I don't even what to think about how cool it would look in color.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 04:18 pm: Edit

Would you do a few versions for other races? And other shuttle types?

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 04:36 pm: Edit

In color, to scale with minis.

Actually...perhaps do it as a shuttle/cardboard characters pack?

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 04:41 pm: Edit

Sorry, I would never use cardboard characters. To Board game-ish. If they were included with the shuttle, well, then I'd buy it and toss the characters. (Maybe not in the trash but at least in a box somewhere.)

I would REALLY like to see a "Shuttle deck plan" pack. With at least the major powers shuttles.

By Peter Miller (Thegolem) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 04:45 pm: Edit

SVC: I love it! I'd definitely pick up a cardboard characters pack for GPD; I've found the GURPS and Paranoia ones I've bought in the past invaluable.

By Robert Herneson (Herneson) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 05:37 pm: Edit

Shuttle playtest report:

I enlarged the shuttle to fit on an 8.5 x 11" page, printed it off, added a top, and glued it together. My 2 1/2 year old son, who is just learning about Trek said, "Dad -- Emprise?"
I replied, "Yes, thats from Star Trek, from the Enterprise."
He then picked it up and started running around my office, holding it up going, "ZOOoooommmm!!!"

Conclusion: Prototype is successful.

Robert

By Gary Plana (Garyplana) on Thursday, August 08, 2002 - 06:37 pm: Edit

I think you just had a Real Good Idea™, Steve. The main problem is: what scale?

Do they get scaled to fit 25mm figures, 15mm, 32mm, or what? I'd assume they would be the same as the humanoid miniatures we'll do some day, and then there is also the scale we'll be doing deckplans in MPA etc.

Has a command decision been made on any of that, yet?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 10:41 am: Edit

Gary: I have not yet begun to decide.

By Robert Herneson (Herneson) on Friday, August 09, 2002 - 11:31 am: Edit

Didn't J.P. Jones say that?

By Richard Brown (Richardb) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 05:28 pm: Edit

If it's to be compatable with other GURPS maps won't it need to be on a 1yd per inch scale?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 05:35 pm: Edit

Possibly. I haven't studied the situation enough to know. As SFB ships are HUGE compared to Traveler ships, that scale would produce plans about 30 feet long and 12 feet wide. Obviously unplayable. The theory was to do the maps in a much smaller "reference" scale and then provide key areas in whatever scale we pick. Even so, the large size of SFB ships may require using some smaller scale and just "crowding" the playing pieces somewhat. Or not. I haven't gotten that far yet.

By Gary Plana (Garyplana) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 04:47 am: Edit

Richard, I think "compatible with GURPS" and "compatible with TRAVELER" are two different things. The scales are different, plus TRAVELER uses squares while GURPS uses hexes -- which is why GPD also uses hexes.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 09:57 am: Edit

Which isn't to say that, given the huge traveler market, we wouldn't also do squares.

By Thomas Gamble (Guardiann) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 03:03 pm: Edit

Scale is also relative. The Traveller deck plans are not to Traveller's usual scale, but simply have squares instead of hexes. The main item for the plans is 1 hex per yard, and traveller 1 square per metre. If the ships are huge, use smaller hexes. Due to the size of SFB ships, it would be impracticle to make full cardboard hero's scale maps. I would probably expect something like Small scale deck plans of the whole ship with cardboard hero scale segments for likely combat locations (Bridge, Engineering, Shuttle bays, transporter rooms, etc.). Other areas like the olympic sized swimming pool probably don't need full map treatments. SJG suppliments like the "Great Salt Flats" can take care of them nicely.

By Richard Brown (Richardb) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 05:14 pm: Edit

When I said Gurps scale I meant the scale of cardboard hero's maps which is AFAIK a 1 inch hex =1 yard across. This is the scale assumed in advanced combat in Gurps Basic Set. This is also AFAIK the scale used in Gurps Travler deckplans where I believe the maps are two sided with hexes and squares to suit both G: Traveler and regular Traveler players. I think the refrence map/playable scale map is going to be a necesity, if the whole ship would be 30' X 12' at 1 inch/yard shrinking the whole ship to a managable scale would make things much too crowded when using even the smallest minatures.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, September 03, 2002 - 05:49 pm: Edit

I believe I said all that. Yes.

By Richard Brown (Richardb) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 06:57 pm: Edit

Sorry Steve I misread your comment and thought you meant doing the whole ship on a smaller scale then fitting minatures on with crowding. That and I was responding to Gary, who seemed to think I didn't know the difference between a Gurps map and a Traveler map.
BTW just how big of rooms are there on these ships that you need to crowd things together doing only key areas at full scale?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, September 04, 2002 - 07:09 pm: Edit

Richard: While no one compartment might be (much) bigger than, say, a modular cutter, the various complexes of interrelated compartments could easily be four or six times as big.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 10:46 am: Edit

SVC: I know that these are huge but has any thought gone to doing bases? I would not expect to see a SB (though you would only have to do one module). However, a BAT would cover a veriaty of bases and a plethora of adventures. That aside what I was really thinking was the verious ground bases. Only a few levels at most, right?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 11:21 am: Edit

Loren: We actually have a set of plans (if we can read those old optical disks) for a system station, and yes, it's huge. BATS would be much bigger; several 17x22 sheets just to show it in a scale big enough for you to follow the hallways and such. Gaming scale would fit in a basketball court.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, September 14, 2002 - 11:34 am: Edit

Well, I sure hope you can rescue that sucker! Ground Bases like the Medeum Bomber base or the GHD souldn't be too hard, no? Because that's where you could have a great adventure. Klingon Prime Team Beta disables the ground defences while PT Alpha steals one of the new Federation Heavy Bombers for inspection. A chace ensues and the Bomber is destroyed but not before PT Alpha is beamed away with a grip of Tricorder data.

By Davyd Atwood (Blackelf) on Friday, December 13, 2002 - 06:29 pm: Edit

Nick Blank -

I tried to e-mail you and it bounced. Can you e-mail me with your current addy so I can see if it's 'cause I've got the wrong one, or if it's cause your server doesn't like yahoo? Cheers, DAvyd.

By Nick G. Blank (Nickgb) on Monday, December 16, 2002 - 02:04 pm: Edit

Davyd, I sent you an e-mail, but never heard back. Did you get it? My new address is in my profile, ngblank2000@yahoo.com

The only npcc.net address is no longer used.

By William F. Hostman (Aramis) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 02:52 am: Edit

A Question on that shuttle plan...(in the Archive through August 08, 2002), and a really surprising oversight for something from an Engineer... what's the scale on the floor squares? It looks to be SciFi-minis standard 1.5m... but 1m would be more GURPSian.

BTW, I put one together, and wound up playing with it! (I'm fortunate enough to HAVE a fully assembled and painted ERTL Shuttle... the seating plan is right. The door isn't, but that's "Explainable" in game-universe.)

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Friday, March 14, 2003 - 08:04 am: Edit

Yeah, with zillions upon zillions of admin shuttles being manufactured over the course of more than a centurary by various contractors, you're gonna see some slight variations.