Technobabble
- Thread starter zonk
- Start date
There is an online generator for this sort of stuff at Seventh Sanctum. Here is a sample list it threw at me:
Computerized Lathe
Computerized Pliers
Cyberclamp
Exodynamic Awl
Exosaw
Maser File
Microfile
Nuclear Technovise
Psionic Stapler
Pyrovariable Measure
Quantum Hammer
Subspace Chisel
Technopolar Stapler
Varispatial Vise
Variable Chisel
Computerized Lathe
Computerized Pliers
Cyberclamp
Exodynamic Awl
Exosaw
Maser File
Microfile
Nuclear Technovise
Psionic Stapler
Pyrovariable Measure
Quantum Hammer
Subspace Chisel
Technopolar Stapler
Varispatial Vise
Variable Chisel
Arthur Denger
SOC-12
That's great. Too bad the BC-EngineeringR link is broken
UPDATE: I have found the article.
Buzzword Generator, by Clarke Johnson.
Pages 18-23
STARDATE Magazine, Vol 3, Number 1 (Collector's Issue)
on sale now, no bids (not me)
http://cgi.ebay.com/STARDATE-Volume...ryZ44111QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
1.99 starting. 5.35 shipping.
From Dragon's Lair Collectibles, Edinboro, PA
Buzzword Generator, by Clarke Johnson.
Pages 18-23
STARDATE Magazine, Vol 3, Number 1 (Collector's Issue)
on sale now, no bids (not me)
http://cgi.ebay.com/STARDATE-Volume...ryZ44111QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
1.99 starting. 5.35 shipping.
From Dragon's Lair Collectibles, Edinboro, PA
Arthur Denger
SOC-12
pendragonman
Absent Friends Margrave
Those BC/Engineering charts rock. Thanks!
I started with some guidelines I got from an old Shadis article. Basically, Technologies, (sub)Systems and Effects are put on index cards. For every "pip" in a technical skill, a player gets one card. AS GM, I gave players a choice out of a number of sleections, first based on fundamentals "required" and then as the player's skill went up, he would gain the opportunity for "electives."
I based the cards on the DGP Starship Operations Manual extrapolated for TNE tech (HEPlaR and Jump Drives both gained additional subsystems, for example).
Jump Drive was a Technology card gained from Starship Engineering. It explained the basic theories, as put in the various Library data, etc. The Jump Drive System card showed the various Individual components (hull grid, fuel tankage, fuel lines, HPG, links to the Main Computer [a separate Technology/Systems card(s) that would have to be learned on their own], etc etc).
Engineers had speciality Effects they could learn. Solo Jump was the most basic (a single uncoordinated jump). Coordinated and Synchronized Jumps were other skills, as were rebuild/repair procedures. I incorporated the "alarm lights" as notifications to an individual system (which I had compiled random tables for). I would say for example to the engineer.
(As the Ship is preparing to go to jump. "You get an alarm light indicating an issue with the (random roll): power spike from the Hull Grid. He consults that card, which says how the grid gets the fuel from the line and with energy provided by the HPG, creates the jump field in the ejectected h2 "bubble" around the ship [ the paradigm for jump IMTU) and see's there's a possibility for misjump, which he can relay to the captain, who can decide if it's worth the risk or if repairs (up to and including EVA) are necessary. Done either by GM fiat, or more rolls.
If it happened while in Jump, it would be a whole lot more interesting. This, along with more random rolls, made repairs a whole lot more interesting, too. Naturally, the most skilled enginners ended up with all kinds of cards and tricks to do. Faster jump prep. Tweaked drives. Greater accuracy, less variance to the jump time, etc etc.
I based the cards on the DGP Starship Operations Manual extrapolated for TNE tech (HEPlaR and Jump Drives both gained additional subsystems, for example).
Jump Drive was a Technology card gained from Starship Engineering. It explained the basic theories, as put in the various Library data, etc. The Jump Drive System card showed the various Individual components (hull grid, fuel tankage, fuel lines, HPG, links to the Main Computer [a separate Technology/Systems card(s) that would have to be learned on their own], etc etc).
Engineers had speciality Effects they could learn. Solo Jump was the most basic (a single uncoordinated jump). Coordinated and Synchronized Jumps were other skills, as were rebuild/repair procedures. I incorporated the "alarm lights" as notifications to an individual system (which I had compiled random tables for). I would say for example to the engineer.
(As the Ship is preparing to go to jump. "You get an alarm light indicating an issue with the (random roll): power spike from the Hull Grid. He consults that card, which says how the grid gets the fuel from the line and with energy provided by the HPG, creates the jump field in the ejectected h2 "bubble" around the ship [ the paradigm for jump IMTU) and see's there's a possibility for misjump, which he can relay to the captain, who can decide if it's worth the risk or if repairs (up to and including EVA) are necessary. Done either by GM fiat, or more rolls.
If it happened while in Jump, it would be a whole lot more interesting. This, along with more random rolls, made repairs a whole lot more interesting, too. Naturally, the most skilled enginners ended up with all kinds of cards and tricks to do. Faster jump prep. Tweaked drives. Greater accuracy, less variance to the jump time, etc etc.
Hi Uxi!
Wouldn't happen to have text from your cards handy would you? Cause this is exactly what I was going to do and I don't believe in re-inventing the wheel if I don't have to do so.
Also I'm lazy! :smirk:
And if you have it, would you mind sharing it? If it's too large just email me with it.
Wouldn't happen to have text from your cards handy would you? Cause this is exactly what I was going to do and I don't believe in re-inventing the wheel if I don't have to do so.
Also I'm lazy! :smirk:
And if you have it, would you mind sharing it? If it's too large just email me with it.
I'll keep looking, though.
pendragonman
Absent Friends Margrave
Yes, Uxi. I send you some search luck in hopes you locate that binder. That info sounds wonderful.
Oooo, all of a sudden I'm remembering all the logistix tasks in Universal Combat. There were hundreds of parts with properly sci-fi sounding names as well as mundane ones, all of which could be used in repairing stuff on board.
The trick was knowing which ones you are likely to need when it was time to stock up on spare parts. Although the game itself is of dubious playability, it really does model a starship in immense detail, and it's free.
EDIT: Whoa, wait a moment, I failed to look at the dates. Nevermind.
The trick was knowing which ones you are likely to need when it was time to stock up on spare parts. Although the game itself is of dubious playability, it really does model a starship in immense detail, and it's free.
EDIT: Whoa, wait a moment, I failed to look at the dates. Nevermind.
Enoki
SOC-14 1K
Technobabble on FTL from my novel...
“Sorry” Lori says. “I don’t mean to. Anyway, faster than light travel. The way it works (turning the holodisplay on her console towards Baysan) is that the ‘drive’ creates an artificial gravity well. It’s a four dimensional construct. Here (showing Baysan the display) it looks like this in three dimensions. What happens is that time is a constant while the strength of the field generated by the drive determines the ‘depth’ of the well created. So, the stronger the drive field the deeper the well you can create and the further you can go faster than light. This ship can go about fifteen light years in one jump on the Weidelstein Seven A drive it has. The most powerful drives can generate a well that can go about forty five to fifty light years. That seems to be the limit to how far you can stretch a gravity field, at least right now.
This was done to explain the Jump 6 limit in the game. A jump of 1 equals about 6 to 7 light years (one parsec).
What happens is that we move through the well in fourth dimensional space and when we get to the far end of it the well collapses and we return to normal space. So, when we want to jump the Captain chooses the point we will jump to and she or I put that coordinate as a three dimensional vector from our current position or the position from which we will jump. The ship’s computer does all the calculations. Here’s some of the basic formulas used” Lori proceeds to cover the display with incredibly complex looking mathematics.
The ‘well’ is represented as an elliptic parabolic feature and is, mathematically, a series of geometric curves in space solved as a vector product matrix. The points of this construct are solved as orthogonal curvilinear coordinates or as Laplacian spherical coordinates.
“Oh my!” Baysan exclaims looking confused. “That does look incredibly complicated! I’m sorry Kapitan. I understood maybe two words of what you just said.”
“Its not as bad as it looks” Lori replies. I can do it manually but it is never as accurate as the computer’s calculation. See, you put the vector here and here, the ending coordinates go there….”
“Sorry” Lori says. “I don’t mean to. Anyway, faster than light travel. The way it works (turning the holodisplay on her console towards Baysan) is that the ‘drive’ creates an artificial gravity well. It’s a four dimensional construct. Here (showing Baysan the display) it looks like this in three dimensions. What happens is that time is a constant while the strength of the field generated by the drive determines the ‘depth’ of the well created. So, the stronger the drive field the deeper the well you can create and the further you can go faster than light. This ship can go about fifteen light years in one jump on the Weidelstein Seven A drive it has. The most powerful drives can generate a well that can go about forty five to fifty light years. That seems to be the limit to how far you can stretch a gravity field, at least right now.
This was done to explain the Jump 6 limit in the game. A jump of 1 equals about 6 to 7 light years (one parsec).
What happens is that we move through the well in fourth dimensional space and when we get to the far end of it the well collapses and we return to normal space. So, when we want to jump the Captain chooses the point we will jump to and she or I put that coordinate as a three dimensional vector from our current position or the position from which we will jump. The ship’s computer does all the calculations. Here’s some of the basic formulas used” Lori proceeds to cover the display with incredibly complex looking mathematics.
The ‘well’ is represented as an elliptic parabolic feature and is, mathematically, a series of geometric curves in space solved as a vector product matrix. The points of this construct are solved as orthogonal curvilinear coordinates or as Laplacian spherical coordinates.
“Oh my!” Baysan exclaims looking confused. “That does look incredibly complicated! I’m sorry Kapitan. I understood maybe two words of what you just said.”
“Its not as bad as it looks” Lori replies. I can do it manually but it is never as accurate as the computer’s calculation. See, you put the vector here and here, the ending coordinates go there….”
