From: Alex Williams <thantos@d...>
Date: Thu, 4 Sep 1997 23:26:06 -0400
Subject: DSII/CENTURION Conversion Notes
Since there has been some discussions on both lists regarding some kind of
crossover mechanics, I thought I might post my (as yet unfinished) conversion
rules.
My next attack after DSII/CENTURION is done will be DSII/INTERCEPTROR,
using the FMA mechanics for the vehicles themselves and my own vector movement
system.
--
[ Alexander Williams {thantos@alf.dec.com/zander@photobooks.com} ]
[ Alexandrvs Vrai, Prefect 8,000,000th Experimental Strike Legion ]
[ BELLATORES INQVIETI --- Restless Warriors ]
====================================================================
"If not me, who? If not now, when? If not this, what?" "In nomine malas
portas, convoco Hasturam Nefas."
Centurion to Dirtside II Conversion Notes
or How to Take Over a Galaxy on $4mil Credits a Day
Alexander Williams
_________________________________________________________________
Table of Contents
* Introduction * Vehicles
+ Size
+ Power Systems
+ Weapons
o Projectile Weaponry # MDC Equivalency Table # Gauss Cannon Equivalency Table
o Missiles
# Missile Equivalency Table
o Lasers
# Laser Equivalancy Table
+ Defenses
o Anti-Missile Weaponry
# Vulcan Anti-Missile System Equivalency Table
o Armour
o Shields
# Shield Rating Equivalency Table
+ Movement
* Infantry * New Rules
+ Grav Shields
o Grav Shield Rating Cost Table
+ Grav Movement (Updated)
* Examples
+ TOG Trajan
+ TOG Ferrox Rex
+ CW Scorpion
_________________________________________________________________
Introduction
One of the more popular wargames of the past few years is Centurionurion,
originally produced by FASA, but licensed to Nightshift Games, along with the
rest of the Renegade Legions wargame
line, to languish in near-obscurity while a dedicated fanbase
scurries about and continues enjoying not only the game but the setting even
moreso. Many of its fans (myself included) are afficinados of obscure wargames
in general, and have a certain affinity for the clean simplicity and excellent
integration of the Dirtside II mechanics. It seemed inevitable, then, that
someone would compile a guide to reproducing the Renegade Legion universe in
Dirtside II.
This is that guide. We'll start with Centurion, the futuristic game of ground
combat, in which grav tanks provide the force and infantry provide the
backbone of a tremendous military machine that spans the galaxy.
[Note: From time to time, suggestions about how to handle things in
Stargrunt II, Ground Zero Games' squad-level infantry-combat game,
will be pointed out. That *would* have been the province of the
never-released Phalanx in the Renegade Legion line; for those that
want to get into man-to-man combat (or, at least, squad-to-squad)
Stargrunt II would make an excellent investment.]
Vehicles
The first thing to note is the dichotomy of vision exemplified between the
basic Centurion and Dirtside II. In Centurion, the system is geared to
generate wide diversity because it only has the single setting to deal with,
while in Dirtside II the generic system has, by necessity, to do a very many
things well and so must simplify things a lot. The conversion between the two
will not be perfect, but it sure will be a whole lot of fun!
Size
Next, let's look at the comparitive sizes of vehicles in Centurion and
Dirtside II. In Centurion, there are two basic classes of vehicle,
grav and non-grav, while in Dirtside II there are several, all but
one
non-grav (leaving VTOL aside for the nonce). Non-grav vehicles in
Centurion are considered 'the usual size,' as it were while grav vehicles are
generally depicted as *much* larger, in both volume and surface area, yet are
no harder to hit. This can be represented in
Dirtside II by making grav vehicles SIZE from 3 - 7, requiring (at
least) STEALTH 2 to make the effective signature less. For those using
the optional rule that FIRER SYSTEMS DOWN - TARGET deactivates active
STEALTH, these two points cannot be removed. Handwave it as the
inherent ECM of the system that is on highly-redundant backup.
One of the advantages this gives the Dirtside II designer in emulating
Centurion is that gravs are now much more able to carry heavy
ordinance in the form of missiles, large gang-fired guns and the
like. Given the withering firepower that most Centurion gravs lay down, this
makes the recreation ring with much more versimilitude. Given the space
requirements of infantry in Dirtside II, the larger frames give the MICV gravs
the ability to carry infantry that they should have.
Power Systems
All gravs use FGP for power. Most non-gravs in Centurion use HMT,
with
the appropriate limitations. If you want to simulate low-tech
outposts or TOG auxillia, you may want to create some with CFEs.
Weapons
Now that we've got the size of vehicles scaled, let's look at weapon
selection. In Centurion, there are a fairly limited number of weapon choices
because the system mimics the setting, one in which
near-constant war has 'worn the edges off' the technology, leaving
just what seems to work the best.
Projectile Weaponry
MDCs come in an 8, 10 and 12 ratings and scale pretty cleanly to MDCs in
Dirtside II in sizes 1, 3 and 5. What in Centurion are called Gauss Cannons
(massive slugs accelerated down railgun tracks) (in bores
ranging from 25mm - 200mm are handled well by 25 and 50mm Gauss
Cannons to HKP/3, 100 and 150mm to HKP/4, and the all-powerful 200mm
Gauss Cannon equates to the HKP/5.
MDC Equivalency Table
MDC 8
MDC/1
MDC 10
MDC/3
MDC 12
MDC/5
Gauss Cannon Equivalency Table
25mm, 50mm
HKP/3
100mm, 150mm
HKP/4
200mm
HKP/5
Missiles
There are two distinct types of missile in Centurion, which is a good thing as
there are two distinct types of missile in Dirtside II,
making a match simple. SMLMs become GMS/Ls while TVLMs are GMS/H
(representing their superior penetration). A problem rears when you consider
that missile packs in Centurion are of limited capacity, while in Dirtside II
the racks are assumed to house suffiCenturion armament to last out a typical
battle (and, let's be honest, who ends up running out of missiles in a game
with the average engagement between units running to two turns?). One way to
address the problem
is to give the Dirtside II vehicle one GMS/L or /H, as appropriate,
for every 6 missiles carried. Thus, the TVLG(12) pack becomes 2xGMS/H
and, unless you're carrying an entire grav packed with them, you're
unlikely to ever see more than a 2xGMS/L.
Missile Equivalency Table
SMLM
GMS/L
TVLM
GMS/H
6 Missiles
1xGMS
Lasers
One of the laser weapons in wide use in the Centurion system appears
to be the Anti-Personel Laser, found on nearly every grav in
existance. Typically, this is *not* an externally mounted fixture but within
its own turret, so the basic APSW will cost 2 spaces and 4pts from the vehicle
(odds are there's already a much larger weapon in the turret; if not, the APSW
requires 3 spaces). The other major use of
lasers in Centurion is as a laser painting/targeting system, allowing
weapons to penetrate grav shields (about which more will be said later). This
costs a basic 50 points and can be used for all the usual purposes of a
Dirtside II spotting laser as well as
Centurion-specific
purposes.
For vehicular damage, there are a spread of lasers available. The
match-up between Centurion lasers and Dirtside II HELs is as follows:
Laser Equivalancy Table
1.5/1
HEL/1
1.5/3, 1.4/4
HEL/2
1.5/5, 1.5/6
HEL/3
3/6, 5/6
HEL/4
7.5/6
HEL/5
Defenses
Anti-Missile Weaponry
The Vulcan anti-missile system is invaliable on the Centurion
battlefield. In Centurion, this is an auto-firing Phalanx-type system
intended to gun down incoming missiles and is found on a goodly number
of gravs and other vehicles. Vulcan-1 generally is covered by a
PDS/BASIC in Dirtside II, a Vulcan-2 or -3 by an PDS/ENHANCED and a
Vulcan-4 by a PDS/SUPERIOR. ADS doesn't appear in the basic Centurion
rules.
Vulcan Anti-Missile System Equivalency Table
Vulcan-1
PDS/BASIC
Vulcan-2, Vulcan-3
PDS/ENHANCED
Vulcan-4
PDS/SUPERIOR
Armour
There are no special rules for Armour except to note that gravs typically are
heavily armoured beheamoths. Don't skimp on the armour; remember that a goodly
number of these monsters are oversized and able to carry oversized armour
because of it. The heaviest gravs, with
ARMOUR/7, will be difficult to damage, even with good shots from
HKP/5s. Some gravs also have ABLATIVE armour; this, along with grav
shielding (see section Shields), reduces the use of lasers as the 'heavy
punch' of grav tanks.
Shields
All grav vehicles in the Centurion universe have grav shields which
deflect light-weight projectiles, energy-based attacks (including
targeting lasers) and scramble the warheads of incoming missiles, making most
weapons that don't hurl large hunks of something at relatively high speeds
ineffective. The actual mechanics of grav shielding are treated in another
part of this article (see section Grav Shields).
To convert to the new Shield rules, note that there are ten possible values
for Shields in Centurion and 5 possible die types; this works out well. Divide
the (average) Shield rating by 2, rounded up, and take that as the die,
starting at the d4, to use.
Shield Rating Equivalency Table
Shield 1, Shield 2
d4
Shield 3, Shield 4
d6
Shield 5, Shield 6
d8
Shield 7, Shield 8
d10
Shield 9, Shield 10
d12
Movement
Infantry
New Rules
Grav Shields
In Centurion, grav shields allow your vehicle to be impervious to the effects
of missiles, lasers and MDCs... as long as they don't hit while the shield has
flickered off! Gauss cannons (and probably SLAM packs but must definitely not
DFFGs) ignore grav shields completely as
their rounds are too heavy and too fast-moving to be deflected.
In Dirtside II, vehicles with grav shielding have an overall rating of
a given die type, -1 on its roll when attacked from the rear or
bottom (but not sides). This die acts as another die when defense rolls are
made; if the grav is in cover, then three dice are rolled to compare to the
attacker's. Grav shielding, especially powerful grav shielding, makes your
vehicle nearly impervious to most fire.
Because of the game effect of shields, they are considerably expensive. Each
level of shield adds 50% to the overall cost of your vehicle. Eg. a shield
rating of d6 would double the cost of your grav tank, while a d12 would add
250% or multiply the cost by 3.5x, weapons included. The costs involved in
equiping a force with grav shielding can add up quickly.
Grav Shield Rating Cost Table
d4
50%
d6
100%
d8
150%
d10
200%
d12
250%
Grav Movement (Updated)
Examples