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General You Turn off Gravity on the Ship: How Long Before Hilarity Ensues?

There are no variable costs in spacecraft construction, in the minor details.

If I don't need ten gee gravity plates, why should I buy them if they (probably) cost more?

We know that one to zero would at best make you nauseous, but zero to one would be dangerous, considering kinetic impact; rate of change would likely be best about rate of falling safely to the ground, or deck in this case. Or floating down.
And then there's what happens in a belly-lander ship when you turn off the grav plates and shove the throttle forward...

There's a bit in Spaceballs about it.

(Alternatively, that long central hallway in a Scout/Courier looks very different when "up" can be toward the pointy end at 2Gs.)
 
Well if you treat grav plates much like a cat or dog on your lap (since we're talking about externalities that impose G forces), you'll know that the gravity well can either be very stable, shift occasionally, be released at a leisurely pace, or vanish instantly, perhaps with some collateral damage, if somebody dings the doorbell.
 
I've never decided if grav plates are an on/off field like a light switch as mentioned above, or something akin to Star Trek's version that is not on/off but, if you take away the power: "The layered nature of the emitter block allows for a delayed tail-off of the graviton field in the event of am EPS interruption" (Deep Space Technical Manual).

And oddly it has never come up in a game yet, though admittedly I've only managed to run very few Traveller games in the last few years.

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Star Citizen has it as a glowy globe primarily as a mechanic to turn off precisely for hilarity.

You can see I was in there pitching.


 
Q 1. Are there any written rules official or unofficial that cover the operation of ships systems and how long actions take?

This is SO system dependent, I suspect your homebrew rules are as accurate as anything else. Instantaneous? probably too fast. Starship combat turn? Probably too long. Otherwise it's a question of how complex the action is.

Q 2. Any thoughts on how long it would take to turn off all of the circuits running the anti-gravity? I think it might be related to the size of the ship?

Relating to the size of the ship, probably, but also to what the ship is doing. Rolling is one thing, but if it's also accellerating/decellerating? In combat, a starship has to change speeds or else lasers and other beams would be pretty easy hits if they're that predictable. I'd hate to be in a ship being shaken like a milkshake...

Q 3. If a boarding action is raging around a turret gunner, when would you expect the turret to attack, in the sequence of personal combat? After D6 x n personal rounds? During the second personal combat round? (sensors check, then trigger)? After 30 personal combat rounds (3 minutes)?

For this one, I'd probably go with what makes it most dramatic. A gunner reaching for the firing switch after she was shot... that kind of thing.

Q 4. How long does it take to open an Iris valve if the sensors detect atmosphere on one side but not the other? Can it be opened or does it need to be breached?

If airtight doors won't stay airtight, I think it would be way too unsafe. Definitely breaching required, and I'd hate to see the effects of that in zero-G.
 
Currently we have six second combat rounds: one way is trying to imagine yourself doing that action(s) within subturns, and how long you imagine that should take, and when you'd expect a reaction from that.
 
Some CT/MgT quotes

"Gravity: A starship is equipped with grav plates in all decks; they provide a
constant artificial gravity field which produces a constant 1G field and nullifies
the inertial stresses from maneuver. This field is constantly on, subject only to
deliberate cancellation by someone on the bridge, or to failure of the ship's power
supply" Snapshot

"A prominent power-on switch is situated on the bridge; and another is on the cantilever platform at the rear which will turn power on (but cannot turn power off ). Power-on puts all interior lights on and activates the grav plates.
When the grav plates go on, any individual not specifically stating that he or she is standing with feet on the floor, or sitting in a chair, is subject to a fall.
Each must make either a Dexterity + Vacc Suit or Athletics (coordination) or fall. If the fall occurs, the individual takes 2D damage." Annic Nova (MgT)

"Gravity: The ship decks have grav plates built-in to provide a constant 1G floor
field. These plates may be turned off only through computer instructions. In
addition, the ship itself is under the influence of acceleration dampers which negate
the effects of acceleration while maneuvering" Kinunir

"Gravity: The subsidized liner has grav plates built into its flooring. These plates
produce standard gravity within the ship's interior. Acceleration compensators are
also installed to negate the effects of high acceleration and lateral G forces while
maneuvering. The passengers on the ship would be unable to tell whether they were
moving through space or grounded on a planet without looking outside.
In the event of power failure, the grav plates will revert to the off configuration
and the ship will be in zero-G.
Power: The ship's power plant provides power to all interior mechanisms; they
continue to function as long as power is supplied. A prominent power-on switch
(with appropriate safeguards) is located on the bridge and in the drive room." Signal GK
 
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Seems edition specific.

Inertial compensation in the MongoVerse migrated to the manoeuvre/gravity drive(s).

Also, gravity might be automated, since you don't want an additional gee load while on planet inside the spacecraft.
 
"A prominent power-on switch is situated on the bridge; and another is on the cantilever platform at the rear which will turn power on (but cannot turn power off ). Power-on puts all interior lights on and activates the grav plates.
When the grav plates go on, any individual not specifically stating that he or she is standing with feet on the floor, or sitting in a chair, is subject to a fall.
Each must make either a Dexterity + Vacc Suit or Athletics (coordination) or fall. If the fall occurs, the individual takes 2D damage." Annic Nova (MgT)
LBB DA1, p7:
Power: The ship is at low power, sufficient only for standby lighting on the bridge, and for emergency operation of the iris valves within. All locations are at zero-G. Thes tarship is dark. and indivlduals will find their actions doubly clumsy--from zero-G and from thelr encumbering vacc suits.
A pominent power on switch is situated on the bridge; and another is on the cantilever platform at the rear whlch will turn power on (but cannot turn power off. Power-on puts all interior lights on and activates the grav plates.
When the grav plates go on, any individual not specifically stating that he or she is standing with feet on the floor, or sitting in a chair, is subject to a fall. Each throws 8+ to avoid an injurious fall: DM +2 if dexterity 8+, +1 if strength A+, + vacc suit skill. If the fall occurs, the individual receives 2D hlts.
The MgT text is obviously a pretty direct translation into MgT from CT.
 
2.) Stunner didn't affect the electronics of the VACC Suit?
@Spinward Scout

I looked through the rules and no mention that the VACC suit is susceptible to any kind of EMP / stun effect. I'm thinking they have "shielded" electronics systems?

Funny you should mention it though, the players did use the stunner against an NPC's workstation/terminal to disable the terminal, and thereby shut the NPC out of the system.

Now I have vivid dreams of using a Taser on my work computer. "Hello Help Desk? Umm yeah, it's smoking and sparking."
 
@Spinward Scout

I looked through the rules and no mention that the VACC suit is susceptible to any kind of EMP / stun effect. I'm thinking they have "shielded" electronics systems?

Funny you should mention it though, the players did use the stunner against an NPC's workstation/terminal to disable the terminal, and thereby shut the NPC out of the system.

Now I have vivid dreams of using a Taser on my work computer. "Hello Help Desk? Umm yeah, it's smoking and sparking."
That's impressive!

But the VACC Suit has to endue the hostile environment of outer space, so it could be built that tough, I guess. That's almost indestructible, tho.

There's an EMP Grenade in Mercenary according to the wiki. Might make a cool test.

I think the Help Desk would call the Fire Department. Just a bit above their paygrade.
 
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