Random Thoughts on Zebs equipment

Moderator: jedion357

Random Thoughts on Zebs equipment

Postby jedion357 » Sun Sep 06, 2009 8:33 am

Note: not everything will be universally available.

In places where Zebs renamed AD equipment and yet left the item essentially unchanged (lasers models Ke-insert #)
I prefer just calling stuff a laser pistol, laser rifle, and heavy laser especially when listing it on character sheet equipment list so I dont have to go look it up. In character post can refer to it by a model number for flavor but I'm not likely, as the GM running all the NPCs, to recognize much more than the model numbers in Zebs or the Star Frontiersman.

My knee jerk reaction to the beam weapons in the Zebs list is to allow everything but the maser/microwave weapons.
Proton weapons exist but few military's have bought into them as they take a radically different ammo supply and most prefer to simplify their logistics. Mostly, you find them used by pirates and gun collectors or anyone looking for a weapon that can bypass many of the popular defenses used throughout the frontier.

The projectile weapons are ok
but the grenade list gets a little complicated though much should be ok
The missile section with its mix and match is way to fiddly and complicated and will cause too much looking up of stuff. I much prefer to just work from the mix and match rules to develop a specific missile and describe it and name it with its properties and that missile/rocket is a sealed non changable unit. To that end I'll be listing some models of rocket missile in the ships armory - I very much see the RM desiring to have a field crusher missile to assist with boarding actions of defended ships.

All weapons attachments should be ok.

All melee weapons should be ok

I dont have a problem with the optics though Hi res IR is of no use without maser weapons existing in the setting

All zebs defenses exist except maser mesh, of course. Light shift screens are being purchased for use by spec ops but are not generally available yet: multiply the type # of Light shift screen by 10% and add that to the cost of the screen if you can find it for sale on Clarion.

Computers- yeah most is good though Computer access Scanners need some tweeking- to be closer to AD type scanners, I'll get on that soon unless someone needs or buys one sooner.

Locks: well yeah some good material there but I dont want to keep track of who has what color ID card and what color a card lock is. (all assault scouts would have the same level of lock on their entry point but only crew for the ship in question would be able to open that lock with their ID.) You want a brain scan lock on your foot locker, great, spend the money and there you go.

Scanners- sure

Survival Gear:
Yep good stuff but concerning cloning: I think the zebs rules reflect outdated ideas about cloning plus I'd prefer this campaign to have a more hard space opera feel than to go into the themes of bio-engineering and cloning and muck up the game with the ethical issues involved. Lets just blow away stuff with nuclear armed torpedoes and vaporize mooks who use the term Gollywog. Lots of fun to be had with that and no ethical complications. :D

Vehicles: good- (confession- as a former Car Wars freak I dont like AD's vehicle rules but will use them unless some one approaches me with a sane & simple system.)

Again I called this post random thoughts not some much a ruling- lots of things are open to discussion.
My big issue with maser weapons is they and bolt weapons add lots of extra complications to equipping a party without really adding anything to the game. I've left in bolt weapons as a wild card but axed maser and its associated defense to simplify things a little.
A second year delivery driver who still could not back up his van told me, "Its Not that I Cant back it up a van its that I Dont want to." Funny I use to say the same about sex in high School.
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