P&P Ships (early draft, incomplete)

[Choinski, Burton]

|| True.  Traveller?  Whoa...I'll have to check the Big File
|| Cabinet of Rpg
|| Doom to find those books...I don't recall ship info in those as far
|| as water craft :)....Actually now that i think of it..do
|| seem to recall
|| some small book on them..but vaguely..  The Old Traveller rules...

Well, more like the new stuff.  I found some "Fire, Fusion and Steel" rules
on the web dealing with watercraft.  Most of it was way out of tech, but I
got a few nuggets out of them.

|| Yeah and this brings up a question..I wonder how ancient lighthouses
|| are...We know some go back to what? 1500s but anythign before that?
|| I think some cultures like China used Lantern bouys at night
|| for reefs...I guess that would sorta count..

Never thought much on it.  They probably exist, and are visable on clear
nights for a few miles, within the same hex at best.  Probably an oil fed
fire.  Given the expense they are probably only made for port cities or
coastal forts.

|| I could check the Elric rules they have some minor naval
|| rules I could
|| check to compare..

Since Elric is based on the Chaosim system (i.e. RQ system), they may be
close to the same.  If you have them online, an email would be great.
Otherwise, if you can xerox and mail to my address I'll spot the copy and
mailing costs.

Burton Choinski
114 Caroline Dr.
Bellingham MA  02019

|| I dunno...fisherman are hearty folk and do wonderous things with
|| their ships and their ship lifetimes go far beyond most other
|| ships...

That may be so.  I may abstract it a bit in the final rules to coins spent
per week to maintain it.
A boat is a hole in the water you pour money into. :}

|| Cool...especialy the greats..Fomoria...Clima..Lemasa...
|| Dwarfs would be too scared of water in most of my universe...
|| faerry have no use if they can fly...and elf do sail
|| but pretty rarely I suspect..

In one of the Heros magazines didn't they have an Elf Tree-galleon and a
dwarven concrete battleship? :}

|| Well get to it! :)

As Time allows. :}

|| Yeah.  RQ is the least experienced game with me as a GM.  I've played
|| dozesn of games ...but I only hae run maybe 6 games total so my rule
|| knowledge is lacking..though I do admit RQ is a good system and has
|| tons of good material...just recalling that info is another story :)

The problem of much of RQ (3rd version, which is what I have on hand) is
more geared to normal-sized people in a dangerous world.  Even the maxed out
human, at 18 hits, is in a terrible position against something like a
dragon, with 24 armor and 70+ hits.  In P&P a topped out PC with 35+ hits
and good SB can take a P&P dragon down in a few deadly hits.

|| Just good examples and generic building system would be great of
|| the typicals...rowboat..fisher..merchant..trader..courier..warships..
|| transports..

Probably what I will do in the 2nd draft.  I'll probably rearrange it,
having samples and usage rules in front and the construction rules in the
back as an appendix.

|| >Lumber may be cheap, labor is not.
||
|| Unless you have good slave sources :)

Even using slaves is not free.  Yes, using slave labor will make it dirt
cheap, but you will get a rotton ship is composed of unskilled labor.  You
will still need craftsmen, and they are a good portion of the cost.  Plus,
you still need to feed and equip the lot.

|| >0.5t = 0.5 tons
|| >It includes themselves and their gear, as well as some allowance for
|| >"personal space".
||
|| Must be 10 plate armors :)

That's only 1100 pounds.  Take off 200 for the man himself, perhaps another
50 for personal effects.  The rest is ship structure dedicated to supporting
him -- bunks, open space so you can at least walk, mess area, etc.

|| >Again, taken from the Harn rules.  Frankly, I can just as
|| easily toss out
|| >this item of trivia and assime that the ship has sufficient
|| anchors.  It may
||                          ^^^^^^ :) Take that a part at a time
||                          subliminal?
|| >be in the realm of too much detail.
||
|| Up to you...but anchors are vital in some games..there are
|| tricks players
|| can do with them...I've seen one powerful mage turn a anchor into
|| brittle ice and with a ax it be destroyed in one swing...not
|| good :)

Well, look at this example...given the rules now, a 100 ton displacement
vessel will weigh 25 tons and uses a 1 ton anchor.  I think this is probably
sufficient to hold it in calm to choppy water in port.
         -- Burton
_____________________________________________________________
Burton Choinski
Principle Software Engineer, Quality Engineering
email: burton.choinski at matrixone.com

phone: 978-322-2135
fax  : 978-452-5764

MatrixOne, Inc.
Two Executive Drive
Chelmsford, Ma 01824
www.matrixone.com

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