Okay, so I'm thinking about what HRM said about modern weapons:
"...the only way to survive getting shot at is to not get shot at. IMHO
science fiction weapons cannot be too realistic..."
I couldn't agree more. In fact, for me this is one of the great RPG failings
(aside from the lack of a really good initiative rule). In movies, etc.,
people simply do not shrug off machinegun bullets. Even in the cheesiest
action flicks, the heros survive by dodging or otherwise not getting hit.
Sure, they can take 20 socks to the head, but that's not the same as grenades
or assault rifles. Pistol shots to the limb cause wounds, but how often do
you see anyone survive a head/chest shot?
Sure movies aren't real life, but they are (to me at least) just as valid a
reality game-wise as actual real life (whatever that is). When I think of RPGs
I often naively think of Star Wars, Die Hard, Aliens, etc., etc., and not
the result I usually get, where combat is slow and ponderous, and it just
becomes a slugging match. Kinda like Battletech, where there is no need
for strategy, since first-shots don't exist, and you can't take out a mech
in one action anyway, so why bother with surprise? And do they spent most
of the combats, never mind the story, exchanging bullets? No. Sure a good GM
could make this so, but it would be just so nice if the game system was
actually set up to assist his job, much less promote it.
I want T0 (Traveller Zero) to be real simple mechanic-wise, and consistent
throughout. Combat should be fast and simple, so that maybe most of the
rulebook covers other kinds of interactions. Deadly, sure, but allow dodges
and otehr evasive maneuvers. Adventure isn't one long firefight - this needn't
be DnD in Space - why make it one?
-H