I've been doing some reading, and it turns out the 4e doesn't have a standalone ship generating chart. Its traveller supplement does, but I'm going to look farther before settling on it. I guess we could just use starwars stuff, but I don't want that feel to the game. It should be discrete from contemporary sci fi. If we have to, we can use the traveller ships. There's a short document about how to convert from 3e to 4e, so I'm also going to try to get the 3e books, I recall seeing a lot more of them somewhere. And things like space atlases, and ship catalogs.
The only thing I see missing in Tech Level 10 is force fields. I really like the feel they give. Granted, for every 'thing' in TL 10 there's something better in TL11. So, here's my reasoning. TL 10 meets what is generally 'expected' from space opera. You have flying cars and ray guns and battle armor and all that jazz. Though you guys can have superpowers psionics and magic, tech should be an equally valid choice. I'm of two minds about this. Tech is sort of its own power, but it costs money instead of character points. And then there's the whole issue of designing your ship. On the one hand, I'd like to say to everyone "you can have anything you want at tech 10, or if you have NO powers of any kind, you can have tech 11." but I'm not sure if that's lame. Until you guys glance through ultratech I suppose this is a one sided conversation. suffice it to say that at tech level 10 you get everything generally expected from space opera, including mechs and ray pistols and gravity belts. I think the distinction is that at tech 11 you get personal force fields. So, my other consideration, is that keeping you all at tech 10 leaves more big goodies to give you. Money is largely worthless as treasure, unless you wish to spend it when you get 'back home' IF you get 'back home'. Putting you all at tech 11 means that you can 'only' get tech 12 gear or superscience gear, which leaves very little room for bizarre societies with supreme technology, and also little in the way of 'big' improvements. I think having 2 discrete levels of tech to upgrade you too also makes it to where if at tech 10 you find some artifact that is tech 12 its really neat, but isn't game breaking like everything at superscience level is. Of course, with magic and psionics and superpowers who needs a death ray? Well, the one guy without all that needs it. And if superman had a death ray that would be even better. (heheh, just thought of the incredible hulk in a battlesuit).
So my conclusion is this. Tech 10. It's very good, very futuristic, and if NO mechanic for TL10 ship shields is available, I'll give your ship TL11 shields.
this also means no interstellar teleporters. So the only way home is to fly there. I did find something neat though, that works around 'frozen troops'. Ultratech describes copies of a mind and synthetic bodies. I'll allow you to save your characters in such a device and recreate your bodies if you die. there are a couple game stabilizing caveats that will come with this. It will take time to save, and time to regrow. It's in your ship, so if you lose your ship you lose everything. And you forfeit any character points you earned in the session in which you die. Also any knowledge gained from your excursion in which you died goes away. I may also give a limit to the number of times a copy can be made, or the number of times the machinery can be used. So maybe the entire party has a pool of 20 'extra lives', and if one asshole keeps jumping off of things and exhausts the pool then the game becomes more lethal.
I will try to build a brief that explains how to evaluate the danger of an encounter. If you guys are in a 5000 Dton ship and a 100,000Dton destroyer comes up and asks you politely to come with them, you probably should. But less clear cut differences will certainly exist, and you should know if you have no chance of winning before you start shooting, since there isn't yet a 'save point' for your ship. Perhaps a backup ship is following you at some distance. yeah, thats' pretty good actually. It's not as good as your starting ship, and you get exactly one backup ship. how does that sound? If you want to capture or barter for a new ship from anyone you meet out there in space then be my guest.
Oh, and new people can join the game on the fly by having been in stasis. You will have some people in stasis if you need them, I'll basically provide a low level of skill or the basic need for manpower.
Your ship. Whenever I find a good shipbuilding resource, which may just be traveller, I'll assign you a budget. you may design your ship in any way you like, as long as you satisfy the rules under which you are building. If we use a 3e ship builder then we will also have to convert it to 4e. That sounds like a lot of work, and it is. If you would, as an entire group, like me to build your ship for you then that is fine, but you won't find me responsive to complaints about what it does or does not have. There are a lot of really interesting things that can be done. I might build a ship that has capabilities that you as players would never use, and you might desire the ability to do something I didn't plan in. So, you will have a raw budget for designing your ship. this budget is intended to include everything that goes into the ship. If you want grav-tanks, you have to fit them into the mission budget. though you *can* include equipment in this budget, it is by definition group equipment. You *should* account for your personal equipment from your starting funds. "but I blew all my funds on cybernetics waaah" then you don't get anything cool or awesome. You should probably fit your ship with arms lockers in case you are boarded and don't have time to run off and jump in your battlesuit. If you blow your entire personal budget on cybernetics then you'll be using what's in there. Another point, if you want to use TL9 or TL8 gear you'll find it to be enough cheaper that you might wind up with more damage output then you could afford otherwise. This is a great thing to have come out of your personal budget. Your big machinegun and barrels of ammo might look odd from the surface of a hoverpad, but hey, you kill things. It's an art. Also, I think I will allow people to buy TL11 gear in lieu of superpowers. You will build a TL10 character, so you won't have much in the way of a budget for the more expensive TL11 stuff. But if you are willing to give up magic, psionics, superpowers, and whatever else you can dig up from the books, then you can have a death ray from TL11. If anyone thinks this is a bad idea then please say so.
Oh, and I think TL10 has a psionic resistance helmet. Might be a good idea. just sayin.
Moderator: Mods
even if gurps sorta blows I'd like to stick with it. Nothing else but d6 has as much just 'out there' and d6 is kinda done. we have our own thread for "gurpforge" now. hooray! I have the 4e books with a few exceptions. I'm still trying to track down gurps martial arts for 4e. Whenever possible we should work out of the most recent books. High tech for 4e isn't out yet. It would cover lower tech levels then you guys are starting at, but you can build your character at any level you want, I guess, and I'd like to be able to throw truly random encounters at you. So I'll use 3e high tech and the conversion rules until the 4e book comes out. Similarly, if you find things that didn't port from 3 to 4, feel free to convert them. Also, I may allow 'specific setting' material to be used if it is logical and doesn't 'come from that setting'.
Well Cheyne can vouch for me on this but I was talking to him about making a cybernetic/cyborg character... only problem I am having trouble deciding is "what" he will do as that is just not enough... I am thinking ships pilot... like the busty naval pilot on Starship Troopers or Wash but with some teching out (GM ok for TL11??)... then we would have someone who could BE a "leaf on the wind" when it really matters... and I think I want to borrow something from the new DnD errata
Brown Coat
Cost; 10 gp
~~~~~~~
technical details of no importance
~~~~~~~
Special: +2 bonus on Intimidate checks and a +1 bonus to unarmed attacks.
Special: You involuntarily use words like “’verse,” “shiny,” and “gorram.”
Brown Coat
Cost; 10 gp
~~~~~~~
technical details of no importance
~~~~~~~
Special: +2 bonus on Intimidate checks and a +1 bonus to unarmed attacks.
Special: You involuntarily use words like “’verse,” “shiny,” and “gorram.”
That which is not dead can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
be a miracle working chief engineer that is an offputting reptile whom everyone tells their feelings. Honestly, nobody will care about your feelings if the ship asplodes and you're floating in space.durden wrote:I want to be the ship's counselor. But be a really off-putting race, like reptilian. My large and sharp fangs gleaming at you in a perpetual smile while you talk about your feelings.
That, or the miracle working chief engineer.
well in that case I guess I will start singing
Daisy, Daisy give me your answer dooo
I ammmm Haaallllfff crraazzz.yy...
Damn Hal series processors...
Daisy, Daisy give me your answer dooo
I ammmm Haaallllfff crraazzz.yy...
Damn Hal series processors...
That which is not dead can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
well with a couple of ranks in TL you can do all that
Necromorphosis
They can still think. Eat. Drink. Breath. Speak. Fight. Make love. But they call it a reurrection? Its a cruel joke. Have you looked at the diagnostic scans? Most of their organs are redundant. Thaey barely remember their own names. They can't reproduce, and their bodies would fall apart if they werent being constantly regenereated. Face it Kathy, they're all dead! The only reason the flesh is warm is the heat generated by the swarms of nano inside them. And the smell....
That which is not dead can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
you can be Melon Man
watch the mooks drop their pants so you can burn the seeds away
and make their ass safe for today
watch the mooks drop their pants so you can burn the seeds away
and make their ass safe for today
That which is not dead can eternal lie and with strange eons even death may die
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.
My Color is Blue
I value Knowledge, logic, and deceit. I love to pursue wisdom but also to manipulate and deceive. At my best, I am brilliant and progressive. At my worst, I am treacherous and cold. My symbol is a water droplet. My enemies are green and red.