Friends,

 

When I'm not playing Harpoon, I play GURPS (Generic Universal Role-Playing System). In fact, I write for Steve Jackson Games on a freelance basis. I am thinking of writing some articles about vehicles that adventurers might use.

 

It is not difficult to find web sites that provide basic statistics for military vehicles such as range, weight, the weapons carried, etc. But that only tells you so much. And other factors are not so easily quantified.

 

Here is my question...

 

I'm looking for sources that can provide information on more qualitative aspects of vehicles, like their overall maneuverability (how easy are they to drive, keep stable, etc.), how reliable they are (if they take a lickin', do they keep on tickin'?), what their general reputation for quality, ease of use, survivability, breakdowns, etc. is, and so on. Things like that.

 

Anyone have any recommendations for books, articles, web sites, etc.? General or specific sources are fine. Any conflict or historical period is fine, too. If someone knows, for example, about a book that explains why certain fighters in World War I were regarded as giving a pilot an edge and and others were considered "flying coffins," I'd love to hear about it.

 

Thanks.

 

Mark

You might have some luck with ground vehicles by checking out Army Motors, http://www.mvpa.org/. I've read it for years at my grandpa's house (he has a number of WWII - Korea Jeeps). Their restoration articles often mention the weak links in the vehicles. Good stories too