Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

[Starwolf]

I am working on a conversion of the Alternity RPG system to Hero. THe two main settings I am concentrating on are the Stardrive and Dark Matter settings. I would like to solicite the communities input on the best way to build Stardrive engines. Here are the particulars....

 

Each starfall takes approximately 5 days. When a ship makes starfall it passes through a featureless extra-dimensional void. While in starfall the ship cannot interact with or be affected by anything outside the ship. Once a ship makes starrise it cannot starfall again until its Stardrive has recharged which takes from 2 to 5 days. A competent or lucky engineer can reduce the time required for recharge by up to 1/2. Starfall engines are rated in 5 light year increments with the slower engines going to smaller ships ( in other words the smallest stardrives allow a ship to travel 5 LY in 5 days while the next larger class of ships could travel 10 LY in f days). The largest vessels can travel a maximum of 50 LY in 5 days.

 

The next generation of Stardrive engine called the Drivewave can make the same trip in 11 hours.

 

Starfall detectors can detect a ship 11 hours after it has made Starfall, but the detector is massive and can only be mounted on the very largest of Ships.

 

Stardrive communicators can send messages up to 50 LY in 11 hours, and are sent through a series of relay stations. Usually only permanent installations and capitol ships are equipped with Stardrive communcators.

 

Stardrive engines can be overcharged for a roughly 20% gain in travel distance, but this causes a huge strain that can burn out engines or cause starrise to be "off target" by as much a 100 AU.

 

There is also always a slight chance of being "off target" on starrise by as much as 100 AU. There is also a very small chance of making starrise in the wrong system altogether.

 

So Herophiles.....

 

How would you write this up in Hero terms?

[Starwolf]

Oh Stink....

 

Ben or Dan could you move this to the Star Hero forum, I goofed an put it here by accident.

 

Thanks

[Intrope]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

That sounds like Megascale Teleport, requires extra time (5 days) to me.

 

The recovery time could either be with an END reserve tuned to get back the END needed in 5 days, or just a second extra time limitation on the power (I'd do the latter).

 

For the Faster Recharge and Extra Jump Distance, I'd just require them to make an Engineering roll with a penalty to see if they can accelerate/overclock the system.

 

Starfall Detectors would just be a (Mega)ranged detect/sense in a giant focus. From your description, it sounds like they always detect the ship, but only during the 11 hours after arrival (funky!). So, I'd probably make it N-ray as well (so it can't be blocked) and use megascale to make the entire range of the sense into 1 giant hex (so it has no range penalties).

 

Communications would be similar (The High-range radio power) with megascale and extra time. DriveWave sounds like it works the same, just with shorter extra time.

 

BTW, given that it takes 1 engine 5 days to recharge, could you mount two engines and recharge 1 while the other is moving you? Or was that not allowed in the Alternity setting? (Never played it, just curious...)

[Cancer]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

I think you should design your star drive around what sort of game you want to run. If some particular aspects of interstellar travel are important to your campaign, then choose those aspects and make up spfx around them, and then trowel in whatever mechanics you need to make that happen. There's nothing wrong with "push the button and it goes" if that doesn't detract from the campaign you're trying to run.

 

I know from painful experience that you can get lost in working out all the logical consequences of a set of assumptions about how your star-drive works. It can be a hugely attractive puzzle working all that out, and if you get lost in it, then the campaign you run turns into a few sessions where you demand your players to be in awe of your magnificent creation and see how cool this-that-and-the-other details work out. It makes for a truly sucky abortive campaign. I know. I've done that.

 

Instead, decide on the kind of flavor you want in the story you want to tell, realize you need to be consistent with that flavor to avoid the "One sci-fi campaign, stinky with extra cheese" feeling, and then go from there. If you and your players are happy tinkering with details of ship operation and design, and you plan on making ship-to-ship combat in deep space an important operational piece of the campaign, then go for as much nitty-gritty as you want (I'd call this the Car Wars In Space end of sci-fi gaming). But if starships are just the equivalent of commuter trains to the next world, then don't worry about it.

 

In short, let the star drive mechanics and details follow from your intended campaign flavor, and then put in as much work as that requires, and no more.

[Herolover]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

I always liked Alternity and really liked the StarDrive setting. I felt it had some great potential and the two introductory scenarios are the best two intro scenarios I have ever seen.

 

Megascale Teleportation. Requires 5 Days is where to start. As for the recharge time I would add Requires a skill roll. This way if the person rolls really good then they can reduce the recharge time.

 

Put it in a multipower with the other slot being overrcharged with a chance of burnout.

 

 

Note, you play how you want to, but for me I wouldn't bother to write these up as powers. I have never understood the need to write up as powers a lot of equipment for a non-supes game. It does such and such...end of story.

[MisterVimes]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

In short' date=' let the star drive mechanics and details follow from your intended campaign flavor, and then put in as much work as that requires, and no more.[/quote']

 

This is what I did. I decided I wanted my Space War campaign to be a lot like the first world war. From there I calculated how long a ship full of supplies would take from the US to Europe. Then star travel took the same amount of time from Earth to the front. At that point I had my Lightspeed.

[Guest Black Lotus]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

I'm an Alternity fan myself... isn't there a PL 9 engine called... "Inertial Flux"? I think? Wherein the universe moves around the ship, instead of the ship actually moving. Or something of that nature.

 

Didn't that one let you move anywhere instantaneously? I forget....

 

Note' date=' you play how you want to, but for me I wouldn't bother to write these up as powers. I have never understood the need to write up as powers a lot of equipment for a non-supes game. It does such and such...end of story.[/quote']

 

I can explain why I like to know the point costs of every piece of equipment: so that I can a.) determine the price in "credits"; b.) compare the relative power of one engine to another; c.) make it easier for players to customize their ships using a certain number of points. Without point values, it's more difficult to balance and customize ships... for me, anyway.

[Starwolf]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

BTW' date=' given that it takes 1 engine 5 days to recharge, could you mount two engines and recharge 1 while the other is moving you? Or was that not allowed in the Alternity setting? (Never played it, just curious...)[/quote']

 

Actually that was addressed in the setting. This was called a Stardrive Booster, and essentially it was a spare Stardrive that could be swapped into place of a discharged drive in a few hours rather than days. Then you could make a second starfall, but Stardrives can only be recharged in realspace not while in starfall so you could only do this once then you'd have to take time to recharge your drives capacitors

[Starwolf]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

I like to use point total constructs for the same reasons as Black Lotus. There are several types of starship engines including the Inertial Flux, listed in the starship construction sections of Alternity, but they are not used in the Stardrive campaign setting, only the Stardrive, and the Drivewave are used.

[Starwolf]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

So far I like the RSR for recharge and the Multipower for the overcharge with burnout ideas. I am also leaning towards a Stardrive modelled after the Hyperdrive engine on page 192 of Star Hero. I found the write-up after I started the thread. It would be the primary slot in the Multipower. I will post a preliminary engine write-up later today for comment. And thanks for the input.

[Savinien]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

I'm not sure how I'd do it... But, it would be in the Star Hero forum.

 

j/p

 

Carry on.

[MisterBaldy]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

That sounds like Megascale Teleport, requires extra time (5 days) to me.

 

The recovery time could either be with an END reserve tuned to get back the END needed in 5 days, or just a second extra time limitation on the power (I'd do the latter).

 

For the Faster Recharge and Extra Jump Distance, I'd just require them to make an Engineering roll with a penalty to see if they can accelerate/overclock the system.

 

Starfall Detectors would just be a (Mega)ranged detect/sense in a giant focus. From your description, it sounds like they always detect the ship, but only during the 11 hours after arrival (funky!). So, I'd probably make it N-ray as well (so it can't be blocked) and use megascale to make the entire range of the sense into 1 giant hex (so it has no range penalties).

 

Communications would be similar (The High-range radio power) with megascale and extra time. DriveWave sounds like it works the same, just with shorter extra time.

 

BTW, given that it takes 1 engine 5 days to recharge, could you mount two engines and recharge 1 while the other is moving you? Or was that not allowed in the Alternity setting? (Never played it, just curious...)

I'd have to agree with Intrope here. I am also working sort of blind on this one, mostly due to the fact that I do not own, nor have I examined Alternity....but Starwolf, what you have described definitely sounds like Intrope has hit the nail squarely on the head.

 

BTW, I sent Ben Seeman and Simon a PM to relocate this thread to the Star Hero Forum. I think you'll get a lot more hits (and input) if it were relocated there.

[Starwolf]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

Thanks for the help and input....and thanks Ben for moving this to the correct forum

[Guest Black Lotus]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

After looking through all this material....

 

I think simplest is best. Use your normal Teleportation with appropriate Extra Time and the appropriate range....

 

And that'll also accurately reflect the "point value" or, more importantly (to me, anyway) "credit value" of the Stardrive.

[Dr. Anomaly]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

"Extra Time" is usually for the time needed to 'start' a power. I'm thinking that instead you should use a varient of "Must pass through intervening space" -- the limitation for Teleport that represents people who don't dematerialize/rematerialize, but who "teleport" by moving very, very fast and then slowing down to 'normal time' once they reach their destination.

 

In this case, you could use "Extra Time" for the recharge -- you can't 'fall' until you've spent the time building the charge -- but for the amount of time it takes to reach your destination, time in which you're essentially 'stuck' inside the ship and not able to interact with the universe, I'd call that some varient of the "intervening space" limitation.

[Starwolf]

Re: Stardrive Engines, how would you do it?

 

That actually sounds more on point than what I had originally considered. Thanks for the idea.