Shields with armour

[JustEastOfTheEdge]

Some of the higher tech handheld shields give + 8 protection. That seems rather high if just added to any Protection from armour.
Or is that not right? And I wonder about firing a pistol and holding a shield...

 

[Vormaerin]

Generally the problem with shields these days are 1) you can't carry them without looking like you intend mayhem 2) They are bulky as heck because they are basically portable walls, not the little parrying tools of yore. I don't have the rules in front of me at the moment to say if that's adequately reflected in the rules.

 

[Arkathan]

Little parrying tools of yore... looks at a tower shield...

 

[Vormaerin]

Yes? And those are bulky and awkward to use. I was contrasting modern tower shield equivalents with the parrying shields folks tend to think of from fantasy games.

 

[Condottiere]

If it's modern shields, primarily for use in riot control, where you don't expect heavy weapons, and boarding/forced entry.

Mobility tends to be preferable out in the field.

 

[Vormaerin]

The question is about the relatively high stacking protection of those large shields. My point was that they were pretty bulky and not really something you'd just carry around with you, so its not a problem that they have that level of protection.

Though players don't have to actually carry those shields themselves, so they like to have their characters do so in wildly inappropriate situations unless the game has a mechanic to reflect the problems.

 

[DickTurpin]

In the latest CSC (Update 2023), the only two shields that offer that much protection are the Boarding shield and the Expandable shield (when expanded "to the size of a boarding shield" (CSC p. 140). The reference in the boarding shield description is that the bonus is from providing cover to the user(s). Cover bonuses are handled under the Hiding section of the combat rules. This does add to the Travellers' armour protection, but only when the Travellers are completely hidden behind the shield and not attacking. If the Travellers want to fight back, they would be using the Cover rules instead and inflict a DM -2 to attacks against them, forgoing the +8 protection increase.

The boarding shield usually has a "vision slit or firing port" that will allow Travellers to fight without leaving cover, but the expandable shield does not offer that option.

 

[JustEastOfTheEdge]

@DickTurpin - yep that's the one, the Expandable shield. Thanks

 

[Sigtrygg]

I wonder if you could build a personal energy shield into these.

 

[Jetrock]

Another limitation of shield use is that the shield-holder is limited to one-handed weapons, limiting long-range combat options and maximum damage, although this may be offset by the possibility of a two-person team where one person uses the large shield to provide cover (or even an improvised rest) for a designated marksman with a long-range rifle, while the shield-bearer use a pistol or PDW to address close-range threats.

Traveller's most common TL range doesn't include energy shields, so they're a non-issue to most Travellers--but a shield of bonded superdense armor can stop a lot of damage (if the Traveller is strong enough to lift it!)

 

[Condottiere]

 

[Jetrock]

Yes, having a suit of powered armor does change the equation somewhat--but I'd argue that even with gravitic compensation, a FGHP or PGHP is still a two-handed weapon! Heavier suits with integral weapons mounts are a potential solution to that obstacle--although if you can shoulder-mount a VRF Gauss Gun or tac missile launcher, who says your battledress can't be equipped with a "third arm" that carries a shield?

 

[Condottiere]

Resting the gun on the shield makes another point of contact.

 

[Jetrock]

Resting the gun on the shield makes another point of contact.

Contact is nice, but it's not particularly stable considering that the point of contact is being held up by the firer's other arm, which is also bearing the weight of the shield. Using the shield this way also means the wielder can't move the shield without disrupting their aim, which makes the shield less useful for stopping hits. And because the weapon isn't shouldered, it's basically hip fire for purposes of aiming--unless they have a gun camera and HUD allowing them to aim from the hip, but from a poorly braced position.

If this shield was considered one of those portable barricades that a soldier can set up on its own for cover, the wielder could stop, take cover behind it and fire, but there wouldn't be much bonus to using it as a rest because they would have both hands free to stabilize the weapon. I guess IMTU the way I'd game out shield-and-firearm situations is require that the weapon be fired one-handed, which would mean a penalty for two-handed weapons (or, in the case of a high-recoil weapon, probably having it fly across the room when fired) or just have them use a pistol instead.

 

[Arkathan]

With a tower/boarding shield, it rests on the deck.

 

[Jetrock]

With a tower/boarding shield, it rests on the deck.

Which is fine as long as you don't move, which is often necessary when doing things like boarding a ship, but it's still not a stable mount compared to having two hands on the weapon for aim & recoil control. There are always tradeoffs!

 

[Condottiere]

Firearm likely would be a handgun, though it could have an assault barrel.

Speaking of which, just as likely as an assault weapon, which could be held by one hand, and then could be rested on the shield.

 

[Jetrock]

Firearm likely would be a handgun, though it could have an assault barrel.

Speaking of which, just as likely as an assault weapon, which could be held by one hand, and then could be rested on the shield.

Yes, exactly--a one-handed firearm like an auto pistol, SMG or PDW, magrail or gauss pistol (which has autofire and is thus basically a small SMG); also more useful in boarding actions where long-distance accuracy is less important than compact weapons for close quarters--or, in zero-G situations, a laser pistol or snub pistol. Resting on the shield doesn't really help if the goal is greater mobility--the purpose of the notch in a boarding shield is allowing fire from behind cover, not an improvised bipod.

 

[Condottiere]

The guy behind him could have a longarm.

Microgravity would neutralize weight, but not mass: you could be drifting towards the target, behind cover.

 

[Jetrock]

The guy behind him could have a longarm.

Microgravity would neutralize weight, but not mass: you could be drifting towards the target, behind cover.

Yes, shared cover is an option with a particularly large shield. And keep in mind that unless you're using a zero-G weapon, drifting towards the target behind cover would suddenly become tumbling away from the target, mostly no longer in cover!