Steve Jackson Games - Site Navigation
Home General Info Follow Us Search Illuminator Store Forums What's New Other Games Ogre GURPS Munchkin Our Games: Home

Go Back   Steve Jackson Games Forums > Roleplaying > GURPS

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 01-04-2021, 12:50 PM   #11
Anders
 
Anders's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

They still use the same Armoury skill, though. Frankly, that's a bigger stretch for me.

Doug, you're mr. Ballistics. What do you think of melding the two skills?
__________________
“When you arise in the morning think of what a privilege it is to be alive, to think, to enjoy, to love ...” Marcus Aurelius
Anders is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 01:55 PM   #12
DouglasCole
Doctor of GURPS Ballistics
 
DouglasCole's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Lakeville, MN
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

Quote:
Originally Posted by Anders View Post
They still use the same Armoury skill, though. Frankly, that's a bigger stretch for me.

Doug, you're mr. Ballistics. What do you think of melding the two skills?
If a weapon handles like a rifle, I'd use a rifle skill. Hans suggested - and I heartily agreed with him - that merging Rifle, SMG, and Shotgun into a Longarm skill (with special fire modes being handled by familiarity and/or techniques) was a good call. I'd include the actual point-and-shoot part of most beam weapons that are usually constructed in rifle-looking shapes.
__________________
My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC
My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify
My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon
DouglasCole is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 03:39 PM   #13
Black Leviathan
 
Join Date: Sep 2018
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

A laser designation isn't the same as a laser carbine. You never have to worry about the charge level of the capacitor in your laser pointer. Don't have to think about refraction from water particles/fog/exotic material. If you press the trigger and it doesn't fire you don't perform a degauss on the charger on your laser sight.

That said there are similarities and there are differences. Defaulting to a beam weapon is -4 to your guns skill. If they're the same weapon then they're most likely a different TL upwards of -2 to your guns skill, they have an unfamiliar action -2 familiarity, and they're completely recoilless, a further -2 reaction. So you can take the default off of the skill or if you really feel their the same weapon the rules can give you -6 or more off the Guns skill.
Black Leviathan is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 04:57 PM   #14
ericthered
Hero of Democracy
 
ericthered's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: far from the ocean
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

When you're at comparably close quarters and your opponents are shooting back, I really don't see a functional difference. Its about quickly lining up your beams, predicting your foes, and staying out of the line of fire.


When you're on the range or playing marksman, the changes become a lot more important, as the physical differences between the guns start to matter.


When you're gun has a mechanical problem and you need to fix it, they're completely different.



so its this weird continuum.
__________________
Be helpful, not pedantic

Worlds Beyond Earth -- my blog

Check out the PbP forum! If you don't see a game you'd like, ask me about making one!
ericthered is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 05:53 PM   #15
Daigoro
 
Daigoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

Quote:
Originally Posted by ericthered View Post
When you're gun has a mechanical problem and you need to fix it, they're completely different.
To this I'd point out that grenade launchers, gyrocs and muskets all have significant mechanical differences yet are still covered by the Guns skill. Maybe make Armoury skill more important for immediate action usage?
__________________
Collaborative Settings:
Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation
Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse
And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!
Daigoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 05:57 PM   #16
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
To this I'd point out that grenade launchers, gyrocs and muskets all have significant mechanical differences yet are still covered by the Guns skill.
I don't see the relevance of this. Yes, they are all covered by "Guns", but they're different skills. And GL and Gyroc default from other Guns skills with as large a penalty as Beam Weapons does.
awesomenessofme1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 06:24 PM   #17
Rupert
 
Rupert's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Wellington, NZ
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

I just changed the defaults to/from Beams (Pistol) and Guns (Pistol) to -2. I did the same for rifles. Likewise between Beams (Pistol) and Beams (Rifle), because if it's -2 between Guns (Pistol) and Guns (Rifle) why would beam weapons be -4?
__________________
Rupert Boleyn

"A pessimist is an optimist with a sense of history."
Rupert is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 06:28 PM   #18
Daigoro
 
Daigoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
I don't see the relevance of this. Yes, they are all covered by "Guns", but they're different skills. And GL and Gyroc default from other Guns skills with as large a penalty as Beam Weapons does.
If they're as different from each other as from lasers, why make Beam Weapons a separate skill?
__________________
Collaborative Settings:
Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation
Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse
And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!
Daigoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 06:48 PM   #19
awesomenessofme1
 
Join Date: Mar 2016
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

Quote:
Originally Posted by Daigoro View Post
If they're as different from each other as from lasers, why make Beam Weapons a separate skill?
Because guns fire solid projectiles and beams fire beams. The delineation of skills isn't an exact science (see Artillery, which covers multiple specializations that have literally nothing to do with one another apart from their game mechanical functioning).
awesomenessofme1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 01-04-2021, 07:44 PM   #20
Daigoro
 
Daigoro's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Meifumado
Default Re: Melding Beam Weapons and Guns

Quote:
Originally Posted by awesomenessofme1 View Post
Because guns fire solid projectiles and beams fire beams. The delineation of skills isn't an exact science (see Artillery, which covers multiple specializations that have literally nothing to do with one another apart from their game mechanical functioning).
Right, but many in this thread are arguing that that's a distinction that makes less difference than the mode of handling. And, as you point out, if artillery lasers and artillery projectiles both fall under the Artillery skill, due to their method of control, why not the same for their handguns?
__________________
Collaborative Settings:
Cyberpunk: Duopoly Nation
Space Opera: Behind the King's Eclipse
And heaps of forum collabs, 30+ and counting!
Daigoro is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
skills

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Fnords are Off
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:23 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.