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Translating a fantasy skirmish into a sci fi skirmish game

So, I have developed a skirmish system permitting you to pit just very few fighters versus each other.
The mechanics are innovative, the theme is common fantasy.
You start by creating your Hero. Upon doing so your Hero gains access to one or more skills.
Creating the Hero and mixing skills is just half of the fun (with the other half being watching your Hero play his role on the battlefield).

This exactly is the main issue I'm running into trying to "paste" a sci-fi theme over the system:
It just is not as simple as that.

In medieval times, fighters relied on their equipment as well as on their skill.
Let's take a marksman for example. A marksman in a fantasy world might not only wield a deadly crossbow firing off poison dripping bolts. He has also learned, what "aiming" means (having a steady hand, knowing, how to look over his crossbow, and the likes) as well as the fact, that he will strike true only at a distance of a couple of metres at best.
In spite of all training, failure could still happen: the target might react instinctively to the "click" of the crossbow by leaping away, thus evading the missile (or at least having it not hit the viable parts of his body), a sudden wind gust might bring the missile of its path and whatelse.

Now compare to a modern age marksman: With a steady hand he looks through his scope. The scope enhances his sight by hundreds. His eyes focus on the red laser dot telling him the exact impact point of his bullet. The silencer denies the target the acustics of the bullet leaving the rifle and the bullet leaves fast enough to cover a distance of hundreds of metres within mere seconds.
Fast forward to sci-fi: The rifle is connected to a bionic interface projecting crosshairs directly onto your pupils. Your eyes are able to zoom in with factors of 10 or 100 as well, so do not even need that scope anymore.
Bionics in your arm guarantee your steady aim, so there is no way you could miss your target.

Technology has taken over.

Actually a frightening thought, if you imagine, this could be the future of mankind one day.
For gaming purposes stuff like this is all kinds of awesome - until you try to make a game revolve around it. (Or at least until I try to make a game revolve around it)
With technology having replaced most of what used to be a skill "back in those days", are there any notable skills left?
What is worse: how do you balance skill versus technology?
I'm aware of most games doing so by setting point costs for skills and technology, so an expert-top-geared-sniper is most propably the most expensive unit you are fielding. This approach does not work for my game, though: You've got 20 fixed points to buy levels in your attributes and - depending on your choice of attributes - access to up to 5 skills. That's the core system. So there is no "buying stuff for some more points".

Also, the diversity of ranged weapons has grown:
In the fantasy universe, there are thrown weapons, blow pipes, bows, crossbows (and, depending on the evolution of your world, pistols and rifles as well). That pretty much covers everything (disregarding siege engines).
In Sci Fi you've got:
One handed guns and two handed guns both with all kinds of different bullets (explosive, manstopping, armor penetrating and whatelse), lasers or plasma. There are flamers, gauss weapons, grenade launchers (as well as hand thrown grenades) with all kinds of grenades (smoke, exploding, acid, flashbang, and so on). What's worse: They come with magazines, so there is no need to reload (as opposed to a crossbow) making ranged combat far superior to melee combat.

And lest ye not forget bionics, implanted to enhance the body.

Yeah, actually and to be honest, I'm kind of stuck here.
But I appreciate all kind of input :)

Kind regards,
Kai

Comments

Examples

In the Fantasy Setting, there is a skill called "volley" allowing you to attack opposing Heroes in a certain area, as long as you are using a bow or throwing weapons.
This is a skill representing an attack technic you have learnt.
This skill won't translate into sci-fi, since you can lay waste to a gang by using a simple automatic pistol. You're using technology instead of a skill.

With the lack of having to reload, balancing between melee and ranged combat becomes difficult at best.

Armour is another issue:
Today, we don't know what kinds of armour will be available. So for this sci fi setting I cannot say anymore "this armour allows 1 Point per face and that allows 2" ..
How do I explain that e.g. a Space Marine's armour is superior to an Eldar armour?

Remember, it is your YOUR

Remember, it is your YOUR theme and your world. While you borrow from existing conventions to build a theme, you can (and I would argue, you should) innovate upon it. This means, you can place restrictions and limitations as you please to make the game better.

Examples: Your ranged guns might be really powerful, but the Arena Master (if it is a tournament of some sorts, for example) has given you only a handful energy cells to power them. You must calculate your shots or you'll be toast. Or the energy cells are such a precious commodity in this post-apocalyptic world that they are worth a fortune and you have only a very few. Or you must spend 1 of the 20 fixed points to buy an energy cell rather than an upgrade, leading you to tough decisions. Or the gun has a critical failure risk and can randomly blow in your face.

So, you trade the reach of the ranged weapons with the reliability of the melee weapons.

The lesson is that you have a pretty large creative license to fill flavor holes in a way that makes sense.

...But Defense Wins The Game - Dennis Rodman in Double Team

High tech scenarios can support things like projected shields, "the force", reinforced bio armor, quick regeneration, magnetic repulsion, defensive mini rockets, holograms, predator like invisibility, or super enhanced reflexes, all of which might impact the ability for someone to target, hit, or do damage from a distance. Using melee weapons, like light sabers, giant axes, high frequency blades, that double blade thing from Halo, or super strong exoskeletons might allow characters to bypass some or all of these defensive mechanisms.

Guns may also generate heat, requiring time, energy, or bulky add-ons (heat sinks) to be able to dissipate the heat from the guns, preventing them from being operated continuously.

Technologies may allow for teleportation, high speed movements, jet packs, or super jumping, all of which could impact the effectiveness of ranged weapons.

EMP devices may be deployed to temporarily disrupt high tech equipment, preventing autotargeting, lasers, or whatever from operating, leaving them helpless without a low tech alternative.

EDIT - Skills could reflect the ability to interface or operate with the technologies.

You are over-thinking the

You are over-thinking the whole thing. Not sure if you ever used a gun before, but a scope does not replace the skill of aiming down a barrel.

The scope only increases the range of sight, aiming with a steady hand, cool head, and preparedness to absorb the recoil, is still needed to to make your mark

But if you are insistent on your tech-replacing-skill, remember that this is all theming, the word "Skill" is freely exchangeable with anything else.

Your "Bionics" can pretty much be the replacement of "Skill", it is essentially what being skilled at something is, being better at something.

As for diverse weapons, break your weapons down to a few types, 3 to 5 should be variety enough.

A laser-gun, sonic-blaster, and normal powder-gun, are all still under the category "Guns", only their effects differ

eg: Maybe laser has some heat damage or advantage/disadvantage against certain types.

lastly, melee combat is probably supplemented by armor and/or stealth in a sci-fi setting.

any sort of technology can be fabricated to aid melee combat, likewise goes with drawbacks to using firearms, eg: possibility of overheating and jamming etc

Wow :)

Heya and wow!

Thanks for your insights.
And: yes, probably I'm overthinking the whole thing..

Turning the game into some kind of gladiatorial combat actually makes sense, especially with scenarios such as capture the flag, king of the hill and the likes.

My world, my rules: If ranged weapons are weaker than melee weapons by definition - problem solved.
(Though raising more interesting questions: How does the future of a world look like, that used to have magic in the past? How does magic evolve? And how does everything else evolve due to the magical influences? I guess, though, somehow those questions do not belong here ...)

Guns generate heat. Yes! Of course they do! How could I Forget? (Battle Isle: Incubation sends its regards here..)
Thanks for remembering me :)

And yes: theming is everything!
I could include a "skill" category called "equipment" with mostly passive skills and if you pick an "equipment skill", I've got my "technology replacing skill" issue solved: Your fighter might carry a grenade launcher, but he needs a special passive skill to operate it properly.
With a limited access to skills you might think twice before selecting a passive skill if you could pick a devastating active skill instead.

Hmmmmmmmm ... I think, I like where this is going.
Thanks for your inputs, folks!

Back to work ... :)

Kind regards,
Kai

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