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Old 06-10-2013, 07:37 AM   #1
gesus
 
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Default Synchronizing shots between squad members

I'm looking for a way to take down guards not allowing them to sound the alarm.
Let's say we have 3 guards to take out and our squad is made of 3 shooters and 1 coordinator.
If all shooters Aim for a few turns and then coordinator orders to attack, we have a standard turn sequence in the next turn. So if one of guards has his BS between two of shooters, he will have his maneuver, but restricted to "Do Nothing" because of partial surprise (assuming he has Combat Reflexes). During this turn he can scream (this is a free-action and B363 states free actions can be done during any maneuver) and thus sound the alarm.
Shooters can't declare Aim and Wait (for coordinator's command) at the same time. Or can they?
Shooters can't lower their BS to the same low value to not let guards act between them. Or can they?
Shooters can't use Opportunity Fire to combine Aim and Wait because due to RAW they will have to shoot once target appear in the hex. Meaning instantly in this case (target already in the hex). Am I right?
So what can they do?
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:44 AM   #2
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

I'd definitely allow a team of 3 snipers and one coordinator to time their fire to be, in effect, simultaneous. The surprised guards would likely even waste the first second afterwards, if still alive, although their training might kick in and allow them to drop and dodge. It takes a moment for a person to scream an alarm, if not prepared for it anyway. I would not allow a surprised guard to do that on the same second, and most likely, not on the next second either (that would be the drop and dodge while inhaling stage), and let them scream on the third round.
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Old 06-10-2013, 07:56 AM   #3
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

Wait: when Cap gives the order, I AOA (Determined) my target. I believe (and I allow) Aim benefits can be retained through a Wait as long as you keep eyes on the target.
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Old 06-10-2013, 08:09 AM   #4
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

Quote:
Originally Posted by RyanW View Post
Wait: when Cap gives the order, I AOA (Determined) my target. I believe (and I allow) Aim benefits can be retained through a Wait as long as you keep eyes on the target.
There's some nuance to this, but yes, that's the gist of it. You can certainly start using more fiddly ways to do it, but I don't see the need. It's perfectly sensible.
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Old 06-10-2013, 08:14 AM   #5
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

It's not by RAW, is it?
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Old 06-10-2013, 08:26 AM   #6
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

You may take a Wait with a ready
ranged weapon; this is known as “cov-
ering” a target or area. If so, you must
specify the zone that you are covering
with that weapon. There is no penalty
to cover a one-yard area.

Exception: If you watch a single hex
(only), you can Aim and Wait. Each
second you wait for a target also
counts as an Aim maneuver, and you
will get the normal bonus for that
amount of aiming when you finally
attack.

It's somewhat counter-intutive that such 'Aim-and-Wait' is described on B390 under Opportunity Fire, but there is no reason to claim that the manoeuvre cannot apply to waiting for a fire command instead of waiting for an enemy to pop up.
Who's the GM?
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Old 06-10-2013, 08:33 AM   #7
Tuk the Weekah
 
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

Quote:
Originally Posted by gesus View Post
I'm looking for a way to take down guards not allowing them to sound the alarm.
Let's say we have 3 guards to take out and our squad is made of 3 shooters and 1 coordinator.
If all shooters Aim for a few turns and then coordinator orders to attack, we have a standard turn sequence in the next turn. So if one of guards has his BS between two of shooters, he will have his maneuver, but restricted to "Do Nothing" because of partial surprise (assuming he has Combat Reflexes). During this turn he can scream (this is a free-action and B363 states free actions can be done during any maneuver) and thus sound the alarm.
Shooters can't declare Aim and Wait (for coordinator's command) at the same time. Or can they?
Shooters can't lower their BS to the same low value to not let guards act between them. Or can they?
Shooters can't use Opportunity Fire to combine Aim and Wait because due to RAW they will have to shoot once target appear in the hex. Meaning instantly in this case (target already in the hex). Am I right?
So what can they do?
If your team has a means of telecommunication (ie: the Coordinator is a Telepath or, somewhat more mundanely, they have walkie-talkies or bluetooth-enabled phones), and all 3 snipers are Waiting for the same fire command, I see no reason why the attacks couldn't be (in GURPS terms) simultaneous.
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Old 06-10-2013, 08:39 AM   #8
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

So still not by RAW...
What do you mean who's GM? One guy. Maybe he's reading this right now :)

I think we just found some sort of solution actually. I guess.
"If you follow an Aim maneuver with an Attack or All-Out Attack with the same weapon against the same target, you get a bonus to hit."
"WAIT
Do nothing unless a particular event you specified in advance occurs before your next turn; e.g., a foe moves into range. If that happens, you may transform your Wait into an Attack, Feint, All-Out Attack (you must specify the option before acting), or Ready maneuver."
So it looks like if we take Wait after few turns of Aim, we have an Aim followed by Attack (if trigger occurs). So... since Aim is followed by Attack, it's bonus is retained. I guess.
Turns:
1. Aim
2. Aim
3. Aim. Here comes command: "Get ready".
4. Wait (trigger: command "attack"; action: Attack). Here comes command: "attack" which triggers Wait. So 4-th maneuver become Attack and thus 3-rd maneuver is followed by Attack.

Is this by RAW?
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Old 06-10-2013, 08:50 AM   #9
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

Quote:
Originally Posted by gesus View Post
So still not by RAW...
Covering a single hex and gaining the benefits of Aim and Wait is RAW. It's just worded in a convoluted way: B366 (Wait) says to look at B390 for extra rules (which say that covering a single hex benefits from Aim).

Quote:
Originally Posted by gesus View Post
What do you mean who's GM? One guy. Maybe he's reading this right now :)
I'm asking mostly to figure the reason for such a wording of the question. Is the GM a rules literalist? Does the GM accept rulings by SJG representatives as official? (Some don't.)


Quote:
Originally Posted by gesus View Post
I think we just found some sort of solution actually. I guess.
"If you follow an Aim maneuver with an Attack or All-Out Attack with the same weapon against the same target, you get a bonus to hit."
"WAIT
Do nothing unless a particular event you specified in advance occurs before your next turn; e.g., a foe moves into range. If that happens, you may transform your Wait into an Attack, Feint, All-Out Attack (you must specify the option before acting), or Ready maneuver."
So it looks like if we take Wait after few turns of Aim, we have an Aim followed by Attack (if trigger occurs). So... since Aim is followed by Attack, it's bonus is retained. I guess.
Turns:
1. Aim
2. Aim
3. Aim. Here comes command: "Get ready".
4. Wait (trigger: command "attack"; action: Attack). Here comes command: "attack" which triggers Wait. So 4-th maneuver become Attack and thus 3-rd maneuver is followed by Attack.Is this by RAW?
This is the somewhat inconvenient but very literal way to do it, yes.

Also, if you can afford to, you might also want to add Precision Aiming in the whole thing, just to get better shots.
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Old 06-10-2013, 09:15 AM   #10
gesus
 
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Default Re: Synchronizing shots between squad members

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
I'm asking mostly to figure the reason for such a wording of the question. Is the GM a rules literalist? Does the GM accept rulings by SJG representatives as official? (Some don't.)
The reason is GM doesn't think it's real to do such task in terms of RAW and doesn't want to houserule this. And says I can try to look for proofs in official books.

Quote:
Originally Posted by vicky_molokh View Post
This is the somewhat inconvenient but very literal way to do it, yes.
Thanks.
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