Handling cinematic spaceship fights and other sci-fi stuff

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by newton

For what it’s worth, I don’t think ships and tech are actually that cheap in star wars there’s just a really strong secondhand market.

And if we go by the movies, most characters either have the ships provided by their employer or patron, or they came by the ship in fairly questionable circumstances.

If they're like (water) ships today, a small ship of questionable soundness and considerable age can cost "You can have it if you take away. Today.", while shiny new large-scale warships are eye-wateringly expensive and unafforable to all but the richest polities.

[newton]

Originally Posted by Rupert

And if we go by the movies, most characters either have the ships provided by their employer or patron, or they came by the ship in fairly questionable circumstances.

If they're like (water) ships today, a small ship of questionable soundness and considerable age can cost "You can have it if you take away. Today.", while shiny new large-scale warships are eye-wateringly expensive and unafforable to all but the richest polities.

Absolutely, i’d reckon that’s also why some level of technical aptitude is so common in setting. Luke, for instance, can do all those repairs because a big part of being a moisture farmer is keeping the moisture collectors running.

[Rupert]

Star Wars technology works like pre-20th century tech, and so farmers, settlers, space jocks, and anyone else not living in an industrial centre fixes and maintains their own stuff as a matter of course. Also, apparently blaster tech is so mundane that people can make them out of little more than number 8 wire and baling twine.

[TerryW]

Small spaceships have costs comparable to cars and mopeds while the larger ones are basically boats as far as price goes.

That's definitely not GURPS Spaceships, unless you apply a lot of houserules.

You can get cheap ships with Spaceships rules, assuming you buy them used and worn out, but it's used light aircraft cheap not used car cheap. It also sounds like you want your ships to do some fairly unconventional things (By GURPS Spaceships standards) so you'd need the first PDF plus at least Spaceships 4 and 7.

If you're comfortable with just eyeballing the stats for your ships, and your players are having fun with that, I don't see a lot of need for Spaceships.

[Rupert]

Originally Posted by TerryW

That's definitely not GURPS Spaceships, unless you apply a lot of houserules.

You can get cheap ships with Spaceships rules, assuming you buy them used and worn out, but it's used light aircraft cheap not used car cheap. It also sounds like you want your ships to do some fairly unconventional things (By GURPS Spaceships standards) so you'd need the first PDF plus at least Spaceships 4 and 7.

If you're comfortable with just eyeballing the stats for your ships, and your players are having fun with that, I don't see a lot of need for Spaceships.

Dividing prices by about thirty gets a TL-11^ 30-ton (SM+5) hypershuttle down to about a year's income for the average T11 worker. That puts it at the same relative price as a 'Luxury Car' (B464) has to a TL8 worker's income. Dividing it by ten puts it in the same relative price range as a bus or small light plane (and makes a very cheap one cost like a car, but also eat up over $100/day in parts).

For the spacecraft stats other than knocking the prices down, all that the OP would need to do is define how the drives and FTL system work.

For combat, making ranges shorter is mostly just a matter of doing the same thing to the listed ranges, and possibly to accuracy as well. Damage vs spaceship screens, armour, and HP will take a bit more work to balance, but that's something they'll need to do whether using Spaceships or not.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Rupert

For the spacecraft stats other than knocking the prices down, all that the OP would need to do is define how the drives and FTL system work.

One thing that Spaceships is very useful for is defining all the parts and systems needed in a vessel.

[TerryW]

Small spaceships have costs comparable to cars and mopeds

A high end moped with lots of bells and whistles costs less than $5000. OP wants dimension-hopping ultralights that can be bought for about two month's salary. It's a lot easier to make the stats up then it is to try to beat GURPS Spaceships into shape.