Patreon Polls: June

Every month, for my Patrons, I hold a poll on topics for the next month, so I (ideally) give you guys at least one post per month that suits your interests.  A patron recently suggested that I make these polls visible to the public, so that people can see what we're talking about behind the scenes and, if they like it, maybe become a Patron.

All Patrons ($1+) get to vote on a general GURPS topic

• A Deep Dive into Conditional Injury: I've been using Douglas Cole's Conditional Injury for my ships, but how well does it handle personal combat? I'll do a thorough review of the article, make suggestions on how to alter it or improve it and discuss how it might apply nicely to certain genres.

• A Review of Fantastic Dungeon Grappling: I backed Douglas Cole's recent backstarter, not for the product itself, but because I wanted a copy of Dragon Heresy and Fantastic Dungeon Grappling.  This might also turn into a review of Technical Grappling, as they're essentially the same thing (as I understand it).

• Trademark Moves as Style Basis: Back when Pyramid was still a thing, I had one idea for writing an article: the synergy between designing trademark moves and martial arts styles, and how to use one to build the other.  It's a topic I find myself explaining to people online regularly, so I could codify it into a single post.

• Martial Arts as Power-Ups: When I started working with GURPS Martial Arts, I found it a little disappointing, as I was used to a different style, similar to Exalted where one buys moves and powers rather than some nuance to a skill.  I've recently been exploring power-up ideas for martial arts and struck upon an idea of how to combine the two. (This topic has obsessed me recently, and I actually have a mess of worked examples already)

• Plague Creation Rules: As part of Orphans of the Stars' biotech rules, I worked out some guidelines for creating your own diseases: how severe should they be, what sort of knock-on effects might a disease have, etc.

• A New Ultratech Framework with Setting: So back when I created my series on Ultra-Tech frameworks, I had a sample setting that I wanted to release to illustrate it.  I left it unfinished as it took more work than I expected.  I could round it off fairly easily and release it, if you're interested.

$3+ patrons ("Fellow Travelers") get to vote on Psi-Wars topics. Normally I allow a lot of leeway, but recently I've seen a lot of demand for rule collation, so we have two polls running right now:

For Rule Collation:

• The Basics: BAD in Psi-Wars, Impulse buys, and other basic core rules of Psi-Wars
• The Call to Adventure: how to get a Psi-Wars adventure started
• The Road to Adventure: Space and Planetary Travel in Psi-Wars
• Unveiling the Secrets of the Galaxy: Investigation in Psi-Wars
• Action: Combat rules and Vehicular Action rules
• Templates! Just pick a template and revisit it!
• Psionic Powers, including Negative Psi and new Techniques and Powers
• Communion, with all the various little rules its picked up over the years. 

Last month, we had the Eldothic Deep Engine, but this turned out to be a bit more involved than I expected, so I pivoted, and this month we're looking at which race we'd like to see elevated to a full "conspiratorial" setting element, complete with their secrets, stats-as-monsters, and how one goes about defeating them.  Options here include:

• The Eldoth, the Deep Engine, and their servitors
• The Skairos, the Devils of Persephone and the Labyrinthine Worlds
• The Templars and their secretive Chapters and the Temples of Communion
• The Cult of the Mystical Tyrant, the Imperial cult and their catspaws
• The Ghosts of Broken Communion and Death Cults
• The Anacridian Scourge, its corruption, its relics and its connection to the Machine-World of Azrael. 

If you'd like to join in, just hit the link on the side.  Otherwise, I'll see you later this week when I announce the winner and thanks, as always, for reading.

Review: GURPS Powers: Totems and Nature Spirits

When I first heard about GURPS Powers: Totems and Nature Spirits, it naturally piqued my interest and when I saw it available for $5, I picked it up.  It's a slim volume, clocking in at a grand total of 17 pages and ~8,000 words, and it seems to represent yet another step GURPS is taking away from magic-as-skills and towards magic-as-abilities, which is a direction I can approve of.

Let's take a look, shall we?

Alliance Space Vehicles - Prestige-Pattern Diplomatic Shuttle

ST/HP: 210

Hand/SR: +0/4

HT: 13

Move: 2/200 (+12)

LWt.: 74

Load: 29

SM: +7

Occ.: 2+2ASV + 12SV

DR: 200*

Range: 2 jumps

Cost: $35M

Loc.: G3rR

Stall: 0

Total Chase Roll: +12

*The Prestige has 200 diamondoid DR on all sides; halve DR against crushing damage. It also has a force screen with 300 ablative, hardened DR.

Alliance Space Vehicle - the Ronin-Pattern Battle-Yacht

ST/HP: 150

Hand/SR: +2/4

HT: 12

Move: 5/300 (+13)

LWt.: 27.5

Load: 5.2

SM: +7

Occ.: 4ASV

DR: 200*

Range: 5 jumps

Cost: $55M

Loc.: g3rR

Stall: 0

Total Chase Roll: +15

*The Ronin has 200 diamondoid DR on all sides; halve DR against crushing damage. It also has a force screen with 500 ablative, hardened DR.

Alliance Space Vehicle - The Valkyrie-Pattern Light Psychotronic Fighter

ST/HP: 95

Hand/SR: +5/3

HT: 12

Move: 15/600* (+14)

LWt.: 7.0

Load: 1.1

SM: +4

Occ.: 1SV

DR: 75

Range: 18,000

Cost: $15M

Loc.: Wi3rR

Stall: 50

Total Chase Roll: +19 (+20 with afterburner)

*The Valkyrie is equipped with an Afterburner which improves the Move to 22/700 (+15) and consumes four times as much fuel (reducing range to 4,500 miles, if used continuously).

*The Valkyrie’s 75 DR covers the entire vehicle and comes from Diamondoid, and has half DR vs crushing damage. It also has a DR 300 force screen.

Alliance Space Vehicles - The Raptor-Pattern Strike Fighter

ST/HP: 140

Hand/SR: +2/4

HT: 11

Move: 5/375 (+13)*

LWt.: 24.5

Load: 5.5

SM: +6

Occ.: 1SV+1rx

DR: 100/50*

Range: 21,000, 2 jumps (Rating 1)

Cost: $20M

Loc.: g2Wi3rR

Stall: 20

Total Chase Roll: +15 (+16 with afterburner)

*The Raptor is equipped with an Afterburner which improves the Move to 7/450 (+13) and gains +1 handling and consumes four times as much fuel (reducing range to 5000 miles, if used continuously).

†The Raptor has 100 carbide composite DR on the front and 50 on the rest; double DR vs shaped charges or plasma attacks. It also has a force screen with 300 ablative, hardened DR.

Alliance Space Vehicles - The Valiant-Pattern Multi-Role Fighter

ST/HP: 130

Hand/SR: +2/4†

HT: 12

Move: 9/530*† (+14)

LWt.: 14.75

Load: 2.2

SM: +5

Occ.: 1SV+1xr

DR: 15‡

Range: 21,000*

Cost: $28M

Loc.: g3rR2Wi

Stall: 65/30†

Total Chase Roll: +16 (+17 w afterburner in high speed or Agile configuration)

*The Valiant is equipped with an afterburner which improves the Move to 13/650 (+14) and handling to +3 and consumes four times as much fuel (reducing range to 5,025 miles, if used continuously). It also has a hyperdrive with a rating of 2 and sufficient fuel for 2 jumps.

†The Valiant has variable geometry wings. “Speed Geometry” use the above stats; “Agility Geometry” halves its top speed (275 (+12) or 325 (+13) with afterburner), gives it a +1 to handling and reduces the Stall speed to 30. While using both afterburner and Agility geometry, it has a total handling of +4 and a top speed of 300 (+13) for a chase roll of +17.

‡The Valiant has a force screen with DR 200. This may be angled to create 400 DR in a particular direction, but 100 DR in another directions.