Traveller-digest      Friday, October 8 1999      Volume 1999 : Number 1168



(R)1996. Traveller is a registered trademark of FarFuture Enterprises.
All rights reserved.

The following topics are covered in this digest:

Re: Annic Nova (longish)
SEC: UNCLASSIFIED: Whoops - bodgy maths for Social fix
RE: Traveller Versions
subsector/sector mapping software
Re: Downport trouble...
Re: subsector/sector mapping software 
RE:Battledress/Battlesuit Protection
Re: subsector/sector mapping software
Re: Annic Nova... 
Re: Annic Nova 
RE: Re TNE/Nth RFW
Firing two guns at once
Re: Annic Nova 
Re: Annic Nova
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Firing two guns at once
Re: Firing two guns at once

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 16:38:14 -0700 (PDT)
From: Craig Berry <cberry@cinenet.net>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova (longish)

> Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 03:41:25 -0400
> From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
> 
> > They needn't be outside the Imperium, or on an uninhabited world. 
> > Consider that if we posit they are of a minor human race from outside the
> > Imperium (or far away within it), the 'plague' may be some common virus or
> > microbe that infects the mix of humaniti found in the Marches without
> > causing more than a case of the sniffles.  So presume they were somewhere
> > near Victoria, bound for that interdicted world for some (of necessity) 
> > nefarious purpose.  They pick up the plague, and most of the drama occurs
> > during the jump to Victoria.  The survivors abandon ship as you describe,
> > and take the damaged boat down to the surface -- which is further damaged
> > by the atmospheric entry and landing, sufficiently to prevent it from
> > flying again.  Let's assume they *don't* develop the plague, or at least
> > don't die from it; these may be the ones with natural immunity.
> 
> If they were minor humans from the Spinward Marches with technological 
> competance, they would have been discovered before now.  They've *got* to be 
> extra-Imperial in origin or they'd show up in the stock CT 'library program' 
> that you can pick up at most any starport in the Marches.  Also, since the 
> Imperium has been around the Marches for about 700 years in M:1100, they 
> would probably have been assimulated into Imperial culture by then, thus 
> speaking Anglic.

I think you misunderstood me.  I agree that their *origin* has to be
outside the Imperium, or just barely possibly in a true backwater within
it -- but odds are heavily in favor of the outside origin.  What I wrote
above is that the castaways we're all arguing into existence are likely
*inside* the Imperium, and not necessarily on an uninhabited world;
specifically, I'm arguing that they are stranded on Victoria.

However, I did blow something else; my "doesn't bother March-folk" point
is shot down by the fact that PCs (presumably mostly Marchers themselves)
can succumb to it.  Dang.

> > Just before abandoning ship, the pilot sends the Nova off on a semi-random
> > walk away from Victoria so as not to call attention to their crime(s).
> 
> Not to cover the 'crime', to get rid of the plague infested ship.

If the idea was to get rid of the ship, why not just send it into a star?
Certainly much, *much* more likely to solve the plague problem.  To do
what they did, they either have to (a) be so feverish they couldn't think
that straight -- which makes a piloted evacuation seem rather farfetched,
or (b) have some reason to want the ship intact for them to recover
if/when they get past the plague plus stranded on an interdicted world
problems.  I'd tend to just send it out into the cometary halo to sit
quietly and peep every week or so on some out-of-the-way radio band, but
doing that part differently (and perhaps botching the autonav coding) I
can buy as the sort of mistake a moderately but not critically ill person
might make.

> > Now they are stranded on Victoria, where they are not supposed to be, with
> > a poisonous atmosphere other than on the mesas, and most of the mesas
> > occupied by likely very suspicious locals.  They sure could use rescuing.
> > Maybe with the right hints from the GM, some players could work this out.
> > And get these folks back to the Nova.  And join in on whatever scheme they
> > had in progress.
> 
> Interesting idea.  <grin>  I'll have to loot it...

"That's so amazingly amazing I think I'll steal it." - Zaphod Beeblebrox :)

- -- 
   |   Craig Berry - cberry@cinenet.net
 --*--    Home Page: http://www.cinenet.net/users/cberry/home.html
   |      "There it is; take it."  - William Mulholland

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 8 Oct 1999 09:28:47 +1000 
From: "Hughes, Michael" <Michael.Hughes@cbr.defence.gov.au>
Subject: SEC: UNCLASSIFIED: Whoops - bodgy maths for Social fix

In my previous post of social fixing I stated that 8% of initial characters
were Soc B. This was meant to be 5%.
I apologize for any convenience caused and pray that the troubleshooters of
the TML don't spot it before this goes out and consequently tear off (my)
limbs and other body parts vital to my sense of self worth.

Your obedient servant (etc),

Baron Sir Michael Abasement

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 19:31:54 -0500
From: Charles R Hensley <hensley.cr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: RE: Traveller Versions

Terry Carlino wrote:

>>It should be noted that all "lacks a 'proper' task system" means
>>is that modifiers for roles aren't listed in "easy, hard, etc"
>>format.  I put a table for this in my GURPS Traveller article
>>_years_ ago but it never get that much attention because, frankly,
>>it not that big a deal...
>
>I guess I'm clueless. My well thumbed GURPS Basic book list a gazillion

>skills relating to tasks with the classifications (mental/hard) or
>(physical/easy) with a default to indicate what Joe Genero has to roll
to
>accomplish a task using that skill. I always thought that was a "task
>system".

This is not a complete task system.  The ratings given (easy, average,
hard, very hard) rate the skills relative to each other.  What is
missing is rating tasks to the skill system.  For example, the following
tasks use electrical technician skill and require specifying components
as needed:

1) replacing a car battery
2) wiring a light fixture
3) wiring a house
4) wiring an office building
5) wiring a manufacturing plant
6) wiring a city-wide electrical distribution system

now how do you adjust the standard task roll for each of these tasks???

What is lacking from the task system is some guidelines as to how to
adjust the standard roll.  CT also suffers from this problem (until DGP
put out thier task system)

Charles

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 20:05:18 -0500
From: Charles R Hensley <hensley.cr@worldnet.att.net>
Subject: subsector/sector mapping software

>Hi
>Can someone recommend the best subsector mapping software? Dos/Windows
>or
>Linux
>preferred, but I can handle other formats.

Thomas Bont has a good software package for mapping.

http://www.felixcafe.com/

or

 http://209.39.36.25/

and follow the links

Charles

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 99 20:08:19 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Downport trouble...

On 10/05/99 at 09:46 AM,  "Sword Worlder" <swordworlder@clinic.net> said:

>Um... so does this mean we here in Maine are in danger of being
>invaded by donut-eating hockey players with a grudge?  Or should I
>expect to see yet another Tim Horton's going up on Main Street?

Hum, I'd just like to point out that we like donuts down here
too...if they are *good* donuts.  But who is this Tim Horton
character and what is this hockey thing you were talking about?  ;->

Eris
  the only ice we have is in our drinks
  
- -- 
- -----------------------------------------------------------
"Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>    using MR/2 ICE #245
- -----------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 21:22:03 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: subsector/sector mapping software 

> >Can someone recommend the best subsector mapping software? Dos/Windows or
> Linux
> >preferred, but I can handle other formats.
> >--
> >Mark Watson, markw@antares.demon.co.uk
> >
> 
> Jim Vassilakos' Galactic is pretty damn good, try the following url:
> www.chara.gsu.edu/~lewis/Traveller/gal24.zip , but it's about 6MB.

There's always Mick Bailey's TravTools package, whihc is what I used to use, 
before I blew away my Win9x partition.  I copped it at 
http://www.iinet.net.au/~mickb/Traveller/software.html.

Keven

- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 21:23:29 -0400
From: "Terry Carlino" <carlino@home.com>
Subject: RE:Battledress/Battlesuit Protection

>Here are a few thoughts on the battle dress vs infantry weapon debate.
>I have used the TLs appropriate to each system.
>
>GURPS TL 11 = Traveller TL 14
>
>GURPS Traveller
>Numbers: TL11 FGMP does 525 points damage average, TL11 battle dress
>     has DR 240 (doubled vs energy attacks).
>Evaluation: At 50 meters, a hit is very likely. On average, 45 points
>     of damage will get through, forcing 6 death rolls for an
>     average person.

You are obviously using the BD from GT. First In gives Scout BD at an even
lower value DR 60. The issue is the GTL-12 Imperial Marine Commando Battle
Dress from GT:Star Mercs p61, with DR 1200, which will basically ignore FGMP
fire.

Terry C

All that is Gold does not glitter
Not all who travel are lost

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 20:41:48 -0500
From: D Smart <dsmart@imagin.net>
Subject: Re: subsector/sector mapping software

Matthew Bond posted:
>
> Jim Vassilakos' Galactic is pretty damn good, try the following url:
> www.chara.gsu.edu/~lewis/Traveller/gal24.zip , but it's about 6MB.
>
> Cheers,
>
> Matt

And I second that. Gal24 is the core of my campaign. Very robust
for a DOS program.

If you'd rather go Windows-based, check out Thomas Bont's
Astrogator 4 software, located in his "Felix Cafe" site
at http://www.felixcafe.com/gurps/default.htm

David

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 21:49:10 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova... 

> >From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
> >
> >Definitely agree on that point.  Course, the cool thing is, it takes 1 to 6
> >weeks for the boat to recharge, *and* it was a slow moving boat in normal
> >space, relying solely on the two boats for thrust.  <grin>  Makes life
> >interesting for PCs to have to deal with stuff like that.  And if the boat
> >enters the system *inside* the solar jump radius, it'll take awhile to move
> >it out to safe jump territory.  <grin>
> >
> 
> The recharge time would not be a big problem on long world adventures, but 
> could be a major annoyance if the PC's are in a hurry. ;^}

That's the *point*.  <grin>  It's a good way to keep them local for a bit to really get the *feel* for the local worlds instead of just seeing what's inside the local extraterritorial wire.

Evil idea, isn't it?

Keven

- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 21:53:17 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova 

> >Thus the damaged "third ship" dock and the misprogrammed computer
> >would be explained through youthful inexperience, rather than fever
> >or panic. We also have a stranded bunch of kids who have been on
> >their own (if still alive) for years on a hostile planet somewhere,
> possibly
> >increasing the motivation to mount a search and rescue mission.
> 
> 
> Now funnily enough, I've been thinking about putting an adventure together
> that would involve a similarly marooned bunch of teenagers - but several
> (say, three?) generations on.  No, this isn't aimed at being as dark as
> _Lord of the Flies_ but I'd be interested to know what folk thought about:
> 
> a) the idea: is it 'overused'?

Probably.  But what isn't, these days?
 
> b) How many kids would have to be involved to get a reasonable gene pool.
> I'd been imagining around 20 or so in the original population.

Awful lotta inbreeding would happen at that level.  Course, if the 
environment was harsh enough, Mommie Nature would whack out the inappropriate 
genes within a couple generations or so, if they didn't retain their 
technology...
 
> c) Does anyone know how easy ways to work out how many would be in the
> population after, say, X generations given a percentage infant mortality
> rate (which would be high given they have little skill and no equipment)

You'd need life expectancy rates, age of fertility, # of births per year per 
person, % of chance for the woman to die in childbirth, etc.  For a low 
population, say, 20-30ish, it'd be easy to do it by hand.
 
> d) Or to turn c) around, how to work out how many generations would pass
> before you had, say, Y number of people.

Got me.  I can't remember *any* of the statistics I squeaked through at college 25 years ago.

Keven

- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 99 20:53:24 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: RE: Re TNE/Nth RFW

On 10/06/99 at 11:35 AM,  "Alan Bradley" <alanb@elf.brisnet.org.au> said:

>> - - Dulinor's faction wanted democracy ... but started to  squabble
>>   internally.

>This is why I've always considered Dulinor to be a demogogue and a
>charlatan.  His "democratic" claims were always likely to be held
>hostage to maintaining the support of the nobility.

Actually, I don't think Dulinor wanted *democracy*, although he have
supported some "reforms" that could have been called democratic.
What I think he really wanted was the central government to take a
much more active role in the rule of the various systems.  I saw
him, and his faction, as insipent despots.  Events of the rebellion
didn't change my view of his faction.

>> - - The Vland faction was opportunistic/separetist.

Typicial Vilani.

>......
>> - - All the other factions came into being  and  defied  Lucan  for
>>   reasons of self-presevation.

...and self-interest.

I was never interested in the Rebellion, it self.  A post Rebellion
era with a fractured Imperium is interesting.  Thing is something
would have to prevent the surrounding powers from expanding into the
vacuum left as Imperial power declined.  We know what *that* turned
out to be.  <g>

Eris
- -- 
- -----------------------------------------------------------
"Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>    using MR/2 ICE #245
- -----------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 19:00:55 -0700
From: "Shawn Campbell" <shawn@electricstitch.com>
Subject: Firing two guns at once

One of my players likes to shoot 2 handguns at once.

I have been increasing the difficulty by one level. (routine task become
difficult when attempting to fire two weapons)

I've been wondering if this is too severe or not enough... or if it should
be based more on the weapons recoil.

<MT Task System>
Maybe -2 DM for two low recoil guns, -4 DM for two med recoil guns and -8
for two high recoil guns? Inbetweens can be figured out, like -3 DM for one
low recoil and one med recoil, -6 DM for 1 med, 1 high recoil, etc...

What are your thoughts?

Thanks,
Shawn Campbell
shawn@electricstitch.com

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 22:12:08 -0400
From: "Keven R. Pittsinger" <jamstar@accesstoledo.com>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova 

> Leonard Erickson writes:
> 
> >>That's not the point. If you remember the discussion about drop tanks and
> >>jump projectors half a year ago, you will remember that energy storage
> >>devices that can build up a jump charge over time and store it for even a
> >>few hours makes jump projectors possible and that jump projectors are even
> >>more economically effective than drop tanks.
> > 
> >"Jump projectors" require one *other* item, which is far more important.
> >They require the ability to "impose" a jump field or bubble from *outside*.
> >Without that, all the long term storage in the world won't help. 
> 
> Not so. In all my calculations on the subject I've included a jump drive on
> the ship itself. It's true that if you assume that you can make do with the
> capacitor part of the jump drive alone (having a jump drive sitting around
> on a space station to provide the calculations), you can get even better
> results, but it's the lack of internal tankage that's really important.

Waitasec here.  You're talking about leaving the jump drives *themselves* 
behind during a jump???  The drive itself doesn't 'do' the calculations.  The 
ship's *computer* does, per the CT/HG rules (and every *other* set of rules 
I've seen so far as well, AAMOF).  It controls the jump drives, which open 
the hole into jumpspace to drop the ship into.  No jump drive, no jump.  
Otherwise, they could just send those big bricks ('battle riders') through 
jumpspace without bothering to have to build a tender for them.

Now, FF&S1 *does* talk about 'keyhole drives', which is jump without jump 
drives, but that's *alternate* technology, not mainline technology.
 
> And Keven R. Pittsinger writes:
> 
> >>So the Annic Nova *doesn't* present that problem inasmuch as it
> >>requires the jump drive to be part of the object being jumped. 
> >> 
> >>Ditto for the "power plant".
> > 
> >Exactly.  Thus, assuming the energy accumulators *aren't* jump capacitors, 
> >Annic Nova *doesn't* break later canon.  You still have to bleed power into 
> >the capacitors to jump, and that is gonna take some time.
>  
> The energy storage devices on the Annic Nova accumulates solar energy over a
> period of 1-6 weeks. Once they have accumulated enough energy the ship can
> jump. If they are not jump drive style capacitors, they are something even
> better. Annic Nova dosen't need any fuel tanks. That puts her one up on
> every other known ship in Charted Space.

She still needs fuel to *manuver*.

> The original handwave explanation of why a ship needed 10 to 60% of its
> space taken up with fuel tanks was that jump capacitors had to be filled
> so fast that you couldn't use a normal power plant to fill them.
> Introduce a capacitor capable of slowly building up a charge over a week
> and you most certainly do break canon. (Unless the jump fule is actually
> used for... no, let's not go there ;-)

Again, the device being charged was *not* specified as being the capacitors.  
My take on it was that the capacitors are part of the drives themselves, 
which *are* accounted for in the design.  A high tech 'accumulator' that 
stores the solar energy is seperate from the jump drives.  This space is 
*also* allocated in the design.  Now, under CT rules, that 10% volume per 
jump number is the amount of fuel required to provide the *energy* for a 
jump.  It was further explained that *part* of the drive was a fast-burning 
high energy fusion reactor that needed constant attention during the burn.  
The design was handwaved that it was not *practical* to use it as a regular 
power plant for normal useage because it would burn up or something.  That I 
could live with.  Let's face it, you *don't* need knowledge of tensor 
analysis or quantum physics to turn on a light switch.  <grin>  Assuming that 
it's *energy* which needs to be fed to the jump drives, and a *lot* of it to 
boot, then Annic Nova doesn't break canon.  It stores up energy over a period 
of 1 to 6 weeks, then bleeds it into the jump drive over a standard ship 
combat turn (1000 seconds, a bit over 20 minutes) to power the jump.
 
> It's true, as someone pointed out, that nothing says these capacitors are
> capable of accepting energy _faster_ than minimum one week, and I suppose
> that would do for a handwave to reduce their impact  --  claim that they
> cannot be charged in less than a week. But you'd still be able to do better
> with Annic Nova type merchant ships than with standard Traveller Canon ships.

We're talking about a *LOT* of energy being stored here.  Those accumulators 
were *big*.  But still, they were beyond the state of the art technology of 
the 3I for energy density capacity.

BTW, although I owned the original supplement at one time (and just recently 
picked up a xerox copy of it again), I took one look at it, said to myself, 
"How do you fix the damned thing if the battery breaks?", and promptly filed 
it.

Keven

- -- 
tc++ tm+ tn t4- to ru++ ge+ 3i c+ jt au st- ls pi+ ta+ he+ so- vi zh sy
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                     Science-Fiction Adventure
                                                     In Reavers' Deep

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 12:51:13 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Annic Nova

Timothy.Collinson@solent.ac.uk wrote:
> 
> Walter Smith said:
> 
> >Thus the damaged "third ship" dock and the misprogrammed computer
> >would be explained through youthful inexperience, rather than fever
> >or panic. We also have a stranded bunch of kids who have been on
> >their own (if still alive) for years on a hostile planet somewhere,
> possibly
> >increasing the motivation to mount a search and rescue mission.
> 
> Now funnily enough, I've been thinking about putting an adventure together
> that would involve a similarly marooned bunch of teenagers - but several
> (say, three?) generations on.  No, this isn't aimed at being as dark as
> _Lord of the Flies_ but I'd be interested to know what folk thought about:
> 
> a) the idea: is it 'overused'?
> 
> b) How many kids would have to be involved to get a reasonable gene pool.
> I'd been imagining around 20 or so in the original population.
> 
> c) Does anyone know how easy ways to work out how many would be in the
> population after, say, X generations given a percentage infant mortality
> rate (which would be high given they have little skill and no equipment)
> 
> d) Or to turn c) around, how to work out how many generations would pass
> before you had, say, Y number of people.

If you haven't read it yet, read _Tunnel in the Sky_, by Robert
Heinlein.  It deals with a school survival trip gone wrong....
> 
> tc


- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 7 Oct 1999 22:52:02 EDT
From: Sethkimmel@aol.com
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

In a message dated 10/8/99 2:03:32 AM !!!First Boot!!!, 
shawn@electricstitch.com writes:

<< What are your thoughts? >>

Well, for starters, you are going to lose your natural site plane (front site 
to rear site to eyeball) since you can only line up one weapon at a time to 
your dominant shooting eye. You will have to either hip shoot (shoot from the 
hip) or point shoot (treat the weapon as an extension of your shooting hands 
pointed index finger. I find this a VERY difficult way to aim a handgun 
although experts are VERY good at it) when you use two weapons at a time. 
Either method is less accurate than site shooting in my opinion. You also 
have less control with a handgun with one hand (especially your non dominant 
hand) than with two.

I tried this experiment using my service revolver (a 1 kg, 102 mm barrel S+W 
model 10-see Americans can use metric...:-) ) in my strong hand, and my off 
duty revolver (much smaller) in my weak hand. I had a LOT of trouble with my 
weak hand hitting the center of mass part of the target at 14 meters, 
especially as my off duty weapon only had a 51 mm barrel which really affects 
accuracy. My strong hand was much better, though still very inferior to 
firing either weapon two handed... I concluded that I should only use my weak 
hand in emergencies.

As for your method of kicking up the difficulty level one notch; this seems 
reasonable, and you should remember that if he/she runs both weapons empty, 
they can only reload one at a time, so they either have to drop a weapon, or 
do the really awkward "tuck a weapon under your armpit or in your belt" 
method while you reload the other weapon. Of course, if I emptied two weapons 
at the bad guys and they're still on their feet, I'm running the other way 
FAST...:-)

Seth

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 22:08:43 -0500
From: Black ICE <wombat@premier.net>
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

Shawn Campbell wrote:
> 
> One of my players likes to shoot 2 handguns at once.
> 
> I have been increasing the difficulty by one level. (routine task become
> difficult when attempting to fire two weapons)
> 
> I've been wondering if this is too severe or not enough... or if it should
> be based more on the weapons recoil.

Probably not severe enough.  After all, there are at least five problems
with firing two handguns at once:

1.  Recoil.  I would expect most medium-to-large caliber handguns to be
designed for two-handed use, to allow for manageable recovery from the
recoil.

2.  Aiming.  Since most handguns are aimed by sighting down the weapon,
a person firing two handguns can't really aim either with any accuracy.

3.  Misfires.  If one weapon misfires or jams, a person firing two
handguns has no hands free to clear the weapon.

4.  Reloading.  When the weapons run out of ammo (and the type of player
who would want to use two handguns at once is probably of the "blaze
away" school of marksmanship), reloading will take more than twice the
time of loading one weapon of that type, since the firer will have to
set a weapon down to free up a hand, then waste time picking it back up,
then pick up the first weapon again.

5.  Keeping track of ammo.  It is difficult but doable to keep track of
the remaining ammo in _one_ weapon.  I can't see a firer being able to
keep track of remaining ammo in two weapons, under the stress of a
firefight.  Thus, rather than anticipating one's last shot before
reloading (and thus being ready to begin reloading), the firer likely
will not know that his/her/its weapon has run dry until he/she/it hears
that awful "click" on an empty chamber, or sees the slide lock back
after the last shot in the magazine.

Bottom line:  The player would be better served by having
extra-high-capacity magazines custom manufactured for an automatic
pistol, thus giving a reasonable chance to hit with one pistol, rather
than waste time firing two pistols, with little chance to hit with
either pistol.

<<snips reference to MT task resolution, since I don't have MT
available>>


- -- 
AuricTech Shipyards Journeyman Gearhead
"Gold-Plated [tm] solutions for copper-plated problems!" (r)
http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Shadowlands/9776

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 21:37:57 -0600
From: Erwin Fritz <efritz@GLJA.com>
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

Shawn Campbell wrote:
> 
> One of my players likes to shoot 2 handguns at once.
> 
> I have been increasing the difficulty by one level. (routine task become
> difficult when attempting to fire two weapons)
> 

I had this same situation, and applied the same modifier you did. In
fact, I increase the task difficulty in any situation where a player is
trying to do two things at once.

> I've been wondering if this is too severe or not enough... or if it should
> be based more on the weapons recoil.
> 

I like it because its simple and easy to remember.

- -- 
Erwin Fritz
Gilbert Laustsen Jung Associates Ltd.
http://www.glja.com

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 1999 21:42:25 -0600
From: Erwin Fritz <efritz@GLJA.com>
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

Sethkimmel@aol.com wrote:
> 
> Well, for starters, you are going to lose your natural site plane (front site
> to rear site to eyeball) since you can only line up one weapon at a time to
> your dominant shooting eye. You will have to either hip shoot (shoot from the
> hip) or point shoot (treat the weapon as an extension of your shooting hands
> pointed index finger. I find this a VERY difficult way to aim a handgun
> although experts are VERY good at it) when you use two weapons at a time.
> Either method is less accurate than site shooting in my opinion. You also
> have less control with a handgun with one hand (especially your non dominant
> hand) than with two.
> 

True, very true. However, in the MT system, which is what I think the
original poster is using, there is no distinction between T4's 'aimed
fire' and 'snap fire'. It's all the same, unless you include the
'bracing' modifier.

To get the degress of realism you mention would involve a radical change
to the MT combat system. That may be desirable, but I think that's more
than the original poster wanted.


- -- 
Erwin Fritz
Gilbert Laustsen Jung Associates Ltd.
http://www.glja.com

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 07 Oct 99 23:03:32 -0500
From: "Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>
Subject: Re: Firing two guns at once

On 10/07/99 at 09:37 PM,  Erwin Fritz <efritz@GLJA.com> said:

>> One of my players likes to shoot 2 handguns at once.

Has he hit one of his own party yet. <g>
 
>> I have been increasing the difficulty by one level. (routine task become
>> difficult when attempting to fire two weapons)

At least! 

>I had this same situation, and applied the same modifier you did. In
>fact, I increase the task difficulty in any situation where a player
>is trying to do two things at once.

>> I've been wondering if this is too severe or not enough... or if it should
>> be based more on the weapons recoil.

>I like it because its simple and easy to remember.

Here's what I do...AKUS players listen up...

1.  The To Hit task for the weapon in the dominate hand (right hand
unless you tell me different) is one level harder.

2.  The To Hit task for the weapon in the off-hand is two levels
harder.

...and I suspect it *should* be 2 and 3 levels harder. 

The only place this sort of thing would be useful is a shoot out in
a closed room where the object is to put a lot of lead in the air
fast and hope something hits the other guy before something hits
you. Not much skill in something like that.

BTW, weapons' experts...what's with this sidearm pistol shooting
that seems to be so popular on TV/movies these days?  Is there *any*
advantage that you can see to it?

Eris
- -- 
- -----------------------------------------------------------
"Eris Reddoch" <eris@pcola.gulf.net>    using MR/2 ICE #245
- -----------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

End of Traveller-digest V1999 #1168
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