I've have some quibbles with the MT combat system ever since I started
playing the game and I've wondered if any of you feel the same way.
Enclosed below is a response I posted to rec.games.frp on Usenet notes.
>From: [email removed] (Mark Cook)
>Date: Mon, 21 May 1990 16:10:41 GMT
>Subject: Re: Alternate combat system for (Mega)Traveller?
>Organization: St. Vitus Hospital for the Terminally Amused
>Newsgroups: rec.games.frp
>
>> is there anywhere a good combat system for travaller? In the
>>rulebooks of traveller there are several systems but I don't like them
>>either. Or is there a general combat system which can be adapt to this
>>RPG?
>>
>> Thanks in advance, U//i
>>---
>>Ulrich Dessauer, [phone removed], [email removed], [email removed]
>
>I've been playing MegaTraveller for some time and, while I love the game,
>the combat system has always bothered me. My main complaint is separate
>values for penetration and damage. My gripe is that a person wearing no
>armor is (statistically) going to take the same amount of damage as a person
>wearing armor that the weapon is JUST BARELY CAPABLE of penetrating.
>
>However, I have found an acceptable alternative. I now use the Friday Night
>Fire Fight (FNFF) combat rules from the Cyberpunk RPG. I've already converted
>all the the MT slugthrower and laser weapons over to the FNFF system. I don't
>think the rest will be too hard.
>
>Under the FNFF system (to paraphrase their own rule book) "a large caliber
>handgun is something to be truely respected!".
>
>Anyway, it works well for me. If you're interested, drop me E-mail and I'll
>forward you the 9 or so pages of conversions I've got on line. One word
>of warning: the material I've converted is incomplete without the Combat
>Tables from FNFF. You'll need to buy the boxed game set to get those. I
>think it's worth it, but you'll have to judge for yourself.
Since I posted this response, I've finished converting the man-portable
energy weapons, the grenades, and the grenade launchers. The entire
document is about 9 pages long. The down side to this system is that
it requres one or two 10-sided dice in addition to the standard D6's,
it doesn't use the standard MT task format for everything, and it is
incomplete without the combat tables from Cyberpunks Friday Night Fire
Fight. However, the combat is fast and deadly. This is how it should
be. Speaking as an ex-marine, I can state catagorically that no one in
their right mind WANTS to be shot at, and this system certainly reinforces
that frame of mind.
Later,
"Remember, once you pull the pin, Mr. Hand Grenade is no longer
your friend!"
- Phoenix Command Small Arms Combat System
Mark F. Cook
USMail: User Interface Technical Support
Hewlett-Packard - Interface Technology Operation
[address removed]
INTERNET: [email removed]
UUCP: {cmcl2, harpo, hplabs, rice, tektronix}!hp-pcd!markc