I saw something in GT that kind of didn't make sense. It was the sidebar re the fact a TL10 trooper would be at a negative to use a TL12 laser weapon.
Now, why would this be? I mean, a gun is a gun, and a higher TL weapon ought to be easer to use than a lower TL weapon, meaning that if you can use a lower TL weapon you ought to be able to use a higher TL weapon with little negative penalty.
Let me give an example: Assume we could reach thru time and get ahold of a man trained in the use of, say, a musket from either the revolutionary or civil war. How hard would it be to train him to use, say, an M16?
Yes, psychologically a musket era marksman might be scared of a modern assault rifle o full auto, but as long as he understood the basics of marskmanship, aiming and firing a musket he sould be able to adapt to a M16 quite quickly as the M16 is easier to use and more accurate than a musket, so if a man could load a fire a musket he should require very little training to use a M16.
Now, this applies to shooting and loading, I.E. the most basic operations, only. While I'm adamant that a man who can use a musket could fire and load a M16 with very little training, say a day or two, he would obviously be lost in space when it came to clearing a jam, field stripping, maintanence, etc. Do you know how hard it is to load a musket? I researched it to write the rules for blackpowder rules for call of cthulhu years ago, and I can tell you it's a HELL of a lot easier and faster to load a 30 round clip into an M16 that it is to load ONE round into a blackpowder musket. So if you can remember and preform the steps involved with reloading a musket, you sure as HELL can change mags in an assault rifle with a little training.
Likewise, imagine if we could take a futuristic laser carbine from traveller and put it into the warm and eager mitts of a modren gamer who was at least basically familiar with the use of a firearm.
How hard would it be for him to become at least basically profecient with the weapon? It has no recoil, probably very little flash and noise, so all it all it ought to be easier to use than a modern gun, meaning a man who can use a modern gun could likely shoot a laser weapon with even more accuracy than he could a modern gun of similar type, as in pistol, rifle, carbine, etc.
Changing power packs would likely be simple and straightfoward, since it would be meant to be done fast ans easily, as things meant to be done possibly in combat are usually meant to be, I get anyone hear could figure it out in a brief time.
Now, if the laser weapon malfunctioned or something, it's unlikely anyone here could easuly diagnose or fix the problem, with serious training, but even so, basic operation of the weapon, shooting and reloading, should be fairly easily done.
So I'd just suggest this from traveller, and most hitech SF games: If a person can use a low tech weapon, or even a modern one, he ought to be able to use, at the basic level, a more advanced one with little training as shooting will, presumably, remain the same for the forsseable future.
So, our TL 10 traveller character who can shoot a tl10 laser carbine ought to be able to shoot a tl12 one without penalty, and only suffere a penalty for any advanced operations, like trying to fix a misfire, etc.
That's just something I've always wanted to bring up, especially in gurps. If a laser has no recoil, it opught to be easier for a man traied to use a modern weapon to use it.
GURPS partially addressed this with acc mods, and lasers having very high ones, but even so I'd like to see rules allowing someone who can use a projectile weapon, like a modern gun, to use a laser equivelant at nearely his full skill for shooting.
ANyone else think this makes sense?
Now, why would this be? I mean, a gun is a gun, and a higher TL weapon ought to be easer to use than a lower TL weapon, meaning that if you can use a lower TL weapon you ought to be able to use a higher TL weapon with little negative penalty.
Let me give an example: Assume we could reach thru time and get ahold of a man trained in the use of, say, a musket from either the revolutionary or civil war. How hard would it be to train him to use, say, an M16?
Yes, psychologically a musket era marksman might be scared of a modern assault rifle o full auto, but as long as he understood the basics of marskmanship, aiming and firing a musket he sould be able to adapt to a M16 quite quickly as the M16 is easier to use and more accurate than a musket, so if a man could load a fire a musket he should require very little training to use a M16.
Now, this applies to shooting and loading, I.E. the most basic operations, only. While I'm adamant that a man who can use a musket could fire and load a M16 with very little training, say a day or two, he would obviously be lost in space when it came to clearing a jam, field stripping, maintanence, etc. Do you know how hard it is to load a musket? I researched it to write the rules for blackpowder rules for call of cthulhu years ago, and I can tell you it's a HELL of a lot easier and faster to load a 30 round clip into an M16 that it is to load ONE round into a blackpowder musket. So if you can remember and preform the steps involved with reloading a musket, you sure as HELL can change mags in an assault rifle with a little training.
Likewise, imagine if we could take a futuristic laser carbine from traveller and put it into the warm and eager mitts of a modren gamer who was at least basically familiar with the use of a firearm.
How hard would it be for him to become at least basically profecient with the weapon? It has no recoil, probably very little flash and noise, so all it all it ought to be easier to use than a modern gun, meaning a man who can use a modern gun could likely shoot a laser weapon with even more accuracy than he could a modern gun of similar type, as in pistol, rifle, carbine, etc.
Changing power packs would likely be simple and straightfoward, since it would be meant to be done fast ans easily, as things meant to be done possibly in combat are usually meant to be, I get anyone hear could figure it out in a brief time.
Now, if the laser weapon malfunctioned or something, it's unlikely anyone here could easuly diagnose or fix the problem, with serious training, but even so, basic operation of the weapon, shooting and reloading, should be fairly easily done.
So I'd just suggest this from traveller, and most hitech SF games: If a person can use a low tech weapon, or even a modern one, he ought to be able to use, at the basic level, a more advanced one with little training as shooting will, presumably, remain the same for the forsseable future.
So, our TL 10 traveller character who can shoot a tl10 laser carbine ought to be able to shoot a tl12 one without penalty, and only suffere a penalty for any advanced operations, like trying to fix a misfire, etc.
That's just something I've always wanted to bring up, especially in gurps. If a laser has no recoil, it opught to be easier for a man traied to use a modern weapon to use it.
GURPS partially addressed this with acc mods, and lasers having very high ones, but even so I'd like to see rules allowing someone who can use a projectile weapon, like a modern gun, to use a laser equivelant at nearely his full skill for shooting.
ANyone else think this makes sense?
