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Message no. 1
From: GLENN.ROBERTSON@***.Edu
Subject: Drones vs. People
Date: Thu, 30 May 1996 13:21:34 -0700 (MST)
I have a couple of questions to pose regarding drones. The RBB talks about
using sensors on the drone to attack at another drone/vehicle using its
signature as a target number. Is it purely that simple, or is the
signature a base target number that then gets modified by the standard
modifiers for normal ranged combat (visibility, recoil, attacker/target
movement rates, etc)? Does the rigger's gunnery skill get figured in
somehow?

My next question arises then on using drones to attack people. How does
on resolve that? Do sensors still figure in? Do you use the controlling
rigger's gunnery skill at all?

Thanks!
Glenn
Message no. 2
From: Tom Pendergrast <pendergr@***.EDU>
Subject: Re: Drones vs. People
Date: Thu, 30 May 1996 16:16:01 -0700 (PDT)
On Thu, 30 May 1996 GLENN.ROBERTSON@***.EDU wrote:

> I have a couple of questions to pose regarding drones. The RBB talks about
> using sensors on the drone to attack at another drone/vehicle using its
> signature as a target number. Is it purely that simple, or is the
> signature a base target number that then gets modified by the standard
> modifiers for normal ranged combat (visibility, recoil, attacker/target
> movement rates, etc)? Does the rigger's gunnery skill get figured in
> somehow?

(AFAIK):

There are two kinds of targeting: sensory and visual. With sensor
targeting, you roll dice equal to the rigger's gunnery + rating of
sensors, or just the rating of the sensors if the drone is off on its
own. the TN is equal to the signature with mods of recoil, and *relative*
movement, cover too <?>. Anyway, with visual targeting, you roll your
gunnery against a standard TN based on range, with all the standard mods.

> My next question arises then on using drones to attack people. How does
> on resolve that? Do sensors still figure in? Do you use the controlling
> rigger's gunnery skill at all?

Question: is the drone being remote piloted or is it off on its own with
the command of "kill-x"? If the drone is being remote piloted you roll
gunnery + sensors. If not, just sensors, I believe, although that sounds
a little low. As for the targeting, (meta)humans are considered to have
a signature of 8 (RBB, pg ??)...




---Tom---
Message no. 3
From: "Gurth" <gurth@******.nl>
Subject: Re: Drones vs. People
Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 11:04:59 +0100
GLENN.ROBERTSON@***.Edu said on 13:21/30 May 96...

> I have a couple of questions to pose regarding drones. The RBB talks about
> using sensors on the drone to attack at another drone/vehicle using its
> signature as a target number. Is it purely that simple, or is the
> signature a base target number that then gets modified by the standard
> modifiers for normal ranged combat (visibility, recoil, attacker/target
> movement rates, etc)?

The base target number is the vehicle's Signature. Now looking at the
RBB, page 104 shows the modifiers for shooting at a moving target, while
page 106 has the modifiers for sensor-enhanced targeting. For example, if
your vehicle moves at half the speed of your target (+2), and you're in an
urban environment (+2) where you have a direct LOS to the target (-4),
your overall modifier is +0.
The damage to your vehicle also figures into this -- if it has Moderate
damage, add another +2, etc.

> Does the rigger's gunnery skill get figured in somehow?

Add the Sensor rating to the rigger's Firearms or Gunnery skill -- a
character with Gunnery 4 driving a vehicle with Sensors 5 rolls 9 dice to
hit the target. If you're firing a missile, add the missile's Intelligence
rating to that as well: fire an Ares Dragon's Breath Attack AAM from said
vehicle, and you've got 18 dice for your attack...

> My next question arises then on using drones to attack people. How does
> on resolve that? Do sensors still figure in? Do you use the controlling
> rigger's gunnery skill at all?

Shooting people through your sensors works exactly the same as shooting
vehicles; people have a Signature of 8 (says FOF), and from there it's the
same procedure as above all the way.

--
Gurth@******.nl - http://www.xs4all.nl/~gurth/index.html
Het is geen kunst om te veroordelen, datgeen wat jij niet bent.
-> NERPS Project Leader & Unofficial Shadowrun Guru <-
-> The Character Mortuary: http://huizen.dds.nl/~mortuary/mortuary.html <-

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Message no. 4
From: "Mark Steedman" <M.J.Steedman@***.rgu.ac.uk>
Subject: Re: Drones vs. People
Date: Fri, 31 May 1996 16:38:32 GMT
GLENN.ROBERTSON writes

>
> I have a couple of questions to pose regarding drones. The RBB talks about
> using sensors on the drone to attack at another drone/vehicle using its
> signature as a target number. Is it purely that simple, or is the
> signature a base target number that then gets modified by the standard
> modifiers for normal ranged combat (visibility, recoil, attacker/target
> movement rates, etc)? Does the rigger's gunnery skill get figured in
> somehow?
>
all the usual mods apply.
You can shoot visual, no bonus dice for sensors, have to control
drone direct, usual combat rules apply or use Fof people are
signature 8, you get the bonus sensor dice but all the extra
modifiers from the sensor assisted targeting modifiers list folks
have been quoting apply as well.

> My next question arises then on using drones to attack people. How does
> on resolve that? Do sensors still figure in?
If you use signature rather than the basic 4 as the base dificulty.

> Do you use the controlling
> rigger's gunnery skill at all?
>
Yes.
> Thanks!
> Glenn
>

As to should you use visual or sensor targeting, well with good
sensors and missiles sensors are better, with very low signature
targets (2 or 3 stuff) again sensors, but with some of the high
signature stuff just drop the dice and go visual is often better.

Mark

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