Modeling a Sailboat

[oneofmanynameless]

Sooner or later someone wants to play something only GURPS can do.

Trying to build a sapient sail-boat as a character and finding that most of the sapient vehicle as character rules generally apply to more complicated machines.

So I'm assuming that a sailboat would have the Machine meta-trait, with Doesn't Eat or Drink, Doesn't Breath, Pressure Support and Vacuum Support, Maintenance, Numb, and Social Stigma (Valuable Property) (also probably dead broke.)

I'd also assume it has the Icthyoid meta-trait?

What about the limitations on it's mobility? It can't submerge at all, but can swim around as long as there is wind, or at a greatly reduced pace and greatly increased effort of moving by oars. I assume that those are accessibilities on it's basic move and enhanced move traits, but what would they be worth? And how would being able to operate on gas power as a backup play into that?

Anything obvious I'm missing that would apply to a sailboat (regardless of it's size)?

[whswhs]

Do you have GURPS Template Toolkit 2: Races? I included rules for a variant of Aquatic that involved mobility via sails.

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by whswhs

Do you have GURPS Template Toolkit 2: Races? I included rules for a variant of Aquatic that involved mobility via sails.

I do not but that is a very compelling reason to pick it up!

Just out of curiosity, would those rules also potentially be applicable to clock-punk sail powered airships?

EDIT: Unnecessary because you have Lighter than Air vehicles! Actually, this whole supplement is a light in the dark. Gunna have to read it cover to cover. Thank you!

[dcarson]

Depending on the campaign I'd make some of those Advantages 0 point Features. Vacuum Support and others in a campaign that will never leave the surface of a planet is a point tax that makes the player well behind the rest of the PCs.

[Dalin]

I want to hear more about this sentient sailboat. When you're done, please post. :)

[DangerousThing]

Is the sailboat sentient through magic or technology. It might matter for the template to be used.

[oneofmanynameless]

Originally Posted by DangerousThing

Is the sailboat sentient through magic or technology. It might matter for the template to be used.

Magic. And yes! It definitely does matter. Because a sailboat that's possessed by a spirit, or enchanted with a sorcerers broom type spell, or something is a far less complex machine then an AI controlled starship. For example: the AI controlled starship probably does have something equivalent to a "brain" (central mainframe) while the magically animated sailboat has no such targetable weakness (injury tolerance (no brain) [5].) Not to mention vulnerability to EMPs (electrical -20) and other traits.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by oneofmanynameless

Magic. And yes! It definitely does matter. Because a sailboat that's possessed by a spirit, or enchanted with a sorcerers broom type spell, or something is a far less complex machine then an AI controlled starship..

The sailboat probably has IT:Homogenous rather than IT:Unliving.

Always doublecheck your Meta-Traits.

[RyanW]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

The sailboat probably has IT:Homogenous rather than IT:Unliving.

I don't know. A rowboat, probably. But a sailboat has masts and rope (lots of rope, plus anchor points and pulleys for said rope, etc.) that create points of failure implied to be absent with Homogenous.

I don't want to say a sailboat obviously doesn't have Homogenous. It's just not completely obvious to me that it should. Though I'll confess to not using Homogenous in a while, so I might be missing where to put the breakpoint between the various IT types.

[StevenH]

Originally Posted by RyanW

I don't know. A rowboat, probably. But a sailboat has masts and rope (lots of rope, plus anchor points and pulleys for said rope, etc.) that create points of failure implied to be absent with Homogenous.

I don't want to say a sailboat obviously doesn't have Homogenous. It's just not completely obvious to me that it should. Though I'll confess to not using Homogenous in a while, so I might be missing where to put the breakpoint between the various IT types.

Well, you could build it as the ropes and pulleys aren't part of its HP pool, although damaging them would potentially cripple it. Just wouldn't do any actual damage. Treat them as an equivalent of clothing. Worn, damageable, but not actually part of the entity.