Post AZZNsJDvDbjI6DfAjg by cerebrate@schelling.pt
(DIR) More posts by cerebrate@schelling.pt
(DIR) Post #AZWbn7A3cG7Orvbg0G by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-07T13:16:02.196445Z
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if I ever run a tabletop game I'm going to do something hard sci-fi, set on the moons of a gas giant.the players will start in a settlement on an ice shell moon, originally a proper skyscraper style spacecraft, but now since buried.but the ice is shifting. within the day, it will be crushed under the ice.
(DIR) Post #AZWcElWJfcLtrJCef2 by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-07T13:20:00.875995Z
1 likes, 1 repeats
aight what have we got for game systems I can hammer into shape for a hard sci-fi setting
(DIR) Post #AZWeNAHxfJVutycbTs by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-07T13:49:13.314998Z
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this also gives the players a chance to get their hands on a legally dubious but functional spacecraft
(DIR) Post #AZYZYOE1uv7k711PtY by flandrescarlet@uwu.social
2023-09-08T10:07:49Z
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@izaya Rimworld :02lurk: (sorry but not sorry)
(DIR) Post #AZYccYxOG6osPsv7Sa by Newpa_Hasai@mastodon.social
2023-09-08T12:27:23Z
1 likes, 0 repeats
@izaya GURPS is the obvious answer, though there are probably systems more dedicated to hard SF settings
(DIR) Post #AZYgzHx438uc9WrMnI by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-08T13:27:47.315364Z
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looking forward to"I radio the station to ask permission to dock.""They refuse, categorically.""On what grounds?""On the grounds that your engine is passively radioactive enough to kill within hours.""Oh. Right."
(DIR) Post #AZYhzgbuT7smaJibTM by dequbed@mastodon.chaosfield.at
2023-09-08T13:37:49Z
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@izaya I'd probably start with either Shadowrun or Cyberpunk 2020 in terms of systems as both of them have some pretty hard sci-fi fundamentals and aren't super level-based.But the d20 system underlying D&D has been adapted for just about anything, so it's definitely flexible enough, see e.g. Starfinder which uses it only slightly modified.
(DIR) Post #AZYiLlU71k564ZbCsq by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-08T13:43:11.696634Z
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why yes I am designing a system for building modular spacecraft so players can, theoretically, in the future, assemble modules as they see fit
(DIR) Post #AZYjXUlt5nJ9fO4Rhg by gona@chaos.social
2023-09-08T13:56:03Z
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@amberxorluci @izaya The most obvious thing I can recommend is Lancer (of course).After that my personal experience ends. Depends mostly on what kind of experience/vibe one's shooting for at the table. So there most likely isn't really anything I can say that isn't already known by izzy.Good luck with that campaign though, concept seems neato ^^
(DIR) Post #AZZNsJDvDbjI6DfAjg by cerebrate@schelling.pt
2023-09-08T15:58:04Z
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@izayaThis would be the modular spacecraft game I have been waiting for all my life.
(DIR) Post #AZakMxwHKltz9FLNui by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T03:07:53.288865Z
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good news friendos, I've specced out enough parts to build a minimal class 3 reusable nuclear shuttle as sketched out by NASAgetting 13km/s of dV out of a 950s Isp nuclear engine + header tank, a structural truss, and six radial tanks - that is, the pictured configuration, more or less
(DIR) Post #AZakMz5X3qtkiEgHya by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T03:10:10.315615Z
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8650m/s assuming a 40,000kg TransHab module as payload
(DIR) Post #AZakN00bdeYHZFNrw8 by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T04:09:29.287646Z
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excellent
(DIR) Post #AZakN0vKElvEP9vALQ by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T07:48:02.454767Z
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you know, I suppose, weapons would be classified as payload, and would fall under the payload --oh, atomic rockets is ahead of me as always
(DIR) Post #AZakN1ocvA9rAfnKXg by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T07:49:09.435970Z
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"cargomaster, first class" -> this individual will reduce you to glowing slag
(DIR) Post #AZakN3TmjcfuKc3iKm by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T13:15:12.176984Z
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aight nerds how's this sound## Ship-to-ship combatConflicts between spacecraft can be divided into two main categories, depending on range: torpedo engagements at long range, and short, brutal close-quarters battles. There are several commonalities between them:1. When doing damage, the attacker - specifically, the payload officer - rolls a 1dN, where N is the number of modules on the target. There probably isn't a dice for this, so use software.### Long-range engagementsThe most common form of combat is at extreme range, often from very different orbits. In this case, the only practical weapons are torpedoes, which, as elaborated more on later, have their own delta-V budget, and independent control. An engagement at range may occur as such:1. The spacecraft maneuver into orbits in which they are within weapons "range" - that is, their torpedoes have enough delta-V to reach the target, and to maneuver if they try to dodge. Or not, you can skip the safety margin.2. One of the spacecraft - let's call it A - will launch a volley of torpedoes. This can happen all at once, if they have enough launchers, or ship A could decide to spend time launching multiple to prepare a larger volley.3. The torpedoes are sent on their course towards the target - ship B. They will aim for an intercept, and do their best to match the target's maneuvers.4. The torpedoes will approach within range of ship B's close-range weapons - point defence cannons, lasers, and the line - and for each torpedo, A and B will make a roll. If A exceeds B's roll, the torpedo will score a hit. Any other torpedoes are destroyed.5. For each torpedo that isn't destroyed, A rolls for which module of B it hits and how much damage it does. If A is aiming to hit a specific module, or set of modules, any that don't roll a desired target are destroyed harmlessly - unless the GM has other plans for it.### CQBOne would have to be crazy to engage in close-quarters battle, and even crazier to aim for an extended engagement as such. In the case where it does occur, it's typically a close fly-by at high relative speeds. Specific targeting is functionally impossible unless one ship commits to a rendezvous, but it is the only case where railguns will be effective.For this typical case, the GM will decide how many attempts the crew will get to hit the enemy*, and this will also represent how many attempt the enemy craft will have to hit the player craft. The procedure for both is thus:1. For each weapon that can be trained on the enemy craft, roll to hit with a difficulty proportionate to the distance of the target compared to the maximum range of the weapon.2. Then, for every hit, roll to determine which module on the target is damaged, and how much damage it does.* until play testing decides how long a turn should be, anyway.
(DIR) Post #AZaneTBaKerfC6G5z6 by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T13:45:58.076452Z
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re-reading the CoaDE blog posts has me thinking there's going to be a cottage industry of armour manufacturers that build conical shells for spacecraftthat will be fun to think about
(DIR) Post #AZao5V5rLc8OvgTBkO by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T13:53:51.899396Z
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also, given a typical ship will be built around a hollow truss structurewhy not put a railgun in there? as a treat
(DIR) Post #AZbcPTZzgJiJjYHddw by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T23:14:04.027609Z
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@4censord it is somewhat expanse inspired, but also both are based on real life so
(DIR) Post #AZbdG6arsCELnAmuWW by astrid@woem.space
2023-09-09T23:15:47.833613Z
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@izaya my favorite (mildly cheese) strat in CoaDE was to abuse the fact that retrograde intercepts are extremely fast and hard to shoot down:1. adjust orbit to be retrograde with respect to the target, but stay in a higher or elliptical orbit than them. 2. Launch a small group of nuclear missiles, and have those missiles make as close of an intercept as possible (within 1km). The intercept speed will be something stupidly high, like 10km/s, so they can't possibly shoot all of them down. 3. manually detonate the missiles at closest intercept. It turns out you don't need that many missiles to do a lot of damage if they detonate at close range, and it will disable most of their systems.4. Then, I send either ships or drones to intercept as the cleanup crew. Also in retrograde because we can get lots of high speed intercepts in a short time.I think flak missiles also worked here, and they do much more damage than before now, because of the retrograde speed
(DIR) Post #AZbdGEdHz4v8izyxPM by astrid@woem.space
2023-09-09T23:21:01.991306Z
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@izaya I wonder how good that strat would work on a tabletop game if the enemy knows that you're gonna do retrograde bullshit thoHard scifi space combat would make a very fun tabletop game tbh
(DIR) Post #AZbeEzc8RBHboHPj6G by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-09T23:26:59.884216Z
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@astrid question would be whether they have the dV to maneuver away from it, I guessthey could wait for you to maneuver into retrograde, then lower their orbit, hoping you'd have to go over budget and disengage
(DIR) Post #AZbhOkt8LHTOtfiB8K by astrid@woem.space
2023-09-09T23:56:02.940861Z
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@izaya i think the reason i stayed in an elliptical orbit was to be able to cheaply adjust my periapsis if they tried going lower. but then if they tried going into their own elliptical orbit different from mine, then i would have trouble making intercepts and run out of time i imagine
(DIR) Post #AZcbSA0sym9H7fXQ92 by izaya@social.shadowkat.net
2023-09-10T10:24:41.374489Z
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... I made a joke that I was going to turn it into a video game with 900 loosely integrated systems and the interface of a cisco switchbut honestly, a CLI with immediate commands (plot transfer to X, etc) and a layer for configuration is not the worst ideagod