> Date: Fri, 26 Oct 90 12:28:56 PDT
> From: "Mark F. Cook" [email removed]
> Subject: (1649) MT Combat Skills
>
> I. HIGH TECH WEAPONS
>
> Given these consolidations, we can reduce all the original mess to just 4
> skills neccessary to provide the same capabilities within the game, but in
> a more realistic fashion. I propose that the skills should be:
> - Rifleman: Includes Carbine and Rifle.
> - Combat Rifleman: Includes ACR, Assault Rifle, Autorifle, Carbine, Rifle,
> and Gauss Rifle (more on gauss weapons later).
> - Handgun: Includes Body Pistol, Revolver, Pistol, and Snub Pistol.
> - Combat Handgun: Identical to Handgun, but includes Gauss Pistol.
I'd like to disagree with this slightly, and add one comment. First the
disagreement: I think that combat handgun could be eliminated as well, leaving
you with only three skills to worry about. Now the comment: As it stands
now, combat rifleman is only available under the cascade skill of "Special
Combat", and I think it should be made available under "Gun Combat" for
military characters.
> The Light Assault Gun should remain a separate skill....
> The same unique-ness applies to the submachinegun...
> The Machine Gun and VRF Gauss Gun are both crew-served
> weapons. Definitely separate skills.
Personally, I have no problem lumping all the heavy weapons together,
because I don't run games where they are readily available, and there would
be no point in adding unused complexity. I might switch for a primarily
military campaign, but I might not.
> And what about the Plasma and Fusion Guns? Should they be combined into
> a single weapon skill?
By my reading of the rules, they are now...and that is good enough for
me, for the same reasons as mentioned under heavy weapons. By the way, I
don't see immediately any career in which the energy weapons skill can be
gained..which means it should probably be included under "Special combat."
> III. UNARMED COMBAT
>
> Now we come to my major beef with MT skills. The only official unarmed
> combat skill provided is Brawling. Further, damage for a barehanded
> attack is 1 damage point for 'hand', but nothing for a 'foot/kick' attack.
> This means that without a critical success, it's virtually impossible to
> kill (or even knock out) a person with a single strike. Not only is this
> not very realistic for a trained combatant, but it greatly reduces the
> chance for a player's PC to "steal up behind the security and quickly
> render him unconscious with a lightning-swift chop to the neck". IMHO,
> this type of oversight needs to be remedied.
I think I would wing it if this was necessary...Disabling a not very
alert sentry would be a Difficult task, an alert sentry Formidable, two
alert sentries standing back to back with radar, IR, and NAS--Impossible.
(-: (Ok, so that might be going a little too far, but you get the idea.)
> First, I suggest adding a 'foot/kick' attack, as follows:
>
> Pen Block Damage
> ______________|_______|_______|________
> hand | 1 | 1 | 1
> foot/kick | 1 | 1 | 2
Needed and noted.