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Old 10-04-2015, 02:01 PM   #41
Celti
 
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Langy View Post
I'd add Soldier to Battlesuit Operator. There should also be a zero-G training skill set; maybe 'Zero-G Combat', but a civilian version also would be useful. It'd include things like the use of EVA packs, Free Fall, etc.
I left Soldier off because a battlesuited security guard or a thug hired by an extremely rich mob boss wouldn't have it.

For 'zero-G training', refresh and take a gander at Space Operations. Free-fall thrusters are covered by Free Fall or High-Performance Spacecraft according to Ultra-Tech, so I didn't add Flight Pack.
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Old 10-04-2015, 02:11 PM   #42
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Celti View Post
I left Soldier off because a battlesuited security guard or a thug hired by an extremely rich mob boss wouldn't have it.

For 'zero-G training', refresh and take a gander at Space Operations.
If security guards and thugs can get battlesuits in the setting without the paramilitary training that provides Soldier skill, then I guess that's appropriate - but if I were adapting this to any setting I can think of with battlesuits (aside from Elesium, but then the Matt Damon character didn't actually have battlesuit training) I'd put Soldier in the mix.

I don't think the Pilot skill is really appropriate for Space Ops; zero-G thrusters are used with Free Fall skill, not Pilot. I'd probably increase Free Fall skill, remove Pilot and the ST bonus, and put the final point into Spacer.
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Old 10-04-2015, 02:16 PM   #43
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Langy View Post
If security guards and thugs can get battlesuits in the setting without the paramilitary training that provides Soldier skill, then I guess that's appropriate - but if I were adapting this to any setting I can think of with battlesuits (aside from Elesium, but then the Matt Damon character didn't actually have battlesuit training) I'd put Soldier in the mix.
We're supposed to be generic here. :)

I figure, if you want Soldier you can take Infantry Training.

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Originally Posted by Langy View Post
I don't think the Pilot skill is really appropriate for Space Ops; zero-G thrusters are used with Free Fall skill, not Pilot. I'd probably increase Free Fall skill, remove Pilot and the ST bonus, and put the final point into Spacer.
Piloting covers things bigger than a thruster pack, like the ship-to-station "broomstick" seen in many gritty sci-fi novels (or for an example from Ultra-Tech, the Zero-G Worksuit). Little more than a stripped-down frame with a rocket strapped to it, but it wants Piloting (High-Performance Spacecraft) skill to get you from point A to point B — think of it like a space bicycle. It also, in the Aerospace flavour, covers getting that escape pod from the station to the ground in one piece.
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Old 10-04-2015, 02:26 PM   #44
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Celti View Post
We're supposed to be generic here. :)

I figure, if you want Soldier you can take Infantry Training.
That's not how the rest of the skill sets in Action 4 are written up; for example, Amphibious Operations and Airborne School, both similar to Battelsuit Training in many ways, have Soldier skill, not just Infantry Training. The book even explicitely covers the situation where someone might have Amphibious Operations but learned it from a drug cartel:

Quote:
This is not a problem! Simply follow the advice on spending the Slush Fund in reverse: Trim away traits that don’t closely match your character concept until you balance the books. For instance, if somebody with Amphibious Operations (p. 11) learned her trade working for a drug cartel, she might be good with small craft and around water but have no formal training as a marine, and reduce or drop her Seamanship and Soldier skills.
Following this philosophy, I'd still add Soldier to Battlesuit Training.

Quote:
Piloting covers things bigger than a thruster pack, like the ship-to-station "broomstick" seen in many gritty sci-fi novels (or for an example from Ultra-Tech, the Zero-G Worksuit). Little more than a stripped-down frame with a rocket strapped to it, but it wants Piloting (High-Performance Spacecraft) skill to get you from point A to point B — think of it like a space bicycle. It also, in the Aerospace flavour, covers getting that escape pod from the station to the ground in one piece.
I didn't realize the Zero-G Worksuit required Piloting skill, so I guess that's appropriate. I'm not convinced about the Aerospace flavor, though.
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Old 10-04-2015, 02:33 PM   #45
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Langy View Post
That's not how the rest of the skill sets in Action 4 are written up; for example, Amphibious Operations and Airborne School, both similar to Battelsuit Training in many ways, have Soldier skill, not just Infantry Training. The book even explicitely covers the situation where someone might have Amphibious Operations but learned it from a drug cartel[...]
You know somehow I'd read through that entire section and still missed that Amphibious Operations included Soldier. Underwater Operations doesn't and somehow I conflated the two. I'm convinced. It's added.

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I didn't realize the Zero-G Worksuit required Piloting skill, so I guess that's appropriate. I'm not convinced about the Aerospace flavor, though.
I'm not too caring about whether or not Aerospace is on there, frankly, I just figured that choice was good. I don't really have a strong argument for it, so...
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Old 10-22-2015, 04:09 PM   #46
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

One thing I just noticed about Specialists is that the disadvantage section of the BAT makes it reaaaalllyy easy to generate random NPC personalities.

I just assigned a number to each of the categories and roll randomly for two sets. Then I pick out the fun ones and go from there.

This is going to make all of the random people that my players interact with actually be different. I am excited.

Also, I made a chart for all the skill sets so that I can roll up random NPC hirelings/mooks or even a random extra skill set for allies/enemies.

Now I just need to equip them. Anyone have a method for giving equipment to enemies/allies?
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Old 10-22-2015, 05:00 PM   #47
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

Is my math bad, or does the BAT only add up to 95 points instead of the stated 100?
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Old 10-22-2015, 07:16 PM   #48
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Originally Posted by Randyman View Post
Is my math bad, or does the BAT only add up to 95 points instead of the stated 100?
Did you take into account the points for the Slush Fund? I just counted and I get a 90 points spent and 10 points in the Slush Fund, I almost missed the 5 points for +0.25 to Basic Speed.
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Old 10-22-2015, 07:22 PM   #49
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

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Did you take into account the points for the Slush Fund? I just counted and I get a 90 points spent and 10 points in the Slush Fund, I almost missed the 5 points for +0.25 to Basic Speed.
And I missed those 5 points as well. Thanks for the assist!
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"(GURPS) isn't a game but a toolkit for building games, and the GM needs to use it intelligently" - Kromm
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Old 11-03-2015, 09:49 PM   #50
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Default Re: GURPS Action 4: Specialists

So a fellow member of my gaming group and I have gotten into an argument about the description of Sure-Footed in Action 4 as it pertains to Terrain Adaptation and Perfect Balance.

Quote:
Originally Posted by Action 4, p. 23
Sure-Footed: [...]In Action, anybody with Perfect Balance gets these benefits at all times and doesn’t need this perk.
I'm all fine and dandy with this rule. The opposition feels that Perfect Balance is an irrelevant trait and the trait that covers 'having Sure-Footed for any situation' is Terrain Adaptation (Active, +300%; Accessibility, only for attack and defence penalties, -80%) [16] (or [4] with Multiplicative Modifiers, arguably much fairer in light of wildcard abilities).

The opposition also has support from a couple of posts Kromm made several years ago.

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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
"Bad footing" means uneven or slippery ground, and gives -2 to attack/-1 to defend, per pp. B547-549. It also gives a movement penalty, per p. B387. The general countermeasure against all of these effects is Terrain Adaptation. The specific countermeasure against just the combat penalties is Sure-Footed.

"Rolls to keep your feet" refers to knockback (p. B378) and any GM-specified roll to avoid falling over. The countermeasure against that is Perfect Balance.

The two do not overlap. The first is about being bogged down in muck or snow or sand, or being unable to accelerate or decelerate efficiently on ice or loose rock; it's all about how you make contact with the surface. The second is about falling down because your center of gravity isn't where it should be; it's all about how you carry your weight.
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Originally Posted by Kromm View Post
Naval Training amounts to lots of experience poking at wobbling targets -- redirecting cuts, thrusts, and parries at the last instant to correct for irregular motion. Perfect Balance represents an innate gift at not falling over. While the wobbling and falling are both related to being on a ship, they aren't the same effect. In particular, 50% of the wobbling is due to your target's motion, and your balance won't help you with that . . . and 50% of your wobbling is due to slipping along a wet deck, which has to do with friction, not balance.

The breakdown amounts to this:
  • Terrain Adaptation eliminates movement penalties (its major effect) and combat penalties (its minor effect) for lack of purchase due to surface effects.

  • Sure-Footed eliminates combat combat penalties for lack of purchase due to surface effects. It's very similar in a lot of ways to the Mounted Shooting technique, in that it's a kind of motion compensation.

  • Perfect Balance greatly reduces or even eliminates the possibility of being upended for any reason. It has no effect until you're at risk of falling, at which time it kicks in and prevents the fall. While one possible cause of falling is a bad surface, that's not the only possible cause -- and the trait has no interaction with the other effects of a bad surface (cant due to uneven footing, translation due to slipping, etc.).
So, is allowing Perfect Balance to cover for Sure-Footed an Action-specific simplification? Or are there other things at work behind the scenes?
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