Request for Feedback on Warhammer 40,000 Handbook

[Varyon]

I can't really comment on the handbook itself, as my knowledge of the setting is limited primarily to what I learned watching "If the Emperor Had a Text-to-Speech Device." On the topic of the skill for lasguns, however, I don't see an issue with Directed Energy Weapons (DEWs) that are designed to be similar in use to firearms to use the Guns skill. Indeed, I previously made a thread to discuss just that.

I'll also note that soldiers using MILES for training are clearly using Guns skill, not Beam Weapons, despite such actually consisting of zapping each other with lasers (very low-powered ones - it's basically akin to laser tag - but lasers nonetheless). It would probably be pretty useless as training if it involved a completely different skill than what they're training to use.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Varyon

I
I'll also note that soldiers using MILES for training are clearly using Guns skill, not Beam Weapons, despite such actually consisting of zapping each other with lasers (very low-powered ones - it's basically akin to laser tag - but lasers nonetheless). It would probably be pretty useless as training if it involved a completely different skill than what they're training to use.

It might only be semi-useless (like based on the default from beam weapons to guns) but it's probably difficult to prove one way or another.

You'd need something like three units, one of them trained on MILES, another trained on paintball and the third trained without simulated weapons and all for equivalent times. Then you'd need for the units to see actual combat under similar conditions and you'd need to get distinct results that clearly favored one training method.

It sounds like a job for a Space Empire with vast armies and lots of little wars and you'd still need to decide what you'd call the best results v. what the Space Empire would. You might consider "lowest casualties" best and the empire might favor the method that most encouraged troops to advance aggressively in the face of enemy fire.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

It might only be semi-useless (like based on the default from beam weapons to guns) but it's probably difficult to prove one way or another.

I mean, MILES training may arguably be more about teaching tactics, teamwork, etc than marksmanship, but it seems like a lot of wasted money having a system that replicates real weapons if the skill you're using your weapons with is the wrong one (although I'll admit it's not like "government wastes large amount of money" would exactly be a shocking headline). Certainly, if I were gaming out characters using MILES, I'd have the characters rolling against Guns when they shoot at each other, not Beam Weapons.

Regardless, for the reasons I outlined in the linked thread, there are DEWs that I feel are more appropriate to use Guns skill (with Familiarity considerations) than Beam Weapons skill, and honestly in most science fiction - and particularly in the sort of Space Fantasy WH40k arguably falls into - the way the DEWs work they should probably use Guns rather than Beam Weapons anyway.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Varyon

Certainly, if I were gaming out characters using MILES, I'd have the characters rolling against Guns when they shoot at each other, not Beam Weapons.

R

If I was to do this I would have to have a system where Beam Weapons (or at least Lasers) was acknowledged to be much easier than Guns and this is not standard Gurps although Gurps does make aimed fire with Lasers much easier than the same with Guns.

Mostly though if I was the officer in charge of training I would be concerned with unaimed fire because MILES might be giving the user a hit with unaimed fire when they'd have a miss with an actual gun.

[Varyon]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

If I was to do this I would have to have a system where Beam Weapons (or at least Lasers) was acknowledged to be much easier than Guns and this is not standard Gurps although Gurps does make aimed fire with Lasers much easier than the same with Guns.

This gets into a tangent that would probably be more appropriate for discussion in my previously-linked thread, but I think what I call variable-focus DEWs (which I have as the ones using Beam Weapons) would probably be roughly comparable in difficulty to using firearms. What I call single-focus DEWs (which I have as the ones using Guns) would realistically be easier than using firearms, particularly for lasers which are basically as close as one can get to a hitscan weapon without superscience... but GURPS already treats firearms as hitscan weapons, so just giving a higher Acc is probably sufficient to cover the difference (arguably, a free +3 to match the bonus firearms get for using a rangefinder could be justified, but then you'd also need to give firearms that same bonus for attacks within "hitscan" range, and that just becomes a complicated mess).

[Fennefell]

Finished work on Renegade Astartes. God I forgot how strong some of the Astartes melee weapons are. Making the Captain was fun. I also fixed a few issues with the Astartes melee weapons having wrong stats, and realized I had forgotten to port a rule about Warp damage and armor!

Xenos will be next.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Xr..._7xYIQq-e/view

Remaining work:

Inquisitor section, 2-4 pages.
Officio Assassinotorum section, 3-6 pages.
Adepta Sororitas section, 2-4 pages.
Rogue Trader section, 2-4 pages.
Mechanicus section, 4-6 pages.
Bestiary, 5-10 pages. <- In Progress.

Things to transcribe:

GM guidance on creating patterns and quality weapons. Should help GMs put together interesting weapons quicker.

Potential sections (if I have time):

Astartes vehicles, 3-4 pages.
Astra Militarum regiments, 2 pages.

As usual, thanks for the feedback. And Merry Christmas this time!

[LokRobster]

Just ran across this from your comment on the discord, looks interesting!
The latest link is not working for me, though… check and edit maybe?
I’ll see if one of the earlier ones are working.

[Kesendeja]

Tried to download the file, but it just gave me a message saying it didn't exist. I've tried on a window's 10 &11 desktops and an android tablet so far. Tried the tablet and my husband used one of the computers. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't us being dumb before bothering you.

Thank you for your hard work, we both play xenon on the table top game and are looking forward to seeing them. Any chance for playable racial templates for some of them?

[Fennefell]

Originally Posted by LokRobster

Just ran across this from your comment on the discord, looks interesting!
The latest link is not working for me, though… check and edit maybe?
I’ll see if one of the earlier ones are working.

Originally Posted by Kesendeja

Tried to download the file, but it just gave me a message saying it didn't exist. I've tried on a window's 10 &11 desktops and an android tablet so far. Tried the tablet and my husband used one of the computers. Just wanted to make sure it wasn't us being dumb before bothering you.

Thanks for letting me know! It looks like I accidentally overwrote the Google Drive file rather than editing it, so the previous link is now dead. I updated the links throughout the thread with the new link.

Originally Posted by Kesendeja

Thank you for your hard work, we both play xenon on the table top game and are looking forward to seeing them. Any chance for playable racial templates for some of them?

The next thing on my plate should be creating the Xenos bestiary. As part of that, I'll be creating a few templates and weapon tables for the Asuryani, Drukhari, Orks and Tau. I'll probably have some templates about Necrons and Tyranids, but putting those into a specific racial template is a bit harder.

[Fennefell]

Finished work on section for Adepta Sororitas. It's a relatively small section, but there's not too much to the Sororitas that is required. I'm happy I got a template in there for non-combat Sororitas, people forget about them a lot.

Also got a template done for the Eldar, though it's a very tentative template right now. It may change a bit as I stat up the Bestiary entries and think about it more.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-Xr...ABm4P_7xYIQq-e

Remaining work:

Inquisitor section, 2-4 pages.
Officio Assassinotorum section, 3-6 pages.
Rogue Trader section, 2-4 pages.
Mechanicus section, 4-6 pages.
Bestiary, 5-10 pages. <- In Progress.

Things to transcribe:

GM guidance on creating patterns and quality weapons. Should help GMs put together interesting weapons quicker.

Potential sections (if I have time):

Astartes vehicles, 3-4 pages.
Astra Militarum regiments, 2 pages.

As usual, thanks for the feedback. Happy New Years!