[Icelander]

The GURPS rules for scopes are simple and playable, detailed enough for most games.

It does bother me somewhat that magnification level is almost the only stat that matters for scopes. Well, sure, the HT stat of the equipment provides one way to distinguish between cheap, low quality optics and the really impressive top-of-the-line stuff, but in real life, ruggedness is not the only measure of optic quality. All 10x (or 4x, 6x or any magnification level we select as the example) scopes don't necessarily have equal image clarity and basic TL6-7 10x scopes with maybe 16mm-19mm, 22mm-25mm or even 30mm-32mm objective and fairly undistinguished lenses will not be equally effective at 1,000 yards as a high quality late TL8 10x56 scope with crystal clear glass.

To some extent, the difference appears in how well the optics utilise available light and, all other things being equal, greater objective lens will mean better low-light performance. In GURPS, the more expensive, heavier scopes may justify reducing the darkness penalty by 1 over smaller, cheaper scopes, just as illuminated reticles do. Yes, this is already reflected in that TL7-8 scopes reduce it by 1, but I'm thinking that very high quality optics may do even better than just typical TL7+ low light performance and thus justify reducing it by 2.

But what about the difference in clarity and image quality between a fairly inexpensive TL6 scope and late TL8 Nightforce or Schmidt & Bender optics in the same magnification? Is there no way to provide some rule to model this difference?

What about reticles? Should they not matter at all? Is there no reticle design, other than illuminating them, that provides any tangible benefit over a basic TL5-6 crosshair worth modelling in GURPS?

The Horus Vision H58, H59 and TReMoR reticles, as well as various high quality designs proprietary to individual optic companies, certainly seem to offer utility beyond the primitive crosshairs of the first scopes attached to 19th century rifles.

I was thinking that lower quality optics or optics not designed for the task at hand might interact somehow with the rule from Tactical Shooting, where 22 + weapon Acc x 2 caps effective skill. Maybe there is also a cap to effective skill based on optics or sight quality. Or just a penalty when the equipment is used for shooting at ranges beyond the limitations of the design.

Certainly some optics (and iron sights) will not allow the same precision at longer ranges as others, for the simple reason that they are not adjustable that far out. Reticles that are bigger than the target at that range or poor lens quality where the target is just a blurry blob should probably also either cap maximum skill or at least give a penalty.

And should all scopes of the same magnification take equally long to Aim with to claim the bonus (1 second per +1)? Aren't there any technological aids that measurably make it faster to acquire the target, get a good sight picture and align the point of aim?

Might not some late TL8 optics designed for fast target acqusition justify allowing the full scope bonus faster?

For example, are the Trijicon ACOG 4x sights not faster to use than various 4x scopes made at TL5-7? Faster, for that matter, than many more economical TL8 designs that aren't designed for fast shooting at short to medium range?

If you can get the +1 Acc bonus for a basic 3x TL6-7 scope by aiming for 1 second, is it unreasonable to get the +2 bonus for a 4x TL8 Trijicon ACOG TA01NSN sight by aiming for the same time?

And what about the Bindon Aiming Concept (BAC)? Does that make enough of a difference to quick target acquisition so that optics which can use it should receive some positive modifier in GURPS? Like a 1 second reduction in the time required to Aim for the full bonus?

Or, if high-quality late TL8 fixed optics made for CQB already get that benefit, maybe scopes allowing the use of BAC simply allow a Perk allowing them to function as improvised Reflex sights in game terms for users that have mastered the use of the BAC?