MT Ship Combat

[Elliot]

As a confession - I find the ship combat rules in the Ref's Manual to be really non user friendly. I always felt it should have been a separate game book or a box set like Brilliant Lances.

Has anyone ever re-written the hulk of MT combat to be an easy to operate game? If so what are your thoughts?

 

[Elliot]

As a confession - I find the ship combat rules in the Ref's Manual to be really non user friendly. I always felt it should have been a separate game book or a box set like Brilliant Lances.

Has anyone ever re-written the hulk of MT combat to be an easy to operate game? If so what are your thoughts?

 

[Elliot]

As a confession - I find the ship combat rules in the Ref's Manual to be really non user friendly. I always felt it should have been a separate game book or a box set like Brilliant Lances.

Has anyone ever re-written the hulk of MT combat to be an easy to operate game? If so what are your thoughts?

 

[Tucker]

I too wish for somebody to do that job for me. It's like some kind of friggin' personality test to use that space combat section. I result in a pissed off Ref that just tosses it and punts it narrative style. I hate that too, since it's ALL MY FAULT when the dinky crappy PC heap gets smoked by the corsairs. I prefer the "rules" to murder PCs most of the time.

 

[Tucker]

I too wish for somebody to do that job for me. It's like some kind of friggin' personality test to use that space combat section. I result in a pissed off Ref that just tosses it and punts it narrative style. I hate that too, since it's ALL MY FAULT when the dinky crappy PC heap gets smoked by the corsairs. I prefer the "rules" to murder PCs most of the time.

 

[Tucker]

I too wish for somebody to do that job for me. It's like some kind of friggin' personality test to use that space combat section. I result in a pissed off Ref that just tosses it and punts it narrative style. I hate that too, since it's ALL MY FAULT when the dinky crappy PC heap gets smoked by the corsairs. I prefer the "rules" to murder PCs most of the time.

 

[TheEngineer]

Hi,

in order to make it "user friendly" I packed the whole stuff into a computer program, which tells me "to hit", "to pen" values at given ranges or just simulates complete combat itself.

There are still some open questions regarding some part of the rules (e.g. visual range rules..), which makes it a bit difficult to implement these rules in a one and only correct way

IMHO MT combat tumbles between three extremes:
- You succeed without any problem
- nobody hurts another
- you die nearly instantly

Is that the way technology based combat works ?
Dont know.

Regards,

Mert

 

[TheEngineer]

Hi,

in order to make it "user friendly" I packed the whole stuff into a computer program, which tells me "to hit", "to pen" values at given ranges or just simulates complete combat itself.

There are still some open questions regarding some part of the rules (e.g. visual range rules..), which makes it a bit difficult to implement these rules in a one and only correct way

IMHO MT combat tumbles between three extremes:
- You succeed without any problem
- nobody hurts another
- you die nearly instantly

Is that the way technology based combat works ?
Dont know.

Regards,

Mert

 

[TheEngineer]

Hi,

in order to make it "user friendly" I packed the whole stuff into a computer program, which tells me "to hit", "to pen" values at given ranges or just simulates complete combat itself.

There are still some open questions regarding some part of the rules (e.g. visual range rules..), which makes it a bit difficult to implement these rules in a one and only correct way

IMHO MT combat tumbles between three extremes:
- You succeed without any problem
- nobody hurts another
- you die nearly instantly

Is that the way technology based combat works ?
Dont know.

Regards,

Mert

 

[Tucker]

Originally posted by TheEngineer:

IMHO MT combat tumbles between three extremes:
- You succeed without any problem
- nobody hurts another
- you die nearly instantly

Is that the way technology based combat works ?
Dont know.

Regards,

Mert

This could describe almost any fightin'. But I get your meaning. Frankly, I've had baddies suicide, more or less, just to get back to the simpler vehicle generation system.

 

[Tucker]

Originally posted by TheEngineer:

IMHO MT combat tumbles between three extremes:
- You succeed without any problem
- nobody hurts another
- you die nearly instantly

Is that the way technology based combat works ?
Dont know.

Regards,

Mert

This could describe almost any fightin'. But I get your meaning. Frankly, I've had baddies suicide, more or less, just to get back to the simpler vehicle generation system.

 

[Tucker]

Originally posted by TheEngineer:

IMHO MT combat tumbles between three extremes:
- You succeed without any problem
- nobody hurts another
- you die nearly instantly

Is that the way technology based combat works ?
Dont know.

Regards,

Mert

This could describe almost any fightin'. But I get your meaning. Frankly, I've had baddies suicide, more or less, just to get back to the simpler vehicle generation system.

 

[aramis]

I use the vehicle combat rules from the Ref's Companion. Eliminates loads of headaches.

Details of how I do it are at my website home.gci.net/~aramis/

 

[aramis]

I use the vehicle combat rules from the Ref's Companion. Eliminates loads of headaches.

Details of how I do it are at my website home.gci.net/~aramis/

 

[aramis]

I use the vehicle combat rules from the Ref's Companion. Eliminates loads of headaches.

Details of how I do it are at my website home.gci.net/~aramis/

 

[kaladorn]

I sort of feel for Tucker (I prefer player decisions and the rules as established to murder players... though sometimes I bail them out if it is bad luck, not bad decisions, that has them in trouble).

I have tried to port BL to MT... ouch. There are some really good bits there, but the lack of MFDs, the different tech, and the allocation of systems to hull locations makes this a bit of a bear. I was thinking of linking MFDs to computer type, but that makes liners rather dangerous! The hit location thing doesn't get any easier, and if I'm not mistaken their are some distinctions between hull types in the two games too.

I'd publish some of my work, but anything referent to MT or to BL is going to infringe someone's IP rights. And publishing the 'other bits' is just too disjoint to be easily readable.

I might be keen, someday, to try a from scratch re-write of space combat for MT, using the generality of the task system and the existing ship designs to come up with a workable fun game a bit like BL.

 

[kaladorn]

I sort of feel for Tucker (I prefer player decisions and the rules as established to murder players... though sometimes I bail them out if it is bad luck, not bad decisions, that has them in trouble).

I have tried to port BL to MT... ouch. There are some really good bits there, but the lack of MFDs, the different tech, and the allocation of systems to hull locations makes this a bit of a bear. I was thinking of linking MFDs to computer type, but that makes liners rather dangerous! The hit location thing doesn't get any easier, and if I'm not mistaken their are some distinctions between hull types in the two games too.

I'd publish some of my work, but anything referent to MT or to BL is going to infringe someone's IP rights. And publishing the 'other bits' is just too disjoint to be easily readable.

I might be keen, someday, to try a from scratch re-write of space combat for MT, using the generality of the task system and the existing ship designs to come up with a workable fun game a bit like BL.

 

[kaladorn]

I sort of feel for Tucker (I prefer player decisions and the rules as established to murder players... though sometimes I bail them out if it is bad luck, not bad decisions, that has them in trouble).

I have tried to port BL to MT... ouch. There are some really good bits there, but the lack of MFDs, the different tech, and the allocation of systems to hull locations makes this a bit of a bear. I was thinking of linking MFDs to computer type, but that makes liners rather dangerous! The hit location thing doesn't get any easier, and if I'm not mistaken their are some distinctions between hull types in the two games too.

I'd publish some of my work, but anything referent to MT or to BL is going to infringe someone's IP rights. And publishing the 'other bits' is just too disjoint to be easily readable.

I might be keen, someday, to try a from scratch re-write of space combat for MT, using the generality of the task system and the existing ship designs to come up with a workable fun game a bit like BL.

 

[solsec23]

I agree that the MT starship combat rules lack some zing.

I think as a wargame, it's fine, but I've always had a problem with 20 minute turns being 'exciting'.

Guess I grew up with too much Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, and Star Wars.

I'm keeping my current group out of starship combat for now, but later I'll bring it all together.

I am toying with the idea of making starship combat completely skill based, with certain adjustments for computer power and weapon effects.

I think the biggest problem is that while the MT SS combat does allow for skill replacement of certain computer factors, etc, most often I find that on the 'real' military vessels, their computer number is usually higher than character skill levels.

Why learn Turret weapons-3 only to not be able to use it when firing weapons from a ship with a model 3+ computer?

Once I figure out how I want to spice things up I'll post it for everyone's feedback.

Keep the engine running and the weapons hot,

Robert

 

[solsec23]

I agree that the MT starship combat rules lack some zing.

I think as a wargame, it's fine, but I've always had a problem with 20 minute turns being 'exciting'.

Guess I grew up with too much Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, and Star Wars.

I'm keeping my current group out of starship combat for now, but later I'll bring it all together.

I am toying with the idea of making starship combat completely skill based, with certain adjustments for computer power and weapon effects.

I think the biggest problem is that while the MT SS combat does allow for skill replacement of certain computer factors, etc, most often I find that on the 'real' military vessels, their computer number is usually higher than character skill levels.

Why learn Turret weapons-3 only to not be able to use it when firing weapons from a ship with a model 3+ computer?

Once I figure out how I want to spice things up I'll post it for everyone's feedback.

Keep the engine running and the weapons hot,

Robert