Going over the Gurps rules on conducting space combat. The Gurps books are laid out in an attractive double column way but it makes it hard to find things, three columns are even worse.
Started to create a cyberboard gamebox to handle combat, nice the rules are hex oriented. They copy Mayday with separate counters for the future and past positions of the space/starships. I might make those temporal counters smaller so its easy to look and find what is where.
Something I'd recommend is the optional rules if not already using them:
Advice on Skill Levels
Gunnery: 12 for ordinary merchants, 13 for free traders,
smugglers, pirates, or planetary navy, 14 for subsector navy, 15 for imperial navy (or equivalent).
Other skills: 11 for ordinary merchants, 12 for free traders,
smugglers, pirates or planetary navy, 13 for subsector navy, 14 for imperial navy (or equivalent).
Gunner skill is assumed to incorporate an IQ bonus, hence its higher value.
Preparation
Rather than adding and multiplying huge numbers, it's easier to simplify them before play. Accordingly, before play begins, perform these calculations for each vessel:
Adjusted Gunner Skill: Use this formula (which includes the bonus for targeting program, Acc, and RoF) and record:
TL12 Command Bridge (2 x Gunner) -12. That is, Gunner-12 will have adj. skill 12; add +/-2 per level of skill above/below 12.
skill 8, increasing by +2 per each level of skill.
TL12 Basic Bridge: (2 x Gunner) -13. That is, Gunner-12 will
have adj. skill 11; add +/2 per level of skill above/below 12.
TL12 Cockpick: (2 x Gunner)-14. That is, Gunner-12 will have
adj. skill 10; add +/2 per level of skill above/below 12.
TL10 Command Bridge: (2 x Gunner)-14. That is, Gunner-12 will have adj. skill 10; add +/-2 per level of skill above/below 12.
TL10 Basic Bridge: (2 x Gunner)-15. That is, Gunner-12 will have
adj. skill 9; add +/-2 per level of skill above/below 12.
TL10 Cockpit: (2 x Gunner)-16. That is, Gunner-12 will have adj. skill 8. Add +/-2 per level of skill above/below 12.
This makes the playable assumption that ships will have the
best possible target program. (Assume that *one* program
will function for all turrets, contrary to prior rulings.) If you want to calcualte all numbers individually, just take adj. gunner skill, add modifiers, then subtract 30.
cSM: Take Size Modifier and subtract 10, e.g., Size Modifier +10 would become 0. A missile has an cSM of -10.
Adjusted Scan: Subtract 30 from Scan values.
cHP: Divide a ship, turret or bay's hit points by 100.
cDR: Divide a ship's armor DR and meson screen DR by 100.
Ramming (p. GT167)
Add the following to <I>Ramming:<I>
A spacecraft can also ram if its course intersects a target. This occurs if a line drawn between the ramming craft's vector counter and the hex it occupies would pas through _both_ the vector counter and hex of the target spacecraft or body.
Direct Fire Phase (p. GT167)
Damage is expressed in cDAM (hundreds of points of damage). Subtract cDR and apply damage to cHP, and use cHP when determining damage effects.
Collision and Point Defense (p. GT169)
Damage is expressed in cDAM (hundreds of points of damage).
When determining collision damage, use hull cHP rather than hull hit points to get cDAM.
TL10 shaped-charge warheads do 3d+2 (10) cDAM, TL12 warheads do 5d-1(10) cDAM.
Damage Control (p. GT170)
Strictly speaking, cHP are repaired equal to 1/100 margin of success (1/20 on rush). However, it's rather slow in the existing rules anyway, so let them repair cHP equal to margin of success but assume that all repairs are temporary jury-rigs that will last only a day or so before breaking down.
Selective, Pinpoint and Battery Fire
Standard turret has cSM of -5, a bay has cSM -3.
Pinpoint marksmanship uses a -16 penalty.
Space Weapon Table
360-MJ Laser does cDAM 2d+2(2).
405-MJ Laser does cDAM 5d(2).
Particle beam bay and Meson gun bay does cDAM 6d x 10 or 6d x 10!
Spinal p-beam and spinal meson gun does cDAM 7d x 30 or 7d x 30!
Adjusted Space Range Table
0 +1
1 -1
2 -3
3 -4
4 -5
5-7 -6
8-10 -7
11-15 -8
16-20 -9
21-30 -10
31-45 -11
46-70 -12
71-100 -13
etc.
Sensor Modifiers
Use adjusted Scan and cSM instead of Scan and Size Modifier.
Prior Detection: +4 bonus applies only to AESA. A PESA has a +10 bonus on successful Prior Detection.
Gunnery Modifiers
Target Size: use cSM instead of Size Modifier, e.g., Size
Modifier +10 would be 0.
Range Modifier: use the Adjusted Space Range table.
Battery Fire
The bonus for RoF is:
1/30: +1
1/15: +2
1/8: +3
1/4: +4
1/2: +5
... and so on. That is, use the number on the RoF bonus
table but subtract 7. This is because the bonus has been integrated into the adj. Gunner skill calculation.
