Missiles & Defensive Fire (Vehicles)

[Melbourne Accords]

In our next Traveller session, a grav vehicle armed with an advanced plasma missile rack (Auto 3) will fire at a Newpoint APC. The Newpoint is equipped with a Gauss Cannon (Auto 3) & Fire Control +2. It appears in the Vehicle Handbook on p. 143.

I seek clarification on the following two points:

1. How does the missile fire work with Full Auto? Does this mean three attacks and nine missiles consumed?
2. The APC will use the gauss cannon to attack the missiles. What modifiers are relevant (e.g. missile speed)?

(I understand that the TL12 Plasma Missile (1DD AP20) that appears in the Vehicle Handbook (p. 43) is insufficient to defeat the forward armour of a Newpoint (80), so I've increased the AP of the advanced version accordingly).

Thank you (in advance)!

 

[Hakkonen]

1. How does the missile fire work with Full Auto? Does this mean three attacks and nine missiles consumed?

Correct.

2. The APC will use the gauss cannon to attack the missiles. What modifiers are relevant (e.g. missile speed)?

After a quick review of the vehicle combat rules, I can't find anything that says vehicle crews can use point defense in the way that spacecraft crews can. The high speed of guided missiles and much shorter range of surface combat means that you can't shoot down missiles with a crew-operated weapon. IRL, CIWS and similar systems are fully automated: a radar acquires targets, and a computer aims and fires the weapon without input from a human. At minimum, I would require that the Newpoint's weapon system be "set" for point defense; i.e., the vehicle crew must announce ahead of time that they are so configuring their APC's weapon, and cannot use it to engage targets manually while it is so configured.

 

[Linwood]

It might also make sense to require that the weapon be set to Full Auto in that role. Maybe allow one missile-defense action per Fire Control Bonus DM up to the limit of the Auto Trait or something similar? Unless magic target-seeking bullets is a thing.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

2. The APC will use the gauss cannon to attack the missiles. What modifiers are relevant (e.g. missile speed)?

See VH, p49. Presumably you need an Anti-Missile System to engage incoming missiles.

Or just use the same rules for the Gauss Gun.