauser hunting rifles and the Winchester Model 70. I'd also add the Remington 700, at the very least. I always bemoaned the unsatisfying dearth of weapon options for civilians in T2K.

65 Giraffes existed for testing at one point, don't know how many remain at the proving ground. One could make them available to troops returning from Europe. 1/4 to 1/3 and the rest stripped for parts and/or retrofitted to standard configuration. The same area held the test LAV-75's.