Is there anyway to make a game where the party is a tank crew mechanically fun in combat?
>>43624040
Possibly, if the system made it obvious that every member of the crew contribute to how well the tank operates. Overall gunner's the half of it. He'd get bonuses based upon how well the commander is at spotting and giving out commands, then pluses or minuses based upon what the driver is doing. Can't fire unless the loader does his job, loader would probably have the worse of it. Other crew members vary depending upon the tank.
>>43625146
It would he difficult to give every class something to do that's both relevant to running the tank and gives them meaningful decisions every turn, wouldn't it? If the loader's only action every turn is "load cannon" while the gunner chooses targets, the loader isn't really getting to do shit.
I've often pondered this, constructing a system around the idea of every player being a member of a crew of something, whether it's a Power Rangers style mecha, a starship or a tank. I think it could work, but it'd require a huge amount of good design to make it really fun.
>>43625188
Yeah, making the loader's role fun may be the hardest. If there is someone specified to radio only, they'd have even less to do in combat off the top of my head.
>>43625225
I think the game itself will have to offer both combat inside and outside of the tank. Crew has to go and scavenge for supplies to repair the tank or in general survival, could get into a firefight while out.
Depending on group size, could just designate the loader to an NPC unless a player really wants to do it for some reason.
>>43625188
>the loader isn't really getting to do shit.
perhaps you future it up so the loading is automatic and the guy who'd be the loader in an older tank is the onboard engineer/EW/comms guy...
might be he hacks the other tanks into a "soft" kill whereas a HEAT round to the crew compartment is a "hard" kill.
>>43625308
Maybe a certain amount of utility is split between segments? People with low combat utility in-tank are combat monsters outside of it and vice versa?
Alternately, are there other out-of-tank support roles that could be filled? A spotter who's marking high-value targets, coordinated forces, maybe the radio operator is coordinating other operations?
>>43625393
...or a drone operator running throwaway UAVs as system scouts.
>>43625421
That could work.
I think the idea of everyone working around a single key piece of equipment could be a fun game, but you'd have to abandon reality to make sure everyone is having fun.Hard mode: it's a fantasy game and everyone plays a trebuchet crew.
>"Mako, who can't hear me"
>not "Mako, who is asleep"
>>43625365
There were autoloaders in some WWII tanks, they just sucked a bit.
>>43625493
>a trebuchet crew.
thinking a ballista would be easier for an adventure type thing.
you can mount one of those on a far more mobile cart, and load it with a broader array of things than "rock" or "dead cow".
>>43625557
>they just sucked a bit.
exactly, so you have the engineer there to fix that when he isn't deploying drones or maintaining radio comms maybe he has to on occasion jump out and fix something external to the tank or get "eyes on" something thats been hit?
>>43625500
Every time.
>>43624040
You did this thread last year.
http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/thread/34875713
>>43625393
Makes sense that the Loader would be the one most likely to punch someone's head clean off in a scrape.
>>43625188
You could make it a bit deeper by adding different types of special ammunition. Even more so if its a fantasy setting with magic ammo or equivalents.
>>43628144
>>43625188
Drive a smaller tank so the commander/gunner/radio operator also loads the shells and does one or all of the other roles. Then limit the number of actions that can take a turn.
>>43624040
Sure, look at Only War.
Tanks can only do so much, you need infantry to protect them from tank hunters.
>>43624040
Interestingly enough, the Godlike campaign Black Devils Brigade - About the Canadian Service in WWII - has something that looks like it'd be a lot of fun.
In one part of the campaign, the players have to fight a Ratte land cruiser, basically a supertank. It's controlled by five Talents (i.e. superhumans) each one with an ability directly useful to the tank. For instance, one guy can make things transparent, another can make the tank significantly lighter, yet another has superhuman repair skills and the last one can summon up a storm, which makes him a living antiair weapon.
>>43625146
Give the loader things to do in spare turns by allowing him to fire sponson- or pintle-mounted guns, to fend of enemy infantry that might try to blow up the tracks with a democharge for example. Same goes for the tank comander in case he doesn't need to coordinate anything right now. Also comms guy would be best combined with the commander-slot if you don#t have that much players.
Also, design the combat with other tanks in a way that it is decided in one or two well placed shots instead of a slugfest of burning through hull points or whatever.
The driver has to get in a good firing position while evading enemy lanes of attack.
The gunner needs time to aim and rotate the turret, so I think it's a good idea to let this take his actions.
And in case someone has nothing to to just go on and keep going. Those three game to line up that shot on the ammo-storage of your target go by faster if only the relevant actions take place instead of the loader thinking for minutes what to do.
Get the fight over with fast and get to a scene where the "passive" crew can shine with other qualities. Maybe make the loader also some sort of emergency engineer, so he can shine after the battle while everyone else is on standby.
It could be like an Outlaw Star type deal plus or minus combat manipulators as deemed fit.But you'd be a faggot if you didn't
You have the main pilot who flys around until combat starts and he assumes control of the combat weapons. Secondary navigation, pilot who flys around so the main guy and focus on fighting. A weapons system guy who works on rearming or switching out weapons and controlling other weapons such as chaff and missiles. One guy who's basically the EW on the look out for and countering enemy jamming and the engineer who repairs and buffs the ship.
So basically Power rangers mecha toned down to Gundam levels minus the humanoid shape.
