RE: [DS] Specialist Elements

My thinking:
GMS/P is smaller than a GMS/L (which draws 3 chits vs armor and none vs
infantry), I decided to call it a size-1 weapon. The trade-off vs. IVAR
would be range vs. damage potential. GMS/P is probably not going to take
out
a size 4 or larger tank (there are still Boom chits), but has a good
chance
against size 1 or 2. Trade off with GMS/L anti-armor team is that the
team
can ingage in an infantry fire fight by discarding the GMS/P, cost is
less,
and increased anti-infantry damage.

SG2 describes them as a support weapon, so my thinking was that they
would
be a dual purpose weapon (unlike GMS/L IMHO). Drawing 1 chit against
infantry allows a kill on Militia only on a draw of a 3 (of the correct
validity), and makes it impossible to kill Line Infantry (takes 4 to
kill)
or PA (takes 5 to kill). So, I thought that I would make it 3 chits,
like an
ASPW. Perhaps 2 would have been better, but I went with 3 (especially
since
I was limiting the ammo). GSM/L, GSM/H, and IVARs have NO EFFECT agianst
infantry in DS2. 

I pictured GSM/P as a radio guided missile. The launcher has a plasma
screen
for TV signal from missile (as the flight time over the 1.6km max range
is
too short to switch to another controler). The user would guide the
missile
after launch. ECM would still have a chance to jam the signal to/from
the
missile. And PDS would have the ability to try to shoot it down.

So I end up with:
Pros:
  - Anti-Armor at longer range (4xIVAR and out of ASPW range).
  - Increase in Anti-Infantry ability.
  - Unit becomes a infantry rifle squad after ammo runs out or GMS/P is 
    discarded (GMS/P is disposable)
Cons:
  - Anti-Armor capability is less than IVAR
  - Limited Ammo (2 for militia/line, 3 for PA)
  - Treated as an anti-armor team (p. 13) until ammo is gone or weapon
abandoned

When I was doing my rules for portable version of heavy weapons, I was
trying to be consistant with the rules for all /P weapons. I decided to
make
them all equivilent to class-1, draw 3 chits vs infantry (easier to aim
than
vehicle mounted weapons), but limit the range to Close (or 16" for
weapons
with only 1 range band [GMS/P and HEL/P]).

-----
Brian Bell
bkb@beol.net	
-----

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John M. Atkinson [SMTP:john.m.atkinson@erols.com]
> Sent: Thursday, April 20, 2000 11:12 AM
> To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	Re: [DS] Specialist Elements
> 
> "Bell, Brian K" wrote:
> 
> > And my suggestion was normal GMS validity. ECM/PDS as normal, 1 chit
vs.
> > armor, 3 chits vs infantry, 16" range, limited ammo (like
artillery).
> Cost
> > is 1/2 GMS/L
> 
> Why the increased effectiveness vs. infantry?  And why less effective
> than IAVRs vs armor?
> 
> John