Nat Apt Tactics or Combat Sense....

[bblaney]

Which would be more effective actually?

This is for a game I am in and well wondering why having Nat Apt/ Tactics is a good thing...................or bad thing

[Maelwys]

Well, there are a  couple of things to look at.

Tactics/<whatever> can help you figure out the best way to attack something, or defend yourself against being attacked. So taking the best 2 out of 3d6 can definitely help you figure out what's going on. However, the big benefit of tactics is that you get to add its rating directly to your initiative (in certain situations). There's no rolling involved in this, its just a straight bonus, so Natural Aptitude won't apply. Its also a complex skill, so your cost for the Natural Aptitude is going to be +5 TP.

Combat Sense lets your roll initiative as if its NA (3d6, take best two), but it also provides additional benefits, such as reducing stun and surprise modifiers, and can help (if your GM allows) in stressful non-combat situations as well. Is also "only" a +4 TP cost.

I would think that unless your character is the guy that's always coming up with the plans, then your better bet is Combat Sense. After all, you get the initiative bonus from Tactics without having to roll anything. If you're the guy that's always going to be coming up with plans, or looking for flaws in your opponent's plans, then Natural Aptitude Tactics might be useful, but its use is going to be pretty limited.

Of course, all this is assuming I'm not missing anything obvious :)

[monbvol]

Tactics is one of those skills that I understand why they want to have it in there but with how combat rules actually work it is really difficult to make it meaningful to actually have as a stand alone skill that is worth more then jut as a bonus to your initiative.

Something that may be worth trying to help make Tactics more meaningful:

Before each battle have the leaders write out their orders and objectives for each unit under their command and roll an opposed Tactics skill check.  As the battle progresses each leader may change the orders/objective(both is also a valid option) of one of their units in response to the enemies movement during the movement phase per rank of Tactics (plus the MoS of the opposed roll if they won).  That way even the loser of the opposed roll has a chance to adjust their plan and even the winner has to be careful about changing orders.

[Col Toda]

In a Solaris VII game Combat Sense is best with a single mech or lance .  In a unit of company size they are about the same value .  In a battalion or regiment size fight Nat Apt Tactic is the clear win as you can give rules of engagement and pre made combat plays if a contingency is triggered without micro managing every unit on the field . I like to micro manage so I have as small truncated unit that has 16 mechs 8 vehicles 12 battle armor and a cap of a lance of aerospace fighters just to eliminate that from the combat. Any more than that cannot be easily micro managed period . I also like heat neutral mechs or at least a very good heat balance so I can shoot 2 turns w/o dealing with heat problems . Combat vehicles automatically do not build heat so it helps the unit speed of decision of what to do .  High heat mechs particularly a TSM equipped one takes 2 to 3 times longer to think what to do .  I can move all the above sometimes with less time than a lance of TSM armed mechs .

[bblaney]

I went with Nat Apt/ Tactics, as the character will be a Battalion Commander or higher one day, not of much use atm, but down the road very much so

Thanks!!!

[MAD-4A]

Actually the "Tactics" skill is what you roll for initiative.