gomiville

Looking forward to it.

 

Prefer the "recycled" style of CP2020, so I need some "old" guns.

Actually, the jitter isn't random, so it can't be eliminated with two receivers next to each other.  It can however be eliminated if you have one guaranteed fixed point.  Some airports have used this system, with a fixed beacon at the airport and GPS receivers in planes, using the fixed point to more accurately determine the plane's position.

 

The other two systems use different satellites.  

 

The Soviet system (GLONASS) has fewer satellites (I think) and is less accurate.  This basically eliminates its "no jitter" advantage over GPS, making it actually less accurate for civilian use.

 

The European system (Galileo) isn't operational yet, though it promises to be more accurate than GPS (now a few decades old) and (I think) without a "civilian jitter."

 

Most receivers are set for just one system or another, though I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be terribly difficult to have multiple systems work on the same receiver.  Could be beneficial when all systems are operational, allowing you to switch from one to the other, should one system or the next become jammed, since it's so easy to jam their signals.

A little off topic, but the GPS "jitter" is just in the civilian transmission.  Military GPS is as accurate as the system can get (I think only 0.5m resolution, but I'm not sure).  That's why some people prefer the Soviet or European versions (can't remember their names), since they don't have a "civilian jitter."

An amphibious multi-role Osprey for maritime operations.

 

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Fed-Boeing Pelican Amphibious V/STOL

Top Speed: 315 mph (507 kph)

Acc/Dec: 10/20 mph/turn (16/32 kph/turn)

Crew: 2 (pilot, copilot, though it can be flown by just one)

Passengers: Varies

Range: 1200 mi (1931 km)

Cargo: 6 tons (34 spaces)

Maneuver: +0

SDP: 160 (Body 8)

SP: 16 (Armor 1)

Type: Osprey

Mass: 20 tons

Cost: 750,000eb (736,250eb base cost)

Equipment: Amphibious modifications, crash harnesses for crew, full environmental control, long-range (500km) radio, autopilot with navsystem, light amp, radar (10km, terrain following), and toilet

Weapons: None, though there are 40 pod spaces on the wings between 4 hardpoints.

Notes: Though a bit pricey for an Osprey (100Keb more than the venerable V-22), the Pelican is fully amphibious and capable of operating from "austere runways," allowing it to operate anywhere.  The cargo bay and wing hardpoints are completely modular, allowing the Pelican to be adapted for a variety of missions.

 

Common Modules:

 

SAR: Medbay for 10, two winches out the rear cargo door, seating for 7 (3 medics, 2 divers, 2 cargo masters) with crash harnesses, three spotlights (fore, 2 aft), loudspeaker, directional beacon finder (5km), marine radar (50km), thermal imaging, cargo area for rescue equipment (4 spaces), two 10-person auto-inflating life rafts in drop pods.  +45,000eb, uses all interior spaces and two external hardpoints.

 

ASW: Military sonar buoy on 100m cable winch (15km, ID), military radar (50km, look-down, ID), military radio (scrambler w/ intercept descrambler), magnetometer, thermal imaging, seating for 8 (commander, 3 weapons techs, 4 surveillance techs) with crash harnesses, chaff and flare launchers, 6 Sea Sparrow XIIs (split between two hardpoints), 8 heavy torpedoes (split between two hardpoints), internal rack for six 250kg depth charges.  +233,000eb not including "ammo cost," uses all internal and external spaces, +191,000eb for missiles/torpedoes/depth charges.

 

Interdiction: Military radar (50km, look-down, ID, targeting rangefinder), military radio (scrambler w/ intercept descrambler), magnetometer, thermal imaging, seating for 20 (commander, weapons tech, 3 surveillance techs, 15 marines) with crash harnesses, holding cell for 10 with crash harnesses/restraints, chaff and flare launchers, two winches out the rear cargo door, four spotlights (2 fore, 2 aft), loudspeaker, 4 Sea Sparrow XIIs (one hardpoint), 4 medium torpedoes (one hardpoint), two gunpods with 20mm autocannon (100rnds each, two hardpoints, computer sights +1 each).  +166,000eb not including "ammo cost," uses all internal and external spaces, +96,600eb for missiles/torpedoes/20mm ammunition.

 

Liaison/Passenger: Seating for 34 with crash harnesses.  +8750eb, uses all internal spaces.

 

Cargo: Seating for 2 (2 cargo masters) with crash harnesses, two winches out the rear cargo door.  +3500eb, uses 4 internal spaces, the rest is dedicated to cargo.

 

Patrol: Marine radar (50km, ID, targeting rangefinder), military radio (scrambler w/ intercept descrambler), magnetometer, thermal imaging, chaff and flare launchers, seating for 6 (commander, weapons tech, 2 surveillance techs, 2 divers) with crash harnesses, one winch out the rear cargo door, two spotlights (fore, aft), loudspeaker, 3 Sea Sparrow XIIs (one hardpoint), 3 medium torpedoes (one hardpoint), 3 Air-to-Air missiles (one hardpoint), 10-person auto-inflating liferaft in drop pod (one hardpoint), internal rack for 12 mini-buoys (each includes sonar, comm relay, nav relay and emergency beacon).  +136,000eb not including "ammo cost," uses all internal and external spaces, +123,000eb for missiles/torpedoes/AAMs/mini-buoys.

 

Drop tanks: 700 lbs fuel tank (+100 mi).  +500eb, uses one external hardpoint.

I've always seen TECH as "practical application," a combination of brains and physical manipulation.

 

That's how TECH can cover both Basic Tech and Play Instrument.  For both of them you have a mental knowledge (principles of direct current, musical scales) and a physical manipulation (turning the screw, strumming the strings).  First Aid, Forgery, Lock Picking, these all have elements of both physical and mental.

 

I would say TECH is fine manipulation, but pounding a nail isn't very fine, and knife fighting can be very delicate, so that isn't really true.

 

In comparison, INT is predominantly mental and REF is predominantly physical, while TECH is more an even hybrid.

I completely forgot about putting magnetometers on Coast Guard ships.  Theoretically, the only metal on the open sea should be other ships or boats (unless there's some hefty wreckage).  I remember reading about using MAD for sub detection.

 

Another detection point I just thought of: measuring the bulge on the ocean surface.  I can't remember what it's called, but there's a method of measuring the bulge created by a submerged object.  Obviously, it has to be done from an aircraft (or maybe satellite), the sub has to be relatively close to the surface (within a few hundred feet, I think) and the device has to be VERY well calibrated, but supposedly it works.  Not sure about the effect of rough seas though.

 

I like the Hedgehog idea, thanks.  And some sort of underwater "low-traversing" turret mounted on the bottom of the ship with two-stage "rocket" torpedoes.

Thinking about the Coast Guard thread, I'm wondering how you kill a submarine from a surface ship.

 

Consider a potentially likely scenario in 2020: a smuggler uses a small sub to transport an ops team (or drugs, slave labor, illegal cybernetics, etc) into a coastal area, and it's up to the Coast Guard (or contracted corporate equivalent) to stop him.

 

The most basic method I know are depth charges.  But that seems so old fashioned.  It's basically WWI technology, subaquatic dumb bombs.

 

Do torpedoes have full 3D capabilities (i.e. up and down as well as side to side)?  Can one launched from a surface ship (or ASW helicopter) travel down to a sub?  I'm guessing they can, since two subs don't have to be on the level to shoot at each other. Or do they?

 

What other technology exists (or will exist in 2020) to kill submarines from the surface (or air)?

I translated the Coast Guard ships Monk mentioned (and two smaller ones) into Max Metal type stats.  Thanks to whoever wrote the Neocity net.book for the "Maximum Metal on the High Seas" section.  Of course, feel free to ignore or change certain stats, since I was only guessing at SDP, SP, ammo capacity, etc.

 

Though some weapon loads have been expanded (anti-ship missiles, depth charge), everything else is as stated on either the Coast Guard's website or globalsecurity.org.  I've also included some thoughts (largely fictional) on why these "antiquated" vessels are still in action in 2020.

 

Edit: The 38-foot DPB is also complete SWAG, since all I could find about it, besides a picture, is it's length (38 feet, duh).

 

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25-foot Transportable Port Security Boat (TPSB) -- "Guardian"

Top Speed: 42 knots

Acc/Dec: 25/15

Crew: 3-4

Passengers: 0

Range: 500 nmi

Cargo: 4.5 tons (if it carried cargo)

Maneuver: +4

SDP: 100 (Body 5)

SP: 10 (Armor 0)

Type: Patrol Boat

Mass: 6 tons (7.5x2.5m)

Cost: Enough.

Equipment: Marine radar, sonar (terrain following), military radio, nav system

Weapons: Bow 12.7mm MG (1000rnds), aft port and starboard 7.62mm MGs (500rnds ea)

Notes: Draft is 1m.  High structural integrity due to Boston Whaler "unsinkable" design.

 

38-foot Deployable Pursuit Boat (DPB)

Top Speed: 55 knots

Acc/Dec: 25/15

Crew: 2

Passengers: 4

Range: 300 nmi

Cargo: 7.5 tons (if it carried cargo) (15)

Maneuver: +5

SDP: 150 (Body 7)

SP: 15 (Armor 2)

Type: Patrol Boat

Mass: 10 tons (11.5x3m)

Cost: Enough.

Equipment: Planing hull, marine radar, sonar (terrain following), military radio, nav system

Weapons: None, though the passengers are a boarding party carrying small arms

Notes: Draft is 1m.  

 

110-foot Patrol Boat (WPB) -- Island Class

Top Speed: 29.6 knots

Acc/Dec: 25/15

Crew: 16

Passengers: 0

Range: 3300 nmi

Cargo: 115 tons (if it carried cargo)

Maneuver: +3

SDP: 300 (Body 15)

SP: 30 (Armor 1)

Type: Patrol Boat

Mass: 154 tons (33.5x6.5m)

Cost: A lot.

Equipment: Marine radar (ID, terrain following), military sonar (ID, terrain following), nav system with autopilot, damage control, military environmental systems, comm system (military radio, satcomm, laser comm, scrambler w/ intercept ability), chaff launcher

Weapons: Bow Mk96 25mm AC (7000rnds), stern CIWS (6,000rnds), port and starboard 12.7mm MGs (2000rnds ea)

Notes: Draft is 2m.  Commissioned in 1986-1992, the service life of the 110-foot WPB is expected to end in 2027.

 

210-foot Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) -- Reliance Class

Top Speed: 18 knots

Acc/Dec: 10/15

Crew: 75

Passengers: 0

Range: 6100 nmi

Cargo: 750 tons (if it carried cargo)

Maneuver: +3

SDP: 3000 (Body 150)

SP: 300 (Armor 15)

Type: Cutter (Frigate)

Mass: 1000 tons (64x10m)

Cost: A lot.

Equipment: Helo deck (w/o hangar), medbay for 4, marine radar (ID, terrain following), military sonar (ID, terrain following), nav system with autopilot, damage control, military environmental systems, comm system (military radio, satcomm, laser comm, scrambler w/ intercept ability), chaff launcher

Weapons: Bow Mk96 25mm AC (7000rnds), stern CIWS (6,000rnds), port and starboard 12.7mm MGs (2000rnds ea)

Notes: Draft is 3.5m.  Commissioned in 1964-1969, most of the 210-foot WMECs have outlived their service life.  However, due to budget cuts, most of them have been maintained in service and are still used.

 

270-foot Medium Endurance Cutter (WMEC) -- Famous Cutter Class

Top Speed: 20 knots

Acc/Dec: 10/15

Crew: 100

Passengers: 0

Range: 10,075 nmi

Cargo: 1335 tons (if it carried cargo)

Maneuver: +2

SDP: 3750 (Body 187)

SP: 375 (Armor 19)

Type: Cutter (Frigate)

Mass: 1780 tons (82x12m)

Cost: A lot.

Equipment: Helo with retractable hangar, 26-foot launch (carries 16 people), 19-foot RIB (carries 10 people), medbay for 4, marine radar (ID, terrain following), military sonar (ID, terrain following), nav system with autopilot, damage control, military environmental systems, comm system (military radio, satcomm, laser comm, scrambler w/ intercept ability), chaff launcher

Weapons: Bow Mk75 76mm (1350rnds), stern CIWS (6,000rnds), port and starboard 12.7mm MGs (2000rnds ea), port and starboard Sea Sparrow XII anti-ship missiles

Notes: Draft is 4.5m.  Commissioned in 1983-1991, the service life of the 270-foot WMEC is expected to end in 2025.

 

378-foot High Endurance Cutter (WHEC) -- Hamilton Class

Top Speed: 29 knots

Acc/Dec: 10/15

Crew: 167

Passengers: 0

Range: 14,000 nmi

Cargo: 2437.5 tons (if it carried cargo)

Maneuver: +2

SDP: 4500 (Body 225)

SP: 450 (Armor 22)

Type: Cutter (Frigate)

Mass: 3250 tons (115x13m)

Cost: A lot.

Equipment: Helo with retractable hangar, 26-foot launch (carries 16 people), 19-foot RIB (carries 10 people), medbay for 6, marine radar (ID, terrain following), military sonar (ID, terrain following), nav system with autopilot, damage control, military environmental systems, comm system (military radio, satcomm, laser comm, scrambler w/ intercept ability), chaff launcher

Weapons: Bow Mk75 76mm (1800rnds), stern CIWS (12,000rnds), fore port and starboard Mk38 25mm ACs (1400rnds ea), aft port and starboard 12.7mm MGs (2000rnds ea), port pair of Harpoon IV anti-ship missiles, starboard depth charge ramp (18rnds)

Notes: Draft is 4.5m.  Originally commissioned from 1967-1972, and intended to only go until 2012, but budget constraints have kept them from getting new ones.

This is perfect, because I've been fiddling around with Boston (and New England) 2020, where the harbor has been populated with floating cities/raft communities.  Needed some Coast Guard vessels and ideas.

 

Another thought is vessels in harbors themselves.  Admittedly, more a harbor police thing than a coast guard thing, but you'd need smaller vessels to operate within crowded marinas and harbors.  I noticed some good RIBs* on Thumper's site, and there used to be a RIB "creation system" on somebody's website, but I can't find it anymore.  Something with a light or medium MG on a front pintle mount and 3-4 armed officers.

*RIB = Rigid Inflatable Boat, aka Zodiacs.

 

I think, as mentioned, Ospreys (in the CP2020 incarnation) would be most useful as coastal patrol aircraft.  They'd need far less space for takeoff and landing than fixed wing prop planes, and would be more manueverable on water than helicopters, like flying boats, and would be cheaper to operate with longer loiter times than AVs.  A couple Ospreys with cargo capacity (medbay, rescue gear, boarding marines) and weapon hardpoints (torpedoes, anti-ship missiles, autocannon) could perform a variety of missions.

 

Also, given the submerged threats in 2020 (minisubs, fighter subs, aquatic borgs, corporate frog teams, etc), there needs to be some sort of underwater patrol in protected areas (like marinas or harbors), as well as the ASW capabilities further out.  Dive sleds with mini-torpedoes, light/cheap patrol minisubs, armed remotes (subaquatic versions of the Hellfire Predators).

By the way, I know the security based Questions are pretty basic, the kind of stuff any GM should consider, but the Questions can be more building specific too.

 

More examples:

 

In Questions: is a floor of a corporate tower mostly cubicles, offices or executive suites?  This probably depends on how high the floor is (execs like to be high up), what kind of company it is (Big open areas for collaboration?  Cubicles with phones for customer support?  Separate offices for security and privacy?), etc.  How much floor space the cubicles (and offices) take up could be in the Facts section (based on my experience, cubicles are roughly 8 sq m with a 1.5:1 or 1:1 ratio of length to width).  

 

Someone sprays down the floor with an assault rifle, how much of the typing pool and middle management is slaughtered?  You consult the Facts, and see that cubicle walls are SP4 and 10SDP/sq m and office walls are SP5 and 15SDP/sq m.  I actually have a whole list of stopping powers for building matierials that I'll put in tomorrow.

 

Consider your office, apartment building, etc.  What rules of thumb could you add?

Blueprints are good, but rather specific.  It would be handy to have a collection of floorplans on hand to draw from, but I'm aiming more for general rules of thumb and such.

 

For example, your players stumble onto a minor gang rumble in the local shopping mall and security mistakes them for gang members.  What does security look like?  What weapons do they have?  What armor?  You consider the Questions and tell the players they're up against two 2-man teams of guards with SP10 vests, relatively cheap 10mm handguns and batons.

 

Another example, Johnny ChromeDome leaps from the office window after killing the VP of marketing.  He's on the fifth floor, how far does he have to fall?  You check the Facts and figure out he's 15m from the sidewalk.  You consult your rules regarding such a fall and calculate damage to the hapless borg.

 

As for floorplans, if people know of sites with collections of basic floorplans* (houses, offices, malls, hotels, etc), that'd be great.  But a specific floorplan from the books is too specific, I think, tied to a particular building.

 

* A good site I saw recently is a Shadowrun site with floorplans and maps.  Googling will also find some decent generic floorplans like this.

I also like the "points over To-Hit up to max damage" idea, but how would this jive with auto-fire and such?

 

Already, when you're firing on full auto, the higher you get over the To-Hit, the more rounds hits.  Would this new rule kick-in before or after all the bullets hit?

 

In other words, you fire 5 rounds full auto and exceed the To-Hit by 6.  Do you add +1 to the damage (after bullets) or +6 to damage (before bullets)?  Similarly, do you add the damage bonus to the first round?  All rounds? Or, until you run out of bonus (i.e. add the bonus to the damage total)?  I'd probably vote for the last option in both cases, making auto-fire that much more deadly.

I have an idea for a handbook for designing various facilities.  It wouldn't have specific rules (a la Max Metal) and would work for a wide variety of buildings (corporate tower, shopping mall, city hospital, tenement building, etc).  As I see it, it's split into two sections: Facts and Questions.

 

Facts are those little tidbits of knowledge that you need to detail a realistic building.  Some examples:

General: A standard story is roughly 3m tall.

Elevators: A single standard car can only go 150m or 48 floors, whichever is less.  Express cars can go further.

Elevators: One elevator per 4,180 sq m of usable space and never more than 8 elevators per bank.

 

Questions are things that need to be addressed to fully round out the building.  Some examples regarding building security:

Is there a sponsor? (All Militech or all Sternmeyer equipment, etc)

What's the threat level? (Corporate black ops or shop lifters and light crowd control, etc)

Is there an appearance issue? (Metalgear clad goons and borgs or friendly guards in low-key uniforms with discrete armor vests, etc)

 

Not a detailed set of rules, but a series of guidelines and assistance for creating any facilities you might want in your game.  It could grow out of this thread and include links to helpful websites (architecture sites, sample floor plans, etc) if needed.

 

What do people think?  Anybody have anything to add?  I'll add some more of my own later, if there's interest.

I'd add a vote for ducking out gracefully and loudly enough that your coworkers hear why.

 

Let your friends take them down, and you come out smelling clean.  That way everything's kosher and the funeral home can't claim you just had it in for them, potentially weaseling out of it.

 

The end result is a thorough cleaning out with rockwolf's "spiked club of buggering," no escape.  (Does this sound like a bad D&D weapon to anyone else?  "I use my +3 Spiked Club of Buggering on the kobold!")

Ah, a herring!

 

By no means, never, ever, even if your life depends on it, post after being clubbed with a herring.

 

(And don't post after a few bottles of wine and follow-up vodka shots, either, apparently)

Or were you yourself clubbed?  Hence, making you groggy and incapable of "un-T!T" creating posts.  

 

Was it a lead pipe or just your basic baseball bat with nails driven through it?  This can make a profound difference when it comes to internet usage.

I just watched 'Escape from L.A.' again on cable a few nights ago.  Love that movie (and 'New York'); not great "cinema," but loads of fun.  And I love Snake's guitar theme from 'L.A.,' the whole prairie-guitar, wild-west-gunfighter thing.  Nice use of the archetype, right up there with Han Solo or Kurosawa's films.

 

Off hand, I'd say Snake is a Solo, straight off.  If you like the sub-roles (Covert Operative, ACPA Trooper, etc), I'd say he's a Street Samurai, but I don't tend to use the derivative roles.

 

His stats would be high, especially REF and LUCK.  His COOL would be godly, like 12 or 15, completely unshakable.  INT would be pretty decent too, while EMP would probably be pretty low, but not psychotic.  His highest skill would be Handgun, of course (he's a modern gunslinger) with decent Combat Sense, Rifle and Melee.

 

As for my own movie/TV characters, I once created a fixer based on a grown up Matilda from 'Leon' ('The Professional').  She's a crack shot with a rifle (and decent with a handgun), cozy with the Mob, well educated, has a thing for taking out corrupt cops and a real soft spot for solos/hitmen she views as honorable (in rememberance of her deceased friend/mentor).

 

I also half-heartedly created a "mime from hell" based on 'The Crow,' a martial arts mime psychotically bent on vengeance against streetgangs that killed his wife.  He was fun: silent but deadly.    (The "mime from hell" comes from a line from the cop character about the main character's harlequin face paint)

I'm just thinking of how much quantified data exists on everyone.  All your vital statistics are recorded somewhere (height, weight, eye color, etc).  Your educational records, probably stored in some dusty storeroom (or on a dusty server in 2020), contain grades, aptitude test scores, classes taken.  Military records have commendations, black marks, obstacle course times, shooting qualifications.  Police records contain prior arrests, known associates, modus operandi.

 

A recent post (thread on dossiers) gave a link to a webpage on creating dossiers.  While this is little more than a fancy character sheet in many ways, it got me thinking about how many such documents exist on people today.  More are likely to exist in the future, as databases exchange information and more data is stored digitally for easy access.

 

Therefore, judicious players who decide to do a little research on NPCs (or fellow PCs) are likely to come across such files.  These files aren't going to contain fuzzy data ("Subject is pretty decent with a handgun, and I think he's really smart"), they're going to contain quantified facts.  So, what will those facts be?

 

These conversion values are not for the GM to use as a reference.  The raw stats are far more useful for that.  However, when the player breaks into a database, or picks the lock on a filing cabinet, these converted values will be what they find.  

 

And, obviously, the GM doesn't give the players everything straight off.  They broke into the Registry of Motor Vehicles?  They learn the NPCs vitals (height, maybe weight, eye color, need for corrective lenses), what vehicles they own, and their driving record.  They broke into military records storage?  They learn vitals, maybe some academic knowledge (from aptitude tests, to see if the subject was suited for military intelligence) and weapons data (firing ranges scores, etc).

 

Sure, you could give them the raw data and rely on them role playing the character knowledge.  But I prefer to give the players no more info than their character has.  It keeps the players honest, and makes for a more intellectually stimulating game of deduction and paranoia.  

I've been fiddling with my personal character creation system and am considering a series of optional rules for hiding the character stats.

 

The theory is that real people don't have dossiers containing detailed attributes and skill levels.  So, when the PCs download, steal or otherwise gets their hands on concrete information about an NPC (or another PC, for that matter), they'd see a collection of "regular" information (height, weight, IQ, aptitude test scores, etc), depending on the type of dossier.  For example, a military or education record may include IQ, but a police record probably won't.

 

This way, players can't just calculate an NPCs danger or value ("Well, he's got a REF of 7 and a handgun of +3, so there's no way he'll hit us at this range.  We're safe."), while at the same time having some idea of what the NPC is capable of.  In an extreme case, players may not even know their own stats, only their own dossiers (or what they've been able to steal from their employers), forcing them to be a little circumspect but not completely in the dark.

 

I've tried to create a series of conversion values that turn game stats into "real world" stats in a consistent manner.  For example, IQ = 16*INT + 12 + 2D6, resulting in a statistical average of 107 for the population at large (theoretically, a statistically average IQ is 100 in the real world).  Other stats are similarly converted, with an eye towards making an "average" character (attribute of 5.5) into a statistically average real world person (average height, weight, etc) with some variation from die rolls.

 

One interesting idea I've come up with is the Voight-Kompf test (yes, I know, not an original name) for empathy.  1.8 * Humanity equals the character's V-K score, where 100 is a statistical average (Humanity of 55 or EMP of 5.5) and 35 is the danger level (Humanity of 19 or so, or an EMP under 3).  This leads to the idea that cybernetics can have a published PVK (Probable Voight-Kompf) value (average HC * 1.8) that reflect how much the piece of cybernetics is likely to lower a character's V-K score (and hence their EMP).  This PVK value would be "on the box," so to speak, like calories on a candy bar, so the players have an idea how dangerous a new installment is, but nothing concrete.

 

Anybody else use a system to hide stats?  Comments on my ideas?  Just throwing this out there to see what other people think.

I like the Ronin quote for this.  You use what works for the situation: you use a rifle to pick someone off, a shotgun for close in, a SMG/carbine for close firefights, a pistol for carry, etc.

 

I voted for pistol in Elint's poll, for the same reason I imagine a lot of people did.  In game terms, a pistol is the most easily carried and concealed.  If you're playing a military/paramilitary campaign, it might be something bigger, but I imagine most games aren't so heavy.

 

A pistol conceals under a jacket, works at "standard" engagement ranges (25m or less), is cheap enough to lose in most cases, etc.  A fixer is unlikely to walk into a bar hiding an assault rifle under his coat, or a corporate lug around a GL.  Not to mention that cops are likely to be a little suspicious of such armament.

 

Outside the game, I think the best urban weaponry would be a squad of highly trained people around me and my own personal attack helicopter overhead.

The problem is that the game term isn't really related to the dictionary term.  The game term is about interacting with other people, while the dictionary term is purely about sympathetic emotional feeling.

 

By the dictionary term, Hannibal has absolutely zero empathy, he feels nothing for his victims, they're just lunch.

 

However, in the game, Hannibal would only appear to have a high empathy.  He would probably have abysmally low empathy and extremely high Seduction, Leadership, Persuasion and Social skills.  A very, very high social skill, if you watch the movie.

 

Hannibal (if he was in CP2020) would be an extrordinary character, with very high skill levels.  He's not just some mensch with decent EMP and decent skills.

 

Personally, I guess my (game term) empathy is pretty high.  I've been told I'm a little charismatic, and I'm a good listener, though shy.  However, I've also been in situations where I have zero (dictionary term) empathy, and think of the guy in front of me as nothing more than a threat to be removed.  'Course, I guess it bodes well for my empathy that I still have nightmares about the scream of the guy whose arm I had to break a dozen years ago.

Quote

So you've got a C-Psycho on the rampage, you take him (and it is usually a him) down, strip his 'ware out, give him some councilling and send him back into the world.  Is he really going to want to remain a 'lesser person'?  Or is he going to be bolting on household appliances as soon as he's on his own?

I like the image of a c-psycho with a blender strapped to his thigh and a lava lamp on his head.  

 

But I think this could be very interesting in the game.  Consider the alcoholics who drink Drano or rubbing alcohol (as the wife of a former Massachusetts governor did).  Would a down-on-their-luck cyberpsycho start looking for uber-cheap things to attach, desperately needing more machine?

 

Counselling should remove this compunction, but how many addicts fall back after rehab?  Some make it through, but others take two or three tries to kick it.  Some never kick it.  Cyberpsychosis, if it's defined as a addiction to cybernetics (as well as a superiority complex / rage / general psychosis kinda thing), would have the same problem, I'd imagine.

 

Would make for some interesting characters, like a former c-psycho living on the street, begging and selling info for the money to buy a cyberfinger ("It's just a finger, right?  Real small, nothing major, not like I'm still an addict or anything!  Come on, man, just a finger!").  You could slip him that cheap Bulgarian cyberoptic you stole for the information you need, like giving him a dime bag.

LOL!  Interesting direction this thread went.

 

I like your shades, Tiger, especially the description of them and the modular style, but I think 4 options might be a bit much for a pair of sunglasses.  The original smartshades only hold 2 options, so the super high-end versions your talking about could maybe hold 3.  

 

I know the rules say an eyeball can fit 4 options, so there's some pretty impressive miniaturization, but I'm thinking about parity with 2-option smartshades and 4-option smartgoggles.

Found time to remake the design.  I made a mistake about the available space, it's not 9 but 10.  Here're the details (M-27 variants not included):

 

General Dynamics M-27 MATAC

 

Top Speed: 80 mph (Has slightly more powerful engine than the Mattock, allowing same speed with greater armor mass)

Acc/Dec: 15/40

Maneuver: -3

Range: 400 mi

Crew: 1

Passengers: 1

Cargo: 1 ton, 10 spaces

Mass: 3 tons

SP: 20 (Only for cab and bed floor.  Rear bed is canvas covered)

SDP: 75

Type: Pickup

Cost: 56Keb (Actual price is 69,900eb, but heavily mass produced)

Weapons: Pintle mount above passenger seat with space for two machine gun ammunition boxes in cab.  Price of machine gun and ammunition not included in price of vehicle.

Equipment: Off-road capable, crash control systems for two, amphibious systems, military nav system with auto-pilot, military environmental control (fully sealed), military radio, halogen headlights

 

GD Mattock

 

Top Speed: 80 mph

Acc/Dec: 15/40

Maneuver: -3

Range: 400 mi

Crew: 1

Passengers: 2 (Extra middle seat, where the MG ammo sits in the military version)

Cargo: 1 ton, 10 spaces

Mass: 3 tons

SP: 10 (Only for cab and bed floor.  Rear bed is uncovered)

SDP: 75

Type: Pickup

Cost: 53Keb (Actual price is 53,400eb)

Weapons: None

Equipment: Off-road capable, crash control systems for three, amphibious systems, civilian nav system with auto-pilot, civilian environmental control (A/C, heat, etc), cell phone hookups, high end stereo system, shocker security system, halogen headlights

Considering the back has a canvas top, it's not armored.  Well, maybe SP6 cloth, or something, at most.  The "hard surfaces" of the truck are armored to SP20: the cab, the truck bed, etc.  The variants with a "hard shell back" would replace the side rails and canvas top with steel (or high-tech material) panels, giving the back area SP20 as well (typically protecting expensive and sensitive equipment).

 

As for the mortar carrier: I figure these are breech loading mortars with a basic feed mechanism, targetted and fired by remote from within the cab of the truck.  There is an ammunition shortage issue (maybe 80 bombs total on board for the 81mm version), but that's true of most of these variants, requiring an ammunition trailer or extra M-27s loaded with ammo or something.  A pair of mortars allows for a basic barrage capability, or a mixing of rounds per barrage (firing an HE and a WP at the same target simultaneously, for example).

 

Forgot to mention a few other numbers, though I imagine some of them are a little obvious.  There's one driver (crew) and one passenger (in the cab).  There are 9 spaces left over in the design, for variants, cargo and passengers (I put 10 troops rather than 9 since they're packed tight on benches, not individual seats).  Other numbers are similar to other pickups: 15/40 acc/dec, 300 or 400 mi range, -3 maneuver, etc.  I think the SDP is around 60 or 70, and weight is around 3 tons.