a weapons question

[randolph]

the projectile firearms in Icar, are they chemical (pin & primer) ignition or eltrick ignition?
from the look of the ilistrations in the Equipment guide i would thnk eletrick but i wanted to check. and why you ask?
well there are certin conditions that would adversely effect an elertick ignition system such as;
the after effects of an electro-magnetic pulse/event, or a genus three with electrokinesies.
a chemical ignition wouldnt be as accurate as the electronic sights and laser range finder and all the
other bells and whistles would be off line but it WOULD fire.
as for the genus three well if it was powerfull enough it could either cause an elertic igniton not to fire or worse set off every round simaltaneously, ouch!

oh and any thoughts on eletrical damage? one of the things i'm planning on throwing my players way is the simple fact that objects in space tumble and as they do so the build up a staic eletric charge. if not grounded when brought
into contact with another large metalic object, like say the Orbithaul shutttle, this charge will released much to the chagrin of any scavie touching it!

[misterecho]

Thats a really great question!

In my opinion If its not specified in the rules, i would use which ever firing mechinism fitted the story best. If an Electricly controled firing mechinism gives you insperation for a plot line, use it!

[Rob Lang]

I'd go with Mr E's suggestion. If it's not specified then go with what makes sense for you. If you can think up some great roleplay moments with one system, then run with it. Until I've rewritten the Technology description stuff, I'd stick with your ideas.

However, the real answer is a bit more fundemental to Icar. Here goes...

Icar has a concept of "Raw Energy". Raw Energy is energy without form, it's not kinetic, nor heat or light. It's Raw and it can be turned into any other energy you like. Think of it as a ball of modelling clay in energy terms. When you create Raw Energy, it will have a pattern, which is like DNA and will try and force the lump of raw energy (modelling clay) into a certain form. You can tweak that energy pattern to make it do what you want. All generators in Icar produce Raw Energy with random patterns (most of them harmless), this raw energy is then massaged into more useful energy for whatever purpose you choose. In weapons, the ammunition is solid lumps of metal and is propelled by a raw energy lump that has a kinetic pattern.

Raw Energy is an excellent cure-all for lost of problems: energy weapons, beaming, faster than light travel, anti-gravity cars, food production, shields, creation of fabulous materials, nanotechnology, bionics, Gaia and so on.

Raw energy is not without its problems. There are 'Energy Disruption Grenades' that harmlessly suck all of the Raw Energy out of generators instantly. There is also a TES grenade that does the same but only temporarily.

I appreciate that the write up for all this (Technology at the bottom in HTML files) and I will be updating and improving it after version 4.

[randolph]

hey it works for me, and i'll still be able to work in the igniton types when we go to 4, after all they are simply the catalyst that takes Raw Energy from it's inert form (such as ammuniton) to it's active form.

[Rob Lang]

Great! It's all about working for you. When version 4 comes out, it will not have in deptjh descriptions of tech because they are not really needed, so you'll be cool making whatever decisions up front you like.

[misterecho]

It must be very rewarding when people are enjoying a game that you've created. Enjoying the game enough to come and ask for a clarification rather than just fudge it.

[kumakami]

It is a sign of love from gamers when they come together to not only praise but nit pick, whine, and complain. Our dear Mr. lang is getting that love. Enjoy man!

[Rob Lang]

It is very very rewarding to have people give input. The most rewarding thing is for people to drop me a line to tell me that they played it and it was a laugh.

As for ripping shreds off it - my players (evil beings they are) have been doing that for years. It's made the game stronger for it.

[misterecho]

How much has the game changed in the past ten years?

[Rob Lang]

Since 1999 - not a great deal. The core was version 3 and that is much the same. The background was solidified before that. Since 1996/7 it really hasn't changed notionally. My ability to do graphics has improved and in the last year I've read so many free RPGs, my appreciation of them has improved a great deal.