T2K House Rules Clearinghouse

[Raellus]

I thought it would be a good idea to create a clearinghouse for house rules that we use in our own T2K games.

There are some things that the official rules (every edition) don't cover, or rules that are incompatible between editions, or rules that aren't very good and, as GM's we have to develop workarounds or alternatives- hence, house rules.

Here are a couple of house rules that I've developed and used with some success. Although my heart belongs to v1.0, my brain prefers v2.2 mechanics (I find them easier), so the house rules described below are based on/compatible with v2.2 mechanics.

Batteries

Batteries have a finite lifespan, even rechargeable ones. In most of our T2KUs, batteries are no longer being produced. AFAIK, the v2.2 rules don't have a mechanic for keeping track of battery charge; I think it's unrealistic that PCs can use radios and powered scopes without worrying about running out of juice for them so I came up with this:

Each battery is given a two part score, for example... 8/8

The first number is the current charge. This number is lowered after each hour of use. It can be raised by recharging the battery using some sort of recharging device. The second number is the battery charge capacity. Every other time that the battery is recharged, it loses one charge capacity point. Eventually, the battery will no longer hold a charge, resulting in a totally dead battery. The device that relies upon said battery will no longer function until a fresher battery replaces the dead one.

For example, Lt. Dan's NVG batteries start with a base charge (determined by a d10 roll) of 6 so, at the beginning of play, his NVG batteries have a charge/capacity of 6/6. For every hour or so of use, I deduct one point from the current charge number. When the battery runs out, his NVGs stop working. Since his battery still has a charge capacity number greater than zero, he can recharge them and use them again. After he recharges the batteries twice, I deduct one from the charge capacity number like so: x/5. I've had players that were unlucky enough to roll a low starting charge capacity number wind up with completely dead batteries by the end of the campaign. It takes some vigilant record keeping, but I think it adds a degree of realism.

Military Knowledge

When a military aircraft flies overhead, I can ID it with ease and accuracy. Most of my friends- few of them have any military experience or interest in mil-tech- cannot. I figure that not every PC will be able to recognize every obscure weapon, vehicle, uniform, etc. that they will encounter in the game so I created a new skill called Military Knowledge to help determine if a PC can correctly ID military-related stuff in the game. Here's how it works:

For each term served in the military, I award the PC 1 skill point (SP) in Military Knowledge (MK). I also award 1 SP in MK for every promotion roll a PC passes and 1 SP for a stint in a military academy, ROTC and/or OCS-type program a PC successfully completes. I use the higher of either the Education or Intelligence attribute as the modifying. So, for example...

Private Benjamin gets drafted and spends two terms in the army. She gets 2 MK SPs. She fails one promotion but eventually achieves another for an additional MK SP of 1. She barely passed high school so her EDU score is crap, but she's pretty bright so her INT is 7. So, her modified MK score is 10. To tell a T72 from a T80 in profile on a clear sunny day is a difficult task. Private Benjamin rolls a d20 and gets an 8. She successfully ID's the tank.


I look forward to reading about your own house rules so please do share.