Can someone please explain how ranges work?

[hermes]

Okay, usually I can figure this stuff out on my own, but I confess that I am utterly baffled by the way ranges for weapons are written up in the game.

In the combat rules, it explains that attacks at Close range get +1 die, attacks at Medium range have no modifiers, attacks at Long range are at -1 die, and attacks at Extreme range are at -1 die if the shooter succeeds at spotting the target in the first place. So far so good.

Unfortunately, when I look up the stats on the weapons themselves, there are only two ranges listed: Close and Maximum. So I assume that anything less than the listed range for Close gets +1 die. That much is easy to figure out. After that, I'm lost. Is Maximum supposed to correspond to Extreme or is it simply the absolute maximum distance that the weapon can be fired effectively? The latter would be my assumption. Regardless, how do you determine what Medium, Long, and Extreme ranges are? This is made particularly difficult by the lack of any correlation between the listed Close and Maximum ranges for any of the weapons in the book. For some weapons the Maximum is twice the Close, while for others it's as much as seven or eight times greater.

Help!

While I'm at it, I might as well put forth another question. If you have a character who declares that they are watching a particular spot (e.g. a window or an area of treeline) and wants to shoot anyone who shows themselves, how do you resolve this mechanically? If the enemy is sneaking past, for the sake of this example, the character will need to roll at Sense+Sight check to spot him. If he succeeds, then he will also need to roll his shot. Because of the restrictions of the ORE system, does this have to be performed as a multiple action? That seems pretty harsh for doing something that pretty much EVERY soldier does on a regular basis. Under ranges (yes, back to that for a second), in order to shoot someone at Extreme range you need to spot them with a Sense+Sight roll first. This seems to be the same idea. Does it need to be a multiple action, or can Sense+Sight rolls be made IN ADDITION to regular actions? Would the Width of a Sense+Sight roll ever be important?

Any clarifications or suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

[Shane Ivey]

how do you determine what Medium, Long, and Extreme ranges are? This is made particularly difficult by the lack of any correlation between the listed Close and Maximum ranges for any of the weapons in the book. For some weapons the Maximum is twice the Close, while for others it's as much as seven or eight times greater.

The difference between how the range rules were written (Close, Long, Extreme) and the actual ranges given for weapons (Close, Maximum) is a bug that'll be fixed whenever we do another edition of the game. Back in 2002 when someone asked this question, author Dennis Detwiller recommended treating anything up to the first number as close range (+1d), anything after the second number as Long range (–1d), and anything in between as medium range. If long range is also a long way off -- long range for a Garand is a lot farther than long range for a pistol -- then you should require a sight roll before the attacker can fire.

(Personally, I like guns to be a little less accurate than that in the heat of battle. In my games, I only give the +1d bonus for close range if you're really up close and personal; say, half the listed range for "Close" under the weapons. Anything up to the weapon's Close range is a normal roll. Anything between Close and Max is long range, –1d. Anything beyond max is extreme range and requires a sight roll first.)

While I'm at it, I might as well put forth another question. If you have a character who declares that they are watching a particular spot (e.g. a window or an area of treeline) and wants to shoot anyone who shows themselves, how do you resolve this mechanically? If the enemy is sneaking past, for the sake of this example, the character will need to roll at Sense+Sight check to spot him. If he succeeds, then he will also need to roll his shot.

Will the character really have to roll Sight to see the target? Remember, only ask for a roll if it's something particularly challenging. If the enemy succeeds in a sneak roll, then the sentry must roll Sight in a contest. Otherwise if the character is deliberately watching a spot and someone enters that spot without a stealth roll, the sentry should spot the intruder.

Under ranges (yes, back to that for a second), in order to shoot someone at Extreme range you need to spot them with a Sense+Sight roll first. This seems to be the same idea. Does it need to be a multiple action, or can Sense+Sight rolls be made IN ADDITION to regular actions?

I would count it as an action. If you succeed with multiple actions you can zero in on the distant target and make the shot all at the same time. Otherwise, zero in on the target with a sight roll in the first round and take the shot in the next round. We're talking about distances where the weapons are very inaccurate.

Would the Width of a Sense+Sight roll ever be important?

Probably not, unless the width is so great that you can split it up into two sets for multiple actions.

[hermes]

Thanks for the response, Shane. I figured that there must have been a foul-up in the rules with regards to range. Your treatment of it seems like a reasonable way to get around any confusion. Your suggestion for my other question also sounds like a decent way to handle that particular situation. Okay, I'm not so confused any more. Much obliged.