Robert S. Dean · 17 May 1991
Or perhaps that subject should be "Vehicle Computers and the Combat Rules"--
In preparation for a combat exercise in my (molasses speed) PBEM mercenary
game, I was reviewing the vehicle combat rules, as given in the MT Player's
Manual. As usual, they look a little screwy:
Movement speeds for vehicles are speed in kph/10. A typical grav tank, then,
has a maximum speed of about 100. Only the *actual* movement is counted as
part of the die modifier, but since grav vehicles usually have no significant
fuel restrictions, and frequently have goodies such as inertial compensators,
the potential exists for extended high speed flight, so I'll go ahead and
use those numbers below.
To Hit penalties on moving vehicles are the vehicles speed at short range,
divided by half for each succeeding range. So, at 20km, a reasonable distance
for laser armed grav tanks to be engaging in combat, a tank flying at its
top speed (which is not always the case) would be at 100/2/2/2/2/2, or -3 to
hit. Well, maybe that's not so bad. If they close to within 5km, however,
they are now -6 to hit, and since every fire control system in the book is
at least "Difficult" at "Distant" range until TL14, this means you won't
be able to hit at all unless you have at least a +5 to your roll. The rules
also add that two vehicles moving use the DIFFERENCE in speeds for this
calculation. Direction really ought to figure into, I'd think, but...
Of course, if you vehicle is a tracked tank (speed 10 or so), and the opponent
is a Zhodani Airframe configuration speeder with a top speed of 350 squares,
you'll be at -10 at Very Distant range, and you might as well bail out and
hope you're clear of the plasma blast, even if you use the difference in
speeds.
Myself, I'd ignore that "difference" rule entirely, and just have the speed
modifier depend on the target vehicle's motion, unless using the "matching
vectors" rule (which _feels_ like an aircraft sort of rule) in which case
the difference in speeds might apply.
What does this have to do with computers, you ask? Well, I won't get in to
any discussion of why Traveller treats computers the way it does, _but_
given that it does, it seems reasonable that a computer of starship class
aboard your tank (say a model 2 or a model 3) ought to give you some sort
of bonus vis-a-vis similar tanks without the computer power. Given the
magnitude of the numbers involved in some of these cases, I'd say that two
or three times the computer size (with a +1 for a model 0) would be an
appropriate modification. After all, you get a plus for starship combat,
which has to be a more difficult proposition that shooting at a moving
tank 20km away.
Any comments?
Rob Dean