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Old 06-10-2012, 08:29 AM   #71
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

My view on armour is formed from how the mechanics in my campaign describe it in character.

Plastic only seemed to be used as a description to differentiate from metal. In all honesty using terms like metal and plastic makes people assign all sorts of other properties to it that are counter indicated in the game. I use the terms Ablative and Non-Ablative instead as these describe the game behaviour without infering any other properties.

Saying body armour is made from the same material as vehicular armour causes extra problems. As Angrytubist correctly points out as vehcicular armour can be repaired body armour from the same material should also be.

Ceramic trauma plates would be ablative as the energy is absorbed in shattering the plates. The kevlar layer should be non-ablative as kevlar weave spreads the energy without being destroyed.

If we stick to the existing rules we could allow non-ablative (metal) body armour at 2.5 cost and 5 x weight, but it would be hard to justify the flexibility needed for limbs. I allow it for flak vests and ABV (weighing in at a hefty 15lb).

Perhaps there should be scope for a 1pt non-abalative suit. Simple extrapolation would make it 1/3rd the cost and weight of BA multiplied by the metal modifiers. This gives $209 and 17lb.

If you use the variable damage rules suggested for hand weapons, this could stop a glancing hit from a rifle. In compensation as you are rolling d6 for the variability a 6 should destroy the armour.
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Old 06-10-2012, 12:53 PM   #72
Angrytubist
 
Join Date: May 2012
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

I would say a 1-2 possibly 3 point metal suit would approximate RL plate armor. In fact a 2 point suit would approximate late period armor down to the weight!!!

I'm aware that allowing Body Armor to be repaired is kind of revolutionary, and in the minds of some affect game balance. I just think about the huge cost to a low level duelist to replace his armor. He already has repairs to his (apparently breached) vehicle, and there's a possibility he didn't even win the duel.

Heck, I tend to not count body armor against the arena budget in ongoing games in order to improve survivability. I even let folks wear Armored Battle-Vests over Improved Body armor. I just call it a Plate Carrier and triple the cost.

I've even contemplated allowing paramedics to resuscitate at up to -3 DP instead of just 0. (and have allowed it a time or two, to save a well-loved low tier duelist at -1)
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Old 06-10-2012, 02:29 PM   #73
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

If you allow repairs as per vehicular armour it should cost you $50 per point. 3 of those and you could buy a new flak jacket.

I allow the ceramics in Flak jackets and ABV to be replaced (at $50 per point).

I use the advanced hospitalisation rules in ADQ to treat people up to -10 DP.

I have discovered recently that the 2 weeks per DP recovery time really kills any hope of a continuing campaign. Once of my PCs suffered a single hit and for the next two weeks will be at -2 on every skill check. For a 30 point character this makes him worse than a 0 point character.

This seemed unreasonable so I have introduced commonly available powerful painkillers (these reduce the penalty to -1 with a corresponding -1 to reflex rolls).

There are also first aid remedies that further reduce the penalties of injury by 1. These are specific to the types of injury (burn treatments, truama patches, plugs for sucking wounds, super glue and splints etc). Used in conjunction with painkillers a wounded character can continue to function at full capability. They don't actually restore any DPs so a character will still be vulnerable until properly healed. Another 1 point wound will incapacitate him.

In the corporate enclaves more advanced (and expensive) medical aid is available such as tissue knitters, protein glues, transplants and artificial limbs. These can reduce the recovery times for even serious injuries down to days.

My campaign has areas of cyberpunk medical technology at the top end, qualude, benzadrine and crystal meth for biker gangs, down as far as a bucket of boiling tar and a stick to bite down on in the ruins.

My feeling is that weeks of down time for some characters doesn't add anything to the game (as CW doesn't have anything to do in "off-time"). Surviving a fight intact should still be important and with only 3 DP risking your skin is still a dicey choice.
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Old 06-10-2012, 03:34 PM   #74
Angrytubist
 
Join Date: May 2012
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

Which ADQ are the advanced hospitalization rules in? I'm drawing a blank.

I was thinking of allowing BA to be patched at something like $10-$25 dollars per point, only if the armor had at least 1 DP remaining. I would not allow breached body armor to be repaired. I think this would allow a good savings, and be affordable to even a 5k duelist.

I'm a huge fan of giving the party downtime. This may be because of my OD&D background. This gives players a reason to spend money on things besides survival and fighting ability, and allows deeper social interaction with NPC characters and factions (due to "increased" length of association.). I actually think there are a lot of mechanical things that encourage downtime in an ongoing Car Wars campaign. Healing for one, but the revival rules for clones, the need to repair vehicles, "realistic" arena schedules of events, monthly living expenses. I usually run this downtime by saying (at the end of a session, usually the end of an adventure) "Ok guys your characters have two weeks (or however long) of downtime before the next session." Then I have the players either call or email me about what their guys are up to before I run the next session.

Everybody plays the game different though, and there's not a wrong way. I enjoy an occasional "action-movie-style" campaign where there is no downtime.

P.S. really like your painkiller and first aid item ideas, I'll probably incorporate them in my next ongoing game.

Edit: now that I think about it a little more I think you're right about the $50 per point repair cost, seems it would work better as then repairing IBA at 1 DP would cost $250, seems quite reasonable to me.

Last edited by Angrytubist; 06-10-2012 at 06:46 PM.
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Old 06-10-2012, 03:50 PM   #75
thudthwacker
 
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Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

Quote:
Originally Posted by swordtart View Post
This seemed unreasonable so I have introduced commonly available powerful painkillers (these reduce the penalty to -1 with a corresponding -1 to reflex rolls).

There are also first aid remedies that further reduce the penalties of injury by 1. These are specific to the types of injury (burn treatments, truama patches, plugs for sucking wounds, super glue and splints etc). Used in conjunction with painkillers a wounded character can continue to function at full capability. They don't actually restore any DPs so a character will still be vulnerable until properly healed. Another 1 point wound will incapacitate him.

In the corporate enclaves more advanced (and expensive) medical aid is available such as tissue knitters, protein glues, transplants and artificial limbs. These can reduce the recovery times for even serious injuries down to days.

My campaign has areas of cyberpunk medical technology at the top end, qualude, benzadrine and crystal meth for biker gangs, down as far as a bucket of boiling tar and a stick to bite down on in the ruins.

My feeling is that weeks of down time for some characters doesn't add anything to the game (as CW doesn't have anything to do in "off-time"). Surviving a fight intact should still be important and with only 3 DP risking your skin is still a dicey choice.
I need to bookmark this and steal it, flat-out, for any campaigns I run. Also possible for the corporate-level medical tech would be custom-printed organs (there are actually labs having some success with this -- modified 3D-printer-type machines that put down precisely-aligned layers of cells). Hand-wave a a little about harvesting adult stem cells (and not so much hand-waving these days) and forced-specialization, and you can print your guy a new heart in a day or so if an opponent gets a lucky shot. (Along similar lines, do a web search on "archimedes screw artificial heart" for the next step down the med-tech ladder.)
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Old 06-10-2012, 03:56 PM   #76
Angrytubist
 
Join Date: May 2012
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

It neat to think that the US has already had a cyborg Vice-President. (though it would have been way cooler had he changed his name to Cheney-tron)
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Old 06-10-2012, 09:47 PM   #77
Angrytubist
 
Join Date: May 2012
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

If you don't mind I think I'll take your metal body armor idea and run with it.

There should be scope for metal body armor. Simple extrapolation would make it 1/3rd the cost and weight of BA multiplied by the metal modifiers. This gives $209 and 17lb. (this is a bit complicated to figure, so)

So the base cost for ablative body armor is $84-pt. and (call it 5 lbs a point for ease of calculation). This would put metal at $210, 13 lbs per point.

However Improved Body armor does not fit this rule. So in order to keep cost consistent with published material, lets say ablative body armor above 3-pts cost $416 a point and metal costs $1,040 but keep the weights the same.

You could price impact armor at $215 a point below 3 DP and $452 a point above and add a metal Impact armor option if you wish.

Body armor should have a maximum of 6 DP.

Following the same logic ablative riot shield armor would cost $108, 4 lbs a point. Putting a metal riot shield at $270, 10 lbs per point.

A riot shield should have a maximum of 7 DP.

I would allow repairs at 10% above listed cost.

I would treat the Armored Battle vest the same (though I'd allow a steel version if you paid the modifiers). I'd still allow the plate carrier at 3x the cost which can be worn over body armor with greater than 3 DP.

Last edited by Angrytubist; 06-10-2012 at 10:30 PM. Reason: clarifications and additions.
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Old 06-11-2012, 12:50 PM   #78
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: What are your thoughts on the Technology differences between our world and Car Wa

I'm glad you found it interesting.

I had forgotten the obvious joy of "metal" blended armour. With only half the weight of conventional armour it has to be the armour of choice for the corporate mercs and top flight autoduellists. At $12,500 for metal blended IBA it might be cheaper to get a clone ;)

I really wish I could do this stuff for a living, it's much better than my real job ;)
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