Quote: (javelin98 @ 05 Jan. 2009, 21:29 )
But for the Mk.I Eyeball, I wouldn't;  if something is right at the very edge of a weapon's effective range, there's a chance it's beyond it and the soldier won't know until he fires.  In that case, the player should commit to the action first and then take an automatic miss if measurement shows it to be out of range.  Of course, I know that most soldiers will wait until they have a better chance of actually hitting the target before firing, so that it is well within effective range and measurement would become a moot point (unless it's a suppressing fire or recon-by-fire situation...).
The problem I have with the above/below situation, which is invariably used as an argument by the guesstimate crowd, is the very harsh rules of 'effective' range.
A Leman Russ is about 45cm from it's target. It's not allowed to premeasure. It declares a Sustained Fire Action, and passes it's Init test. If, after doing so, the range is 45.5cm, according to the rules, it's an automatic failure, and the shell just drops in mid flight. So it goes from a 66% chance to hit (modified by cover etc), to zero/zilch/nada.
The same even applies in the fantasy based games. An experienced Wood Elf Archer, capable of hitting a target at 29.9" with his longbow 5 in 6 times, automatically misses if his target is 30.1"? And can't tell, based on his own experience, whether or not he can/can't?
If there was a much more forgiving sliding scale of ranges, I wouldn't have as much of a problem, but the absolute harshness of 'almost auto hit'/'auto fail' makes me REALLY dislike the inability to premeasure.
As General John Sedgwick would attest, effective range vs maximum killing range for a better/luckier marksman, is a sticky question.
Morgan Vening
; think we'll leave our differences at the door and continue the discussion!)
And, if you dont premeasure, never play a carpenter!
