07-26-2014, 11:39 AM | #1 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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[Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
Astronomy: Knowledge about everything from asteroids to galaxies, and the ability to use instruments to observe them and use mathematics and physics to form theories about them and make calculations and predictions based on those theories. It has a prerequisite of Mathematics (Applied). The boundary between Astronomy and Physics (Astrophysics) is not well-defined, but it isn't in the real world. Astronomy gives defaults in many kinds of Navigation.
There's no astronomical equipment in High-Tech or Ultra-Tech, but Low-Tech has some, PLUS material about using Astronomy for practical purposes, and there's a lot more in Low-Tech Companion 1. Fantasy-Tech says a good clock gives +2 to Astronomy. There is, naturally astronomical material in Space. Magic has Astrology as a form of the Divination spell, which requires Astronomy at 15+. Some other hard skills probably have equivalents of Astronomy (Observational), for people who've studied it as a hobby, but lack the tools to do the productive-but-hard tasks. However, I haven't found any examples yet: the ones I create keep turning out to be hobbyists' lack of Research skill. Any suggestions? Astronomy has been quite important in my Infinite Cabal campaign, for finding out the astronomical date of worlds. This started when the Royal Society was looking for a relationship between the rate of flow of time in worlds and their current date, but it became clear that if there's a relationship, it is complex. The discovery that one world was at about 250CE, on cultural and historical evidence, but around 1700CE by the planets, led to one of those chains of events where the players become sufficiently disturbed that they decide by themselves that the characters should be making fright checks. What have you done with Astronomy in games? The most obvious uses are in space exploration games, and trying to justify claims that the Stars are (or aren't) Right, but other uses surely exist. |
07-26-2014, 11:58 AM | #2 |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
One of the Books in Desolation Road was Kepler's The Dream which had an Astronomy prerequisite and a unique ritual that required Astronomy to use effectively. The PCs used it to escape from an room that the atmosphere was being pumped out of.
Last edited by sir_pudding; 07-26-2014 at 12:56 PM. |
07-26-2014, 12:02 PM | #3 |
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Gothenburg, Sweden
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
In a low-tech world the other obvious use is divination. Astronomy in that kind of world is Astrology - there's no science there yet.
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07-26-2014, 12:52 PM | #4 | |
Wielder of Smart Pants
Join Date: Aug 2004
Location: Ventura CA
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
Here's the Book from Desolation Road.
Kepler's Somnium (The Dream) This work by Johannes Kepler describes his travels to the moon. It requires Latin at Accented or better, Astronomy/TL4-12, Physics/TL4-12, Dreaming-13, and Occultism/TL4-14. It's a thin book weighing 1 lb and available for $50. It includes Dreamwalk at skill-2, Astral Projection at Skill-5, Ward at Skill-4 and three unique rituals Protection from the Void Skill-8; 20 min. Realm: Matter, Ether Creates a charm that protects the wearer from the environmental effects of vacuum and hostile environments. For the duration of the effect the wearer has Doesn't Breathe, Radiation Tolerance 5, Temperature Tolerance 10 (5 in each direction), Sealed and Vacuum Support Bridge of Darkness Skill-10; 1 hour Realm: Dimensionality, Ether The ritual must be performed so that it ends during an astronomical Syzygy (conjunction) in such a way that the philosopher is also in line with all involved celestial objects. The subject will be transported from the surface of one of the involved objects to the surface of one the others through the ether. This does not protect against the elements on the surface of the target. This ritual requires a successful Astronomy roll to pull off. Celestial Movement Skill-2*; 10 min Realm: Forces *In addition to the penalty for delta-v. Allows the subject to travel in body through the Ether. This doesn't protect the user from the elements. It grants Space Flight with Newtonian, and Space Flight Only. Move is equal to the ritual's effective skill. The caster must choose a Thrust Factor from 0 to 5 the ritual has twice this in additional penalties. Delta-V is equal to Movex2^(Thrust Factor). Duration penalties do not apply, the effect lasts as long as the subject still has delta-v. The "Realm" statistic is for the magic system in Desolation Road (which used both Book and Realm magic), without that it should work with regular Book magic fine. The philosopher who knew this book used Protection from the Void quite often (as well as Ward and Astral Projection, but I think he had higher levels from other Books), but that doesn't require Astronomy except as a prerequisite. Bridge of Darkness was used once. Quote:
*Is this the longest title in GURPS? Last edited by sir_pudding; 07-26-2014 at 03:34 PM. |
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07-26-2014, 01:08 PM | #5 | |
Join Date: Nov 2008
Location: Yukon, OK
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
Quote:
GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3: Daily Life and Economics GURPS Dungeon Fantasy Adventure 1: Mirror of the Fire Demon seems to be the winner until you get into the THS and Traveler lines. |
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07-26-2014, 01:16 PM | #6 | |
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: Eindhoven, the Netherlands
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
Quote:
It's handy in some space opera games, but Physics (Astrophysics) seems superior to that too.
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07-26-2014, 01:32 PM | #7 |
Night Watchman
Join Date: Oct 2010
Location: Cambridge, UK
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
The Egyptians were using Astronomy at TL1, for calendar calculations so that thy could predict the flooding of the Nile. They probably wrapped it in claims about what the deities were doing, but they did it methodically.
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07-26-2014, 03:30 PM | #8 |
Join Date: Feb 2013
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
I've talked at some length with real life Astronomers, and dabbled a bit in college (not proud of it). My sense is that Radio Astronomy, Observational Astronomy and Cosmology are entirely different disciplines, in that you can excel in one without having any acquaintance with the other two. For example, you can be a radio astronomer of the first rank without ever staying up after dark.
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07-26-2014, 04:54 PM | #9 | |
Join Date: Sep 2004
Location: Canada
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
Quote:
There's also the hypotheses about the various giant-rock-monuments put up by stone-age societies that seem to be basic star calendars. It's one of those odd little quirks about astronomy equipment: so much of it seems to benefit from being made really big - so if you have to offset a really big penalty for your TL0 Astronomy on detecting the midwinter solstice, you build a really big rock thingy.
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07-26-2014, 05:00 PM | #10 | |
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Heartland, U.S.A.
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Re: [Basic] Skill of the week: Astronomy
Quote:
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