[OT] Continuous probability - was Re: Pre-measuring things

aebrain wrote

> 1. Measurement before or after declaring of firing is a matter of
choice.
I
> prefer "before", but only bother in cases where the (artificial) range
boundaries
> are borderline. It's necessary for playability that a Class 1 beam has
full
> effect at 11.99 MU and zero effect at 12.01 MU, so I don't see
anything
wrong
> with measuring before firing, as you're going to have to measure
afterwards
> anyway.

Similar sharp cutoffs or just a few range bands with large differences
in
the results are found in many game rules. Often, from a simulations
perspective, I think this does not give the right 'feel', as the real
hit
probability declines continuously with range. A precise formula may
indeed
be unplayable, but it could be as simple as : "measure range in Inches,
throw D20, if the dice throw is bigger than the range, you've got a
hit'.
Different weapon ranges could be dealt with by using different dice.

Would also take some of the edge out of the pre-measuring issue. It's
not
that critical any more whether you are at 11.9 or 12.1 MU. Of course
this
won't stop the precision freaks and rules lawyers from doing their thing

Greetings
Karl Heinz.