|
|
Last Updated: 2007-08-17 |
|
Being: A self-aware, self-powered individual with the capacity to sense its environment and react to it. Humans, intelligent aliens, robots and androids are all beings. Robot: A mechanically-based artifact manufactured to some set of specifications. A robot may or may not be anthropomorphic. Examples of robots include Robbie from Forbidden Planet and C3-PO from Star Wars. Android: A biologically-based being created to a set of specifications for some purpose or duty. Androids exhibit life in that they are biologically living; their distinction is that they were created, rather than having evolved. Androids generally are incapable of reproduction, and can be identified by close inspection. Some suggestions concerning androids in science fiction include permanent identifying marks such as tattoos or a dyed skin. Ash, from Alien, may be an android. Clone: A biological copy of an existing being. A clone is a duplicate reproduced through the use of technology; alterations in the being's attributes or qualities generally do not occur. The relicts in Jack Vance's novel, To Live Forever, are clones used to produce a form of immortality for certain individuals. Prosthetics: Replacement parts of biological beings. Prosthetics are intended to duplicate ordinary capacity for individuals who have lost organs or limbs through accident or disease. Bionics: Enhanced replacement parts for biological beings. Unlike prosthetics, bionics provide a function better than the original organ or limb. Cyborg: A biological individual who has been replaced in great part by mechanical components, usually (although not always) for purposes for which natural attributes will not function. A cyborg may be equipped with a very tough artificial skin, special vision lenses and provision for special energy sources, thus making possible activity in a vacuum or under great pressure. The damage capacity of a robot is the number of hits it takes before being completely wrecked. Multiply the enclosed volume of the robot (in liters) by 0.04. This is the total number of hits each hit location of the robot can take before it is destroyed. This is divided into three columns for slight, serious and critical hits for non-vehicular robots. Vehicular robots are handled in the same way as vehicles.. Battle Damage (Non-Vehicular Robots) Non-vehicular robots sustain damage as if they were people or animals. The robot's description will state which column on the Personal Hit Location chart is to be used for that robot. Head: This represents the electronic center of the robot, and contains sensor systems and the robot's CPU or brain. Slight damage has no effect, serious damage means one sensor system is out of action. Critical damage means the robot's CPU is damaged and the robot is "dead." Right/Left Arm: Robots with a number of arms other than two require some common sense on the part of the referee. If a robot has only one arm, the right/left designation is unneeded. If a robot has more than two arms, the referee should distribute hits among the arms at random regardless of whether a right or left hit was rolled. Slight damage has no effect (although when moved the arm may begin to smoke or make grinding noises at the referee's option), serious damage means the arm loses the use of any tools or attached weapons, and critical damage means the arm has been blown off. Chest: The chest on a robot is where weapons and ammo are kept. Slight damage means one weapon (chosen randomly if more than one is present) becomes inoperative for the remainder of the turn. If no weapons are present, the damage has no effect. Serious damage means a weapon (chosen randomly if more than one is present) is put out of action permanently (if no weapon is present, it represents damage to the fuel or batteries in the abdomen, and the robot's speed is halved). Critical damaged means that an ammunition explosion has occurred and the robot is rendered inoperative (dead). Abdomen: This represents the power plant of a robot. Slight damage means the robot begins to smoke or make grinding noises (but otherwise there is no effect). Serious damage means the robot is reduced to half speed. Critical damage means the fuel has exploded or the batteries have been hit (drenching the insides of the robot with acid), in either case, rendering the robot inoperative. Right/Left Leg: Legs can either mean a literal leg or another means of propulsion such as a track unit or wheel. As in the case of arms, robots may have a number of legs other than two or four, and the leg hits should be distributed at random. Slight damage to a leg/track/wheel has no effect (although again, at the referee's option, smoke and grinding noises may occur). Serious damage reduces the speed by half (per leg), critical damage means the leg is unusable. When 50 percent or more of a robot's legs are unusable, it is immobilized (although all other systems may be operational). Battle Damage (Vehicular Robots) With the exception of different specific results, the damage implementation system is the same as that used in conventional vehicle combat. The specific results for robots are as follows: Crewmember/Passenger: If as a result of a hull hit, this represents damage to the robot's CPU (Central Processing Unit, its "brain"). Minor damage means that each task the robot attempts to perform (firing one of its weapons, sending a message for help, etc.) becomes two levels more difficult. Major damage puts the robot out of action — killing it, in other words. If the result is a turret hit, this represents damage to one of the robot's sensor systems, picked at random by the referee. Any damage whatsoever puts this system out of action (the type of damage is significant only when repairs are attempted). Radio: This represents damage to a robot's communications equipment. This means the robot falls back on its default programming, and can no longer receive instructions or communications from elsewhere. Engine: This represents damage to the robot's power plant (ether electrical or internal combustion). Minor damage means that the robot can only move at half normal speed, and that it cannot move and fire at the same time. Major damage means that the robot may not move, and can only fire one weapon at a time. If no weapon is present in the location damaged, the hit becomes an ammunition hit. If no ammunition is present in the location damaged, the hit has no effect. Fuel: This represents damage to the robot's power source, either the fuel tank or its rechargeable batteries. Fuel hits are adjudicated as in conventional vehicle combat. Battery hits result in the immobilization of the robot. Ammo: Ammo hits are adjudicated as in conventional vehicle combat. Burn Damage Burn damage against non-vehicular robots is halved, to reflect the fact that machines are harder to damage by heat than people. Being on fire completely destroys its sensors, however. Initiative: Robots have an initiative equal to their tech level of construction minus three. Even relatively dumb robots "think" and react with a speed hard for a human to mimic (which is one of their drawing points). Series brains: Robot brains may be linked in a series to increase their intelligence and programming capabilities. Each additional brain adds its intelligence to the total, but because communications between the brains takes a bit longer than within a single brain, subtract one from the initiative of the robot for each additional brain. For example, three TL-9 brains linked in series have an intelligence of 6, but an initiative of 4 (TL 9 - 3 = 6 - 2 = 4). The extra brains are actually part of the robot's control system and do not have separate "personalities." Computers: Non-vehicular robots can have built-in computers added to them. These computers are the equivalent of implant computers and are designed and operate in the same manner. The computer model - 6 is the number of additional skills the robot can have. The robot's intelligence does not change with the addition of the computer, but the robot suffers a -1 initiative per additional computer due to the communications lag inherent in the interface. Vehicular robots can have full-sized computers added to them. These computers can store skills equal to their TL - 6 in addition to operating as standard computers. The robot's intelligence is not changed by the addition of the computers, and it suffers the same initiative penalty per computer as non-vehicular robots with computers. (Peter Gray)
Rule #3: Weapon Recoil (substitute for section of the same title under "Step
5: Weaponry" in Vampire Fleets, pg.74. Otherwise you'll spend hours staring into
space wondering how it is that you need a robot with the mass of a silverback
gorilla (300 kilograms mass) to fire a body pistol!) (Peter Gray) Rule #4: Mechanical Arms (substitute for first two paragraphs under "Step 6: Peripherals" in Vampire Fleets, pg.74) "The main peripherals for a robot are its arms (if arms are installed). Designers choose the number of arms installed and the volume devoted to each arm. A robotic arm is rated for two attributes: strength and agility. Robotic arms are basically ceramic or metallic skeletons with artificial myomer muscles attached. The strength depends upon the volume of the arm, and is rated in kilograms (or tons) lifted. The strength in kilograms lifted (or tons) is calculated by multiplying its volume in liters (or kiloliters) by 50. The agility of the arm depends upon the tech level of the robots construction, and is calculated by dividing the robots TL of construction by 3 (dropping fractions) and adding 4." |