Re: (TFT) Ty's New TFT Campaign -- Swords 'n Space

["Ty Beard" <tbeard@tyler.net>]

> I don't mean to argue with you about this - after all, it's
your
> campaign; however, if I was a player in this campaign, I may
have
> some problems suspending disbelief (and, more importantly,
getting
> in the 'swords & space' mindset) if I didn't believe that it
was
> the best way to go.

Oh, there's no argument. I think we agree that there needs rto
be some technological reason for the obsolesence of guns. I just
don't think I made it clear.

...

> Ok, now I'm just ranting in a stream-of-conscience way,
because I have no
> desire to do more work today....  All I'm really saying is
that there
> should be a really good reason to use melee weapons, or your
players won't.

Correct. Perhaps I should have been clearer by pointing you to
my webpage for the campaign
http://www.reese.org/tft/swords-n-space.htm. If you look at the
assortment of weapons and armor, you'll see why swords make
sense.

At my TL9 (mid to late 21st Century) a Composite Weave bodysuit
will stop 16 points of projectile damage (at no DX penalty), yet
it won't hinder edged weapons. A TL9 SA9 9mm Combat Rifle firing
APDS will do 3d-2, or an average of about 8 points of damage.
Because it's armor-piercing, you'd halve the armor to 8. Very
little effect. Though I'll probably rule that anyone hit for 5+
points of damage *before* the armor is at -2 DX from the impact.
A TL 9 Tritanium broadsword will do 2d+1 - and the bodysuit will
stop none of that damage. The TL9 composite mesh will stop 3
points of the broadsword's damage -- but an average of 5 will
get through.

Later on, you have monofilament weapons that go through any
armor. Then, there are artifact force fields. And light sabres
to cut through them. And so on. Bottom line -- in my
extrapolation, armor outstrips bullets, which results in a
return to swords.

But higher tech guns *are* effective against lower tech armor,
which can guve a sorta "Zulu Dawn" feel.

These technological assumptions -- which are just as believable
as force screens IMHO -- provide for a very logical reason why
swords are preferred weapons. They simply do more damage in
combat situations.

--Ty Beard

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