From: norm@hpfcso.FC.HP.COM (Norman Gee)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg
Subject: Re: GIZMO:  How does one build a Rocket Ranger Suit?
Date: 25 Jan 93 16:03:57 GMT
Organization: Hewlett-Packard, Fort Collins, CO, USA

In alt.games.torg, bmedley@hounix.org (Bert Medley) writes:

> Does anyone have an example of this [Rocket Ranger suit]?  Thanks!

I will take a stab at it, but a disclaimer is perhaps in order first:
In a conversation I had with Ed Stark (of WEG, who is the gizmo-guru),
Ed told me that the R.R. Battlesuit did not completely conform to the
Gizmo rules as they exist in the Nile Empire source book.  However, I
believe that a suit much like the R.R. Battlesuit could be created using
the rules as stated.

I will assume here that readers are moderately familiar with the gizmo 
rules.  If what I say below makes no sense with your understanding of the
rules, I apologize.  Bob Ellison and I are in the process of coming up with
a Gizmo Construction worksheet that will detail our understanding of the
process and rules used (as clarified by a fruitful conversation with the
afore-mentioned Mr. Stark).

I will not take the time to draw the "blueprint" in ascii, but I will try
to describe it.

First, as to the suit itself:  It would be about the size and weight of
Plate Mail, and completely encases the wearer, hence the +7/23 armor value
and dexterity and fatigue penalties.  (See the picture for the Rocket Ranger
character template and the back of the Nile Sourcebook).
This armor value would apply when the suit's TOU system (below) is not
active, or (in my opinion) should superscede the suit's TOU (19) if the
wearers TOU +7 exceeds the suits TOU of 19).

Since there is no operating difficulty specified, any boosters attached to
any system must be properly compensated.

The suit consists of a housing and 4 systems:

Housing:  Metal suit.  
  Weight:  40 lbs (this is a guess) (Value 6)
  Housing TOU: 15

Note that in the systems below, Strength, Toughness and Flight system values
are all less than the maximum value, so no boosters (or compensators) need
be added to those systems.  Mega-sight, however, has a maximum value of 10,
so it is obvious that a +2 booster and a compensator need be used.

System: Strength
   System Value: 14
   Power Plant:  (19)  *note:  No mention of power-plants are given in the
     R.R. suit description, but if *I* were building it, I would want to
     have at least a value 19 power-plant, to give the thing less chance of
     failure at stymie or setback time.
   Adaptor:

Blueprint: Housing connects to a 3-way (triangular) adaptor, which forms a
           loop connecting the System box and Power-plant. (see pg 81)

System: Toughness
   System Value: 19
   Power Plant:  (19+)  -- Values this high are sometimes hard to come by, 
      but your power plant value should exceed the value of the system it
      powers if at all possible.

Blueprint: similar to that described for Strength (above)

System: Flight
   System Value: 11  (This I don't understand, because the limit for flight
                      is 12.  The weird scientist must have rolled poorly . :-)
   Power Plant: Possibility Capacitor -- 1 p_point per adventure.

System: Mega-Sight
   System Value: 10 (limit value)
   Booster:       +2
   Compensator:   +2
   Power Plant:  Possibility Capacitor -- 2 p_points per adventure.
                (one as base cost for the Power, one for each booster).

Blueprint for above two systems:

  Each of the two systems above connect to the housing through a 3-way
  adaptor, but if I were building the gizmo, I would share the possibility
  capacitor between the two systems.  Since a fully charged p. capacitor 
  can hold up to 10 possibilities, one would be enough to power the suit 
  Powers for 3 adventures.  (The suit has an adventure cost total of 3 
  possibilities).

The suit confering its Strength upon the wearer is reasonable -- the suit
functions much like an exo-skeleton, amplifying the user's movements through
servo-motors positioned at the appropriate joints in the armor.

I'm willing to entertain ideas concerning how the TOU system operates, and
how supplying power to a TOU systems makes it work.  Perhaps coils throughout
the suit produce an inductive field that has the property of absorbing 
the impact of physical or energy based attacks, dissapating it as heat.
(This is weird science right? Anything can be done...:)

Flight and Mega-sight work as described in the Pulp Powers sections. 
From the appearance of the R.R. suit, I would guess that the flight system
works via jet-boots, powered by the possibility capacitor.  Or, since
we can use our imaginiation, a small anti-gravity frammerstat is activated
to render the suit and wearer more or less weightless, with thrust nozzles
in the bottom of the boot to provide propulsion for forward movement and
direction control.
Mega-sight would be available through the specially designed goggles 
(face-shield) of the helmet.


As far as the -3 bonus modifier assesed against attacks targeting the 
suit instead of the wearer, I don't have a clue why this is here.  This
may be one of the places that the suit diverges from the "normal" rules.
No other gizmo I am aware of has this property (though it would be nice
if they did!).

In fact, since the suit completely encases the wearer, I find it hard to
imagine an attack *not* affecting the armor!


Comments and questions are welcome -- criticism and abuse expected. :-)

Norman Gee
(my opinions are mine -- no one else seems to want them)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg