RE: [DL] Cover rules & malfunctions

["Mark Chiddicks" <Mark.Chiddicks@descisys.com>]

I just read your comments on reliability - I think the main problem I have with the system is that unlike almost everything else in the game its a single roll rather than an open ended one - its really the Malfunctions I don't like - 1 time in 10 its catastrophic!  1d10 with aces re-rolled makes that 1 in 50 which is far more reasonable IMHO. Maybe I'll keep reliability at 1d20, but malfunctions will be 1d10 with rerolls for certain.

-----Original Message-----
From: Jeff Shoffner [mailto:shoffner@esper.com]
Sent: Friday, 26 July 2002 1:48 p.m.
To: deadlands@gamerz.net
Subject: [DL] Cover rules & malfunctions


>On a less political note, does anyone agree that the Deadlands ciover rules
don't work properly?
>
>As they stand a 6ft man standing behind a 3ft wall is harder to hit than a
3ft dwarf standing on top of the same wall!

But shooting the size six person behind the 3 foot wall is easy to do;
anyone with any brains makes a called shot!  I mean, think about it; the
base TN of 5 is simply the idea that if you point a gun in the general
direction, chances are you're going to hit something.  In real life this
doesn't work out quite like that, but I want to focus on the question at
hand.

Now, you're facing a dude behind a 3 foot wall; most likely he is going to
hide as much of himself behind that wall.  If he doesn't, say he just stands
there & has his lower half protected, then that upper half becomes viable
target area.  A shooter should just say, "I aim for his upper body" and
take, say a -2 penalty to hit him.

The biggest problems with most rules in RPGs is the rules laywers.  With all
RPGs the GM/DM/Marshal/whatever should try to use a modicum of common sense
rather than be a slave to the rules.  But then you have the laywers come in
& say, "Hey!  You can't do that!  Page 46 in the Marshal's guide says..." &
ruins it for everyone.  One of the reasons I liked Paranoia; any foolish
player pulls that stunt finds out what it's like to be used as reactor
shielding.....




>What rules do you guys usually use for mad science realiability and
malfunctions? The ones in the rulebook are silly - its way way to dangerous
to use, yet we are meant to believe that railroads and factories are run
using this stuff! Even a reliability 20 item explodes one time in 200 that
its used!
>
>I use 1d10, rerolling aces, for both reliability and malfunction results,
which makes the stuff far more usable. Any better ideas?

Well it depends on what you want to do in your game.  Breaking it down, it
all depends on how tough you want if for fokls t ohave gizmos; I know of a
least one passage that says, "Hey, go easy on the players if they've just
bought a steam wagon or some such & doing nothing drastic with it."  Like
stated up above, don't be a slave to the rules.  Even then, say someone
blows a reliability roll; eh, most likely it is a minor malfunction.

Now then, how to make reliable gizmos.  That's easy!  First, have a high Mad
Science skill.  Second, have related skills in science that pertain to what
you're building.  Third, either have a high Tinkerin' skill, or know someone
who does.

Putting this all together, first you design the gizmo, & make your roll;
with those related science skills & a high MS skill, if you don't get at
least a 14 Reliability on the design phase, maybe you need  to rethink your
character.  Now then, this is just a base number.  When the gizmo is
actually built, again, you should be getting some good raises & bonuses on
your roll; if you don't get at least an 18 on the Reliability, maybe you
need to find someone else to build the thing.  One note: all of this is for
the fairly easy stuff to build.  Getting a 18 on a time machine or some such
is bad marshalling if you ask me.

Finally, a thought on how to make this run a little better for your group;
adopt the HOE rules for junkers.  Basically, you can over over 20 in
reliability, but if the reliability roll is 20, the gizmo fails, but for
every point over 20, you subtract that amount from the malfunction roll.  I
wouldn't do the base reliability number of Junker tech though; everyone'd be
running around with gizmos with R26 or some such.....

Oh, one other thing I'd suggest; much like the alchemists who can make a
different recipe for the same potion, I'd allow MSes to redo designs of
previous gizmos & give them a bonus.  Kind of like being able to build the
Gatling Pistol, Mk II.

Jeff S



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