FF&S for CT

[Supplement Four]

I've often thought about delving into a project that would produce a system whereby CT players could create weapons compatible with CT.

I mean, CT has a vehicle design system (Striker) and two Starship design systems.

I'd like to see a thingy that would allow a GM to develop a weapon and have that weapon spit out CT stats. To work properly, it'd have to spit out CT stats for the weapons already included in CT.

Any thought on how to go about this? I've got a few, but I'd like to hear yours.

 

[The Oz]

This has already been done, at least once. Ed Messina did a LBB of his own called "Armory and Ordinance" <sic> which is on the Web somewhere. Try Googling on it (don't forget the misspelling) and you should find it.

Give it a look and go from there, for a first approximation.

 

[Supplement Four]

This has already been done, at least once. Ed Messina did a LBB of his own called "Armory and Ordinance" <sic> which is on the Web somewhere. Try Googling on it (don't forget the misspelling) and you should find it.

Give it a look and go from there, for a first approximation.

I've seen his book. The work doesn't produce CT stats, though...with all the Armor and range DMs and whatnot.

 

[Supplement Four]

Here it is:
http://crucible.cc/traveller/docs/armoryandordinance.pdf

[I really need to get a life.]

Like I said, it spits out weapons more for use in AHL or Striker format. Not in CT format.

As was said, though, it could be used as a starting point.

 

[robject]

A friend and I used EABA to reproduce the laser rifle. It took about 15 minutes to 'calibrate' EABA's design parameters. After that, re-creating the laser carbine and laser pistol took about 15 seconds each.

Assuming calibration can be done as easily for all of CT's products, I think EABA is very much in the basic CT spirit of doing things without a spreadsheet.

Example

Guidelines for creating stuff for Traveller via EABA Stuff!

Volume

18 hexes is exactly one displacement ton.


Personal Weapons

"Damage" appears to be PEN.
"Hits" appears to be dice of damage.

Lasers use Compact ammo x 2.
Shotguns use Shotgun damage.

Mass Size
3kg 8 millihex - 25%
5kg 16 millihex - 25%
6kg 16 millihex

Technology points = TL+24

TL  Tested?  Era                 Tech      Combined Weapon?

 4           Early Atomic
 5     y     Early Atomic        Easy/Avg
 6           Middle Atomic
 7           Middle Atomic       Easy/Avg
 8     y     Late Atomic
 9     y     Early Post-Atomic   Avg/Hard
10           Early Post-Atomic
11           Early Post-Atomic   Easy/Avg
12           Middle Post-Atomic
13           Middle Post-Atomic  Easy/Avg
14           Late Post-Atomic
15           Late Post-Atomic    Easy/Avg
16           Early Advanced
17           Early Advanced      Easy/Avg
18           Middle Advanced
19           Middle Advanced     Easy/Avg
20           Late Advanced
21           Late Advanced       Easy/Avg
22           Late Advanced       Easy/Avg  Yes
23           Late Advanced       Easy
24           Late Advanced       Easy      Yes

Laser Carbine, TL8, 5kg, Cr3500, 800mm. 3kg pack.
Laser Rifle, TL9, 6kg, Cr5000, 1000mm. 4kg pack.
Laser Pistol, TL9, 3kg, Cr2500, 600mm. 3kg pack.
Shotgun, TL5, 4.5kg, Cr160, 1000mm.
SMG, TL5, 3kg, Cr520, 450mm.

 

[Supplement Four]

I love the old James Bond RPG, and one of the brilliant things that game had was the Q-Manual. It was a book of equipment for MI6 agents, but it was also much more.

It came complete with a design system. One could take real world specs of weapons and vehicles and things, input them into the design system, and the system would spit out JB RPG stats.

I reverse-engineered a few weapons and vehicles from the game, using real world input, and the system worked beautifully.

It wasn't as "fussy" as FF&S, either. It didn't take a whole day to design one weapon (sarcasm). You plug in some numbers, pick from a chart or two, and boom, you had your stats for your James Bond game.

I'd like to sure like to see something like that for CT.

Maybe one of these days I'll create it.

 

[Icosahedron]

What is EABA?

I use a spreadsheet called 'Gunsmith Calculator', or something like that. I can't remember who wrote it, and I don't have access to it right now to check, but again it gives a reasonable base to work from.

 

[aramis]

EABA is BTRC/Greg Porter's d6 vs Tgt+ based RPG.

Many similar concepts to CORPS (his other mutli-genre system), but play is very different. One of the playtest campaigns was run in the OTU...

 

[pendragonman]

I love the old James Bond RPG,

What I loved about it was there was no character death, just the character suffers the ultimate hindrance to completing the mission. :smirk:

I personally would use an equipment design system for CT if someone comes up with one.

 

[tbeard1999]

I've often thought about delving into a project that would produce a system whereby CT players could create weapons compatible with CT.

I mean, CT has a vehicle design system (Striker) and two Starship design systems.

I'd like to see a thingy that would allow a GM to develop a weapon and have that weapon spit out CT stats. To work properly, it'd have to spit out CT stats for the weapons already included in CT.

Any thought on how to go about this? I've got a few, but I'd like to hear yours.

I doubt that it is possible to create a useful system that would replicate existing CT values for weapons and produce reasonable values for other weapons. It looks to me like those values were derived by "dead reckoning" rather than any systemic analysis of muzzle energy, etc.

And since I think that the CT modifier regime for weapons is broken, I'm not sold on the utility of such a system if it is possible.

Since there are already a number of fiddly design sequences that purport to accurately rate weapons, you might be able to adapt one of them. But at the end of the day you still have a defective combat system IMHO.

Now, I think that there *is* a space for a CT style non-fiddly gun design system. I think such a system, would have you pick from a short menu of options, then reference a table for performance.

 

[Supplement Four]

And since I think that the CT modifier regime for weapons is broken...

I used to agree with that, sort of. But, the more I look at old CT combat, the more I don't think it really needs any tweaking.

I don't think it's broken at all.

 

[tbeard1999]

I used to agree with that, sort of. But, the more I look at old CT combat, the more I don't think it really needs any tweaking.

I don't think it's broken at all.

So you've abandoned your replacement CT combat system and now use the CT combat system in your games?

 

[Supplement Four]

So you've abandoned your replacement CT combat system and now use the CT combat system in your games?

Yep. I'm keeping a few things. Initiative. The Stun rule. But, combat, I'm running by the book. 8+ to hit. Armor mods on the hit. First Blood rule. The whole sheebang.

 

[tbeard1999]

Yep. I'm keeping a few things. Initiative. The Stun rule. But, combat, I'm running by the book. 8+ to hit. Armor mods on the hit. First Blood rule. The whole sheebang.

Well good for you. I personally think that the CT combat system works fine, as long as you limit it to CT weapons and skill levels. Adding Book 4+ characters and Book 4 weapons make it FAR too easy to get automatic hits.

But at the end of the day, the CT combat system is unsatisfactory to me.

 

[Supplement Four]

Well good for you. I personally think that the CT combat system works fine, as long as you limit it to CT weapons and skill levels. Adding Book 4+ characters and Book 4 weapons make it FAR too easy to get automatic hits.

Ya gotta realize that a 100% chance to hit does not necessarily mean a 100% chance of the target being shot.

Damage has to be considered in the CT combat system. Damage that does not reduce two stats to zero typically means the target wasn't shot. Therefore, Book 4 is fine to use.

 

[tbeard1999]

Ya gotta realize that a 100% chance to hit does not necessarily mean a 100% chance of the target being shot.

Damage has to be considered in the CT combat system. Damage that does not reduce two stats to zero typically means the target wasn't shot.

Huh? If a hit reduces one stat to zero, what did happen? Did he pass out from fright? Did the sonic boom from the bullet missing him knock him out?

 

[Supplement Four]

Huh? If a hit reduces one stat to zero, what did happen? Did he pass out from fright? Did the sonic boom from the bullet missing him knock him out?

One stat at zero means he is knocked unconscious. He awakes in 10 minutes, with all stats healed to halfway. With medical help, he's completely healed in 30 minutes. Without medical help, he'll heal completely in three days.

Do gunshot wounds heal in half an hour, or even three days? Maybe grazes, but not gunshot wounds.

It takes two stats at zero to be considered a serious wound--a gunshot wound. Anything less than that is considered a minor wound.

 

[atpollard]

I used to agree with that, sort of. But, the more I look at old CT combat, the more I don't think it really needs any tweaking.

I don't think it's broken at all.

I find it fairly balanced (I have a few problems with the -5 no-skill penalty, but it seldom comes up). I just find it a bother to start with a simple 8+ to hit, then go to a table to adjust for Weapon vs Range, go to another table to adjust for Weapon vs Armor, adjust for skill and, in general, end up still needing a 7, 8 or 9 to hit. It always seemed that it could have been presented a little cleaner.

 

[tbeard1999]

One stat at zero means he is knocked unconscious. He awakes in 10 minutes, with all stats healed to halfway. With medical help, he's completely healed in 30 minutes. Without medical help, he'll heal completely in three days.

Do gunshot wounds heal in half an hour, or even three days? Maybe grazes, but not gunshot wounds.

It takes two stats at zero to be considered a serious wound--a gunshot wound. Anything less than that is considered a minor wound.

Not an unreasonable point. But the problem is that by your reasoning, *no* weapon really hits the target until the second hit (most CT weapons do 3 dice damage, which will not typically knock 2 stats down). Then, it does so and it's quite easy to do so automatically.

I'd also note that hit points are a lousy way of representing gunshot wounds, based on what we know about such things in the real world. Striker/AHL is far better, though you have to ditch the idea of 2 light wounds = a serious wound and 2 serious wounds = death. Since CT isn't alone in using hit points, I won't make too much of it here.

In any case, my objection is that easily allowing automatic hits (or "grazes" or whatever) is undramatic and not a very good model of what goes on in a firefight. Adding Book 4+ characters and weapons just makes it too easy to make hits (or grazes) automatic.

In addition, the CT system makes it very difficult to add new weapons or armor (other than by the clumsy expedient of basing it off an existing weapon). It also contains no system for resolving anti-vehicle fire (and such a system would be far more clumsy than needed).

So at the end of the day, the CT system just doesn't do what I need it to do.

 

[tbeard1999]

I find it fairly balanced (I have a few problems with the -5 no-skill penalty, but it seldom comes up). I just find it a bother to start with a simple 8+ to hit, then go to a table to adjust for Weapon vs Range, go to another table to adjust for Weapon vs Armor, adjust for skill and, in general, end up still needing a 7, 8 or 9 to hit. It always seemed that it could have been presented a little cleaner.

I have a spreadsheet that lays out the to hit numbers so that one step is needed. Is there any way to upload this to the forum? Alternatively, you can use the chart in Snapshot (though it does have some differences with CT/Mercenary).