I have been thinking (oh brother!) about those mixed turrets on essentially
one of my Nation's AFV's.
This is not a 'multiple turret' as per the DS2 rules, this is a mixed systems
turret design choice area idea.
We are talking here about two different weapon systems (not just sizes
but actual system differences such as HEL and DFFG) in the same turret -
one main, and one 'CoAx' gun.
First let's make one point this is not a gun and an APSW thing. Putting
an APSW in a coax mounting appears to be non-existent in the rules but
definitely has no advantages and possibly some disadvantages. But that
is another e-mail...
So, **Why** would you do this?
Well here are some reasons:
(assume you design AFV to fit a particular "national"
viewpoint/style/preference/prejudice)
1) If you use HEL's and you want something more effective against AFV up close
and personal.
and/or
2) You want an effective Anti-Infantry weapon that reaches beyond the
12" range of the APSW and preferably out to if not past the 36" of the
infantry carried GMS/L.
and/or
3) You have a short range and effective Anti-AFV weapon but you want a
"sniper" gun for longer range shots at light vehicles, "TOW-Trucks"
(class 1/2 and soft skinned vehicles armed with GMS/H's,) and
scout/observer vehicles beyond main gun range calling down the Arty
fire. This is generally a matter of DFFG using nations since Nations using
primarily HVC, RFAC and (lesser?) HKP weapons will be using CFE or maybe HMT
power plants. Else they would be considering the MDC if they used
FGP's. Although a HEl/1 is certainly a viable option for them as I will
discuss later.
There may be other reasons but these three came up when I created my campaign
nations for scenario generation.
Next: What weapons to consider...
Gracias,
> --- Glenn M Wilson <triphibious@juno.com> wrote:
> First let's make one point this is not a gun and an
DS II is sufficiently abstract that exactally where you keep your free APSW is
irrelevant, as is what you do with any extras you hang on your vehicles.
> (assume you design AFV to fit a particular
A nation with stupid AFV design prejudices has the same problems the Italians
did in WWII. Just a minor note.
> 1) If you use HEL's and you want something more
Let's take a size 4 MBT. You can easily fit a size 5 HEL. Or you can put on a
class 4 HEL and a class 4 something else... if you don't want to fit some PDS
(which in my experience means you end up GMS fodder). More realistically, a
class 3 HEL and a class 3 something else. Well, what else are you going to put
on there. If you've got the power output (ie, are using an FGP) for an HEL
large enough to take seriously, you may as well slap on an MDC. And an HEL
doesn't have enough of a range advantage to really reccomend it over a size 5
MDC in the first place, which would be cheaper than the combo. The other
option is to throw in a DFFG for short range punch.
This leaves you with a truly confused AFV crew--are
they supposed to close with the enemy and melt him down, or stand off and
plink? Design a vehicle to do both and anything less than an expert commander
will end up doing neither well. But then I'm kind of fanatic about designing
vehicles for one mission.
> and/or
What? I don't really think any of the options you've got available are that
hot against infantry. YMMV, but 2 chits is kind of wussy for the points you'd
be spending. Just shell out for some mortars instead.
It's cheaper to buy a pair of mortars per company--and
more versatile. Let the beautiful poetry of combined arms in action do it's
thang, don't make your vehicles "all things to all men."
> This is generally a matter of DFFG using nations
HEL/1 is about useless--can't get a reliable kill on a
jeep. (Do the math--it's got about a 50% chance of
doing nothing, and another chance of doing 0 damage). But using DFFG primaries
with HKP backups is about
backwards--a force like that could be eaten alive by
faster forces skirmishing at long range. Or
purpose-built HKP-armed tanks. See, a single-armed
turret will always fit a bigger gun, so it will always have better range.
> There may be other reasons but these three came up
You covered all the ones I can think of.