CT Only: Using Snapshot In A Different Way

[Supplement Four]

The Personal Combat system in LBB1 is somewhat abstract, based on a 15 second combat round. Each character can move and act in a round. When it comes to combat, one attack is allowed per round.

Snapshot takes the 15 second combat round in LBB1 and marries it to an Action Point system, where characters can do all sorts of things--including attack more than once in a combat round--provided they have the Action Points to pull off all the actions attempted.

I'm attracted to Snapshot for its closer take at reality. It makes sense that a person can do a lot of things in 15 seconds. Snapshot is not abstracted as is the standard Traveller Personal Combat System.

But...I'm not fond of bookkeeping. I don't like keeping track (though Snapshot flows pretty damn well once you're used to the system and have memorized the AP costs).

Still, I was thinking that it would be easy for a Ref to use Snapshot as a general rule of thumb to allow him to referee standard Personal Combat situations.

For example, in a Traveller game, a player says that he doesn't want to move that turn, and all he wants to do is pull the trigger as many times as he can in 15 seconds, attacking an enemy.

Standard Traveller LBB1 rules only allow for one attack.

By Snapshot rules, the character is making snapshots. So, how many can me make? Well, a snapshot costs 4 APs (6 APs for a fully auto or energy weapon), and the shooter must suffer a -2 penalty to-hit.

If the character has DEX 8 and END 6, then he's got 14 APs and can make 3 snap attacks (or 2 snap attacks with the auto or energy weapons).

 

[mike wightman]

Isn't that just using Snapshot as intended rather than a different way? You are adding Snapshot's AP system to CT.

It is worth taking a look at AHL too, the AP system there is simplified in a way since everyone gets 6AP, action costs are adjusted, but the turn structure and combat actions are superior to Snapshot IMHO.

This is the order of things in AHL:
1. Covering Fire.
2. Movement.
3. Aimed Fire.
4. Snap Shots.

Use the Snapshot rules for APs and interrupts and you get a pretty nifty PC combat resolution system.

For added realism you can replace the Snapshot initiative system - [which in essence is lowest AP character goes first, then next and finally highest AP goes last, but higher AP can interrupt] - with a combat experience/coolness under fire factor in addition to APs.

 

[kilemall]

Simplified AP?

4 AP for any action. Simultaneous action like CT.

After first AP use, roll two die at or below the value of the remaining AP to do the next action.

If successful, subtract 4 more AP, execute action, then roll again with the new lower number.

On first fail, no more actions until next turn.

If surprised, the first action IS surprise for 4 AP, then roll for possible actions after the initial surprise as normal.

Kind of gives an initiative for the high AP, but more on the backend with reaction fires to moves, a free move with less risk of being shot or an extra shot.

On a more general note, have to like that characters get slower and less options as they are wounded.

 

[Supplement Four]

Isn't that just using Snapshot as intended rather than a different way? You are adding Snapshot's AP system to CT.

It may seem like it, but that's not what I'm saying.

What I'm saying is that you play using standard LBB1 combat rules, but you use Snapshot to govern how many actions a character can take.

So, we're not counting Snapshot APs all the time. But, we do know that, if a character gives up his LBB1 movement portion of his round, he can take up to three snapshots, with a -2 snapshot modifier on each (for a character with 14 APs)

In other words, the character can move and attack per LBB1 rules, or he can give up movement, take the -2 penalty, and take three snapshots instead.

 

[Riik O'Shae]

It may seem like it, but that's not what I'm saying.

What I'm saying is that you play using standard LBB1 combat rules, but you use Snapshot to govern how many actions a character can take.

So, we're not counting Snapshot APs all the time. But, we do know that, if a character gives up his LBB1 movement portion of his round, he can take up to three snapshots, with a -2 snapshot modifier on each (for a character with 14 APs)

In other words, the character can move and attack per LBB1 rules, or he can give up movement, take the -2 penalty, and take three snapshots instead.

Oh.

Isn't that like having your cake and eating it too, per LBB1 rules?

If you're the GM, you get to make the call as to what one can or cannot do.

Riik

 

[Supplement Four]

It's a way of measuring what can be done in 15 seconds.

Instead of allowing one attack and one action, per LBB1, a character can do more, per Snapshot.

But, the players don't mess with action points. They just tell the Ref what they want to do.

The Ref uses Snapshot to figure, quickly, what can and cannot happen in one round.

Use Snapshot as a set of Ref rules governing how much can happen on a character's turn.

 

[infojunky]

My current idea on this topic is a half step between Snapshot and AHL.

Take the generated Action point and divide the total by Six rounding to the nearest whole number. This gives the number of actions per turn.

Using the AHL turn of five phases, actions control the number of times a character can change their action in a turn.


For generating Action Points I am seriously considering using the Dex and Int system from BiTs At Close Quarters.

 

[Supplement Four]

My idea, basically, is to figure how many actions a character can perform through snapshot and use it as a baseline. Do this once, and not use Snapshot during play.

For example, if all a character does is take snapshots, then figure how many snapshots a character can do in one round. For every snapshot he gives up, he can move X feet.

Use snapshot to get some parameters about the character. Since different characters have different stats, some will also have different baselines.

Not everybody is the same.

For example, let's say you have a chase scene break out. Normally, you'd use standard Speed-1 and Speed-2 movement, as is done in CT. But, for the chase, it's important to know which character is faster than the other. You can use Snapshot to figure that out quickly--see who can fun farther in a straight line.

 

[infojunky]

You can use Snapshot to figure that out quickly--see who can fun farther in a straight line.

Now that sparks some ideas as well...

Using Snapshot to generate secondary characteristics.

 

[ian54]

I've GM'ed a game with my kids using Snapshot as the combat resolution, it works well and integrates, I see no problem with it. Only issue would be you do need squared maps to scale.

 

[aramis]

I've GM'ed a game with my kids using Snapshot as the combat resolution, it works well and integrates, I see no problem with it. Only issue would be you do need squared maps to scale.

Hex maps to scale will work, too.

 

[ffilz]

And it's worth noting that a 1.5m square is pretty darn close to the 5' square that is so popular in that other RPG...

And that unless you are using miniatures (and to some extent even then), the size of the squares need not be 1/2", so those 1" squares for the maps of that other RPG work nicely, as do many other maps.

And though some games use 1m or 2m hexes, many of those maps would still be usable (the main issue would be if the map includes features that have a well established size or clearly should be in correct proportion to the size of a person).

 

[aramis]

And it's worth noting that a 1.5m square is pretty darn close to the 5' square that is so popular in that other RPG...

And that unless you are using miniatures (and to some extent even then), the size of the squares need not be 1/2", so those 1" squares for the maps of that other RPG work nicely, as do many other maps.

And though some games use 1m or 2m hexes, many of those maps would still be usable (the main issue would be if the map includes features that have a well established size or clearly should be in correct proportion to the size of a person).

1.5m ≅ 4' 11.06" to the nearest hundreth of an inch.. so less than an inch difference. 98%.

 

[infojunky]

And it's worth noting that a 1.5m square is pretty darn close to the 5' square that is so popular in that other RPG...

And that unless you are using miniatures (and to some extent even then), the size of the squares need not be 1/2", so those 1" squares for the maps of that other RPG work nicely, as do many other maps.

With so many nice maps available as PDF's you aren't limited what size your square or hex is. I use a 1/100th ground scale here, i.e. 15mm = 1.5m/5 ft and all I have to do is print at 60%.