Travel Trait

[thewarchief]

I was reading the Travel trait for gadgets, and while it states that the gadget can move people from place to place, I didn't see any indication of the speed at which is does so. Is that the case, or am I missing something?

Assuming that there is no default speed. Do people think it would be best to give it one?
-Perhaps a set default like 5, 8, or maybe the speed could be based on the gadget's Tech Level?
-Perhaps the gadget should buy Coordination for Speed (as that is what's used for Flight)?

[misterharry]

No, Travel doesn't have a default speed, and I think assigning one would be too restrictive. Travel is defined as allowing the "Gadget" to transport "all the characters" in some way. So it's usually used for vehicles, anything from submarines to boats to land vehicles to aircraft to spaceships. So the range of speeds would be vast.

A Gadget that transports a single person (like a jet pack) would generally use other traits instead - Fast, Flight, Teleport or whatever - and the speed would be calculated from the character's stats. I guess there are single-person vehicles that buck this trend, but I think it generally holds up.

[thewarchief]

Jan 9, 2024 18:08:34 GMT misterharry said:

No, Travel doesn't have a default speed, and I think assigning one would be too restrictive.

I don't think it would be too restrictive for vehicles, any more than listing a speed for Flight, and they do that. Plus there are traits such as Fast that would allow you to adjust the value as required.

Jan 9, 2024 18:08:34 GMT misterharry said:

Travel is defined as allowing the "Gadget" to transport "all the characters" in some way. So it's usually used for vehicles, anything from submarines to boats to land vehicles to aircraft to spaceships. So the range of speeds would be vast.

Actually it just says people and doesn't specfiy how many. For a vehicle (as opposed to a portal or "magical" object) I'd expect it would have something to do with the Size of the vehicle. If a vehicle can move 2000 people across the ocean, it's going to be Colossal, or bigger!

Jan 9, 2024 18:08:34 GMT misterharry said:

A Gadget that transports a single person (like a jet pack) would generally use other traits instead - Fast, Flight, Teleport or whatever - and the speed would be calculated from the character's stats.

BY why should it matter what the character's attributes (specifically Coordination) score is as far as the gadget works? A jet pack should move just as fast with Davros as with Usain Bolt, shouldn't it? And if not, then why don't the listed vehicles work the same way.

Jan 9, 2024 18:08:34 GMT misterharry said:

I guess there are single-person vehicles that buck this trend, but I think it generally holds up.

Actually all the listed vehicles, single person or otherwise, buck the trend. They all have a Speed score that adds to the operator's Coordination during a chase. Even Bessie and the Whomobile, and we should be able to make the the Whomobile with the gadget rules, since that's what the Doctor did.

As it stands now, the trait is tough to run in play, since a player could ask for any sort of speed.

[misterharry]

Well, I was saying what the traits do as written. Travel doesn't have a default speed. Neither does Flight if it's used in a Gadget - it just applies a modifier to the user's Coordination, not an absolute speed. Does that make sense in the real world? No, but it keeps the rules simple, the same straightforward aesthetic as the rest of the Vortex system. If you want to start allocating default speeds, then fine, that would be homebrew rules.

As written, Travel is intended for vehicles, which each have their own speeds. Yes, those speeds can be adjusted by the driver's/pilot's Coordination but that's often marginal.

By the way, in Defending the Earth in which the Travel trait was introduced, it does say "The Gadget can transport all the characters". Perhaps it's been rephrased in later sourcebooks, I haven't checked. But to me, that clearly implies it's used for vehicles. Are there any official examples of any non-vehicle Gadgets which have Travel?

[thewarchief]

Jan 9, 2024 21:23:35 GMT misterharry said:

Well, I was saying what the traits do as written. Travel doesn't have a default speed. Neither does Flight if it's used in a Gadget - it just applies a modifier to the user's Coordination, not an absolute speed.

I understand that is how it is written. But I wonder if that makes things easier or harder.

Jan 9, 2024 21:23:35 GMT misterharry said:

Does that make sense in the real world? No, but it keeps the rules simple, the same straightforward aesthetic as the rest of the Vortex system. If you want to start allocating default speeds, then fine, that would be homebrew rules.

I'm not sure that not having a speed of some kind makes things easier for the players of GMs.

For example, let's say we have a story where the Doctor needs to put together a submarine so he can talk to the Sea Devils to avert a war. So the Doctor throws something together with his skills, traits and a few story points. But the game gives us nothing to work with as far as how big or fast the thing is.

In game terms he's probably be better off waterpoofing Bessie (I can just picture the CSO of Bessie underwater, with a clear dome over the seats; parts of Bessie going transparent because they picked yellow for the colour separation).

Jan 9, 2024 21:23:35 GMT misterharry said:

As written, Travel is intended for vehicles, which each have their own speeds. Yes, those speeds can be adjusted by the driver's/pilot's Coordination but that's often marginal.

Except that as written they don't have their own speeds. If say, you picked a vehicle to base it off of, like a UNIT Jeep, hovercraft, cargo jet, tank, helicopter, whatever, you'd have some baseline to work with.

By the way, in Defending the Earth in which the Travel trait was introduced, it does say "The Gadget can transport all the characters". Perhaps it's been rephrased in later sourcebooks, I haven't checked. But to me, that clearly implies it's used for vehicles.

I was pulling from the Master Trait book (easier to find), which mentions portals and magical items, sorry.

Checking Defending the Earth, it states all the player characters, which I would interpret as being able to carry at least all the player character. It also mentions that the major version let's you jump dimensions.

Are there any official examples of any non-vehicle Gadgets which have Travel?

I don't believe so, but then there aren't all that many examples of vehicle Gadgets which have the Travel trait, either. I don't think it got used much. Most of the things that probably needed it were already written up before the UNIT book came out.

[thewarchief]

Oh, and going with the idea of expressing things in the game as gadgets.


Mk III Travel Machine [8 points]
Armour [Major]: 10 points; -2 Coordination
Environmentally Sealed: Can survive underwater or in the vacuum of space.
Attribute [x4]: Coordination +1, Presence +1, Strength +2
Weapon [Major]: Dalek Gun, Damage: 4/L/L
Restriction [Minor]: Restricted movement, cannot climb stairs.

[thewarchief]

It looks like the Black Archive might solve this for me. Apparently vehicle abilities are freebies when it comes to gadget vehicles. That is when a PC wants a vehicle they spend a Story Point for the vehicle gadget to to requisition one from the motor pool, and it has the stats of a jeep, lorry, motorcycle, etc. at no additional cost.

So if the Doctor wanted to make a submarine he could start with the "Whomobile" and upgrade Environmental, to make it a submarine.