Low Tech rules!

[pyratejohn]

Originally Posted by Kuroshima

I personally can't wait for the playtest. I just hope I can get in!

I haven't been paying attention... just what is the playtest audition process these days?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by pyratejohn

I haven't been paying attention... just what is the playtest audition process these days?

You'll need a dramatic monologue and a song prepared; bring sheet music for the lutenist. The choreographer will run everyone through a quick dance routine.

Alternatively, buy e23 material and wait for official notice to apply. I think they're looking for people who have bought $50 or more over the past year, though I could be wrong.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Fish

I'm all over Low-Tech like a rat on a Cheeto.

We appreciate your dedication. From a safe distance.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Mad Douglas

I am somewhat concerned with the sailing vessels, and hope the new "Low-Tech" has an accurate historical list of ship stats, like the 3rd Ed Low-Tech did. Basically looking for something akin to the original Low-Tech, but bigger, better, and shiny new, in a hardback.

The ships in Fantasy were pretty much lifted straight out of 3/e Low-Tech, as I recall. The only major change was that HP were refigured by the 4/e formula.

Bill Stoddard

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Mad Douglas

3rd Ed GURPS Low-Tech had the ships from many different cultures, with realistic statistics, and are supported by historical record. The ships in 4th Ed GURPS Fantasy had arbitrary statistics, that are not supported by historical fact. The draft dimensions were one glaring mistake, and the movement rates were dubious at best.

There are more inconsistencies than I thought, and I don't know where they came from. But I used the 3/e Vehicles construction rules to develop both sets of tables. So you should not put greater reliance on one set than on the other, in my opinion.

Bill Stoddard

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by Mad Douglas

Was the draft figure listed, for the unladen vessels? The Spanish Galleon might have that shallow of a draft then, but not for a fully stocked, and burdened vessel.

The draft figures were based on the formulae in GURPS Vehicles, for the weight of vehicle, crew, passengers, supplies, and cargo.

Bill Stoddard

[Icelander]

Originally Posted by whswhs

The draft figures were based on the formulae in GURPS Vehicles, for the weight of vehicle, crew, passengers, supplies, and cargo.

Bill Stoddard

My vote is that for CCoI, all figures be based on real world measurements as much as possible. There are many reenactor societies who have built historical vessels according to their best data and tested them.

In cases where such information is available, it is far superior to a formula. I think game system formulas should be subordinated to reality, not vice versa.

[pyratejohn]

You have to be careful with modern reproductions of historic vessels. Many, if not most, have modern safety design features fitted - watertight compartments, larger displacements, smaller sail plans, higher freeboard, external ballasting, secured internal ballasting, etc.

The original Pride of Baltimore was an exact replica, with none of these features, and her sinking was signpost for those who built vessels in the two decades since.

[whswhs]

Originally Posted by pyratejohn

You have to be careful with modern reproductions of historic vessels. Many, if not most, have modern safety design features fitted - watertight compartments, larger displacements, smaller sail plans, higher freeboard, external ballasting, secured internal ballasting, etc.

The original Pride of Baltimore was an exact replica, with none of these features, and her sinking was signpost for those who built vessels in the two decades since.

I have been a bit cautious about modern reconstructions ever since I read a book on experimental archaeology that discussed the limited mechanical durability of bronze (in a context where this meant "DR," pretty much), and then noticed that they had not actually had access to bronze and had substituted copper. More recently, in reading about catapults, I learned that several people had built reconstructions of Roman ballistae, but since they didn't know how to make ropes out of animal tendons, they substituted modern ropes and then made guesses about comparative performance.

Bill Stoddard

[Phil Masters]

Originally Posted by whswhs

The draft figures were based on the formulae in GURPS Vehicles, for the weight of vehicle, crew, passengers, supplies, and cargo.

I seem to recall with GURPS Atlantis, most of the numbers that fell out of various designs were fairly close to reality, although of course we ended up completely re-jigging the crush depth rules - but draft depths often seemed to be all over the shop. I guessed that this was one of those things that could all too easily be optimised or screwed up in ways beyond the capacity of the design system to handle happily.