FUBAR's Question Pack

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Like Mark we finished our first T20 session (this morning at 0530am) and we really did enjoy it very much.
Though some questions came up during play which I hoped could be answered here

1.Whats the damage code of a shotgun firing slugs (solid rounds) as it seems to me, the given code represents buckshot only?

2.Where can I find some more information for the OTU?

3.The computer program "Gunner interact" (pg.230)says, a "live" gunner can now apply his gunnery skill, otherwise the computer handles the weapon. What attack bonus uses the computer, or do I simply one Gunner Interact program running for every turret / weapon used in order to fire it?

4.For clarification only: A Char with the Zero-G Combat feat firing a Shotgun in Zero-G only applies the -2 for recoil?

5.Have laser weapons any other benefit than the high damage?

6.The Autopistol range doesen't sound right to me, as it has the same range increment like an assault rifle!

That's it for the beginnig
Thanks for reading and your patience and have a nice weekend (or the rest of it)

 

[snrdg082102]

Originally posted by F.U.B.A.R.:
Like Mark we finished our first T20 session (this morning at 0530am) and we really did enjoy it very much.
Though some questions came up during play which I hoped could be answered here
>snip<

2.Where can I find some more information for the OTU?

>snip<
That's it for the beginnig
Thanks for reading and your patience and have a nice weekend (or the rest of it)

Morning (PST) F.U.B.A.R,

There are many free OTU sites with varying degrees of information. Here is a site that has links to several sites:
Open Directory - Games Roleplaying Genres Science

 

[Borodin]

5.Have laser weapons any other benefit than the high damage?

Also, no recoil thus ideal in zeroG combat (why the Navy grants proficiency with them) and have quite a few rounds available in their powerpacks. This is offset slightly by the need for the external powerpack rather than one integral to the weapon.

That's the only one I know the answer for.

 

[endwarde]

Originally posted by F.U.B.A.R.:

1.Whats the damage code of a shotgun firing slugs (solid rounds) as it seems to me, the given code represents buckshot only?

5.Have laser weapons any other benefit than the high damage?

1- Damage is 2d6 and range is tripled. The rules are in the TA1 supplement.

5- There was a discussion here about this a while ago. It is implied that lasers can bypass armor because it gives 2 types of armor which specifically are used to stop laser (ablat and reflec), one of which you can layer with other armor (reflec). Under the damage types, laser has it's own type of damage also (e.g. piercing, blunt, laser).

The way we play it here is that laser damage bypasses normal armor unless you are using ablat or reflec, or unless you have combat armor. Combat level armor would be assumed to already have anti-laser capabilities built in. Hope this helps!

 

[hemulen]

Originally posted by F.U.B.A.R.:
4.For clarification only: A Char with the Zero-G Combat feat firing a Shotgun in Zero-G only applies the -2 for recoil?

F.U.B.A.R.:

That's what I assumed as well. Otherwise I guess there's no real choice between recoil or no-recoil weapons.

cheers,

Mark

 

[hemulen]

Originally posted by Eric Anderson:

The way we play it here is that laser damage bypasses normal armor unless you are using ablat or reflec, or unless you have combat armor. Combat level armor would be assumed to already have anti-laser capabilities built in. Hope this helps!

That sounds like a good rule to me. I was sort of assuming that the reflec etc added to your armour, but this might be better. Is there a clarification anywhere?

cheers,

Mark

 

[Ellros]

6.The Autopistol range doesen't sound right to me, as it has the same range increment like an assault rifle!

Check the threads about the TA 1 supplement. Several of us have mentioned making house rule changes to pistol ranges.

 

[hemulen]

Originally posted by Eric Anderson:

The way we play it here is that laser damage bypasses normal armor unless you are using ablat or reflec, or unless you have combat armor. Combat level armor would be assumed to already have anti-laser capabilities built in. Hope this helps!

I looked through some older versions of Traveller over the weekend: CT, MT and T4, and I couldn't find any mention in any of them as to whether laser fire was affected by normal armour or not, which was quite surprising, but therefore implies that normal armour does work against it, and reflec adds to the protection of normal armour. I don't know whether this would make it too effective in T20 though, since with Cloth you'd be getting AR 12 out of it.

cheers,

Mark

 

[Vanguard]

Remember, bonuses of the same name ("Armor" in this case) don't stack. So unless Reflec says otherwise (which I don't remember it saying) you use the best bonus out of all the armor you're wearing, not the total of all of them.

As for whether lasers were AP in previous versions of Traveller, I don't recall them being that way in T4. CT would just inlcude that kind of deal in the crazy armor/weapon cross reference tables (don't know what they were called). I can take a look at those tonight and see how effective regular armor is against lasers in CT (Unless someone else wants to beat me to it.

MT and TNE will have to be covered by someone else though.

 

[hemulen]

Originally posted by Vanguard:
Remember, bonuses of the same name ("Armor" in this case) don't stack. So unless Reflec says otherwise (which I don't remember it saying) you use the best bonus out of all the armor you're wearing, not the total of all of them.

Good point! If it was D&D I would probably have remembered that. I think you're absolutely right there.

cheers,

Mark

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Thanks guys that really helped a lot.

Though I have to think about a laser rule by myself, 'cause I think adding armours or ignoring reflec and/or ablat isn't the best solution.
I thing about halfing armour rates except ablat/reflec but this'll need some playtesting.

 

[Vanguard]

It's been a while since I've used these tables, so if I'm reading them wrong I hope someone will call me on it.

From the Snapshot quick-reference to-hit card:
(Snapshot is indoors skirmish rules for CT)

To hit an unarmored target with a rifle at close range a 9+ is required.
To hit an unarmored target with a laser rifle at close range a 9+ is required.
(Same at close range)

To hit reflec with rifle at close range you need 9+ (same as unarmored, because reflec only stops lasers)
To hit reflec with laser rifle at close range you need 20+ (an increase of 11, and really hard to do)

To hit cloth with rifle at close range you need 14+ (an increase of 5)
To hit cloth with laser rifle at close range you need 11+ (an increase of 2)

A brief lookthrough of the rest of the chart appears to follow the same trend: Armor that is not specifically "anti-laser" grants some small protection against lasers, but not much (assuming that you are calling battle-dress anti-laser).

So it appears that in CT, lasers are armor piercing on "normal" armors. How much bearing that has on T20 is your call (I don't remember seeing anything about it in T20, so "officially" lasers are treated like any other regular damage)

 

[Ellros]

I glanced at the exact wording and it DOES say that reflec adds its rating to the other armor against lasers (except combat armor and battle dress). Awfully powerful. Reflec and Cloth combined makes one impervious to lasers except for a critical hit. So I have to agree with the above comments. Only one type works. I may allow a character to wear both, but they will Not combine.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Thanks again!
But i'm still wondering about that gunner interact program mentioned on pg.230.
What bonus (if any) do i apply when the computer controls the weapon?

 

[far-trader]

Originally posted by F.U.B.A.R.:
Thanks again!
But i'm still wondering about that gunner interact program mentioned on pg.230.
What bonus (if any) do i apply when the computer controls the weapon?

Well my take on it, partly based on CT, is that you only get a bonus if you have Gunner Interact running for any particular gunner (i.e. one program per gunner manning a weapon system). If you are simply using the basic fire control assumed in the weapon and computer installation you do not add anything, no matter how good your gunner(s) are.

For MTU I'm considering limiting the allowed add for skill with Gunner Interact to no more than the computer model number. Need to run some numbers to be sure, but it 'feels' right.

p.s. Oh wait, read that again, do you mean firing weapons without any gunner? Or with an unskilled gunner? As in totally under computer control, someone telling the computer "Shoot that ship." If that's what you meant I think the answer is you can't fire a weapon without a sophont pointing it and pressing the button. And if they are unskilled then you use the standard penalty I'd guess. If this still doesn't answer your question can you clarify it?

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Actually you almost answered my question right away
But to clarify anyway, here's an example:
A 200t Free Trader has two turrets (one triple sandcaster and one triple beam laser) but only one gunner for both turrets!
The captain chooses defense more important than offence. Is it possible, though the "live" gunner manned the sandcaster turret, to fire the laser turret (no gunner available) and (a new question coming up right away

) could it be possible to man the laser turret with a "live" gunner and to fire the sandcaster computer controlled?

Thanks for the help I hope that makes my question clearer.

 

[far-trader]

Yep, I should have checked a little more before attempting an answer. I had a small idea I'd seen this somewhere and its not hard to find (now ). Pg. 162 "Computer Operator Actions" covers what you need I think, and I'll have to toss or change my computer model limit idea.

 

[F.U.B.A.R.]

Well! Definitly not your fault far-trader
A little more careful reading on my side and i would have noticed the entry you mentioned in your post (thanks for that btw).

 

[far-trader]

NP F.U.B.A.R. I'm still trying to cram all the book into my mind, and you're most welcome. It was so much easier 20 (even 5) years ago. A quick read and my mind would soak it up like a sponge, maybe its full (no jokes about of what needed

they're too true

) Of course I've only had it a couple months (the book, not the brain, its still original equipment though I think the warranty period has elapsed ) and little time to devote to it so I'll get there.

 

[snrdg082102]

Evening F.U.B.A.R.

Originally posted by F.U.B.A.R.:
Thanks again!
But i'm still wondering about that gunner interact program mentioned on pg.230.
What bonus (if any) do i apply when the computer controls the weapon?

To make sure I have this clear before I stick my foot in my mouth or go off into left field.

A computer is going to be in control of a turret? weapon that has a gunner interact program running. You want to know what the bonus (if any) that apply when the computer is in control?

On p. 230 the key words are a single "Live" gunner, which I take to mean a computer cannot use the gunner interact program. However, since the computer can have a Gunnery Skill, from the Normal Skills option p. 231, with a PP Cap/Skill I think the bonus would be similar to a live gunner.

Just going with Normal Skills (p. 231) does the computer have a Gunnery Program? Adding a Predict Program would also help. What is the PP Cap/Skill level of the Gunnery programs? A Predict program adds +2 as a synergy bonus.

If the computer does not have a Gunnery program installed then I think the computer would have 0 (zero) or a negative modifier to hit.

P. 283 in Chapter 13 shows the Software installed on a Targeting Computer. A Gunnery Skill of 6 overcomes the -5 WIS Ability Modifier and the Predict program add +2. This would be added like the 'live' gunner bonus.

Of course I could be OTL, but hopefully I am not.