Tweaking weapons and Armour for Space opera:

[vierasmarius]

If you don't want to deal with the high Acc and RoF of Lasers, why not use Blasters instead? They don't need to be "Charged Particle Beams" per se; the stats are appropriate for many superscience energy weapons that fire discrete packets instead of beams.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by ericthered

Indeed. I'm asking if its fair and realistic to say you don't get the +12 until you aim for two seconds.

A laser rifle is better than any bullet throwing sniper rifle and it is better in ways that will show up on the first second of Aiming.

To extend things there's much less reason to aim extensively with a laser rifle. You might get some good out of taking 3 Turns to steady your hands and breathing but most of the things you're going to be doing while using the Precision aiming Technique from Tactical Shooting won't apply.

So, no. your proposal has it backwards.

You may also be overestimating the effect of ACC 12 on long distance shooting. -12 for range is only 200 yards.

[Mailanka]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

A laser rifle is better than any bullet throwing sniper rifle and it is better in ways that will show up on the first second of Aiming.

To extend things there's much less reason to aim extensively with a laser rifle. You might get some good out of taking 3 Turns to steady your hands and breathing but most of the things you're going to be doing while using the Precision aiming Technique from Tactical Shooting won't apply.

So, no. your proposal has it backwards.

You may also be overestimating the effect of ACC 12 on long distance shooting. -12 for range is only 200 yards.

Removing range isn't really the problem. It's the fact that you'll hit your target's eye 10 times with Acc like that.

But given how utterly OP bullets are, I don't really mind. TL 10 storm carbines can equip HEMP rounds and blast through hardsuits. A laser rifle can't do that.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by Mailanka

Removing range isn't really the problem. It's the fact that you'll hit your target's eye 10 times with Acc like that.

Taking only the ACC 12 and the ROF bonusinto cionsderatio0n you're trying to cancel out -9 for Hit Location and succeed by more than 9 pts. This will require a base Skill of 18 at a distance of 5 yards. You'd still have to take a Turn to aim while he was in Melee range too.

So that example I pretty exaggerated and even all the other targeting aids you can use except for a scope will only get you back out to 50 yards. Add the scope (TL9 ETS) and it's 150 yards.

If you give up on the 10 hits to the eye and settle for 1 in a reasonable tiem frame you can do it at the Laser rifle's 1/2D of 700 yards but you still need to start with Skill-18.

If anyone is really worried about massive numbers of laser hits reduce Laser ROF. <shrug> Doc Smith's DeLameters were continuous beam weapons but not all classic SF rayguns were. This does makes lasers an even worse deal compared to advanced firearms.

[LemmingLord]

Oh man, I misread the subject. I was looking forward to rules on "twerking" your weapons and armor for space opera.

[MatthewVilter]

I've always had this vague suspicion/superstition that Acc should only count for canceling range penalties and not hit location or speed penalties.

I don't think that fully makes sense (far is small is far) but the idea is there none the less...

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

A laser rifle is better than any bullet throwing sniper rifle and it is better in ways that will show up on the first second of Aiming.

To extend things there's much less reason to aim extensively with a laser rifle. You might get some good out of taking 3 Turns to steady your hands and breathing but most of the things you're going to be doing while using the Precision aiming Technique from Tactical Shooting won't apply.

So, no. your proposal has it backwards.

You may also be overestimating the effect of ACC 12 on long distance shooting. -12 for range is only 200 yards.

I'm not doubting that the riffle is that accurate on round one. I'm doubting that the user is that accurate. I'm arguing that it takes more than two seconds to steady your own hands to the point that you can point the laser accurately enough to hit a target a tenth of a mile away. reliably. with minimal training (1 point on a DX 10 character).

And it doesn't add 200 yards. It adds +12. If you're already firing Full ROF and shooting at them multiple times (at that range, why not?) it lets you soak lots of other penalties. Sure, it makes 200 yards easy. It also makes 1000 yards routine.

Originally Posted by LemmingLord

Oh man, I misread the subject. I was looking forward to rules on "twerking" your weapons and armor for space opera.

I've put some thought into that, but don't have a complete set.. I think some previous thoughts on the matter were published on PbP under the title "strange neighbors"

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by ericthered

I'm not doubting that the riffle is that accurate on round one. I'm doubting that the user is that accurate.

Maybe, but any such rule should apply at least as much to other weapons as lasers. The basic mechanic for firing a rifle at long distances is:

1. Align sights on target.
2. Calculate Range
3. Adjust aim point for bullet drop and target motion.
4. Pull Trigger.

Lasers skip steps 2 and 3. This should always be faster and more accurate than the rifle.

[Fred Brackin]

Originally Posted by ericthered

And it doesn't add 200 yards. It adds +12. If you're already firing Full ROF and shooting at them multiple times (at that range, why not?) it lets you soak lots of other penalties. Sure, it makes 200 yards easy. It also makes 1000 yards routine.

"

Only if you are an exceptional sniper with Skill-18. Average infantrymen with Skill-11 will miss with 2/3rds of even Aimed shots at full ROF at 1000 yards.

[ericthered]

Originally Posted by Fred Brackin

Only if you are an exceptional sniper with Skill-18. Average infantrymen with Skill-11 will miss with 2/3rds of even Aimed shots at full ROF at 1000 yards.

exactly. one in three hit. That's routine. That's good. That's dangerous. Thats close enough to slow down my movement and make me dive for cover. Those aren't routine as in "of course I'm going to make this". Those are routine as in "I expect a grunt with only basic training be be a legitament threat at this range"

Originally Posted by Anthony

Maybe, but any such rule should apply at least as much to other weapons as lasers. .

Very true. That is a thought worth considering though: a cap on how much of a weapons acc you can apply per second.