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[DSII] Softskinned vehicles against tank guns?

From: Alex Williams <thantos@d...>
Date: Thu, 19 Sep 1996 06:15:40 -0400
Subject: [DSII] Softskinned vehicles against tank guns?

Noticed something as I was futzing around with some sample scenarios
with unarmoured cargo convoys against attackers.  With armour 0 you
are assumed to be "softskinned," that means that hitting with /any/
military grade weapon will get at least a DMG result.

A SLAM/3 fires at the unarmoured "Groundhog" at the head of the convoy
and hits; the Groundhog lucks out and the SLAM draws all 0s.  That
/still/ leaves the cargo DMG'd because its armour value is equal to
the sum of valid chits (0).

Just an interesting fact I noticed and wasn't sure anyone'd pointed
out.

Something else that somewhat bugs me in DSII is the lack of indirect
weapons fire beyond artillery; light Arty RAM units take up lots of
space and, for no good and apparent reason, aren't available at call.
Besides, sometimes they're just a bit of overkill.  

I've been toying with the idea of making missiles indirect-fire
capable as well, taking a page from Renegade Legion.  Essentially, it
would let you fire your missiles at any target within range that's
been `painted' by a laser-targeter equipped vehicle or infantry team.
Just to balance things out, all attacks are made as if one range band
farther away to account for the arc necessary.	(OK, I admit it, I
just missed my opponants saying, `Oh, look, an infantryman; just
ignore him, he's useless,' and shortly thereafter being obliterated by
the flight of missiles that come up from behind a limb of forest.)

I've also considered letting SLAMs go indirect as well, since they
have the arc of fire already, but that might be /real/ overkill; SLAM
packs are already great bang for the buck.  

Thoughts?

Ah, one more thing, since it just occured to me; Firer Systems Out
results bug me; you'd think in the future things would be more modular
than that.  Suggested fix: on a FSO result roll a d6.  A 6 result
means all systems are out, anything else means only the weapon being
fired goes on the fritz, repaired just like a standard FSO result
would be.  This actually gives you a real /reason/ to have secondary
weapons and not just loading up on multi-barrels (since if one of the
multis goes out, the whole thing dies).

(Pity the poor Infantry Walker pilot with three APSWs who gets an FSO;
do we assume he has backup close-assault weapons beyond the APSWS?  It
seems a safe one, so he could at least enter Close Combat.)

Opinions?

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