Help wanted! Vehicle Combat
Hello,
I need your help guys and gals.
As I have posted elsewhere: http://forum.trek-rpg.net/showthread...&threadid=8093
I'm intending for to insert a classic set piece into one of my next adventures. It's set on Earth and involves the characters partaking in a bit of combat in the streets of San Francisco. The players will inadvertently, whilst on extended shore leave, uncover a Romulan Tal'Shiar cell gone rogue. They're plotting to assassinate the President of the Federation in a rather audacious plan. The result will be a bit of a ruckus in a seedy bar ending in a classic car chase in Star Trek era ground vehicles. I've got a picture in my mind of a cross between Bullitt with the cars you see in Demolition Man (rubbish film but the cars looked the part and lets face it, San Angeles looks very Trek like).
But I digress.
I need help in developing some vehicle combat rules.
I'm thinking of designing cars with a structure stat and using Operate Ground Vehicle skill from Starfleet Ops Manual. That’s easy.
My problem is working out:
1: What damage one car hitting another would do?
2: How would varying speeds of the impact affect the damage done?
3: What would the TNs for different types of maneuvers?
4: What damage would the occupants of the vehicle take when another car hits it?
I have come up with some thoughts based upon the R.Talsorian Interlok (used in their Cyberpunk and Mekton games) system - mainly because it's the only modern system we use (although the vehicle combat rules do suck, they're the only ones we've ever used). May chuck in some ideas from starship combat though.
For example:
Vehicles have a structure rating for concussion damage (being rammed, hitting things etc). When a vehicle takes damage it is applied to the overall structure of the vehicle. When the vehicle loses 10% of it's structure you roll on a system table (Wheels, Engine, Fuel Cell, AI Driver System etc) and mark of a damage to that individual system.
Vehicles have an armor rating for protection against projectile and energy weapon attacks (5 for unarmored, variable for armored). Of course a phaser set on full power could vaporize a car (hmmm, need to think of a rule to prevent my players from doing that one - they wiped out ten Cardassian shock troops by firing a Phaser Rifle at level 16 at the troop carrier they were in - and yes, they got a severe roasting for it but they were being shot at so they were just reprimanded).
Initiative is worked as per normal for combat. The driver/s with the higher initiative/s makes their maneuver/s first. With a critical success the opposing player/s have to declare their intended maneuver first.
Maneuvers are divided into Tiers.
Vehicles have a maneuver speed (in MPH) depending upon vehicle performance and whether the maneuver being attempted is tier one or tier two.
Tier one maneuvers are (feel free to offer suggestions for more basic maneuvers):
Pulling away
Everyday "passive" steering
Braking
Reversing
Tier two maneuvers are (feel free to offer suggestions for more advanced maneuvers):
Handbrake turns
Bootlegger turns
Hard "active" steering
Power slides
If the driver attempts a tier one maneuver under the tier one maneuver speed of the vehicle it is automatically passed if they have the Operate Vehicle (Ground) skill. TN 10 if they don't (this reflects that they have had no training in the use of a ground vehicle - have not been taught maneuvers etc).
If the driver attempts a tier one maneuver over the tier one maneuver speed of the vehicle it's TN 5 if they have the Operate Vehicle (Ground) skill. TN 15 if they don't.
If the driver attempts a tier two maneuver under the tier two speed of the vehicle it is a TN 15 if they have the Operate Vehicle (Ground) skill. TN 20 if they don't.
If the driver attempts a tier two maneuver over the tier two maneuver speed of the vehicle it is a TN 20 if they have the Operate Vehicle (Ground) skill. TN 25 if they don't.
All maneuvers are normally full round actions, however, players may attempt a second maneuvers in the same round at -5 penalty for tier one maneuvers and -10 for additional tier two maneuvers. No more than one additional maneuver may be attempted in one round. So a trained player can do a handbrake turn at TN 20 then do a pull away at TN 15 (10 basic maneuver + 5 for multiple action). Untrained drivers cannot attempt multiple actions.
I was going to through in various other modifiers relating to damage to the vehicle. Say +1 penalty per point of structure lost. Other modifiers for driving at night, in the rain, fog, under fire etc. Also different vehicles have plus/minus modifiers to the driver's skill tests. For example a sports car would get a +5 to all maneuvers but an eighteen wheeler would get a -5 (if not more).
Can anyone help me pad these out a bit and throw some ideas into the pot so we can come up with some feasible vehicle use rules. The above are just some quick thoughts that I came up with off the top of my head so please don't tear them to shreds. If they're rubbish then say so and offer suggestions as to alternatives. Please don't just go "they suck" or other words to that effect (not that any of you would).
Peace
JonA
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