What is a Average Armour for TL9 Space Opera

[TheCrispyBit]

Yeah I've got both Ultra-Tech and Space. I am enjoying reading them, I specifically chose GURPS because I wanted to build my own world and Rules. I am just a little hazy on some of the basic techniques...thanks for the pointers on weapons etc. Some stuff does seem to do absurd amounts of damage, some armour seems to be almost invulnerable.

Do Any of you guys build a "Shop table" for your world/universe, I was think of doing this for my players. Ie a list of available equipment: to save them trawling through the books only to be told NO.

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by TheCrispyBit

Do Any of you guys build a "Shop table" for your world/universe, I was think of doing this for my players. Ie a list of available equipment: to save them trawling through the books only to be told NO.

I've only played one ultra-tech GURPS campaign where we had any choice of our weapons and armour* and then we were Transhuman Space civilian diplomats, and were told clearly that heavy weapons were incompatible with our jobs. It amounts to much the same thing as a Shop Table if you just tell the players something like "TL9 weapons, no grenades, missiles or machine guns" before they start going through the book.

*In Reign of Steel, you take what you can steal. We got an SSBN at one point.

[Anthony]

The median armor for actual space opera is none, and where it's worn it's often of dubious value (I don't recall armor in Star Wars ever stopping any attacks). For ultra-tech games, people will wear whatever armor fits their standards of social acceptability, budget, and annoyance to wear.

[TheCrispyBit]

Sounds like an interesting game johndallman. I will go through books and list restrictions.

[Xplo]

Originally Posted by Anaraxes

*glances at Kage's avatar*

*laughs*

Uh, yeah, anyway. Armor seems to be incompatible with space opera; either people don't wear any, or they do, but it doesn't help when they get shot. So if I were you, I'd just disallow armor altogether. If someone really wants an "armored suit", they can have one, but it's just an impressive-looking costume.

If you're looking for a heroic/cinematic kind of game, then you probably want the NPCs to have really crappy ray-gun skills (aka "Imperial Stormtrooper Marksmanship Academy") and to use poor tactics (no ambushes, bunch together in groups so only the front members have a clear shot, etc). You probably also want the PCs to have Luck, in case one of the NPCs gets lucky and actually hits someone (or worse, critically hits).

If you're looking for something less cinematic but want to keep fatalities to a minimum, assume that the standard sidearm has a "knockout" and a "kill" setting, and almost everyone uses the knockout setting.

[TheCrispyBit]

Nah I want them to get hit, I want them to nearly die if they come close to combat. I think I will carefully limit weapon selection, and use a very minimal set of armours (no complex military armour) etc.

I want the players to fear for thier lives at all times a gun/laser is draw.

I do like the idea of carefully jiggling things behind the scenes to make it a hard scrape but not always fatal.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Xplo

*laughs*

Uh, yeah, anyway. Armor seems to be incompatible with space opera; either people don't wear any, or they do, but it doesn't help when they get shot.

It's not totally incompatible, but it's usually powered armor at that point. In cinema, one of the primary uses of armor is to render enemies into faceless monsters who can be slaughtered without qualms.

[Kalzazz]

Pirates are potentially not going to have access to military grade stuff (their pirates, not Fleet Marines)

So, potentially at TL9 would expect to see things like Reflex as its LC3

You would also expect to see pirates with like Faux Battlesuits created out of exoskeletons with juryrigged armor

You could also expect to see pirates wearing armor of days gone by, like say TL8 and less armor

You could also expect (and this is very Space Opera cinematic, but also likely not inaccurate) to see Faux Fantasy armor, nothing prevents a pirate machinist from creating mail or plate armor after all (you can use the 'TL 5+ doubles DR or halves weight' option also)

In the military, tacsuits or vests with trauma plates will be popular, also Powered Combat Armor and Combat Walkers and such

Pirates also may well be wielding less awesome weapons than the military as well . . . . most of my TL 9 goons still wield the trusty AKM

[TheCrispyBit]

What's the AKM - pardon my ignorance.

[Diomedes]

Originally Posted by TheCrispyBit

What's the AKM - pardon my ignorance.

The AKM is the most widely produced version of the AK-47.