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Eve-Online tabletop edition?


Erkenfresh

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Hey, so I haven't posted here in a few years or so. Good to be back! :)

 

OK, so I play Eve Online casually. I'm also a DJ for the eve radio internet station, but that's not what this post is about!

 

I was thinking, it would be awesome to play Eve as a tabletop RPG. And, I think using Hero rules would be a really good way to do it. A lot of the rules used in Eve have analogous rules in Hero. For example, battleships (technically large guns) have a hard time hitting frigates because they are so small, analogous to having lower DEX and/or a penalty due to large size.

 

One of the nice things about Eve is each ship has a certain number of slots for modules. Each module fits in one of three slot types, high, medium, or low. Guns go in the high slots, shield enhancements go in mids, and hull enhancements in the low (basically). There's also electronic warfare that typically goes in the mids.

 

There's not really any limitations for how much stuff you put on a vehicle in Hero, but I think that's something that could be handwaved. Then, it's a matter of creating the various modules under Hero system rules. Here are some examples:

 

1600mm Large Artillery Cannon: Killing Attack - Ranged 6d6

 

Webifier: Drain Flight 6d6

 

Afterburner: Succor Flight 6d6 (30 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2)

 

Microwarp Drive: Succor Flight 20d6 (100 Active Points); Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Negates up to -4 OCV for size penalties when getting shot at; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Reduces END reserve by 25%; -1), Self Only (-1/2)

 

Shield Booster: Healing BODY 4d6 (40 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Self Only (-1/2), Only to restore lost shields (-1/2)

 

 

Anyhow, let me know what you think. Has anyone tried this before? Did it go over well or bad? Does it have potential for awesomeness?

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

Well to be honest. its only 1400mm artillery, concidered to be lower tech then the other races, most of their ships are cobbled together from the scrap heap with spot welding and duct tape..

and it was a great way to recycle all them ford focuses...

Gunnery sergeant.. fire the ford focus.. err cannons..

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

To tell the truth, I was fascinated by some of the stories that have come out from EVE Online, but I know almost nothing about the game universe or, for that matter, the tech.

 

Is there anything in the Star Hero you can use before you decide to model the tech in Hero terms?

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

Hey' date=' so I haven't posted here in a few years or so. Good to be back! :)[/quote'] .. snip ..

 

Great to have you back!

 

..snip..

 

One of the nice things about Eve is each ship has a certain number of slots for modules. Each module fits in one of three slot types, high, medium, or low. Guns go in the high slots, shield enhancements go in mids, and hull enhancements in the low (basically). There's also electronic warfare that typically goes in the mids.

 

There's not really any limitations for how much stuff you put on a vehicle in Hero, but I think that's something that could be handwaved. Then, it's a matter of creating the various modules under Hero system rules.

 

You could add a Limitation to the Hull Size component that allows only X numbers of High, Medium and Low slots on Y sized Hull. Thanks, you've given me plenty of stuff to think about :D.

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

Well to be honest. its only 1400mm artillery, concidered to be lower tech then the other races, most of their ships are cobbled together from the scrap heap with spot welding and duct tape..

and it was a great way to recycle all them ford focuses...

Gunnery sergeant.. fire the ford focus.. err cannons..

 

 

LOL, well considered my main character is Minmatar, I love flying those junk buckets! Yeah, so the biggest guns for a battleship are 1400mm in EVE, my bad. However capital ships can get 3500mm. That's like the size of my living room.

 

OK, cool idea on the limitations for the hull. That's an awesome idea. Just for the heck of it, here's what a Rifter might look like. It's a Minmatar frigate:

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

You might do better to simulate the "slots" without directly wedging them into the game system.

 

What I would do for HERO is give ships 3 Variable Power Pools - one for Weapons and "High Slot" modules, one for Shields, Afterburners ("Mid Slot") and one for Armor and passive speed and cargo mods. Just limit each VPP to specify what type of devices can go there.

 

Then simulate the layout of each ship via the size of the VPP, and limit the weapon / tech preferences using adders to the VPP that make the preferred equipment cheaper or the non-preferred more expensive.

 

I'll take a look at the Rifter posted, and then maybe try to post my own take on this.

 

I played EVE pretty hardcore for about 4 years so have fond memories of it as well - I'm borrowing very little from it for my Star Hero campaign, though.

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

I haven't thought much else about it TBH. ;) The VPP idea is nice because you can then simulate the CPU/Powergrid requirements of modules, sort of. That's something else HERO can't really simulate directly.

 

Another problem is the idea of tracking vs. angular velocity. HERO never gave rules, that I'm aware of, for OCV penalties due to speed of the target. That is, it's just as easy to shoot a bullet in mid-flight as a sleeping person.

 

Oh well, I'm babbling. I'll probably never run a campaign like this, but it's intriguing. ;)

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

The tracking vs. angular is easy: Use Velocity Based DCV, and then put adders on the guns that are priced to represent "Combat Skill Levesl (Only to offset DCV from Velocity)"

 

Small or fast tracking guns would have +3 to +5 (a LOT more if you are basing velocity on 2 meter hexes, where an interceptor would be moving 3,000 hexes or so per phase... I'd do your hexes as 1km to 10km for EVE combat...), big or slow guns would have no such adder.

 

Then use Range PSL's for the range of the guns...

 

Small Railguns: +3 vs. Velocity, +2 Range PSL

Small Blasters, Autocannons, Pulse Lasers: +5 vs. Velocity, no Range bonus

Small Beam Weapons: +4 vs. Velocity, +1 Range

 

Medium Railguns: +2 vs. Velocity, +3 Range

Medium Blasters, AC, PL: +4 vs. Velocity, +1 Range

Medium Beams: +3 vs. Velocity, +3 Range

 

Large Rails: +1 vs. Velocity, +5 Range

Large Blasters, AC, PL: +3 vs. Velocity, +2 Range

Large Beams: no Velocity bonus, +4 Range

 

... Something like that.

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

Then Autocannons, Blasters, and Pulse Lasers would be Autofire, naturally.

 

Damage types would be a bit tricky... I'll think on that.

 

Missiles would best be simulated by a RKA with "Extra Time" - Rockets no extra time, missiles Delayed Phase, up to Torps which would probably be 2 full phases or so.

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

This may not be the solution your looking for but take a look at this build of a Rifter. I put notes in a lot of the powers to show where I got my numbers from. Also, check out the skills section for other notes.

 

When building this I had no concern for the cost in points of this ship. This is purely the mechanics for a ship to ship fight.

 

PS: I know this isnt an ideal Rifter build as well. I stayed with only intro level equipment for the build (Tech I).

PSS: Damage Resistances can be a bit hairy in this. Have your calculator handy :P

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

initial look at starships

 

most frigates are going to be size 20, the bigger ones size 21

and theres one tiny one at size 19

 

was looking at the specs in the database on Alakhazam, and they give volume, then divide that by 14 to get displacement tons.

 

I then use the hull chart from traveller hero to then figure hero size

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

Extell, that's a lot of detail! I also like the idea of adders vs velocity and range. This is all very neat stuff, but I don't think I'd ever completely port this over for one reason:

 

1. My friends don't play Eve.

 

I think a lot of the concepts would work really well for vehicular combat in any setting though. It seems like The Ultimate Vehicle was nice, but still lacking in some of these important details. Which book contains details on velocity based DCV? I haven't seen that anywhere.

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Re: Eve-Online tabletop edition?

 

The only way to play and enjoy EVE, really, is to throw yourself into the PVP. Join a pirate or 0.0 Corp - I don't know who is who anymore to recommend specific corps.

 

EVE is the only game that would leave me shaking with adrenalin from the combat - the fact that you lose assets and such upon death (and know you cost your foe time and money if you win) just makes the game addictive.

 

However, after 4 years I had to quit because I was taking it a bit too seriously - not like it sounds, I just would end up kicking myself for days after losing an expensive ship to stupidity :D

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