Re: [SG2] Traveller Armour Question

>For my upcoming SG2 scenario, I'm working on some Traveller
conversions. One
>of the questions I have is around Traveller combat suits and
battledress. 
>
>Now, my Traveller experience was from a few years ago, using a slightly
>modified version of the Classic Traveller with Snapshot as the combat
system.
>Battledress seemed to be just really good armour with environmental
controls
>in it. Nothing special.
>
>Did this change in later Traveller? 
>
>What do you think I should do with the armour? My current idea was to
make
>Battledress just regular D12 with environmental add-ons, and a combat
suit
the
>same but D10. No Power Armour use at all. Does Traveller HAVE Power
Armour?
>
>Any responses would be appreciated.
>

Hi Allan,

I just happen to have a copy of the "Central Supply Catalog" from Marc
Miller's Traveller (the release of Traveller that came out after Game
Designers' Workshop went belly-up).  This book has a whole section on
"Augmented Battle Dress", which is specifically powered armour:

"Augmented Battle Dress (powered armor) does not really become viable
until
TL10, and is not a long-term proposition until the introduction of
Fusion+.
 Higher tech versions would be much the same, but with better armor
materials...smaller and better electronics, more energy storage and more
efficient weapons."

Fusion+ power systems come about sometime during TL10.

The equipment section in the main rulebook for "Traveller The New Era",
the
last release of Traveller by GDW also describes powered battle dress.

Finally, just for kicks (and because it's next to my desk) I pulled out
my
copy of the original Traveller rules.  Book 1, "Characters and Combat"
also
describes Battle Dress (powered armor).

You are completely safe using powered armour in your Traveller-based
game!

Your scenario has a TL14 unit attacking a TL12 convoy.	TL12 is already
past the point of Fusion powered battle dress, so there's no reason why
both sides couldn't have power armour.	If you want to limit what the
TL12
force has, give them "Combat Environment Suits" which give d8 protection
and allow 6" or d6x2 movement - the same as the gear the Neu Swabians
wear.
 In the GZG universe, that's about the best armour gets before it is
powered or power assisted.  You could justify giving them armour similar
to
what the New Israelis get - partially powered armour with d8 protection,
but moving 8" or d8x2.	The TL14 troops would be in Battle Dress of some
kind (powered armour!) so use the regular stats:  d12 armour, move 12"
or
d12x2.	My only real problem with your scenario is the desire to use
PGMP-14's on each guy.	The Plasma Guns in the Traveller universe were
extremely powerful, and only issued to Battle Dress equipped troops at
the
highest tech levels.  They are HUGELY expensive, weigh upwards of 20
pounds
(9kg for the weapon, 1.6kg for the power pack, though they do have grav
field generators which reduce the total felt weight to under 200 grams).
It would be a walkover for the TL14 troops if they get to spring the
ambush.  In Traveller terms, each of those weapons is enough to destroy
a
TL12 APC, so the TL12 troops would not even have a chance to dismount. 
If
this were Stargrunt, it would be like having a PA platoon all armed with
SAWs and GMS-L's going up against regular infantry.

You could compensate by making the TL12 troops much better, but since PA
troops would be at least Veterans (both by Stargrunt rules and by
Traveller
common sense), that would mean the TL12 troops would all have to be
Elites
- which doesn't make any sense.  You could arbitrarily determine that
the
PA troops were Regulars and the TL12 troops Veterans, but even then,
there'd be lots of dead guys in the convoy before they had a chance to
deploy.  If you are going to use the Stargrunt rules, I'd stick to using
the types of weapons they indicate, to keep the relative balances
designed
into the rules between forces.

How 'bout something like this:

TL12 troops:  

Partial Powered Armour:  d8 armour, 8" or d8x2 movement
Advanced Combat Rifles:  FP2, Impact d10
Squad Support Weapon:  PGMP-12	FP10, Impact d10 (d10x2 vs. point
targets
like power armour, vehicles, etc)  This could be used either to support
the
squad's rifle fire, or as a separate weapon.

Squads of 8 or so.

TL14 troops:

Powered Armour:  d12 armour, 12" or d12x2 movement
Individual Gauss Rifle:  FP2, Impact d12
Rocket Pack:  shoulder mounted on one in four troops, can be fired with
rifles or separately at point targets, adds FP d8, Impact d8 (d8x2 vs.
point targets)
Squad Support Weapon:  FGMP-14	 FP12, Impact d12x2 (d12x4 vs. point
targets)

Squads of 4 (three with the gauss rifle, one with Rocket Pack and one
with
FGMP-14).  Or, have some of the TL14 troops wearing non-powered armour,
carring gauss rifles.  Have a limited number (one or two squads of four)
of
PA troops, each with a PGMP-13 or 14, and lower the damage of these to:
impact d12 (d12x2 or x3 vs. point targets)

Anyway, just a thought.  The scenario sounds fun.  Let us know how it
went.

Adrian