Newsgroups: rec.games.design
Subject: FUDGE: alternate speed scale rule
Distribution: rec

I don't like having one factor for going up in a Speed trait and another for
going up in a Speed Scale.  I don't mind Speed Scale being different from
Strength Scale, and I don't mind different Speed Scale 0 values for radically
different "classes" of speeds.  When I designed the Scale system, I had
in mind that I wanted the scale levels to increase at the same rate as
trait levels, so I'd like to keep that.  Here's my alternate rule, which I
will put on the ftp site soon:

Alternate Section 3.32: Speed
-----------------------------

Date: December 10, 1993
By: Andy Skinner

Using different factors for Speed trait levels and Speed Scale can introduce
a bit of math for those who would like to have some numerical estimate of
the speed of a character, creature, or vehicle.  For example, if some
species of animal has Speed Scale +2, to find the actual speed of an
individual with Speed Good the GM would have to look up Speed Scale +2 (2.3)
and then multiply by 1.2 for the Good trait.  Similar results happen at
higher scales: if a class of airplane is of speed scale +12 (for example),
the GM needs to figure out what that speed is and then multiply or divide
by 1.2 for each level the Speed trait (if any) of an airplane of that class
is above or below Fair for the class.

If a table for speed scales exists and the multiplying factor for Speed trait
levels is the same as that for Speed Scale, then trait levels just move an
individual up and down the chart.  Speed does not need to vary as much as
strength, so I suggest a scaling factor such that going up 4 levels doubles
the speed.  This is a little smaller than a factor of 1.2 per level, and
relates the general speed of increase to a more easily recognized number.

Because this scale goes up more slowly than going up by a factor of 1.5 for
every level, the scale factors for much faster species or, more likely,
vehicles will be more separated.  Many classes of vehicles (like bicycles
and space ships) will never need to be compared exactly.  Thus, different
classes of vehicles can be normalized to appropriate Speed Scale 0 values.
Spaceships might be normalized so that their Scale 0 is at human Speed Scale
+100.  That way the may be compared easily with small values.

A table for this scale might look like:
  Scale:     Multiplier:           Scale:             Multiplier
  -10	   0.18                  1                 1.19
   -9	   0.21                  2                 1.41
   -8	   0.25                  3                 1.68
   -7	   0.3                   4                 2
   -6	   0.35                  5                 2.38
   -5	   0.42                  6                 2.83
   -4	   0.5                   7                 3.36
   -3	   0.59                  8                 4
   -2	   0.71                  9                 4.76
   -1	   0.84                 10                 5.66
    0	   1

The numbers are ugly, but references can be limited to race/species creation
and character creation.

Spaceships and such can be built on this same table, without extending the
range of the table.  Just offset the Scale 0 for spaceships to some
arbitrary number, or figure what the actual offset is using the +4:x2
scale.

Summary: This method keeps speed Scale and speed trait levels using the same
scaling factor.  There is no need for all creatures and vehicles to be
rated to the same Scale 0--just make sure than any speeds being compared
are using the same Scale.


-----------
andy
skinner@stdavids.picker.com