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Message no. 1
From: Russell A Howard <amigaman+@****.EDU>
Subject: Rigger Black Book problems...
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 10:54:51 CET
Well,

In my earlier letter I said that I was less than satisfied by the
rules presented in the RBB. Here's a small list of my dislikes. Maybe
somebody out there have figured out some work arounds for these gripes...

(1) I feel that the body factors for the vehicles is not well though
out at all. I mean, cmon, teh BMW Blitzen 2050 motorcycle has the
same Body/Armor (3/2) as the C-N Partol One car...

(2) CF's are dumb. They really have no reality to them...

(3) What hapens if you get 0 successes in your Position test? It looks
like you can't do anything that round. :) So, we have a vehicle in
combat who is going 60 kpr one round but then comes to a dead stop the
next? :)

As I said, this is only a small list...(I don't have my copy of the RBB.
One of my players borrowed it.) Comments, suggestions, flames invited.
--
Russ Howard
Internet: amigaman+@****.edu
BIX: russhoward
Message no. 2
From: The Reverend <IH46@****.BITNET>
Subject: Rigger Black Book problems...
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 08:32:43 MDT
Here are some more RBB problems
1) You can't create many of the cars in the book.
2) If you have a decent rig, then you can wind up with something like 20
successes! Does that mean you get 20 shots (in fight mode), or just
however many actions you can actually take? I'm still curious on this
one.
3) on the + side, there are a lot of tiny things that add up. Like my
earlier post about the fact that the autopilot adds to your control pool
(a REAL nasty screw...especially if you have a good decker who can re-
write your autopilot for a higher level... Howdy, Doom!:)

It could have been done better. It also could have been done worse
(imagine...those really awful/stupid looking pictures done by that one
person.... all through the book)

finally, one of the main reasons I bought the book.... how big is a
drone? It NEVER SAYS!!! (except the frisbee one, I think)

---
The Reverend
"He told me of his strange foundation..."

Cthulhu in '92! Why vote for the lesser evil?
Looking for Alt.Cyberpunk.Chatsubo archives...e-mail if u have info!
Message no. 3
From: "Richard Pieri/Stainless Steel Rat"
Subject: Re: Rigger Black Book problems...
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 17:45:16 EDT
>>>>> "TR" ==== The Reverend
<IH46%UTEP.bitnet@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
>>>>> writes:

TR> Here are some more RBB problems
TR> 1) You can't create many of the cars in the book.

No kidding. This ain't Car Wars, tho :-). The real reason is that most
of the vehicles were given stats with the "it looks good to us"
method, so things like this are the result.

TR> 2) If you have a decent rig, then you can wind up with something like 20
TR> successes! Does that mean you get 20 shots (in fight mode), or just
TR> however many actions you can actually take? I'm still curious on this
TR> one.

20 successes for what? The number of actions you can take is
determined with normal initiative dice.

TR> 3) on the + side, there are a lot of tiny things that add up. Like my
TR> earlier post about the fact that the autopilot adds to your control pool
TR> (a REAL nasty screw...especially if you have a good decker who can re-
TR> write your autopilot for a higher level... Howdy, Doom!:)

Nope. Not without extra equipment. The built-in autopilot is not just
software, but sensors and servos fitted throughout the vehicle.

TR> It could have been done better. It also could have been done worse
TR> (imagine...those really awful/stupid looking pictures done by that one
TR> person.... all through the book)

TR> finally, one of the main reasons I bought the book.... how big is a
TR> drone? It NEVER SAYS!!! (except the frisbee one, I think)

As big as necessary, ranging from the size of a breadbox for a crawler
to something that'll fill the back of a pickup truck for the big,
armored suckers.

--Rat
||||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | |||||
Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat ratinox@******.coe.northeastern.edu
Character is what you are in the dark. --Lord John Whorfin
Message no. 4
From: "J. Earl Williams" <IH46@****.BITNET>
Subject: Re: Rigger Black Book problems...
Date: Tue, 20 Oct 92 20:26:56 MDT
> >>>>> "TR" ==== The Reverend
<IH46%UTEP.bitnet@*****.nic.SURFnet.nl>
> >>>>> writes:
>
> TR> Here are some more RBB problems
> TR> 1) You can't create many of the cars in the book.
>
> No kidding. This ain't Car Wars, tho :-). The real reason is that most
> of the vehicles were given stats with the "it looks good to us"
> method, so things like this are the result.
>
> TR> 2) If you have a decent rig, then you can wind up with something like 20
> TR> successes! Does that mean you get 20 shots (in fight mode), or just
> TR> however many actions you can actually take? I'm still curious on this
> TR> one.
>
> 20 successes for what? The number of actions you can take is
> determined with normal initiative dice.
>
> TR> 3) on the + side, there are a lot of tiny things that add up. Like my
> TR> earlier post about the fact that the autopilot adds to your control pool
> TR> (a REAL nasty screw...especially if you have a good decker who can re-
> TR> write your autopilot for a higher level... Howdy, Doom!:)
>
> Nope. Not without extra equipment. The built-in autopilot is not just
> software, but sensors and servos fitted throughout the vehicle.
>
> TR> It could have been done better. It also could have been done worse
> TR> (imagine...those really awful/stupid looking pictures done by that one
> TR> person.... all through the book)
>
> TR> finally, one of the main reasons I bought the book.... how big is a
> TR> drone? It NEVER SAYS!!! (except the frisbee one, I think)
>
> As big as necessary, ranging from the size of a breadbox for a crawler
> to something that'll fill the back of a pickup truck for the big,
> armored suckers.
>
> --Rat
> ||||| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ||||
> Northeastern's Stainless Steel Rat ratinox@******.coe.northeastern.ed
> Character is what you are in the dark. --Lord John Whorfi
> TR> 1) You can't create many of the cars in the book.
>
> No kidding. This ain't Car Wars, tho :-). The real reason is that most
> of the vehicles were given stats with the "it looks good to us"
> method, so things like this are the result.
Yeah, I know. It's still annoying, though.
>
> TR> 2) If you have a decent rig, then you can wind up with something like 20
> TR> successes! Does that mean you get 20 shots (in fight mode), or just
> TR> however many actions you can actually take? I'm still curious on this
> TR> one.
>
> 20 successes for what? The number of actions you can take is
> determined with normal initiative dice.
In RBB:
(p. 129)
Fight
The fight option is the choice of warriors. In choosing this option, th
e player character may have to manuever his vehicle out of position in
terms of flight or pursuit in order to make the attack.
Vehicles intending to fight receive a number of attacks against the
opposing vehicle equal to the number of successes generated.

That's what I'm talking about. With my control pool (20+!), and a T# of
a -1 (LOVE that -6 from my VCR cyberware), I will get almost all success
-es. Even if he's a rigger, odds are I am going to get more than 4
actions (is an action different than an attack? It seems that the
rigger gets however many "attacks", instead of actions. However, the
drones count as attacks (I believe), and the passengers are limited to
however many "actions" they roll.
>
> Nope. Not without extra equipment. The built-in autopilot is not just
> software, but sensors and servos fitted throughout the vehicle.
Okay. That kinda makes sense. I believe, though, that good enough
programming can raise the autopilot by a max of 1 level.
>
> TR> finally, one of the main reasons I bought the book.... how big is a
> TR> drone? It NEVER SAYS!!! (except the frisbee one, I think)
>
> As big as necessary, ranging from the size of a breadbox for a crawler
> to something that'll fill the back of a pickup truck for the big,
> armored suckers.
That's the way I've seen it done (and done it). One of the patrol
vehicles, depending on the campaign I was in, was from the size of a
footlocker, to a rideable golf-cart sized thing. I just wished that
they had told this earlier. I originally paid about 150,000 in order to
build a drone the size of the smaller drones that are in the book. Ouch
!!! Then again, I also had to pay 100,000 nuyen for armor for my
Nightsky (yes, this was a butch campaign). Now it costs around 10. God
I hate the technology curve!

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Thwap!