need help on a mobile base

[kingbridge]

how would you build a base that moves.
The charaters captured a flying sauser from an alian attack. Now they want to make it there base it has enouph room and they will live on it.The problem is it can fly and has faster than light travel. So its a vehicle and a base what one take presidence
thx dave

[Steve Long]

Since this is a "how-to," I've moved it to the Discussion area.

[Rapier]

Even though they will be using the saucer as a base, it is still (at it's root) a vehicle.

A very large and expensive vehicle...but still a vehicle. Of course, if you wanted you could create some kind of breakage in the antigravity lens that provides its propulsion so that it can no longer move...then its just a base! :)

You could just build a base and give it Flight, but then you are going to run into problems because Bases don't have DEXs and SPDs so don't get actions. Gotta keep it a vehicle.

[OddHat]

You can build it as a base, buy it Flight and a computer to control that flight (the computer's DEX and SPD would be used), but it's simpler to do it as a vehicle. So, I'd go the vehicle route.

If you're worried about handing too many free points to the players, have most of the systems break down until the players manage to earn enough XP to pay for the thing; conceptually, the XP is going into learning how to repair and use their new saucer.

[Bloodstone]

Just to toss this out there: The Island of Dr Destroyer has a Base built with movement powers (Destruga II). However, in my mind the movement powers are rather secondary to the islands primary purpose, so it makes sense to build it as a base and then "tack on" the ability to move.

To me, a flying saucer sounds like it would be used primarily as a vehicle that people just happen to be able to work and sleep in. Kinda like an RV or aircraft carrier...

[Rapier]

JKinda like an RV or aircraft carrier...

I am TRAILER PARK MAN!

I shall smite thee with my Pink Flamigo Slam!

PinWheels of PAIN!

And you CERTAINLY don't want to see my Waste Hose of Disgustingness!

[BobGreenwade]

OddHat has it right -- it could be done as a Base with Flight in the way he describes, but it's a whole lot easier doing it as a Vehicle.

[Bloodstone]

I am TRAILER PARK MAN!

I shall smite thee with my Pink Flamigo Slam!

PinWheels of PAIN!

And you CERTAINLY don't want to see my Waste Hose of Disgustingness!


I fear our next game :angst:

[Rapier]

I fear our next game :angst:

Talk to Remjin, he's the one building the team vehicle and talking about making it an RV.

Talk about a PRE Attack.

"For my action I release the waste hose and open the valve ALL the way."

[feralucce]

yeah... star hero has a section on building starships... covers pretty much everything you would need for a spaceship... I like it... I agree with the fact that it should be a vehicle

[GAZZA]

I also wouldn't get overly concerned about the point cost; I've never really seen the point of giving PCs extra experience points just to pay for stuff that they've been given. If the point total of a character was a meaningful indication of the relative power of that character (compared to NPCs), I could see the point, but it pales into insignificance compared to things like defences, DCs, and so on.

[Rapier]

I also wouldn't get overly concerned about the point cost; I've never really seen the point of giving PCs extra experience points just to pay for stuff that they've been given. If the point total of a character was a meaningful indication of the relative power of that character (compared to NPCs), I could see the point, but it pales into insignificance compared to things like defences, DCs, and so on.

Very true. In my current campaign, the Heroes all work for a large corporation, Heroes for Hire. They live and work in a very large building in downtown San Antonio. I'm not going to ask the players to cough up the 1000 pts a piece it would require to build it. I just gave it to 'em.

Although, I did ask them to set aside some points for a team vehicle.

[PhilFleischmann]

Just to toss this out there: The Island of Dr Destroyer has a Base built with movement powers (Destruga II). However, in my mind the movement powers are rather secondary to the islands primary purpose, so it makes sense to build it as a base and then "tack on" the ability to move.

To me, a flying saucer sounds like it would be used primarily as a vehicle that people just happen to be able to work and sleep in. Kinda like an RV or aircraft carrier...
I agree. I've built mobile bases before - a floating island, in fact - since it isn't really a vehicle in the combat sense, I let it remain a base. It has no meaningful "combat speed". However, this fliying saucer sounds more like a vehicle that can directly engage other vehicle in combat.

[Vanguard]

As with the majority, I saw just build it as a vehicle. Much easier that way.

However, there is a ruling somewhere (I think it might be in the FAQ) that gives the base a Dex of 5 and a Spd of 1 but only if you absolutely have to do it. I also think that there's an adder for a base called "mobile" but I would think that would just mean that can move, if needed but not during a combat or something like that.

[JmOz]

The guideline I would use is this

How much of a factor is it moving?

Star Trek's DS9 and Babylon 5 both could and did move during the course of the series, however the "Manuevering Jets" or what have you were very slow (comparitivly) and was not used as a method of transportation in any meaningful way, both would be bases

OTOH Space ships from a lot of sci fi include living areas where the crew works out of, these are vehicles as they do move around alot...

[Blue Jogger]

Um, crossposting a bit. I wrote up my Floating City which is technically a vehicle, even though it doesn't move... I put the size at roughly the two aircraft carriers, about 120 kton or 120,000 hexes or about 100 points in Size.