Vehicle weapons

[JmOz]

Am I reading the rules correctly?

 

If a vehicle is traveling at Non Combat speeds it's max OCV will be 0 (as you zero out OCV as the last step of calculating CV?

 

Am I missing something, or is it really practically impossible for a vehicle to hit another vehicle in a dog fight?

[Steve Long]

The following rules are relevant to this issue:

 

1. 6E2 194:  “A Vehicle can move more quickly if the driver (or pilot) moves at Noncombat Movement velocity (which of course reduces the Vehicle’s OCV to 0 and halves its DCV).”

 

2. 6E2 37:  “A reduction of OCV or DCV to 0 should generally be considered as “reducing CV by a percentage,” and thus be applied as the very last step in the OCV or DCV calculation. However, the GM may change this if he wishes (for example, he might consider the 0 to be the character’s base CV), and the rules may note other exceptions.”

 

 

So there are a number of things to consider. First, you’re generally correct that a Vehicle moving at Noncombat Movement velocity will be at 0 OCV.

 

Second, that does not necessarily mean 0 OCV and nothing else. The GM might choose to change that, as noted on 6E2 37. In fact, if you’re using the advanced vehicular combat rules in The Ultimate Vehicle, a reduction of OCV to 0 for Noncombat Movement is specifically listed as part of the fourth step in the OCV Checklist, not the eighth (see TUV 181).

 

Third, you’re assuming that Vehicles engaged in “a dog fight” (or any other form of vehicular combat) are moving at Noncombat speeds. I don’t think that’s necessarily a valid assumption. It may be in some instances, but may be wrong in others. In my personal experience, Vehicles in combat generally slow down to Combat Movement velocities for precisely this reason:  to make it easier to shoot the other guy (so to speak). But of course anyone else’s mileage may vary.

 

Fourth, there are some advanced rules in The Ultimate Vehicle that may factor into the situation, such as the Uses Character OCV Not Vehicle OCV Power Modifier.

 

Hope that helps!