Underwater Scenarios

Well, I don't have DSII, but I have run mini games underwater. Seventh
Street's "MECHA!" has a scenario set on the bottom of the sea, which I adapted
for Ogre, oddly enough. (It's over on the bulletin board on the Steve Jackson
Games site.)

I don't have it the notes with me now, and they wouldn't help as far as game
terms, but the ideas might help. As I recall:

Use "flying" units for submarines. Keep them slow - use VTOL statistics,
not
attack fighter-bombers.

Ground units - walkers, treads, even wheels - function
normally...although underwater terrain isn't always pleasant to travel across.
(Seaweed forests? Lots of crags and crevices, in some places. Maybe even
volcanoes.)

No unsuited infantry - the battlefield was too deep for scuba gear - but

power armor's fine.

Obviously, no ground-effect vehicles.

Assume that, since all units have been adapted for the environment, they

don't cost anything extra.

Since units in Ogre fire missiles from rail cannons, I figured adapting them
to use torpedoes would be easy. (Well, not impossible, at any rate.) You

can't fire guns underwater, but a missile is fine. I figured the effects of
the water like this: the actual attack strength is slightly reduced (a penalty
on the CRT roll), because the shots travel slower and are easier to
intercept. _However_, the spillover/blast radius would be increased in
size and effect, due to the greater concussion underwater.

Lasers tuned to the blue-green wavelengths get halved range, but no
other penalties.

You could add currents that move "aerial" units around, floating mines, and
even large aquatic fauna. (Look at the nasties in the last Star Wars movie,
for instance. As Jedi what's-his-name says, "There's always a bigger
fish.")
Small aquatic fauna might be fun, too - I recall an old D&D critter
which dissolved metal to feed on the rust...a marine version would eat the
metal ions, yes?

-----snip------
On Sun, 09 Apr 2000 13:07:23 +1000, Beth Fulton
<beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au> said:

G'day guys,

I know a few of you have played landings and in zero-g, but what about
completely submarine (I can remember some questions on teh topic, but not
there resolution). Downloaded the trailer for Blue Planet on Friday and now
its got me inspired (hope the movie's as good as the trailer!)

Beth
-----end snip-----

Definitely disallow Hovercraft/GEV's, but I'd allow Grav units -
remember the Caterpillar Drive in The Hunt for Red October.