Re: [DSII] Heresy
From: "John Crimmins" <johncrim@v...>
Date: Thu, 4 Apr 2002 15:46:03 -0500 (EST)
Subject: Re: [DSII] Heresy
On Thu, 4 Apr 2002 12:17:28 -0800 (PST), John Atkinson
<johnmatkinson@yahoo.com> wrote :
>
> --- John Crimmins <johncrim@voicenet.com> wrote:
>
> > I think that many people aren't really concerned
> > with historical effectiveness, and some it is of
> > questionable relevance in any case. Who needs extra
>
> > gunners if you have a dedicated AI slaved to each
> > weapon system? And didn't David Drake make a good
> > case for open-topped vehicles with his Combat
> > Cars?
>
> No, David Drake was writing about Vietnam, therefor he
> had to include ACAV M-113s which were open-topped,
> therefor he wrote in a PSB that made them effective.
> If artillery could not be shot out of the sky by every
> single machine gun in the Regiment, they would make
> less sense.
Which is kind of my point -- you can use PSB to justify all kinds of
weird design choices. Ogre, for example, has lots of open-topped APCs,
and they
use a totally different justification for it.
(Personally, I've been converting those same vehicles into mortar
carriers and AA vehicles; don't much like the open-topped look.)
It really depends on what assumptions the players want to make.
> > And, maybe I'm alone in this, but when it comes to
> > gaming I find that enjoy a glorious defeat more than
> > an easy victory. Usually learn a lot more that
> > way, too.
>
> Hey, I am not going to to TRY to loose. I'd going to
> design to win.
I go for the fun; winning isn't necessarily fun for me. Satisfying,
perhaps, but not always fun. Best game I ever played, I was wiped out
to the last man.
And again, I'm designing both forces for my games. Unless I want them
to be identical, some sub-optimal choices are going to be made somewhere
along the line.
> > Hey, did anyone ever attempt to assign a point value
> > to the Hammer Slammer's "Powerguns" that Mr. Tuffley
> > posted about so long ago?
>
> Umm, I don't think so. There's no way to point out
> weapons that have the range of an HEL, killing power
> of a DFFG, oh and can substitute for PDS and ADS
> systems as well.
Could they function as AA? I know that they could in the books, but in
Jon's rules; I think that he left that bit as an exercise for the
student. I'd leave
that capability out, frankly, unless I was actually running a Slammers
scenario (which, having seen the Salute site, I am far too intimidated
to attempt).
I'll have to look up the post when I get home, assign some outrageous
cost to the system. Another design choice for those who prefer running
the
Shadow ships in FT....
--
John Crimmins
johncrim@voicenet.com