[Hero 5th] Army Sniper Skills?

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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

All,

I have a player new to Hero who wants to have been in the Army and to
have been a Sniper while there. I don't know anything about the
Military, or whether being a Sniper is an Army thing, or some other
branch, or what.

So, assuming Army does have Snipers, what skills would someone in the
Army (or whichever service is appropriate if the Army doesn't have
Snipers) have, in Hero 5th Edition terms? What skills would they have
as a Sniper?

I'm hoping some of you current- or ex- military folks could give me an
idea of the skills he should take. (My player doesn't know anything
about the military either).

Thanks,

Lewis
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In our last thrilling episode, lewis@lwb.org (Lewis W Beard) was
pushed over the cliffs of rec.games.frp.super-heroes on 23 Jul 2004
11:11:45 -0700 by Zoog, minion of Zathar. As he fell, he screamed:
>All,
>
>I have a player new to Hero who wants to have been in the Army and to
>have been a Sniper while there. I don't know anything about the
>Military, or whether being a Sniper is an Army thing, or some other
>branch, or what.

All the branches have snipers.

>So, assuming Army does have Snipers, what skills would someone in the
>Army (or whichever service is appropriate if the Army doesn't have
>Snipers) have, in Hero 5th Edition terms? What skills would they have
>as a Sniper?
>
>I'm hoping some of you current- or ex- military folks could give me an
>idea of the skills he should take. (My player doesn't know anything
>about the military either).

Oddly enough, I'm an ex-Army sniper. Even served as an instructor at
the United States Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Ga.

First of all, the hero will be an excellent shot (duh). He should be
able to reliably hit a man-sized target with an accurate rifle at 800
meters. Buying skill levels with a specific rifle (currently the M24
Sniper Weapon System) along with a good DEX and general skill levels
in Gun.

Secondly, snipers are very stealthy. We have to crawl around behind
enemy lines to get into position, and then get out after making our
shots. Stealth, and skills related to camouflage are a must.

Finally, snipers are good observers. In the USMC snipers are actually
classified as Scout/Snipers, and used for recon. Skills relating to
observation, or bonuses to perception should be bought up.

Most snipers will be junior NCOs, (Corporal to Staff Sergeant), unless
you are coming from an elite unit like a Ranger Battalion. Then
you'll see some privates and specialists. They are in excellent shape
(most of us ran marathons) and tend to be smart. We are also dead
sexy. (Sorry, have to brag.)

Psychologically speaking, we tend to be borderline sociopaths. It
takes a special type of person to not only look through a scope at a
living human and squeeze the trigger, but be able to do it over and
over. Snipers suffer from PTSD in amazing numbers.
--

Douglas E. Berry Do the OBVIOUS thing to send e-mail
Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as
when they do it from religious conviction."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Pense'es, #894.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

>meters. Buying skill levels with a specific rifle (currently the M24
>Sniper Weapon System) along with a good DEX and general skill levels
>in Gun.

Specific levels versus Range penalties might be an idea.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

On 23 Jul 2004 11:11:45 -0700, lewis@lwb.org (Lewis W Beard) wrote:

>So, assuming Army does have Snipers, what skills would someone in the
>Army (or whichever service is appropriate if the Army doesn't have
>Snipers) have, in Hero 5th Edition terms? What skills would they have
>as a Sniper?

Doug's answer was very good, especially from the military side, but
let me add a bit more from the gaming side. A certain amount will
depend on which supplements you are using (if any).

From the Hero 5th Edition Rules you can take the general items like
skill levels with your gun, both standard skill levels and penalty
skill levels (the latter to offset penalties for long range shooting).
Stealth and Concealment to be unobserved. To be able to reach your
desired position outdoors you might find swimming and climbing would
be useful. In an urban environment lockpicking and security systems
might serve the same purpose - roof access might be locked, or you
might need to break into an apartment or office to find the perfect
location. You might want to consider a few exotic Transport
Familiarities. For example, once your sniper takes the shot from the
roof he might want a quick exit - so he dives off the far side using a
parachute or hang glider. This is very attention-getting, but the
people who see that won't know about the assassination on the far side
of the building. Lots of people would be able to provide descriptions
of the person. One would then perhaps get into a car for a daring
getaway - combat driving would be helpful. Again, not as realistic
but a lot of fun in a gaming situation, a James Bond style thing that
would tend to be, um, impractical in most real life situations. A
stealthy exit is more realistic but not as much fun. Anyway, if you
are just using the rifle stats from Hero you won't find the M24 listed
but they have an SVD Dragunov Sniper Rifle. Gaming rules allow you to
buy Invisible Power Effects (sound), so you can have a silencer for
extra points without affecting range or stopping power. You can also
buy special sights (lasers, nightscopes, etc.) to help accuracy.

The Ultimate Martial Artist supplement contains (under fictional
styles) a martial art called Zen Riflery. Parts are for general
mayhem with a gun, but many parts would be quite suited for a sniper
in particular. Distance Shot, Deadly Accuracy, Ranged Disarm and so
on.

Doug mentioned that in real life the sniper is also used as a scout.
In many games these characters have been Special Forces (Green Berets,
SEALS, etc.) who happen to have extra skills as a sniper. It can be
lots of fun to blow things up in games, so Demolitions is a good
choice. They'll have good hand to hand combat skills, tracking, extra
swimming, strength, endurance, combat piloting and driving with lots
of transport familiarities. In other games snipers might be James
Bond characters with Disguise, Conversation, Seduction, Bribery and so
on in addition. A pure sniper is pretty rare in games because games
are not nearly so limited as real life.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

Douglas Berry wrote:

> Psychologically speaking, we tend to be borderline sociopaths. It
> takes a special type of person to not only look through a scope at a
> living human and squeeze the trigger, but be able to do it over and
> over. Snipers suffer from PTSD in amazing numbers.

A book recommended by others: _Jarhead_ by Andrew (Anthony ?) Swofford.


Robert Huff
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

>>meters. Buying skill levels with a specific rifle (currently the M24
>>Sniper Weapon System) along with a good DEX and general skill levels
>>in Gun.

Myrnag2555 wrote:
> Specific levels versus Range penalties might be an idea.

Yes, very much so. I'm not sure the ideal way to represent a
top-notch sniper is by giving him a very high attack-weapon
skill. In fact I've thought, recently, about adding a special
"Sniping" (binary) skill in my homebrew system, which gives a
to-hit bonus only in sniping situations. That way, a character
can be a sniper without being a crack shot in other situations,
i.e. those that RPG characters tend to end up in: short-range
fire fights.

This opens up for two *different* combat character types. One
with a very high weapon-attack skill, representing someone
trained as a regular soldier, maybe even given special
close-quarters-battle training. And the other trained as a
sniper. They'll excel in *different* types of situations.

--
Peter Knutsen
knutsen.dk
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

Peter Knutsen wrote:
>
>>> meters. Buying skill levels with a specific rifle (currently the M24
>>> Sniper Weapon System) along with a good DEX and general skill levels
>>> in Gun.
>>
>
> Myrnag2555 wrote:
>
>> Specific levels versus Range penalties might be an idea.
>
>
> Yes, very much so. I'm not sure the ideal way to represent a top-notch
> sniper is by giving him a very high attack-weapon skill. In fact I've
> thought, recently, about adding a special "Sniping" (binary) skill in my
> homebrew system, which gives a to-hit bonus only in sniping situations.
> That way, a character can be a sniper without being a crack shot in
> other situations, i.e. those that RPG characters tend to end up in:
> short-range fire fights.
>


This could be represented with Skill Levels that have the Limitation
"Only When Braced and Set(-1)".
Bracing gives you +2 vs. Range while halving your DCV. Setting gives you
+1 OCV but requires a full Phase of aiming.
The additional levels could make Bracing and Setting even more accurate.
And they could be bought with Extra Time if you have to really take your
time aiming.

--
Michael Sears armitage@mhcable.com
"No turning back where the end is in sight.
There's a job to be done, a fight to be won."



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Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

Douglas Berry wrote:
[...]
> Secondly, snipers are very stealthy. We have to crawl around behind
> enemy lines to get into position, and then get out after making our
> shots. Stealth, and skills related to camouflage are a must.
[...]

I just perused the skill list in FRED, briefly, to prepare to
answer the original poster, and found that in Hero, the skill
used for camouflage is Concealment.

But what about Climbing? Isn't that useful too?


Hero doesn't have any skills to reflect terrain familiarity (an
oversight - they are *very* useful in my homebrew system), but
the Survival skill can be used instead (in fact it is possible
that many groups use the skill like that). At the very least, it
can guarantee that the character won't set up his sniping
position among stinging plants (a reasonable GM wouldn't even
require a skill roll for this - he's just note that the
character has Survival (Jungle), and hence rule that the
character has a 0.0000% probability of such an embarassing mishap).

For a more advanced player, a successful roll for the Survival
skill might give the character a bonus to his Concealment or
Stealth skill roll (Hero has standard rules for how you can use
one skill to boost another skill).

Survival can also be useful in the way it was originally
conceived by game designers, decades ago: A lone character (or
group of characters), supporting himself in the wilderness.
There are persistent rumours about (at least) one Japanese
soldier who lived for decades on a Pacific island, not realizing
that World War II has ended. The Survival skill can be used to
find food and water, to find or build shelters, and to avoid
wilderness risks (predators, poisonous animals and plants,
avoidable weather and geological hazards), in the specified
terrain type(s).

--
Peter Knutsen
knutsen.dk
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In our last thrilling episode, Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid>
was pushed over the cliffs of rec.games.frp.super-heroes on Sat, 24
Jul 2004 05:50:54 +0200 by Zoog, minion of Zathar. As he fell, he
screamed:

>I just perused the skill list in FRED, briefly, to prepare to
>answer the original poster, and found that in Hero, the skill
>used for camouflage is Concealment.
>
>But what about Climbing? Isn't that useful too?

That should come with military training, but not at a really high
level.

A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon
returns fire. This is exactly *why* we don't climb trees. Trees are
deathtraps. I'd rather find a good spot under a bush, in a ruined
building, or inside a dead cow (buy me a beer sometime and I'll tell
you the story.) Shooting a downward angle is much harder than firing
on the flat.
--

Douglas E. Berry Do the OBVIOUS thing to send e-mail
Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as
when they do it from religious conviction."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Pense'es, #894.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In article <2me4l4Fm6g1nU1@uni-berlin.de>,
Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote:

> Hero doesn't have any skills to reflect terrain familiarity (an
> oversight - they are *very* useful in my homebrew system), but
> the Survival skill can be used instead (in fact it is possible
> that many groups use the skill like that).

Hero does have "Area Knowledge" and "Knowledge Skill: Specific Terrain
Type". Either of those could reflect a character's familiarity with
terrain.

--
Joe Claffey | "Make no small plans."
indianajoe3@comcast.net | -- Daniel Burnham
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

Douglas Berry wrote:
> In our last thrilling episode, Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid>
> was pushed over the cliffs of rec.games.frp.super-heroes on Sat, 24
> Jul 2004 05:50:54 +0200 by Zoog, minion of Zathar. As he fell, he
> screamed:
>>But what about Climbing? Isn't that useful too?
>
> That should come with military training, but not at a really high
> level.
>
> A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
> firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon

I don't think I've ever seen such a movie. I was thinking
cliffs, rock-faces and similar. Get from place to place. Get to
a high, concealed position.

> returns fire. This is exactly *why* we don't climb trees. Trees are

How can the entire platoon return fire, when they are equipped
with shoddy assault rifles, whereas sniper has a super-expensive
precision rifle? And is, of course, remembering that his sniping
instructor told him to only engage the enemy at long range...

> deathtraps. I'd rather find a good spot under a bush, in a ruined
> building, or inside a dead cow (buy me a beer sometime and I'll tell
> you the story.) Shooting a downward angle is much harder than firing
> on the flat.

I didn't know about the angle thing.

--
Peter Knutsen
knutsen.dk
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

"Peter Knutsen" <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote in message
news:2mej0hFmd69lU1@uni-berlin.de...
>
> Douglas Berry wrote:
> > A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
> > firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon
>
> I don't think I've ever seen such a movie.

I've seen several (none memorable enough for me to know the names of). It's
always the "bad guys" who open fire from the tree tops on the heroic jungle
patrol -- "our boys" are never so stupid.

> How can the entire platoon return fire, when they are equipped
> with shoddy assault rifles, whereas sniper has a super-expensive
> precision rifle? And is, of course, remembering that his sniping
> instructor told him to only engage the enemy at long range...

The presence of trees implies that long-range sighting of your would be
problematic.

Which brings up the question of how you define "sniper" anyway. Must it be a
long-range shooter with a fancy scope? In the war moves, a VC soldier hidden
20 yards away in the jungle is still referred to as a "sniper" by his
intended victims. It seems to be the element of concealment and surprise
that defines the term. (Besides which, the enemy snipers are always rotten
shots -- unless there is a token character they can safely kill).

But that's just movies...


--
David Meadows
"Hiding out on a pig farm saved my life." -- Don, Heroes #18
www.heroes.force9.co.uk/scripts
A comic book -- without the pictures
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In article <410238d2$0$63386$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>,
David Meadows <david@no.spam.here.uk> wrote:
>"Peter Knutsen" <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote in message
>news:2mej0hFmd69lU1@uni-berlin.de...
>>
>> Douglas Berry wrote:
>> > A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
>> > firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon
>>
>> I don't think I've ever seen such a movie.
>
>I've seen several (none memorable enough for me to know the names of). It's
>always the "bad guys" who open fire from the tree tops on the heroic jungle
>patrol -- "our boys" are never so stupid.
>
What do the snipers think of the tactics used in _Enemy at the
Gate_?

James Nicoll


--
Take the piston rings out of my stomach, And the cylinders out of my brain
Extract from my liver the crankshaft, And assemble the engine again!

[from 'The Dying Aviator']
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

Douglas,

> Oddly enough, I'm an ex-Army sniper. Even served as an instructor at
> the United States Army Sniper School at Fort Benning, Ga.

Thanks for the excellent reply! Very helpful, much obliged. Thanks to
everyone else for answers also.

BTW, this will be for a Super-Heroic game, but unlike many
Super-Heroic games where skills are secondary to powers, we like all
our characters to have all their skills fleshed out as would be
appropriate. So, the character will likely find his former training
very useful (in whatever limited ways the player and I can apply them,
not having any military experience).

Anyway thanks!

> Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5

Atheist #1362 here! Well met!

Lewis
 
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"James Nicoll" <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote in message
news:cdtqod$cgm$1@panix1.panix.com...
> In article <410238d2$0$63386$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>,
> David Meadows <david@no.spam.here.uk> wrote:
> >"Peter Knutsen" <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote in message
> >news:2mej0hFmd69lU1@uni-berlin.de...
> >>
<snip>
> >
> What do the snipers think of the tactics used in _Enemy at the
> Gate_?
>
> James Nicoll
>
>
> --
> Take the piston rings out of my stomach, And the cylinders out of my brain
> Extract from my liver the crankshaft, And assemble the engine again!
>
> [from 'The Dying Aviator']

I thought the movie was, in general, a realistic depiction of events and
tactics. One sore point though was the scene where one sniper gave
himself away to the other by a reflection off his telescopic sight. (I
*think*
it was the German.) I thought that that effect was well-known at the time.
As such, I had really expected that he would have a) exfiltrated and
infiltrated to a new position or b) have improvised a sun hood extension
for the sight to prevent it or c) exfiltrated and tried again another
morning.
(IIRC, it was the afternoon sun that gave him away.)
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In article <FpwMc.758$tK5.4476@news1.mts.net>,
K. Gartley <kgartley@mts.net> wrote:
>
>"James Nicoll" <jdnicoll@panix.com> wrote in message
>news:cdtqod$cgm$1@panix1.panix.com...
>> In article <410238d2$0$63386$ed2e19e4@ptn-nntp-reader04.plus.net>,
>> David Meadows <david@no.spam.here.uk> wrote:
>> >"Peter Knutsen" <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote in message
>> >news:2mej0hFmd69lU1@uni-berlin.de...
>> >>
><snip>
>> >
>> What do the snipers think of the tactics used in _Enemy at the
>> Gate_?
>>
>> James Nicoll
>>
>I thought the movie was, in general, a realistic depiction of events and
>tactics. One sore point though was the scene where one sniper gave
>himself away to the other by a reflection off his telescopic sight. (I
>*think*
>it was the German.) I thought that that effect was well-known at the time.
>As such, I had really expected that he would have a) exfiltrated and
>infiltrated to a new position or b) have improvised a sun hood extension
>for the sight to prevent it or c) exfiltrated and tried again another
>morning.
>(IIRC, it was the afternoon sun that gave him away.)

I don't remember that detail. Guess I will have to watch the
DVD again.

I did notice in _Master and Commander_ that in one scene where
Aubrey looks at the Acheron through his spyglass, you can see the
sun reflecting off the spyglass of someone on the Archeron looking
back at the Surprise, which I thought was a nice touch.

--
Take the piston rings out of my stomach, And the cylinders out of my brain
Extract from my liver the crankshaft, And assemble the engine again!

[from 'The Dying Aviator']
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

David Meadows wrote:

>>>A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
>>>firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon
>>
>>I don't think I've ever seen such a movie.
>
> I've seen several (none memorable enough for me to know the names of). It's
> always the "bad guys" who open fire from the tree tops on the heroic jungle
> patrol -- "our boys" are never so stupid.

_Gung Ho_ with Randolph Scott.


Robert Huff
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

"Lewis W Beard" <lewis@lwb.org> wrote in message
news:c581d835.0407231011.4448f570@posting.google.com...
> All,
>
> I have a player new to Hero who wants to have been in the Army and to
> have been a Sniper while there. I don't know anything about the
> Military, or whether being a Sniper is an Army thing, or some other
> branch, or what.
>
> So, assuming Army does have Snipers, what skills would someone in the
> Army (or whichever service is appropriate if the Army doesn't have
> Snipers) have, in Hero 5th Edition terms? What skills would they have
> as a Sniper?
>
> I'm hoping some of you current- or ex- military folks could give me an
> idea of the skills he should take. (My player doesn't know anything
> about the military either).
>
> Thanks,
>
> Lewis

3 range levels with rifle, +2 ocv with rifles, stealth 7 points, +2 visual
skill levels give or take depending on the stats, and commitment level.
Spotter: Add +1 perception and one ranged level usable on others, after one
shot.
Watched by US military 8-.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In our last thrilling episode, Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid>
was pushed over the cliffs of rec.games.frp.super-heroes on Sat, 24
Jul 2004 09:55:53 +0200 by Zoog, minion of Zathar. As he fell, he
screamed:

>Douglas Berry wrote:
>
>> A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
>> firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon
>
>I don't think I've ever seen such a movie. I was thinking
>cliffs, rock-faces and similar. Get from place to place. Get to
>a high, concealed position.

I was watching "The Boys in Company C" the other night, and they had
just such a sniper.

Again, high doesn't necessarily mean good.

I did a lot of climbing in the Rangers, but in regular units, none.
We didn't even do rope climbs for PT.

>> returns fire. This is exactly *why* we don't climb trees. Trees are
>
>How can the entire platoon return fire, when they are equipped
>with shoddy assault rifles, whereas sniper has a super-expensive
>precision rifle? And is, of course, remembering that his sniping
>instructor told him to only engage the enemy at long range...

The Golden BB. A GPMG has just as much range as a sniper rifle
(unless you're shooting with a .50) and can put a lot of lead onto the
target area. And rarely does a sniper engage from maximum range. We
preferto engage from 400 meters or less. Stalking excercises bring us
to withing 100 meters of our targets without being seen. The closer
you are, the more likely you are to get a first-round kill. That, and
it makes it easier to select a high value target. So that platoon can
return fire 90% of the time.

>> deathtraps. I'd rather find a good spot under a bush, in a ruined
>> building, or inside a dead cow (buy me a beer sometime and I'll tell
>> you the story.) Shooting a downward angle is much harder than firing
>> on the flat.
>
>I didn't know about the angle thing.

Doesn't happen so much at very short ranges, 150 meters or less, but
at longer ranges where you realy have to figure in bullet drop, having
the ground slope away makes the shot much harder. Add in the fact that
in a wilderness situation you can't always accurately gauge the angle
of the drop. The tendancy is to shoot high in these situations.
--

Douglas E. Berry Do the OBVIOUS thing to send e-mail
Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as
when they do it from religious conviction."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Pense'es, #894.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In our last thrilling episode, "David Meadows" <david@no.spam.here.uk>
was pushed over the cliffs of rec.games.frp.super-heroes on Sat, 24
Jul 2004 11:17:29 +0100 by Zoog, minion of Zathar. As he fell, he
screamed:

>Which brings up the question of how you define "sniper" anyway. Must it be a
>long-range shooter with a fancy scope?

A sniper is a specially trained marksmen who engages high-value
targets with precise aimed fire to create maximum damage with minimal
effort. Snipers also engage targets of opportunity to create
confusion and fear. Snipers are trianed to engage targets according
to the strategic and tactical needs of their parent units.

A VC with a SKS is a sniper if he is using careful aimed fire. In
industrialized armies, snipers tend to be specially trained and
equipped.
--

Douglas E. Berry Do the OBVIOUS thing to send e-mail
Atheist #2147, Atheist Vet #5

"Men never do evil so completely and cheerfully as
when they do it from religious conviction."
Blaise Pascal (1623-1662), Pense'es, #894.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

On Sat, 24 Jul 2004 11:17:29 +0100, "David Meadows"
<david@no.spam.here.uk> wrote:

>"Peter Knutsen" <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote in message
>news:2mej0hFmd69lU1@uni-berlin.de...
>>
>> Douglas Berry wrote:
>> > A brief digression.. snipers and trees. Movies always show the sniper
>> > firing from some high branch and getting waxed when the entire platoon
>>
>> I don't think I've ever seen such a movie.
>
>I've seen several (none memorable enough for me to know the names of). It's
>always the "bad guys" who open fire from the tree tops on the heroic jungle
>patrol -- "our boys" are never so stupid.

For some reason every sniper I've ever seen in a movie was in a tall
building and the incident was in a city--where it seemed only rational
that if you're going to have any kind of field of fire (even on a
choke point) you probably were going to have to be at altitude.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

>For some reason every sniper I've ever seen in a movie was in a tall
>building and the incident was in a city-

Amateurs are different. The guy who climbs up to the bell tower and starts
shooting has no intention of getting away.
He's looking to commit suicide in the first place.
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

Indiana Joe wrote:
> Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote:
>>Hero doesn't have any skills to reflect terrain familiarity (an
>>oversight - they are *very* useful in my homebrew system), but
>>the Survival skill can be used instead (in fact it is possible
>>that many groups use the skill like that).
>
> Hero does have "Area Knowledge" and "Knowledge Skill: Specific Terrain
> Type". Either of those could reflect a character's familiarity with
> terrain.

I didn't know about the later. I must have overlooked it.

--
Peter Knutsen
knutsen.dk
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

In article <2mg145Fmm5aqU1@uni-berlin.de>,
Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote:

> Indiana Joe wrote:
> > Peter Knutsen <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote:
> >>Hero doesn't have any skills to reflect terrain familiarity (an
> >>oversight - they are *very* useful in my homebrew system), but
> >>the Survival skill can be used instead (in fact it is possible
> >>that many groups use the skill like that).
> >
> > Hero does have "Area Knowledge" and "Knowledge Skill: Specific Terrain
> > Type". Either of those could reflect a character's familiarity with
> > terrain.
>
> I didn't know about the later. I must have overlooked it.

Knowledge Skills are sort of, "catch all". The designers didn't want to
detail every possible skill, so they added the categories of "Area
Knowledge", "Knowledge Skill", "Professional Skill", and "Science
Skill". They're useful as complimentary skills.

--
Joe Claffey | "Make no small plans."
indianajoe3@comcast.net | -- Daniel Burnham
 
Archived from groups: rec.games.frp.super-heroes (More info?)

David Meadows wrote:
> "Peter Knutsen" <peter@knutsen.invalid> wrote in message
>>How can the entire platoon return fire, when they are equipped
>>with shoddy assault rifles, whereas sniper has a super-expensive
>>precision rifle? And is, of course, remembering that his sniping
>>instructor told him to only engage the enemy at long range...
[...]
> Which brings up the question of how you define "sniper" anyway. Must it be a
> long-range shooter with a fancy scope? In the war moves, a VC soldier hidden
> 20 yards away in the jungle is still referred to as a "sniper" by his

I'd define that VC dude as a *kamikaze* type sniper. I sure
hope, on general principles, that Doug wasn't trained to behave
in that way.

> intended victims. It seems to be the element of concealment and surprise
> that defines the term. (Besides which, the enemy snipers are always rotten
> shots -- unless there is a token character they can safely kill).
>
> But that's just movies...

--
Peter Knutsen
knutsen.dk
 
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