RE: SG II House Rules - longish post

On Thu, 5 Feb 1998, Thomas Barclay wrote:

> That has its shortcomings too. Really it shouldn't be any easier to 
> command in place (in the case of giving a bunch of 'changing' 
> commands). With a set order,	then maybe. 

And, of course, once you get into 'set orders' you're back to
scenario-specific rules (which, oddly enough, I'm a strong /proponant/
of).  If the scenario starts out saying 'Red Team can organize an
effective set piece ambush of up to three squads in size by making a
Morale Test and a Reorg as a single Action for all squads involved,
allowing them to fire as one unit,' I'm keen for that.	It makes sense
in
the context of the situation.

> I guess the answer to this one depends where you lie on the 
> Simulation/Game continuum. In a game, it is really great to have lots 
> of options and have them all have a fair chance to pan out. In a 
> Simulation, it is an attempt to simulate a situation which might not 
> allow such lattitude or encourage certain ways of acting. 

I can only say 'Its SF, it can't be a simulation.'  :)	This, of course,
begs the question of whether predictive models are simulations.  :)

> confusion ensues. They don't know how to react a lot of times. 
> Veterans that are ambushed tend to realize the bad situation they are 
> in quickly, hit the deck making good use of cover and where they can 
> fire back from (or they move to such positions quickly) and they are 
> unlikely to bolt. 

I think this may actually come into play in the differing efficency in
groups going 'In Place' /after/ being fired upon and the results of
morale
rolls for being /under/ fire, both of which are affected by QD.  After
all, once you're /under/ fire, its too late to do anything but react,
the
bullets are already in the air.  The Vets will immediately after try to
go
IP for better defenses, and will likely pull it off quickly.  The Greens
will mill around confusedly, trying to get down effectively, and are
probably doing so /while/ Supressed.

> That's a tough one. Anyone can take a bullet, and in the open I'd 
> have to agree. In any sort of close or rugged terrain, I'm fairly 
> sure troop quality makes a difference (how much? I don't think I 
> could guess). 

It'd have to make enough difference to be visible under as much
granularity as SGII presents; is it enough?  Unknown.

> willing to buy that this is an extra complexity that gives a not too 
> significant return. Thanks for the input Alexander! 

My pleasure.

-- 
[  Alexander Williams {thantos@alf.dec.com/zander@photobooks.com}  ]
[ Alexandrvs Vrai,  Prefect 8,000,000th Experimental Strike Legion ]
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