Ultra-Tech: New/Old Options for Guns

Ultra-Tech: New/Old Options for Guns

Now that I'm looking more closely at 3e Ultra-Tech and 3e Vehicles, I notice some options that did not make it to 4e. Let's convert them.

TL11 Slugthrowers

TL11 Slugthrowers

When it comes to ultra-tech games, it seems that the vast majority of players and GMs prefer TL9-10 to TL11-12. These "low" TLs feel more grounded and familiar, providing the players with many gear options. I like using occasional TL11-12 elements in my games, so I devote them some attention as well. TL11 is when conventional firearms and electromagnetic firearms become outdated, when beam weapons reign supreme. But let's see how these "outdated" guns fare against TL11 beam weapons and TL11 armor!

Ultra-Tech: Superwire Guns

Ultra-Tech: Superwire Guns

There is one kinetic ammunition option from GURPS Vehicles that didn't make it to 4e, unfortunately, - the superwire. Superwire is an option for electromagnetic and gravitic guns, but I believe that a gun that fires superwire should not be compatible with a gun that fires normal rounds, so they should be a separate sub-class of weapons. Let's port them over to 4e!

Gyrocs: How do they even work?

Gyrocs: How do they even work?

This is a transcript of one of my videos.

Galactic Havoc: Generic Ultra-Tech Weapons

Galactic Havoc: Generic Ultra-Tech Weapons

A couple of months ago, I made a post with lots of ultra-tech weapons cannibalized from one of my previous sci-fi settings, but as soon as I started working on weapon rosters for different factions, I understood that it's too early for that. While the setting isn't finalized yet and hasn't been playtested, I should use generic weapons instead. So, here's the same post, but expanded and made completely generic. The document only has TL9 and TL10 weapons, but eventually I will expand it to cover other TLs, at least partially.

Since blogspot is awful at formatting and tables, I'll just post a Google Docs link.

Ultra-Tech: New (Actually Old) Projectile Weapon Options

Ultra-Tech: New (Actually Old) Projectile Weapon Options

One of the commenters on this blog pointed out that some things from the 3e Ultra-Tech were not properly updated to 4e, such as the HV-guns and Crystal Guns from the "Lasers? We don't need no stinkin' lasers!" article. Why not update them then?

Galactic Havoc: Psychotronics and TL

Galactic Havoc: Psychotronics and TL

As I mentioned in the setting design goals and overview (no, I haven't abandoned it, I'm just doing some other stuff as well), supernatural powers, including psionics, will exist in the setting. Psychotronic devices that emulate or otherwise affect psionic powers are described in GURPS Ultra-Tech and GURPS Psi-Tech, but they are not assigned to any TL - they are just listed as TL^. Splitting them between different tech levels will allow us to create civilizations that have more advanced psychotronics than others or less advanced, which is a good thing, in my opinion.

Galactic Havoc: Solar Federation Weaponry

Galactic Havoc: Solar Federation Weaponry

What is important in military sci-fi? Weapons are. Creating an arsenal of weapons is a daunting task, especially when you are just starting out. Instead of creating it from scratch, I will cannibalize a weapon set that I made for my previous sci-fi setting and change some names and numbers around. I might need to make some extra description adjustments later. This way, I will have a baseline that I can use to make weapon sets for other factions that, if my intentions come to fruition, will give them a distinct feel.

When looking at this arsenal, you might have some questions, such as "Why are there TL9 weapons?" or "Why are there LC3 and LC4 weapons there?" Space is unfathomably huge, and development is not uniform. On backwater worlds, you might have people using TL9 arms. In the same way, military sci-fi is not always about pitched battles between two armies - you may have rebels using civilian weaponry to overthrow a tyrannical government, or planetary defense forces armed with whatever they could've gotten their hands on. I think leaving these "underpowered" weapons in the set is a good idea.

P.S. Formatting tables on this "new and improved" blogspot is a huge pain in the ass. Just like formatting anything else. Yes, I'm still mad years after the "update".

Galactic Havoc: Damage/Armor Benchmarks

Galactic Havoc: Damage/Armor Benchmarks

First of all, I have no idea what I'm doing, but I will hope this works. Since I have described two factions for the Galactic Havoc setting, it's time to work out some damage and armor benchmarks. I will not use premade weapons from GURPS Ultra-Tech but will make my own with my gun generator program that incorporates many houserules.

My experience with sci-fi games in GURPS

My experience with sci-fi games in GURPS

Another rambly rant post! In this one, I will analyze why so few of my sci-fi games have been successful, and why so many of them fell apart very quickly. This is going to be yet another "stream of consciousness" post, as there's no plan - I will just write what I think. I just hope that this self-reflection will help me get better, and it might be helpful to you too.

Low-Tech Beam Weapons

Low-Tech Beam Weapons

Wait a damn second. If the power cell capacity follows increases with TL and has a defined progression, can't we reverse it and get TL3 or TL4 power cells? Now that we also have this post that tells us to multiply the weapon weight for weapons of lower TL than the TL of its introduction (I will not scale the weight further, keeping it at the maximum of 32x increase), can't we make low-tech beam weapons? Let's try and see the results.

Everything About Ultra-Tech Weapons

Everything About Ultra-Tech Weapons

In this episode I would like to discuss Ultra-Tech weaponry. Most of the past posts were devoted to low-tech games, so it is time to shake things up. After all, I like both fantasy and sci-fi genres, and I grew up reading Heinlein’s novels. So, let’s open up GURPS Ultra-Tech and check the weapons chapter. In addition to that, I will talk about some fan-created content.

Ultra-Tech: Premade Armor

Ultra-Tech: Premade Armor

GURPS Ultra-Tech has a bad reputation. In some aspects, it is justified, in some it is not. One of the problems people often bring up is the deadliness of weapons and uselessness of armor. In my opinion, this problem is not as bad at people make it seem. I've played in quite a few high TL games and never really encountered such deadliness, especially if you use the Body Shots rule from GURPS High-Tech. People also seem to forget or misuse LC. I also ran some calculations in a post a long time ago to show things off mathematically.

I rarely GM high-TL games, but for the last one I GMed (that was a disaster!) I created a lot of guns and armor, using different design systems. For armor, I used the articles from Pyramid #3-96 and Pyramid #3-85. You can create any kind of armor you want, but I decided to create a table of premade armors with maximum DR for the material, half-maximum (to be concealable), and quarter-maximum (to be very concealable). I actually really like the results. DR is overall a bit higher than in Ultra-Tech, but so is weight. Using this armor in your games will make characters safer on battlefields (note that you can also add trauma plates). I'll post the tables here, maybe you'll find them useful.

Ultra-Tech: Hydrosuits

Ultra-Tech: Hydrosuits

Hydrosuits are water-filled suits for moving about in air or vacuum. They were mentioned in GURPS Space and given their own skill specialization, but there was never any examples. They are used by aquatic beings who want to explore other environments. All hydrosuits include some kind of powered exoskeleton that increases the wearer’s DR against swung melee attacks, falls, and collisions. Depending on the user’s body morphology, the hydrosuit may have two, four, or more mechanical legs to be used for locomotion on land. If the wearer has no arms or other organs that can be used for manipulation, the suit can be outfitted with mechanical arms. Mechanical limbs require the wearer to connect to the suit via a neural interface.

All hydrosuits require Hydrosuit skill to use.

Ultra-Tech: Grappling with Hacking

Ultra-Tech: Grappling with Hacking

I've heard many people complain about hacking in GURPS. The Basic Set gives us the cinematic Computer Hacking/TL (IQ/VH) skill and gives some ideas about realistic hacking. Console Cowboys and Cyberspace Kung Fu from Pyramid #3-21 gives us an enitre hacking subsystem. I never really managed to wrap my head around it, as it seemed too complex to me. You could also use Mind Control, Mind Probe, Mind Reading, and Possession with the Cybernetic modifier to represent hacking, but that would imply that hacking is a special power and not a skill anyone may learn. Possessions Under Control from Pyramid #3-85 gives us a system to use Technical Grappling for magical/spiritual possessions. But what if you are not very familiar with Technical Grappling and want something simpler? Let's try to write this thing up using normal grappling rules. I'm sure that the result you are seeing here is not the final one - it probably will be corrected and adjusted many times.

Ultra-Tech: Handtech

Ultra-Tech: Handtech

GURPS Ultra-Tech has finger paws (p. UT218) that allow some quadruped uplifts with no fine manipulators to manipulate things more precisely. But what if we need more options? What if somebody wants to play an upliften parrot and thinks that a beak and talons are not enough?

Ultra-Tech: UAC BFG-9000

Ultra-Tech: UAC BFG-9000

Let's stat up the other energy weapon from Doom with the Beam and Blaster Design System article and TheRyujinLP's houserules. It's not going to be 100% authentic, but representing all the tracer beams stuff is a big hassle - let's settle on a single-shot weapon that needs 3 seconds of charging to fire an explosive projectile that contains TL9 C-cell worth of energy.

Ultra-Tech: UAC Plasma Rifle

Ultra-Tech: UAC Plasma Rifle

Remember Pyramid #3-37? The one with the Blaster and Laser Design System article? I do. If you do, I suggest you to check out GURB and Hard Maths, as they have a ton of additional options for that article. Let's play around with the beam weapon design system and try to recreate the plasma rifle from Doom.

Arena: Simple Ultra-Tech Gunfight

Arena: Simple Ultra-Tech Gunfight

Let's step away from fantasy beatdowns and try out a simple Ultra-Tech gunfight. The arena is quite cramped, has lots of cover. We're not going to use too many extra rules here (such as scopes, HUD links, grenades, and all that).

Ultra-Tech: Singularity Beams

Ultra-Tech: Singularity Beams

I had an idea of a superscience beam weapon that harnesses the power of the black holes. Let's try to manifest this idea as a new beam option for the Blaster and Laser Design System from Pyramid #3-37.