Vacc Suits

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by whswhs

I had assumed that it would benefit both Computer Operation and Artist (Virtual Reality). I would say probably not Typing; my guess is that that would depend more on the keyboard than on the computer. I'm not sure that keyboards have enough subtle variability for one of them to provide an Equipment Bond; do you think that works? But Computer Operation and Artist will probably be her primary uses of the equipment.

I was thinking of treating the whole configuration (computer, monitor, keyboard, mouse - and possibly even sound system, should that matter) as a coherent whole, but then that would mean having to use different peripherals with her machine would probably ruin the Bond. So, if it's just the tower/box/etc, no Typing bonus.

But a keyboard would absolutely be eligible for Equipment Bond. There's a huge aftermarket for keyboard customization - various switches, keycaps, etc - and listening to enthusiasts talking about the differences doesn't sound dissimilar to listening to gun enthusiasts talking about trigger weight, grips, etc.

Originally Posted by whswhs

I'm up in the air about the applicability of Equipment Bond to Writing, at any TL—quill pens, manual typewriters, or word processing programs. Is it the equipment that matters here? There is software designed to aid writing, of course, but I think it would be too generous to let the computer give +1 to every program it runs to aid in any professional skill. And so far GURPS doesn't have "Software Bond." I'm not sure it should.

Now that I've slept on it, I think Writing is sufficiently tangential to the operation of the computer that it probably shouldn't count, just as Research shouldn't. At best, it might allow you to produce a work faster by making the act of creation faster/more comfortable, but the act of actually writing something out usually isn't the Rate Determining Step - it's thinking up what to write. "Software Bond" to represent having highly customized (and gotten used to the quirks of) specific programs might be appropriate, although given how readily such could be replicated, probably better to represent with software-specific Techniques, if at all.