Mark:
I've used the GDW combat system for over ten years, and I agree that it has
a lot of gaps where combat realism is concerned. However, there are two
considerations that override a greater attention to realism: first is the
up side that playability at the cost of realism makes gaming more fun in the
long run for groups that are more interested in role-playing than in realistic
combat per se, and second is the down side that a truly realistic combat system
involving anything more dangerous than paint pellet pistols would be gory,
painfully short, and no fun at all for anyone who cared about their characters.
This is the fundamental difficulty of RPGs involving combat; if they're at all
realistic, they may still be playable but they WON'T be fun. (I cite the game
of PHOENIX COMMAND by Leading Edge as a shining example of this; on average,
you lose your character on the first hit.)
I think the MegaTraveller combat system is a huge improvement over this, as it
deliberately breaks combat into two parts: the first, combat itself, deals in
broad strokes, dealing generalized damage and trauma that either knocks you
out, kills you, or not. Then, after the fighting's over and the medics can get
to you, the extent and form of the damage is assessed. The Traveller's Digest
has a nifty article on what happens next (prostheses, cloning new body parts,
bionics, etc.). It's in Issue 13, I believe: the Terra issue. I'm not a realism
freak: Barry Nakazono broke me of that habit five years ago at a PHOENIX
COMMAND playtest. My parties avoid combat for all of the right reasons, and
because the people in my game aren't in it for the combat anyway.
If you insist on realism in the MegaTrav system, the Travellers' Digest
articles are vital; the rules, as they are, won't tell you how to reassemble
a character who's been turned into taco filling. (Also, it provides a very
clear, consistent, and time-efficient means of determining exactly what
happens to a character who blows a survival roll during career generation,
that improves upon "he has to muster out now" and really beats "oh dear, he's
dead, start over." Has anybody noticed that Scouts would have a 50% attrition
rate per year otherwise? The Navy and Marines have it easy!)
Good luck on your search for the ultimate in realistic combat systems: if you
find it, let me know, but I don't think it's worth searching for in my own
games.
metlay
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