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Path: netnews.upenn.edu!newsserver.jvnc.net!howland.reston.ans.net!wupost!waikato.ac.nz!comp.vuw.ac.nz!acheron.amigans.gen.nz!alien
From: alien@acheron.amigans.gen.nz (Ross Smith)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Vehicle design system
Message-ID: <alien.07mq@acheron.amigans.gen.nz>
Date: 7 Jul 93 12:42:53 GMT
Organization: Kzinti Diplomatic Corps. Let's do lunch.
Lines: 767
This is a vehicle design system I've been working on (and off) for a while;
I'm posting this preliminary version in hopes of some useful ideas. It's
intended to be compatible with any modern or SF RPG, although it was designed
with FUDGE especially in mind. I'll post the accompanying vehicle combat
system later.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
GENERIC VEHICLE DESIGN SYSTEM
-----------------------------
Version 1.00 (7-Jul-93)
Copyright 1993 by Ross Smith
alien@acheron.amigans.gen.nz
CONTENTS
--------
V1. Introduction
V2. Technology
V3. Vehicle types
V4. Vehicle design
V4.1. Hull
V4.2. Engines
V4.3. Sensors
V4.4. Artificial intelligence
V4.5. Accommodation
V4.6. Defensive systems
V4.7. Weapons
V5. Performance
V6. Sample designs
V6.1. Ground car
V6.2. Main battle tank
V6.3. Fighter jet
V6.4. Scout ship
V1. INTRODUCTION
-----------------
This is intended to be a fairly simple, general purpose vehicle design
system. It is not intended to substitute for the more elaborate and
detailed systems found in games like GDW's MEGATRAVELLER, RTG's MEKTON II,
or SJG's CAR WARS; instead, it's intended for quickly designing vehicles
and determining their general capabilities. A reasonable amount of good
judgement on the designer's and GM's part is taken for granted.
If you or your players have ever said something along the lines of,
`Quick, give me a rough idea of what that car/aeroplane/spaceship can do,
so I can get on with the roleplaying,' this may be worth a look. If, on
the other hand, you're into highly detailed vehicle or spaceship design,
and like spending hours fiddling about with options until you get just what
you want, you probably won't like this system; I suggest you try one of the
games mentioned above.
The term `vehicle' is meant in the most general sense possible;
basically, any kind of self-powered, mobile machine, specifically including
ground vehicles, robots, mecha, aircraft, and spacecraft (water craft may
be added to a future version). My objective here was to come up with a
system that could be used to design anything from R2-D2 to the Death Star.
The system was designed with FUDGE in mind, but it should be easy to adapt
it to the mechanics of almost any RPG.
An accompanying vehicle/spacecraft combat system (FUDGE compatible) will
be posted once I get the details worked out. This will explain things like
the armour ratings and the `Agility' parameter, and will expand on the
fairly sketchy list of weapon stats given here.
This is a provisional version, and will be posted to rec.games.frp.misc
in the hope of receiving constructive comments (given the nature of the
Net, non-constructive comments can probably be taken for granted).
Comments should either be mailed to me (my address is given above), or
posted to rec.games.frp.misc. Although I retain copyright on it, this file
may be distributed freely provided no changes are made. In particular,
Steffan O'Sullivan can include it in the FUDGE archives if he likes,
although I wouldn't recommend it until I've had a chance to make at least
one update based on comments from the Net.
A NOTE ON UNITS: Metric units are used throughout. Masses are in
kilograms (kg), tonnes (t = 1000 kg), kilotonnes (kt = 1000 t), and
megatonnes (Mt = 1000 kt). Prices for vehicle components are given in
dollars, in the interests of being as `generic' as possible; these are
intended to be equated (more or less) to present-day US dollars. In SF
universes, of course, these should be converted to whatever currency units
your interstellar society uses. I may revise the price scale significantly
in a future version; the present one tends to give unrealistically low
prices for some vehicles, especially military aircraft.
V2. TECHNOLOGY
---------------
The following scale of technology levels is used. Note that all
vehicles designed under these rules are assumed to have a minimum
technology level of 6 (20th century equivalent).
Level Description Period Technology
----- ------------ ----------------- ----------------------------------
I Stone Age Before 8000 BC Stone tools, fire, bow and arrow
II Bronze Age 8000 - 1200 BC Metals, wheels, writing, ships
III Classical 1200 BC - 1400 AD Iron, steel, armour, catapults
IV Renaissance 1400 - 1700 AD Printing, guns, sailing ships
V Industrial 1700 - 1900 AD Railways, steamships, telegraph
VI 20th Century 1900 - 2000 AD Computers, aircraft, fission power
VII Cyberpunk 2000 - 2100 AD ? Fusion power, cyberspace, nanotech
VIII Interstellar 2100 AD - ? FTL travel, gravity control
IX Dysonian ? Matter transmitter, megastructures
X Unknown ? Time travel?
V3. VEHICLE TYPES
------------------
Vehicles are divided into three broad classes and ten specific types.
GROUND VEHICLES comprise wheeled vehicles, tracked vehicles, hovercraft,
and mecha (which also includes human-size robots). See below for
transformable mecha rules.
AIRCRAFT comprise fixed-wing aircraft (conventional aeroplanes, which
may or may not have vertical take-off capability), helicopters, and
antigravity craft.
SPACECRAFT comprise aerospaceplanes (or ASPs, capable of aerodynamic
flight as well as space travel), re-entry vehicles (capable of landing on
and taking off from a planetary surface vertically, but not of aerodynamic
flight), and orbital vehicles (space-only craft not capable of landing on
anything larger than the Moon). Note that these rules are not intended to
cover the primitive, chemically propelled spacecraft of the late 20th
century.
The following table gives the basic parameters of each of the ten types
of vehicle. `TL' is the minimum technology level required to build a
vehicle of that type; `Max mass' is the maximum size of such a vehicle;
`Hull mass' is the mass of the vehicle's basic hull, as a percentage of the
vehicle's total mass; `Hull cost' is the cost of the hull (expressed as
dollars per tonne of hull mass, not total vehicle mass); `Basic speed',
`Basic range', `Agil mod' (agility modifier), and `DC mod' (damage capacity
modifier) will be explained below (see under `Performance').
Vehicle TL Max Hull Hull Basic Basic Agil DC
type mass mass cost speed range mod mod
------------------- -- -------- ---- ------- -------- ------ ---- ---
Ground vehicles
Wheeled vehicle 6 200 t 25% $5000/t 60 km/h 300 km -3 0
Tracked vehicle 6 1000 t 30% $5000/t 40 km/h 200 km -5 0
Hovercraft 6 10,000 t 30% $10k/t 60 km/h 150 km -1 0
Mecha 7 1000 t 30% $20k/t 60 km/h 200 km +1 0
Aircraft
Fixed-wing 6 1000 t 20% $20k/t 600 km/h 200 km +3 0
Helicopter 6 100 t 15% $20k/t 150 km/h 50 km +7 -1
Grav craft 8 -- 15% $40k/t 300 km/h 100 km +7 0
Spacecraft
Aerospaceplane 7 1000 t 20% $40k/t 600 km/h -- +3 +1
Re-entry vehicle 7 10,000 t 15% $40k/t 150 km/h -- -1 +1
Orbital vehicle 7 -- 10% $20k/t -- -- -1 -1
V4. VEHICLE DESIGN
-------------------
V4.1. HULL
V4.1.1. BASIC HULL
The vehicle's hull consists of the basic chassis or airframe, plus
external skin and superstructure (not including special features such as
armour), plus basic communication equipment (two-way radio), as well as any
components relevant to the specific vehicle type -- wheels, tracks, wings,
rotor blades, re-entry shielding, etc. The mass and cost of the hull
varies with vehicle type; refer to the table above.
V4.1.2. SPECIAL HULL FEATURES
AMPHIBIOUS CAPABILITY: This gives vehicles the ability to travel on
water (or, for aircraft and spacecraft, the ability to take off and land on
water), as well as on land. Amphibious adaptations take up 2% of the
vehicle's mass and cost $10,000 per tonne. Tech level 6.
JUMP JETS: These give an aircraft the ability to take off and land
vertically. On ground vehicles, they give the ability to make short
airborne hops to cross difficult terrain (or roadblocks). Jump jets are
mandatory on re-entry vehicles. Mass is 5% of the vehicle; cost is $10,000
per tonne. Tech level 6.
TRANSFORMATION CAPABILITY: This gives a vehicle (usually a mecha) the
ability to change shape between two (or more) different vehicle types. The
transformation gear itself takes up 5% of the vehicle's mass for each
additional form, and costs $20,000 per tonne. When designing a
transformable vehicle, calculate the mass and cost of the basic hull
separately for each of the different forms; the actual hull mass is the
greatest of the different types, while the hull cost is the total of all
the different costs. Tech level 8.
HANDS: Mecha may be given human-like (or non-human-like, if you prefer)
hands; each hand takes up 2.5% of the vehicle's mass and costs $20,000 per
tonne. Tech level 7.
BIOFORM: This is an external pseudo-organic covering, normally applied
only to human-sized androids, which makes a robot indistinguishable (at
least in appearance) from a living creature; a medical examination would be
required to tell the difference. Mass is 1% of the total; cost is $1000
per kilogram. Tech level 8.
V4.2. ENGINES
V4.2.1. MAIN POWER PLANT
The main power plant may be one of three types: conventional engines
(chemical power, which includes everything from piston engines to jets),
fusion reactors, and mass-conversion reactors. The mass and cost of a
power plant depend on the type and the `power rating', which determines the
vehicle's speed and agility. Hovercraft, helicopters, ASPs, and re-entry
vehicles must have a power rating at least equal to the vehicle's mass in
tonnes; all other types must have a PR of at least one-fifth of the
vehicle's tonnage (unless they are fitted with jump jets, in which case the
PR must be at least half the tonnage). Spacecraft must have fusion or
mass-conversion engines.
CONVENTIONAL ENGINES produce 20 PR points per tonne, and cost $10,000
per tonne. Tech level 6.
FUSION REACTORS produce 40 PR points per tonne, and cost $60,000 per
tonne. Tech level 7.
MASS-CONVERSION REACTORS produce 40 PR points per tonne, and cost
$120,000 per tonne. Tech level 8.
V4.2.2. FTL DRIVES
Interstellar vessels will require a faster-than-light (FTL) drive in
addition to the normal (sublight) engine. The details of this will vary
enormously depending on the type of SF universe you want to build; the
description given here is only a suggestion.
FTL drives come in four types. The basic Mark I is also called the
`one-shot' drive, since it is intended for emergency use only, and is
fitted to lifeboats and sometimes as a backup drive for larger ships. It
is normally capable of only one FTL jump before it must be replaced,
although a skilled engineer might be able to coax a second one out of it.
Maximum FTL speed is one quarter of a light-year per day.
Most ships are fitted with a Mark II, III, or IV drive, which can be
used for as long as they're kept in good repair, and give speeds of
one-half, one, and two light-years per day, respectively. The Mark II is
used in most commercial vessels; the Mark III is used in the faster
commercial vessels and most military vessels; and the Mark IV is used in
the fastest warships, couriers, and racing yachts.
A Mark I drive takes up 2% of the ship's mass, with a minimum of one
tonne, and costs $10,000 per tonne. Mark II, III, and IV drives take up
2%, 4%, and 8% of the ship's mass (minimum of 2, 4, and 8 tonnes),
respectively, and all cost $40,000 per tonne. All FTL drives are tech
level 8.
Note that Marks II, III, and IV are effectively interchangeable. You
can take, say, a Mark III drive out of a 1000-tonne ship, fit it into a
2000-tonne ship, and it will act as a Mark II; if you fit it into a
500-tonne ship, it will act as a Mark IV. This does not apply to Mark I
drives, and cannot be used to shift the effective rating below Mark II or
above Mark IV (in the example given, the drive would act as a Mark IV in
ships of anything up to 500 tonnes, a Mark III in ships of 501 to 1000
tonnes, a Mark II in ships of 1001 to 2000 tonnes, and would not function
at all in a ship of more than 2000 tonnes).
V4.2.3. FUEL
You should set aside a percentage of the vehicle's mass as fuel tankage.
The amount of fuel will be determined by the range you want the vehicle to
have.
GROUND VEHICLES AND AIRCRAFT: For conventionally powered vehicles,
range equals the basic range (from the vehicle type table) times the fuel
percentage. For fusion powered vehicles, 1% of the vehicle's mass in fuel
gives effectively unlimited range. For mass-conversion powered vehicles,
forget about fuel; a negligible amount gives unlimited range.
SPACECRAFT: 10% of the ship's mass (if fusion powered) or 1% (if
mass-conversion powered) gives enough energy for ten round trips between a
planet's surface and orbit, or one interplanetary journey (at about one
astronomical unit per day), or one FTL jump.
V4.3. SENSORS
Ground vehicles and aircraft need not be fitted with any kind of sensor
suite, but all spacecraft require one. Sensors come in three levels of
sophistication: civilian, military, and reconnaissance.
CIVILIAN STANDARD SENSORS provide the most basic functions required for
navigation and weather avoidance. They are roughly equivalent to the radar
sets and navigation beacon receivers found on most present-day airliners
and business jets. Civilian sensors take up 2% of the vehicle's mass and
cost $25,000 per tonne.
MILITARY STANDARD SENSORS provide more advanced radar functions such as
target tracking, and also include other types of sensor such as infrared
search and tracking equipment, laser rangefinders and target designators,
and encrypted communications gear. At higher tech levels, it would include
sensors for such things as gravitational radiation, neutrino emissions, and
possibly FTL signals (if your universe includes such things). Mass is 4%
of the vehicle; cost is $75,000 per tonne.
RECONNAISSANCE STANDARD SENSORS basically include long-range,
high-resolution versions of every kind of sensor that the local technology
can produce. In present-day terms, this is equivalent to the kind of
sensors fitted to AWACS aircraft or spy satellites. Mass is 8% of the
vehicle's mass; cost is $150,000 per tonne.
All three types of sensor suite are available at tech level 6; of
course, they increase in sophistication enormously with each tech level
(and, to some extent, with the size of the vehicle).
V4.4. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
Any vehicle can be programmed with artificial intelligence, although of
course it's normally associated with human-sized robots. No mass is taken
up (vehicles of the appropriate tech level will have fairly sophisticated
embedded computers anyway, and the extra chips required are negligible in
size; the addition of AI is mainly a matter of software rather than
hardware). The intelligence levels listed here are intended to be equated
to the trait levels in FUDGE.
Intelligence Tech Cost Typical
level level equivalent
------------- ----- ----- -------------------
-10 6 $5000 Insect
-9 7 $10k Fish
-8 7 $15k Reptile, most birds
-7 7 $20k Horse, smart birds
-6 7 $30k Cat
-5 7 $40k Wolf, smart dog
-4 7 $50k Chimp, gorilla
-3 (terrible) 8 $100k Human moron
-2 (poor) 8 $150k Dim human
-1 (mediocre) 8 $200k Dim human
0 (fair) 8 $250k Average human
+1 (good) 8 $300k Smart human
+2 (great) 8 $400k Smart human
+3 (superb) 8 $500k Human genius
+4 9 $1M Superhuman
+5 9 $2M Superhuman
+6 9 $4M Superhuman
+7 10 -- Superhuman
+8 10 -- Superhuman
+9 10 -- Superhuman
V4.5. ACCOMMODATION
V4.5.1. COCKPITS
For most vehicles, each crew member must have their own cockpit. This
includes a seat, provision for external view (windows, video monitor,
virtual reality gear, cyberlink, or whatever else is appropriate to the
vehicle type and technology level), whatever controls are necessary for
that crew member's function, and (if the vehicle's role requires it) an
airtight seal and oxygen supply. Each cockpit has a mass of half a tonne
(including the occupant) and costs $5000, plus an extra $10,000 if you want
to fit it with an ejection seat.
A cockpit may be occupied for up to 12 hours under normal conditions, or
up to a week under emergency conditions (but the occupant would suffer a
fatigue penalty after the first 12 hours).
Ground vehicles and aircraft with single-person crews can do without a
cockpit if you choose, but a passenger seat (see below) must still be
provided for the driver or pilot, and the seat is considered to be exposed
to the open air (like a motorcycle); the occupant is not protected by the
vehicle's armour, and must wear a full vacuum suit if the vehicle is to
operate outside Earth-normal conditions. Vehicles without a cockpit may
not have any kind of sensor suite, and must not have a maximum speed higher
than 250 km/h.
V4.5.2. PASSENGER SEATS
Each passenger seat has a mass of 125 kilograms (including the
passenger) and costs $500. Note that passenger seats used for passengers
(as opposed to one substituting for a cockpit) are protected by the
vehicle's armour and atmospheric seal in the normal way. Passenger seats
may be occupied for the same period of time as crew cockpits.
V4.5.3. CABINS
For long-distance travel, each occupant of the vehicle requires a cabin,
which provides life support and living space for as long as the vehicle
continues to function. Standard cabins have a mass of 2 tonnes and cost
$5000, and provide accommodation for one crew member or economy-class
passenger. Luxury cabins have a mass of 4 tonnes and cost $25,000, and
provide accommodation for one first-class passenger.
Note that, although the mass and cost of cabins is calculated on an
individual basis, this does not necessarily mean that the vehicle's
accommodation is actually divided into individual rooms. Cabins may be
combined into double or larger units; however, this is purely a question of
internal layout, and has no effect on the design process in terms of mass
and cost.
V4.5.4. ESCAPE PODS
Most spacecraft (and some aircraft) are fitted with emergency escape
pods. These provide life support for two people for two weeks, and are
fitted with small manoeuvring jets (capable of initiating re-entry from
orbit around a planet, or possibly of reaching a nearby planet from
interplanetary space if you're lucky), a re-entry shield and parachutes, a
two-way radio, an emergency beacon, and an inflatable raft (the pod itself
will also float). There is also a survival kit containing food for two
people for a month (assuming an oxygen atmosphere and a water supply),
water purification equipment, and a medical kit. They can hold four people
if you're really desperate, at the cost of overloading the life support
system (reducing endurance to two days), fatigue penalties all round, and a
very rough landing (severe risk of injury). Each escape pod has a mass of
half a tonne and costs $10,000. Tech level 7.
V4.6. DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS
V4.6.1. ARMOUR
Armour is rated as light, medium, heavy, or various grades of
extra-heavy. As a rough guide, a present-day armoured personnel carrier
will have light or medium armour, a light tank will have medium or heavy
armour, and a main battle tank will have XH1 or XH2 armour. No modern
vehicle has XH3 armour, but it's included for use in SF vehicles. Refer to
the table below for the mass of a vehicle's armour (percentage of the
vehicle's mass); all armour costs $5000 per tonne. Tech level 6.
Armour type Mass
--------------- ----
Light 2.5%
Medium 5%
Heavy 10%
Extra-heavy I 20%
Extra-heavy II 30%
Extra-heavy III 40%
V4.6.2. SHIELD GENERATORS
These are high-tech systems which generate a `force field' around the
vehicle, providing the equivalent of armour protection. A shield is
equivalent to extra-heavy armour of the same numerical rating; for example,
a level II shield is equivalent to XH2 armour. Refer to the table below
for mass; cost is $50,000 per tonne. Tech level 8.
Shield type Mass
----------- ----
Level I 4%
Level II 8%
Level III 12%
Level IV 16%
V4.6.3. ELECTRONIC WARFARE SUITE
An EW suite includes jamming equipment which can interfere with an
enemy's sensors and weapons guidance. It takes up 2% of the vehicle's mass
and costs $500,000 per tonne. Available at tech level 6; EW suites built
at higher tech levels are more sophisticated. An EW suite is virtually
useless against sensors of a higher TL, and is more effective against
sensors of a lower TL.
V4.6.4. STEALTH
A vehicle's external skin may be treated or modified in order to reduce
its detectability. Stealth adds only to the vehicle's cost, not the mass.
LEVEL I STEALTH: The skin is covered with a material which absorbs
visible light (giving it a black or grey colour), infrared radiation, and
radar signals. This is the equivalent of a present-day stealth aircraft.
Cost is $10,000 per tonne of vehicle mass. Tech level 6.
LEVEL II STEALTH: The skin can change colour, pattern, and radar and
infrared characteristics, in accordance with the decisions of the on-board
computer (or the pilot) as to what would provide the optimum camouflage at
any moment. This is often referred to as a `chameleon coat' (and is more
or less equivalent to the `mimetic polycarbon' described in William
Gibson's novels). Cost is $30,000 per tonne of vehicle mass. Tech level
7.
LEVEL III STEALTH: In the most advanced form of stealth, the vehicle's
skin incorporates a nanotechnology-derived hologram system, which can
project a three-dimensional image of the vehicle's surroundings onto its
surface, giving something close to genuine invisibility (effective against
infrared as well as visible light; the effect on radar is only slightly
better than level II stealth). The image is not perfect; it's difficult to
follow sharp edges and intricate curves in the shape, especially if the
vehicle is moving (the result is something like the effect in the
`Predator' movies). Cost is $100,000 per tonne of vehicle mass. Tech
level 8.
V4.6.5. TRACTOR BEAM
A device which uses gravity-control technology to produce a narrow beam
of attractive or repulsive force. It can exert a maximum force equal to 1
per cent of the ship's own drives (e.g. a tractor beam fitted to a ship of
1000 tonnes, with a drive capable of 5 G, could accelerate 10 tonnes at 5
G, or 50 tonnes at 1 G, or whatever). Mass is 2% of the ship's mass; cost
is $50,000 per tonne.
V4.6. WEAPONS
Obviously the details of which weapons are available and what their
capabilities are will be highly universe-dependent; the fairly generic list
presented here is just a suggestion, and is intentionally short on detail.
GMs are encouraged to expand it to their heart's content!
`TL' is the technology level required to build the weapon. `Mass' is
the mass of one weapon, not including ammunition; for some weapons this is
expressed as a percentage of the vehicle's total mass. `Cost' is the cost
of the weapon. `Ammo' and `A/C' are the mass and cost of one round of
ammunition. `Range' is the maximum range. `DM' is the damage modifier;
for melee weapons this is based on the mecha's strength (see below, under
`Performance').
For rocket or missile weapons, the mass and cost refer to one missile or
expendable multiple rocket pack.
Melee weapons can only be fitted to mecha.
A note on modern equivalents: a machine gun is intended to equate
(roughly) to a 12.7mm heavy MG, a light autocannon to a 25mm cannon, a
medium autocannon to a 50mm cannon, and a heavy autocannon to a 75mm
cannon. A tank gun has a calibre of around 120mm, a howitzer about 155mm.
Among the missiles, the anti-tank missile is roughly equivalent to a heavy
ATGM such as Hellfire, the anti-aircraft missile is something like a
Sparrow or AMRAAM, the tactical missile is something like a Maverick, and
the long-range missile is something like a Tomahawk.
Weapon TL Mass Cost Ammo A/C Range DM
------------------------ -- ------ ------ ------ ---- ------- ----
Projectile weapons
Machine gun 6 100 kg $2000 0.5 kg $1 1 km +6
Light autocannon 6 500 kg $10k 2 kg $4 1 km +12
Medium autocannon 6 1 t $20k 5 kg $10 1.5 km +15
Heavy autocannon 6 2 t $40k 20 kg $40 2 km +18
Tank gun 6 4 t $80k 50 kg $100 3 km +21
Howitzer 6 10 t $200k 100 kg $200 20 km +24
Flame weapons
Flamethrower 6 250 kg $5000 -- -- 150 m +9
Heavy flamethrower 6 2 t $40k -- -- 500 m +15
Energy weapons
Laser gun 7 500 kg $25k -- -- 10 km +14
Heavy laser gun 7 2 t $100k -- -- 50 km +20
Laser cannon 7 5 t $250k -- -- 250 km +23
Plasma gun 8 2 t $100k -- -- 1 km +21
Heavy plasma gun 8 5 t $250k -- -- 5 km +24
Plasma cannon 8 20 t $1M -- -- 25 km +27
Rocket weapons
Multiple rocket pack 6 250 kg $1000 -- -- 5 km +21
Anti-tank missile 6 100 kg $2000 -- -- 5 km +24
Anti-aircraft missile 6 250 kg $5000 -- -- 25 km +27
Tactical missile 6 1 t $20k -- -- 100 km +30
Long range missile 6 5 t $100k -- -- 1000 km +33
Melee weapons
Claws 6 2% $10k/t -- -- -- ST+1
Sword 6 2% $10k/t -- -- -- ST+3
Power sword 8 4% $50k/t -- -- -- ST+6
Chainsaw 6 4% $20k/t -- -- -- ST+6
V5. PERFORMANCE
----------------
The basic parameter that determines performance is the power to mass
ratio (PMR), equal to the engine's power rating divided by the vehicle's
mass in tonnes. This is used to calculate the maximum speed, acceleration
(spacecraft only), field length (non-VTOL aircraft only), and agility.
Calculation of maximum range is explained above, under `Fuel'.
Speed = Basic speed * PMR
Acceleration = 2 * PMR
Field length = Basic field length / PMR
Agility = (5 * PMR) + Agility modifier (1) + Agility modifier (2)
Damage capacity = Basic damage capacity + DC modifier
Basic speed, agility modifier 1, and DC modifier are given on the table
of vehicle types. Basic field length, agility modifier 2, and basic damage
capacity are determined from the vehicle's mass. Agility should be rounded
down to an integer (e.g. 2.5 rounds down to 2; -2.5 rounds down to -3).
Mecha also have a strength parameter; this is simply equal to the basic
damage capacity for the mecha's mass.
The irregularities in the DC scale in the 100 to 500 kilogram range
represent a `fudge factor' to make my vehicle combat system reasonably
consistent with FUDGE.
Vehicle Agility Field
mass modifier length
------- -------- ------
<100 kg 0 50 m
100+ kg -1 50 m
300+ kg -2 100 m
1+ t -3 250 m
3+ t -4 750 m
10+ t -5 2000 m
30+ t -6 3000 m
100+ t -7 4000 m
300+ t -8 5000 m
1+ kt -9 6000 m
3+ kt -10 --
10+ kt -11 --
30+ kt -12 --
100+ kt -13 --
300+ kt -14 --
1+ Mt -15 --
Vehicle Damage Vehicle Damage Vehicle Damage
mass capacity mass capacity mass capacity
------- -------- ------- -------- ------- --------
10+ kg -2 10+ t +20 10+ kt +38
15+ kg -1 15+ t +21 15+ kt +39
20+ kg 0 20+ t +22 20+ kt +40
30+ kg +1 30+ t +23 30+ kt +41
50+ kg +2 50+ t +24 50+ kt +42
70+ kg +3 70+ t +25 70+ kt +43
100+ kg +4 100+ t +26 100+ kt +44
150+ kg +6 150+ t +27 150+ kt +45
200+ kg +8 200+ t +28 200+ kt +46
300+ kg +10 300+ t +29 300+ kt +47
500+ kg +12 500+ t +30 500+ kt +48
700+ kg +13 700+ t +31 700+ kt +49
1+ t +14 1+ kt +32 1+ Mt +50
1.5+ t +15 1.5+ kt +33
2+ t +16 2+ kt +34
3+ t +17 3+ kt +35
5+ t +18 5+ kt +36
7+ t +19 7+ kt +37
V6. SAMPLE DESIGNS
-------------------
V6.1. GROUND CAR
Description and performance
Type : Wheeled vehicle
Tech level : 6
Mass : 2 tonnes
Cost : $12,000
Speed : 180 km/h
Range : 600 km
Agility : +9
Damage capacity : +16
Breakdown
Hull : 500 kg @ $2500
Powerplant (conv, PR 6) : 300 kg @ $3000
Fuel : 40 kg @ n/a
Cockpit : 500 kg @ $5000
Passenger (3) : 375 kg @ $1500
Cargo : 285 kg @ n/a
V6.2. MAIN BATTLE TANK
Description and performance
Type : Tracked vehicle
Tech level : 6
Mass : 50 tonnes
Cost : $451,500
Speed : 60 km/h
Range : 400 km
Agility : -4
Damage capacity : +24
Breakdown
Hull : 15 t @ $75,000
Powerplant (conv, PR 75) : 3.75 t @ $37,500
Fuel : 1 t @ n/a
Sensors (mil) : 2 t @ $150,000
Cockpit (4) : 2 t @ $20,000
Armour (XH2) : 15 t @ $75,000
Machine gun (3) : 300 kg @ $6000
MG ammo (3000 rds) : 1.5 t @ $3000
Tank gun : 4 t @ $80,000
TG ammo (50 rds) : 2.5 t @ $5000
Cargo : 2.95 t @ n/a
V6.3. FIGHTER JET
Description and performance
Type : Fixed-wing aircraft
Tech level : 6
Mass : 20 tonnes
Cost : $629,500
Speed : 2400 km/h
Field length : 500 m
Range : 2000 km
Agility : +18
Damage capacity : +22
Breakdown
Hull : 4 t @ $80,000
Powerplant (conv, PR 80) : 4 t @ $40,000
Fuel : 2 t @ n/a
Sensors (mil) : 800 kg @ $60,000
Cockpit : 500 kg @ $5000
Ejection seat : n/a @ $10,000
Armour (lt) : 500 kg @ $2500
EW suite : 400 kg @ $200,000
Stealth (lev 1) : n/a @ $200,000
Light AC : 500 kg @ $10,000
LAC ammo (500 rds) : 1 t @ $2000
AA missile (4) : 1 t @ $20,000
Cargo : 5.3 t @ n/a
V6.4. SCOUT SHIP
Description and performance
Type : Re-entry vehicle
Tech level : 8
Mass : 100 tonnes
Cost : $7,010,000
Speed : 750 km/h
Acceleration : 10 G
Agility : +17
Damage capacity : +27
Breakdown
Hull : 15 t @ $600,000
Powerplant (M/C, PR 500) : 12.5 t @ $1,500,000
Fuel : 10 t @ n/a
Amphibian : 2 t @ $20,000
Jump jets : 5 t @ $50,000
FTL drive (mk 3) : 4 t @ $160,000
Sensors (recon) : 8 t @ $1,200,000
Cockpit (4) : 2 t @ $20,000
Std cabin (8) : 16 t @ $40,000
Escape pod (4) : 2 t @ $40,000
Shield gen (lev 1) : 4 t @ $200,000
EW suite : 2 t @ $1,000,000
Stealth (lev 2) : n/a @ $2,000,000
Laser gun (4) : 2 t @ $80,000
Tac missile (5) : 5 t @ $100,000
Cargo : 10.5 t @ n/a
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--
... Ross Smith (Wanganui, New Zealand) ... alien@acheron.amigans.gen.nz ...
"Use of unnecessary violence in the apprehension of the Blues Brothers
has been approved."