Piercing Questions, or Making Tech Levels Distinctive

[AlHazred]

I'm working up some sheets of equipment segregated by tech level for my Traveller Hero game. I've been considering ways to make weapons from widely differing technologies more distinct from each other mechanically - to this end, I've been thinking of using Piercing to represent better ballistic weapons.

For instance, a musket shot will penetrate plate armor (usually), but in Hero terms most muskets I've seen do little damage. I hate the idea of putting the modifier Not Versus High Technology or some such on every piece of primitive armor. What about using Piercing points to define better weapons? If a crossbow and a musket ball both do 1 1/2 d6, but the musket ball has 4 points of Piercing, then it'll be much more attractive to the discerning weapons buyer. On the other hand, if I just give higher-tech weapons more Damage Classes, soon the high end of the scale will be doing ridiculous amounts of damage, a situation I want to avoid. Has someone done work on determining (ahem) "realistic" weapons in Hero using Piercing points?

I've also been thinking of increasing the BODY and DEF of items from higher tech levels by a point or two, in addition to the usual effects of better technology. What do you guys think? "Realistic" or not?

Ultimately, my PCs are going to be on the frontier of explored and settled space. As such, I expect they're going to have equipment malfunction, or be destroyed, or be stolen, just when they need it. While a flashlight is preferable to a torch, they both do make light, and in a pinch a torch is better than running around in the dark.

[Matt Frisbee]

This is an interesting point, and an essential one for science-fiction GM's: different levels of technology work in different ways, and newer is not necessarily better (though it is usually more convenient in some fashion).

Take vision enhancement technology as a "for instance:"

Initial visual telescopes were bulky, fragile and somewhat unreliable (due to the imperfections of early lens-grinding technologies) but did essentially the same job that compact binoculars do today. The difference comes from improvements in various materials, mass production and discoveries concerning optics. To be blunt, one can't expect a society that doesn't understand mass production techniques and hasn't gone through some form of an industrial revolution to produce anything besides non-standard hand-crafted items, which will vary widely in design, price and quality.

Sadly, it usually takes something traumatic like warfare or a disaster to spur a society to improve -- if there is no need or desire to do something a different way, the old ways suffice. Without need or competition, a society stagnates (at least from a technological standpoint). AlHazred makes a very valid point -- the ultra-modern versions of items should have improved performance, lower cost, lighter weight, greater endurance, etc.

I'll be interested to see what direction this goes, and what AlHazred comes up with for solutions for some of these issues. :)

Matt "Nitpicky-but-only-when-reminded-to-be" Frisbee

[whraven]

I would assign each item a tech level, and handle it as a roll modifier based on tech differences. This requires more GM discretion, so you'd probably need to develop some guidelines.

[Lord Liaden]

I would assign each item a tech level, and handle it as a roll modifier based on tech differences. This requires more GM discretion, so you'd probably need to develop some guidelines.

That was more or less my tack as well, using the ATRI Levels for technology from Star HERO as guidelines. When a weapon is two or more ATRI Levels more advanced than the armor it's used against, the Defense of the armor is halved against that weapon, as though the weapon were Armor Piercing against it. If a weapon is two or more ATRI Levels less advanced than the armor, the weapon's damaged is divided in two as though it had the Reduced Penetration Limitation.

It seems to me that much of the technological progress in personal weaponry has been to improve the weapon's ability to penetrate personal defenses. The damaging effects of individual missile hits on unarmored flesh hasn't increased all that much.

[ShadowWraithe]

Different technologies could be differentiated in several ways.

- Make some technology organic in nature, such as living ships or parasitic handguns.
- Add more dials and gauges to represent richer depths of information being handled and interpreted.
- Remove more dials, gauges and controls to represent some functions being automated or no longer necessary.
- Cybernetic, telepathic, neural interfaces or AIs are used to run equipment instead of doing it by hand.
- Higher level technology may be harder to repair and require more specialized skills to repair or use.
- Higher level technology may be self repairing or run itself.

In general, higher levels of technology will be more effective against lower levels of technology, but there are exceptions where the level of effectiveness may vary against other levels of technology. For example if a person in shiny new platemail were to fight a person who has a taser, he would have no protection at all from the electricity coursing through his armor. But if the same person in platemail fights a person with a laser pistol, his shiny armor may deflect the entire effect of the laser shots.

[Tom Carman]

In general, higher levels of technology will be more effective against lower levels of technology, but there are exceptions where the level of effectiveness may vary against other levels of technology. For example if a person in shiny new platemail were to fight a person who has a taser, he would have no protection at all from the electricity coursing through his armor. But if the same person in platemail fights a person with a laser pistol, his shiny armor may deflect the entire effect of the laser shots.

Check out this site: http://www.projectrho.com/rocket/rocket3l.html

A relevant quote: "In soft materials, vapor expansion will carve out a hole much larger than the original one millimeter - I got four centimeters maximum hole diameter for soft body tissue, so the effect should be at least equal to a modern high-velocity pistol bullet, and perhaps comparable to a small centerfire rifle. Brittle materials are likely to shatter within a similar radius, tough stuff like steel will show little effect beyond the original hole.

And no, mirrors will not work as armor. The best finish you can reasonably expect to keep on an exterior surface, will still absorb 10-20% of the incident energy, which will be enough to burn through the outer layer on the first pulse. And the rough and now hot interior will be even less reflective."