[Traveller Battlefield Dev] New Combat Rules to Try!

Very late to this party, I started to look at running a Traveller game a couple of months ago after getting a seat on a game run by Chris Griffen at Dragonmeet. I came across the Battlefield Dev after already looking at some rule changes myself. I like some of the BD ideas, but rather than have new weapon AP as it lists would try the following.

Ranged slug weapons get an AP equal to the number of damage dice they have, this would be in addition to any listed AP. Ranged energy weapons get double the damage dice as AP. That balances off AP, Heap and APDS a little, (Gauss cannot be APDS as it already shoots needles), maybe lasers could have a custom/advanced option like the Intense Focus for ship weapons. Baton rounds would lose some AP, hollow point would lose AP, but gain a damage dice?

Blade weapons up to TL10 get damage dice extra AP too, tempted to let Static weapons have this, but not monoblades.

Bludgeoning weapons don't have AP unless already listed.

Protection/armour changes I thought of before finding BD -

You have the AP + Effect to get through armour or the damage roll changes.

Ranged becomes D2 rather than D6 and remaining points of armour are subtracted, this represents passed impact damage for slugs or burn damage for energy weapons.

Blade weapons roll D6, but the max damage per dice is their mass, subtract remaining armour points. The blade did not cut through, but the weight behind it still does impact damage.

Bludgeoning weapons use their D6 roll less any armour points remaining. I'm tempted to go with this for weapons that do concussive blast damage too.

I have looked at the way damage is applied too making effect more important. Briefly you roll D6 for any Effect up to the weapon dice max and D2 for any weapon dice you don't have effect for. This can be Effect remaining after AP too. The idea was to make any negative DM from cover or dodging more effective at reducing damage for Travellers that want to actively avoid being shot.

Just some ideas that have been rattling around in my head, I need to play test them obviously. One aim was to use changes that could work without have to create new stat lists for weapons.

Anyway, first post and in at the deep end...
 
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