PC scale High Guard combat
- Thread starter mike wightman
- Start date
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I'm begining to think that there may be something to this HG based PC scale combat system after all.
I began it as just a few thoughts and DMs, but it should be easy enough to define what each character or useful skill can do during a combat turn.
The HG combat charts provide the to hit and penetration numbers, and then the damage chart can be adapted to the PC scale of things - another thing the original post tried to do.
I'll collect together all the suggestions made thus far and post a cleaned up version.
I began it as just a few thoughts and DMs, but it should be easy enough to define what each character or useful skill can do during a combat turn.
The HG combat charts provide the to hit and penetration numbers, and then the damage chart can be adapted to the PC scale of things - another thing the original post tried to do.
I'll collect together all the suggestions made thus far and post a cleaned up version.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
A summary of crew positions and possible skill use and effects:
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Captain - Fleet tactics, bonus to initiative
- Ship tactics, bonus to computer model
Pilot - pilot, bonus to agility
Computer Operator - computer, bonus to computer
or penalty to
enemy computer
Gunner - gunnery, bonus to hit or
reset weapons after double fire
Engineer - engineering, bonus to agility
allow double fire
bonus to damage control
Deck hand - mechanical/
electronic - bonus to damage control
Medic - medical, bonus to "crew hit" damage
control.</pre>[/QUOTE]Resolution - either apply [(skill/2)-1] as a DM on the High Guard task, or make a skill roll - if successful gain a bonus of +1, if exceptionally successful take a bonus of +2.
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">Captain - Fleet tactics, bonus to initiative
- Ship tactics, bonus to computer model
Pilot - pilot, bonus to agility
Computer Operator - computer, bonus to computer
or penalty to
enemy computer
Gunner - gunnery, bonus to hit or
reset weapons after double fire
Engineer - engineering, bonus to agility
allow double fire
bonus to damage control
Deck hand - mechanical/
electronic - bonus to damage control
Medic - medical, bonus to "crew hit" damage
control.</pre>[/QUOTE]Resolution - either apply [(skill/2)-1] as a DM on the High Guard task, or make a skill roll - if successful gain a bonus of +1, if exceptionally successful take a bonus of +2.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I'd use the skill roll method myself too 
Next on the list is to adapt the range band movement system and range modifiers from Starter Traveller.
I was also thinking of requiring agility to be spent either on opening/closing range or for a defensive bonus.
The pilot and engineer skill rolls could then make a big difference to how well a ship can maneuver and evade during a turn.
Next on the list is to adapt the range band movement system and range modifiers from Starter Traveller.
I was also thinking of requiring agility to be spent either on opening/closing range or for a defensive bonus.
The pilot and engineer skill rolls could then make a big difference to how well a ship can maneuver and evade during a turn.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I'd like to find extra uses for the fleet tactics and ship tactics skills...
As for fleet tactics and ship tactics skills, even HG2 sells them rather short.
IIRC, half your ship tactics skill rounded down can be added to a ship's agility rating. Fleet tactics was limited to the Initiative roll at the beginning of each combat round.
ISTR a player's relatively high ST skill (2 or 3?) allowing him to 'catch' an opponent trying to break off through acceleration; your agility rating controls that effort.
In our many HG2/Mayday fiddles we toyed with ship tactics allowing anti-missile fire at missiles not targeted at your vessel. Another ST 'bennie' was modifying the 'batteries bearing' number; a good captain could maneuver to bring more weapon arcs into play. We also went the Battle Rider route of using fleet tactics to control stacking in a given hex.
None of our fiddles really made either skill worthwhile.
Have fun,
Bill
IIRC, half your ship tactics skill rounded down can be added to a ship's agility rating. Fleet tactics was limited to the Initiative roll at the beginning of each combat round.
ISTR a player's relatively high ST skill (2 or 3?) allowing him to 'catch' an opponent trying to break off through acceleration; your agility rating controls that effort.
In our many HG2/Mayday fiddles we toyed with ship tactics allowing anti-missile fire at missiles not targeted at your vessel. Another ST 'bennie' was modifying the 'batteries bearing' number; a good captain could maneuver to bring more weapon arcs into play. We also went the Battle Rider route of using fleet tactics to control stacking in a given hex.
None of our fiddles really made either skill worthwhile.
Have fun,
Bill
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Hmm, allowing FT and ST to grant a bonus to agility may not be a bad idea at the PC scale of things.
Time to look through the books to see how these skills are handled in the other iterations of Traveller.
Time to look through the books to see how these skills are handled in the other iterations of Traveller.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Here's another idea, building on my heavy turrets etc. idea from a while ago.
PC scale High Guard design ships can't put turret weapons in batteries, but they can use heavy turrets, light barbettes and barbettes to increase their weapon factors.
50t and 100t laser and sandcaster bays could also be introduced.
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> weapon system tons EP cost factor
heavy pulse laser turret 2 6 MCr3 3
heavy beam laser turret 2 6 MCr6 4
heavy missile turret 2 - MCr4.5 3
heavy sandcater turret 2 - MCr1.5 3
light sandcaster barbette 3 - MCr2 4
pulse laser barbette 5 10 MCr5 4
beam laser barbette 5 15 MCr15 6
plasma barbette 5 4 MCr6 2
fusion barbette 5 8 MCr8 5
missile barbette 5 - MCr9 4
sandcaster barbette 5 - MCr2.5 5</pre>[/QUOTE]
PC scale High Guard design ships can't put turret weapons in batteries, but they can use heavy turrets, light barbettes and barbettes to increase their weapon factors.
50t and 100t laser and sandcaster bays could also be introduced.
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;"> weapon system tons EP cost factor
heavy pulse laser turret 2 6 MCr3 3
heavy beam laser turret 2 6 MCr6 4
heavy missile turret 2 - MCr4.5 3
heavy sandcater turret 2 - MCr1.5 3
light sandcaster barbette 3 - MCr2 4
pulse laser barbette 5 10 MCr5 4
beam laser barbette 5 15 MCr15 6
plasma barbette 5 4 MCr6 2
fusion barbette 5 8 MCr8 5
missile barbette 5 - MCr9 4
sandcaster barbette 5 - MCr2.5 5</pre>[/QUOTE]
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Laser and sandcaster bays:
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">100ton bay Tech Level Energy Cost
weapon type 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points (MCr)
sandcaster 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 - - -- 8
beam laser 7 7 8 8 9 9 - - - 45 30
pulse laser 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 45 25</pre>[/QUOTE]</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">50ton bay Tech Level Energy Cost
weapon type 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points (MCr)
sandcaster - - - 7 7 8 8 9 9 -- 5
beam laser - - - - 7 7 8 8 9 30 18
pulse laser - - - - 5 5 6 6 7 30 15</pre>[/QUOTE]
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">100ton bay Tech Level Energy Cost
weapon type 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points (MCr)
sandcaster 6 7 7 8 8 9 9 - - -- 8
beam laser 7 7 8 8 9 9 - - - 45 30
pulse laser 5 5 6 6 7 7 8 8 9 45 25</pre>[/QUOTE]</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">50ton bay Tech Level Energy Cost
weapon type 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Points (MCr)
sandcaster - - - 7 7 8 8 9 9 -- 5
beam laser - - - - 7 7 8 8 9 30 18
pulse laser - - - - 5 5 6 6 7 30 15</pre>[/QUOTE]
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Yes, the turret/barbette weapons would still get the TL bonuses, the bay weapons don't - it's already figured into the bay table.
So a TL13 heavy laser turret would be USP factor 7.
So a TL13 heavy laser turret would be USP factor 7.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
I should probably have put this rules variant in its own thread - should I move it or leave it alone?
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
No.
Even Mayday requires too much table space for too little return from a role playing point of view.
The range band system from Starter Traveller, and MegaTraveller (sort of), allows you to model "vector" movement.
By concentrating the action on what the characters are doing you get a better role playing ship combat system IMHO.
If you want to break out the hex maps and use Mayday that'll work too though - it'll just take a lot longer to resolve ship combat.
Even Mayday requires too much table space for too little return from a role playing point of view.
The range band system from Starter Traveller, and MegaTraveller (sort of), allows you to model "vector" movement.
By concentrating the action on what the characters are doing you get a better role playing ship combat system IMHO.
If you want to break out the hex maps and use Mayday that'll work too though
- it'll just take a lot longer to resolve ship combat.
far-trader
SOC-14 10K
Hmm, modelling vector movement with range bands, never thought of it quite that way, interesting. You've put a picture in my head of a very simple way of modelling 3D vector movement for multiple elements, now who has a hammer to beat it out of my skull
I need to think on this. The vision is perfect of course but there may be problems making it work and I can't even really explain it yet. With luck I won't be distracted until I... Ooh Shiney
I need to think on this. The vision is perfect of course but there may be problems making it work and I can't even really explain it yet. With luck I won't be distracted until I... Ooh Shiney
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
All you need are some ship counters/markers, missile counters/markers, and a sheet of lined paper.
Each ship starts with a velocity - which is the number of lines/range bands it will move up or down the paper if it doesn't use agility to maneuver.
Ships will either remain at the same distance, move closer, or move apart.
Agility can be spent to alter velocity or for evasion, e.g. a ship with agility 4 could opt for changing its velocity by 2 and have a defensive DM of +2. A ship's agility for maneuver purposes can not exceed its maneuver drive rating (successful skill rolls - discussed above - can grant bonuses to total agility)
Missiles have an agility of 6 for three turns, and a target size DM of -4, just in case you want to try shooting them down while in flight.
Short range is within 5 range bands, long is 6 to 25, very long is 26+, extreme is 50+
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">range weapon effects
short missiles -1DM to hit
long lasers -1DM to hit, energy weapons not allowed
v.long all weapons -2DM to hit, lasers -3DM total
extreme all weapons -5DM to hit, lasers -6DM total</pre>[/QUOTE]
Each ship starts with a velocity - which is the number of lines/range bands it will move up or down the paper if it doesn't use agility to maneuver.
Ships will either remain at the same distance, move closer, or move apart.
Agility can be spent to alter velocity or for evasion, e.g. a ship with agility 4 could opt for changing its velocity by 2 and have a defensive DM of +2. A ship's agility for maneuver purposes can not exceed its maneuver drive rating (successful skill rolls - discussed above - can grant bonuses to total agility)
Missiles have an agility of 6 for three turns, and a target size DM of -4, just in case you want to try shooting them down while in flight.
Short range is within 5 range bands, long is 6 to 25, very long is 26+, extreme is 50+
</font><blockquote>code:</font><hr /><pre style="font-size:x-small; font-family: monospace;">range weapon effects
short missiles -1DM to hit
long lasers -1DM to hit, energy weapons not allowed
v.long all weapons -2DM to hit, lasers -3DM total
extreme all weapons -5DM to hit, lasers -6DM total</pre>[/QUOTE]
