Re: [HoE] re: Black Hat Malfunction Table

[DarrinBrig@aol.com]

In a message dated 10/1/98 12:59:18 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
Gwydion758@aol.com writes:

> All they seem to do is detonate thermite charges in the
>  weapons or vehicles, nothing that would take the people out but it would 
> deny
>  them use of the equipment.  The ammo boxes don't blow up until the wrong
>  person trys to open them, so again nothing to immediately take out the 
> people.

The chips they put at the back of the heads are pretty sophisticated, enough
so that they have a limited AI and can tell when a Black Hat is being
interrogated and might reveal something important.  The rulebook doesn't
really go into this, but the adventure that came with the rad screen goes into
a lot more detail.  

Take the following example: A black hat with an assault rifle and a SAW is
driving a vehicle.  A doomsayer makes a single roll with EMP, knocks out the
head chip.  Every piece of equipment that the black hat is operating now
registers that an enemy is trying to use the equipment.  The charges are NOT
just to deny the PCs equipment.  Ever stood next to a thermite charge when it
goes up? The heat will probably ignite all the weapon in the magazine, and
that means shrapnel, and lots of it.  Now throw in the vehicle, which explodes
with a blast radius.  Blast radii are posse-killers, lemme tellya...

And that box of ammunition the black hats brought in to shoot up the good
guys, what'll be the blast radius on THAT one?
  
>  I also don't think a TN of 11 or 13 is an "easy" way to take out the black
>  hats.
>  Sorry, Darrin, but I don't see this a being necessary.

Mostly what I had a problem with is the idea that a single Doomsayer could
make a single roll and completely wipe out an entire company/brigade/whatever
of Black Hats.  I'm not sure if you're saying it ought to be easier or harder.
The EMP power says it works against black hats, but I don't like the idea of a
single roll setting off explosive charges with a blast radius.  Too easy to
kill black hats that way, every Doomsayer will take EMP and every Junker will
start making EMP grenades for the rest of the posse.

My tables are an attempt to make malfunctioning chips a little less deadly.
Most of the results will just simply be "it stops working" instead of "it
kills the black hat". Sure, it's a lot more rolling and a lot more of a pain
in the ass to keep track of, but some people like that sort of thing.