Re: [GZG][FH] Planet types (was Re: Locations of Stars)

On Sun, 29 Nov 1998, Tony Wilkinson wrote:
>	So what sort of planets are we likely to fight over and how will
the
> enviroment affect the game.
> 
> 1) Planets without magnetic field.
>	Treat as normal for night combat. Should light from nearby sun
fall on the
> planet then draw chits for all units on the table as if in outer zone
of
> nuclear attack.

a little extreme, don't you think? not even on mercury is radiation at
nuke levels; there are no hard gammas nor neutrons, for a start.

> All colours valid in full daylight drop one colour if
> twilight/dawn or under native vegetation. (eg unit in open full light
takes
> hits on all chits, in the open at dawn takes damage only on red and
yellow,
> if dawn and under native forest takes red only, if also dug in is not
> effected until full light when reds are valid).

care to explain this? how does it being night without a magnetic field
affect damage effects?

> DFFGs gain 6" range per
> range band.

i think the main limit on dffg range is due to atmosphere, not magnetic
field.

> Troops have to do a confidence test to move out of cover.

cool. how about looking at the effect of particle flux on electronics?
fire control, missile guidance, ecm, stealth, pds, ads, lad, all drop
one
level.

> 2) Planets without atmosphere.
>	VTOLS and GEVs cannot operate (dur),

fair enough, but you should allow alternatives. i guess most airless
worlds are also low-gravity, so i am thinking of rocket-powered hoverers
like the Apollo lunar module, or the Eagles from space:1999; i think
nasa
even did a study of a lunar jet rover at one point. maybe if you seal up
the intakes in a VTOL and pipe in a supply of reaction mass, they can
still operate?

> No CFE powered vehicles

and no open vehicles - try driving a jeep in a space suit. oh, hang on,
that's been done: it's a lunar rover. still, not exactly a
combat-capable
vehicle. reduced movement if an open vehicle?

> 3) Planets with thick atmosphere.
>	VTOLS gain 5" base movement.

the speed of sound is lower in a thin atmosphere, and if your craft is
designed for subsonic flight, you have to keep below the sound barrier.
thus, vtols should have their movement limited to some value, probably
slower than usual speed. i remember plans to build low-speed prop planes
for mars exploration as something like a cessna would break the sound
barrier ...

> 4) Planets with low gravity. (I'm thinking moon here)
> All artillery is
> out.

on the contrary, artillery is even more useful as it now has a longer
range. in fact, size 6 artillery may now be used to engage targets in
low
orbit ...

> 5) Planets with high gravity (say twice Earth).
> For SGII perhaps reduce mission motivation by one level as
> everything the troops do tires them out so much more and all they care
> about is sleep.

good rule. perhaps PA are immune as they can just jack up the suit
strength to compensate?

> 6) Ice worlds (like Europa and now Io).

whaddaya mean, 'now io'? should i do some catching up on my planetary
geology reading?

speaking of ice worlds (or rather, ice-over-ocean worlds, or even just
ocean worlds in general), what about underwater combat? if humans have
colonised the continental shelves on some planets (the inner ones, where
we can use the ocean circulation for cooling and shielding from  
radiation, and the outer ones, where it is insulation and a source of
heat convected up from the mantle, not to mention a resource - a
hydrocarbon sea is easy to mine ...), then we need to be able to fight
engagements there. laser weapons are out; DFFGs would have shorter
ranges
but possibly greater effects, large-calibre weapons (HVC, RFAC) won't
work, and small-calibre hypervelocity stuff (HKP, MDC) will have reduced
range. rockets will still be ok. no CFE. no troopers without enviro or
power suits. no open vehicles. cut-down sensor ranges. a new weapon for
riverine craft - 'depth charge'. gevs are out. infantry movement is cut
down, but infantry can be equipped with Personal Aquatic Mobility Units
-
little pods with propellers. they work the same as cavalry.

>	Any artillery or air strike using DFO has a 1 in 6 chance of
producing a
> "spurter" or geshyer (my spelling is shocking but one of those things
thats
> spurts up hot water from undergound).

geyser? gusher? geisha?

> If a "spurter" results then it lasts
> d8 turns and all units within a 3" radius must draw 3 chits each turn.
> Valid chits are red for armoured vehicles, red and yellow for PA and
soft
> vehicles and all chits for normal infantry. Ice may shatter but it
hurts if
> moving fast enough.

it hurts; it doesn't kill tanks! how about saying it puts an under-fire
marker on infantry but doesn't actually hurt anyone. otoh, if you are
around when it stops and the liquid freezes, you are immobilised.

> Also all vehicles, unless Grav or GEV, test each turn
> to see if they crash through, say 1 in 10 chance plus half size round
down.
> If within 6" of an air or artillery strike +2 chance of going under,
-1 if
> low gravity planet, +half size round down if high gravity. 

good rule! apply the same to powered infantry, rating them as size 1
vehicles (they have little mass but is concentrated on - literally - two
square feet). another reason to hang onto those light forces ...

all in all, some very good ideas in there. well done!

Tom