Reply To: Can we talk SF "infantry" weapons?

[Spurious]

Eli Arndt wrote:

The biggest and most fundamental issues I can see with scifi weapons, or any weapons for that matter, is that no matter how cool the fluff is on them, they have to be playable in the context of the game you are using them in.

This is a major component of why sci-fi is not all that sci-fi in miniatures games. It’s not just subtle effects, it’s the major effects, and the area of play/amount of models in play. There was something I read recently (might have been in MWwBG?) That pointed out a lot of the kind of technologies and planned ones are already in play in games due to the lack of fog-of-war mechanics obscuring knowledge of what the opposition is up to, and having near-perfect information and control of individual units is commonplace. For instance, how to add thermal optics to a game and have it feel like the important tool that it is when you can already see units to target them without the dust and debris of battle interfering? Could it be made to actually matter all that much in the typical platoon level game?

Another is the issue of including support, such as incredibly accurate, powerful artillery fire, and keeping it playable. A lot of gamers just don’t appreciate losing entire companies of infantry to artillery barrages and yet modern artillery is entirely capable of doing just that, let alone sci-fi stuff. And then there’s the small stuff, like being able to negate cover by flying a drone-bomb through a window or having air-bursting grenades going around it. And that’s just modern tech. How do we make weaponry as effective as they can/will be whilst still keeping things playable, without resorting to dumbing-down that tech with massive limitations? Specific rules of engagement just don’t cut it in games for the most part.

Am sure you can think of a few examples for all of these already (Such as how A Fistful of TOWs does it’s thermal optics and restrictions on targeting to make them a significant advantage for just one), just a bit of thought prodding anyway.