(Answered) SAR Questions

[wellspring]

Strat Ops, pg 46, Search and Rescue Modifiers Table

Under "Ground", both Improved Sensors and Active Probes have modifiers associate with them. Are they cumulative? That is, if my VTOL engages in a ground SAR operation and has both Improved Sensors and an Active Probe, does this give me a -4 modifier or a -3. (I think those two entries should have an asterisk after them to indicate that only the largest modifier applies, but I'm asking in case improved sensors is qualitatively different rather than just a lite version of the active probe as in the combat rules.)

Strat Ops, pg 45, second paragraph under Search and Rescue

What is a "playing area battlefield"? Just a normal gameboard?

I ask because a game board can be several mapsheets (ground) if I'm playing with Mechs. Or I might have had an aerospace battle using the low altitude map in which case each hex is a game board. Does the latter require multiple teams or am I overthinking this?

(Same section) the restrictions on what can serve as a SAR-capable unit are very, very broad. Foot infantry, vehicles with or without seating or cargo space to carry the wounded... just to be sure, these are all equally ok from a rules perspective, right? I realize that these are broad, optional, out-of-combat rules we're talking about.

Strat Ops, pg 45, third paragraph under Search and Rescue, and then the POW example text on pg 46

The rules seem pretty clear that, regardless of the size of your SAR force, you get one roll per ejected Mechwarrior, etc.. However, then on the next page in the example text for POW's, it says:

...he dedicates three different Search and Rescue units to just tracking down the single MechWarrior. On the first day (the day the scenario occurred), a –4 modifier is applied to all three Search and Rescue rolls.

So is the rules text accurate (one roll per missing soldier), is the example text accurate (one roll per unit participating in SAR operations), or are the POW rules different in this instance from the SAR rules (in which case we need clarifying errata)? I'm suspecting that the example text was the correct version, but obviously I'm not sure or I wouldn't be asking. 

[wellspring]

I gave it a little extra time since it was in Research, but bumping now for great justice.

[wellspring]

We have some pilots who've gone the way of the Donner Party waiting for evac, but the rest of them have requested a thread bump.

[Xotl]

Sorry about this one - StratOps questions tend to be slower, because we have fewer experts on that ruleset.  However, we should have an answer for you in the next week or so.  Thanks for your patience.

[wellspring]

Sorry about this one - StratOps questions tend to be slower, because we have fewer experts on that ruleset.  However, we should have an answer for you in the next week or so.  Thanks for your patience.

I appreciate your work on this one!

[Xotl]

1: re: Improved Sensors and Active Probe.  The best (active probe) should win out, rather than their being cumulative.  Each entry should get a * mark added to them in errata.

2: The "Playing area battlefield" is the exact area you used in a prior game.  If that happens to be multiple mapsheets or 1, either way, it's the playing area battlefield. Likewise in space, whatever area you had the game in, that's the "Playing area battlefield"

3: Anything that is defined as a unit in gameplay can take part in SAR.

4. First, the modifiers indicated should apply to the dice roll, which'd make it harder to get to 8+.  We'll fix that and inverse the modifiers in the table.  The intent is that each individual unit participating in SAR rolls for each individual MechWarrior, vehicle crew, escape pod, or lifeboat.
Example: 3 units tasked to do SAR. Unit One has a Beagle probe, Unit Two is a VTOL without a Probe, and Unit Three is a regular ground vehicle. Two hostile MechWarriors and one hostile vehicle crew have gone to ground.

Target number is 8.
Day 1:
Unit One: -4 (unit has gone to ground, day 1), +2 from the Probe, net -2 modifier to the roll.
Unit Two: -4 (unit has gone to ground, day 1), +1 for being a VTOL, net -3 modifier to the roll.
Unit Three: -4 (unit has gone to ground, day 1), and nothing else.

(Again, note that I'm flipping the modifiers on p.46)

[wellspring]

Excellent! Thanks for the detailed response. I know this one was a doozy. :)

Just to clarify, then, in your example I roll nine times per day, right? In other words, Unit 1 rolls at -2 three times (once for each missing trooper), then Unit 2 rolls (at -3) three times, and then Unit 3 rolls three times (at -4). Is this correct?

[Paul]

Correct, you would roll 9 times, once for each potential target, with each unit that is searching.

[wellspring]

Sounds great, thanks so much