|
|
|
House Rules |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Originally Published:
2010-03-06
Last Updated:
2010-03-06
Original Concept:
GDW, Inc.
Final Design:
GDW, Inc. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Maintenance
Sophisticated equipment requires nearly constant maintenance to keep
it running, even in the best of times, and these are not the best of
times. People used to driving civilian cars on good roads are seldom
aware of how much more punishment an all-terrain exploratory vehicle
takes. In many campaigns good mechanics and engineers are worth
their weight in gold, and are indispensable if the PCs haw equipment
they want to keep running.
Good mechanics, for all their
worth, will sometimes be considered pests by the rest of the group.
They will want to spend as much of their time as possible with the
vehicles, going over them and conducting minor repairs and
preventative maintenance.
lf operating in a region where
regular maintenance facilities are rare, they will be constantly
searching for more spare parts, whether they are needed now or not
(someday they’ll be needed and might not be available then, so “get
them now” is their philosophy).
|
|
|
Routine Maintenance
Every major piece of equipment (vehicle, starship, large weapons
system, or sensor) has a base maintenance number indicated on its
description. This is the number of hours per week that should be
spent in routine preventative maintenance to keep it in good working
shape, assuming it is in mint condition. The actual time spent in
maintenance is up to the players, but should be influenced by the
actual condition of the equipment.
|
|
|
Equipment Condition
Whenever characters acquire a major item of equipment during the
game, including during character generation, the referee should
determine its wear value by rolling 1D10. The higher the wear value,
the more worn out the equipment Whenever characters are in a
position to buy or sell equipment, its true value is determined by
dividing its base price by its wear number. Thus, a vehicle which
would normally cost §200,000 but has a wear value of 8 would only be
worth §25,000.
|
|
|
Potential Breakdowns
Each piece of equipment has the potential to break down when it is
used for a certain period of time. The chance for a potential
breakdown is equal to the equipment’s wear value and is rolled on a
D10 (thus a piece of equipment with a wear value of 2 would have a
potential break down on a 1D10 roll of 2 or less).
For most
equipment, including planetary vehicles (all ground vehicles, lift
vehicles, and aircraft, plus small watercraft), potential breakdowns
are rolled for each eight-hour period (or fraction thereof) for
which the equipment is used. For heavy equipment specifically
designed for continuous long-term use, the roll is only once per day
(24 hours) of use (this category includes all spacecraft and
starships, large ocean-going ships, hydroelectric power plants, and
the like).
A potential breakdown does not mean the piece of
equipment has actually suffered a serious malfunction.
Avoiding an actual breakdown is a Difficult task against the skill
appropriate to the equipment (Mechanic,
Electronics, Gravitics, Ship‘s Engineering, etc.) performed by
the character who did the last maintenance on the item. If the
machinery has not been maintained for the recommended number of
routine preventative maintenance hours in the last week, the
potential breakdown automatically results in an actual breakdown.
If a potential breakdown does not result in an actual breakdown,
the characters may continue using the machinery without
interruption. The occurrence of a potential breakdown is usually
obvious to the characters, and the referee can tell the players that
they hear ominous grinding noises in the machinery, smell a funny
odor, see smoke in the exhaust, note a power spike on the readouts,
etc. (although some breakdowns can be unexpected and sudden at the
referee’s discretion). This allows them to shut the system down and
do some work on it before it goes completely. The referee may opt to
allow the players to reduce the load on the system (for example,
reduce power plant output to 50%) to allow the roll for actual
breakdown to be postponed for another eight-hour period.
Once
a potential breakdown has occurred, there will be an additional
automatic potential breakdown every period (eight-hours or 24-hours
according to type of equipment) used thereafter until the item of
equipment receives at least its recommended number of routine
preventative maintenance hours. Avoiding an actual breakdown is a
Difficult task performed by any character (using appropriate skill)
during intermittent pauses in use.
If an actual breakdown
occurs, go the the Breakdowns section.
|
|
|
Preventative Maintenance
Extra preventative maintenance can help prevent breakdowns.
Spending twice the recommended number of hours will reduce the
chance of a potential breakdown by 2; spending three times the
amount reduces the chance by 3, etc.
For example, spending eight hours per week
maintaining an item of equipment with a maintenance number of 4 and
wear value of 6 will mean that the roll for a potential breakdown is
4 or less, not 6 or less.
Note that this allows wear value to
be temporarily (for one week) reduced to 0. Under certain
circumstances, referees may allow players to use this rule to
“foolproof” a piece of equipment for an upcoming period of
operation. For example, on the first day of the week, sufficient
maintenance is performed on a vehicle to reduce its wear value to 0.
For the remaining six days of that week, there is no chance of a
potential breakdown, and no further maintenance need be performed.
However, under harsh conditions (in combat, bad weather, exotic or
very hot atmospheres, sandy environments, etc.) the referee may
stipulate that the players must provide the normal required
maintenance over the course of the week to maintain the 0 level.
However, full crews are always required to operate and monitor
equipment, even when maintenance loads are reduced.
Maintenance must again be performed on the first day of the
following week to avoid negative effects.
|
|
Increasing
Wear
After an item of equipment has suffered
10 actual breakdowns, its wear value is increased by 1. A vehicle
with a wear value of 10 which suffers its tenth breakdown at that
value is no longer repairable, and is good only for salvaging parts,
unless it is rebuilt (below).
Starships and starship
components may only be rebuilt at class A and B starports. Vehicles
and other equipment may only be rebuilt in suitably equipped cities
or bases. In all cases, the rebuilding facility must be of equal or
greater tech level as the rebuilt system.
Once the players
and the referee are very familiar with the game mechanics, they may
wish to keep separate track of the wear value of the components of a
starship. That is, a starship which suffers repeated power
plant breakdowns would end up having a very worn-out power plant but
a sound sensor suite. In this case, the tenth power plant breakdown
at wear value 10 would mean the characters need to completely
rebuild their power plant, not the entire starship. This rule is not
suggested for beginning use; players and referee have enough to keep
track of as it is.
Referees should take care that not too
many separate systems of a single object are rolled for, as this can
result in continuous breakdowns. Try rolling only once per period,
but against the highest wear value. The referee will then assign the
exact component for a potential breakdown by pro-rating the
individual component wear values. |
|
Rebuilds
Vehicles and major starship components may be
rebuilt, which reduces their current wear value. The wear value to
which a piece of rebuilt equipment may be rebuilt depends on how
many times it has been rebuilt. The first time a piece of equipment
is rebuilt it may be rebuilt to wear value 1, the second time to a
wear value of 2, and so on. A rebuild costs 5% of the original
purchase price of the component per wear value reduced. Thus an
engine rebuilt from wear value 10 to wear value 5 would cost 25% of
its original cost. That same engine rebuilt to wear value 1
would cost 45% of its original cost. |
|
Starship Malfunctions
A starship can
malfunction. The two major malfunctions are drive failure and
misjump. The primary influencing factors are unrefined fuel and lack
of maintenance.
Refined fuel is pure liquid hydrogen, and is
available at starports (price varies with availability, but is
typically about §500 per ton); unrefined fuel is also sometimes
available at starports (around Crl00 per ton when available).
Unrefined fuel can also be gotten for free: skimmed from gas
giants or taken in the form of water from oceans or lakes (if there
are any on the world) and used as unrefined fuel. However, both are
full of contaminants in their original state (gas giant skimming
also yields ammonia, methane, etc., and water must be processed into
pure hydrogen).
Many starships use unrefined fuel because it
is cheaper and more plentiful. In order to safely use unrefined
fuel, a ship must carry a fuel purification system that prepares the
fuel for use in the fusion plant. If the unrefined fuel is burned as
is, there is a chance of misjump. See the Starship Operating
Procedures flowcharts.
Starships require continuing
maintenance as they operate and an annual maintenance overhaul to
keep them in top running order. Ships which are under-crewed and do
not carry enough dedicated or full-time skilled engineers, and those
which avoid or delay their annual maintenance, run the risk of
malfunction. See Routine Maintenance for details. |
|
Repairs
In the course of the game, PCs will be called upon to repair ships,
vehicles, and other equipment which either has broken down or has
suffered damage. The combat rules list the procedures used for
determining battle damage to vehicle components. Breakdowns are
discussed below. |
|
Tools
If a character has the needed parts to make repairs, he must then
have the tools to do so. Given the correct tools, the repairs are
Difficult tasks. If a PC has the wrong type of tools, the job will
take longer and become a Formidable task. Damage to a power plant or
drive or large non-energy weapon system requires mechanical tools of
at least as high a tech level as the system being repaired.
Suspension damage requires heavy mechanical tools. Sensors,
communicators, fire-control systems, energy weapons, and other
electronic systems require electronic tools of at least as high a
tech level as the system being repaired. Damage to hulls and
structural members require cutting and welding tools capable of
working the material used in the component. |
|
Breakdowns
If an actual breakdown has occurred, the severity of the breakdown
must be determined. The current wear value of the vehicle is the D10
roll for the chance of a major breakdown. For example, a vehicle
with a wear value of 8 must roll 8 or less for a breakdown to be
major. A breakdown can strike any sub-system of the equipment, and
the affected sub-system should be determined by the referee. For
vehicles, aircraft, and watercraft, it will usually be either engine
or suspension; for starships, it will usually be power plant,
maneuver drive, or jump drive. However, the breakdown could affect
peripheral systems, for example, a communicator, sensor, or weapon.
Certain breakdowns have entertaining role-playing value. For
example, imagine telling the characters the starship‘s plumbing
system has seized: all of the toilets and sinks have backed
up, and the showers don’t work. If a breakdown is not a major
breakdown, it is automatically a minor one.
Minor
Breakdowns: A minor breakdown results in minor damage to
the component. The wear value of the equipment is the D10 roll for
the chance that parts are needed to repair the component (roll less
than the wear value for parts to be required). Otherwise, repairs
can be made without new parts.
Major Breakdowns:
A major breakdown results in major damage to a randomly determined
system, and will always require parts to repair.
Parts: All systems are assumed to include a basic parts
selection which includes all commonly needed replacement parts.
However, as parts are used from this assortment, they must be
replaced or there is a risk that future breakdowns will result in a
shortage. If a part is not replaced, there is a chance that a
future breakdown will be un-repairable for lack of parts. Roll 1D10
when the breakdown occurs. If the number rolled is equal to or less
than the number of un-replaced parts in the repair set, the
breakdown is not repairable until the correct part is found or
fabricated. While parts can usually be found for sale, other
common sources for parts are cannibalization and fabrication,
especially when repairing relic equipment. Parts can usually be
cannibalized from an identical piece of equipment.
Cannibalization: The referee may often wish to go into
detail about the condition of the equipment being cannibalized.
For example, say the characters are hoping to find a drive part from
a crashed starship. That might be a problem, because one of the main
reasons starships crash is because their drives are already ruined.
The referee may wish to make a few random rolls on the damage
tables (see the Space Combat section and individual starships in the
Equipment
section) to see what systems have been hit, and how hard. After
establishing damage, the referee can calculate the number hits
against a system as a percentage of the total hits that system could
absorb. This creates a D100 roll to see the chance that the needed
portion of the system was damaged or left intact (For vehicles, the
referee should use the normal vehicle damage rules, to assess the
level of damage to the system.) For example, if the ship had a power
plant hit capacity of 16 major damage hits and had taken four major
damage hits to the power plant, there would be a 25% chance (4÷16)
that any given power plant component will have been damaged.
If the portion of the system to be cannibalized is undamaged, the
required parts may automatically be taken from it. However, if the
crashed starship is in an accessible area, the characters will
likely find that it has already been stripped by prior visitors. The
more inaccessible the wreck, the more likely the needed parts will
still be there.
If the component comes from a portion of a
ship or vehicle which has sustained damage, the part might still be
salvageable. Success on a Formidable test of the appropriate asset
(Mechanic, Ship’s Engineering,
Electronics, or Gravitics) means that the character knows how to
make the damaged part work for what they need (at the referee’s
discretion, this may require a few hours modifying the part). This
roll can only be made once, so the players should select the member
who has the best skill. If several parts are required from a
damaged component, the die roll is made separately for each part.
Fabrication: Characters may only fabricate new
parts if they have access to a machine shop or electronics shop.
Each part requires 1D10 hours in the shop. Parts for mechanical and
engineering systems may be fabricated in a machine shop; electronic
systems require an electronics shop. Fabrication is at least a
Difficult test of the appropriate asset (Machinist for a mechanical
part, Machinist or
Electronics for an electronic part). The roll is made after the
part has been fabricated, and failure means the part cannot be used.
The referee may decide that fabrication of some parts is Formidable
or Impossible. In cases like this, the referee may allow the
remanufacture of a worn or damaged part at a lower difficulty level,
but stipulate that the presence of this sub-standard part increases
the wear value of the system for future breakdown rolls. |
|
Battle Damage
The vehicle/starship combat system reads out in certain specified
damage severities. How these are repaired is based on the level of
damage sustained.
Destroyed Components: Any
starship component which has taken sufficient major or minor damage
results to reach its destruction level (total possible damage) may
not be repaired. Any vehicle or aircraft component which suffers
major damage, and any vehicle or aircraft electronic component which
suffers any damage at all, is destroyed and may not be repaired.
Minor Damage: Repair of minor damage is a
Difficult task versus the appropriate asset, takes 1D6 times 30
person-minutes, and requires 1D6-2 parts.
Major
Damage: Repair of each major damage result is a Difficult
task versus the appropriate asset and takes 1D6 person-hours. The
fob1 repair of a system which has sustained major damage requires
parts equal to 1D10 plus the number of major damage results. Such
repairs are temporary jury-rigging only, and are to allow the ship
to make it to a starport. Permanent repair of this damage is
possible only at a class A or B starport. Until the systems have
been permanently repaired, the wear value of the system is increased
by 1 for each major damage result, to a maximum of 10.
Example: A ship’s power plant with wear value of 2
has received two major damage hits. Repairs took eight person-hours
(1D6 results of 3 and 5), or a total of four hours each for the two
engineers, and the ship is now able to make power to jump to the
class A starport in the next system. However, until the ship has its
power plant permanently repaired, it operates at wear level 4
(original wear level of 2 plus 2 for the major hits). Costs for
repairs are based on the percentage damage to the system:
divide the number of hits the system received by the total number of
hits that the system can take. Multiply the result by the new cost
of the system to find the repair costs. While at the starport, the
crew crew could also opt to have the power plant rebuilt. However, a
system may not be rebuilt until all outstanding repairs have been
made at the normal price above.
Assets:
Sensors, communicators, energy weapons, controls, computers, and all
other electronic components require
Electronics skill to repair. Large machinery such as power
plants, drives, vehicle suspensions, heavy guns, missile launchers,
etc. require Mechanic or Ship’s Engineering skill to repair. Very
small intricate mechanical devices, such as small arms slug
throwers, require Machinist skill to repair.
Repair
Crew: Not every person assisting in repairs needs to be
skilled in the appropriate asset. Each character with appropriate
skill may have a number of unskilled assistants helping with the
repairs equal to that character‘s skill (not asset) level.
For example, repairs to a starship will take 36 person-hours, and
require Ship’s Engineering skill. The ship has one engineer with
skill 5, and another with skill 2. The first character may use
five unskilled assistants, and the second character may use two. The
repair party thus totals nine personnel, allowing the 36 person-hour
task to be completed in four hours.
Electronic
Components: Electronic components (all systems requiring
Electronics skill to repair-communicators, sensors, master fire
directors, computers, ECM, etc.) are Formidable repair jobs and
require twice the number of parts rolled. |
|
Aircraft
Damage
If an aircraft has safely landed, its
damaged systems may be repaired. If an aircraft made a forced
landing — for example, a belly landing or open-field landing — make
a Formidable roll against the pilot’s appropriate
Pilot cascade. If successful, the aircraft may be
repaired. If unsuccessful, the aircraft may only be cannibalized for
parts. If an aircraft has crashed following damage, it is not even
good for parts. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
