Movement & Speed - Chase Scenes

[pwcroft]

I'm trying to think of a way to incorporate movement and speed into a "narrative" style of play -- but want to avoid using counters and a hex map. This is geared towards chase scenes and dogfights.

So, what about using a factor called Relative Speed Modifier (RSM)? A character's (or vehicle's) RSM would be based on two factors: movement speed and Move (or Space) stat. This would be the actual Move/Space stat, not how far someone moved in a particular round -- remember, I'm trying to avoid hex maps.

So, most starting characters have a Move of 10. Or, let's say a freighter with a Space of 4. For vehicles (which use much higher Move values) we could simply divide the Move (or Atmosphere) value by 10, and round down. So, a Rebel Alliance Combat Airspeeder would have a Move of 35, not 350. Likewise, a TIE Interceptor would have an Atmosphere value of 41, not 415.

Speed Difficulty Modifier (round up)
------- ---------------------------------
Cautious: No Modifier
Cruising: RSM = 1/3 Move (Space)
High: RSM = 1/2 Move (Space)
All-Out: RSM = Full Move (Space)

* These can all be pre-calculated and recorded for ease of use.

The difference between the defender's RSM and the attacker's RSM becomes the difficulty modifier for the attack roll. This would reflect the relative speed differences between attacker/defender.

Difficulty Modifier to Attack = Defender's RSM - Attacker's RSM

All other rules for movement speeds apply, of course. A higher movement speed is going to make the target harder to hit, but also makes it harder to maneuver through terrain.

Let's take a look at an example space combat. An X-Wing cruising along in space would have an RSM 3. It encounters a TIE Interceptor flying all-out (RSM 10). The X-Wing attacks the TIE Interceptor with a difficulty modifier of +7. If the TIE Interceptor slows down to High Speed (RSM 5) so it can attack the X-Wing (still cruising), the difficulty modifier of the attacking TIE becomes -2. The X-Wing could speed up to High (RSM 4) for a slight defensive difference, or go all-out (RSM 8) for a distinct defensive advantage. Though, again, this increases the risks of colliding with an asteroid, etc.

Exception: Character Attacking Vehicle
These rules only apply to chase scenes. Now, in terms of characters shooting at vehicles -- I would have to adjust the above rules. A character standing still is going to have a better chance of shooting a moving vehicle than if that character were running. Relative speeds aren't as important outside of a "chase" situation. So, in this case, perhaps the character's attacking difficulty is modified by the vehicle's RSM. So, a guy shooting at a speeder bike moving at High Speed (RSM 8) would have a difficulty modifier of +8. Seems reasonable, no?

I'd appreciate some feedback on this idea. I think it may seem more complicated than it is. But constructive criticism is welcome.

Also, as a side note -- I think range should be more of a factor than it is. That is, maybe if someone isn't dodging/evading, then just use a flat range modifier plus 2D for the difficulty. If someone is dodging/evading, than apply the flat range modifier to the defensive roll. No? It just doesn't make sense to disregard the range factor if someone decides to dodge. Let me know your thoughts.

I'm trying to modify the rules in a way that makes sense, but without increasing the number of dice or overcomplicating the process. A little complication, however, is to be expected. That still doesn't make it the HERO system. :)

[Rerun941]

I've even seen it simpler than that...

Start the fight at long blaster range. Roll opposed rolls between the two vehicle pilots each round. If the chased wins, he pulls ahead. If the chaser wins, he closes the gap. Any 1 on the wild die is some sort of crash.

Or simply set a default difficulty for the terrain/speed and that's the minimum the pilot has to roll to maintain control of the vehicle. Differences in the piloting rolls indicate tightening or widening of the gap between the vehicles.

Grant bonuses for any differences in raw vehicle speed, that sort of thing.

But ultimately you need to know two things: Are the pilots maintaining control of their vehicles vs. the terrain? and Who is winning the chase?
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Luke - "Same as always."
Han - "That bad, huh?"

[garhkal]

Yup. And someone standing still would have at most 1 round of shooting on someone on a speeder bike... before it is out of range.
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[cheshire]

It still looks like an interesting system for those wanting percision in their games.
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Before we take any of this too seriously, just remember that in the middle episode a little rubber puppet moves a spaceship with his mind.

[pwcroft]

[jmanski]

Why does the speed need to be emphasized? If a target is moving away from you, it isn't harder to hit; a slower target would just be hittable for longer.

IMHO, of course.
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