Spaced Out Rides

(This is the kind of thing I'd have sent into Pyramid back in the day, but that's not an option now, so here we are.)

 

The GURPS Action series is the gift that keeps on giving for a lot of modern-and-later gaming. GURPS Action 2: Exploits has rules for sneaking around, running away, and all kinds of other activities which can be easily transplanted to cyberpunk and other high-tech settings. GURPS Action 6: Tricked-Out Rides provides more of the same for its topic, giving an easy framework for describing and even designing common types of vehicles without all the math and paralysis-by-analysis of GURPS Vehicles. Pick a standardized vehicle type (van, compact car, etc.) and apply modifiers (rugged, tinted windows). But, of course, it’s limited. It’s just ten pages, after all, so it’s great for common passenger vehicles for the modern(ish) era. But higher-tech vehicles could be treated exactly the same way. Pick a rocket cycle or land speeder, apply modifiers, and you’re on your way.

 

All you need, then, are base models to apply modifiers to, presented below. Even most of the modifiers in Action 6 are suitable as written. There’ll be more or less agile models of similar vehicles, more or less luxurious ones, and so on. 

 

Which is not to say that there won’t be some changes to underlying assumptions as a consequence of improving technology. Computers, GPS (both Action 6, p. 7), and crash webs ( GURPS Ultra-Tech, p. 224) are standard in all vehicles at TL9+. At TL 10, triple range for any vehicle introduced at an earlier TL. At TL 11+, power is provided by tiny fusion reactors, antimatter plants, or other exotic power generators, so range is effectively unlimited. 

At TL9+, ground vehicles with the stats in  Action 6 are still available as inexpensive options, but better power plants (electrical, fusion, etc.) mean that no vehicle is flammable (the Safety Fuel System on p. 6 is essentially standard). 

New Vehicle Types

There are two new categories of vehicle here, implied or lightly treated by vehicle entries the Basic Set and GURPS Ultra-Tech: hover vehicles and air vehicles.

 

Hover vehicles use ground effects, ducted fans, and the like, or magnetic repulsion, light-duty antigrav, or just plain superscience at higher TLs to float a few inches to a foot or so off the ground. They can ignore poor road conditions like potholes, low vegetation, and broken pavement, travel over water (and other liquid and semi-liquid surfaces like mud) as well as solid ground, and even ignore low obstacles like modestly sized rocks and fallen logs. However, they can’t fly over larger obstacles like K-rails/Jersey barriers, large shrubs, or walls of any meaningful size. They’re also no better at handling steep slopes than wheeled vehicles; they’re meant to travel horizontally, not vertically. At TL9, they can only operate in an atmosphere, but at higher TLs they use technologies which can operate in a vacuum.

Air vehicles are true aircraft using advanced technologies like reactionless thrusters (the air car on Ultra Tech, p. 225, is an intermediate step between hovercraft, conventional VTOL aircraft, and antigrav or reactionless-driven vehicles; these air vehicles are purely fliers, with less prominent thrusters and no wheels). They can hover, climb straight up, dive straight down, go over any obstacle they can’t go around, and fly at any reasonable altitude. They may even, with suitable adaptation for the survival of the driver and passengers, fly through space. 

 

Driving/TL (Motorcycle)

TL	Vehicle	ST/HP	Hnd/SR	HT	Move	LWt.	Load	SM	Occ.	DR	Range	Cost	Locations
9	Light hovercycle	23	-1/3	11	4/32	0.2	0.1	0	1	3	240	$2.5K	E
9	Heavy hovercycle	29	-1/3	11	4/66	0.4	0.2	0	1+1	4	250	$20K	E

Driving/TL (Automobile)

TL	Vehicle	ST/HP	Hnd/SR	HT	Move	LWt.	Load	SM	Occ.	DR	Range	Cost	Locations
9	Subcompact hovercar	48	-1/3	11	4/84	1.1	0.25	2	1+1	4	500	$37.5K	G
9	Compact hovercar	47	-1/3	11	4/78	1.2	0.4	2	1+3	5	630	$50K	G
9	Midsize hovercar	49	-1/3	11	4/72	1.4	0.5	3	1+4	5	690	$62.5K	G
9	Large hovercar	49	-1/3	11	4/72	1.5	0.6	3	1+4	5	750	$75K	G
9	Small hovervan	49	-2/4	11	3/66	1.7	0.8	3	1+6	5	500	$75K	G
9	Large hovervan	59	-2/4	11	3/42	3.4	1.8	4	1+1	5	500	$75K	g

Piloting/TL (Contragravity)

TL	Vehicle	ST/HP	Hnd/SR	HT	Move	LWt.	Load	SM	Occ.	DR	Range	Cost	Locations	Stall
^	Light aircyle	27	+1/2	11	10/54	0.25	0.1	0	1	3	3800	$20K	E	0
^	Heavy aircycle	32	+1/2	11	10/110	0.45	0.2	0	1+1	4	4000	$160K	E	0
^	Subcompact aircar	51	+2/3	11	10/140	1.3	0.25	2	1+1	4	8000	$300K	G	0
^	Compact aircar	50	+2/3	11	10/130	1.4	0.4	2	1+3	5	10000	$400K	G	0
^	Midsize aircar	52	+2/3	11	10/120	1.6	0.5	3	1+4	5	11000	$500K	G	0
^	Large aircar	54	+2/3	11	10/120	1.8	0.6	3	1+4	5	12000	$600K	G	0
^	Small airvan	54	+2/4	11	7/110	2	0.8	3	1+6	5	8000	$600K	G	0
^	Large airvan	67	+2/4	11	7/70	4.1	1.8	4	1+1	5	8000	$600K	g	0

Modifiers and Upgrades

While Action 6 contains vehicle options suitable for many uses well into the future, here are a few additional options made possible by improving technology.

 

Autopilot. A reliable context-aware self-driving system. The autopilot will drive (or fly) a vehicle between destinations, following efficient routes and local traffic regulations if provided with map data (which usually comes standard or is trivially obtained). In suitable locations, it will even look for a parking space. It can react to driving emergencies like an animal suddenly running into the road or another vehicle suddenly emerging from around a blind corner with a Driving skill equal to TL + 3. It cannot, however, dodge incoming fire, it will avoid ramming or other hostile activities (indeed, the whole point of the autopilot is not   to run into things), and it is otherwise of little use in a combat situation. $1000 at TL9, standard thereafter. 

 

Legged suspension. Instead of wheels or treads, the vehicle uses legs to get around. As a modification to a ground vehicle, it removes the * modifier from movement, doubles acceleration, and reduces top speed by 25%. The W hit location is replaced with anything from 4L to 8L. CF +0.5. 

 

Life support. Provides breathable air and comfortable temperatures (as long as conditions aren’t too extreme, like being on a planet like Venus) as long as the vehicle has power. This modification does not provide an airlock, so opening a door or window will vent any air. However, full-size spacecraft and permanent installations on planets with hostile environments are likely to have extendable portal compatible with vehicle doors, allowing passengers to move between them safely. Exposed crew and passenger positions are not protected by life support, so effectively this system is not available for cycles. $10,000 ¥ Occ., 0.01 ton ¥ Occ.