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Personal Combat: Damage and Armor Question

...I really want to run through a combat without any assumptions, try to stat up some real world weapons and armor (right now, I'm thinking a M1911, and a bulletproof vest, and see if it passes a smell test.

For that you'll have to use the Sense system from p204-205
 
MOARN, I save the sense rules for special occasions.

In thinking of my example, and comparing with other versions, the M1911 is a little low, and the armor is high for versions of Traveller where armor absorbs damage (or I'm off on what assault armor is... for example if it meant legitimate body armor (with plates and stuff), then maybe the idea of a couple of shots from a .45 needed to take someone down is more plausible, or have working armor only block a portion of damage (which would require splitting Armor treating impact and penetration differently)... but now I'm making house rules, and for all I know, the errata/examples clarifies things quite nicely.
 
The idea of splitting damage into impact and penetration is logical in modelling real-world occurrences. A heavy enough round hitting a ballistic vest that doesn't penetrate will still cause blunt trauma damage to varying degrees, like being hit by paintball rounds (not that I've experienced either, but I have seen photos).

In the same breath, my group was talking about the effects of vacc suits or any form of sealed covering against the effects of an explosion or blast. If the wearer is isolated from the environment, how much protection does that provide.

The problem is getting bogged down in mechanics that slow down or restrict game play. Striking the balance seems a personal thing, but having played the game Aftermath years ago (still my benchmark for unplayable complexity WRT personal combat) I'm tending towards playability, seeking to have the mechanics produce the outcomes rather than model the processes involved.
 
I picked up aftermath last summer when I was on a post apocalyptic kick. It's dense, but there's some gold in it (the encumbrance, bag rules are no joke, pretty clever for finding stuff in a pinch for example)

But Amen. Not intending to split damage. Theron lies madness.
 
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