thrust can be boosted by an appropriate outside source, for example, a giant laser cannon beaming energy into a light sail, a solar storm, etc.
FTL Drive
This allows a mecha that is already in space to travel between the stars at faster-than-light (FTL) speeds. Some stardrives let a mecha fly at impossible speeds, while others side-step normal space by travelling through some kind of hyperspace or instantly jumping from point to point.
Some FTL drives are only good for interstellar trips, and require ordinary reaction drives, space sails, or dramatic drives as well. For example, the FTL drive may not function close to a planet’s gravity, thus requiring the first few tens of thousands of miles to be made using a conventional drive. Alternatively, it might only connect certain natural or artificial “jump points” or “wormholes” that must first be reached.
Many FTL drives have no manoeuvrability at all: the navigator programs in a course, and the spacecraft flies in a straight line (either through normal space or some form of hyperspace), or ducks out of space together and reappears at the destination, either instantly, or after a set time has elapsed. Others let the mecha manoeuvre freely, but at many times the speed of light. Note that if this capability exists and is not limited as described above, it will render conventional space flight obsolete and let FTL-equipped vessels fly rings around ordinary craft.
The GM should decide exactly how each FTL drive works, whether a trip is instant, or takes hours, weeks, or months, and if it has a maximum range or other limits. There may be problems that prevent a ship instantly escaping, such as engines that take a long time to recharge or those that exhaust their fuel between trips. Navigation could be tricky, requiring a Navigate check to avoid being lost in space or ending up some place unintended (perhaps with a DC based on distance in light years). In some campaigns, only large spaceships have the room to mount a Stardrive. If so, the GM may require a minimum ship size as a prerequisite.
The GM should assign a base interstellar speed (or distance, for instant jumps) in light years, or parsecs, such as 1 light year/day or 1 parsec/week. This is the speed of the slowest starship. FTL speed is expressed as a multiplier to that speed, for example, FTL x3 means it can travel 3x as fast as the slowest spacecraft. The GM may wish to set a maximum multiplier, for example, x6 or x10. The GM may only allow one FTL speed. If jump involves going through a jump gate or wormhole to whatever point connects it, for instance, then it is reasonable to assume that all ships travel to that point at the same pace.
Mecha Point Cost:
20 x Armour per multiple of standard interstellar speed; if Armour is 4 or less, treat as 5. If it can manoeuvre in FTL space, multiply the cost by 5. If it “breaks the rules” (jumps without a wormhole when other ships require one, etc.) apply a x1 to x10 cost multiplier depending on how much of an advantage this gives with the campaign.Step 9
Choose Handling
Handling qualities are represented by two values: Initiative and Manoeuvre. Each is chosen separately.
Manoeuvre and Initiative values only apply to giant robots and vehicles. Mecha suits do not have them.
G-Rounds
This is a measure of how long the mecha can accelerate before using up its onboard reaction mass (once this happens it can just coast). A mecha uses up 1 G-Round each time it uses 1 G of thrust for one round. If it accelerated at 2 G (assuming it can) for five rounds, it would use up 10 G-Rounds; if it accelerated at 0.1 G for 1,000 rounds, it would use up 100 G-Rounds, and so on.
Delta-V
For the realism-inclined, delta-V is a measure of the top speed a mecha can build up to before it runs out of reaction mass and must coast. Most mecha, when travelling, will only accelerate to a velocity no more than half their delta-V to ensure they have sufficient reaction mass to decelerate again (since deceleration is an application of reverse-thrust). Delta-V = G-Rounds x 125 mph (200 kph); thrust does not figure into this. If a mecha has a thrust of at least 2 G and a delta-V of about 20,000 mph (32,000 kph) or more, however, it has enough thrust to lift off from Earth and boost itself into orbit (25,000 mph (40,000 kph) is escape velocity).
Note that exhausting all a mecha’s onboard reaction mass isn’t the same as running out of power or life support — a mecha with a reaction engine can still function perfectly normally if it’s out of reaction mass; it just can’t accelerate or decelerate in space.
Select the mecha’s thrust in G (this may be a fraction) and its G-rounds (usually a multiple of acceleration). Most short-range “space fighter” type mecha should have a number of G-rounds equal to at least 10 x their acceleration. Long-range spaceships should have enough G-rounds to give them a delta-V of 1,000 or more, which usually means accepting a lower acceleration.
Mecha Point Cost:
Cost (per drive) is Thrust (in G) x G- Rounds x Armour x 0.1. If Armour is 4 or less, treat as 5. For example, if a gargantuan space fighter with Armour 10 has 3 G thrust and 100 G-rounds (Delta V 12,500 mph), the Mecha Point cost is (3 x 100 x 10 x 0.1) 300.Dramatic Space Flight
The mecha can accelerate constantly for as long as it has power — it ignores mundane considerations like reaction mass, so the top speed is limited only by its endurance (see Defects, page 174) or any physics-based considerations the GM wishes to impose, like the speed of light. Sure, that defies the laws of physics, but if 60’ tall giant robots exist, who is going to care?
Select an acceleration in G: each G lets the mecha increase its speed by 1,000’ per round (thus, 0.1 G would allow 100’, while 6 G would allow 6,000’). If it stops accelerating, it will continue moving at its listed speed. It can decelerate instead of accelerating, reducing its speed by its thrust rating (thus, -100’ for 0.1 G or -6,000’ for 6G).
Mecha Point Cost:
The cost is (1 + thrust in G) times Armour times 10. Treat thrust under 1/20 G as 1/20 G, and Armour under 4 as 5.Note: in some universes, all spacecraft may accelerate much faster. If appropriate, the GM can modify this; replace “thrust in G” with “in 10s of G,” “in hundreds of G,” or another appropriate value for the campaign setting.
Space Sails
Space is not empty — it is awash with a sea of energy. Stars, such as our own Sun, emit both light and a powerful “solar wind” of high-energy particles such as protons. Enormous sails — often many tens or even hundreds of kilometres across — can be constructed to allow spacecraft to catch the stellar winds (though the sails can certainly be much smaller depending on the campaign setting).
Use the rules for Dramatic Space Flight, above, but usually with thrust ratings well below 1 G, clumsy space manoeuvrability, and the Wind
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that represent various types of super-technology — “quantum flux engine,” for example.
A Booster will only affect one type of movement (air, land, water, underwater, or space flight). A mecha can take different Boosters for different movement types, however.
Boosters provide an increase in speed for a short period of time (no more than one hour or 10% of the mecha’s endurance, whichever is less). Exception: a space flight Booster adds additional G of thrust for a number of G-rounds, just like realistic space flight (page 164); G-rounds may not exceed 600.