________________________________________ GURPS Vehicles 2nd Edition Additions MA Lloyd (malloy00@io.com) 9 August 1998 Modifications and Additions to Chapter 15: Vehicles in the Campaign ________________________________________ p199 Getting Vehicles Cheap. TL obsolete vehicles, and particularly components are often available new, either from manufacturers with old production lines or surplused from storage in the original packaging. Like used components cost is usually 10% to 50% of list. p200 Black Market Weapons. The distinction between different 'legality 0' weapons is handled elsewhere with a category 'legality -1'. p203 Enchanted Vehicles. The first example, and its principle are wrong. Costs of an enchantment allowing a spell to be cast should not be size dependent, only the energy cost at casting time. Otherwise enchanting a Walk on Air tie-tack should be much cheaper than the version used to enchant the much larger volume shoes.... p204*Vehicle Quality. The maintenance interval cost divisors apply to the *unmodified* vehicle cost. They are not intended simply to cancel out the quality cost modification. ________________________________________ Vehicles in the Campaign p201a Building Vehicles ________________________________________ These design rules have never been completely clear, particularly on the relationship between the two rolls. Use: If the Conception Roll is a Critical Success: Bug free design. Success: Workable design, with 1d/2 minor bugs. Success by 0-2: Workable design with 1d minor and 1d/2 major bugs. Failure: Obviously unworkable design, time wasted. Critical Failure: Design that looks OK, proceed to working model roll but if built successfully the 'working' model will not function. If the Working Model Roll is a Critical Success: 1d/2+1 bugs (if there are that many) are caught early in the process and can be fixed by the usual redesign process. A critically flawed concept is also caught before any money is spent. Success: Model is built as designed. Failure: Model isn't done yet, roll again next week. Critical Failure: Accident causes damage equals cost of the prototype. Roll again next week for completion. And add a new (optional) step - Design Check. A design check may be performed by anyone not involved in the initial Conception process, roll once per week (at skill -5 for new innovations) If the Design Check Roll is a Critical Success: all the bugs are caught. Success: one bug is caught. Failure: passes the design. Critical Failure: catches a nonexistant bug, a redesign to 'fix' it at best wastes time, at worst it can add new bugs. _________________________________________ Vehicles in the Campaign p203a Super Equipment _________________________________________ Some vehicles (Mecha particularly) perform feats that owe more to the Supers genre than technology. Simply purchase the super powers used as gadgets using the rules on p.SU68. Super gadgets purchased with points have no cost, and negligible weight, volume and power requirements unless an appropriate limitation is applied. The GM may allow some super equipment to be purchased for cash; for example an Invisiblity to Machines device is an excellent way to implement the Super ECM limitation from Mecha. GM created off the shelf super technology can have any statistics the GM likes. A cost around $10,000 times the normal point cost often works, but weight, volume and power consumption can be extremely variable. ________________________________________ Vehicles in the Campaign p204a Campaign Technology ________________________________________ Hard Science. Add to the end 'On the other hand, since they violate physics as we know it, these technologies could just as well appear at lower tech levels'. *Experimental Technology* Experimental versions of many systems can be had a half tech level early, but with drawbacks. Experimental technology always costs more (typically x10) and usually has a major or a couple of minor bugs (p199). Other possibilities include higher than usual weight or power requirements (x2 or more) or reduced reliability (-2 Malf, -2 HT, halved maintenance interval, roll of 14- for it to work each time you turn it on). See Experimental FTL Drives (p.S22), FTL Side Effects (p.S29), and the Guaranteed Play Balance and Random Side Effects tables (p.CII10) for other ideas. Several technologies are listed at a TL they are really still experimental. The GM may raise them half a TL and apply this rule to such systems as well. Vehicles built without regard to cost often have TL advanced components or structures. ________________________________________ Bibliography p205a Bibliography ________________________________________ The sci.space FAQ (ftp://rtfm.mit.edu/pub/usenet/news.answers/space). AIAA. Progress in Astronautics and Aeronautics (AIAA, series). Dana, Richard T. Handbook of Construction Equipment (McGraw Hill, 1921). Dupuy, Trevor N. The Evolution of Weapons and Warfare (Jane's, 1980). Dusenbery, David B. Sensory Ecology (WH Freeman, 1992). Eder, Dani. Canonical List of Space Transportation and Engineering Methods (ftp://explorer.arc.nasa.gov/pub/SPACE/FAQ/eder_transport_list). Ewing, E.G. Recovery System Design Guide (Air Force Flight Dynamics Lab, 1978). McGraw Hill staff. McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science and Technology (McGraw-Hill, 1971). Meyers, Robert A (ed). Encyclopedia of Physical Sciences and Technology (Academic Press, 1987). Scheips, Paul J. Military Signal Communications (Arno Press, 1980). Singer, Charles; Williams, Trevor and others. A History of Technology (Clarendon Press, 1954-8). Sutton, George. Rocket Propulsion Elements (Wiley, 1976). Whitt, Frank R. Bicycling Science (MIT, 1985). Wong, J.T. Theory of Ground Vehicles (Wiley, 1978) Wood, David L. Signaling and Communications at Sea (Arno Press, 1980). Yenne, Bill. Interplanetary Spacecraft (Exeter, 1988). Journals Ad Astra. Journal of the British Interplanetary Society. Journal of Spacecraft and Rockets. ________________________________________ p01a Acknowledgments ________________________________________ Thanks to everyone who commented, criticized, asked inspiring questions or proposed ideas I cheerfully stole, including: Massimiliano Alberti Melanie Harris David Morgan-Mar Peter Araujo Bob Huss Pierce Nichols Sean Barrett Leif Magnar Kj|nn|y Nana Yaw Ofori Geoffrey Brent Incanus Gareth Owen Hal Carmer Anthony Jackson David Pulver Douglas Cole Hunter Johnson Sean Punch Christopher Dicely Johnathan Lang Tracy Ratcliff Shawn Fisher Michael Layne Dave Seagraves John Fosgett Erik Manders Shadweaver John Freiler Onno Meyer Christopher Thrash Jon Glen Michael A. Miller Jeff Wilson