I am playing Pilot/Smuggler character in EP campaign wandering which vehicles are considered Exotic Vehicles for specialty and is there a speed chart for travel time? Also any cool pics of the different vehicles from the books?
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Vehicle questions
Thu, 2011-10-06 22:14
#1
technoshaman
Vehicle questions
Thu, 2011-10-06 22:15
#2
Yerameyahu
Re: Vehicle questions
In a world of egocasting, it's a rough gig. :/
Fri, 2011-10-07 00:57
#3
Tyrnis
Re: Vehicle questions
You can't egocast cargo, so at least conceptually, it's not bad at all, just a little more game-specific as to whether or not it's going to be a useful role in a given group.
To answer the OP's question, the only travel times we get are in the spacecraft descriptions, and they're vague at best. Spacecraft are generally intended to be setting elements, not inventory items, in EP, so there's going to be a lot of handwavium and/or houseruling involved.
Sat, 2011-10-08 06:17
#4
technoshaman
Re: Vehicle questions
What do most of the vehicles and robots look like? The descriptions are not really and some kind pic or art would actual help with the descriptions.
Sat, 2011-10-08 12:06
#5
Tyrnis
Re: Vehicle questions
Unfortunately, most of them don't have artwork in the book. It would be nice if they did, yes. That said, you can usually find other sources of inspiration for their visual effects. The robots aren't too hard to picture just based on the text, at least for me. I tend to picture the military spacecraft as somewhat similar in external appearance to the Earth Alliance ships in Babylon 5. The Batmobile from the latest films would be a good example of a fancier variant of a Mars buggy.
Sat, 2011-10-08 17:18
#6
Quincey Forder
Re: Vehicle questions
Also, the cars in Minority Report and I, Robot give good ideas of what ground vehicles used in domes and O'Neill cylinders
for aircrafts, I'd look into Mass Effect (shuttles on Citadel and Ilium, especially) and Batman Beyond
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Sat, 2011-10-08 21:09
#7
technoshaman
Re: Vehicle questions
I am wondering what does the portable plane, Microlight or the Rocket Buggy looks like.
Sat, 2011-10-08 21:39
#8
Quincey Forder
Re: Vehicle questions
I would think something like a chest sized box automatically unfolding and assembling in the shape of a small jet, for the portable plane. shape like, take a look in the vignette threads, the one with the small O'Neill/Bernal sphere reclaimer hab. Shouldn't be too different.
For the microlight my guess would be like a back pack with wings, or an auto-gyre. the Dopters from Dune also come to mind.
for the buggy, I think it could be depending of the brand of the buggy. from Commander Shepard's buggy to the Thumbler of Batman Begins fame. I can also picture Barsoomian riding in modified Big Foot pickups. the Rangers would likely have buggies looking similar to our hummers and panthers
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Sat, 2011-10-08 22:35
#9
Tyrnis
Re: Vehicle questions
Microlights: We have mention of some of them being pedal-powered (p. 106), and from the description on p. 310, they run the gamut from blimps to powered paragliders -- I tend to picture something pretty similar to current light sport trikes, though often with enclosed cockpits to provide some life support, as my own default -- you can see some pictures at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trike_aircraft
Portable Plane: Take a peek at http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/16/icons-foldable-2-seater-plane-unveile... -- advance the tech to EP level to make it do more than just fold, of course, but this is a good modern starting point to use as inspiration. And pretty cool looking in its own right.
And all of Quincy's examples are good additions to my mention of the latest Batmobile when it comes to Mars buggies. It's one of my favorite vehicles in EP.
Rocket Buggy: The variants for Mars and Titan are going to look a lot like a small jet aircraft, since they provide lift and can potentially reach orbit. Once you get out into space, you get into much more custom body styles, with the key concern being where you're going to land it -- is it coming to rest in gravity, or staying in zero-G? I imagine you get some really outlandish designs in the outer system.
Sat, 2011-10-08 23:00
#10
technoshaman
Re: Vehicle questions
I'm trying to get a visual idea on vehicles to decide whither to get one at character creation or get one later. My character for our game is a smuggler/pilot who is also the group's gearhead/techie. I'm debating to either keeping the portable plane or get some robot and/or smart animals (like a monkey) to help with the techie stuff.
Sat, 2011-10-08 23:12
#11
Tyrnis
Re: Vehicle questions
For that, I'd just talk to your GM about what's going to fit best for your specific game, otherwise, you might end up not getting very much use out of whichever option you decide on.
Sat, 2011-10-08 23:27
#12
AWOL Joe
Re: Vehicle questions
As technoshaman's GM, I can actually answer at least a few of these questions for my game.
Tyrnis has the right of it with the portable plane (and microlight, specifically the trike). Rocket buggies look more like the Flying Bedstead with an enclosed compartment (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flying_Bedstead), although I'm not totally sure how the streamlined version would look. My idea for what Mars buggies (the groundcraft) look like is heavily informed by the videogame Red Faction Guerilla and its Mars cars.
As for travel times, the transport the party uses as a home base (which is an interesting story in its own right) will be traveling around at the speed of plot. Either you'll be where you need to be already, or you'll egocast (or, sometimes, have enough time to fly all the way out to a new base of operations for the sake of a new story arc).
One thing we were both wondering is what sort of vehicles might be covered by an Exotic Vehicle field of the Pilot skill, however. The only thing I could come up with was hovercraft, and even those might be covered by either the Groundcraft or Watercraft fields.
Also, technoshaman, if you decide to get a smart animal, tell me ahead of time. I've got a piece of custom gear I'd like to run by you.
Sat, 2011-10-08 23:56
#13
Quincey Forder
Re: Vehicle questions
I'd check hard science manga like Moonlight Mile (ML) or Planetes (P)
they've got some realistic and badass ideas of vehicles, ground, air and space alike
A good example would be the Moon Spider (ML), a distant cousin of the flying bedstead
and the Toybox used by the Debris Subsection (P)
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Tue, 2011-10-11 13:20
#14
thelabmonkey
Re: Vehicle questions
http://oneguyrambling.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/PDVD_000.jpg
Tue, 2011-10-25 02:05
#15
technoshaman
Re: Vehicle questions
Okay, what are still considered Exotic Vehicles in the game/setting?
Wed, 2011-10-26 07:45
#16
Xagroth
Re: Vehicle questions
Whatever you want and prototypes, as long as both follow non-standard designs and control systems. Alien vehicles (for example, "Iktomi floating disks" or "Factor shuttles"), and stuff that is really weird or specialized, like walkers, orbital insertion vehicles, etc....
Wed, 2011-10-26 10:40
#17
technoshaman
Re: Vehicle questions
Actually Walkers are for Pilot: Anthroform and says so in the description.
Thu, 2011-10-27 07:00
#18
Xagroth
Re: Vehicle questions
My bad... but does it covers 4+ legs walkers? Anthroform means 2 legs, 2 arms, torso and head. I was thining in Star Wars AT-AT and AT-ST (and the six-legged walkers portrayed in Episoodes 2 & 3).
What about a vehicle build around the ornithopter concept? Or grappling hooks. Or Solar Yatchs (using "sails" to gather radiation coming from the Sun, in order to navigate around Venus, for example). Of course, most of these are soft scifi (or pulp, in the grappling hook case XD), but they are something unique, strange and non-standard.