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Mailing List Logs for ShadowRN

Message no. 1
From: "Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat"
Subject: RBB stuff
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 22:32:28 EDT
Now that ]['ve had a chance to check out a few things, ][ can give a
clearer answer to The Reverend's question about the Position test.

The number of successes in the Position Test doesn't determine how
many actions the Rigger in control can take that Combat Turn; but it
is *one* of the factors that determine how many he can take. Remember
the number of potential actions the Position test gives when you make
your initiative roll. Compare the number of actions the initiative
roll gives you with the number that the Position test gives; the
number of actions you can take is the *lower* of the two.

For examples:

A Position test is made with the option to Flee, and 20 successes are
garnered. This means that, in addition to redlining his engine, he has
a maximum number of actions == 10. He rolls initiative and gets a 23
which gives him 3 actions (at 23, 12, and 1; or 23, 13, and 3). He
gets three actions that Combat Turn.

The weefle-runner rigger in pursuit of the rigger above gets a measly
four successes in his Position test: pursuit. ][n addition to being
handily outrun this Turn, he gets a maximum of 2 actions. He rolls
initiative and gets an impressive 34 (amazing what a VCR-3 can give ya
:-). He'd get 4 actions (at 34, 23, 12, and 1; or 34, 24, 14, and 4),
but can only take two of them because of his wimpy Position test; the
other two actions are gone (pft!).

][n either case, both Riggers need to spend one action (doesn't matter
when) to control their vehicles, or risk crashing. No dice rolls are
required for this.

Now, the first rigger can make two attacks at his tail, while the
second can make one at the escaping first. ][f the second rigger had
opted to Fight instead of Pursue, he'd get all four actions, but he be
even more outdistanced.

--Rat
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Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat ratinox@******.coe.northeastern.edu
Sleep with one eye open / Gripping your pillow tight...
Exit: Light / Enter: Night / Take my hand / We're off to Never-Never Land
--Metallica, Enter Sandman
Message no. 2
From: "J. Earl Williams" <IH46@****.BITNET>
Subject: RBB stuff
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 20:55:31 MDT
> Now that ]['ve had a chance to check out a few things, ][ can give a
> clearer answer to The Reverend's question about the Position test.
(you're not running off of an Apple ][, are you? *grin*)
>
> The number of successes in the Position Test doesn't determine how
> many actions the Rigger in control can take that Combat Turn; but it
> is *one* of the factors that determine how many he can take. Remember
> the number of potential actions the Position test gives when you make
> your initiative roll. Compare the number of actions the initiative
> roll gives you with the number that the Position test gives; the
> number of actions you can take is the *lower* of the two.

OUCH!!considering that with this "every 10" instead of "every 7", this
means that rigger's aren't as powerful as I thought. C'est la vie. I
personally am trying to reconcile that. Considering that they have
probably playtested this, wouldn't they have had just a LITTLE bit of
problem with this part? Running even a semi competent rigger, he would
become a victim of that rule rather rapidly.

----
J. Earl Williams (aka JEW).
Need help? Good for you chummer.
Message no. 3
From: "Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat"
Subject: Re: RBB stuff
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 23:49:32 EDT
>>>>> "JEW" ==== J. Earl Williams
>>>>> <IH46%UTEP.bitnet@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl> writes:

> Now that ]['ve had a chance to check out a few things, ][ can give a
> clearer answer to The Reverend's question about the Position test.
JEW> (you're not running off of an Apple ][, are you? *grin*)
Nope. But my monitor sits on one :-).

> The number of successes in the Position Test doesn't determine how
> many actions the Rigger in control can take that Combat Turn; but it
> is *one* of the factors that determine how many he can take. Remember
> the number of potential actions the Position test gives when you make
> your initiative roll. Compare the number of actions the initiative
> roll gives you with the number that the Position test gives; the
> number of actions you can take is the *lower* of the two.

JEW> OUCH!!considering that with this "every 10" instead of "every
7",
JEW> this means that rigger's aren't as powerful as I thought. C'est
JEW> la vie. I personally am trying to reconcile that. Considering
JEW> that they have probably playtested this, wouldn't they have had
JEW> just a LITTLE bit of problem with this part? Running even a semi
JEW> competent rigger, he would become a victim of that rule rather
JEW> rapidly.

Ouch! My mistakes there. ][ was subtracting 11 when ][ should have
been subtracting 7. SR2 subtracts 10 to determine actions (which ][
got right :-).

But, vehicles are a *lot* tougher than people are. SR1 doubles all
vehicle armor codes when hit by small arms fire. ][n SR2 vehicles
without armor use Body as composite armor and armor is treated as a
barrier, and the damage resistance test is done with Body + 1/2 Armor.

][t does seem reasonable that even a really quick vehicle isn't going
to be more responsive than a PhysAd or Samurai with lots of reaction
increase stuff, but they're a hell of a lot tougher.

--Rat
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Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat ratinox@******.coe.northeastern.edu
The only way to deal with temptation is to yield to it. --Oscar Wilde

Further Reading

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Disclaimer

These messages were posted a long time ago on a mailing list far, far away. The copyright to their contents probably lies with the original authors of the individual messages, but since they were published in an electronic forum that anyone could subscribe to, and the logs were available to subscribers and most likely non-subscribers as well, it's felt that re-publishing them here is a kind of public service.