RS Trying vehicles

One question pops up more than any other on the facebook Rogue Stars site.  

"What about vehicles"?

I can see 2 approaches to this:

Vehicles are mere equipment that simply cost.  OK, that's possible for primitive vehicles, but todays are getting ever closer to a carrier-robot.  

It won't be long before any child being told that parents had to manually control a car will be reminded of the Flintstones.  Cars caused pollution?  People got injured and killed?  Long wars were fought to secure the fuel!

The other option is the vehicle as a character.  That's what I explored here.  I touched on it in my recent ninja game with his robotic sled transport.

This first one is a re-run of a recent game, so you can compare.  In this first game the driver is a "reduced"  constable (I blame the government-)  to allow for the cost of the vehicle.  I had thought of making civilian as a less reliable model. 

How to handle?  I toyed with rolling for each vehicle & passenger in one go then working through them.  That gives your opponent a whole bunch of reactions in one go, you're going to lose the initiative.

Working through the batch, starting with the vehicle.  Next the driver (driving requires a tech roll to do anything other than go forward)  Driver should (IMO), lose 1 action.  This is the method used below.

"Gawd sir, where the 'ell are we?  -  It's not-"  "No lad we're not over the River.  We, we're north of the Watford gap".  Collective sucking in of breath.  This first one deliberately used only half the available target.

Sweeney Todd Star Cops. Determined. Remove stress 0000 Total 204 1 less grenade, 199

Tourer Big, Artificial, Extra legs, Fast2, Free disengage, Nonreactive = 19

Driver Marksman, Reactive, Tech2 19 Total 30

Baton (3) stun, energy 6, Pistol (4) 5,

Inspector Roughly Leadership 3, Marksman 2, Reactive, 35 Total 55

Pistol, (4) 5, 3 Fragmentation grenades. 15

2 Constables Chucker 2, Marksman 3, Reactive, 29 Total 50

Baton (3) stun, energy 6, Pistol (4) 5, 2 Stun grenades (4)

Deaths n Elvira. Psionics

Elvira Leader 1 Psi, Psi master 3, Civilian, Stealth 3, 26 Total 52

Encourage

Guide

Mind control

Soldier Girl Ambitextrous, Difficult target, Fast 3, Psi, React, Weapon Master 3. 44, Total 48

2 Swords (2) 4

Shooter Boy Difficult target, Fast 3, Marksman 1, React, Psi. 30 Total 35

Pistol (4) 5

Death Psi Difficult target, Fast, Marksman2, Weapon master. 26 Total 38

Fixed Vibrobayonet (3) 2 handed, 2 (to-) Hunting Needler (3) 2 handed, 4 12

Pump-kin, Ampidexterous, Psi, Diminutive,Vegetable, Weaponmaster, 21 Total 27

Sword (2) primative x2 6.

Total 200

Game 1 

I took the initiative, Tony formed up.

Vroom!  I put black pom poms in the cab to make it look full.

Death plays chicken-.  Soldier girl runs in.

The motor gets driven by the driver unto death.  Bony feet go screeech!

And again!  The Inspector takes a bead with an off hand shot and blows Soldier girl away!

Death leaps up on the bonnet then prepares to shwing that scythe---.

But on a reaction, through the canopy, the inspector blows his head off.  All in car now deaf-.

Unable to see, the driver is forced to pull up.  The Inspector steps out.  Shooter boy lets off a couple of wild shots, but eventually gets it right!

Shooter boy scarpers at the steady advance of the legal law.

The others debus.

Pump kin comes in (looking weird at this angle)

And Wallop! On his head again!  Deaded!

Driver gets a reaction, pulls a grenade.

Oh shit-!

Now this wee chap is on a roll and smashes his head as well!  Grenade drops from his cold, lifeless hand-.

The remaining constable and pump kin die.  The vehicle suffers (extrapolated) burst tires.

We always roleplay our games, trying to act as the wee chap on the ground would given what they can see.  The vehicle question came about in our last games as I always use a vehicle as their modus operandi starting point.  The reasonable question of jumping into the vehicle and running away or running over an opponent.  Different game!

Now we move onto a more interesting 2-standing Martian sled.  I've given it armour and a double flightpack.

I also tried Hero for the first time.  Having an infallible character that gives away no reactions.  Not that much fun.  

Game 2 

Militia. Brawlers Failed melee counters 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Flyer 1) Vehicle 2xflightpack 18, armour as lt cbt dress 2 motor/underneath, 3 nose, controls 14 = 32

Pilot Agile 2, Ambidextrous, Tech, Weaponmaster, sword (2) 2 = 19

Bomber Agile 2, Ambidextrous, Tech, Chucker2, Frag grenades (3) 4 =20 = 40

Vehicle & crew total 99

Flyer 2) Vehicle 2xflightpack 18 armour as lt cbt dress 2 motor/underneath, 3 nose, controls 14 = 32

Pilot Agile 2, Ambidextrous, Tech, Weaponmaster sword (2) 2 = 19

Hero, Agile 2, Ambidextrous, Tech, Weaponmaster3 sword (2) 2 = 45 (+3 act, react, morale)

Vehicle & crew total vehicle 100

Worm Cultists 199 Activate 12 React14. Normal Crawl 1” sneak/walk 2” run 4” Sprint 6”

Hard to kill Remove wound 0 0 0

Yorik Civilian, Leader, Steadfast3, Stealth3, Weaponmaster3 Psi, Psi master, 35, Total 37

Sword (2) primitive 2

Blink 3

Teleport 8

Mindscream 5” psi roll for each, 1pin, 1stress. Wound if crit. 10

Baldy Civilian, Steadfast3, Stealth3, Weaponmaster3 Psi Psi master2 25, Total 27

Sword (2) primitive 2

Blink 3

Electrokinesis (2) 4

Mindbolt, -1 every 5”, 1dam attack torso. 8

Wavy Civilian, Steadfast3, Stealth3, Weaponmaster3 Psi Psi master2 25, Total 27

Sword (2) primitive 2

Blink 3

Levitate 6 8”, 1act, 1 stress.

Nightmares -1 every 5”, morale roll.

Pointy Civilian, Steadfast3, Stealth3, Weaponmaster3 Psi 17, Total 19

2 handed sword (3) primitive, 2h, clumsy 2

Hefty Civilian, Steadfast3, Stealth3, Weaponmaster3 Psi 17, Total 19

2 handed sword (3) primitive, 2h, clumsy 2

Slashy Civilian, Steadfast3, Stealth3, Weaponmaster3 Psi 17, Total 19

2 handed sword (3) primitive, 2h, clumsy 2

The Game.  We used all the board.  I took the flyers and the initiative.  Tony set up near the middle.

Bombadier hunts for a target.

Hero, being in his idiom, dashes up and strikes down the first cultist without even an "I'm your father".

The second proves much harder.  Eventually wounded and disarmed--.

Look there's one - right there!

Down-

Wounded, crawls over to boulder, regains sword.  Stands their looking all hurt.

Baldy eventually gets  going.

Landing.

I'm safe here-.

Grenade knocks down Baldy.

But the hero comes off worse, on the edge of the blast, armoured - he's down and wounded!

Oops-. The pilot's also down-.

Yorik has a good cackle!

The pilot from the hero's sled runs in-.  Yorik keeps blinking out of the way!

Where'd he go!

Pilot and hero gone vs 1 swordsman dead, 1 wounded.  Baldy stunned.

Bombardier threatened-.

Nooo!

At last Yorik fails to blink-.

But he's only stunned.  The remaining pilot is outclassed and surrounded!


Good game!  Vehicles sped thing up, one side swapping mobility for numbers.  We'll do this more often I think.