Re: Weapons skills

"Brent L. Woods" [email removed] writes:

>      I don't think they do.  The effect of the two types of weapons
> (laser pistols versus laser carbines/rifles) are a lot closer together
> than the slug-thrower equivalents.  With lasers, the only real
> difference is the power.  With slug-throwers, pistols are much less
> acurate (due to the shorter barrel length and inferior sights) and have
> a much shorter range (same reasons, basically).

The pistol is still handled totally differently from the longarm, due to
the different shape and weight.

>  >(I still prefer Ye Olde Traveller, or Striker, where each weapon had
>  >its own DEX modifiers - DEX 6 incurred a penalty on precision weapons
>  >like pistols, but not on easier weapons like SMG's.)
>
>      I have to agree with this.  Heck, I still use the old damages from
> the old three-book boxed set (where each weapon did slightly different
> damages).

Rules customising time!  My damage system used the damage codes from the
basic set and Mercenary, modified by the penetration roll from Striker.
If your penetration roll said "Light wound", you rolled the damage dice
as stated.  If the penetration said "Serious wound", you rolled 1.5 time
the number of dice stated (a 1/2 die meant roll one die, divide it by 2,
round up).  If the penetration said "Fatal", you rolled 2 times the damage
dice stated.  The exception was PGMP's and FGMP's - if someone was hit by
one of those, no roll was necessary!

[email removed] writes:

>   To take another of those infamous "real life examples": When I was younger I
> did a lot of target-practice with an airrifle. Then in the AF, I got tought to
> use a SMG, and while an SMG is atotally different weapon from an airrifle, I
> had good use of the experiance from the airrifle (at least when firing single
> shots in competitions :-)

Translation into Traveller: the air-rifle practise gave you the general skill
level 0 which meant you didn't get the -5 for total unfamiliarity.

>  During an excercise, I had the opportunity to have a close look at the latest
> assault carbine in the inventory. And to put it frankly, I didn't find the
> safety until the owner pointed it out to me :-)

That isn't a matter of different tech levels, or even different weapon classes.
I suspect that someone trained on another assault rifle would have had the
same problem.  In Traveller terms, if a character picks up a new weapon, he
should make a roll to see if he can find all the important controls.  Finding
some (e.g. trigger) will be easier than finding others (e.g. the lever you
turn as the first move to stripping it).  A fumble might mean, he tries to
release the safety and the magazine falls out.

- --
 "Keyboard?  How quaint!" - M. Scott

 Adrian Hurt			     |	JANET:  [email removed]
 UUCP: ..!ukc!cs.hw.ac.uk!adrian     |  ARPA:   [email removed]