Tanks + other large guns, gunner/loading scheduling question

[leonpoi]

This is something that's bothered me for a while, how do you schedule the gunner/loader actions on tank guns and other guns with a loadtime?

e.g. tank, main gun has load 2

Which of the following is the correct way to handle?
1)
TURN1: gunner fires, loader then starts load
TURN2: loader finishes load, gunner can now fire unaimed or otherwise aim
TURN3: loader starts loading again if gunner fired, otherwise gunner fires and we start again

2)
TURN1: gunner fires, loader assumed can't load after gunner fires
TURN2: loader starts load, gunner aims
TURN3: loader finishes load, gunner fires aimed shot

3)
TURN1: gunner fires, loader assumed can't load after gunner fires
TURN2: loader starts load, gunner aims
TURN3: loader finishes load, gunner does nothing
TURN4: gunner fires, loader assumed can't load after gunner fires

The effective ROF depends on what option one chooses.

[Legbreaker]

The weapon tables show a reload time. A time of 1 means that a shot can only be fired every second round. A time of 2 means every third round and so on.
Unless specifically stated otherwise, the gunner may aim during reloading (some Soviet tanks elevate to maximum while reloading).

For a reload time of 2, your 3rd option would be the correct one.

[leonpoi]

Thanks for the response. I'd like to agree but the (2.2) rules as written paint a different story. They say that the Rld is the number of reload actions that every loader must spend in order to load the gun.

According to this if a tank has a gun with Rld 2 then it should take the loader(s) 2 load actions. One of my problems with this could be this scenario, consider loader and gunners with Initiative > 6 = 2 actions:
TURN1: gunner fires (action 1), gunner loads (action 1), gunner loads (action 2), gunner fires (action 2).

So 2 shots in the same turn.

(assume that the gunner took an aim and then took opportunity fire in the same action so that the initiative steps are not out of sync)

One way out of this would be to say that the gunner and loader both need to be involved somehow - thus they both need to contribute load actions etc whatever....

[Adm.Lee]

Originally Posted by leonpoi

Thanks for the response. I'd like to agree but the (2.2) rules as written paint a different story. They say that the Rld is the number of reload actions that every loader must spend in order to load the gun.

According to this if a tank has a gun with Rld 2 then it should take the loader(s) 2 load actions. One of my problems with this could be this scenario, consider loader and gunners with Initiative > 6 = 2 actions:

I think you mean Initiative < 6.

TURN1: gunner fires (action 1), gunner loads (action 1), gunner loads (action 2), gunner fires (action 2).

So 2 shots in the same turn.

(assume that the gunner took an aim and then took opportunity fire in the same action so that the initiative steps are not out of sync)

If the gunner could make 3+ actions, that works for me. Those are 30-second turns, so if loader had an initiative of 6, you could theoretically get 3 shots out. Good luck with that.

[Legbreaker]

I don't see that mulitple actions by high initiative characters really matters that much given that anything with a reload stat of more than 1 either has an autoloader, or is a crew served artillery piece with multiple loaders - the process can only go as fast as the slowest link.

[leonpoi]

Originally Posted by Adm.Lee

I think you mean Initiative < 6.



If the gunner could make 3+ actions, that works for me. Those are 30-second turns, so if loader had an initiative of 6, you could theoretically get 3 shots out. Good luck with that.

Yep, I stuffed up here

I think you mean Initiative < 6. I actually meant >5.

If the gunner could make 3+ actions, that works for me.

TURN1: gunner fires (action 1), loader loads (action 1), loader loads (action 2), gunner fires (action 2).

[Legbreaker]

I think you'll find it impossible for the loader to act on the same turn as the gunner fires - you've got several tonnes of gun recoiling, not to mention that the gunner may not even fire the weapon before the loader might begin acting.

Turn 1 - gun fires
Turn 2 - loader begins reloading. Loader MAY be able to act again IF they have a high initiative AND the machinery enables loading in less than a few seconds. A hydraulic ram for example is likely to move at the same pace regardless of how fast the human loader can react.
Turn 3+ - loading is completed, gunner may fire.

It is probable that the high initiative character would be much more useful on the ground in an infantry type role. Given that only infantry types can possibly have greater than 6 Initiative in 2.2, their skills are also likely to support this.

Further, note that even if a driver has a high initiative, the vehicle still only moves a certain distance. A person running is not likely to cover double the distance of another lower initiative character and potentially break the land speed record.... Physical limits must apply.
I may even go further and say that recoil effects would continue to build in the turn, and effect the high initiative characters second action within said 5 second turn. Basically having a high initiative allows the character to react quickly, not circumvent the laws of physics.