Long-Arms and Scope Power (x)

JanMikal · 07-03-2017, 03:05 PM

Hello, all. I am really confused about the rules for Scopes (HT156-156 & RAW412). I can't figure out what the Magnification/Power of a scope adds to the user's Gun skill. I thought I had it figured out. It says:

"...+1 ACC per full doubling of magnification."

Okay, great. So, I figure, that means that a x2 scope gives a +1, x4 would be +2, x8 would be +3, x16 would be +4 and x32 would be +5. (No need to go further - my character has a Springfield 1903 and it's ACC is 5).

However, a little later it says, by example:

"...A TL7 fixed-power 4x scope gives +2 Acc..."

Okay, makes perfect sense, by my 'chart' about. 4x gives a +2. Great. But then:

"...A TL8 variable-power scope with 3x, 6x, and 9x (written 3-9x) gives up to +3 Acc..."

This makes no sense to me. I mean, okay - x3 is between x2 and x4, so gets +1. x6 is between x4 and x8, so gets a +2, and x9 is between x8 and x16, and gets a +3. So...why change it from x2, x4, x8 to x3, x6, x9? Is there a practical reason for this, game-mechanically speaking? Do the magnification numbers matter in some signficant way, other than being there to mathematically figure out the bonus to skill? I'm really confused about this.

Anthony · 07-03-2017, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JanMikal

So...why change it from x2, x4, x8 to x3, x6, x9?

Because the real-world hardware comes in those multiples.

JanMikal · 07-03-2017, 03:14 PM

So the only reason to change that is to make it a hair more realistic?

johndallman · 07-03-2017, 04:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JanMikal

So the only reason to change that is to make it a hair more realistic?

There is no rule change there. It's just reminding you that Acc bonus depends on magnification, and giving you the figures for the powers of this particular real-world scope.

clu2415 · 07-03-2017, 07:11 PM

3-9 power scopes are at least 75% of the scopes you'll run into on the second hand market. It's a very popular configuration so they mentioned it.

acrosome · 07-04-2017, 04:03 PM

Whether a scope is 8x, 9x, 10x, 11x, 12x, 13x, 14x, or 15x it still just gives +3 in GURPS terms.

Yes, a heck of a lot of real-world variable scopes are 3-9x; still just +3 at maximum magnification. And, yes, this does help with verisimilitude- you can use real-world scopes. FWIW a majority of fixed-power scopes are 10x.

At 16x you finally get +4

DouglasCole · 07-05-2017, 08:13 AM

I also did throw down both a usable and non-usable alternate take on scope magnification that I think ties better with GURPS on ye olde blogge.

GodBeastX · 07-05-2017, 10:36 AM

The magnification affects more than Gun Skill. My party in High Tech/Ultra Tech games constantly uses scopes for more than shooting their gun. They would scout with them, pick out details with Observation/Forward Observer/etc. Scopes can be nice for trying to see something clearer that you wouldn't normally. So that magnification rule is very nice.

07-03-2017, 03:05 PM	#1
JanMikal Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: St. Louis, MO	Long-Arms and Scope Power (x) Hello, all. I am really confused about the rules for Scopes (HT156-156 & RAW412). I can't figure out what the Magnification/Power of a scope adds to the user's Gun skill. I thought I had it figured out. It says: "...+1 ACC per full doubling of magnification." Okay, great. So, I figure, that means that a x2 scope gives a +1, x4 would be +2, x8 would be +3, x16 would be +4 and x32 would be +5. (No need to go further - my character has a Springfield 1903 and it's ACC is 5). However, a little later it says, by example: "...A TL7 fixed-power 4x scope gives +2 Acc..." Okay, makes perfect sense, by my 'chart' about. 4x gives a +2. Great. But then: "...A TL8 variable-power scope with 3x, 6x, and 9x (written 3-9x) gives up to +3 Acc..." This makes no sense to me. I mean, okay - x3 is between x2 and x4, so gets +1. x6 is between x4 and x8, so gets a +2, and x9 is between x8 and x16, and gets a +3. So...why change it from x2, x4, x8 to x3, x6, x9? Is there a practical reason for this, game-mechanically speaking? Do the magnification numbers matter in some signficant way, other than being there to mathematically figure out the bonus to skill? I'm really confused about this.

07-03-2017, 03:14 PM	#3
JanMikal Join Date: Mar 2014 Location: St. Louis, MO	Re: Long-Arms and Scope Power (x) So the only reason to change that is to make it a hair more realistic?

07-03-2017, 07:11 PM	#5
clu2415 Join Date: Jun 2016	Re: Long-Arms and Scope Power (x) 3-9 power scopes are at least 75% of the scopes you'll run into on the second hand market. It's a very popular configuration so they mentioned it.

07-04-2017, 04:03 PM	#6
acrosome Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: The Land of Enchantment	Re: Long-Arms and Scope Power (x) Whether a scope is 8x, 9x, 10x, 11x, 12x, 13x, 14x, or 15x it still just gives +3 in GURPS terms. Yes, a heck of a lot of real-world variable scopes are 3-9x; still just +3 at maximum magnification. And, yes, this does help with verisimilitude- you can use real-world scopes. FWIW a majority of fixed-power scopes are 10x. At 16x you finally get +4 __________________ I'd need to get a grant and go shoot a thousand goats to figure it out.

07-05-2017, 08:13 AM	#7
DouglasCole Doctor of *GURPS* Ballistics Join Date: Sep 2004 Location: Lakeville, MN	Re: Long-Arms and Scope Power (x) I also did throw down both a usable and non-usable alternate take on scope magnification that I think ties better with GURPS on ye olde blogge. __________________ My blog:Gaming Ballistic, LLC My Store: Gaming Ballistic on Shopify My Patreon: Gaming Ballistic on Patreon

07-05-2017, 10:36 AM	#8
GodBeastX Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Behind You	Re: Long-Arms and Scope Power (x) The magnification affects more than Gun Skill. My party in High Tech/Ultra Tech games constantly uses scopes for more than shooting their gun. They would scout with them, pick out details with Observation/Forward Observer/etc. Scopes can be nice for trying to see something clearer that you wouldn't normally. So that magnification rule is very nice. __________________ RPG Jutsu.com - Ninjas Play GURPS