🚀 go-pugleaf

In alt.games.torg, bmedley@hounix.org (Bert Medley) writes:

> Does anyone have an example of this [Rocket Ranger suit]?  Thanks!

I will take a stab at it, but a disclaimer is perhaps in order first:
In a conversation I had with Ed Stark (of WEG, who is the gizmo-guru),
Ed told me that the R.R. Battlesuit did not completely conform to the
Gizmo rules as they exist in the Nile Empire source book.  However, I
believe that a suit much like the R.R. Battlesuit could be created using
the rules as stated.

I will assume here that readers are moderately familiar with the gizmo 
rules.  If what I say below makes no sense with your understanding of the
rules, I apologize.  Bob Ellison and I are in the process of coming up with
a Gizmo Construction worksheet that will detail our understanding of the
process and rules used (as clarified by a fruitful conversation with the
afore-mentioned Mr. Stark).

I will not take the time to draw the "blueprint" in ascii, but I will try
to describe it.

First, as to the suit itself:  It would be about the size and weight of
Plate Mail, and completely encases the wearer, hence the +7/23 armor value
and dexterity and fatigue penalties.  (See the picture for the Rocket Ranger
character template and the back of the Nile Sourcebook).
This armor value would apply when the suit's TOU system (below) is not
active, or (in my opinion) should superscede the suit's TOU (19) if the
wearers TOU +7 exceeds the suits TOU of 19).

Since there is no operating difficulty specified, any boosters attached to
any system must be properly compensated.

The suit consists of a housing and 4 systems:

Housing:  Metal suit.  
  Weight:  40 lbs (this is a guess) (Value 6)
  Housing TOU: 15

Note that in the systems below, Strength, Toughness and Flight system values
are all less than the maximum value, so no boosters (or compensators) need
be added to those systems.  Mega-sight, however, has a maximum value of 10,
so it is obvious that a +2 booster and a compensator need be used.

System: Strength
   System Value: 14
   Power Plant:  (19)  *note:  No mention of power-plants are given in the
     R.R. suit description, but if *I* were building it, I would want to
     have at least a value 19 power-plant, to give the thing less chance of
     failure at stymie or setback time.
   Adaptor:

Blueprint: Housing connects to a 3-way (triangular) adaptor, which forms a
           loop connecting the System box and Power-plant. (see pg 81)

System: Toughness
   System Value: 19
   Power Plant:  (19+)  -- Values this high are sometimes hard to come by, 
      but your power plant value should exceed the value of the system it
      powers if at all possible.

Blueprint: similar to that described for Strength (above)

System: Flight
   System Value: 11  (This I don't understand, because the limit for flight
                      is 12.  The weird scientist must have rolled poorly . :-)
   Power Plant: Possibility Capacitor -- 1 p_point per adventure.

System: Mega-Sight
   System Value: 10 (limit value)
   Booster:       +2
   Compensator:   +2
   Power Plant:  Possibility Capacitor -- 2 p_points per adventure.
                (one as base cost for the Power, one for each booster).

Blueprint for above two systems:

  Each of the two systems above connect to the housing through a 3-way
  adaptor, but if I were building the gizmo, I would share the possibility
  capacitor between the two systems.  Since a fully charged p. capacitor 
  can hold up to 10 possibilities, one would be enough to power the suit 
  Powers for 3 adventures.  (The suit has an adventure cost total of 3 
  possibilities).

The suit confering its Strength upon the wearer is reasonable -- the suit
functions much like an exo-skeleton, amplifying the user's movements through
servo-motors positioned at the appropriate joints in the armor.

I'm willing to entertain ideas concerning how the TOU system operates, and
how supplying power to a TOU systems makes it work.  Perhaps coils throughout
the suit produce an inductive field that has the property of absorbing 
the impact of physical or energy based attacks, dissapating it as heat.
(This is weird science right? Anything can be done...:)

Flight and Mega-sight work as described in the Pulp Powers sections. 
From the appearance of the R.R. suit, I would guess that the flight system
works via jet-boots, powered by the possibility capacitor.  Or, since
we can use our imaginiation, a small anti-gravity frammerstat is activated
to render the suit and wearer more or less weightless, with thrust nozzles
in the bottom of the boot to provide propulsion for forward movement and
direction control.
Mega-sight would be available through the specially designed goggles 
(face-shield) of the helmet.


As far as the -3 bonus modifier assesed against attacks targeting the 
suit instead of the wearer, I don't have a clue why this is here.  This
may be one of the places that the suit diverges from the "normal" rules.
No other gizmo I am aware of has this property (though it would be nice
if they did!).

In fact, since the suit completely encases the wearer, I find it hard to
imagine an attack *not* affecting the armor!


Comments and questions are welcome -- criticism and abuse expected. :-)

Norman Gee
(my opinions are mine -- no one else seems to want them)

> > I will take a stab at it, but a disclaimer is perhaps in order first:
> > In a conversation I had with Ed Stark (of WEG, who is the gizmo-guru),
> 
> Tell him we want a gizmo book and we want it now!  8-)

This actually came up in our conversation -- Ed said he had been working
on it, but was pulled off onto another project. (Shatterzone, I believe).
He hoped to get back to it after this current project, but I'm not going
to hold my breath.  
On the other hand, Ed has been very good about clarifying stuff and responding
to my questions (fax'ed or otherwise).  As soon as a couple more details
are clear I would be real happy to write up what I have learned and post 
it to this group.  

> > Since there is no operating difficulty specified, any boosters attached to
> > any system must be properly compensated.
> 
> Although the -1 Dexterity penalty and the fatigue penalty could be interpreted
> as due to boosters that have not been compensated for.

This is a valid point, but given that the armor is fully enclosed and weighs a
fair amount, any penalties from uncompensated boosters I would add to the
normal dexterity/fatigue cost for armor.  But again, this is just my opinion.

> > System: Mega-Sight
> >    System Value: 10 (limit value)
> >    Booster:       +2
> >    Compensator:   +2
> >    Power Plant:  Possibility Capacitor -- 2 p_points per adventure.
> >                 (one as base cost for the Power, one for each booster).
> 
> It could be just an adventure cost of 1 if there is only one booster (with
> a +2 rating).

(?)  My reasoning for the adventure cost is as follows:
     Mega-Sight Power: System limit: 10,  Adventure Cost 1.   
      (Normal adv. cost is 3 if a player takes this power.  When in a gizmo,
       powers in a system cost 2 less, hence the cost of 1).
     Booster (+2):  adv cost 1.

  for a total adv. cost (for the mega-sight system) of 2.

My statement :
> >                 (one as base cost for the Power, one for each booster).

may be confusing.  This describes the rule for assessing p_point adventure
cost.  In this case, there is only 1 booster (the one with the +2 rating).

>  
> > Blueprint for above two systems:
> > 
> >   Each of the two systems above connect to the housing through a 3-way
> >   adaptor, but if I were building the gizmo, I would share the possibility
> >   capacitor between the two systems.  Since a fully charged p. capacitor 
> >   can hold up to 10 possibilities, one would be enough to power the suit 
> >   Powers for 3 adventures.  (The suit has an adventure cost total of 3 
> >   possibilities).
> 
> Reasonable, especially since Mega-Sight may not get used every adventure.

Right.  If the Mega-Sight system was not used for the adventure, the cost for
using the suit would only be 1 p_point (for the flight system).  Remember 
that the possibilities are "paid" the first time the system is used, not
at the end of the adventure.

> 
> 
> How does it work?  I guess I could always pull out my Handbook of the Marvel
> Universe and adapt their dissertation on how Iron Man's armor works...I'll
> just settle for it working without explaination though. 8-)

Would that all my GM's were as easy to please!   :-)
(I spend way too much time trying to convince certain recalcitrant individuals
*why* the gizmos work and how they produce their effects.  I tried:

"Its technical. Trust me, it works just like the book says..."  
but without much luck...


> Perhaps this is for striking at the Housing Toughness instead of the
> powered Toughness value?  Though I would personally rule such an attempt
> a Vital Blow myself....

This was my initial feeling for attacks targeted against gizmos in general
(ie attacks against the gizmo with intent to damage the gizmo). 
The Rules say  (pg 79, col. 3 and pg 80):

"Combat, Damage and Repair:
....
Use the following procedure to determine the difficulty number of a shot 
aimed at a gizmo.
1) If the gizmo has skills or attributes characters use in combat, such as
dodge, Desterity or melee weapons, use that skill or attribute for the 
difficulty number.

2) (stuff for vehicles)

3) If #1 and #2 do not apply and the gizmo is a hand-held item, the
difficulty number of the attack is equal to the Dexterity or defensive skill
of the holder."

Since the Rocket Ranger suit has no DEX or dodge type systems, I would guess
that rule #3 applies. (although classifying a R.R. suit as "handheld" may
strike some as odd. This could mean "used/worn by" a character as opposed to
a free-standing gizmo.)

I argued  that targeting a ray-gun in someone's hand *had* to be harder
than targeting the someone holding it (argued with my GM, not with WEG).
However, targeting something as big as the R.R. suit seems to fit rule
#3 above just fine.

Of course, Kansas Jim's point is targeting the suits *housing* toughness 
should be a "vital blow"
which is a different "system" than the suit's TOU system.  So, gizmos that
have both a housing toughness AND a toughness system seem to present a wrinkle.

I would be happy with the "vital blow" ruling, but if there is any interest,
I will add this to the list of pending questions for the over-worked Mr. Stark 
and see if he had anything in mind for this situation. :-)

The questions that were not asked (thanks!) which should be answered:

1) How much does it cost to *build* one of these suckers?
2) What is the repair difficulty?
3) How long does it take to build?

I would like to avoid addressing these until I have the last few details
of the system worked out.  When I post our "Gizmo Rule Summary" and
worksheets, I will include this R.R. suit as one of the examples.


Norman Gee

|>As far as the -3 bonus modifier assesed against attacks targeting the 
|>suit instead of the wearer, I don't have a clue why this is here.  This
|>may be one of the places that the suit diverges from the "normal" rules.
|>No other gizmo I am aware of has this property (though it would be nice
|>if they did!).
|>
|>In fact, since the suit completely encases the wearer, I find it hard to
|>imagine an attack *not* affecting the armor!
|>
|>
	I took this to be the difficult of targeting the specific systems
of the suit.  F'r instance: a hole through the window of a car will not
affect it's performance much (the driver's nerves are another matter), one
that tunnels through the engine would tend to cause some damage.

	-john-