More Vehicle Thoughts

Using a HE template

Here are some updated rules, based on my playtest with the Free Martian Trireme.

Split Profiles

Some weapons have an option of two firing modes.  You must choose one or the other.

Geek Notes

For example, a tank's main gun might have the option of firing either anti-tank or an anti-personnel rounds.  The anti-tank round would have a high AT but a low RoF.  The anti-personnel round would have a medium template and a HE rating.

Templates

Templates may have a notation (-1) next to them.  This means that all to-Hit rolls by the template are made at -1.

Geek Notes

Example: RoF for a large gun might be:  Medium Template/0/Medium Template -1.  This would mean that the gun fires normally with a big template when stationary, can't fire at all when moving, and fires at -1 to-Hit when stationary.

For vehicles, the main gun's anti-personnel round will usually be Medium Template/Medium Template -1/Medium Template -1.  So it will be less accurate when moving or buttoned.

Multiple Weapons

When a vehicle has multiple weapons, it may fire only one of them at full RoF.  Any additional weapons fire at the moving RoF.  (Or at the Buttoned RoF if they are Moving and Buttoned, and the Buttoned RoF is worse.)

Geek Notes

The reduced RoF for addition weapons reflects the vehicles' crew limited attention and the diminishing return in firing multiple weapons (particularly machine guns) at the same target.  Remember, RoF represents an amalgam number of likely effective shots -- not just the volume of bullets in the air. 

For foot troops, I don't usually worry about reducing the effectiveness of extra machineguns firing -- it makes game play simpler.  But tanks can potentially fire so many guns, and from such a concentrated location, that I think it is necessary to preserve game balance.  (It also prevents rules aberrations such as afflict 40k, where a tank covered in lots of little machineguns is significantly more awesome than one with a single specialized weapon.)