Question: Converting to CT weapons?

[Supplement Four]

As all of you know, I'm not afraid one bit to wade into the fray and change/tweak/create rules.

But, there's one thing that elludes me about CT...

...That's the DMs on the CT weapon charts (for Range and vs. Armor).

I'm trying to find rhyme and reason to put to them.

Let's say I pop out Striker, and I see a TL 9 Laser Pistol there.

I've got a lot to work with (Dex Mods, ammo, range, etc), but how would I go about creating stats for that weapon (Range DMs, Armor DMs) based on more than gut-feelin' and eye-ballin' it?

I look at the weapons in the T4 Emperor's Arsenal, and they cry out to be converted to CT format.

How?

I need a logical, probably statistical method for doing so--something that I can apply to weapons found in T4, TNE, GT, etc.

Thoughts?

 

[Supplement Four]

As all of you know, I'm not afraid one bit to wade into the fray and change/tweak/create rules.

But, there's one thing that elludes me about CT...

...That's the DMs on the CT weapon charts (for Range and vs. Armor).

I'm trying to find rhyme and reason to put to them.

Let's say I pop out Striker, and I see a TL 9 Laser Pistol there.

I've got a lot to work with (Dex Mods, ammo, range, etc), but how would I go about creating stats for that weapon (Range DMs, Armor DMs) based on more than gut-feelin' and eye-ballin' it?

I look at the weapons in the T4 Emperor's Arsenal, and they cry out to be converted to CT format.

How?

I need a logical, probably statistical method for doing so--something that I can apply to weapons found in T4, TNE, GT, etc.

Thoughts?

 

[aramis]

I've tried several times, and couldn't make sense of it either. I gave up and used Striker/AHL until MT came out.

 

[aramis]

I've tried several times, and couldn't make sense of it either. I gave up and used Striker/AHL until MT came out.

 

[mike wightman]

One of the early JTAS editorials had Loren explain how to extrapolate the stats for a laser pistol from the weapon charts.

 

[mike wightman]

One of the early JTAS editorials had Loren explain how to extrapolate the stats for a laser pistol from the weapon charts.

 

[Supplement Four]

I saw that. All he did was give it the same stats as the Laser Carbine.

That's not a lot of help...unless the weapons in Book 1 are considered the baseline for their types. When you convert, you pick one closest to the weapon you're trying to convert and eye-ball and nose-twitch the numbers.

What I'm interested in is...why? Why does the Laser Carbine have the DMs it does against the various armor types...or the various ranges.

I've been checking the net. Strange this kind of question hasn't come up before. You'd think something like Fire Fusion and Steel or some other Traveller gizmo production rules would have some indication for created CT stats.

I just spoke with MJD via e-mail and asked him how he came up with some of the numbers in TA#1. He said he just eye-balled them.


One of the great games in my past is the old James Bond RPG put out by Victor Games. Excellent game (true Bond feel).

That game put out a supplement called the Q manual, and in it were rules for converting any real world fire arm to stats for the game. You took real world stuff, like muzzle vel. and looked up on a chart what the game stat would be.

Great, helpful book, that was.

I was hoping to come up with some type of conversion system, like that in the Q manual, for Classic Trav.

I guess, for now, though, it's eye-ballin' time.

 

[Supplement Four]

I saw that. All he did was give it the same stats as the Laser Carbine.

That's not a lot of help...unless the weapons in Book 1 are considered the baseline for their types. When you convert, you pick one closest to the weapon you're trying to convert and eye-ball and nose-twitch the numbers.

What I'm interested in is...why? Why does the Laser Carbine have the DMs it does against the various armor types...or the various ranges.

I've been checking the net. Strange this kind of question hasn't come up before. You'd think something like Fire Fusion and Steel or some other Traveller gizmo production rules would have some indication for created CT stats.

I just spoke with MJD via e-mail and asked him how he came up with some of the numbers in TA#1. He said he just eye-balled them.


One of the great games in my past is the old James Bond RPG put out by Victor Games. Excellent game (true Bond feel).

That game put out a supplement called the Q manual, and in it were rules for converting any real world fire arm to stats for the game. You took real world stuff, like muzzle vel. and looked up on a chart what the game stat would be.

Great, helpful book, that was.

I was hoping to come up with some type of conversion system, like that in the Q manual, for Classic Trav.

I guess, for now, though, it's eye-ballin' time.

 

[mike wightman]

Try assuming the weapons matrix provides the base for pistol, carbine , rifle, automatic weapon.

Compare like with like to determine differences then average them out - laser rifle with rifle, laser carbine with carbine - and then apply the averaged modifier to the weapon type you want to convert to, e.g. use the laser mod on an autopistol to get a laser pistol, or how about adding the laser mod to an autorifle to get an autolaser?

Did any of that make sense?

 

[mike wightman]

Try assuming the weapons matrix provides the base for pistol, carbine , rifle, automatic weapon.

Compare like with like to determine differences then average them out - laser rifle with rifle, laser carbine with carbine - and then apply the averaged modifier to the weapon type you want to convert to, e.g. use the laser mod on an autopistol to get a laser pistol, or how about adding the laser mod to an autorifle to get an autolaser?

Did any of that make sense?

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Yes, Sigg, and it sounds suspiciously like "eye-ballin'" it.

 

[Fritz_Brown]

Yes, Sigg, and it sounds suspiciously like "eye-ballin'" it.

 

[Golan2072]

My current approach (a compromise) is to use the CT Range Matrix "as-is" (five DMs per weapon; copy the relevant ones to yor character sheet; these will be the basic UGM Difficulty-DMs to hit) but replace the Armor Matrix with a simpler T4-style damage-die-absorbing-armor approach.

 

[Golan2072]

My current approach (a compromise) is to use the CT Range Matrix "as-is" (five DMs per weapon; copy the relevant ones to yor character sheet; these will be the basic UGM Difficulty-DMs to hit) but replace the Armor Matrix with a simpler T4-style damage-die-absorbing-armor approach.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Employee 2-4601:
My current approach (a compromise) is to use the CT Range Matrix "as-is" (five DMs per weapon; copy the relevant ones to yor character sheet; these will be the basic UGM Difficulty-DMs to hit) but replace the Armor Matrix with a simpler T4-style damage-die-absorbing-armor approach.

I like the T4 style damage die absorber. That was a good rule out of T4.

But, I'm doing something different, of my own design.

Damage for any weapon is throw thusly"

Damage Dice - Armor Value +/- Armor Adjustment


Damage Dice - is the weapon's listed number of damage dice.

Armor Value - is the AV shown in Striker (and MT).

Armor Adjustment - is the Armor DM from the CT combat tables.


Given this, weapons will have different penetration against different armor types.

For example:

Carbine vs. Nothing = 3D +2

Carbine vs. Jack = 3D +2

Carbine vs. Mesh = 3D -2

Carbine vs. Cloth = 3D -8

Carbine vs. Reflect = 3D +2

Carbine vs. Ablat = 3D -2

Carbine vs. Combat Armor = 3D -13


So, even if a hit is made against a target in Combat Armor, there's a good chance that the armor will not be penetrated.

 

[Supplement Four]

Originally posted by Employee 2-4601:
My current approach (a compromise) is to use the CT Range Matrix "as-is" (five DMs per weapon; copy the relevant ones to yor character sheet; these will be the basic UGM Difficulty-DMs to hit) but replace the Armor Matrix with a simpler T4-style damage-die-absorbing-armor approach.

I like the T4 style damage die absorber. That was a good rule out of T4.

But, I'm doing something different, of my own design.

Damage for any weapon is throw thusly"

Damage Dice - Armor Value +/- Armor Adjustment


Damage Dice - is the weapon's listed number of damage dice.

Armor Value - is the AV shown in Striker (and MT).

Armor Adjustment - is the Armor DM from the CT combat tables.


Given this, weapons will have different penetration against different armor types.

For example:

Carbine vs. Nothing = 3D +2

Carbine vs. Jack = 3D +2

Carbine vs. Mesh = 3D -2

Carbine vs. Cloth = 3D -8

Carbine vs. Reflect = 3D +2

Carbine vs. Ablat = 3D -2

Carbine vs. Combat Armor = 3D -13


So, even if a hit is made against a target in Combat Armor, there's a good chance that the armor will not be penetrated.

 

[Supplement Four]

LKW responded on the TML to this question of how the DMs were created for various weapons.

Here's what he said...

We used the "by-guess and by-gosh method back then. Marc used to have a list
of "real world" weapons that the CT ones were based on, but otherwise, I doubt
that Marc kept notes, and I know I don't have any from that far back.

LKW

Whelp, I guess eye-ballin' is about as good as we're going to get in converting weapons to CT.

 

[Supplement Four]

LKW responded on the TML to this question of how the DMs were created for various weapons.

Here's what he said...

We used the "by-guess and by-gosh method back then. Marc used to have a list
of "real world" weapons that the CT ones were based on, but otherwise, I doubt
that Marc kept notes, and I know I don't have any from that far back.

LKW

Whelp, I guess eye-ballin' is about as good as we're going to get in converting weapons to CT.