[Spaceships] Where are the Capacitors?

[vicky_molokh]

Greetings, all!

Back in 3e days, I remember designing ships which could get big but temporary power outputs - like for heavy weapons or drives - through the use of large capacitors. They would then slowly recharge from their cheap/small reactors.
But a quick look through SS didn't find capacitor systems. Am I missing them or what?

Thanks in advance!

[SCAR]

Since Spaceships uses Power Points, and most Systems only require 1 PP (Super Stardrive being the only item I can see straight off which requires 2PP), Capacitors would be below the granularity.

[vicky_molokh]

They would be below the granularity, if not for the fact that someone might want a ship with, say, 12 systems worth of drives and/or weapons (or more!). Such as a hit-and-run sort of fighter operating from a carrier.

[SCAR]

I see the idea, but Spaceships doesn't have the concept of Power Usage over Time. How much 'Power' does it take to fire a Laser Once, or to run a Reactionless Drive for 4 hours, or maybe 6 hours at half power?

You'd have to define some kind of Power Usage over Time for each system (possibly the same for all).

[SCAR]

A quick search found this thread which seems to be on a similar line.

[vicky_molokh]

Power over time is easy: just define a new unit, called PowerPoint*second. Like the kWs and kWh.
Firing a LASER turret for one minute requires 60 PP*s.

[SCAR]

You're right, and the other thread (posted above) made me realise where my thinking was wrong!
Anyway - that thread would seem to provide a suitable answer.

[Ulzgoroth]

Spaceships doesn't have a concept of power usage over time, as such, but it's utterly trivial to provide one and answer those questions in terms of PP*seconds. In keeping with the irritating current UT policy, PP aren't defined in any real-world terms, which might make it hard to hack together a capacitor bank system.

There hasn't been such a system in any of the first 4 books. Which would seem to be the ones most likely to have it, unless the Transhuman Spaceships I've seen mentioned is on the current list of planned releases.

There have been efforts to dissect the elusive Power Point. The favored conclusion was that one PP = 1/20 MW per ton ship.

[David L Pulver]

Originally Posted by Ulzgoroth

Spaceships doesn't have a concept of power usage over time, as such, but it's utterly trivial to provide one and answer those questions in terms of PP*seconds. In keeping with the irritating current UT policy, PP aren't defined in any real-world terms, which might make it hard to hack together a capacitor bank system.

Actually, it's not UT policy but GURPS policy in general. During the writing of said books, a directive came from the very highest level that UT and HT were to remove all specific references to power outputs (unlike Infinite Worlds).

This is taken as applicable to SPACESHIPS as it's intended as a core book supplement. (It will not apply to VDS.)

Capacitors et al are simply not included because the numbers would get very fiddly due the variation in time scales, and Spaceships was designed under a very specific editorial mandate to Keep It Simple. Also, they really aren't a vital part of most fictional spaceship depictions. (One could assume that capacitors are an integral part of the beam weapons themselves, however.)

[Peter Knutsen]

Originally Posted by SCAR

I see the idea, but Spaceships doesn't have the concept of Power Usage over Time. How much 'Power' does it take to fire a Laser Once, or to run a Reactionless Drive for 4 hours, or maybe 6 hours at half power?

You'd have to define some kind of Power Usage over Time for each system (possibly the same for all).

A simpler solution would be to invent a new category of ships, separate from the one that can be built with the core Spaceships rules. This category is the short-occupancy ship, created according to modified parameters, but gifted with more efficient energy systems (since they are batteries or capacitors, rather than reactors) and needing to connect with a mothership or space port very often. Perhaps every 8 hours.