Questions

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

1: To the GM: What kind of terrain/obstacles can a hovercar go over, and how fast is it?
2: To the other PCs: What ratio of convoy vehicles/people to Resistance people is our abort cutoff? My guess is that if the odds are worse than 5:1, we're not going to accomplish our objective, especially if it's not obvious which vehicle has the target.

Comments

[m-danson.livejournal.com]

Good
Flat ground, normal road, gravel, calm water, snow, ice, etc

Sometimes Problematic
Fast running water, rocky terrain, moving terrain, some hills

Problem to Impossible
Very steep hills (may flip over), big waves, tall blocking items (walls, other vehicles, mountains, bolders, fences, etc), ravines (will fall ... perhaps more coyote like than anvil like... perhaps)

From booklet:

Hovercraft ride on a cushion of compressed air so require a surface to push against. The benefit of such a vehicle
is that it can drive on water; however, it cannot be used on rough terrain.
Value Characteristic Notes
4 Size 2.5”
× 1.25”, -4 DCV, 1.6 tonnes
30 STR Lift: 1,600 kg (6d6)
15 DEX 5 OCV, 5 DCV
14 BODY
5 DEF
3 SPD Phases: 4, 8, 12
Flight 6”
× 4, Must remain within 4” of a surface (-1/2), Radar OIF Bulky (-1).

A few notes on the above.

The range of height a hovercraft can manage will depend on the grade of hovercraft. A standard hovercraft would have 1" height, a commercial hover craft 2-3", and a military grade hover craft would have the capability for up to 4" height. Anything above that may be built like a hovercraft but it is considered an aircraft.

Please note that most hovercraft can not float on water naturally and may sink if they run out of fuel over a body of water.

Going faster makes it harder to avoid hitting things or flipping over.

Combat driving is not required for driving a hovercraft. Combat driving is required for driving a hover craft at full DCV.

Hovercraft are often slower than cars, planes, and boats... but they can go where those can't. Track-bikes may give land bound hovercraft some problems but hovercraft can hold more people/cargo/guns.

Hovercraft may be either open or enclosed topped. This must be specified at the time of purchase. Airborn dust and odd vibrations may reduce accuacy of shooting from (and potentially into) a hovercraft.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

Thanks!
(I doubt we're going to get one, but if we do, either by purchase or capture, I can drive/fly it.)
Next question: do they always use Combat Driving, or are there some situations or maneuvers calling for Combat Piloting?
Finally, can skills or CSL's be used to buy up vehicle combat, and if so, how? (The player has XP to spend, see...)

[m-danson.livejournal.com]

Hovercraft require combat DRIVING to do combat maneuvers and to have full DCV.

Combat driving and piloting are based on the craft or class of craft not the maneuver being performed. Combat piloting won't help you fly a car you have driven off a cliff... combat driving *might* help you land it with less damage. Maybe. If you are very lucky.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

OK.
*Ponders the Car Wars maneuver difficulty rating for safely landing a Thelma&Louise*
For water movement, how does it work? I would guess that surface vessels use CD and vessels with the option of submerging (Subs, SCUBA, etc.) use CP; is that correct?

Vehicle combat question: do CSLs work with vehicles the same way they do with weapons (i.e., applicability goes by Transport Familiarity instead of Weapon Familiarity)?

[m-danson.livejournal.com]

You will have to check the book. I am at work and not in a position to answer those questions right now.

Anybody have a book handy??

[ancalagon-tb.livejournal.com]

to answer mike:

Ambush gives a big edge, but because we want to free someone, we can't be too heavy handed. If the goal was just to kill them, a few hundred pounds of TNT would do, or many RPGs... but we don't really have the time for it anyway. This really limits what we can do... even 3:1 to me would be very risky. We can account for soldiers and have a fair idea of how good they are, but it's the specialists/elite - angels, seraphims, warlocks - that are likely to be there, that can really throw us off.

[ironphoenix.livejournal.com]

The reason we may be able to deal with a worse ratio is that if we have our shit together, we can be in and gone before they can bring their numbers to bear if they're strung out along the road. If they have well-set up outriders and scouts, air cover, etc., we're likely gefuxxored and need to know asap to bugger off.