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FVBonura
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Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 300
Location: Central PA
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 Posted: Thu May 29, 2025 11:37 am Post subject: Space Transports in Atmosphere |
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This was posted on Facebook but I am curious to know this group's thoughts on the topic.
Please note the following references:
- Ships in an Atmosphere Chart, “Star Wars: The Roleplaying Game”, Second Edition, page 110 (c. October 1992)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EbZ2-e5dHEpA6dp5J040r1qjT1Zc-Gst/view?usp=sharing
- Ships in an Atmosphere Chart, “The Star Wars Roleplaying Game”, Second Edition, Revised and Expanded, page 129 (c. August 1996)
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ebj4e2TBb9cayvMsKGR2OAYGqqC1LrHQ/view?usp=sharing
Please note the highlighted speeds. Instead of the incremental +50 KPH as seen on most speed classes, these two speeds jump by 100 KPH.
I suspect I found two TYPOs that were copy/pasted to Revised and Expanded.
I have been wanting to increase these maximum atmospheric speeds because Mach 1 is 1,234.8 KPH, and Escape Velocity is 40,270 KPH on earth. To be blunt the space vessels in this RPG are rather slow.
Thoughts? Please discuss...
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FVBonura
Commander
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 300
Location: Central PA
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| Posted: Fri May 30, 2025 10:55 am Post subject: |
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I was able to reverse engineer the speed chart finding all the mistakes. Unfortunately the speed charts were made in 1991 when the entries were made by handheld calculator not a spreadsheet. Manual entry coupled with time deadlines for the Second Edition rulebook had the potential to produce errors by an order of magnitude as compared to a spreadsheet. Welcome to the 21st century.
I have two solution proposals. Please consult the charts below.
Speed Chart Proposal 20250530
The first two charts are first and second edition as published. Errors are colored in red and underlined.
The third chart is Proposal One that just fixes the mistakes and uses the published repeating increment pattern of +15, +35, +20. All rounding errors are also corrected rounding to the nearest tens.
The fourth Chart is Proposal Two that smooths out the increments to +25 each and slightly increases speeds at the top end. This chart also rounds KPH to the nearest tens. This solution is a blend of the SWRPG and D6 Space/Spaceships.
Thoughts???
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Whill
Dark Lord of the Jedi (Owner/Admin)
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
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Location: Columbus, Ohio, USA, Earth, The Solar System, The Milky Way Galaxy
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FVBonura
Commander
Joined: 24 Nov 2005
Posts: 300
Location: Central PA
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| Posted: Sat May 31, 2025 10:51 pm Post subject: |
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| Whill wrote: | | Proposal Two is closest to my chart, except that I started Space 1 at 200m instead of 210m, and I have less rounding on my All-Out speeds. So my thought right now is that your second proposal is good but I still like my chart slightly better. |
Thank you.
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FVBonura
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Location: Central PA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 12:10 am Post subject: |
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I developed a Proposal 3. Proposal 3 goes past Mach 8 considering we here on earth have aircraft approaching speeds of Mach 7, I believe Star Wars deflector screens can assume an aerodynamic shape and a capacity to mitigate heat to exceed 21st Century Earth capabilities. Enjoy...
Speed Chart Proposal 20250619
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pakman
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Joined: 20 Jul 2021
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 12:47 pm Post subject: |
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| FVBonura wrote: | I developed a Proposal 3. Proposal 3 goes past Mach 8 considering we here on earth have aircraft approaching speeds of Mach 7, I believe Star Wars deflector screens can assume an aerodynamic shape and a capacity to mitigate heat to exceed 21st Century Earth capabilities. Enjoy...
Speed Chart Proposal 20250619 |
I would actually not have this perception;
| Quote: | | I believe Star Wars deflector screens can assume an aerodynamic shape and a capacity to mitigate heat to exceed 21st Century Earth capabilities |
This feels very high-tech hard SF - which star wars does not.
More fitting to game settings with more of a cyber tech or other high tech feel - not our retro tech of star wars.
Now - that is my personal opinion - and others may have their own views - so please just take this as a differing opinion or conclusion - after all I find the body of work complied by Frank to be amazing and of high value to the community.
But - to each their own.
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FVBonura
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Posts: 300
Location: Central PA
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 2:59 pm Post subject: |
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| pakman wrote: | Now - that is my personal opinion - and others may have their own views - so please just take this as a differing opinion or conclusion - after all I find the body of work complied by Frank to be amazing and of high value to the community.
But - to each their own. |
You will find that I have much tougher skin than that. I’m looking for peer review and you are one of my peers. Might you have an opinion about proposal one and proposal two above? You never have to walk on eggshells with me, just tell it like it is. No disclaimers or sugarcoating necessary. 
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Xynar
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Location: Northwest Indiana
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 3:07 pm Post subject: |
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Don't repulsorlifts and general anti-gravity kinda remove the need for high-speed atmo flight since those are used to break atmo anyway?
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Xynar
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FVBonura
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| Posted: Thu Jun 19, 2025 4:40 pm Post subject: |
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| Xynar wrote: | | Don't repulsorlifts and general anti-gravity kinda remove the need for high-speed atmo flight since those are used to break atmo anyway? |
Good question
I would argue that atmosphere still imparts friction which creates a resistance to move as well as produces a great deal of heat at supersonic and hypersonic speeds. In my campaign the deflectors can be set for an atmospheric mode which creates an aerodynamic fairing around the vehicle allowing it to slip through the atmosphere while the shields absorb the heat produced by the friction generated.
Clearly it is more efficient in the Star Wars Galaxy to travel upward exit the atmosphere and come back down on another continent without having to brute force move through one atmosphere of gases. There will be times when air to surface attacks require traveling to a specific site, possibly under sensors or using natural terrain features to hide from sensors that would require a massive burst of speed through dense atmosphere.
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