[Spaceships] Where are the Capacitors?

[Ulzgoroth]

Spaceships doesn't have a concept of power usage over time, as such, but it's utterly trivial to provide one and answer those questions in terms of PP*seconds. In keeping with the irritating current UT policy, PP aren't defined in any real-world terms, which might make it hard to hack together a capacitor bank system.

There hasn't been such a system in any of the first 4 books. Which would seem to be the ones most likely to have it, unless the Transhuman Spaceships I've seen mentioned is on the current list of planned releases.

There have been efforts to dissect the elusive Power Point. The favored conclusion was that one PP = 1/20 MW per ton ship.

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Spaceships doesn't have a concept of power usage over time, as such, but it's utterly trivial to provide one and answer those questions in terms of PP*seconds. In keeping with the irritating current UT policy, PP aren't defined in any real-world terms, which might make it hard to hack together a capacitor bank system.

Actually, it's not UT policy but GURPS policy in general. During the writing of said books, a directive came from the very highest level that UT and HT were to remove all specific references to power outputs (unlike Infinite Worlds).

This is taken as applicable to SPACESHIPS as it's intended as a core book supplement. (It will not apply to VDS.)

Capacitors et al are simply not included because the numbers would get very fiddly due the variation in time scales, and Spaceships was designed under a very specific editorial mandate to Keep It Simple. Also, they really aren't a vital part of most fictional spaceship depictions. (One could assume that capacitors are an integral part of the beam weapons themselves, however.)