Mad Geo's stuff

[aramis]

Anybody got copies of Mad Geo's various extensions to MegaTraveller? Specifically, i'm looking for his body armor design sequences.

 

[Timmy]

Is that the one called ARMOUR.PRN, in the Houserules directory of the HIWG CD. There is also a file containing a communication, asking about a MT Combat Armor/Battledress design sequence.

 

[aramis]

Is that the one called ARMOUR.PRN, in the Houserules directory of the HIWG CD. There is also a file containing a communication, asking about a MT Combat Armor/Battledress design sequence.

That's probably the one.

 

[sfchbryan]

I can get it for you.

That's probably the one.

I've got it here someplace - I have been reorganizing my HIWG files into something rational.

 

[aramis]

Timmy got me the files.

My house rules shall be rebuilding the combat armor...

 

[jec10]

I still think the Combat Armour in MT and CT/Striker is too effective for the weight (and in comparison to Battle Dress).

 

[aramis]

I still think the Combat Armour in MT and CT/Striker is too effective for the weight (and in comparison to Battle Dress).

it's the same level of plating either way, and so SHOULD be the same AV.

Just remember: Even BD has spots of exposed flex, so you can use the 10% AV = 10% damage...
and round normally...

So, damage 2 weapons:
2*2*0.1=0.4≅none
2*4*0.1=0.8≅1 Need to hit by 4+
Dam 3
3*2*0.1=0.6≅1 need to hit by 2+
Dam 4:
4*2*0.1=0.8≅1 need to hit by 2+

 

[jec10]

I just meant that one is power armour that I can accept can carry its weight and the other is not powered at all and yet has very good armour values. Is it really likely that non-power armour would be giving the same level of resistance to penetration as power armour?

 

[aramis]

I just meant that one is power armour that I can accept can carry its weight and the other is not powered at all and yet has very good armour values. Is it really likely that non-power armour would be giving the same level of resistance to penetration as power armour?

Yes. It's going to be penalties to Dex, but it's going to be the same plate level in many cases. Just USE the bloody encumbrance rules.

 

[infojunky]

I just meant that one is power armour that I can accept can carry its weight and the other is not powered at all and yet has very good armour values. Is it really likely that non-power armour would be giving the same level of resistance to penetration as power armour?

It depends on what your model model of combat armor vs. battle dress is. Talking to Frank Chadwick on the topic leads me to believe that Battledress is just souped up Combat Armor. According to Frank Combat armor has enough power to support itself and not much more while Battledress has more more power and electronics to support Heavy weapons, notably High energy weapons....

 

[jec10]

Interesting. I would have thought you'd use the power armour to carry more armour. I'm also intrigued Frank thinks combat armour is powered. That certainly is'nt the impression I'd formed from the description over various editions of Trav.

 

[infojunky]

Interesting. I would have thought you'd use the power armour to carry more armour. I'm also intrigued Frank thinks combat armour is powered. That certainly is'nt the impression I'd formed from the description over various editions of Trav.

Self-supporting is the term I use mostly.

More to the point the other standing assumption is that Battledress can operate in all human occupiable spaces, which limits it's bulk considerably, i.e. the amount of armor over the machinery.

Though the question I have always wonder is what do you call Powered armor on the scale of Heinlein's from Starship Troopers? Or another favorite the powered Armor from Maschinen Krieger.

 

[jec10]

Where does Combat Armour get its energy from in order to provide the power to hold up an armoured suit unsupported?

It is completely undocumented as far as I know. Never any mention of batteries or needing to recharge that I could find in canon.

The same Frank Chadwick wrote in CT/LBB4 page 41: "Combat Armour is not powered..." The MT Imperial Encyclopaedia notes on page 74 that "battle dress is an advanced and powered version of combat armour...". As does the TNE corebook at page 358. TNE/FF&S has the only actual design sequence in canon products up to that point for personal armour, and again specifies that the distinction of battle dress is that it "incorporates a powered exoskeleton which, in addition to allowing heavier armour also doubles the effective strength of a human..."

This is a real paradigm shift for me, as I'd always thought Combat Armour-equipped troops didn't have the same restrictions as Battle Dress troops regarding need for battery recharging, etc. I always thought this was a reason for Zhodani psi-commandoes to wear their combat armour instead of battle dress as they'd be operating behind enemy lines.

As for the suggested bulk restrictions, I thought that in both MT and TNE it was explained that Battle Dress troops did take up more space inside vehicles and therefore needed particular hatches etc or were slower to egress.

 

[infojunky]

Where does Combat Armour get its energy from in order to provide the power to hold up an armoured suit unsupported?

I would assume the same place a VaacSuit gets it's power....

It is completely undocumented as far as I know. Never any mention of batteries or needing to recharge that I could find in canon.

As I said it came from a conversation with Frank 30 years after the fact.

Indirectly Unlike VaacSuits Combat Armor doesn't have any additional mass.

This is a real paradigm shift for me, as I'd always thought Combat Armour-equipped troops didn't have the same restrictions as Battle Dress troops regarding need for battery recharging, etc. I always thought this was a reason for Zhodani psi-commandoes to wear their combat armour instead of battle dress as they'd be operating behind enemy lines.

I am not sure I would take anything I say as world changing.... In that different authors of traveller have treated bits of equipment differently. Case in point, O2 use by VaacSuits and the like, while in early rules it was supplied by tanks of gas, that was used then discarded or more realistically some version of a rebreather would be used for a weight savings...

As for the suggested bulk restrictions, I thought that in both MT and TNE it was explained that Battle Dress troops did take up more space inside vehicles and therefore needed particular hatches etc or were slower to egress.

You know you probably are right, but remember MT and TNE suffer from different Tech Paradigms. MT is largely a retread of CT, while TNE was informed by the previous editions and other related games from GDW. Circling back to MT, I can't find the rules covering that in the basic rules, so if they exist they are probably buried in a DGP product. Also note that the description of CA in MT is also more ambiguous than the CT ones...