Ships of Skybourne Experiences

[Thealtruistorc]

Hello everyone!

I'm gathering details on the Ships of Skybourne system, as it is likely going to serve as the basis for the Starship rules in Arcforge. I'm wondering if anyone here has experience playing or running these rules and could provide their input.

I myself have read the rules in detail but lack gameplay experience. One thing I will say is that I intend to reprint enough to use the Arcforge Starship Combat rules without needing access to Ships of Skybourne.

[BioCharge]

I actually used it extensively in a homebrew setting that I made. Admittedly, my players didn't make use of it on their side, but I used it a lot for enemy vehicles and the like.

It was a dieselpunk setting, so I had used primarily alchemical engines rather than any other of the others, but I'm sure the engine type doesn't really affect the differences in the system overall.

The biggest scene I had them in was the party escaping a Hellknight (think Nine Hells worshipping fascists of the obvious equivalence) lab in an armored truck. They were persued by a squad of bikers with machine guns mounted in sidecars alongside a melee lancer type leader. The lancer knight struck at wheels while the gunners attempted to keep the party pinned down or damage the engine. It ended quite epically as my Raptoran Samurai player leapt onto the lancers bike to finish him off before flying back to the truck.

Overall, I like the system but I also feel that the vehicles can be a little too tanky, since as objects, they take half damage from ranged and energy attacks, on top of hardness and their health pools can be a little large. Though that may because I was using primarily metal vehicles over the wooden ones I'm sure the designers used as a baseline.

If you have any specific questions, I can try to elaborate.

[Thealtruistorc]

I actually used it extensively in a homebrew setting that I made. Admittedly, my players didn't make use of it on their side, but I used it a lot for enemy vehicles and the like.

It was a dieselpunk setting, so I had used primarily alchemical engines rather than any other of the others, but I'm sure the engine type doesn't really affect the differences in the system overall.

The biggest scene I had them in was the party escaping a Hellknight (think Nine Hells worshipping fascists of the obvious equivalence) lab in an armored truck. They were persued by a squad of bikers with machine guns mounted in sidecars alongside a melee lancer type leader. The lancer knight struck at wheels while the gunners attempted to keep the party pinned down or damage the engine. It ended quite epically as my Raptoran Samurai player leapt onto the lancers bike to finish him off before flying back to the truck.

Overall, I like the system but I also feel that the vehicles can be a little too tanky, since as objects, they take half damage from ranged and energy attacks, on top of hardness and their health pools can be a little large. Though that may because I was using primarily metal vehicles over the wooden ones I'm sure the designers used as a baseline.

If you have any specific questions, I can try to elaborate.

This is actually awesome detail. A few things I'm wondering about are
1. Were you mainly attacking with vehicle-mounted siege weapons or conventional PC weapons? Siege weapons ignore hardness and reduction IIRC.
2. Did you feel the need to add any new materials, vehicle types, or other options for an industrialized setting?
3. What other additions, if any, do you think would make sense for the system?

[BioCharge]

Sorry, kept forgetting to reply to the thread here.


This is actually awesome detail. A few things I'm wondering about are
1. Were you mainly attacking with vehicle-mounted siege weapons or conventional PC weapons? Siege weapons ignore hardness and reduction IIRC.

Players using conventional weapons, NPCs using siege firearms. I homebrewed a .50 cal machine gun which acted like a siege engine. I know they ignore the damage reduction due to objects, but AFAIK hardness still applied. Which, is admittedly it was fair that they were tanky against the party's weapons since they were unsuitable for it


2. Did you feel the need to add any new materials, vehicle types, or other options for an industrialized setting?

Besides the above mentioned heavy machine guns (which I used Arcforge's firearm AP rules, btw), not particularly. I did alter the movement rules, allowing for hustling and running while driving to account for the speed such vehicles should go at, but if I redid it, I wouldn't do that again. Instead I'd allow a pilot maneuver to expend more fuel to get the increased speed.

I was sort treating the base speed the vehicles had akin to how a character's base speed is more of a walk than a hustle or run, and vehicles going at full speed feels more like a run, with how turning at high speeds is more difficult. I'd probably do something like this:

"Floor it!: The driver may choose to expend two, three, or four times the amount of fuel and reduce the vehicle's maneuverability by 1 (if increasing by 2 or 3 times) or by 2 (if by 4) to increase the movement speed by that multiplier."

I'd probably also allow this speed boost to count for if a glider-type vehicle can stay aloft or not.

Oh, I also allowed vehicle passengers to count as mounted for feats and the like, so you can have a biker knight with a lance and the like.


3. What other additions, if any, do you think would make sense for the system?

Probably more vehicle-specific magic items and spells. Enhanced siege engines or armor and maybe some other odds and ends stuff. Maybe if my players interacted with it more directly, I might have some more ideas, but they weren't too interested in it.