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Traveller combat wheel

jackleg

SOC-12
Does anyone know if this was ever done? I remember one being published in the DRAGON for D&D but was one ever done for CT?

This is basically a round slide rule, where one could rotate the wheel and line up all of the combat modifers for a weapon that would include the modifiers for armor & range.

Was this ever done, if so where is it now? Or am I not getting enough sleep?
 
(OK, that was just weird, take 2... )

I loved the AD&D combat wheel :)

I don't recall one ever being done for Traveller though. Not even sure it could be done. Might be cool though...
 
I do remember the D&D combat wheel. It was both cool and useful.

And, I don't think I've ever seen one done for CT. I think it would be difficult, given all the weapons.

What I do in CT (and, really, just about any rpg play) is make a separate sheet of paper for each piece of equipment the character is carrying instead of listing that equipment on the character's sheet.

This is collected into the player's notebook/3-ring binder/manilla folder/whatever.

I do this for a number of reasons (as I said...not just for CT, but for all rpgs we play).

First, I find that players sometimes don't have a handle on just how much equipment their character is carrying. With each piece having its own sheet of notebook paper, there's something tangible to that--something that gives the player a feeling for all the stuff he has.

Second, it makes it very easy for characters to exchange equipment. When I hear, "I'm giving my pistol to so-and-so, keeping my SMG," I'll reply. "OK. Give him the sheet, then."

Third, there's no arguments about who has what. If you've got it, it's in your player notebook. If it's not in there, you don't have it.

Fourth, it also makes it easy to customize equipment. If a particular weapon uses non-standard ammo or has slightly different stats for some reason, just mark it on the sheet. Whammo. Good-to-go.

And, fifth, I address your concern about having to read tables from CT in a game. In my game, we never refer to the combat tables because we don't have to. Each piece of equipment has its particular stats written on its sheet. The player will usually ask what the enemy's armor is (and sometimes, I won't tell them, and just do that adjustment to the die roll myself), and then simply look at their sheet--good-to-go, knowing all their modifiers for the combat.

It makes combat in CT very easy--not table looking at all.
 
Not even sure it could be done. Might be cool though...

...and I'm so tempted to tackle this for the intellectual stimulation :)

And the fame, fortune, and glory! Yeah :D

(I know I'm crazy, always have been ;) )

So, I'm looking at what it needs and how to do it, gathering resources, and such.

I'm not convinced CT needs it (T20 perhaps but that's another topic) but if you think it does, what exactly do you think it should include that would ease and/or speed things up? I've got a couple ideas but the more the merrier. Or messier. One of those...
 
I do remember the D&D combat wheel. It was both cool and useful.

And, I don't think I've ever seen one done for CT. I think it would be difficult, given all the weapons.

What I do in CT (and, really, just about any rpg play) is make a separate sheet of paper for each piece of equipment the character is carrying instead of listing that equipment on the character's sheet.

This is collected into the player's notebook/3-ring binder/manilla folder/whatever.

I do this for a number of reasons (as I said...not just for CT, but for all rpgs we play).

First, I find that players sometimes don't have a handle on just how much equipment their character is carrying. With each piece having its own sheet of notebook paper, there's something tangible to that--something that gives the player a feeling for all the stuff he has.

Second, it makes it very easy for characters to exchange equipment. When I hear, "I'm giving my pistol to so-and-so, keeping my SMG," I'll reply. "OK. Give him the sheet, then."

Third, there's no arguments about who has what. If you've got it, it's in your player notebook. If it's not in there, you don't have it.

Fourth, it also makes it easy to customize equipment. If a particular weapon uses non-standard ammo or has slightly different stats for some reason, just mark it on the sheet. Whammo. Good-to-go.

And, fifth, I address your concern about having to read tables from CT in a game. In my game, we never refer to the combat tables because we don't have to. Each piece of equipment has its particular stats written on its sheet. The player will usually ask what the enemy's armor is (and sometimes, I won't tell them, and just do that adjustment to the die roll myself), and then simply look at their sheet--good-to-go, knowing all their modifiers for the combat.

It makes combat in CT very easy--not table looking at all.

That's a very good, organised system you have there.

You could probably do up a spreadsheet/pdf with lots of different pieces of equipment/weapons and then print them off.
 
That's a very good, organised system you have there.

You could probably do up a spreadsheet/pdf with lots of different pieces of equipment/weapons and then print them off.

Could, but I prefer the one-piece-of-equipment-per-page deal. As for weapons, it takes a few seconds to scratch down stats. Weapons are gained each game session, and in the overall, it takes hardly no time at all.

I have made blank equipment sheets before in word, and I've used blank photocopies of DGP's MT equipment sheets. But, a piece of notebook paper and a pencil work just as good.
 
I do remember the D&D combat wheel. It was both cool and useful.

And, I don't think I've ever seen one done for CT. I think it would be difficult, given all the weapons.

Well, the number of weapons is a problem :) The rest was pretty easy, as I suspected CT is so simple I'm not sure the Combat Wheel really adds anything except maybe coolness to the task. And saving flipping through the books to find the tables.

In the end to get the Book 1, Book 4 and Supp 4 weapons it came out as two double sided wheels in draft 1. No graphics to share yet, just did it rough freehand on some polar coordinate graph paper to see what might fit.

I've got weapons around the edge (turning dial) and the armor mods, range mods, and damage down the middle of the (reading) face. Size I picked was 6 inch diameter to fit LBBs :) Could go bigger and fit more weapons on one wheel, might even be able to squeeze a couple more in on the small size with the right font.

That leaves me a little room beside the modifiers on each face for some tables. Thinking maybe Surprise and Encounter Range?

So, again, any suggestions for what to include? I may mock up the first draft on the compy later. If I'm bored ;)
 
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