Vehicle movement

[Theblackdog]

What rules do you use for turning vehicles? Do you have some sort of agility system that limits how tightly or how much they can turn in a single round? Or would this just be so complicated that you're willing to live with a jet fighter or speedboat being able to do a 180 degree pivot on the spot and head back the way it came?

[Magic Soap]

Tank turrets, I generally make them 90º plus firing, or 180º for action.

[Theblackdog]

I'm not talking about turrets -- I'm talking about how far the vehicle itself can turn. I want an agility system for vehicular combat (aerial dogfights in particular) but it seems like all the systems I can think of would add too much complexity.

[Warhead]

I think I get what your saying. Can't help with Dogfights. However, my thinking on these types of units is that Jet bomber/fighters (including Star Bombers/Fighters) should be an on board off board one turn bombing/strafing run only, due to their speed. Anything else are VTOL Aero-vectored, Repulsorlift or Helicopter type units able to hover or float so no turn restrictions apply but they also don't get the benefit of being so bloody fast they are harder to hit.

Flak AA units, Surface to air missiles should all get an automatic response action against such strafing/bombing runs, provided they haven't already fired this turn.

Other units that are able to response fire at the Bombing/Strafing unit as the Jet passes can do so but the modifier to their attack should be very steep. Like a 1 in 6 (if not even higher. Like a -5 mod, just like shooting blind) chance kind of steep. Still, this still means that units with lots of attacks are still potentially going to cause a whole lot of hits regardless.

[Theblackdog]

I like the strafing run idea, it's something my rules don't cover.

My rules for vehicle movement are that each vehicle has an agility stat represented as a fraction, and that agility stat shows how much of their total movement for that turn they need to expend before they can pivot by up to 45 degrees. So, for instance, a fighter with agility 1/4 moving its maximum distance of 36" would need to move 9" in a straight line before being able to turn 45 degrees -- then, after it moves another 9", it would be able to turn again, and so on. If the pilot wanted to turn tighter, he could move only 3" before making his first turn, but then he could move no more than 12" in total during that turn.

This is, as you can see, not the simplest rule, and I want to replace it with something better.

[Warhead]

Ooo, that's a bit too number crunchy for me. Most tabletop games are best played after a few beers. I'd be getting my shoes off to count toes to figure out how many turns I could make.

Why not try...

Floating: Full Agility, as limbed units but can also fly at High or Low altitude. High Altitude increases the attackers range (only) of to this unit by a further 6" BUT all units can see it as it is up high and can't hide behind intervening buildings etc, dropped bomb attacks from High Altitude always scatter 2D6". Low altitude, may use intervening terrain to hide behind.

Limbed (Legs): Full Agility, Ignores Rough Terrain and can turn any amount during or after move.

Bikes: Two 45 degree turns during move and one more after movement ends.

Wheeled: Two 45 degree turns during move only.

Tracked: One 45 degree turn during move and one more after movement ends. Stationary turn (track pivot) of 180 degrees.

Just brain storming/Spit balling so probably full of holes but you hopefully get the idea.

[muffinman42]

I've been thinking about some more 3D flight rules recently, since the current ones consider movement in reletive to the ground but ignore turning, takeoff and the amount of weight an aircraft could lift.

an aircraft would have a take-off distance, which would varie according to weight and lift. A helicopter would always be have a ToD of 0.

turning is well turning.

and the weight would be used for weapons and minifigures, a plane under it's max weight limit would be able to accelerate (and as such take off) faster than the same kind with more weight.

that's 3 stats which would be in a state thats ready to use, 2 only apply when takeing off or after droping bombs or takeing damage to non-lift parts (reduceing weight!)

I would measure ToD in inchs as it's most commonly used in the BW rules, and would have it modified by the weight.
the weight wouldn't be on the stat card but would need to be kept tab of, using a postik note or a list since it changes depending on load.

Any and All errors in this post are due to the time being 10:43 any delirious rantings spelling mistakes or grammar mistakes are a combination of my shit grammar and spelling and the time. any thing that dosen't make sence applys to those rules.

[stubby]

I've nver found anything I like better than the 2001 rules. Get a string marked off in inches, and your minimum turn radius is either your Size" (unless you're a Turn In Place kind of vehicle) or half your current speed on that turn, whichever is less.

[Warhead]

String theory... *cough* sorry

For Jets, how about. Take the Lego model and throw it as fast as you can across the battlefield. If it turns while moving then that's how much it can turn. If not, well, that's velocity for you. Anything along this line can be strafed/bombed in the usual manner. Now go and retrieve Lego model from garden and clean up broken window.

[IVhorseman]

I've always just turned them however they seemed appropriate. If someone thinks that something shouldn't be able to turn the way it does, make What I Say Goes rolls as needed.

[Greenkey15]

With Dogfights it can be assumed that the pilots are doing awesome tricks and shit in the air while fighting. It makes the fight ten times more badass. The only deal should be that you have to "swoosh" the trick.

I think minimum movement is more of an issue than turning. Saying that you have to move at least half of your movement rating to keep airborne seems like it would be less complex.

If you want to add some "move values" for turns, like 2" for a 90 degree turn, that could work too. It will most likely be forgotten, but remember the game and not the rules for turning you came up with.

[Magic Soap]

Woo, hostile TBD! Anyway, yeah, just turn them believably, the only thing that logically hampers them are large objects, like prison walls, highrise buildings and mosques. But of course all of these are easily blown up if you're in a tank. So, yeah, fudge.

[muffinman42]

Woo, hostile TBD! Anyway, yeah, just turn them believably, the only thing that logically hampers them are large objects, like prison walls, highrise buildings and mosques. But of course all of these are easily blown up if you're in a tank. So, yeah, fudge.

since you would need to make up stats prebattle (basically pre-battle fudge) it makes more sence to fudge during battle.
Awake me agrees with magic soap, tired me's views are too complex for brikwars.

take off distance, FUDGE IT
turning FUDGE IT
weight limits... ok their i agree with tired me. engine rateings would allow for the engines to be reused in other crafts by mechiks mid game.

[Pwnerade]

Aircraft do have weight limits. They can only have up to their size in weapons, as opposed to twice their size for surface and space vehicles.

As for aircraft, I was thinking of borrowing a rule from the Axis and Allies miniatures game. Aircraft essentially had unlimited movement, but there was a certain phase in your turn when you would pick a hex to place your aircraft in. They would then attack and be attacked from that location until next turn.

So for BrikWars you would simply place your aircraft in the desired location at the beginning of your turn, where it would stay until it was your turn to move it again. Some sort of penalty for attacking them would have to apply, of course, since they're in theory moving fast. You could even have your aircraft spend a turn or turns going back to base to refuel and/or rearm, depending on how serious of a game you're playing. Then you could load your aircraft up to the limit with missiles, blast away at the enemy, and then go get some more!

[Cpl. Halan]

Good ideas but you just made a classic mistake,you forgot to check the date of the last post. This thing has been dead for almost a month