GURPS Disasters: Meltdown and Fallout

[PK]

Originally Posted by Minuteman37

PK, I thought you said the AtE media Blitz was over? Then you come and spring this gem on us? You're a regular dick dastardly with schemes like this.

While I'd happy cackle with evil glee if I felt it, I can't, because I don't really consider this direct support for ATE. Meltdown and Fallout focuses more on the here and now: what happens if a plant melts down today? Yes, there are also rules for long-term effects -- rules that an ATE game would certainly find useful -- but those exist to support the main focus of Meltdown and Fallout. (Basically, that part of the book, and in fact everything in this book, would exist in the same form even if ATE didn't.)

Originally Posted by Daigoro

So are the radiation rules in this compatible with those in AtE, or are they on opposite ends of the realism-cinematic spectrum?

Totally compatible, as would be any rules that give exposure in rads . . . because ATE offers the simple "10 rads = -1 RP" conversion.

[Warlockco]

Originally Posted by mr beer

I feel like this is exactly the kind of product that would cause a naïve employee of the FBI to organise a raid upon a games company, on the erroneous grounds that they are distributing some kind of handbook for nefarious activity.

Luckily that would never happen in the real world.

Not sure if you are serious or that is sarcasm for what did happen when the Cyberpunk book was released.

[Tomsdad]

Its very nice.

Is Disaster going to be be new sub category of releases? (that would be cool)

Can I just check something when calculating PF with how the PF10 and PF per inch stat works especially for working out PF for thick amounts of the materials which don't* get a listing in the latter?

So the "PF10 stat" is really just the thickness required for the 1st PF10 due to the non linear relationship between thickness and PF (i.e 2" of lead is not 2x the PF of 1", but 6x the PF)

But how do I work out the PF of say 6' of loose soil (without working the maths backwards)? At these lower levels is just dividing actual thickness by "PF10 thickness" x 10 = total PF close enough*?

So 6' of loose soil = PF30


Oh and concrete has very variable rate of protection (I'm assuming due to different types of concrete) does anyone have any guidelines for what types would fit where on that scale? Oh and also brick I'm guessing some types of brick will fit in the concrete scale.

*for obvious reasons

[johndallman]

Originally Posted by Tomsdad

Is Disaster going to be be new sub category of releases? (that would be cool)

There's a wishlist of ideas for GURPS that has had the Disasters line on it for some time. This is the first one to get written and published; there'll be more if someone decides to write them.

[Tomsdad]

Originally Posted by johndallman

There's a wishlist of ideas for GURPS that has had the Disasters line on it for some time. This is the first one to get written and published; there'll be more if someone decides to write them.

Ah OK cool,

cheers

TD

[RogerBW]

Some notes on this book on my blog today.

Originally Posted by Tomsdad

But how do I work out the PF of say 6' of loose soil (without working the maths backwards)? At these lower levels is just dividing actual thickness by "PF10 thickness" x 10 = total PF close enough*?

Each "PF 10 thickness" MULTIPLIES the PF by 10.

So 2' of loose soil has PF 10. 6' is 2' + 2' + 2' and therefore PF 10 × 10 × 10 = 1000.

Originally Posted by Daigoro

So are the radiation rules in this compatible with those in AtE, or are they on opposite ends of the realism-cinematic spectrum?

It depends on which ones.

The rules about how much radiation you take from particular hazards, as PK says, give you a dose in rads. You can convert those to RPs and use AtE rules.

The more detailed rules for short- and long-term radiation damage, based on the rads you take, won't be relevant if you're using RPs.

[Christopher R. Rice]

I was part of this playtest. I said it there and I'll say it here as well: Roger put together a document that is essentially a primer on how reactors work. He doesn't dumb it own, but makes it easy enough to understand that anyone could pick this up, read it, and get a grasp of how reactors, radiation, etc. work. He did a damn fine job an you should go buy it. I hope he writes another "disasters" book so purchase this one so he can!

(I'd talk more but my damn keyboard is broken an this took me almost 10 minutes to type. I am in Hell. T_T)

[Tomsdad]

Originally Posted by RogerBW

Some notes on this book on my blog today.



Each "PF 10 thickness" MULTIPLIES the PF by 10.

So 2' of loose soil has PF 10. 6' is 2' + 2' + 2' and therefore PF 10 × 10 × 10 = 1000.

do'h I was over thinking that wasn't I!

(and getting caught up with slight differences being magnified by larger power calculations)

Cheers

TD

EDIT: and yes reading your blog, please write more, I'll buy 'em for sure!

[robkelk]

Originally Posted by Warlockco

Not sure if you are serious or that is sarcasm for what did happen when the Cyberpunk book was released.

I'd guess it's some of both. The part about the FBI never raiding Steve Jackson Games is true - the Secret Service raided Steve Jackson Games.

[johndallman]

Reading through, a query and a realisation:

There's something called AL-356 listed in the Radiation Protection Table on p8, but it's not obvious what this material is, and web searching isn't telling me anything clear. It has the same statistics as aluminium alloy, and the name suggests that might be what it is - but why list it separately?

Meanwhile on p17, it's a good idea to be able to control the weather if you seem likely to cause nuclear accidents, although the police may see your attempts to disperse the contamination as making things worse.