Evading in Combat

[SpaceBadger]

Wow, was just looking at the Evading rule in TTB and it appears that we have been doing it wrong all of these years!!! We had it pictured as ducking and weaving, bobbing up and down from behind cover or doorways or whatever, taking what shots you can get. We imposed a defense bonus and an offense penalty, reasoning that if you were evading you couldn't aim very well, taking mostly snapshots. Now I read in TTB that when you are evading you cannot attack at all! My whole worldview of Traveller evasion is upside down? How do you represent the kind of fighting that I thought we were doing with Evasion? Comments, suggestions?

 

[mike wightman]

I consider the 8+ to hit the base for firing an aimed weapon from a stationary position on a turn by turn action basis.

If you elect to move and fire you may walk and shoot at -2

If you elect to run and fire you get -4

If you elect to spend a full turn stationary an aiming from a brace position you can fire at +2.

If a target is walking you have -1 to hit, if running -2, if evading -4

If you have ever watched the TV show Top Shots you will notice how world class shooters miss rather a lot when put into stressful situations or movement is involved.

 

[Carlobrand]

Wow, was just looking at the Evading rule in TTB and it appears that we have been doing it wrong all of these years!!! We had it pictured as ducking and weaving, bobbing up and down from behind cover or doorways or whatever, taking what shots you can get. We imposed a defense bonus and an offense penalty, reasoning that if you were evading you couldn't aim very well, taking mostly snapshots. Now I read in TTB that when you are evading you cannot attack at all! My whole worldview of Traveller evasion is upside down? How do you represent the kind of fighting that I thought we were doing with Evasion? Comments, suggestions?

Under ideal circumstances, as at the pistol range, hitting a man-size target at effective range is not terribly difficult. It's not moving, you're not in a hurry, no problem. Even if it's moving toward or away, it's not a problem if it's moving directly toward or away, and even lateral movement is not a great challenge if it's smooth and predictable.

Combat as presented in Traveller presents the less-than-ideal circumstance: you are hurried and perhaps worried about taking fire or acting quickly enough before your target can act or take cover, your target is trying to avoid getting hit and maybe do something about you, everyone's running on adrenaline. What was easy becomes an 8+ roll with a fair chance of missing. In other words, what you were calling evasion is the normal combat behavior that was causing you and him to need an 8+ instead of a 3+.

CT runs in 15 second rounds - a lot happening in that time, everyone looking for their best chance while trying to deny the opponent his best chance. Evading is treated as an action in which your full focus during that entire time is on not getting hit, ergo no opportunity to aim or point 'cause you're moving too violently, ducking and bobbing and such. Sure, you can pull the trigger while doing that, but short of wild luck nothing's going to come of it other than unnerving your opponent (neither wild luck nor unnerving your opponent that way are adequately simulated, true). If you take one second during that time to steady and aim, that'll be the opportunity that the enemy takes for his shot: you're not evading in that instant, and you're both back to that 8+ business.

 

[SpaceBadger]

Thanks, that makes a lot of sense.

But then, if that is the case, then Traveller needs another setting with difficulty 6+ or even 4+ to be used by someone (or something) that doesn't care about getting hit, just stands there and takes his/her/its best shot like on the target range.

Like a guy in Battledress up against someone armed with a body pistol - sure, the guy w the pistol might get a lucky shot, but the guy in Battledress isn't going to worry about it a lot, no ducking or weaving, just go out there and turn the other guy into a hot puddle of plasma.

Or a battledroid that isn't set on self-preservation mode, just sent to get the job done - it would be like the Terminator, no ducking or hiding, just lots of aiming and shooting and other people dying.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Evading is treated as an action in which your full focus during that entire time is on not getting hit, ergo no opportunity to aim or point 'cause you're moving too violently, ducking and bobbing and such.

No, no, no. You serpentine! :rofl:

 

[Carlobrand]

... But then, if that is the case, then Traveller needs another setting with difficulty 6+ or even 4+ to be used by someone (or something) that doesn't care about getting hit, just stands there and takes his/her/its best shot like on the target range.

Like a guy in Battledress up against someone armed with a body pistol - sure, the guy w the pistol might get a lucky shot, but the guy in Battledress isn't going to worry about it a lot, no ducking or weaving, just go out there and turn the other guy into a hot puddle of plasma.

Or a battledroid that isn't set on self-preservation mode, just sent to get the job done - it would be like the Terminator, no ducking or hiding, just lots of aiming and shooting and other people dying.

Well, the target's still gonna want to live, but you're right: when the shooter doesn't have any reason to feel hurried or threatened and isn't making any motions that might disturb his aim, he should maybe get a bonus of some sort. I don't know of any rule on the subject. Also lacking is any rules on snipers - he's taking his sweet time, you don't even suspect you're in combat, but I don't know of any DMs for the situation.

 

[saundby]

No, no, no. You serpentine! :rofl:

:rofl: Glad I'm not the only one who remembers this.

 

[aldemps]

Well, the target's still gonna want to live, but you're right: when the shooter doesn't have any reason to feel hurried or threatened and isn't making any motions that might disturb his aim, he should maybe get a bonus of some sort. I don't know of any rule on the subject. Also lacking is any rules on snipers - he's taking his sweet time, you don't even suspect you're in combat, but I don't know of any DMs for the situation.

When I used to play we came up with some rules for a sniper:

For every round aiming (shooter performs no action except aiming) DM+1 to hit (max DM equal to skill level with weapon)
DM+1 on first shot (if target not aware of sniper's presence)


When determining damage for a sniper's shot an additional 3D were rolled along with the normal damage for the weapon & then the lowest 3 dice were ignored.
(these extra dice were only for an aimed shot)