When vehicles are used in combat, many situations occur for which the _2300 AD_ combat system gives no rules. This system attempts to provide a basis for determining damage from vehicle strikes, over-runs, crashes, and also covers loss of control. While some will argue that acceleration is the key, I have chosen to use speed in order to determine damage, for several reasons... First of all, accelerations would have to be constantly figured out (and this can lead to arguements), while rates of travel are provided in the vehicle descriptions (or city speed limits). Furthermore, being struck by a car going 100 km/hr which slams on the brakes (thus having negative acceleration) does not heal damage! Thus, while this system may not be the most "scientific", it is workable, by RPG standards. First, we'll address loss of control.
Whenever a driver fails any vehicle task, they risk losing control of their vehicle, and the player must roll 2D6 (3D6 for Hazardous tasks) on the vehicle Failure Table, adding (vehicle's speed in meters per action/250), dropping all fractions. Should a Mishap occur, this same number is added to the roll on the vehicle Mishaps Table.
| Total | Results |
|---|---|
| 2 - 6 | Forced to reduce speed by 100 meters/action |
| 7 - 10 | Forced to reduce speed by 250 meters/action |
| 11 - 14 | Mishap (2D6) |
| 15+ | Mishap (3D6) |
| Total | Results |
|---|---|
| 2 - 6 | Skid |
| 7 - 10 | Spin |
| 11 - 14 | Roll |
| 15+ | Crash and Burn |
Reduce Speed: The driver immediately reduces the vehicle's speed by the required amount, but never to less than one half its current speed. It then finishes movement (if any remains) at its new speed.
Skid: The vehicle is skidding out of control. Divide its speed (in meters/action) by 50, and round all fractions up. The vehicle moves this number of meters in the direction it was headed prior to the loss of control. If a collision occurs, use the Crash Rules, below. Otherwise, the vehicle continues movement from its new position, once the skidding stops (the full skid distance is always applied, even if it exceeds the vehicle's normal movement). Slick roads, loose gravel, etc., may increase the chances of skidding.
Spin: The vehicle is skidding out of control and spinning. Handle the skidding as above, and and roll 1D10 to determine how many 45 degree turns to take it through on the first action. On the next action, the vehicle will skid a distance of (one half of its speed in meters/action) in the direction it was headed prior to the loss of control. Roll 1D10, again, to determine its new facing.
Roll: The vehicle is rolling out of control. This is treated much the same as a Spin, and the crash results are also applied. Once the vehicle has stopped rolling, roll 1D10 to determine if it rests on its top (1 - 3), left side (4 & 5), right side (6 & 7), or is right-side-up (8 - 10). Note that vehicles may also flip end-over-end, as well as rolling side-to-side. In such cases, use: (1 - 4) = top, 5 = front end, 6 = rear end, (7 - 10) = right-side-up.
Crash and Burn: This is exactly the same as a roll, but with the addition of exploding fuel fire damage. DPV = 0.5 Normal. This includes concussion, but it is up to the Referee whether or not there is shrapnel (of DPV = 0.4 Normal out to a range of 5 meters). If so, no more than 1D6 pieces should attack any (N)PC.
In each of the cases, below, damage calculated should be truncated (fractions of less than 0.1 dropped), unless the DPV > 1.0, in which case damage is raised to the next higher whole number (thus, DPV 1.2 becomes DPV 2.0, etc.)
"Meters per action" is usually the "Combat Movement" given in the vehicle's description, unless the driver has succeeded in the task to drive at double speed, in which case it is twice that. See also Direction of Travel, below, for some notes on its affect upon speed.
Note here that the "Family Car" described on page 56 of the _Adventurer's Guide_, when operated at normal Combat Movement, would cause passengers DPV = 0.3 BT when it crashed, would strike a pedestrian for DPV = 0.9 Normal (and not be dented, since its Armor Value 0.4 could absorb the DPV 0.2 hit), and do DPV = 2.0 to itself, and DPV = 1.0 to the building it crashed into. If driven at double speed when the crash occurred, passengers would suffer DPV = 0.6 BT, folks it plowed into would suffer DPV = 2.0, and the car would do DPV = 3.0 to itself, and DPV = 1.5 to anything more massive that it hit. For the Bridgeport Swift on page 57, these numbers become DPV 0.5/2.0/3.0/1.5, or 1.0/3.0/5.0/2.5 when driven at double normal combat movement.
These formulas were developed based on the fact that most cars crumple in 35 mile per hour (about 56 kph) crash tests, while not harming a crash-test dummy wearing a seatbelt, nor the concrete wall. Assuming that the "Family Car", above, is the vehicle in question, the "movement per action" is roughly 113 meters (rounding as GDW did, to 60 kph and 120 meters/action), and the driver would suffer DPV = 0.1 BT (for using the seatbelt). The car, itself, would receive DPV = 0.5 (0.6 based on the rounded stats), which is just enough to overcome the "All faces" Armor Value of 0.4, and cause a DPV = 0.2 attack to it (0.4, if a suspension hit). The wall would suffer 1/2 damage (since it's more massive than the car), or DPV = 0.3. Since it is made of concrete (Armor Value 0.25/cm), a one cm thick chip might break off. If it is reinforced concrete (AV 0.5/cm), no damage at all would be done. At 100 miles per hour (161 kph), driver/passenger damage = DPV 0.3 and damage to the vehicle DPV 2.0. The wall will take DPV = 1.0, which will penetrate 4 cm of concrete, or 2 cm of reinforced.
While a DPV 0.3 attack on a passenger in a crash at 100 mph may seem quite weak, this gives a 30% chance of instant death in 2/10 locations (otherwise resulting in 1 Shock Point, -3 Initiative, and being dazed and unable to move for a turn), 30% chance of 1 Shock Point, -3 Initiative, and being dazed and unable to move for a turn in another 2/10 locations (otherwise resulting in a Light Wound, -1 Initiative, and being dazed and unable to move for a turn), and 30% chance of being dazed and unable to move for a turn in the remaining 6/10 locations (otherwise, no effect). In each case, the 30% becomes 60% if seatbelts were not in use, and this example uses one of the slowest vehicles available! Chance are 50/100% in the Bridgeport Swift, and with the Non-penetrating Kinetic Rounds rule, Stun Points are very likely to be taken, as well.
The DPV that a vehicle takes is compared to the Armor Value of the face hit (30% chance it's the Suspension/Plenum, unless hit from above/below). If the AV equals or exceeds the damage, there is no effect. If the DPV is greater than the AV, roll 1D10 + DPV/5 on the following table in order to determine what type of hit was suffered (these are explained, below). The Maximum Damage column gives the highest possible damage type allowed from a roll of 3D6 on the standard Mishap Table in the 2300 rules (if higher is rolled, use the Maximum, instead). Note that "Catastrophic" hits always result in Total damage to the vehicle (it, and the crew, are totally destroyed).
| 1D10 + DPV/5 | Results | Maximum Damage |
|---|---|---|
| 1 - 2 | No effect | Superficial |
| 3 - 4 | Secondary system | Superficial |
| 5 - 6 | Armament | Minor |
| 7 - 8 | Mobility | Major |
| 9 | One crew | Total |
| 10 | Two crew | Total |
| 11 | Catastrophic | Total |
| 12 | Mobility | Major |
| 13 | Catastrophic | Total |
| 14 | Armament | Minor |
| 15+ | Catastrophic | Total |
(Note that this table differs substantially from both the table given on page 59 of the _Director's Guide_, and page 31 of the _Equipment Guide_. It incorporates features of both, as well as redistributing results into a "higher rolls yield worse damage" format, for the most part.)
No effect: Maybe your vehicle's paint job is ruined, and it may have scratches, scrapes, dings, and dents, but when you get back in and try to start it, it purrs like a happy Bergkatz!
Secondary system: The cargo, computer, headlights, radio, secondary weapon, sensors, toolbox, windshield, or some other piece of equipment which is non-essential to the basic operation of the vehicle is rendered inoperable. Damage to that system will be from Minor to Total, but damage to the vehicle, itself, will be Superficial.
Armament: The vehicle's main weapon (if any) receives Minor to Total damage. The vehicle, itself, receives damage two levels lower (weapons totally destroyed cause Minor damage to the vehicle, Major damage to the weapon yields Superficial damage to the vehicle, and Minor Armament damage doesn't affect it at all).
Mobility: The vehicle's engine and/or propulsion systems have taken damage, which degrades performance. Unless the vehicle's description specifies otherwise, all vehicles have 10 Mobility units to begin with (when in perfect shape). Each Mobility hit lowers this by one per DPV point. Each point of Mobility lost reduces speed by 1/10. When all Mobility points are gone, the vehicle is immobile.
Crew: Apply the DPV that penetrated the vehicle to an attack on a random hit location of one Crew member. This is usually the driver, unless someone else is doing something really stupid (like hanging out the window to get a shot off). Random determination is also a possibility.
Catastrophic: The vehicle is not only wrecked, but totally destroyed, and the crew went down with the ship. Strains of Kenny Rogers began to wail, in the background... "Let's go out, in a blaze of glory! All good things must end..." Kind-hearted Referees (or those who don't want to bother with generating new PCs) may destroy the vehicle and just injure the crew, or treat Total damage as simply the maximum, and roll 3D6 on the Mishaps table in 2300 to determine severity.
Obviously, "Skid" results cannot apply to aircraft. Not so obviously, a tail "Spin" or "Roll" might (although rolling a plane doesn't generally cause a crash). While ships and boats might skid on the water at higher speeds, "Spin" is unlikely, and a "Roll" is better known as capsizing! This system is generally designed for Ground/Hover Vehicles, although it can be applied to any other type(s) with a little common sense.
When computing the speeds of vehicles in combat, note that the "meters per action" is relative. A car cruising up behind another to tap its bumper (forcing the driver to check for loss of control) may be moving at 200 meters per action, but since the other vehicle is going only slightly slower, there will be no crash, or damage to either. A head-on collision of two vehicles, both travelling at 100 meters per action, on the other hand, will likely kill most of the (N)PCs involved. Ramming someone from behind, with your GEV, will probably not hurt much. Ramming them head-on is a good way to lose your head! Vehicles bumping each other, side-by-side (one trying to force the other off the road) make contact at a relative speed of 0 meters/action, etc. Referees will have to be careful in adjudicating relative speed.
After you've hit a badguy with your trusty Range Truck, you may decide to add injury to insult (and injury!) by running him over, as well (notice the name of this article?). In this case, it doesn't matter how fast you're going, damage is based upon the mass of your vehicle. There are special rules for the type of Mobility the offending vehicle has, as well. Note well that Roll-over/Over-run damage usually occurs after a strike, and is thus additional damage. In some cases, soft terrain may reduce this damage to a certain extent, at the Referee's discretion.
In any case, one must make a successful Task roll to run over a conscious, prone opponent (or to strike a non-prone one, then another roll to run over them once they're down). Even a Dazed/unconscious (N)PC is allowed a chance to avoid this fate (this does not count as "movement" for game purposes). Both attempts are represented by the following task:
To run over a conscious, mobile, prone character: Routine. Driver's (Appropriate Vehicle skill + DEX) - Defender's (Athletics + DEX). Instant. Referee: If the attempt fails, the defender has (by luck or pluck) managed to get between the wheels/skirts/treads, and been missed. The driver will have to bring the vehicle back around for another pass. Alternately, vehicles may be able to stop and back up, but only those moving at Cruise Speed or less may attempt this, at one level's increase in difficulty, and the time becomes Absolute (1 action). Likewise, running over a victim who is not prone is also one level more difficult for the driver. The General skill of Athletics (which I added) covers general physical conditioning, as well as acrobatics, diving, jumping, and running. If you don't use this in your campaign, assume that all characters have skill level 0 (and skillful drivers will be at an advantage in this attack). Attacks against unconscious, bound, or otherwise immobile, non-sleeping characters are one level easier. Sleeping victims merely give the driver +1 on his attack. Success in avoiding an over-run means that the defender has managed to jump/dive out of the way as the driver roars past, managed to jump over the vehicle, or just got lucky and avoided the wheels, etc.
Mad Maximillian used to be a cop on Aurore, before the Kafers came... Now, he's a Wilderness Guide/Convoy Runner/Bounty Hunter, and all-around Kafer-killing wanderer with a really bad attitude! Transporting a small package of much-needed medical supplies to a remote town, he's travelling along a dirt road in his Explorer ATV at Cruise Speed (50 kph), when he tops a rise and spots three Kafers, walking along. The Kafer officer uses its baton to starts thwacking the other two, while Max (with Dexterity 12 and Ground Vehicles 6) changes course to try and strike, then over-run them. The Kafer officer is an Elite Ground Military type, and the other two are Veterans in the same career. As the round began, less than 60 meters separated the ATV from them. Max controls himself, and doesn't floor the ATV, since Cruise Speed gives him 100 meters of movement, and he doesn't even need that to get to his victims. He aims the ATV at the Kafers.
The Elite officer is always aware, and the Referee secretly rolls 1D6 for the other two, determining that the first Veteran will become aware after one turn, and the other will need 4. Until then, they are treated as Green.
The Elite Kafer has a Coolness Under Fire of 10, but spent his action thwacking the troops. Max has a Coolness of 9, and the other two Kafers have 8 (4, until aware). Now Max tries to strike the three Kafers. Since they aren't prone, this is Difficult for Max. The two Veterans have Athletics 2 (it's a General skill, but get only SL (Skill Level) 0 until they become aware), and +3 for DEX (physically oriented). The officer has Athletics 3, and the same +3 for DEX, for totals of 6 for the officer, and 5 for the veteran Kafers (3, until aware). Max rolls a 3, +3 for DEX, and +6 for skill. He has a total of 12, -6 for the officer (miss), and -3 for the other two (both misses). Since he was moving at only Cruise Speed, he throws it into reverse, and tries to back over the Kafers. This is now a Formidable Task, and he rolls a 5, +9 = 14, but his Kafer opponents all nimbly avoid him, yet again. Since backing up requires one action, his IP is now over.
The unaware Kafers react at IP 4 instead of their normal 8, so the Elite Kafer goes next, and IP 5. It drops the baton, and pulls its flashlight laser rifle. At IP 4, Max and the other two react. He tries to strike and over-run, again (Difficult), and they draw their weapons. Max rolls a 4, +9, for a total of 13. The Kafer officer avoids, but he strikes the two unaware veterans! Moving at 100 meters/action, DPV = 0.3 Normal. He rolls locations randomly, and gets the abdomen (4), and head (1). Rolling for damage, he manages to do a Shock Point and Knock Down (KD) to both, and they are unconscious. Since they are now prone, he can immediately try to run over them, as well. This is Routine.
This time, he rolls a 9, +9 = 18! Squish! Two less Kafers on his world! With a DPV of 0.1 Normal/100 kg mass (for hard treads), and a mass of 3,000 kg, one Kafer is decapitated, and the other cut in half by the DPV = 30 attack.
At IP 10 on the next round, the Kafer officer hides, and takes a pot-shot at the Explorer with its flashlight (DPV = 4.0 Normal, due to Close range doubling). For the sake of simplicity, it takes one shot at the rear of the vehicle, and rolls a 4, +3 for skill = 7. It only needed a 6 to hit. The Referee now divides DPV 4.0 by five (getting a 0, rounded down), and adds it to the roll of 1D10 (10) on the vehicle Damage Table. A total of 10 indicates that Mad Maximillian has found peace at last. A roll of 7 on 1D10 indicates that it is not a Suspension hit, so the "Two Crew" result is applied to Max (the only occupant). The ATV's AV 1.0 reduces damage to DPV 3.0, and he is hit in the abdomen (4). He takes 2 Stun Points and one Shock Point, as well as a KD. Since this vehicle combat is now over, we'll draw the curtain on poor Max, and hope he survives!
Benny and Karey, two Colonist kids, are having a go-cart race on a too-small track. The small size requires several hair-pin turns, and they are Difficult for the youngsters to negotiate. Karey is the more skillful driver, with Ground Vehicles 1, but is mentally oriented, so her DEX bonus is +2. Benny only has Ground Vehicles 0, but his physically oriented DEX bonus gives him +3. Thus, both are tied, with +3 to the task of negotiating the three hairpin curves in the track. Both have a Coolness of 6.
They both have similar go-carts, with Combat Movements on 30 meters/action. When the race starts, they both go for double movement. Benny gets a 3, +3 = 6, and succeds. He zooms out in front. Karey also succeeds, with a 9, and the two are neck-and-neck as they enter the first curve. Benny rolls a 1 (Oh, no! A Fumble!), he rolls 2 + 3 = 5 on the vehicle Failure Table, and has to reduce speed to normal (half the 60 he was at). Karey rolls a 10, and pulls into the lead, gaining 30 meters over Benny.
Coming into the second curve, first, she rolls a 5, and fails! Rolling 2D6 on the Failure Table gives her 4 + 4 = 8, and she also has to slow down.
Benny now tries to increase his speed, again, but only rolls a 2, and fails. Getting a total of 10, he is again forced to halve his speed, and Karey is now 45 meters ahead.
Karey does much the same, and both slow to 15 meters/action in order to negotiate the cramped track. Benny is still 45 meters back. On his next action, he settles for Cruise Speed (speeding up to normal), and concentrates on making turn 3. Karey gets there first, trying to go faster. her roll of 4, +3 = 7, not enough! 2D6 for failure yields 6 + 6 = 12, and she now has to roll 2D6 on the Mishaps Table! Rolling 6 + 1 = 7, she skids off the track 2 meters, going into a spin. She flips around 180 degrees, then 90 more in the first action (roll of 10). She continues spinning into the next.
Meanwhile, Benny hits turn three, and rolls a 7; just enough to get past it. While Karey is spinning, he cuts her lead to 15 meters!
Karey spins around yet another 180 degrees, ending up at right angles to where she wanted to be. Unfortunately, before she goes the 15 meters she has left, she runs into a wall! This crash results in DPV = 0.1 X (30 meters per action/100) = 0.0 damage, but still shakes her up. Before she can get turned around and back on the track, Benny crosses the finish line! Oh well, maybe next year!
The above two examples should help illustrate what the Vehicle Combat System can do for the game. With the addition of a few tasks to fail, all manner of interesting accidents can occur, especially to those who insist upon driving too fast on crowded city streets!
© 1999-2005 by Steve C. All rights reserved.