Re: Weapons interface conundra - SG2

  You're trying to make the superadvanced weapons of Stargrunt even MORE
like their primitive [i.e. modern] counterparts?  To what end?	Are you
going to next take some vietnam game and try to make all their weapons
work more like flintlocks and blunderbusses?
  If it really bothers you, I'd suggest the solution to your problem is
to
change the names of the weapons around until their relative stats are
more
to your liking instead of changing the whole system around the weapons. 

On Fri, 11 Feb 2000, Thomas.Barclay wrote:
> Here are a couple of points that fascinate me:
> 
> Infantry attacked with a 20-30mm RFAC take hits rolling d8 impact.
Infantry
> attacked with a HAMR (12.7mm probably) take hits rolling d12. Infantry
hit
> with a SAW firing (presumably) a 4-8mm projectile take hits rolling
d10
> impact. The same d8 Impact is applied if I get hit by an RFAC/2... a
big ass
> penetrator like that fired from the GAU-30 on the A-10. I pretty much
think
> one of these would leave a softball sized hole through any
infantryman. As
> it is, if the troops have good armour (d8), it's got about a 50/50
chance of
> doing nothing to them. 
> 
> A HAMR is more deadly to light armour than an RFAC which I assume is
> patterned somewhat after a Bushmaster or other chain gun - which is
for
> killing light armour!
> 
> An RFAC with enhanced (which I assume means more than 2183 average) FC
rolls
> d8 + quality to attack infantry. If this is something like a
bushmaster,
> that might make sense. If it is a Vulcan... that seems kind of weak.
> Especially when a SAW rolls d10 for FP. Seems to me I know which I'd
choose
> to be shot at with - I've seen the Vulcan in action vs. infantry mock
ups.
> Death incarnate. 
> 
> The system kind of fenced itself into a corner by doing d10 or d12
impact
> from personal weapons, when autocannons and such get as low as d10
(actually
> d8 when firing at infantry because it uses the dispersed targets
rule). Even
> if it was d10, it is significantly less than would be just, given a
d10 from
> a rifle! 
> 
> The same is true on the firepower front. Which would you rather have:
A
> manually fired SAW rolling d10 or conceivably d12 for FP, or a basic
fire
> control RFAC rolling D6? The manually fired SAW will be loosely
equivalent
> to the SAW of today (faster RoF maybe, better accuracy, but limited by
the
> human). The basic FC of 2183 should dwarf our FC of today, and I'm
> reasonably sure that a Vulcan backed by modern FC (even if it is an
optical
> sight!) is way worse to have pointed in the direction of your squad
than a
> single SAW.... only the game doesn't reflect that well. 
> 
> There would, I figure, be several ways to address these several
points:
> 
> 1) Rewrite the weapons so basic impacts are not d8s or d10s to allow
the low
> end ACs and stuff a more just shake. This is of course a ground up
solution
> and would involve a new set of weapons tables, though not necessarily
any
> change in the mechanics.
> 
> 2) Allow ACs to get their vs. vehicles impact (though this is still a
> shortcoming given the impact of the HAMR or the d10 for an AAR) when
firing
> vs. infantry. This isn't a full solution, but it at least helps a bit
to
> redress an imbalance. 
> 
> 3) On the firepower side, assign an FP rating to small RFACs and GACs.
Use
> this in place of FC when firing at infantry units. I'd suggest d10 for
RFACs
> and d12 for GACs. (or 2d6 and 2d8 if you are willing to diverge a bit
from
> standards).
> 
> 4) If the FP/FC die is more than twice the defenders die, then use
double
> the impact of the heavy weapon (it is a contact hit rather than a
> fragmentation hit). This means in the case of an RFAC, use either 2d8
(if
> sticking to the original dispersed targets rulings) or 2d10. Of
course, if
> multiple casualties are inflicted, only one is resolved as a contact
hit. 
> 
> Just some ideas to try to straighten out the roll of the RFAC and GAC.
As it
> is now, ror firing at infantry, I'd surely rather have a guy with a
> non-stabilized, non-sighted SAW firing for d10 FP and d10 impact than
a guy
> with a stabilized, sighted RFAC firing for guidance FC (d6 to d10...
at max
> equal to the SAW) and d8 impact. 
> 
> Thomas Barclay
> Software UberMensch
> xwave solutions
> (613) 831-2018 x 3008
>