How to handle the big guns...

garhkal · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 1:24 am Post subject: How to handle the big guns...

Was thinking of what would happen/how to handle it, if say, the imperals called in for an orbital bombardment on grid X, where grid X is a 100 meter by 100 meter area the pcs are in...??

How would you handle whether they escape unscathed??
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Chabit Rane · Commander Joined: 02 Nov 2005 Posts: 460

Kiss their rear ends goodby.

Ejacobs · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:03 am Post subject:

Well, 100 meters x 100 meters is a large area, though, a 155mm field artillery High Explosive shell has a kill radius of 50 meters. One shot will kill most things in that area, and they never shoot only one shot. Now, orbital bombardment is probably about the same, though since SD's are supposed to raze worlds, probably bigger explosions per shot (or not if you consider they probably penetrate the earth crust and detonate beneath causing plate movements/volcanoes until they detonate the planet core. Of course maybe they don't destroy worlds in that manner (death star like) and just flatten the surface). Either way, I think the explosion template would be larger and the PC's better be on their way out or they are done for. Somethings just can't be avoided.

E

Boomer · Captain Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 688 Location: Terra Sol

I already have had this situation come up.

A Star Destroyer is automatically going to miss a character, in capital vs. character the capital scale is capped at "-" to hit the character. That isn't a number on the die, that is nothing. You have no chance.

But, a Star Destroyer can hit the 100mx100m square area pretty well. It's still a little small for a typical orbital bombardment, and will be a bit hard to hit, but I would have to ask the following.
What is the terrain?
Where are the character's?

The ship is attempting to destroy an area of land at it's scale, and kill everything within it in the same manner. Thus, the area of land is following the rules of a dying ship, and the characters must make a save against going down with it.
The Terrain determines how much pummeling is required, and what is going to come crashing down on the players.
What the characters have determines survivability.
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garhkal · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 11:29 am Post subject:

What i was thinking of, was a 'trap' to lure the pcs in, to an imperial facility, that is "dormant"/deserted. They would investigate to see why, and while doing so, the imps show up, and bombard the base, possibily trapping the pcs under it... then having them have to use their ingenuity to come up with ways to get out, while under the "clock". Both for lack of air, and lack of water/food...

So for the blast damage, depending on what 'level/sublevel' they get to, while exploring, might limit the damage, and yes boomber, it stands no real chance to hit the character.
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Gry Sarth · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 2:21 pm Post subject:

Well, I don't see why you need any sort of rules or anything for the situation described. The characters enter the facility, SD bombards it from outer space, characters are trapped and bruised and must find a way to escape the rubble before they run out of air. You might want to roll some 3D-4D of damage on them all in the moment of impact, just to give it that extra reality that some of them might be wounded.
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Jedi Skyler · Moff Joined: 07 Sep 2005 Posts: 8440

I have to agree with Gry here; that was my first thought when I read the scenario. The way he explains it, you have the possibility of real danger to them from the damage roll... but you don't have to actually worry about the SD bombardment actually killing any of them right off the bat. (Unless, of course, they have lousy Stamina and/or roll VERY poorly...)

And this isn't fudging the numbers; this is clearly defining the numbers before you begin, so you know what you're dealing with from the very start. That way, if any of the players complain, you could always tell them, "Well, I WAS going to roll for the actual bombardment, make you take your chances with turbolaser damage, and go from there, but this great group of people over on the Rancor Pit showed me a much better way to do it- one that might not kill you right off...

If that doesn't shut them up, send 'em on over here. Boomer and I will start an all new INCINERATOR thread where we can flame them to a crisp! Twisted Evil

(Just kidding, o wise Administrators... Shocked

)

Gry Sarth · Posted: Sat Jan 14, 2006 3:10 pm Post subject:

You be careful Skyler. I hear there's a new administrator around, and I'm sure he's eager to show off his newfound powers.....
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Boomer · Captain Joined: 14 Jul 2005 Posts: 688 Location: Terra Sol

Yeah, I am trying to find the off button on my incinerator... Surprised

Anyway. If what you want is to simply have them trapped, than starting by putting them in a hardened facility is a good beginning.

But always remember, if there is a certain way you want things to go, do not leave it up to luck. If the characters must live, do not make a damage roll. If the characters must have a certain item, do not let anyone touch it but them. If the characters must escape, give them the key and don't worry about theirs or the enemy's skill.

Truth be told, only set up the situation, never put a demand on yourself that it MUST go a certain way. You cannot control the dice OR the players.
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My backpack has jets!
I'm Boba the Fett!
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garhkal · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 1:52 am Post subject:

Gry Sarth · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 6:56 am Post subject:

Well, It's just that I believe that it's terribly unfair and bad gaming if all your players suddenly get vaporized out of nowhere due to an orbital bombardment, if they couldn't possibly know a thing like that might happen if they linger outside. Players should only suffer such insta-death encounters if they act with complete disregard to common-sense or fail time and again to notice what's going one by the hints given by the GM.
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Ray · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 11:41 am Post subject:

Such as "I try to parry the Turbolaser Blast with my Lightsabre!"?

"OK, you deflect the part of the blast that hits the blade. The remaining blast, however, goes past the lightsabre, and incinerates you. Sure, roll "Absorb/Dissipate Energy", no, you didn't roll high enough. Not even close. You forgot the scale differences. Now, in order to pay pennance for doing something so stupid, Ray gets to choose your next character."

Rodian Pacifist. Twisted Evil

garhkal · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 1:55 pm Post subject:

Gry Sarth · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 2:05 pm Post subject:

I believe that the players should always have SOME chance of surviving an encounter. There should be some way where if they are clever they'll find about the trap, or a way to survive it. If you just set them on a course and spring a trap from which they stand no chance of surviving, that's pretty much the same thing as starting the adventure and saying: "You're all dead!" Start making new characters....
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Jamfke · Posted: Sun Jan 15, 2006 7:13 pm Post subject:

If the Imperials are using turbolaser bombardment, then each shot would cover only a 10 meter radius. If the Imps fired all the batteries simultaneously then yeah, no chance, but if they were firing in succession then it could be a race for the characters to avoid the blasts.
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