mixed missile payloads and controlling firing order

[Jefffar]

For simplicity I assume the missiles fly out in the order selected by the operator

[Warshield73]

I imagine there are a lot of robots (like where missiles are externally mounted, or 1 per launcher) who have absolute control over the order they fire their missiles in, like say if you hame some plasma, some frag, some AP, etc.

But are there robots which look like they have high-capacity missile launchers where the feeding belt for these missiles might have to be loaded in a pre-determined order and you're stuck in that firing order unless you have some downtime to empty and reload your robot?

Just thinking of some of the bots where you see 1 exit port and it looks like that have 20 missiles in some kind of feed belt, can't remember where I saw it though.

While I am not sure about the 1 exit for 20 missiles this problem largely comes down to the difference between the vehicle depictions in artwork and the weapons descriptions in the text.

Good examples of this are in RUE, pg. 249-252, the CS UAR-1 Enforcer and the CS Mark V APC.

When you look at the Enforcer the MRML and the SRML all make sense. 6 MRM with 6 tubes, 10 SRM with 10 tubes. The problem comes with the mini-missile launcher. If it is the Turret in the pic it has only 3 tubes but can launch a volley of 4 and it says frag and plasma are standard.

The Mark V is worse with it having only 8 tubes per launcher but it can fire a volley of 10 per launcher, 20 total.

For both of these and many others it is clear that at least 2 missiles are stacked in the tube and they clearly have to come out in order so if you have.

For simplicity I assume the missiles fly out in the order selected by the operator

This is what I have always done but on certain vehicles, like the Mark V, you just have to decided how many types of missiles you let people load.

For the Enforcer we decided it was a shared magazine and they could have 2 types of missiles and that the picture was wrong and there was really 4 tubes.

For the Mark V we just said each launcher really had 10 tubes and they could only have one type of missile if you wanted to be able to launch a maximum volley or you could load each launcher with a different type and just launch them one at a time.

So just a case-by-case basis.

[ShadowLogan]

Mixed Payloads and Firing Order for Missile Launch Systems.

There are 3 basic types:

-Magazine/Clip Fed Man-Portable Systems. These would have to have the mixed payload order pre-determined and followed in order. This is your basic man-portable shoulder system or Missile "Rifle" for 'Borgs and PA (and 'bots).

-Single-Shot Stations (internal or external). These could fire a mixed payload in any order (essentially we do this today in fighter/attack aircraft when they select what type of weapon to use).

-Multi-Shot Stations (stations that have a reload). Due to the reload nature, these stations would have the missiles order pre-determined to some extent depending on how much control over reloads the GM wants to give and when reload occurs. And this might vary from platform to platform (this is more common on large spaceship type platforms than smaller "fighter" sized platforms).

[green.nova343]

Mixed Payloads and Firing Order for Missile Launch Systems.

There are 3 basic types:

-Magazine/Clip Fed Man-Portable Systems. These would have to have the mixed payload order pre-determined and followed in order. This is your basic man-portable shoulder system or Missile "Rifle" for 'Borgs and PA (and 'bots).

-Single-Shot Stations (internal or external). These could fire a mixed payload in any order (essentially we do this today in fighter/attack aircraft when they select what type of weapon to use).

-Multi-Shot Stations (stations that have a reload). Due to the reload nature, these stations would have the missiles order pre-determined to some extent depending on how much control over reloads the GM wants to give and when reload occurs. And this might vary from platform to platform (this is more common on large spaceship type platforms than smaller "fighter" sized platforms).

Agree with #1 & #2...but for #3, I would restrict that to pylon- or pod-mounted weapons. Like the triple MRM hardpoints or the 15-round SRM box pods from Robotech's VF-1 Valkyrie: the missiles are physically loaded onto a pylon/into a pod, where each "tube" has a dedicated magazine for it, so with those you do have to pre-select your warheads & their firing order.

I would then add a 4th option: built-in launcher with an internal magazine. It may or may not have tubes that limit the salvo size, but the reload system is completely internal, so you can change the selected missiles in each tube before firing off a volley. I would also, however, require some sort of delay on that -- either a successful Weapons System skill roll to make the change (not too hard for most pilots to manage), or changing out the existing loads in the tubes takes a melee action to complete. The system still tracks what you have left & asks what you want loaded next, which you can either choose from preselected mixes, a "default" mix, or even "redo the last loading mix" until you run out of the appropriate missiles (at which point it either fills in with the remaining type or you have to pick again). That also encourages the players to actually track their missiles, both for type & usage.

For larger vehicles -- ships, starships, etc. -- I would even consider the possibility of a "unitary" type system. The missile magazine for each launcher has a finite set of missile bodies, but uses modular "payload" and "propulsion" systems. This would be meant for the large ship systems that only fire maybe 1 or 2 volleys per melee, though. Overall number of missile bodies/canisters remains the same as the listed book values, but the total number of propulsion/warhead units is maybe 3-4 times as large (depending on what types of warhead options are usually available), with each warhead/propulsion package topping out at 75-100% of the listed payload. So maybe your first time through you use all Plasma missiles, but after you reload the ready magazines you're forced to choose between AP or Fragmentation warheads because you only have those left. This would essentially be a high-tech futuristic version of the old RIM-8 Talos launcher & reload systems the USN had (early Talos had separate conventional & nuclear missiles, later Talos had a "unitary" warhead where the conventional warhead was replaced by a nuke warhead down in the magazine prior to loading onto the launch rail).

[Mlp7029]

Interesting discussions. I would say changing the missile firing order from a default order would take an extra attack unless the robot had multiple launch buttons that could be programmed for specific mixes or voice control. I think it would depend on the sophistication of the robot.

[green.nova343]

Interesting discussions. I would say changing the missile firing order from a default order would take an extra attack unless the robot had multiple launch buttons that could be programmed for specific mixes or voice control. I think it would depend on the sophistication of the robot.

LOL, so Chipwell is definitely out of the running...