Dirtside supplement

Ooh, Mike mentioned a DS supplement.

I never played DS (except once at a con), since it looked a bit
clumsy in a couple of areas.  (capacity rules, close combat,
a few others).	But I've been wanting to, and I have adapted
some ideas as variations on Space Marine, which I do play.
(I know, SM has some clumsy sections.  But the rules themselves
are fairly simple.)

I'd like to see in a Dirtside supplement:
* charts.  Quit calling it chartless and give us some reference
  sheets.  I have worked on making my own, but never finished.
  I'd like it to be as easy to begin playing as Space Marine was.
* a few more infantry types, or a system like Steve Gibson's
  infantry expansions.	His are to specifically allow specific
  units from the GW Epic game, but they could be generalized.
  Stuff I'd like to see:
  - infantry on bikes (there seem to be different opinions on
    whether the infantry just rides 'em in and dismounts to fight,
    or whether there are guns on the things).  These rules should
    allow for jetbikes, too.  (I don't think those are just vehicles
    to ride into battle.)
  - jet packs
  - other weapons (mortar team rules looked good)
  - armored, but not necessarily powered armor.  I wouldn't follow
    the GW world too stricly, and would use Space Marines as infantry
    in armor (like Star Wars Stormtroopers), but use Terminators as
    Powered Armor.  I think I was planning to call those Heavy Infantry
    and give them the speed, range, and damage chits drawn by them
    the same as Line, but take 5 damage points to kill them, like
    Powered armor.
* shields.  Don't need more than one kind (like the multitude in Space
  Marine).  All could be represented by one kind.
* point values for troop types.  I know GZG seems to be avoiding that
  kind of idea, but if I've got an army with specific units assigned to
  specific kinds of vehicles (roughly reproducing GW's cards), I'd like
  to have an overall point value for that unit.

Some of these are simple additions I'd use myself, in a supplement or
not.  I already have a Medium tracked mobility type, with cost and
speed halfway between slow tracked and fast tracked, for example.

I'd like to know whether allowing multiple weapons to be fired per turn
will affect the relative point values.	In other words, if I allow
that, will the point values still roughly work?

I felt constrained by the capacity rules, since GW has some models
that look small but have big guns.  I'd like to use points only, and
let the style of miniatures chosen take care of capacity.  You'd have
to design your vehicles so that they match the models visually.

just some thoughts
andy
andy.skinner@tseng.com