d20 Future + Alternity Warships–anyone else done this?

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Warlord Ralts, what you're asking for is in the Alternity Warships rules. Have you considered them, as I have?

I've never seen them, or I would probably be considering. I made my own rules instead.

 

[genshou]

I've never seen them, or I would probably be considering. I made my own rules instead.

I think you should take a look. It would lessen your workload considerably. I'm glad a good friend of mine pointed AWS out during one of my (many and frequent) starship rules rants.

The PDF was offered free after the Alternity product line was cancelled partway into the book's production. I can email you a copy if you want

 

[Ralts Bloodthorne]

Please do. I'd like to see it.

ralts at hotmail.com if you would.

 

[Captain Tagon]

True, but I've never found a futuristic sci-gaming group so willingly ignorant to all scientific laws. It's really hard to keep up the suspension if disbelief with starships screaming through space at such ridiculously high accelerations. But, if such simplicity works for your gaming group, there's no reason to bog down combat with trivial number-crunching. I just hail from a gaming group full of math and science majors.

That explains it. I game with a bunch of theology, English, and business majors.

 

[genshou]

That explains it. I game with a bunch of theology, English, and business majors.

So it does! Not that there's anything wrong with an English major; I'm shooting for one once I get my Bachelor's in Philosophy. Theology is nice for a D&D setting but doesn't lend applicable knowledge to most sci-fi games. However, it's also a good major to go for. Lots of fun careers in that field.

No comment about the business major

 

[Peterson]

I have looked at Warships, along with a few other starship rules, and here are my thoughts.

Construction needs to cover a larger list of "incidentals", but they need to be presented as either "optional" or a "fast-track build" needs be done in addition, to keep ship construction quick and dirty for those who like it like that, and in-depth for those who like the details. I, myself, vary on those two methods depending on what I'm building the ship for - if its just another pirate ship, I'll go quick and dirty; but if its the PC ship, well, I want to know every escape pod, computer bank, and where they keep the dishwasher soap.

Combat, on the other hand, should be handled almost the opposite way. I - personally - don't think combat should be full of mathmatical formulas and pieces of string. Combat should be ripe with options, maneuvers (both realistic and cinematic - with corresponding difficulties), and lots of explosions - not all of them crippling either. Called shots, jinking, "mission-kills", dodging missiles, the works - but done very fast, almost handled loosely, and the like.

As for Warships, I think its a great resource to have - I myself have two copies, one all highlighted with conversion notes as well as reworked mechanics, the other untouched. As almost everyone here - I severely dislike the d20 Future starship rules, and have to wonder why WotC decided to give the original document such a butchering.

The one thing I dislike probably the most - or at least tied with the "ship sizes" - is the sheer amount of dice for hit points and damage. No real need for it, in my opinion.

Just my two thoughts,

Peterson

 

[genshou]

Good to have you in the thread, Peterson!

I have looked at Warships, along with a few other starship rules, and here are my thoughts.

Construction needs to cover a larger list of "incidentals", but they need to be presented as either "optional" or a "fast-track build" needs be done in addition, to keep ship construction quick and dirty for those who like it like that, and in-depth for those who like the details. I, myself, vary on those two methods depending on what I'm building the ship for - if its just another pirate ship, I'll go quick and dirty; but if its the PC ship, well, I want to know every escape pod, computer bank, and where they keep the dishwasher soap.

Combat, on the other hand, should be handled almost the opposite way. I - personally - don't think combat should be full of mathmatical formulas and pieces of string. Combat should be ripe with options, maneuvers (both realistic and cinematic - with corresponding difficulties), and lots of explosions - not all of them crippling either. Called shots, jinking, "mission-kills", dodging missiles, the works - but done very fast, almost handled loosely, and the like.

As for Warships, I think its a great resource to have - I myself have two copies, one all highlighted with conversion notes as well as reworked mechanics, the other untouched. As almost everyone here - I severely dislike the d20 Future starship rules, and have to wonder why WotC decided to give the original document such a butchering.

The one thing I dislike probably the most - or at least tied with the "ship sizes" - is the sheer amount of dice for hit points and damage. No real need for it, in my opinion.

Just my two thoughts,

Peterson

Whereas I like the way d20 Future handles starship hit dice, but not the abstract way they assign maximum weapons and defense systems. I've been a fan of the Escape Velocity game series by Ambrosia Software ever since version 1.0.0 of the original was released. One thing I like about that game is the amount one can customize their own spaceship. This is allowed a lot more on non-player ships in the threquel EV Nova due to increased in game engine capabilities.

I'm the sort of guy who has fun drawing up D&D stronghold blueprints and starship plans–perhaps I should make a career out of it I'll be working on making "basic" models of each hull type for each of the governments in my campaign as well as some megacorporations, and making a baseline civilian shell of all the civilian ships. Having to make statistics for ships in the United Earth Protectorate (including the sub-navies of United Frontier Shipping and the UEP Exploration Corps), Saturn Rebellion, Centaurian Empire, Tau Ceti IV Resistance, Rigellian Intelligence Network, Interstellar Trade Consortium, and the Renegades will take a great deal of time, but I'll regularly upload them to this thread. Would that make anyone more likely to pick up AWS's construction rules, if someone else who loved doing it did all their dirty work for them?

 

[Ranger REG]

That's not very hard to see after reading even a page of either sourcebook. So no, you didn't tell me anything I didn't already know

The problem is the amount of information from Warships that they took out. Some of us like to know sensor ranges and how far a missile can go!

JD Wiker didn't want to accuse Chris Perkin who was in charge of editing his starship material. Sighs. But that's what you get for trying to cram every element into one 200-plus page sourcebook.

One can hope that JD could put back in what was cut out from d20 Future into the upcoming d20 Future Tech book due out next year.