drive-0 versus flyer (grav)-0

[Prospero]

Used to be that if you came from a hi-tech world, you got air/raft-0 as a default skill. This skill is no longer available in the background section of chargen. Would you let characters from a hi-tech world take flyer-0 insteead of drive-0 as one of their background skills?

 

[rust]

I always modify the background skill list according to the specific home-
world of a character whenever this is possible.
So, unless there is a good reason to prevent it (e.g. a planet with violent
storms), I would see no problem with Flyer-0 for a high-tech world.

 

[EDG]

Depends... how much is a grav car as opposed to a normal ground vehicle? Just because a world is high tech, would it necessarily have "flying highways" (they're not all like Coruscant you know ).

I mean, the book says that an air/raft is 275,000 Cr, and a ground car is 5,000. I'd hope that people can get cheap civilian grav cars for much less than 275,000Cr, or nobody's going to be using those to get to work - they wouldn't be able to afford them!

Then again, maybe people don't even use vehicles - at TL 11 a personal grav floater is only 500 Cr (?!) so maybe that's what they use to get around. Sorta like a Segway, only cooler .

 

[darktalon]

Then again, maybe people don't even use vehicles - at TL 11 a personal grav floater is only 500 Cr (?!) so maybe that's what they use to get around. Sorta like a Segway, only cooler .

Of course, as I understand it you'd still need Flyer (grav) to operate the thing.

 

[AKAramis]

Then again, maybe people don't even use vehicles - at TL 11 a personal grav floater is only 500 Cr (?!) so maybe that's what they use to get around. Sorta like a Segway, only cooler .

Of course, as I understand it you'd still need Flyer (grav) to operate the thing.

Not as designed under MT, TNE, and T4... the robot brain does, but the float chair is not piloted by the passenger; it's piloted by either Traffic Control or by the on-board computer.

 

[EDG]

Not as designed under MT, TNE, and T4... the robot brain does, but the float chair is not piloted by the passenger; it's piloted by either Traffic Control or by the on-board computer.

Under MGT (which is what matters for this discussion, on this board), it requires Flyer.

 

[Gruffty the Hiver]

Which would also have to be Flyer (Grav) 1, or just Flyer 0, as characters can't get a specialisation for a Level 0 skill - the specialisation Flyer (Grav) 0 isn't available under MGT Level 0 skill rules.

 

[MrUkpyr]

Or you can add a new skill of "Grav Vehicle" which covers flying an air raft, grav bike (neat little trinket the scouts have), or grav platform. Basically taking the Grav Specialization out of Flyer and making it it's own skill.

Because honestly, folks don't automatically learn how to fly an airplane or helicopter just because they have learned how to fly the family air raft.


BUT there was a good point made about the cost of an air raft vs cost of a simple car. I might modify the rule to where you have to have Soc 8+ to automatically get the grav vehicle option, with those at lower levels coming from families that couldn't afford an air raft and so they had to use ground transport.

Might create some interesting social RP - and also help players in creating their PC's backgrounds.

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Or just add it to the Education Skills and let the Player pick it if he wants...

 

[Prospero]

Or you can add a new skill of "Grav Vehicle" which covers flying an air raft, grav bike (neat little trinket the scouts have), or grav platform. Basically taking the Grav Specialization out of Flyer and making it it's own skill.

BUT there was a good point made about the cost of an air raft vs cost of a simple car. I might modify the rule to where you have to have Soc 8+....

I think both are relevant points. Flying an air raft is probably much different from (or different to if you're English) 'flying' a plane. One could allow zero-level specializations to limit the skill. Thus flyer (grav)-0 would be a zero level skill limited to only grav apparatus. It wouldn't help flying an helocopter.

 

[darktalon]

Then again, maybe people don't even use vehicles - at TL 11 a personal grav floater is only 500 Cr (?!) so maybe that's what they use to get around. Sorta like a Segway, only cooler .

Of course, as I understand it you'd still need Flyer (grav) to operate the thing.

Not as designed under MT, TNE, and T4... the robot brain does, but the float chair is not piloted by the passenger; it's piloted by either Traffic Control or by the on-board computer.

I stand corrected. It's been a while since I've done anything with MT or T4, and TNE characters in my experience are somewhat wary of computer-controlled vehicles that don't have a very failsafe manual control option.

Under MGT (which is what matters for this discussion, on this board), it requires Flyer.

Fair play.

 

[Jame Rowe]

The way I've been doing it, anyone can substitute Flyer (grav) for any form of Drive.

 

[darktalon]

The way I've been doing it, anyone can substitute Flyer (grav) for any form of Drive.

This is similar to TNE's approach. It uses skill clusters, with "Vehicle" including ground vehicles, grav vehicles, hovercraft and riding animals. Which skills from the cluster you can take at chargen depends on your homeworld.

 

[Jame Rowe]

The way I've been doing it, anyone can substitute Flyer (grav) for any form of Drive.

This is similar to TNE's approach. It uses skill clusters, with "Vehicle" including ground vehicles, grav vehicles, hovercraft and riding animals. Which skills from the cluster you can take at chargen depends on your homeworld.

Yeah; a "drive" result should result in any personal vehicle, though I wouldn't include riding--for that you'd need to be about TL-9 or less or from an Ag planet. Though someone over on the CotI board mentioned including vacsuits in that, which I've adopted (presuming I ever run it).

 

[darktalon]

Yeah; a "drive" result should result in any personal vehicle, though I wouldn't include riding--for that you'd need to be about TL-9 or less or from an Ag planet.

For what it's worth TNE limits it to homeworlds with atmosphere 4-9, which makes obvious sense.

 

[Solivagus]

I wouldnt limit riding based on tech level, I doubt it'll ever die out as a form of recreation.

Personally I prefer what TNE did: it folded all Grav vehicle skills into the Pilot skill and stuck it under the Vehicle, Aircraft and Space clusters.