Re: The Twilight 2K system.

I just finished reading Greg's post about the TW2k system and since I have
been actively playing it since it came out I figured I'd clarify a few items
and put my own comments in.

If you aren't interested in the Twilight:2000 system you should skip this
message.

Overall I like the game very much because it does a good job dealing with
the activity most likely to kill a character, combat.  Of the remaining
activities, in any good game, 90% can be resolved by the GM without the need
to consult any rules.  And let's face it, a good GM is what makes or breaks
a game.

My first requirement for a rule system is playability.  Realism, however
cannot just be thrown out the window, the game has to basically 'feel' right.

That said, a few things about the Greg's post that could use a little
clarification.

To hit determination: there are two types of shot: "quick" or "aimed"
aimed shots make the task one level easier.  All shots are considered
quick unless the character uses the preceeding phase to aim.

Example: given a character with skill 7 in a weapon. Roll 1d10, a 10 is always
a miss, a 1 is always a hit.

Shot type	Range
		Close	Medium	Long	Etc.
Aimed		14	7	3		(round to nearest & .5 = 0)
Quick		 7	3	2

Recoil:
All weapons have 1 or 2 recoil values.  1 for single shot(SS) recoil and
another for recoil when firing a burst, if the weapon is capable.
You take the total number of shots fired in a round times the individual
recoil value to get a total recoil.  If the total recoil is greater than the
characters strength, you subtract the difference from the to hit die roll.
Example: recoil of M16A2 SS is 3. Fire 3 shots for total recoil =9. Character
strength of 7 results in a -2 on all to hit rolls in round.

Damage: In the first edition of TW2k weapon damage used to drop off with
range.  In the second edition they just left the number constant. I like
it, much more playable.

Auto weapons fire: Weapons capable of automatic weapons fire have a Rate Of
Fire(ROF) value: standard values are: 10, 5 & 3.  Ignoring recoil for the
moment, this is the number of d6's you roll at close range. Each '6' that
comes up means 1 hit on target.  Half of all remaining dice rolled are rolled
again if there are any other targets adjacent to primary target, again '6's
hit.  Modifiers: each range band reduces the number of d6's rolled by: 3,2,1
respectively, minimum of 1; total recoil greater than strength reduces number
of dice by difference, 1/6th hit chance stays same.


Problems with the system:
A supplement, Infantry Weapons of the World(IWW), is available and fixes some
of the weapon statistics problems and introduces some of it's own.

IWW finally makes pistols deadly, previous damage numbers were so low that
  no character would use one.
IWW adds the "instant kill rule". Simply put characters can now die from
  smaller arms with just one shot.
IWW`s problems: It gives the formulas used to calculate damage and recoil
  values and then goes on to use numbers that don't fit the formulas given.
  Inconsistent damage numbers: ie M16A1 does 2 dice damage while M16A2 does 3.

Some skills should have an initial level based on the characters attributes.
The worst situation we've run into is the thrown weapon skill when using a
grenade.  Basic military skill give you a level 1 in the skill.  According to
a strict interpretation of the rules, throwing a grenade successfully, ie
threw a window 10 feet away requires a roll of 1 on a d10.  This means that
90% of the time the grenade hits the wall and doesn't go through the window.
PC's stopped using grenades for a while since standing 10 feet from one was
not healthy.

Shotguns: uhhh, "interesting", nuff said.

Anyone who wishes to discuss the TW:2000 system is encouraged to email me.

Brian