From: pmwg1641@uxa.cso.uiuc.edu (Peter M. White)
Newsgroups: rec.games.frp.misc
Subject: Re: SRUNII:  Laser sights and SG links
Date: 12 Nov 92 20:42:56 GMT
Article-I.D.: news.BxMEvM.KuM
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana

In article <1dt5l6INNdkj@aludra.usc.edu> krischel@aludra.usc.edu (Taxi) writes:
>
>I just want to emphasize the fact that in the heat of combat, it's
>*really* easy to miss.  Under range conditions, it's easy to pull
>expert -> all you have to do is hold the gun steady and squeeze the
>trigger right.  But when you have the drek hitting the fan, you
>don't have the luxury of sighting in real nice-like.  If anything, though,
>lasers sights are a *big* help in combat, since you can aim so much
>faster than by standard iron sights.
>
>-Taxi
>
I think you hit on an important point...if/since we are bothering to talk about
realism.  Aiming is obviously important, and the SR2 system makes taking
time to do so the *exception* rather than the rule.  I have never fired a gun,
so correct me if I am wrong, but I do think that the hit probabilities,
unaugmented by taking actions to aim, are too high.

Let us look at an example.  Our basic, competent with a firearm person will
be a policeman, Firearms 3.  He also has a Combat Pool of 4.  Take a target
some 20m away, target number 5 for a pistol, and roll 6 dice aginst it.
How often will he miss?  Only 9% of the time.  Sure, most cops could do
even better in a firing range, but let us look at the conditions.
One simple action spent drawing gun.  One simple action firing one round.
At one action per turn, I would say that, at most, 1 second is available for
aiming, since 30-50% of the total time is spent evaluating the situation
unless we believe cops *never* shoot people accidentally.  Now, think
about the situation: he is afraid he is about to die.  Still, he will
be able to hit 91% of the time.  Come on now...if this were really true,
there would be much less enthusiam in PDs for using 11-shot semi-automatics
rather than the 6-shot revolver.  After all, even a target under cover
at medium range will be hit 51% of the time.

With little enthusiasm, I propose a fix.  (I dislike proposing changes that
slow the system down.)  Create a morale check.  I suppose it would be more
be more with the genre to call it something like a Cool check.  Use the
Professional/Threat Rating against target number 4 depending on the stress
of the situation, plus the Physical Wound Modifier.  Each success will reduce
the Stress penalty by one, the modifier typically being +2.  NPCs that
that fail completely, at GM discretion, will be sorely tempted to bug out.
This test would apply to PCs as well.  Give them a Professional Rating
at start of half their Willpower and let them increase it with Skill Points
or Good Karma.

Would this work well?  Good question.  Just an idea.  No flames; I admit
that I am very unsure that I even like it.

--Peter

______________________________________________________________________________
						|
     "Guards!  Let me draw their fire!"		|	p-white@uiuc.edu
		   --Scapegoat,_Marshal Law_	|
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