Steve Jackson Games Forums - View Single Post - What happens with Offroad Car and a trailer

swordtart · 12-05-2022, 02:52 AM

1. Just take a left turn at Albuquerque :) As the trailer doesn't steer it doesn't contribute to the HC so it's suspension is not usually relevant and therefore it doesn't influence the OR HC either. It doesn't explicitly say about the underbody damage rule for trailers so it's your choice. I'd rule they have high ground clearance like bikes do and so are immune to Off-Road underbody armour.

Of course if you feel strongly about it you could easily read across from the car rules and cost up trailer suspension mods as well, and require them to match the towing vehicle if the suspension benefit is to be received.

2. ADQ&A has ruled in other cases that wheel accessories have to be applied on trailers as well for the effect (possibly paralleling sidecars). 10-3 addresses HD Brakes, 5-4 addressed HD Shocks, HD Brakes and Antilock Brakes.

HD and Antilock Brakes are logical as trailers IRL do have them.
HD shocks ditto, if your trailer is bouncing around it will mess up the vehicle attached to it.
OR tires, if your trailer is sliding around due to it being off-road then it will pull the towing vehicle about, undermining the benefit of OR on the tractor vehicle, double so if the wheels are powered.
For trailer wheels to require Overdrive or HTM it would assume that the trailer wheels are also powered (but this is by no means impossible). I thought this had come up in ADQ&Q but it may have been the OR
Active suspension is not a wheel modification and as trailer have no particular suspension I'd argue you don't need it to match the towing vehicle.

So in the vast majority of cases for wheel/tire modifications it makes sense and it is simpler to make it every case rather than try to list the exceptions (and the exceptions to the exceptions that will inevitable arise).

Regardless you will probably want OR tires anyway as otherwise the trailer will be taking tire damage that your towing vehicle is immune to.

3. The momentum of a rig is the sum of the tractor and trailer and that is the approach taken for the DM of a vehicle + trailer combo (ADQ&A 6-3).

12-05-2022, 02:52 AM	#2
swordtart Join Date: Jun 2008	Re: What happens with Offroad Car and a trailer 1. Just take a left turn at Albuquerque :) As the trailer doesn't steer it doesn't contribute to the HC so it's suspension is not usually relevant and therefore it doesn't influence the OR HC either. It doesn't explicitly say about the underbody damage rule for trailers so it's your choice. I'd rule they have high ground clearance like bikes do and so are immune to Off-Road underbody armour. Of course if you feel strongly about it you could easily read across from the car rules and cost up trailer suspension mods as well, and require them to match the towing vehicle if the suspension benefit is to be received. 2. ADQ&A has ruled in other cases that wheel accessories have to be applied on trailers as well for the effect (possibly paralleling sidecars). 10-3 addresses HD Brakes, 5-4 addressed HD Shocks, HD Brakes and Antilock Brakes. HD and Antilock Brakes are logical as trailers IRL do have them. HD shocks ditto, if your trailer is bouncing around it will mess up the vehicle attached to it. OR tires, if your trailer is sliding around due to it being off-road then it will pull the towing vehicle about, undermining the benefit of OR on the tractor vehicle, double so if the wheels are powered. For trailer wheels to require Overdrive or HTM it would assume that the trailer wheels are also powered (but this is by no means impossible). I thought this had come up in ADQ&Q but it may have been the OR Active suspension is not a wheel modification and as trailer have no particular suspension I'd argue you don't need it to match the towing vehicle. So in the vast majority of cases for wheel/tire modifications it makes sense and it is simpler to make it every case rather than try to list the exceptions (and the exceptions to the exceptions that will inevitable arise). Regardless you will probably want OR tires anyway as otherwise the trailer will be taking tire damage that your towing vehicle is immune to. 3. The momentum of a rig is the sum of the tractor and trailer and that is the approach taken for the DM of a vehicle + trailer combo (ADQ&A 6-3).