Power to the Players!

For years GURPS had hidden the power from the players... kept the number hidden behind a veil of secrecy!

But in this age of wikileak bomb shells shaking this corrupt system to its core, it's time to rip back the veil and give the power back to the players!








As I said in my last post, I'd cover how you could use Generators and Combustion Engines to power energy weapons and recharge batteries so in this post, I'm gonna deliver.

Originally I was trying to keep in the current GURPS style of hiding actual energy figures under the rug but then I ran into the problem that trying to explain through writing how to figure how big of a Generator or Combustion Engine you needed to power multiple devices... well it was tedious as all get out. So I deiced to come clean and lay bare the very figures I used to make things easier for all parties heh.

Now all of this is based on the energy density of power cells in GURPS. How do I know what those are? Well, given that a 10d laser is 100kJ, I assumed the efficiency of a TL9 laser to be 50% and then using the Shots table from Davids Blaster and Laser Design System from Pyramid 3/37 I extrapolated that a TL9 C cell had an energy density of 45kJ. I then sent David a PM asking him if the figures were right and he told me "No!"

I was off by half, they were 90kJ... I over assumed the lasers efficiency heh. So using this I was able to figure out the values below. Though one thing to keep in mind is that these values *MIGHT* change in the GURPS VDS when if comes out but for the time being, these figures line up with Ultra-Tech.

Power Cells
As said above, these numbers are cannon as of now (except for TL8, this was extrapolated). The numbers listed are a given power cells energy storage in kiloJoules AND its power output in kiloWatts. See Ultra-Tech pg. 19 for weight and costs.


Size      TL8         TL9       TL10     TL11           TL12
AA       0.0225     0.09        0.36       1.44             5.76       
A         0.225        0.9          3.6         14.4             57.6   
B         2.25         9              36          144              576
C        22.5          90           360         1,440           5,760 
D       225            900        3,600       14,400         57,600
E       2,250         9,000     36,000      144,000       576,000
F      22,500        90,000   360,000    1,440,000     5,760,000

So, how much power does an Ultra-Tech device use? To find how many kiloWatts it needs, first divide its duration by how many power cells it uses (for example something with 12hrs/2B, divide its duration by 2 for 6hrs) then take its duration and then multiply it by 60 if the duration is in minutes, by 3,600 if  in hours, by 86,4000 if days and by 604, 800 if weeks to get duration in seconds. Now look up how many kiloJoules the given power cell has for the given TL and then divide its kiloJoules by the devices duration. 

If running off of a Generator or Combustion Engine and the total kiloWatts needed is less then 0.1kJ then you can treat the device as needing negligible power. Also in less simulations games, I'd recommend ignoring the need to track negligible systems if they are running off of a F power cell or Large battery or larger. 


Batteries
Unlike power cells, these numbers are not based on on anything official. Instead they are based on the research done by Luke Campbell which matched up with the numbers I was coming up with as well. Check out his take here. In fact, check out his whole site! Here's his GURPS stuff and here's everything you could ever want to know on how lasers work but were afraid to ask! 

For batteries the first number before the slash is its output in kiloWatts, if a device is hooked up to it, that devices power requirement need to be equal or lower then this value. The second number after the slash is the batteries energy storage in kiloJoules. Divide the devices output by the batteries storage to get how many seconds it will run for. 

See High-Tech pg. 13 for prices and weights. 

Size                      TL8                TL9                     TL10+
Tiny                     0.0025/10        0.01/100             0.04/400
Extra-Small         0.0125/50         0.05/500             0.2/2,000
Small                   0.04/165          0.165/1,650         0.66/6,600
Medium               0.25/1,000       1/10,000              4/40,000
Large                  1.25/5,000        5/50,000              20/200,000
Very Large          6.25/25,000      25/250,000         100/1,000,000


Now trying to figure out the output for the various devices in High-Tech is a little trickier then in Ultra-Tech since the outputs of real world gear is... tricky... and then there's the fact I don't know the assumptions used by the authors, but a "good enough" solution is to look at what kind of battery a device runs on, look up the given batteries output on the above table and then multiply it by the numbers of batteries the device uses. 

 

Generators
Generators are heavy for their output but last for years on their internal fuel supplies. They also operate almost silently but generate an extreme level of heat that makes them, the exception of Radiothermal Generators, impossible to hide from infrared sensors.

When stating out a Generator you need to think of their output in kiloWatts, this should at lest match the power requirements of major system you would like to run at the same time, and how many hours you want the Generator to run for.

Radiothermal Generator
At TL9 and TL10 the generators are Radiothermal. They last for 14years before losing 90% of their output. Like most power plants they generate heat while providing power which can make it easier to spot on infrared sensors though no so much that they can not be hidden through infrared cloaking. Radiothermal Generators can be used at TL11 and TL12 but do to the fact that the radioisotope used to power it places a hard limit on how light it can be per kW (~4lbs/kW) they do not get any lighter. Instead half their price at TL12 and quarter it at TL12. Radiothermal Generators can not be shut down.

The modifier to spot a Radiothermal Generator on Infrared can be figured as Log₁₀(Radiothermal Generator output kiloWatts ).

TL       WM        Cost             Duration
9          150           $1,000          14yrs
10+      75             $1,000          14yrs

Weight: Multiply the Radiothermal Generators output in kiloWatts by WM to get the Generators weight in pounds.
Cost: Multiply the Radiothermal Generators weight by Cost to get the Generators cost in dollars.
Duration: This how long the Radiothermal Generator can last before losing 90% of its output.


Fusion Reactor 
At TL11 and TL12 Fusion Reactors can be used. They last up to 10 years but generator so much heat that any infrared cloaking is impossible! If you need stealth consider either just taking a Radiothermal Generator or adding enough power cells to run the suit for short periods. It takes an hour to cool down the reactor.

The modifier to spot a Fusion Reactor on infrared can be figured as Log₁₀(Fusion Reactors output in kiloWatts×10).

TL      WM           Cost        Duration
10       100             $2,000      10yrs
11        50               $2,000      10yrs
12       25                $2,000     10yrs

Weight: Multiply the Fusion Reactors output in kiloWatts by WM to get the Generators weight in pounds.
Cost: Multiply the Fusion Reactors weight by Cost to get the Generators cost in dollars.
Duration: This how many years the Generator can last on its internal fuel supply.

Antimatter Reactor
At TL12 Anti-matter Reactors are available. The have enough deuterium and anti-deuterium to run the suit for 5 years but like Fusions Reactors they run to hot to hide! If stealth is needed then either get a Radiothermal Generator or get enough power cells to run the suit for short periods of time. It takes an hour to cool down the reactor. Note that even in the event of containment failure, the amount of anti-matter carried (at lest at the scale of a battlesuit!) isn't enough to cause a catastrophic explosion but it will completely blow out and ruin the reactor housing.

The modifier to spot a Anti-Matter Reactor on infrared can be figured as Log₁₀(Anti-Matter Reactors output in kiloWatts×100).

TL      WM      Cost           Duration 
12        10              $2,000        5yrs

Weight: Multiply the Anti-Matter Reactors output in kiloWatts by WM to get the Generators weight in pounds.
Cost: Multiply the Anti-Matter Reactors weight by Cost to get the Generators cost in dollars.
Duration: This how many years the Generator can last on its internal fuel supply.


Combustion Engines
At TL8-10, Combustion Engines are still viable power sources since they have a lower weight per kW then Reactors do. This does come with the down side of needing lots of fuel to keep running. They are also  nosier  then reactors which are nearly silent.  

When stating out a Combustion Engines you need to think of their output in kiloWatts, this should at lest match the power requirements of major system you would like to run at the same time, and how many hours you want the engine to run for. 

Ceramic Engines
At TL8 and TL9 advanced super charged Ceramic Engines are available. They do not work underwater or in thin or very dense atmospheres limiting their operation to Earth-like environments. They normally run off of diesel but can also run off of normal gasoline, jet fuel and even alcohol in a pinch!

The modifier to spot a Ceramic Engine on infrared can be figured as Log₁₀(Ceramic Engines output in kiloWatts).

To figure the base range you can hear a Ceramic Engine in, first figure its output in decibels as 20×Log₁₀(Ceramic Engines output in kiloWatts×1,000).

Compare the engines output in decibels to a base of 60. Round the decibels to the nearest factor of 10 and if the output is 60 decibels then it has a base hearing range of  1 yard, for every 10 decibels louder double the range, for every 10 decibels quieter half the range.  

TL       WM        Cost   Fuel Usage
8           4               $40           0.09
9+         3               $40           0.08

Weight: Multiply the Ceramic Engines output in kiloWatts by WM to get its weight in pounds.
Cost: Multiply the Ceramic Engines weight by cost to get its cost in dollars.
Fuel Usage: Multiply Fuel Usage by the Ceramic Engines output in kiloWatts and by how many hours of endurance you want the engine to run for to get  the engines fuel volume in gallons. If running off of alcohol then it needs 1.2× as many gallons per hour.



Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbine
At TL 9 and TL10 high powered Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbines can be used. They are heavier then Ceramic Engines of the same output and somewhat louder, but their fuel weighs less. Like Ceramic Engines they also need an Earth-Like environment to operate normally in but with a small amount of liquid oxygen added they can operate in any environment making them more useful for suits that meant to be used off world. Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbines run off of hydrogen.

The modifier to spot a Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbine on infrared can be figured as Log₁₀(Ceramic Engines output in kiloWatt).

To figure the base range you can hear a Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbine, first figure its output in decibels as 25×Log₁₀(Ceramic Engines output in kiloWatts×1,000).

Compare the engines output in decibels to a base of 60. Round the decibels to the nearest factor of 10 and if the output is 60 decibels then it has a base hearing range of  1 yard, for every 10 decibels louder double the range, for every 10 decibels quieter half the range.  
 
TL       WT/kW  Cost        Fuel Usage
9          6             $60            0.3
10+      4             $60            0.27
  
Weight: Multiply the Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbines output in kiloWatts by WM to get its weight in pounds.
Cost: Multiply the Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbines weight by cost to get its cost in dollars.
Fuel Usage: Multiply Fuel Usage by the Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbine output in kiloWatts and by how many hours of endurance you want the engine to run for to get the engines fuel volume in gallons. To power Magneto-Hydrodynamic Turbines in non-Earth environments, add half a gallon of  liquid oxygen per gallon of hydrogen.

Fuel Weight and Storage

The weight of fuel carried is Gallons of Fuel×F

F is 6 if gasoline or diesel, 6.5 if jet fuel, 5.8 if alcohol, 0.58 if hydrogen and 9.6 if liquid oxygen.

The cost of the fuel is gallons of fuel×F

F is $2.40 if diesel, $3 if gasoline, $6 if jet fuel, $0.5 if alcohol, $1 if hydrogen or liquid oxygen.

Fuel Tanks
Fuel tanks are available as either light or heavy. Both types are self sealing.

The weight of a Fuel Tank  is T×Gallons of fuel.

T is 0.5 if light and 1 if heavy.

Cost is $5 per pound of tanks weight.

Light tanks have DR 4 at TL8 and TL9, 6 at TL10, 8 at TL11 and 12 at TL12.

Heavy tanks have DR 8 at TL8 and TL9, 12 at TL10 16 at TL11 and 24 at TL12.