From: Jim Ogle (Ks. Jim) <jogle@aoc.nrao.edu>
Subject: Re: GIZMO:  How does one build a Rocket Ranger Suit?
X-Gated-By: The Black Marble Wombat@morticia.cnns.unt.edu
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Organization: University of North Texas
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Date: Wed, 27 Jan 1993 08:16:18 GMT

Norman Gee writes:
 
> 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),

Tell him we want a gizmo book and we want it now!  8-)

> 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

No kidding!

> believe that a suit much like the R.R. Battlesuit could be created using
> the rules as stated.

[...]

> 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.

Although the -1 Dexterity penalty and the fatigue penalty could be interpreted
as due to boosters that have not been compensated for.
 
> The suit consists of a housing and 4 systems:
> 
> Housing:  Metal suit.  
>   Weight:  40 lbs (this is a guess) (Value 6)

Probably higher but not much more than a value or two.  

>   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.

I'm always forgetting this rule - thanks for the reminder (heh heh; watch
out Zeke! 8-)

[...]

> 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).

It could be just an adventure cost of 1 if there is only one booster (with
a +2 rating).
 
> 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).

Reasonable, especially since Mega-Sight may not get used every adventure.

[...]
 
> 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...:)

How does it work?  I guess I could always pull out my Handbook of the Marvel
Universe and adapt their dissertation on how Iron Man's armor works...I'll
just settle for it working without explaination though. 8-)

Though your coil theory could also explain the fatigue penalty too (the
suit can't dissipate the generated heat fast enough sometimes).
 
> 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!).

Perhaps this is for striking at the Housing Toughness instead of the
powered Toughness value?  Though I would personally rule such an attempt
a Vital Blow myself....
 
> In fact, since the suit completely encases the wearer, I find it hard to
> imagine an attack *not* affecting the armor!

Really!

I was hoping that the Capt. Verdigris writeup in the Character Collection
was going to have a more complete writeup of Rocket Ranger armor, but no
such luck.

One of my players suggested that the Rocket Ranger suits are powered by
Eternium, which is why there is no adventure cost listed anywhere but that
begs the question of where all those Rocket Rangers got the Eternium from
back on Terra.  Now the Ra Warriors (Mobius' version of the Rocket Rangers)
I can see being powered by Eternium, since they work for the guy who is the
only source of it.  (Though that doesn't mean the suit of Ra armor my party
captured will be powered by Eternium; it was a trainee suit after all.)

Thanks for the work - now I don't have to do it for the Ra Warrior armor
in my game (ok, I have to substitute the solar blast for the mega-sight
which will involve sticking in lots of boosters and compensators).

Kansas Jim (jogle@aoc.nrao.edu)
Newsgroups: alt.games.torg