Zero-g Scenes

[pathstrider]

In the next episode of the game I'm running I'm planning a fight on the outside of a ruined hull - a bording action to be specific.

I was wondering if anyone had run a scene or a fight in zero-g, and if they could bring up any issues I need to bear in mind.

I know the system specific penalities for CODA (zero-g and in a suit), but I was just wondering if there was anything else....

An idea of when (or if) to test if people fly out into space is an example of something I'm pondering.

Thanks.

later days!

Mark

[Dan Gurden]

The thing to remember is Gravity, Mass, Velocity and loss of friction...

No Gravity so only their Magnetic boots holding them on. This however makes someone a fairly stationary target and is not so good for combat...

So any force is likely to be exxaderated. A jump becomes a leap, leaps become flight. Control may well be by using some on-board oxygen... And if you get struck, you could be sent falling/flying.

And once you start moving (by choice or not), it will be very difficult to stop... So raise the movement test difficulties, have them test for control and to stop, each of these count as an action, and so the mutiple action penalties will fall into play as the crew have to concentrate on where they are, where the bad guy is, and hitting the bad guy without suffering an 'equal and opposite reaction'...

And of course should they take a hit, they havn't just got to deal with injury, but also loss of containment and exposure to space... Watch First Contact for more details...

[Owen E Oulton]

I'm not sure how CODA handles Zero-gee training (is it still an Advantage?) or catastrophic failures for skill rolls, but that's generally the only time I'd worry about anyone "flying off" into space.

From what we've seen on screen, Trek suits have limited built-in manoeuvring jets. These may not be enough to return you to your ship (at least not quickly), but they should be able to stop spins, etc cetera.

People who are in free-floating spins and those with Zero-gee intolerance may be subject to nausea and worse. Barfing into one's helmet is a real bad thing - not only do you run the risk of getting stomache acids in the eyes or aspirating... er, stuff, yuo have the problem that your faceplate is now effectively opaque. There's likely a "suit purge" function, but that's going to waste a large portion of your breathing gasses.

The positive side of things is the fact that Trek uses transporters, so it's a relative breeze to retrieve any incapacitated charcters and/or wayward wanderers.

Evil nasty gamemaster's tip - If you're going to inflict an in-suit barf bath on anyone, pick a hirsute species (Caitian or other fur-bearing critter). Much better comedy effect. BWAH-HAH-HAH-HAH!

[Kronok]

Originally posted by Dan Gurden
The thing to remember is Gravity, Mass, Velocity and loss of friction...

Friction stills exists regardless of gravity. No friction between objects due to the force of gravity "pulling" the objects together is a different story.

Frictionless roleplaying (Spells in Rolemaster for example) is a different story.

[Lt Cmdr Matt]

Originally posted by Kronok
Friction stills exists regardless of gravity. No friction between objects due to the force of gravity "pulling" the objects together is a different story.

Frictionless roleplaying (Spells in Rolemaster for example) is a different story.

Well actually you lose friction due to air resistance, since there is no air. So that means that there is a reduced friction rating...

[Kronok]

Originally posted by Lt Cmdr Matt
Well actually you lose friction due to air resistance, since there is no air. So that means that there is a reduced friction rating...

Correct. No air friction, but all other surfaces still apply.

[Argyle]

I haven't run any Star Trek EVAs, but I did do a couple for Traveller.

Owen is totally right about yarfing in your helmet. Short of having your faceplate pop off, that's about the worst thing that can happen to you while wearing a spacesuit. If your fellow spacewalkers aren't really quick (and maybe even if they are), it will likely be fatal.

Also, the guys in Trek seem to be extra macho or something, because there's no way I'd get out there with out a thruster pack and/or a physical tether. In Trek, you could add a transporter lock to that list, I suppose.

Since you're running a fight, any hits people take are going to be more serious, since it's your spacesuit that's going to be hit. Granted, a spacesuit is much more armored than your uniform, but you should still keep that in mind.