GURPS - Compendium 1..

Inventing vs. Gadgeteering
GURPS offers two different ways that PCs can introduce new technological
devices into a game: New Inventions (p. B186) and Gadgeteering (above). The GM
needs to decide whether either or both are appropriate to his campaign. The basic
differences between the two game mechanics are summarized below.
Gadgeteering: The Gadgeteering rules are cinematic, and allow the introduction
of devices well above the campaign TL. Gadgeteering requires a special
advantage, but can be done with only moderate skill levels. Rules are provided
for variable costs and development times based on gadget complexity, and the
process normally results in bug-free gadgets.
Additional rules for gadgeteering can be found in GURPS Illuminati
University, including Bugs in Gadgets (p. IOU111) and the Guaranteed Play-
Balance Table (p. IOU107, p. CII10).
Invention: The Invention rules are only slightly cinematic, and apply only to
devices at the campaign TL (or perhaps TL+1). On the other hand. Invention
does not require any special advantage; instead, it normally requires very high
skill levels. The Invention rules do not address costs, and the time and skill rolls
required are independent of the device's complexity. These rules also result in
bug-free devices!
Additional rules for Invention can be found in GURPS Ultra-Tech (New or
Custom Programs, p. UT32), Vehicles, Second Edition (Building Vehicles,
which includes rules for bugs, testing, production and hired designers, pp. 201-
202) and Robots (Inventing Robots, p. R108, which offers a simplified version of
the Vehicles rules).
Reinventing Invention (below) offers expanded Invention rules that include the
rules from other books, as well as new material to unify the Invention and
Gadgeteering rules. In general, gadgeteering should be easier, faster, cheaper and
more likely to succeed than Invention, reflecting its cinematic nature.
Reinventing Invention
For those GMs who want to add more detail to the Invention process, or
who wish to mix Gadgeteering and Invention in the same campaign, replace the
Basic Set's Invention rules with the ones below. (Gadgeteers should use the regular
Gadgeteering rules, plus the optional rules below for testing and fixing bugs.)
Starting the Invention
Use the Gadgeteering rules to determine the complexity of the invention. If
the device is being built with the rules from Vehicles or Robots, or can be found in
Ultra-Tech or another supplement, the retail ("list") price of the item can be often
used as a quick and dirty guide to complexity: if it costs up to $100, it's Simple;
up to $10,000, it's Average; up to $1,000,000, it's Complex; and anything over
$1,000,000 is of Amazing complexity. Computer programs are a special case - they
have a numerical Complexity rating, which should be used instead.
Next, make the conception roll as described on p. B186. (If the inventor has
somehow obtained actual blueprints for the device, skip this stage.) Instead of
the normal -15 modifier, use double the complexity penalties for Gadgeteering,
plus an additional -6. Thus, an Average complexity project has a penalty of -10.
For computer programs, use a penalty of twice the Complexity rating instead.
Additional bonuses and penalties:
+5 if you have a working model you're trying to copy (a critical failure on
any conception roll destroys the model, and you lose this bonus).
+2 if the device already exists, but you don't have a model.
Vehicle Skill
Specializations
(Continued)
Aerospace Vehicles
Piloting is used when the vehicle is fly -
ing. Vehicles worn as battlesuits but capable
of flight also use Battlesuit skill.
Piloting (Glider) skill is required for all
unpowered vehicles with wings.
Piloting (Sailing) skill is used for levitating
or contragravity vehicles that fly via
sails.
Piloting (Lighter -than-Air) skill applies to
self-propelled vehicles with gasbag flight
systems.
Piloting (Balloon) skill applies to vehicles
with gasbag flight systems that have
no means of aerial propulsion.
Driving (Hovercraft) skill is required for
any vehicle with a hovercraft flight system.
Piloting (Ultralight) skill applies to
winged craft of less than 1,000 pounds.
Piloting (Single-Engine Prop) skill is
required to pilot a vehicle if it has wings.
an aerial propellers and one power plant.
Piloting (Twin-Engine Prop) skill is
used if it has wings, aerial propellers and
two power plants.
Piloting (Multi-Engine Prop) skill is
needed if it has wings, aerial propellers and
three or more power plants.
Piloting (Military Jet) skill is required
for any high-performance military aircraft.
In general, if it has wings and reaction
engines or reactionless thrusters, exceeds
650 mph, is armed or has hardpoints. and
its MR is better than half its TL, it probably
qualifies. However, some military jets will
be slower or unarmed (e.g., recon or
ground-attack aircraft); some fast jets (e.g.,
supersonic transports) will not be military.
Piloting (Space Shuttle) skill is required if
the aircraft has wings and can reach orbit.
Exception: If it also matches military jet
requirements, use Piloting (Fighter
Spacecraft) skill.
Piloting (Small Private Jet) is used for
airplanes with only one reaction or reactionless
engine that aren't covered by
Military Jet or Space Shuttle skill.
Piloting (Multi-Engine Jet) skill is needed
to pilot airplanes with more than one
reaction or reactionless engine that don't
qualify as space shuttles or military jets.
Piloting (Contragravity) skill is used for
all vehicles using contragravity flight systems.
Piloting (Jet Pack) skill is required for
backpack-mounted vertol aircraft.
Piloting (Omithopter) skill is used for aircraft
with wings and ornithopter powertrains.
Piloting (Rotary Wing) skill is needed for
all rotary-wing aircraft (i.e., helicopters).
Familiarity between twin-rotor, auto-gyro,
top-and-tail and NOTAR vehicles is at -2.
Piloting (Vertol) skill is required for all
craft with vertol flight systems that don't
also have wings.
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