[Yakalopoli]

Hey guys!  This is my first post here, yay! Glad to be a part!

Been playing in a SR4 game for some time now, playing a rigger that's interested in making his own stuff from scratch (plans, components, etc), and so far I've been unable to find any rules for making something from design to final product. The Shadowrun Arsenal has rules for modifying gear, but nothing for making something from scratch, as well as the price to make it. We've been using the 3rd ed books for this in the meantime, but didn't know if those rules for making stuff has translated over yet.

This brings me to two other questions. Where, roughly, is the level of energy technology at?  Are there any new sources of energy, and is nuclear still the leader?

And I just wanted peoples thoughts on other ares of science not really touched on in the core books. Who owns the Large Hadron Collider (if it's still standing)? What advances in quantum physics and quantum computing have been made?

I'm a huge physics and science geek, so this are questions I've brought up in the game and the GM is usually unsure where to proceed, so we just wanted the community's perspective on it.

Thanks in advance!!

[Joush]

The general level of technology is more refinement of modern science then outright new development, and most power is generated by familiar sources from hydrocarbons, wind, solar and hydro, with signifgant use of atomic power as well. (Mostly fission, though if I remember right there are fusion reactors as well)

I don't know of rules for design items yourself, I think you could work that out with your GM by basing things on existing models with some tweaks. Or you can use rules from SR3 with your GM's help.

The good news is that most of the science are pretty simple extrapolations of modern devices. Most drones, cars and ect are powered by either high density batteries or flexible fuel engines (I assume some kind of turbine engine, as they note that they can burn pretty much anything flammable). Atomic power isn't used for transportation directly, save for very large ships.

[Yakalopoli]

Yeah we've been using the 3rd ed rules on item creation and costs for the meantime, I just didn't know if they'd brought those rules over yet.

Ahhh, yeah I was wondering what drones used for energy. I always assumed it was electrical. Is there an average active time span for a drone before it needs to recharge/refuel?

[Joush]

Not that I've seen, I'd generally assume a mid to large drone carries sufficient fuel/charge for roughly a 200km range, or 4 hours of heavy operation or so, save for drones that would clearly require less power (like the blimp) and maybe 12-24 hours of standby time.



 

[Weldûn]

Take another look at your main book. Designing things form the ground up requires the player and the GM to get together on it, as it should if only for reasons of game balance. But building pre-existing designs is right in the main book.

Using Technical Skills to Build or Repair
     Using a skill to build or repair something is an Extended Test with a threshold and interval based on the type of item being manufactured or fixed, as noted on the Build/Repair Table. Apply any appropriate modifiers from the table as well.
     Note that “build” means putting together a new item/device from scratch, assuming that the component parts are on hand. Technical skills do not allow a character to create a new item/device from concept alone—that requires something along the lines of an engineering background and lots of collaborative effort.

[Valashar]

Various forms of fusion reactors exist in Shadowrun, but to my knowledge are mostly fixed plants except when used in very large vehicles (much like fission reactors are used IRL) such as naval vessels. The reactors beneath the ACHE are fusion, IIRC, with two of the three being active and the third powered down for maintenance cycles and as a back-up.

[KarmaInferno]

Not that I've seen, I'd generally assume a mid to large drone carries sufficient fuel/charge for roughly a 200km range, or 4 hours of heavy operation or so, save for drones that would clearly require less power (like the blimp) and maybe 12-24 hours of standby time.

Standard range for all vehicles is six hours of runtime.



-k

[All4BigGuns]

This makes me wish they'd added ways to convert vehicles and weapons in the conversion document.  If that information were there, you could make your own weapons using Cannon Companion and your own vehicles using Rigger 3 (SR3 supplements for those who don't know) and then convert them over.

There is one other reason I'd have loved to see rules for that...I want my Prarie Cat back!!!