[FMA - possibly SG2/DS2] spotted/observed rules concept

Spotted vs. Observed

Here is an idea I came up with after playing in a night drop gaming
using 
Command Decision rules.  I haven't tried it out fully so it is just a
rough 
sketch for now.  Basically something can be spotted without being
observed.  
Example, you can hear machine gun fire from around the corner.	You
can't 
observe the gunner but with an active imagination you can visualize
where he 
is and what weapon he is carrying.  Spotted means you have a potential 
target, observed means you have a target in your direct line of sight
under 
observation.

On worlds with significant atmosphere one can expect the mechanical wave
of 
sound to travel.  To the clever ear it can bring useful information in a

night game (substitute for fog or other low visibility).  When playing a

game with hidden movement and a referee try using the following concept.
 
Rank events by the amount of signature they give off.  Signature can be 
measured by sound, ground vibration and light flash.

At the bottom of the signature list (least signature) would be troops 
walking on grass.  At the top, 240MM artillery firing, by battery, with
the 
2097th Regimental Band playing "God and Our Glorious Cannon."  In the
first 
case the signature travels perhaps a few meters.  In the second case the

signature travels a few kilometers.  What makes them the same is, to
certain 
observers they might no longer be hidden.

Troops in hiding might hear the other troops walk past.  They won't know
if 
they are friendly or enemy, or exactly how many there are or even
exactly 
where they are.  However they will have a general indication that
something 
is afoot.

Here is another example.  If someone or a group fires a weapon, that
sound 
will be heard.	A veteran or better will be able to tell almost
instantly 
what kind of weapon it is, and perhaps it's type.  This could give rise
to 
suspicion of who owns the weapon.  Example, U.S. Rangers dropped at
night 
approach Bogainville.  Suddenly out of the night air comes the crisp
sound 
of a couple of MP-40's crackling away.	They don't sound like Thompsons.
 
The Ranger unit will know the general direction and the weapon type.  If

there is LOS then they might also see the muzzle flash.

How do you game this?  Well my approach is this: I consider the source
of 
the signature.	I then give it a scale of 1-20.  1 is a whisper and 20
is 
something as horrific as a Main Gun blast from a tank.	That signature
cubed 
is the potential range in meters that the sound travels.  At the high
end 
that would be 8 kilometers.  Every obstuction in the way multiplies the 
sound by a 1/2.  What is an obstruction?  A solid wall, every 50 meters
of 
trees, a trench the observer is occupying.  I've created a chart in a 
spreadsheet that calculates the ranges based on the level of noise.

	Range in meters at which signature can be spotted
Sound Lvl	1	2	3	4	5	6	7      
8
9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17     
18
19	20
UnObs	1	8	27	64	125	216	343	512    
729
1000	1331	1728	2197	2744	3375	4096	4913	5832   
6859
8000
Obs1	0	1	3	8	16	27	43	64     
91
125	166	216	275	343	422	512	614	729    
857
1000
Obs2	0	0	0	1	2	3	5	8      
11
16	21	27	34	43	53	64	77	91     
107
125
Obs3	0	0	0	0	0	0	1	1      
1
2	3	3	4	5	7	8	10	11     
13
16

UnObs = Unobstructed
Obsn = Obstructed n levels.  As you can see - once you get past 3 layers
of 
obstruction it becomes very hard to hear an event.

When it is determined that a unit is within range of a sound event there
are 
these possible results:

Enemy Spotted, Identifies type, weapons, location.
Enemy Spotted, Identifies type, weapons
Enemy Spotted, Identifies Type
Enemy Not Spotted

I haven't worked out to my own satisfaction a table that does this last
bit 
justice.  I've tried a couple of things but it can be difficult.  You
need 
rules that say things like: weapon designation only known if weapon
fired, 
etc.

Give it a try with a paper based night game.  Get a couple of friends 
together, give them maps, a squad and an objective they must shoot up. 
Have 
them write orders and pass them to you.  This isn't too far fetched, in
the 
year 2000 only a very few troops get issued night vision equipment.

--Peter

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