rust

I took a different approach in my treatment of training dogs ...

Thank you very much, I will take a look at it.

I add my praise for providing a forum for my favourite game.

Maybe I'm just arguing on my own time.

I would not argue that.

That's not an argument, you're just contradicting me.

No, he is not, you are misreading his post. :cool:

Oh no. We are going to have all of those missing arguments again. :shocked:

I don't think so, people usually do not enjoy to dig up graveyards, so the buried posts will

probably rest in peace.

Thank you all very much for your ideas.

@ Atgxtg:

The Animal Handling info from RQ 3 would be most welcome.

Even so often, the GM could make a Knowledge roll (INTx5%) to see it if remembered all it's tricks. A number of tricks up to the creatures INT could be "protected" and safe from being forgotten. Failure means the creature forgot 1 trick, and fumble means it forgot all tricks over the INT protection limit.

Yep, or I could connect the animal's INT with the tasks and treat them as skills.

For example, the tasks up to the animal's INT get a skill of INT x 10 (in the case

of a dolphin 80 %), all tasks above the animal's INT get INT x 5 (40 % in the

case of a dolphin).

It seems I will have to playtest the different ideas to find the one that works

best.

Considering how many trick people are able to teach dogs INT 5, I think the limit might be too low.

Perhaps the number of tricks and INT could affect the difficulty in teaching tricks. So up to 1/2 INT is easy, un tp INT normal and over INT Difficult?

Yes, I think you are right, eight tasks / tricks for a trained dolphin is really not much.

It seems I will either have to use your proposal or to define more general tasks in-

stead of individual "tricks". The latter would have the advantage to require only one

difficulty, but I am not sure whether I will be able to come up with eight logical and

useful tasks ... something like "Transport", "Rescue", "Protect Area" and thelike.

Edit.:

After thinking about it, the 8 tasks could perhaps look like this:

Basic Commands ("Come", "Wait", "Go", "Take", "Give", etc.)

Attack Creature

Protect Person

Guard Area

Search Person

Rescue Person

Transport Item

Deliver Message

Okay, third attempt - third time lucky, they say ...

Here is a short first draft for a spot rule for the training of animals, a spot rule I need

for the dolphineers and dolphins of my Varun setting:

Animals with fixed INT can be trained with the (new) Animal Handling skill, a Communica-

tion skill with a Base Chance of 05 % and the specific species as a specialty, in my case

Animal Handling (Dolphin).

Each animal can learn a number of tasks or "tricks" equivalent to its INT value, so an ave-

rage dolphin with an INT of 8 can learn up to 8 different tasks, with each task a simple

activity like "Bring Item", "Carry Item to the Base", and so on.

The difficulty and required time of the training also depends on the INT value of the spe-

cific animal.

I am not yet sure how to handle this, but I am thinking along the lines of taking the INT of

the animal as a bonus for the Animal Handling skill. For example, a dolphin trainer with an

Animal Handling (Dolphin) skill of 45 % would add the dolphin's INT of 8 to get a success

chance of 53 %.

As for the time, I think that one attempt to teach one task per week could be plausible

enough to use it. For example, to teach a dolphin of INT 8 all the 8 tasks it can learn would

take at least 8 weeks, provided all of the trainer's rolls would be successes.

Please let me know what you think about this - Thank you.

Ah ... everything posted over the last two weeks is gone ? :shocked:

I would probably handle the 'Dolphineering' skills with a 'knowledge' skill that would either be 'Dolphin Training' or 'Marine Biology'.

I would handle the remote control with a Fine Manipulation skill, limited by the Dolphin Training' skill.

Thank you very much.

With two good options to choose from now, I think I will have to discuss this

with the players to decide which one (or a combination of both) to use.

rust,

you might want to investigate the SOFAR channel. I might be a possible method for long range underwater communications on Varun.

Unfortunately the SOFAR channel is a bit deep down for most purposes, and

it only works when both parties are within the channel at the time of the in-

tended communication.

I think the standard procedure for long range communication on Varun will be

to send a message drone (dolphin shaped ) to the surface, from where it

transmits the message to a communication satellite, where it is stored and /

or immediately transmitted to another (again, dolphin shaped ) drone over

the target (if it is a stationary one), and that drone then dives down and

delivers the message. Mobile targets, like submarines, would have to surface

occasionally and to contact the "server satellite" for any new messages.

By the way, to build an "artificial dolphin" is not difficult with GURPS Robots,

but the flexibody drivetrain it requires is quite expensive.

How 'bout a robot fish with AI? I think I'll write up a mechanical dolphin.

There are no AI systems in this setting, the closest thing are advanced ex-

pert programs that can simulate intelligence without being creative, but re-

quire a rather big and expensive computer.

How limited? I think that a radio that can broadcast 1000km can still have a better range than a dolphin.

The only radio systems that have any range under water are VLF and ELF,

which require truly huge transceivers and have a terribly low data transfer

rate (think slow morse code).

Laser works over short distances only, and is interrupted when the water is

not perfectly clear, and sonarcom only has a short range and is very "noisy"

for all marine creatures.

Thank you very much for your suggestions.

One question: If they have remotes, what do they need the dolphins for? Why not just make a remote controlled "fish" to replace the dolphin?

There are three main reasons:

a) Dolphins work independently, for example while herding a swarm of fish or

protecting it from predators, they do not need the permanent attention of a

colonist for such routine tasks.

Underwater communications are very limited in range, dolphins can work

outside of the range of communicators.

c) It is nice to have another mammal from Earth around as a "fellow colonist".

Working on the modification of the BRP system for my Varun water world set-

ting, I encountered two little problems where I would welcome your advice:

Much of the actual work in the water world colony on Varun will be done by

remotely controlled AUVs, drones, robots and thelike.

Since BRP does not have a Remote Control skill (or I missed it), I think about

introducing such a skill, with specialties like Aquaculture, Construction, Mining

and Survey.

The alternatives I see would be to make it a Craft skill or a Technical skill,

but the ability to remotely control a machine is not really a craft, and it is

more in the Manipulation category than in the Technical skills' Mental catego-

ry, I think.

One of the professions on Varun is the Dolphineer, someone who trains and

"commands and controls" dolphins, and therefore needs a very specific set

of skills, from veterinary medicine to diving and diver sign language (which is

also used to command dolphins).

Since I have not found any Animal Training or Animal Handling skill, I think I

will make the training and animal care part of Dolphineering a Craft skill to

avoid the introduction of several subskills (Animal Handling, Animal Training,

Knowledge / Dolphins, etc.)

Well, what do you think ? - Thank you.

Will The Green be offered in deadtree version in the foreseeable future?

This will probably depend on the number of PDF sales, I think.

Up to this point the setting has been somewhat generic, it can be played with

different systems. Now it is time to take a look at the actual system used.

Here is my first draft of my ideas for adapting BRP to the Varun setting, but

there will of course be more than a few changes before this becomes "final".

Power Level

Normal, no Powers

Characters

Point-Based Character Creation

Education/Knowledge Roll

Total Hit Points

Fatigue Points

Encumbrance

Skill Categories

Complimentary Skills

Allegiance

Aging and Inaction

Professions

Aquafarmer

Diver

Doctor

Dolphineer

Engineer

Explorer

Journalist

Mechanic

Merchant

Pilot

Politician

Priest

Seafarer

Security Officer

Scientist

New Skills and Specialties

Animal Handling

Craft (Aquaculture, Seafloor Mining)

Firearm (Sonic Weapons, Spearguns)

Hardsuit Diving

Heavy Machine (Seafloor Crawler)

Knowledge (Varun Nature, Varun Project; specific other cultures and planets)

Language (Diver Sign Language)

Melee Weapons (Diving Dagger, Diving Spear)

Pilot (Shuttle, Spaceship, Submarine)

Repair (Spaceship Systems)

Science (Cartography, Marine Biology, Oceanography)

Technical Skill (Marine Engineering, Spaceship Engineering)

Varunian Cultural Skills

Knowledge (Varun Project) + 20 %

Swim + 20 %

What I would do is take the total volume of the structure and multiply it by a density factor to get an approximate mass.

Yep, this is what I intend to do for all other seafloor facilities, but I wanted

to design one of them in a little more detail to get a plausible value for the

density, which I can then use as a "shortcut" for all future calculations.

Besides, the design gave me a nice list of all the stuff in the setting's main

location, and makes it much easier to write a description of it for the play-

ers.

But juggling with stuff like "137 VSP = 18.495 dtons" once is quite enough

for me, from now on density will rule.

By the way, the Ghara Dome, without furnishings, vehicles and inhabitants,

has a little more than 14 kg per cubic meter.

Meanwhile I have designed the SWATH Carrier (= "floating starport") and the

colony's domed habitat Ghara Dome with the GURPS system to find out how

much construction material will have to be transported to Varun, and what it

will cost.

The SWATH Carrier has a mass of 4,800 tons, its parts require a transport

volume of 8,100 cubic meters, and they cost about 70 million credits.

The Ghara Dome has a mass of 3,300 tons, requires a transport volume of

8,800 cubic meters and its parts cost about 150 million credits.

So, with another 70 million credits for the mining platform, the biggest items

of the colony's equipment will cost a total of about 300 million credits - less

than I had expected. And the bulk transport starship that the colonists will

have to charter for the transports also has to be less big than expected.

The next step here would be to calculate the approximate mass, volume and

cost of all the other, minor stuff (machines, vehicles, robots ...), but this has

to wait, because I am beginning to suffer from mild symptoms of a "numeracy

burnout".

I mean, whoever invented "1 dton = 500 cubic feet = 100 VSP = 13.5 cubic

meters" and similar conversions obviously had a sadistic streak. :eek:

An author once remarked that about 90 % of the details he came up with for

the background of a story never makes it into the actual published novel, and

in my experience the percentage of the details of a roleplaying setting that

actually make it to the table is not much different.

For example, when I tell the players in a science fiction campaign that a cer-

tain planet has only mild seasonal variations and a year of 439 days, they ra-

rely realize that I had to determine the planet's axial tilt and the star's mass

and the planet's orbital radius and make some calculations to know this with-

out "winging" it.

However, I like to design settings, and so I do not care too much whether all

my material is actually used, I am quite satisfied that it is there, that is has

comparatively few "bugs", and that it could be used if someone wanted to do

so. If it is really used, that is the cream on the coffee.

This reminds me that I have to read "The Legacy of Heorot" and "Beowulf's

Children" by Niven, Purnelle and Barnes again, to get a bit of inspiration for

the ecological desasters that can be caused by colonists who do not yet

understand the ecosystem of the planet they are on. :cool:

Now, when exactly did you say you were coming to my house to run this campaign?

I am afraid it was "soon after you have moved that house to southern Germany" ...

"Flipper goes to Varun"

Ah, my setting's "flippers" tend to have a high damage bonus and an impres-

sive number of attacks when angered or mistreated, and I promise never to

use such an incredibly silly title song (at least the German version was a

textbook example of "rhyme or be eaten").

Gee, if you make Varun much more inhospitable, the PCs would be better off asteroid mining.

Well, think of the warm climate, the sun, the sea, the swimsuits ...

What if the "trained dolphins" are quietly staking out colonies of their own and dealing with the locals in their own way.

A good idea. Once the dolphins have learned what is safe and sufficiently nu-

tritient to eat, or have created their own food supply from "escaped" fish,

there could very well be some dolphins, especially ones born on Varun, who

decide to "go native" and give up their "jobs" with the colonists for a much

more free life elsewhere. - Thank you.

What I really find "unfair" are the players who expect the referee to know

the most unimportant detail of a setting whenever their character asks for

it, but who themselves are too lazy to learn and remember much more than

their character's name and gender.