 December 2, 2007 - 4:05am | Looking for input on a streamlined vehicle ruleset. Perhaps split them off into categories like Ground Cycle/Car/Transports, Hover Cycle/Car/Transports, Explorers (light, standard, and heavy duty) etc and having minor performance differences between them. Perhaps keep the performance levels similar in each category (like the weapon ranges) and merely offer bonuses and penalties for each type? For example a hover vehicle can have a higher top speed (due to less friction) but lower turn or deceleration speeds (due to lack of traction) in comparison to the ground counterparts. |
 December 2, 2007 - 11:19pm | No experience with vehicles in SF in 20+ years, but the above seems reasonable.... |
 December 3, 2007 - 12:54pm | Since it needs to be simple - why not provide descriptions, costs, and images but no statistics? That way the vehicle just becomes a storytelling device. Any damage to the vehicle, any speeds and maneuvers - these could all just be abstracted and simplified. For example: the players are in a ground car being chased in a city by four mooks on hovercycles. They take a corner really tight to duck down a known alley. "Your groundcar hugs the curve like a dream, but at the speeds you're going the pursuing hovercycles have trouble taking the turn. Two cycles make it but the distance between you increases as they had to slow down. The other two cycles kept going straight - maybe they plan on circling around?" 3. We wear sungoggles during the day. Not because the sun affects our
vision, but when you're cool like us the sun shines all the time. |
December 3, 2007 - 2:42pm | So in reference to my last post, for example, a Ground Car could simply be explained in general terms. For example, all that is needed to know about a ground car is: Wheeled and electric, a ground car is similar to the vehicles most 20th century earthlings would know how to operate. It handles well but street models can't tolerate rough terrain, while off-road models lack a very high maximum speed. They're available on most worlds for about 5,000 Credits and can carry up to 5 passengers (in addition to the driver). They take corners better than hover vehicles but can't drive as fast. Ground vehicles have a great capacity for stowage weight. Er um... something like dat. 3. We wear sungoggles during the day. Not because the sun affects our
vision, but when you're cool like us the sun shines all the time. |
December 3, 2007 - 8:48pm | well, it's nice to have some guidelines / differentiation, similar to what SS listed -- hover vehicles are faster but have a wider turning radius (except when really slow / stopped.) |
December 3, 2007 - 11:06pm | Oh yes, I agree. But I'm just saying they don't require numeric representation. In order to keep things simple for the basic game, just comparison words "good" "excellent" should be enough... or do you think I'm oversimplifying the interpretation of the word "Basic"? 3. We wear sungoggles during the day. Not because the sun affects our
vision, but when you're cool like us the sun shines all the time. |
 December 4, 2007 - 11:28pm | The thing to remember is that the Basic game is to be used as a stepping stone for the Expanded game. Everything in the Basic game should have a little use in the Expanded game. Having one system for the Basic game and a different one for the Expanded game moots all purpose of the Basic game. The Basic game as it stands can't stand alone, but should be able to, but at the same time, should still serve as a clear stepping stone for the Expanded game. |
December 5, 2007 - 2:15am | I propose we just whip up something definitive for each vehicle class that echoes what was laid down in the Basic book. Just a refresher --- here's the Basic Rules for Skimmer movement: __________________________________________________________________________________ Skimmers Skimmers are similar to automobiles, but have protected hoverfans instead of wheels. They float on a cushion of air 30 centimeters (about 1 foot) above the ground. A skimmer can hold up to five passengers. Skimmers have a maximum speed of 10 squares per turn, and must stay on the roads (except when parked). A character can get into a skimmer on the same turn he moves into the skimmer's square, but the skimmer cannot move that turn. On the next turn, the skimmer can move up to 3 road squares. It can move its full 10 squares on the following turn. Skimmers must slow down when they turn or move through an intersection. (Magnetic field generators built into the roads automatically reduce the speed of approaching vehicles.) A skimmer can move only 5 squares if it turns or moves through an intersection during its movement. If a skimmer is in the middle of an intersection or turning a corner at the start of its move, it can move only 5 squares. |
December 5, 2007 - 2:48pm | The thing to remember is that the Basic game is to be used as a stepping stone for the Expanded game. Everything in the Basic game should have a little use in the Expanded game. Having one system for the Basic game and a different one for the Expanded game moots all purpose of the Basic game. The Basic game as it stands can't stand alone, but should be able to, but at the same time, should still serve as a clear stepping stone for the Expanded game. They had variant rules in the originally-published Basic game. For example: needlers did 2d10, top speed for vehicles was breathtakingly slow, etc. I'm just pointing it out - not sure why lol3. We wear sungoggles during the day. Not because the sun affects our
vision, but when you're cool like us the sun shines all the time. |
December 5, 2007 - 6:52pm | Now that I think about it, I like the "all hovercraft perform at 15/50/25" and ground craft at something different like 10/50/30. Just make the distianction between types (cycle, car, and transport) as to number of occupants and such. Sounds fine to me. |
