Re: Reality (Was: Question on a module)

[damocles@nostromo.gate.net (Randy Vice)]

On Tue  7-Oct-1997 10:53a, bgarmer@tsc.net wrote:
BG> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
BG> At 12:42 PM 10/7/97 EST, you wrote:
>On Tue  7-Oct-1997  8:23a, bgarmer@tsc.net wrote:
>
><snip>
>
>BG> example,
>BG> most people that are shot once fall down and wait for help or bug out of
>BG> the area.  
>
>Which should be considered by ever PD.  However, when your in a very short
>range fire fight, there tends to be little time to bug out before they are
>either dead or knocked out.  Personally, I perfer the 4 second combat segment
>broken even further down to 1/5 second blocks for actions.  Out on the firing
>line a full second can seem like eternity as things "slow down" to what seems
>like a crawl as your mind is racing along. The trick is to train the body to
>keep up with the mind during these critical time periods.

BG> And what percentage of team members are so well trained?  

IMC, *all* team associates as well as paperpushers (aka REMFs for you ex
military folks:) have taken survival courses.  Science and paperpushers get
the least training, but it's atleast two weeks long divided up between
physical survival in the enviroment to the mental training to surivive in
dangerous conditions which includes combat survival.  MARS probably gets
slightly less (since it would be just covering the basics prior to freeze)
then Recon.

That becomes a
BG> major problem for RECON and SCIENCE teams.  Neither one is expected to
BG> become involved in combat.

IMC, Recon *are* trained in all aspects of survival, including combat survival
and have the longest survival training period.  They are the most likely to
walk into something unexpected with MARS help hours if not days away, and for
all practicaly purposes, not apart of any help a Recon team will expect to see
to save the day.  For this reason, they have to have, IMC, the training to
survive the initial contact.  

IMC, I consider Recon as today's Active Reservist, ready to fill the ranks of
Active Duty with the required skills on a short notice.  Or if you will,
psuedo military (aka law enforcement mentality).  

>It is in a few cases that people will take multiple hits and
>BG> keep moving (and live through it).  It does happen in the real world.  
>
>I'll dissagree here.  Unless it's a circulatory or nervious system critical
>hit, you can keep on going till loss of blood drops you.  Very seldom is a
>single wound that kills, it's the loss of the blood.  And it also depends on
>the training as well.  The more proper combat training, the more likely it is
>they are going to continue to fight till they can't.  

BG> There is a difference between "can keep going" and will keep going.  Most
BG> people will not keep going unless they are highly motovated.  Take
BG> SCIENCE
BG> JOE, he is taking a core sample from a tree when bang he is hit with a
BG> .75
BG> ball.  He will be knocked down!  I real life, such a person will probably
BG> stay down and try to get help (ie - get in cover (if he did not fall into
BG> it), get his weapons, get his radio, call for help, stay in cover).  

If he can do so, it would be the wisest possible move to go to cover. If he is
an ambush or place where "no place to go" <TM>, his training should kick to
defend himself.

In
BG> RPG, characters tend to take agressive approaches.  They will get behind
BG> the tree, get there weapon, dash from tree to tree, etc.  We usually, as
BG> PDs, make characters roll to act brave (I will leave the question of
BG> smarts
BG> out of this).  And we tend to reward either brave or smart action with
BG> modified die rolls.  

Eh, perhaps modify the results based on the stupidity or smartness of the PC.
I rather give a slight fudge factor to those who think (IMO) correctly on the
results of heir action and not how they do the action.  Just my opinion of
course.

If SCIENCE JOE started dashing from tree to tree to
BG> get better position to shoot at the attacker and I rolled a head shot -
BG> instant death (lucky NPC) I would modify it - most PDs would.  

Agreed or a slight "graze" that the coveralls would absorb.  

If SCIENCE
BG> JOE stood up in the open and shot widely (or other foolish actions) and I
BG> rolled the same head shot, I would be less inclined to modify it.  

I guess we both agree on modifying the results and not actions.:P

In
BG> reality, a person with a .75 rifle who depend on it for his/her food will
BG> probably be able to pick off someone running.

If they can reload quickly, sure thing.

BG> As for wounding - you are right about death but you have to take into
BG> account shock (most people who are shot go quickly into shock).  Also
BG> take
BG> into account training.  SCIENCE teams do not have many military types -
BG> RECON have fewer than MARS.  And the type of action - shudden unexpected
BG> fire will cause more problem than an expected attack.  Coming under fire
BG> while taking a dump for example.  Note - I did say it does happen.  The
BG> chances are much higher in RPGs than the real world.

Another POV, is that MII/MP chose only those who had a strong sence of
survival.  They are to experience massive culture shock and other long term
mental/emotional trauma that comes with the rebuilding of a post nuked world.
These highly motivated (well, the term fanatical comes to mind:) are those
who, IMO, are the ones to keep on fighting and not simply roll over and die
because they think they are suppost to when shot.  Afterall, what use is it if
your Science folks are all back at the base ready to commit suicide since they
can't get Cheers reruns anymore?  MII/MP wouldn't, atleast IMO, spend the
enormous amount of cash on their recruitment and training to have them go off
the deep end if their personalities can't hold on the survival mode when the
actual mission is started.

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