CT Only: GravMoped

[Condottiere]

Probably an issue of increased speed and range.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Are there batteries in Striker? (I did not see them in the vehicle design rules, but I did not go searching for them.)

CT Striker Book 4, p10.
Batteries are part of the Energy Weapon design sequence (Lasers, Plasma/Fusion Guns, Gauss Guns, etc.).

I learned that MHD generators are either open or closed cycle … so there technically need be no Jet Exhaust … just a heat capture and recirculating system for the plasma. It could theoretically be 100% self contained just like an internal combustion engine.

How many leafblower/lawnmower/scooter engines have you seen that use recirculation of their combustion exhaust in a form factor that small?

And for a lot of situations, something smaller than an air/raft would be quite useful. Air mobility is handy, but is it worth giving up 4Td of cargo space for? A couple of grav-bikes in 0.5Td, or even a 2Td 2-seat flying car/pod would be nice to have.

A ground car is 2 tons.
An air/raft is 4 tons.

I like cheating and using LBB8 robot power for small CT equipment design. A moped is right in the sweet spot.

For truly small scale "man portable" stuff, using fuel cells and/or batteries from LBB8 rules is certainly an option.

Generally speaking, a scooter is going to be slow, short ranged, and battery powered, and likely has a passenger seat, though that might be more described as a long enough driver's seat that could have enough space for a passenger.

Passenger capacity for a FLYING vehicle becomes highly problematic, since it somewhat dramatically changes the thrust to weight ratio by A LOT at these smaller scales (people are just "too big" relative to the vehicle size). You wind up with potential outcomes that start feeling weird, like getting 1.1G with a passenger aboard (so 0.1G flight speed in a 1G gravity well) and something like 1.6G with no passenger aboard (so 0.6G flight speed in a 1G gravity well), due to the weight of the passenger. There are going to be breakpoints where the vehicle cannot exceed 1G thrust to weight ratio needed to move with a passenger included, but then have "too much" thrust to weight ratio with a passenger omitted.

Contrast that with ground vehicle performance and it's a much more dramatic (and dynamic) difference.

We had grav chairs, at one time.

Contragrav Laz-Y-Boy.

Striker and later rules provided a specific amount of thrust from which local gravity would be subtracted before determining how much was available for lateral or vertical acceleration.

This is something that Striker missed the mark on, since it oversimplified. The RAW for grav speeds works on a "G-1" basis without any modification for different gravity forces on different worlds. So arguably, if the "largest terrestrial world gravity" is 1.25G then you're going to need a 1.35G thrust to weight ratio grav vehicle which is capable of moving in "all" gravity conditions available at a minimum of 0.1G lateral thrust. The thing is, as soon as you do that, once you fall back to a 1G world, now you've got 0.35G of lateral thrust available and your grav vehicle is suddenly "too fast" for what you were intending.

This is where nuance and good taste in design work comes into play, where you're supposed to take into account more than just the LETTER of the RAW, but also it's SPIRIT ... even if strictly speaking you don't need to.

Note that the same problem occurs for aircraft design, since the CT Striker RAW includes no rules modifying performance in different atmospheres. So technically, per RAW, you can use airframes with no loss of performance in atmospheres other than code: 6-7 ... which is rather obviously bonkers.

With grav motors, you sink, with nothing between the chassis and the ground.

THIS.

How does a GravBelt fit into this scheme?

Are they ungainly and clunky and "may as well use the GravMoped" or is a GravBelt and a small backpack a more common personal transit device?

It's an adjacent market product.
The grav belt is something you WEAR.
A grav bike is something you RIDE.

Broadly speaking, the same purpose and use cases, but the belt is more miniaturized/high tech of the two.

 

[atpollard]

How many leafblower/lawnmower/scooter engines have you seen that use recirculation of their combustion exhaust in a form factor that small?

Every reationless thruster that I ever encountered used one.

Don’t sweat it. At TL 9 and up, it is a STRIKER fusion PP that small … just like every commercial fusion power plant in existence.

 

[Grav_Moped]

How does a GravBelt fit into this scheme?

Are they ungainly and clunky and "may as well use the GravMoped" or is a GravBelt and a small backpack a more common personal transit device?

Tech level.

Grav belts are TL-12, kind of costly but not terribly obtrusive.

Mopeds or scooters are TL-8 and a little bulky for similar or lesser capability. Probably cheaper, too, in an open market

 

[McPerth]

I published long ago a grav bike design, for MT...

I don't know well striker, but I've heard MT used the system derived form it, so maybe it can help. You'll find it here (though all my designs shared in this board are accessible from my signature)

 

[Spartan159]

Grav Hoverboard for the win!

Bryan Gibson's character Sushi. I had one of her on a grav scooter but I've lost it

 

[whartung]

Of course, then there's the TNE GravScooter. Perfect for the Urban environment. Contra Grav and HePLAR.

It's hot Hot HOT!

 

[Dragoner]

Grav Hoverboard for the win!
View attachment 4100
Bryan Gibson's character Sushi. I had one of her on a grav scooter but I've lost it

Indeed I have them, maybe a bit racy for the board. Admin feel free to delete if so.

 

[Spinward Scout]

... which made me wonder if I could create a GravMoped. (Sure, why not?) So I offer for your general amusement, one GravMoped inspired by @Grav_Moped and Striker.

I wish I could remember the sci-fi story I read (possibly on Barnes & Noble Nook) which had a main character riding around on a GravMoped, I think. He made deliveries for part of the book.

 

[Jame]

And back on topic....

The simple way to do up a G-cycle is to rule that it's a grav belt in a different form factor. Adjust cost relative to performance, if you're commited to the idea of a literal moped or motorscooter analog.

Mind you, that's not nearly as much fun to detail, or as likely to generate a long discussion thead...

I like having grav mopeds (the vehicle) be lower tech than grav belts, so maybe TL9 and 20kcr? Or make up your own variant, as that's also fun.

The person Grav_Moped can be whatever tech level they can get away with.

 

[Grav_Moped]

The person Grav_Moped can be whatever tech level they can get away with.

I'm still stuck back here at TL-7.5 with the rest of you.