Same here, but I'm already running five games.

One of them is sorta Piraty, except the ships and cities, etc. are all flying in the clouds and all that. (The 'ground' is where the bad stuff is.)

(Sorry, it's all full and not really in a place to accept newcomers right now. They're sailing into the Underworld and all that....)

I was thinking of a plot device in the future (you them nasty GM designs take time ;p ) and I was going to ask a bit of interpretation from all of you on how it would happen.

If someone was geased, lesser, greater, whatever it doesn't really matter, and then their mind was someone tampered with so they didn't remember it, would they still be under the influence of the geas?

Also, how far would you limit the lesser geas power? I was thinking of casting it something like, "Serve me untill ________." A year, maybe, or untill you save my life, or something like that, but I was struck by the fact that this is basically creating a slave, or at least a non-paid laborer (although the idea was to pay them). That's where the mind eraser thing sprouted from...

I have been thinking about running a game based loosely on a Harry Potter idea.  It would be college student learning magic in a modern day setting.  I would want to have it more mature so it would be in the adult section, hence college students.

The students would arrive at the school and be assigned together as a group under an advisory who has a dozen or so students.  I am thinking magic is not more rare but this is a small school so it is not as large as Hogwarts.

I would be open to suggestions.  I am thinking it is in an old castle in Transylvania but with in the castle are all sorts of portals that lead to different cities around the world where the adventures would take place.

Any interest?

A few suggestions.
1. No magic v. technology conflict, having one means skipping one of the most interesting areas of a modern magic world.

2. Magic isn't secret, sticking with the Potter example I don't think they ever gave a good reason why it was.

3. Have a plot. I've been in a few magic school games, all have died from lack of anything happening.

Geas Question:
A Lesser Geas is for one task, so I don't think I'd allow 'serve me for x time', for that use Greater Geas. Better yet use Enslave, same cost as Great Geas more versatile, and you don't risk losing an IQ point of you crit fail.

Thanks. *Runs to rulebook to find Enslave.*

Well, the general idea would be that the players are all part of this one class.  The Advisor and teachers would send them on assignments or missions.  It would not just be, here is the school and make your plot.

I would lean towards the magic is secret but the powers that be are not strict about using it.  The mages council wants it secret so they would not be hunted for being dangerous or powerful.  Magic would be allowed to be used but not so everyone could see it.   More like in WOD.

Now if most of the players would prefer a world where magic was known, I could probably go that way.  Then like in most fantasy worlds, there would be places it is accepted and others where it could even be outlawed.

4e seems to have left Acceleration Tolerance out.  Unless I am missing it, of course.  I wonder why, especially since they included Acceleration Weakness.

It's on Page 81, under Resistance. It's a rare effect. "Acceleration - blackouts due to acceleration, etc."

They did a pretty good job of hiding it, huh?

Ah.  Thanks Lawman.

I've always liked the concept; wove it into several games.. Have Technomancer, much gaming experience... I'd be down for some back to school action... partly because I just started going back for a, um degree in Hex-Ray technomagery and other diagnostic magic, (or at least, tech sufficiently advanced as to be mistaken for magic) and the whole issue of most of my classmates being young enough to be my children is kinda surreal...

Has anyone played Classic Battletech?

I am giving consideration to starting a GURPS Battletech/Mechwarrior game using GURPS for the Mechwarrior portion and MegaMek for the Battletech aspect.  For those unfamiliar with MegaMek, it is an on-line version of the Battletech board game.  If I were to use MegaMek, then the GURPS gunnery skills would have to be converted to the Battletech format.

For those not familiar with Battletech, the lower is better.  Here is how I am considering the conversion from GURPS to Battletech.  4 is considered average so that has to be considered as a 10 in GURPS.  The chart below is the rest of the breakdown.

Battletech GURPS
5          8 and under
4          10 to 12
3          13 to 15
2          16 and up

Anything over 16 would not increase the To Hit probability unfortunately but it would increase the chance of a critical hit.  This would be an issue since I could not dictate to MegaMek that a critical hit has been scored since the program automatically calculates hits.  I am still unsure how I would resolve that issue at the moment... lol.

I have a feeling that I would have to resolve each critical hit myself then apply the results before the damaged unit takes its action.  For example, if the said unit had its movement reduced then I would only be able to enter a movement that did not exceed the new move score.  If a critical hit were to result in excessive heat build up, then I would simply consider that extra heat and not use any available weapons that such a heat build up would logically exclude from usage.

I realize this would mean a significant increase in what I would have to do for each and every unit in play but I believe it would work.  I have yet to test my theory but I think it is sound.

My request is this:  Consider the skill conversion above and also MegaMek issue (if anyone is familiar with it, that is).  Is the conversion accurate, fair, and workable?  If not, how can it be tweaked so that it is?

Thanks for your time.

The chart looks ok. How about instead of a crit in BT you just give it another hit? Then, it counts as a crit in GURPS, but as extra damage in comp prog, and the prog can till dish out crits like normal?

OK, I have played around with MegaMek some more and cannot find a way to get the program to let me do anything close to how I want to do it.. Imagine that.. lol

Anyway, I am sure I can do it the long way described above.


In your esteemed opinions, what GURPS tech level would you give the Battletech universe before the clans invasion?

I've actually done BT in GURPS, and that was a biggie. The TLs don't really match up- you can realy only say "about". IIRC, they changed the TL from 3E to 4E, and I'm not familiar with the new one, but it's going to have to be custom. Something similiar to "About TL 10, but no blasters or braintaping or cybertech, but you cann have..." So it won't be an easy conversion, again.

I don't know Battletech, but if it helps you can often break Tech Levels up by the catagories presented on page 512 of Campaigns.

So, you could say:

Transportation = TL9
Medical = TL8
Weapons = TL10
etc...

And then still enter a few variations where needed, like Medical TL9, but not cloning.

Here is the situation:

Battlemechs (could be anything which is very freakin' expensive for that matter)can cost anywhere from around 1 million to 10 million to purchase new.
Sorry, had the costs way off

Using the new wealth rules, and considering a Battlemech to be signature gear, it would still cost 50 points or more for a character to purchase one at creation.  That is assuming a starting wealth of $20,000.

Am I missing something or is that correct?
This message was last edited by the player at 02:45, Mon 12 Mar 2007.

I must have misread the signature equipment advantage.  It does not reduce the cost of wealth by 50% but rather gives you 50% of the starting wealth in equipment only.  Looks like I still need to figure out how to get each character to own such an expensive machine without having 100+ points in Wealth.

You hand them one for free... You are the ST so you can do that you know!

And if you don't like giving away gifts you could do the Han Solo trick making them owe money to someone.

Just a thought :)

Or you could let them build it with points. Give 150 for the pilot, and then however many for the machine. GURPS has good rules for building machines with points, instead of money.

The way I've done spaceships (Perhaps more than mechs?) was to charge the PCs 10% as a downpayment and have them owe a note. good way to get rid of excess cash, too! Basically the Han Solo trick, but you can have it owed to a loan shark like Jabba, or even a legitimate bank.

Well, it's not that I mind giving things for free especially in a case like this.  After all, it is sort of important for a MechWarrior to have a 'Mech.  If they don't, then they are, what is called in Battletech, Dispossessed (loss of status, social stigma, on the edge, compulsion,... etc, etc, etc).

The first thing is that I want players to be able to select the 'Mech they want.  The second thing is that I do not want them to all be stuck with a light 'Mech because that is all they can afford.  I also do not want them to swing the other way and all select Assault 'Mechs.

I had entertained the idea of modifying Signature Equipment some how so that it could be used in this case.  I think the situation certainly fits both the letter and the spirit of the advantage.

I had not thought of building the 'Mechs as characters until late last night.  I read a suggestion to do just that thing on the SJG forum.  There was even a convenient example provided.  I'll have to think on that a bit as my initial reaction is that I would rather do it some other way.  I have no real basis for feeling that way but we'll see how it comes out.

I wanna run a space based Gurps game.  Anybody know when they're gonna release a book for building ships?  I though Gurps Space would, but it didn't. :(

Vehicles will probable have some, but I think it's just going to be a catalog of vehicles with the construction rules an e23 product. At least the last I heard.

If you want to build the ship like a character Biotech has suggestions. Also the 3rd edition starship building rules still work fine.

Not really lookin' to build a ship as a char.  Also, I don't have any 3E stuff.  What book is the 3E ship building rules in?

In 3e Space, Amazon has some used ones starting pretty cheap.