Questions about 2E Weapon Ranges

[CRMcNeill]

Something has always bothered me about the way starfighter and capital scale weapon ranges are set up, specifically, the ranges for ion cannon. Under capital ship ranges, the ion cannon has 2/3 the range of a turbolaser; under starfighter, the laser has 2/3 the range of the ion cannon. Considering all the other errors we have found in WEG's product, I'm almost positive this was a typo, and that the ranges for starfighter scale laser and ion cannon are supposed to be reversed.

Thoughts?
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Bobmalooga]

The problem that I have had (at least in light of recent bits of media where you see it happening...) is the idea of the scale difference. While I likely can't take down an f-15 with a 357, I would be able to damage it. In Rebels and Clone Wars we see characters firing on and damaging starfighters and freighters.
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No matter where you go, there you are...

[CRMcNeill]

Force Points combined with the RoE optional damage rules?
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Kytross]

All weapons in space are roughly short/double short/double medium rounded up except the ion cannon on the Y-wing & B-wing, and therefore all starfighter ion cannons thereafter. Under my house rules this is corrected and the starfighter ion cannons are brought into the short/double/double heuristic.

1-3/7/36 becomes 1-3/7/16

Short/double(2x)/quintuple(5x) becomes short/double/double

This brings the starfighter ion cannon inline with the general rule that lasers have better range than ion cannons. Atmospheric weapons don't always follow the short/double/double rule, I don't remember any other weapon that is so ridiculous as to have a short/double/quintuple range. And again, all spaceship weapons are roughly short/double/double

As for scale ranges, remember, capital ship weapons are the size of TIE fighters, at least in the original trilogy. (I'm not trying to start a prequels stats verses OT stats debate and completely derail the original post) Obviously a cannon that is as big as a fighter is going to have considerably more range than a cannon on a starfighter. The 3 to 1 ratio for turbolasers to starfighter makes alot of sense to me.

[Kytross]

In the cartoons the characters have plot weapons. They do the damage necessary for the plot. So what if X-wings can take hits from AT-ATs, I have a blaster pistol and the plot demands I can hurt a starfighter.

Or we could argue the pilot got jittery from seeing the blaster bolts coming at him.

Of course, the TIE only has a hull of 8D character scale. A 5D blaster has a chance at damaging a TIE, depending on rolls. One character point could do it, depending on rolls.

[CRMcNeill]

[tetsuoh]

and if that blast is modified or has higher dmg than 5D......

we solved this dilemma in our games with an increased dmg code depending on much higher the hitter got on the targets dodge roll.......

only +1 per difficulty over - but its led to speeders and starships getting damaged and the little guy surprising the hell out the bigger due to the fact he was much more skilled......

[atgxtg]

[Kytross]

Glad you like it. I use it for any weapons I create. Nice and simple.

I couldn't find a consistent heuristic for other weapons. Small arms are sometimes short/double/double and sometimes short/triple/triple, or short/triple/quadruple. I don't think they thought through what they were doing, or they just didn't set up a standard.

[garhkal]

Perhaps they didn't want to make a codified system for whether a weapon's medium/long range is double/double, or double/triple its short.
Take a look at concussion missiles. 1/3/7. That is no where close to being either a double/triple..
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Naaman]

The nature of the weapon may also be a factor, though I doubt the writers of the WEG books thought that much about it.

[Theodrim]

[Bobmalooga]