A "Whiteboard" Mechanic I've been Contemplating

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

Situation 1: A comrade has stepped on a mine. The character is attempting to disarm the mine. His EOD Skill is 4.

Small point. If somebody steps on a mine, it WILL go bang.
There's no "if's", "buts", "maybes" or delays. It WILL go BOOM!
If for some reason it doesn't immediately detonate, almost nothing will make it go off - it's either fake, a dud, or an AT mine and the person wasn't heavy enough to trigger it in the first place.

Originally Posted by swaghauler

I haven't used it yet but I feel it would add another dimension to task rolls. My biggest concern is that it would "complicate" Skill rolls too much.

Seems to me the Outstanding Success/Catastrophic Failure mechanism already covers this.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Small point. If somebody steps on a mine, it WILL go bang.
There's no "if's", "buts", "maybes" or delays. It WILL go BOOM!
If for some reason it doesn't immediately detonate, almost nothing will make it go off - it's either fake, a dud, or an AT mine and the person wasn't heavy enough to trigger it in the first place.


Seems to me the Outstanding Success/Catastrophic Failure mechanism already covers this.

You can substitute the term/phrase "an IED with a deadman's delay trigger" and you still get the picture. It's a COMMON Hollywood trope.

[Legbreaker]

Originally Posted by swaghauler

It's a COMMON Hollywood trope.

Yeah, an extremely annoying one for anyone who knows anything about mines.
Pressure release switches do indeed exist for use in booby traps, however they're much rarer than Hollywood would have us believe. Booby traps are only allowed to be set in limited situations and only with authority from higher command. This doesn't happen all that often because of the risk of unintended civilian casualties.
These type of switches are activated by either pressure or release (depending on how they're set). They do not require two "stages" so to speak to activate them.
Note I'm simplifying this a bit for the benefit of those without any real military training or knowledge.

However, there is one situation where a two stage activation might occur - anti lift device under a mine. Step on the mine and it goes boom. As you're lifted 100 feet into the air and spread over a wide area, the sudden lack of downward pressure on the second charge causes it to go boom too, thereby increasing the area you're now fertilising and ruling out the option of an open casket.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Yeah, an extremely annoying one for anyone who knows anything about mines.
Pressure release switches do indeed exist for use in booby traps, however they're much rarer than Hollywood would have us believe. Booby traps are only allowed to be set in limited situations and only with authority from higher command. This doesn't happen all that often because of the risk of unintended civilian casualties.
These type of switches are activated by either pressure or release (depending on how they're set). They do not require two "stages" so to speak to activate them.
Note I'm simplifying this a bit for the benefit of those without any real military training or knowledge.

However, there is one situation where a two stage activation might occur - anti lift device under a mine. Step on the mine and it goes boom. As you're lifted 100 feet into the air and spread over a wide area, the sudden lack of downward pressure on the second charge causes it to go boom too, thereby increasing the area you're now fertilising and ruling out the option of an open casket.

YEP! Kind of like the 40mm Grenade Launcher rounds that explode in a huge ball of flame more akin to a 105mm howitzer round than a grenade round (I'm looking at you Michael Bay).

There's a reason the 40mm HE has a 5m burst and the HEDP a 4m burst in my game... It's called reality.

[swaghauler]

Originally Posted by Legbreaker

Seems to me the Outstanding Success/Catastrophic Failure mechanism already covers this.

I was looking for a more "dynamic" mechanic. My Millenials believe that the base rules don't have enough "flash" or "fluff" to make the system interesting.

I have been using a variant Outstanding Success/Catastrophic Failure rule based on the character's skill level for some time. The new mechanic was meant to "expand" the rules more than this mechanic does.


My "old" variant Thresholds for Outstanding Success/Critical Success are...

Skill Level 10+ = 5+ (Outstanding)/10+ (Critical) rolled under the success threshold.

Skill Level 9 or 8 = 6+ (Outstanding)/12+ (Critical) rolled under the success threshold.

Skill Level 7 or 6 = 7+ (Outstanding)/14+ (Critical) rolled under the success threshold.

Skill Level 5 or 4 = 8+ (Outstanding)/16+ (Critical) rolled under the success threshold.

Skill Level 3 or 2 = 9+ (Outstanding)/18+ (Critical) rolled under the success threshold.

Skill Level 1 or 0 = 10+ (Outstanding)/20+ (Critical) rolled under the success threshold.

The thresholds for Significant Failure and Catastrophic Failure are simply the inverse of the chart above.



I have used the modified Outstanding Success/Catastrophic Failure rules for years now and they work quite well (even if the system is a bit "boring" by today's game standards).