Howdy - first topic I've posted here (still looking around, replied to the "who are we" thread). I played a lot of CT, a little of TNE, and a lot of other d20 rules (D&D and others), and I really like the D20 rules. I'm coming back in the the Traveller scene now that I discovered the d20 rules (Firefly is helping spark this as well!).
I'm waiting for my copy of Traveller 20 to show up, so my question here is just based on reading the "Lite" PDF. Please, if the full rules fixes this, just let me know!
I really like the AR concept (have always felt armor was better handled in reducing the damage you take, rather than making it harder to hit you). However, I am disappointed in the actual armor ratings table having just one AR value (or two values for the anti-laser armor). I expected to see a different value to be used against each time of damage (more like how CT had a matrix of armor vs weapon to see how it helped you).
Specifically, mesh armor has a AR of 3, and yet its description lists that it is ineffective against laser fire. Funny, that AR of 3 is going to knock dice off the damage, seems pretty effective to me!
Having not played the game, and having not played Traveller at all since TNE, I'm curious to know whether I'm off base here in thinking armor should have these different ratings, and whether it is adding too much complexity.
I would add more damage types, at a minimum ballistic (all of the chemically-power slugs) and energy (for plasma/fusion). Not knowing how the full game treats HEAP rounds is hindering me a bit, they might just apply a -1 to AR, or maybe it's a damage type. Gauss and flechette rounds would stay piercing. HE attacks are probably piercing as well, for simplicity (to represent the fragments, rather than the concussion). Then let's look at the armor now:
Jack: AR 2 vs blunt/slashing, AR 1 vs piercing, AR 0 vs all others
Mesh: AR 3 vs blunt/slashing, AR 1 vs piercing, AR 2 vs ballistic, AR 0 vs others
Cloth, CES, & Flak: -1 AR vs slashing, -2 AR vs piercing, -3 vs lasers & energy, full value vs ballistic
Ablat is probably fine as it is, 5 vs lasers (initially) and 2 vs everything else. Maybe 5 vs energy as well.
I'm kind of torn on the combat armor/vacc suit/battle suits, they probably have equal effectiveness against everything.
Thoughts? How is the current system playing out for people?
I'm waiting for my copy of Traveller 20 to show up, so my question here is just based on reading the "Lite" PDF. Please, if the full rules fixes this, just let me know!
I really like the AR concept (have always felt armor was better handled in reducing the damage you take, rather than making it harder to hit you). However, I am disappointed in the actual armor ratings table having just one AR value (or two values for the anti-laser armor). I expected to see a different value to be used against each time of damage (more like how CT had a matrix of armor vs weapon to see how it helped you).
Specifically, mesh armor has a AR of 3, and yet its description lists that it is ineffective against laser fire. Funny, that AR of 3 is going to knock dice off the damage, seems pretty effective to me!
Having not played the game, and having not played Traveller at all since TNE, I'm curious to know whether I'm off base here in thinking armor should have these different ratings, and whether it is adding too much complexity.
I would add more damage types, at a minimum ballistic (all of the chemically-power slugs) and energy (for plasma/fusion). Not knowing how the full game treats HEAP rounds is hindering me a bit, they might just apply a -1 to AR, or maybe it's a damage type. Gauss and flechette rounds would stay piercing. HE attacks are probably piercing as well, for simplicity (to represent the fragments, rather than the concussion). Then let's look at the armor now:
Jack: AR 2 vs blunt/slashing, AR 1 vs piercing, AR 0 vs all others
Mesh: AR 3 vs blunt/slashing, AR 1 vs piercing, AR 2 vs ballistic, AR 0 vs others
Cloth, CES, & Flak: -1 AR vs slashing, -2 AR vs piercing, -3 vs lasers & energy, full value vs ballistic
Ablat is probably fine as it is, 5 vs lasers (initially) and 2 vs everything else. Maybe 5 vs energy as well.
I'm kind of torn on the combat armor/vacc suit/battle suits, they probably have equal effectiveness against everything.
Thoughts? How is the current system playing out for people?
