Hi guys
Just wanted to run an idea by for comment regarding how better/worse
quality comms might work. In general, it is a reasonable assumption that good
troops are well equipped, and poorly trained troops are poorly equipped. There
are exceptions, but this provides an adequate justification for making
"normal" commo rolls using the quality die of the rolling unit (figure in FMA
I guess).
However, there will be those cases where this is not so.
Imagine the low tech, relatively green rebels who suddenly find their cause
underwritten by off planet backers --> they have new, expensive radio
gear that should give them better comms than the local Constabulary.
Imagine a group of veteran mercenaries who've had their equipment
orbitally-dropped to the bottom of a nearby lake and have been forced to
make do with some improvised kit. They have kit far below the quality of their
usual gear.
In either of these cases, the obvious possible implementations are:
1) Implement an extra die for commo rolls, based off equipment quality.
Implement some concept of partial success (Troop Q or Equip Q dice succeeds,
but not both). This could prove very interesting in a game where the ref is
the medium for all orders.
2) Shift the normal commo dice rolled. This has the advantage of being simple
and probably sufficient. In our first example, I might not give the rebs a
commo die shift until their off planet "advisors" had trained them, but at
that point, they might be green troops, but their comms allow them to roll as
if they were regulars. In the latter case (the mercs), perhaps instead of
rolling D10 (for their veteran quality), they actually roll D8 or if the
equipment is particularly ramshackle, D6.
This obviously applies to both FMA and SG2.
Comments? Thoughts? <Just to give us Gropos a bit of list-space.... all
the
vaccuum-head chatter has made me dizzy...>
> On Wed, 30 August 2000, "Barclay, Tom" wrote:
> 1) Implement an extra die for commo rolls, based off equipment
I'm not crazy about this, but then I prefer to use existing mechanics where
possible.
> 2) Shift the normal commo dice rolled.
I would prefer this. It's simple and easy to use.
Here's another option. You can make the quality of the communications a
function of ECM.
Short recap of SG2 ECM rules: When using ECM each ECM unit is given (usually)
3 ECM chits. When the ECM unit is activated and goes ACTIVE, the ECM chits are
available for use at any time during that turn.
Rule suggestion: Give the opposing player one or more ECM chits that are
always automatically activated at the beginning of a turn. The communications
rolls are handled as normal, but the opposing player may spend his ECM chits
as he sees fit to muck up communications.
Potential issues off the top of my head are as follows:
1) These can get confused with regular ECM chits. New chits, perhaps, would be
better. Perhaps call them "Comm Problem" chits or something. Allow them only
for communication rolls, and nothing else. This essentially adds a new
mechanic to the game, but one based on an existing mechanic.
2) How many chits should be given? Good question, and could take a while to
get the balance right. I'd suggest perhaps 1 chit per potential leader
activation. This would have the effect of hurting each communications roll, or
allowing the opponent to REALLY try to mess up one roll while leaving others
untouched.
3) How many chits can be used at once? This is limited, in the ECM rules, by
the number of chits that the player gets and the use of chits by that player's
opponent. I'd use the "3 chit" rule from suppression counters and allow no
more than 3 chits to be used at any one time.
The reason I like this chit idea is that it increases player participation.
SG2 is good for this, but giving players yet another point of tension is
always good. My Operation: Dust Off scenario at GenCon was the first time I
used ECM in a scenario, and all players found it to be fun.
Another advantage of the chit system is that you can use it to simulate a wide
range of factors. Say, for instance, that there is some sort of general
communication mess up in the battle zone. Perhaps a space battle is taking out
communications satellites, or nuclear explosives are adding EMP to the area,
or there is jamming taking place in the area. You could add or subtract chits
per turn based on the strategic implications. Maybe each turn the opposing
player gets an additional chit as satellites are knocked out of orbit. Or
perhaps the player starts with 6 chits per turn but loses one each time a
leader unit conducts a Reorganise action (representing someone fixing a
radio).
Just a thought, anyway.
[Qualifier: I play SG2 about once a year, so weigh any comments
accordingly]
I remember the Grey Day game at GZGECC III last Feb. It had quite a few ECM
bidding wars (everyone seemed to enjoy this). It was kind of a
game-within-a-game.
I like Alan's suggestion.
I would suggest limiting the CP (Communications Problems) chits to the number
of EW chits that can be committed (i.e. if you can only use upto 3 EW chits in
a bid, then the max CP chits given to a side would be 3.
Only 1 CP chit could be used in blocking any 1 comm attempt.
CP chips count toward the total EW chits that can be used in a bid (i.e. if
the max. EW chits that can be used in a bid is 3 and a CP chip is used for
side A, then side A may only use 2 additional EW chits in that bid).
CP chips must be used before EW chips in a ECM/ECCM bid.
The effect is that the side with the Comm Problem will have to use additional
communications manpower to get signals through.
The bad thing about this system is that the CRITICAL calls are the ones most
likely to be effected by the communications problem (Murphy's Law?).
~~Slight turn~~
Is EW activation an action? By this I do not mean using the EW chits. In
rereading page 52, it provides the option of an EW activating its equipment
(and thus getting 3 EW chits or to not activate the EW equipment (and thus not
have the chits available that turn). If activating EW is not an action (thus
limiting other actions), why would an EW unit decide not to activate
the EW? On the other hand, it is not listed on pages 16-18 (regarding
actions).
If it is an action, it would have to be an Element Action (to coin a new
phrase). An element action is one that effects an individual element of a unit
(restricting the number of additional actions that element can perform without
restricting the number of actions that the rest of the unit may perform).
Element Action is not unprecedented (just not named so) as heavy weapons
action is a separate action for a unit, but only counts as an action for the
element and all of the leadership actions are element actions. Thus an EW unit
could activate the EW and move or activate the EW and fire a weapon, but not
activate the EW, move and fire a weapon. But a 2 man unit
with an EW element could move, activate the EW and have the non-EW
element fire.
Again, see the qualifier at the top of the post.
-----
Brian Bell bkb@beol.net
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> -----Original Message-----
Maybe
> each turn the opposing player gets an additional chit as satellites