RE: DS2 Balance

>From: "Glover, Owen" <oglover@museum.vic.gov.au>
>Reply-To: gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
>To: "'gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU'" <gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU>
>Subject: RE: DS2 Balance
>Date: Sun, 23 Apr 2000 21:57:38 +1000
>
>I like the idea of higher rates of fire for the increase in FC but this
>might over balance a bit?....perhaps the approach of allowing EITHER
>multiple shots but rolling a FC dice lower, or using the higher FC dice
but
>only the one shot?
>Example...
>
> > Basic = 1
> > Enhanced = 2
>   2 shots using Basic or 1 with Enhanced
> > Superior = 4
>   4 shots using Basic, 2 using Enh or 1 using Sup
> > Brilliant (D12) = 8
>   8 shots using Basic, 4 using Enh, 2 using Sup or 1 with Brilliant

This is very similar to the system used in the Star Wars RPG, where you
have 
a certain number of dice to roll per skill, and you knock off one die
for 
each action greater than one that you take in a turn (For instance: Your

character has a skill of 5d6 with his blaster.	If he fires 1nce, he
rolls 
5d6. if he fires twice, or takes another action and fires once, he rolls

4d6, etc.)

>In any event, if Tony hasn't also Up Armoured then in a straight
slugging
>match LoTek will always win....At odds of 5 to1 HiTek has to hit every 
>time,
>LoTek only has to hit once.....
>
>Try the tactic of hitting and pulling back to maintain your advantage
of
>range? I know it's easy for me to say coz I wasn't there; still.....
>
>We did a similar comparison in SG prior to a competition using a points
>system I believe Mr Pournelle proposed...for a standard Regular NAC
Platoon
>of 4 8 man Squads the equivalent Lotek were 10 squads of 6 men with
only
>ARs.....the NAC didn't stand a chance; once the LoTek started piling
>Suppressions on it was end of story.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Owen G
>

Suppressions, as you know, are not part of DS, and the Under Fire rule
is 
not as prohibitive.  However, I agree with you that in a Stand-up fight,
Low 
Tech has the advantage.  Also, I agree with your suggestion of using
tech 
advantage to maintain range advantage.	However, I'd say you didn't go
far 
enough.  The High-Tech player has to use his brains to utilize his 
advantages, not just in range.	A low-tech player merely has to get
close 
enough to overwhelm his opponent.

I'd suggest the Hitek side also needs to become an ardent disciple of 
well-coordinated combined arms tactics, as well.  To rely on only one
type 
of vehicle/weapon system would be suicide, because as soon as that
system's 
advantages are nullified by the situation, you're sunk.  In the original

post, all that was mentioned was how many tanks the hitek player could 
afford.  What about his infantry? Arty? Air support/helo gunships? One 
thought that struck me was that if the enemy is lo-tech, and relying on 
cheap MBT's, he can't have much in the way of ADS/PDS/ECM - how much GMS

armed infantry support did you have? How many other threats did you show
him 
in order to take pressure off your tanks?  As Owen has pointed out,
there's 
no advantage to being hi-tech if you just sit there and slug it out -
you'll 
eventually be overwhelmed. But if you keep the enemy on his toes, keep
him 
guessing HOW you're going to hit him next, you've got a shot.

Brian Bilderback
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