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

["Anthony Merlock" <amerlock@execpc.com>]

I saw the web page, and the weapon list, and the fact that it was as
detailed as it was made me start this whole response.

If they're civilians dealing with civilians and the average "thug",
then guns will play a larger part in the deal, because neither side
will have high-tech armor or weapons (or, at least the baddies won't
have them).  Your average jogger in central park won't be wearing body
armor, after all, and that's the level of prey your typical thug will
be going after.

If the PC's are paramilitary, then your model could work, because the people
the PC's will be going against will be armed to the teeth.

Also remember that soft armor of pretty much any sort does not protect
well against bludgeoning weapons - a baseball bat to the head won't be
stopped by most soft armors.

You also seem to be ignoring sabot rounds - if a shotgun shell is filled
with adamantium 3mm flechettes rather than a slug or buckshot, the darts will
be able to punch thru most soft armor.  Likewise, simple discarding sabot
rounds with 3mm adamantium penetrators in 6mm cartridges will penetrate
most armor, and a low-tech assault rifle could just have new DS ammo
put in it, at high rates of fire.  Individually, the penetrators wouldn't
do much damage, but they'd rip nice, clean holes thru armor, and the people
in the armor.  Add neurotoxins, and watch the fun!

Well, I was going to leave it short and sweet, but like always, I "talk"
too much......

In My Opinion:
If you want realism, guns will be around, and they will be able to defeat
just about any armor.  If you want swords & space, you should go more
fanciful and 'fantasy-ish', and have only three or four armors (light,
medium, heavy, super-heavy), a multitude of fancy melee weapons (which you
already have, although don't forget the bludgeoning or piercing weapons,
like warhammers or axes), and only a few fanciful projectile weapons
('stinger' (which ignores most armor, but only causes 'fatigue'-class damage),
light blaster, blaster, heavy blaster, assault blaster).

Yes, it's more 'star wars'-ish, but if you try to go too realistic, you'll
get more players asking "why can't I use adamantium sabot rounds to
give my assault rifle better penetration?".  Or at least, my players would.

In fact, my ideas on a swords & space campaign eliminated most technology,
and replaced it with magic - "guns" were actually wands, with built-in
strength batteries (and, if you had a "spell shield" belt, you were
immune, as long as it had "power"), vehicles were large enchanted items,
and star ships, of course, were the ultimate in magical items.  Most
people were not mages, and depended on these magi-tech items, and the major
corporations (all run by mages, of course) actually rule, because they are 
the only ones who can make these items.  However, it felt like a tech world,
because who really cares how a car runs, as long as it does (just don't ask
how the car's "strength battery" gets recharged at the "pump"......).

Tony Merlock

> 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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