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 07-04-2019, 04:49 AM   #11
WingedKagouti
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Joy View Post
I’m thinking in a magic campaign, where it could be used to reduce the penalties for having multiple spells going, this advantage is massively under priced at 2 points/level, and should priced as Compartmentalized Mind (-nn% no extra mind compartments) for [something less than 50 points/level].

For my Star Trek campaign, I wasn’t really seeing it as allowing for an additional tasks during combat turns. If was to model people good at juggling two or more long tasks at once. So, it doesn’t grant an extra maneuver; you don't do any more at the same time than anybody else, you just do it better when you do it.
A big part of Compartmentalized Mind is the extra combat maneuver, which should be relevant for any campaign where purely mental tasks (spells, psionics or anything similar) can be utilized in combat. Directly attacking the mind should probably be a notable risk in these campaigns, so the pseudo-protection offered by CM is still valuable. I'd probably put the No Extra Mind Compartments limitation somewhere in the -20-30% range.

For the no-combat effect version, I'd say that the Multitasking (skill) perk would be allowable (and trainable) up to a cap of 2 or 3 levels in a realistic campaign, but more levels of Multitasking and Synchronized in its entirety feel like they are 100% cinematic.
WingedKagouti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-04-2019, 01:55 PM   #12
YankeeGamer
 
Join Date: Dec 2017
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

Multitasking sounds like the sort of thing a crack pilot of a one man attack craft would find useful. It would also explain why the hotshot ace doesn't get much better when she has a gunner and a flight engineer and an EWO.
YankeeGamer is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2019, 09:37 AM   #13
Captain Joy
 
Captain Joy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Heartland, U.S.A.
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

Muscle Memory technique
Average
Default: prerequisite skill.
Prerequisite: Operator officer and prerequisite skill, cannot exceed prerequisite skill+4

You’ve done a particular skill enough that it’s becoming second nature. During a long action or space combat turn (GURPS Spaceships, p. 50), apply the penalty for doing two or more things at once (typically a -2) to your Muscle Memory technique. This technique only removes multitasking penalties; it never allows you to perform better than your unmodified skill.

E.g. An Operator officer with DX 10, IQ 12, Electronic Operations (Sensors) (A) IQ [2]-12, Piloting (Contragravity) (A) DX [1]-9, and Muscle Memory (Electronic Operations (Sensors)) (A) [2]-14 is manning the sensors from the copilot seat of a shuttle when the pilot’s console erupts in a shower of sparks. Forced to add piloting to his plate for the time being, he’ll be at a -4 for doing tasks from two different categories at once. His effective Piloting skill will be 5 and his effective Muscle Memory (Electronic Operations (Sensors)) skill will be 10. If he didn’t have the Muscle Memory technique, his effective Electronic Operations (Sensors) would have been 8.

The Multitasking perk is superior to this technique; but this technique isn’t subject to perk limits and may be your only option.

Multitasking (choose skill) leveled perk
Prerequisite: Operator Officer
You are so good at a particular skill that it and any other skill(s) done at the same time suffer reduced penalties when multitasking (typically a -2) during a long action or space combat turn. This perk comes in levels, but only removes multitasking penalties; it never allows you to perform better than your unmodified skills. More than 4 levels are cinematic.

E.g. An Operator officer with DX 10, IQ 12, Multitasking (Electronic Operations (Sensors)) 2 [2], Electronic Operations (Sensors) (A) IQ [2]-12, and Piloting (Contragravity) (A) DX [1]-9, is manning the sensors from the copilot seat of a shuttle when the pilot’s console erupts in a shower of sparks. Forced to add piloting to his plate for the time being, he’ll be at a -4 for doing tasks from two different categories at once. His effective Piloting skill will be 7 and his effective Electronic Operations (Sensors) skill will be 10. +2 better than they would have been without his Multitasking (Electronic Operations (Sensors)) 2 [2] perk.

This perk is superior to the Muscle Memory technique.

Synchronized advantage
10 points/level
Prerequisite: Operator Officer

You are unusually gifted at performing multiple long actions or space combat tasks at once. For every level of this advantage, remove -1 in multitasking penalties. E.g. during Space Combat Turns (GURPS: Spaceships) Synchronized 2 would allow an Operator officer to do both the communication tasks—Supervise Damage Control and Signal Enhancement—at no penalty. Synchronized 4 would allow an Operator officer to do both a Move Maneuver and Sensor Detection task at no penalty in the same space combat turn (assuming the controls for both tasks where accessible from the same station, like in a shuttlecraft).

More than 4 levels of this advantage are cinematic.

This advantage comes from Compartmentalized Mind ([50/lvl], -30% no extra mind compartments, -50% doesn't effect combat turns) [10/lvl]

Feedback that Informed the Above Changes

Quote:
Originally Posted by Varyon View Post
There's precedent for a Technique that negates/reduces a variable penalty. Close-Hip Shooting and Close-Quarters Battle (TS43) serve to negate Bulk under different circumstances (close combat and Move and Attack, respectively), and it applies regardless of if you're shooting a Bulk -1 Deringer or a Bulk -4 Desert Eagle. The way such are written, they simply default to the skill itself at no penalty, with a notice that any bonus can only apply to negating a specific source of penalties. That said, making it a leveled Perk - or leveled Advantage, when it applies to all skills - also works.
That’s brilliant, and has convinced me that techniques are the way to go.

It’s not obvious to me what the functional difference is between a technique and a leveled perk that requires a skill specialty. There is usually a cap to the number of perks you can have. In this case I allow the perk to buff all skills done at the same time as the perk’s specialty skill.

Quote:
Originally Posted by dataweaver View Post
You might want to consider capping how much of the penalty can be negated. For example, Targeted Attack is a Technique that's capped at removing half of the penalty, because it was determined that completely removing the penalty would be unbalanced. Check whether completely removing the multitasking penalty might be abusive.
Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedKagouti View Post
…. For the no-combat effect version, I'd say that the Multitasking (skill) perk would be allowable (and trainable) up to a cap of 2 or 3 levels in a realistic campaign, but more levels of Multitasking and Synchronized in its entirety feel like they are 100% cinematic.
The Close-Hip Shooting and Close-Quarters Battle (GURPS Tactical Shooting, p. 45) techniques have caps of Guns+3 and Guns+4, respectively. (And, as was mentioned before, those bonuses only serve to negate penalties.) I think I’ll go with a cap of 4.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Donny Brook View Post
Thanks for your explanation, Captain.
You’re welcome.

Last edited by Captain Joy; 07-18-2019 at 07:10 PM. Reason: WingedKagouti noticed I had Multitasking and Synchronized switched
Captain Joy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2019, 10:39 AM   #14
WingedKagouti
 
Join Date: Oct 2007
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Joy View Post
Multitasking advantage
10 points/level
<snip>
More than 4 levels of this advantage are cinematic.
I still maintain that any level of this advantage is cinematic (you swapped the names compared to your previous post). I have seen no documented case of a human being able to perform any type of skilled task simultaneous with another skilled task without both tasks suffering from noticably degraded performance.
WingedKagouti is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-05-2019, 10:47 AM   #15
dataweaver
 
dataweaver's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2004
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

That's why I was pointing at TA: a case can bad made that anything that removes more than, say, half of the multitasking penalty is cinematic. You can possibly reduce it, but not eliminate it. I wasn't speaking specifically about Techniques, though that was the example I was using; but more generally about any means of reducing the multitasking penalty.
__________________
Point balance is a myth.[1][2][3][4]
dataweaver is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2019, 12:07 PM   #16
Captain Joy
 
Captain Joy's Avatar
 
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Heartland, U.S.A.
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

Quote:
Originally Posted by WingedKagouti View Post
I still maintain that any level of this advantage is cinematic… I have seen no documented case of a human being able to perform any type of skilled task simultaneous with another skilled task without both tasks suffering from noticably degraded performance.
Quote:
Originally Posted by dataweaver View Post
That's why I was pointing at TA: a case can bad made that anything that removes more than, say, half of the multitasking penalty is cinematic. You can possibly reduce it, but not eliminate it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by YankeeGamer View Post
Multitasking sounds like the sort of thing a crack pilot of a one man attack craft would find useful. It would also explain why the hotshot ace doesn't get much better when she has a gunner and a flight engineer and an EWO.
I don't think any level of reducing multitasking penalties is cinematic, but I agree that completely eliminating them probably is.
Captain Joy is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 07-23-2019, 01:52 PM   #17
Pursuivant
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Default Re: New Advantage: Multitasking

If you're interested in brutal realism, multitasking should only negate part of the penalty for doing multiple tasks at once, and penalties for doing more than two things at once should grow at a much greater rate.

Human beings THINK we can multitask without penalties, but numerous psychological tests have shown that even minor distractions affect performance, even things that GURPS would consider to be "free actions" like speaking while engaged in another task or listening to radio commands. Furthermore, we lose concentration, hence productivity, when we have to switch tasks.

The limited exceptions are when the controls for doing two or more things at once are all integrated into one system (e.g., flight controls and weapon controls on a fighter aircraft all mounted on single control column). Even so, there is a very strong tendency, especially in combat, to "single focus" on just one task at the expense of others. Fighter pilots call this "losing Situational Awareness" and losing SA in combat is usually the immediate precursor to getting shot down or crashing. (Related to this, information overload is one of the factors which can contribute to non-combat aircraft accidents.)

Traits like Absent-Minded, Confused, or Short Attention Span might limit your ability to perform any sort of multitasking, or might increase penalties for multitasking.

Alternately, you might have a disadvantage called "One Track Mind" or "Single Focus" which imposes extra penalties for multitasking or makes it impossible to Multitask. It would be the opposite of Compartmentalized Mind and/or Synchronized, and would be realistic for people with certain neurological disorders or for machines which are physically incapable of multitasking.

Finally, consider boosting the base cost per level for Synchronized, but allow special limitations so that the trait doesn't apply to magic and/or psi, or only works for those powers. That fixes the problem of Synchronized being too good a deal in magic/psi campaigns where "on" spells/powers impose penalties to further spellcasting/psi use.
Pursuivant is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Tags
advantages, character points, multitasking, new advantage, requests for aid

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 12:59 PM.


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