RE: [ds2, sg2] robotic aliens... [x-post]

At 2000.11.28 +1100 09:27, you wrote:
>G'day Brian,
>
> >It also indicates if a unit will make use of surrounding
> >cover (SP1 units do not unless under a suppression marker
> >at the beginning of a turn). A SP3 unit will remove 1
> >suppression counter at the END of its turn (it has a low survival
> >priority, so is less concerned with taking casualties). SP1 and
> >2 units remove suppression markers as normal.
>
>OK I'm confused!! Why don't units with a high survival rating (SP1) use
cover?

[Bri] Oops. That should read "SP3 units do not use
terrain for cover unless under suppression (or 'under
fire' marker) at the beginning of a turn". I had
originally had 1 as low, and changed it but missed
that instance.

> >Most robotic infantry units may be assumed to be
> >Power Armor.
>
>Why? OK there's a bit of devils advocate here, but wee little bots may
be 
>more like line in what they can do. I'd also say that "miltia", "line"
or 
>"PA" could actually represent different kinds/quality of construction
of 
>the bots.

[Bri] I was thinking that robotic units would be more
difficult to mission-kill. PA increases a number of
aspects of them without having to fiddle write a rule
for each. I was going for simple. All three, of course,
could be used if desired.

> >The Dalaks know that
> >Dr. Who is advising the other side, so Confidence is
> >Steady.
>
>Manic you mean ;)
>
> >Robotic units are usually not effected by terror attacks
>
>Out of interest, what terror attacks would effect a robotic unit?

[Bri] I do not know, but wanted to leave this open to those
with more imagination. Dalaks might panic if confronted
by an army of Time Lords (after all, look what just one of
them has done). But Dalaks are not true robots, so that is
not necessarily a good example. Perhaps an enemy with a
weapon the robots could not counter (biological spray that
eats the robots processing chips)? I did not view it as
true terror, but an enemy that would cause the robots to
jump beyond thier hide-bound programming, use seldom-
used logic routines, or rely on some random factor. This
could have the same effect.
Example: Generic Robot A is confronted with a Magalioian.
Command checks the history and discovers that the Robots
have never defeated the Magalioians. Command sends out
a new subroutine that causes the robots to place a higher
priority on avoiding the Magalioians until it can generate
a likely action to defeat them. This could have the same
effect as terror.

>Some nice ideas there Brian.
>
>Have fun
>
>Beth
>
>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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>-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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>Elizabeth Fulton
>[snip]

Additional comments inserted above marked by [Bri]

---
Brian Bell
bkb@beol.net
ICQ: 12848051
AIM: Rlyehable
The Full Thrust Ship Registry:
http://www.ftsr.org
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