This is a site for discussing roleplaying games. Have fun doing so, but there is one major rule: do not discuss political issues that aren't directly and uniquely related to the subject of the thread and about gaming. While this site is dedicated to free speech, the following will not be tolerated: devolving a thread into unrelated political discussion, sockpuppeting (using multiple and/or bogus accounts), disrupting topics without contributing to them, and posting images that could get someone fired in the workplace (an external link is OK, but clearly mark it as Not Safe For Work, or NSFW). If you receive a warning, please take it seriously and either move on to another topic or steer the discussion back to its original RPG-related theme.

Author Topic: I'm a GM!  (Read 1993 times)

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« on: October 31, 2017, 07:40:54 AM »
So I spent hours last night figuring out that the 14 mile by 9 mile floating fragment that the PCs claimed in my Volant/StarCluster 4 - Sabre & World mashup could potentially support a population of 14,400, of which 4200 could be non-farmers.

No one asked.

I'm a GM!
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

Willie the Duck

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • W
  • Posts: 1848
I'm a GM!
« Reply #1 on: October 31, 2017, 07:45:15 AM »
So... running on caffeine then?

RunningLaser

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1240
I'm a GM!
« Reply #2 on: October 31, 2017, 07:57:17 AM »
Quote from: flyingmice;1004714
So I spent hours last night figuring out that the 14 mile by 9 mile floating fragment that the PCs claimed in my Volant/StarCluster 4 - Sabre & World mashup could potentially support a population of 14,400, of which 4200 could be non-farmers.

No one asked.

I'm a GM!

:)  Stay gold Clash!

Headless

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1890
I'm a GM!
« Reply #3 on: October 31, 2017, 10:56:14 AM »
How much land is farmed, how much fallow, fields and pasture? How much scrub or woodland?  Is there water?

Bren

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 7638
    • http://honorandintrigue.blogspot.com/
I'm a GM!
« Reply #4 on: November 01, 2017, 02:38:41 PM »
I applaud your desire for realistic detail. I guess that is low yield farming or much of the floating fragment area is unsuitable for farming. Otherwise it seems like the population you listed is a bit low.

There are 640 acres per square mile so this area equals

   14 mi x 9 mi x 640 acres/sq mi = 80,640 acres

US style farming requires ~ 1 acre per person per year. If we assume that half the land is arable we could support over 40,000 people. Support for 14,400 people with US style agriculture would require less than 18% of the available space.
Currently running: Runequest in Glorantha + Call of Cthulhu   Currently playing: D&D 5E + RQ
My Blog: For Honor...and Intrigue
I have a gold medal from Ravenswing and Gronan owes me bee

Willie the Duck

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • W
  • Posts: 1848
I'm a GM!
« Reply #5 on: November 01, 2017, 04:03:34 PM »
Quote from: flyingmice;1004714
No one asked.

I remember sometimes mid- to late- '90s using GURPS Vehicles and GURPS Robots for GURPS 3e and building a space station. But to know the performance of the station's station-keeping rockets, I needed to know that actual mass of the station, so I built all the ships that were normally docked... and the smallcraft... and the space suits (built with the Robot rules), and even the little .1 cubic-foot miniature repair bots, along with figuring out the standard crew and passenger load of the station, and thus how much food needed to be grown and so on and so forth. There was no campaign attached to this exercise.

Headless

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 1890
I'm a GM!
« Reply #6 on: November 01, 2017, 05:17:57 PM »
Quote from: Willie the Duck;1004981
...... There was no campaign attached to this exercise.


Love it!

David Johansen

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • D
  • Posts: 6222
I'm a GM!
« Reply #7 on: November 01, 2017, 07:55:02 PM »
GURPS Vehicles is simultaneously the best thing ever and the worst thing ever.  The absence of a fourth edition version is the main obstacle to my running GURPS SF.  Also a major motivator for me writing my own games.  Well, that and Traveller 5's endless state of revision.
Fantasy Adventure Comic, games, and more http://www.uncouthsavage.com

Willie the Duck

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • W
  • Posts: 1848
I'm a GM!
« Reply #8 on: November 02, 2017, 07:19:53 AM »
Quote from: David Johansen;1005025
GURPS Vehicles is simultaneously the best thing ever and the worst thing ever.

GURPS Vehicles was a dream come true for those who wanted to spend untold time building and rebuilding and preparing the crunch level of the game (basically those who could only game X hours per week but wanted to spend X+Y hours of the week thinking about gaming).  GURPS Vehicles also taught me the difference between precision and accuracy. And, finally. towards the goal of better being able to judge game systems, it taught me to say, 'yes, but what have you accomplished with this endeavor?'

But in the late 90s, before D&D 3e had surfaced and long after complex old school games like Aftermath had left my field of view, it was a great way to spin my wheels (er, gyroscopes I suppose?).

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« Reply #9 on: November 02, 2017, 09:07:09 AM »
Quote from: Willie the Duck;1004716
So... running on caffeine then?

I am ALWAYS running on caffeine, Willie! :D
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« Reply #10 on: November 02, 2017, 09:07:45 AM »
Quote from: RunningLaser;1004720
:)  Stay gold Clash!

Thanks Laser! :D
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« Reply #11 on: November 02, 2017, 09:10:37 AM »
Quote from: Headless;1004735
How much land is farmed, how much fallow, fields and pasture? How much scrub or woodland?  Is there water?

This is using medieval methods - Renaissance would be more accurate, but  I could find the figures for Medieval. That means half the land was fallow at any given time. Water should be no problem - the first thing they did was build a dam.
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« Reply #12 on: November 02, 2017, 09:16:41 AM »
Quote from: Bren;1004949
I applaud your desire for realistic detail. I guess that is low yield farming or much of the floating fragment area is unsuitable for farming. Otherwise it seems like the population you listed is a bit low.

There are 640 acres per square mile so this area equals

   14 mi x 9 mi x 640 acres/sq mi = 80,640 acres

US style farming requires ~ 1 acre per person per year. If we assume that half the land is arable we could support over 40,000 people. Support for 14,400 people with US style agriculture would require less than 18% of the available space.

Now here's the fun thing. This is a mashup, and the PCs are from 2017 California, all grads of UCLA who have remained friends. They were flying to the Alaska Panhandle for a camping trip when they transited to the renaissance level world of flying islands in mid cloud. So they know what a group like that would know. One of them is an engineer, another is a veterinarian. There is also a professional park ranger/guide and a professional bush pilot. So maybe they can introduce some aspects of American style agriculture here.
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« Reply #13 on: November 02, 2017, 09:17:59 AM »
Quote from: Willie the Duck;1004981
I remember sometimes mid- to late- '90s using GURPS Vehicles and GURPS Robots for GURPS 3e and building a space station. But to know the performance of the station's station-keeping rockets, I needed to know that actual mass of the station, so I built all the ships that were normally docked... and the smallcraft... and the space suits (built with the Robot rules), and even the little .1 cubic-foot miniature repair bots, along with figuring out the standard crew and passenger load of the station, and thus how much food needed to be grown and so on and so forth. There was no campaign attached to this exercise.

Because you're a GM, dammit! You rock, Willie! :D
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT

flyingmice

  • Flunchist-Cruftist
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 9757
    • http://www.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
I'm a GM!
« Reply #14 on: November 02, 2017, 09:19:01 AM »
Quote from: David Johansen;1005025
GURPS Vehicles is simultaneously the best thing ever and the worst thing ever.  The absence of a fourth edition version is the main obstacle to my running GURPS SF.  Also a major motivator for me writing my own games.  Well, that and Traveller 5's endless state of revision.

Why don't you write your own GURPS Vehicles, David?
clash bowley * Flying Mice Games - an Imprint of Better Mousetrap Games
Flying Mice home page: http://jalan.flyingmice.com/flyingmice.html
Currently Designing: StarCluster 4 - Wavefront Empire
Last Releases: SC4 - Dark Orbital, SC4 - Out of the Ruins,  SC4 - Sabre & World
Blog: I FLY BY NIGHT