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Disadvantages of a Humvee


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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

HMMWVs have no door locks and no ignition lock, but there is a steel cable that can be extended around the steering wheel and padlocked. You can pretty easily drive it away in a straight line, assuming the wheels are aimed straight ahead, but you can't go very far that way unless you're in featureless flat terrain. Cutting through the cable would probably take longer than jimmying the door and hotwiring a regular vehicle though.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

I am designing a US Military Humvee for a game. I am stumped on what else to do for Disadvantages. I have Distinctive Features and a Dependence of Spare Parts and Maintenance. I also placed Fuel Dependent on the movement. I am not sure what if anything I should add. Can you help?

 

Depending where you live: size might be a problem. Its big and can't fit through tight spaces. It would be just about impossible to maneuver in the older parts in some european cities, or even in a back alley with dumpsters and other stuff in it, or between close planted trees. Its also pretty heavy. And: hunted: car thieves....

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

It just now occurred to me that early-model Hummers had a problem with low-clearance bumps -- under the right circumstances they could end up sitting on one with none of the wheels touching the ground. (At any rate it was easier to do than with any other wheeled vehicle, and they "scraped" much more frequently.) A 5-point Physical Limitation to that effect might be acceptable.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

The Dependence of Spare Parts and Maintenance is pretty much a given for any modern vehicle. I wouldn't count it as a disadvantage unless the majority of vehicles in your game don't have this requirement.

 

Well the parts are not very common but with the time interval it works out to be a zero point Disadvantage, I added it mainly for flavor.

The Hunted and easy to “borrow” are good ideas. I will think about it.

If it helps, it is going into a Champions game following a Marvel “Age of Apocalypse” style setting mainly taking place in Seattle, WA USA year 2015. And anyone who has driven in Seattle will know that the size will be a minor issue (5 points).

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

It just now occurred to me that early-model Hummers had a problem with low-clearance bumps -- under the right circumstances they could end up sitting on one with none of the wheels touching the ground. (At any rate it was easier to do than with any other wheeled vehicle' date=' and they "scraped" much more frequently.) A 5-point Physical Limitation to that effect might be acceptable.[/quote']

 

:confused: Are you talking about the civilian version? Getting stuck on a speed bump is not to military specifications.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Well the parts are not very common but with the time interval it works out to be a zero point Disadvantage, I added it mainly for flavor.

 

The Hunted and easy to “borrow” are good ideas. I will think about it.

 

If it helps, it is going into a Champions game following a Marvel “Age of Apocalypse” style setting mainly taking place in Seattle, WA USA year 2015. And anyone who has driven in Seattle will know that the size will be a minor issue (5 points).

 

Depends on what part of Seattle. For instance, in the area north of the U Dist, size will be a big problem, what with every fourth or fifth intersection being a roundabout. Ditto for hilly suburbs. Bellevue and similar, not such a problem.

 

Downtown, a HMMVV would be either needed or insufficient, depending on what kind of apocalypse you're talking about (No, I don't know Jack about your reference). It all depends on what shape the skyscrapers are in. If they're fallen down, the streets will be impassible because of the rubble.

 

Mind you, it could be fun if the streets are mostly clear: "OK, you're leaving 5th and Seneca, heading down to 2nd. You get there fine, now roll to see if your brakes hold." "I roll a 16; that can't be good." "Sorry, your brakes fail. You have time for one last scream before flying off pier 55 and into Elliott Bay."

 

:sneaky:

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

:confused: Are you talking about the civilian version? Getting stuck on a speed bump is not to military specifications.
Oh, the bumps in question were a lot bigger than speed bumps. I'm talking of something a foot or so big.

 

But I could have misunderstood the story as told, so don't go by me on this.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Oh, the bumps in question were a lot bigger than speed bumps. I'm talking of something a foot or so big.

 

But I could have misunderstood the story as told, so don't go by me on this.

 

Hmmm...a foot is still pretty small for the sort of things you drive over cross-country.

 

I have seen a HMMWV stuck before, but it was the sort of thing that would pretty much total a regular passenger car. I had one stuck for about 5 minutes with two wheels over in a two foot deep ditch.

 

And I had one stuck for a couple of hours in a creek, when one side of the creekbed was mud of about milkshake consistency, and the whole truck slid over in that direction so that the rear bumper hit the bank when you tried to back up. One tire was up in the air, one was spinning on rocks, and the other two were in the mud. Presumably the underside of the truck was sitting on the rocky part of the creekbed.

 

But either way, neither was the sort of situation anyone would have even thought to take a regular car into.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Depends on what part of Seattle. For instance, in the area north of the U Dist, size will be a big problem, what with every fourth or fifth intersection being a roundabout. Ditto for hilly suburbs. Bellevue and similar, not such a problem.

 

Downtown, a HMMVV would be either needed or insufficient, depending on what kind of apocalypse you're talking about (No, I don't know Jack about your reference). It all depends on what shape the skyscrapers are in. If they're fallen down, the streets will be impassible because of the rubble.

 

Mind you, it could be fun if the streets are mostly clear: "OK, you're leaving 5th and Seneca, heading down to 2nd. You get there fine, now roll to see if your brakes hold." "I roll a 16; that can't be good." "Sorry, your brakes fail. You have time for one last scream before flying off pier 55 and into Elliott Bay."

 

:sneaky:

 

The West Coast is in good shape, I wouldn’t go into any of the major East Coast cities in anything short of a Bradley with close air support.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Hmmm...a foot is still pretty small for the sort of things you drive over cross-country.

 

I have seen a HMMWV stuck before, but it was the sort of thing that would pretty much total a regular passenger car. I had one stuck for about 5 minutes with two wheels over in a two foot deep ditch.

 

And I had one stuck for a couple of hours in a creek, when one side of the creekbed was mud of about milkshake consistency, and the whole truck slid over in that direction so that the rear bumper hit the bank when you tried to back up. One tire was up in the air, one was spinning on rocks, and the other two were in the mud. Presumably the underside of the truck was sitting on the rocky part of the creekbed.

 

But either way, neither was the sort of situation anyone would have even thought to take a regular car into.

 

Yeah, the early Hummers were considered more likely to "high center" in some off-road conditions due to the length of the wheelbase, but that's mostly when taken in comparison to off-road vehicles with a shorter wheelbase rather than against road vehicles. And in any case, I think they more or less eliminated the problem with a few tweaks to the suspension design.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Any vehicle taking a requires maintence/parts type disad could be a real lemon of a vehicle' date=' my dad had a diesel truck that seemed to be in the shop every few weeks or so.[/quote']

 

This is the Disadvantage as taken:

 

Dependence: Spare Parts or Maintenance Incompetence: -1 to Skill Rolls and related rolls per time increment (Difficult To Obtain Some Parts - Most Parts Common, 1 Season)

 

It is worth no points it is just there for flavor.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Ive taken HMMWVs over under and thru all manner of terrain both urban and rural. Up and down insane grades. Never got stuck. Never flipped. Did manage to destroy the suspension on a couple, but they still got me back to a motorpool. One time I had to get a tow from some Seabees after I blew out an engine but that hummer was done for anyway and I pushed it hard before it died on me. One of the things I miss about the military is doing crazy stuff in a HMMWV :)

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

I don't know about the military version, but the civilian versions have trouble going up to Snowqualmie pass because their wheelbase is wider than the grooves cut by a standard wheelbase. They can only get one set of wheels in the groove at a time, the other hangs out into the soft snow and pulls the vehicle this way or that.

 

...but it would be cooler to have a disadvantage like Side Effects: on failed skill roll it squashes cars, knocks over lamposts and so forth. Sorry about that! My vehicle is just too awesome.

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

Ive taken HMMWVs over under and thru all manner of terrain both urban and rural. Up and down insane grades. Never got stuck. Never flipped. Did manage to destroy the suspension on a couple' date=' but they still got me back to a motorpool. One time I had to get a tow from some Seabees after I blew out an engine but that hummer was done for anyway and I pushed it hard before it died on me. One of the things I miss about the military is doing crazy stuff in a HMMWV :)[/quote']Now that I am an Ordnance Officer, I have to hate you now for what you've done. ;-)

 

TB

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Re: Disadvantages of a Humvee

 

I don't know how it is in the Army' date=' but in the Marines the only sure-fire way to get new gear is to "accidentally" break the old gear :eg:[/quote']

 

In the Army, that's a good way to ensure that you'll have to jump through crazy hoops to beg, borrow, or steal a replacement when you go out to the field. At least in a TRADOC unit...how an actual unit would handle it is beyond my experience.

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