GURPS Low-Tech Companion 3: Daily Life and Economics

[Dinadon]

Originally Posted by Tyneras

If that is so, then could you scale the production with BL, similar to how mining does it?

"How much wood could an ogre lumberjack jack, if an ogre lumberjack could jack wood?"

I would say no for most of it, as most of the items are worked. I don't see how BL can affect things like making glass, smelting metal or cutting wood. They have other limiting factors. However, any of the raw materials could justify BL as their limiter, so you could apply a scaling there if you wanted.

[Refplace]

Originally Posted by Tyneras

Under manufacturing, where it says Production (lbs/day) (p.22) it is talking about per worker, right?

If it is talking per worker, then it assumes a human with 10 in every stat?

If that is so, then could you scale the production with BL, similar to how mining does it?

"How much wood could an ogre lumberjack jack, if an ogre lumberjack could jack wood?"

... god, that is terrible. But I hope my train of though comes across clearly.

The resources, field size or wahtnot will be a limiting factor. I would say easier to make do with less workers then to get more output from better workers.

[Gudiomen]

On composite weapon materials, it mentions that, for example, a spear is 3/4 wood... but on the materials it's not clear (to me) which size of wood should be used for hafts... 4" poles seem too thick, and planks seem simply inappropriate... any tips?

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Tyneras

If it is talking per worker, then it assumes a human with 10 in every stat?

It doesn't assume anything, so far as stats are concerned. Those are, as best as I can reconstruct them (which admittedly is not particularly well), based on historically documented working times. So the stats in question are "whatever real people had." Scaling for unusual skill levels can be handled by clever application of the labor cost rules on p. 23. Scaling for populations with unusual attributes (relevant for construction, which requires lots of strong backs) is out of scope for this book and could be the subject of a section of another Fantasy Tech volume. I'd probably base the scaling on BL rather than directly on ST.

Originally Posted by Gudiomen

On composite weapon materials, it mentions that, for example, a spear is 3/4 wood... but on the materials it's not clear (to me) which size of wood should be used for hafts... 4" poles seem too thick, and planks seem simply inappropriate... any tips?

The tips are stone, bronze, or iron...oh, sorry. Pay attention to the size rather than the shape. Like the note says, "When buying wood, calculate price per pound by its thinnest dimension." The two-inch is probably about right.

[Gudiomen]

Originally Posted by Turhan's Bey Company

Like the note says, "When buying wood, calculate price per pound by its thinnest dimension." The two-inch is probably about right.

There's only 4'' and 8'' posts though, 2'' only has planks, would that be appropriate?

[Jonas]

I have a minor question about LTC:3, actually. Since LT seems to hint that it contains guidelines for among other things producing and more importantly repairing armor, does this mean it contains some sort of system for tracking armor damage and degradation? So far I'm on the fence as far as getting any of the companions, but if it does have such a thing I might end up getting it.

[Lupo]

Originally Posted by Jonas

I have a minor question about LTC:3, actually. Since LT seems to hint that it contains guidelines for among other things producing and more importantly repairing armor, does this mean it contains some sort of system for tracking armor damage and degradation?

LTC 2 contains it.

[Turhan's Bey Company]

Originally Posted by Gudiomen

There's only 4'' and 8'' posts though, 2'' only has planks, would that be appropriate?

Ignore the shape. Just use the dimension.

[panton41]

Originally Posted by Tyneras

Under manufacturing, where it says Production (lbs/day) (p.22) it is talking about per worker, right?

If it is talking per worker, then it assumes a human with 10 in every stat?

Depends on the worker. I have the feeling the "average human worker" in a manual labor job has a higher than ST 10. I can say at my work where lifting and carrying more than 100 pounds is a routine task and where you're expected to lift up to that every 3 seconds for hours on end there are lots of people with ST11 and 12 and we use lots of machines to help with it.

[Tyneras]

Originally Posted by ciaran_skye

Depends on the worker. I have the feeling the "average human worker" in a manual labor job has a higher than ST 10. I can say at my work where lifting and carrying more than 100 pounds is a routine task and where you're expected to lift up to that every 3 seconds for hours on end there are lots of people with ST11 and 12 and we use lots of machines to help with it.

I generally assume that a professional of Race A with be proportional to the same type of professional of Race B, so if a human blacksmith has ST 12 (44% above an ST 10 average), then an ogre blacksmith will have an ST of 24 (44% above a ST 20 average). That way I don't have to think about how strong each profession is, just racial averages. So if humans are base 1, ogres would be 4, and just multiply all ST related stuff by 4 for what equivalent ogres can do.

I agree, more ST seems to only help some of the manufacturing processes. Lumberjacking and smelting look like they might be helped by having stronger workers, while glassblowing and pottery, not so much. Those might require more exotic advantages than more ST.

P.S.: Outside combat, I consider ST and Basic Lift to be pretty interchangeable.