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Old 06-14-2020, 11:33 AM   #22
swordtart
 
Join Date: Jun 2008
Default Re: Anti-power plant rockets

Wanderhoof:

Sorry, I have to disagree.

Your idea of a truck based opponent is more credible than most arguments for the APPR, as normally the APPR has a significant chance of destroying the plant from the d6-1 damage done regardless of the special effect (and against bike plants it is almost guaranteed). However any side breach that exceeds the exact amount required has a 1/3 chance of damaging the plant in the process (damage allocation among internal compartments). To stand a chance of knocking a hole in a truck before it kills you, you are probably needing to use a high damage weapon and that usually means quite a bit of collateral damage. Truck plants plants are the one few that can probably suck it up.

However that 1/3 chance to accidentally hit the plant when you don't want to is exactly the same chance to hit it when you do want to. So 2 in 3 rockets that hit the rig just end up damaging the other internal components instead (including your MacGuffin) and once you breach even d6-1 is plenty to wreck components. In addition even if you do hit the plant, the damage required to activate the special effect has a 1/3 chance of setting the rig on fire.

The scenario you put forward and its MacGuffin has been entirely engineered to justify the existence of what is in essence the APPR MacGuffin. It would be easier all round to just re-frame the scenario to use more conventional equipment or just have a bespoke one-off item of equipment to resolve this one-off requirement but that could do so effectively in the scenario but didn't require incorporation into the more general game.

Requiring significant specialist equipment to resolve a specific mission requirement is that it rail roads players into a particular course of action. If that course of action runs contrary to their character development (and in CW their cars are characters) to date then you have negated their creative input. Realistically if anyone gave you that mission you would refuse it unless forced as it is so dependent on pure luck to succeed.

Anything in the catalogue needs to be generally useful or we have equipment bloat, too many one-trick ponies that start raising questions about the normal rules and can often raise unintended consequences. Bouncing bombs were invented to resolve a specific problem, they then didn't enter the general inventory.

Sometimes less is more.

Last edited by swordtart; 06-14-2020 at 12:06 PM.
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