Re: [DS2] Vehicle Design

--- Samuel Penn <sam@bifrost.demon.co.uk> wrote:

> Problems arise when you look at differing tech
> levels. In the
> near future, lasers might become usable, but not as
> effective
> or reliable as KE weapons. For a balancing point
> system, this
> would make lasers cheap weapons, 

or at least cheap*ER*

which is totally
> the opposite
> of what they should be from the background point of
> view.

Which background?  Hammer's Slammers?  Battletech? 
RenLeg?  WH40K?  Macross/Robotech?  Gundam?  Prince of
Mercenaries?  Each background will have a different
set of assumptions about just how expensive a system
is, just how big, heavy, power-sucking, and even
whether a given system actually exists.  So each
setting can have a different set of rules for
construction, including completely banning certain
weapons or systems.  And if you're running a campaign
in such a system, where your ability to field a force
is dependent on your economic resources and the cost
of the force, then you can set up such a system for
your campaign.	Have fun.  

But let's say you want to field a force of Renegade
Legion-setting grav tanks against a force from B5
Gropos in a one-off match.  How do you determine force
composition for each side?  They may have entirely
different parameters for construction.	But if the
point costing system is independent of the
counstruction parameters, then you can each build your
force, determine its point value, and have a good
one-off game.

> I'm not saying balancing points for effectiveness is
> wrong
> (I think it's probably the best way to do it), but
> it can
> sometimes give strange results when you start trying
> to
> compare differing tech levels.

Define a tech level.  As long as the base costing
system for the game is based entirely on the range,
accuracy, class, and validity of the weapon, tech
level is irrelevant.

> You could have an optional modifier depending on
> available tech,
> which could be ignored for competition style games,
> but used
> for campaign style games where background flavour is
> important.

Yes, you can, but that modifier should not be part of
the generic game's base point system, it should be
part of a setting-specific construction system, since
every setting makes different assumptions about what a
"tech level" is.

=====
"In life, you must try and be the type of person that your dog thinks
you are."

- Anonymous

		
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