Cheese or Cake? Conventional Truck Cabs with OmniTrailers

[wellspring]

I've been playing around with designs for support vehicles (support as in role, using both combat and support vehicle construction rules). And it immediately popped out to me from the rules that if I construct a conventional cab and then build a trailer for it using the OmniVehicle rules, that I cut my costs enormously for no loss from a rules perspective.

A) Am I missing anything?

B) Is this cheesy? As in, is it an improper exploitation of a rules loophole, or a legitimate application of the system as intended?

Note I'm not asking about what the best designs are, or posting designs, or asking you to post any designs. That's what the fan board is for. I'm just trying to figure out if I'm being clever, stupid, or both.  :-\

And... ah hell, while I'm at it: What does the Hive Mind think of battle armor hitching a ride on an OmniVTOL using the mechanized battle armor rules? It's like five (7.5) free tons of infantry capacity. Especially on a very small VTOL like a 5-tonner, it has some high cheese potential, but appears in other contexts perfectly reasonable (like guys riding the side boards on a MH-5 Little Bird).

[cold1]

Uh, not sure how BT rules go but real trucks are modular as far as what kind of trailer they can pull.

That Peterbuilt can pull a dry box, reefer, flatbed, gooseneck, car hauler, tank, whatever with little to no changes.

Why the heck would you need rules for a fifth wheel to pul different trailers.



BAH!  Take that catgirls #P

[Hersh67]

While there *are* some specialized tractors (wet-box, heavy haul ramps, retractable axles), for the most part, cold1 is right.  Air lines, electrical hookup, raise the landing gear and go.  It's the sort of no-brainer that gets DiNozo smacked a couple of times a week.

[SCC]

Omni for stuff in the support role is just plain crazy. There's an OmniTrain in the first VA, Omni Pods take half an hour per location to change, for railways this is SLOW, and even once you've changed the trains config the train still needs to be loaded, and I'm paying a 25% markup for this? What are you taking?

That doesn't even mention the other problems: Would you ride around in what amounts to a cargo module on a flatbed car? To say nothing of the OH&S issues that would likely see you shut down

[wellspring]

Omni for stuff in the support role is just plain crazy. There's an OmniTrain in the first VA, Omni Pods take half an hour per location to change, for railways this is SLOW, and even once you've changed the trains config the train still needs to be loaded, and I'm paying a 25% markup for this? What are you taking?

That doesn't even mention the other problems: Would you ride around in what amounts to a cargo module on a flatbed car? To say nothing of the OH&S issues that would likely see you shut down

Who says you can't load a cargo pod before you attach it?

Also, a podded MASH unit (for example) isn't a bunch of doctors in a cargo container. It's a fully-kitted out field hospital, complete with diagnostics, surgeries, and recovery areas. Ditto for Communications Gear and other inhabited loadouts.

I guess you're right that for many functions you just pre-fab a bunch of mothballed conventional trailers and attach them as needed. The rules aren't friendly to this because each trailer counts as a vehicle and needs at least a Tech team to handle maintenance, whereas one team can handle all an omni-trailer's pods. But I'll admit it's a stretch. At least this way you're only paying the omni penalty on the pods and the trailer's structure. Everything else is paid for as a conventional Vee.

The main application I had in mind was for examples like this (inspired by one of the colony threads). You roll up to a construction site. You demolish the old structure if applicable. Then you clear the rubble, prep the foundation, and begin assembling the building. Normally, that's several different vehicles which mostly sit around eating up maintenance when their function is not in use. With omnis, you use one vehicle and reconfigure after each phase of construction. You schedule your construction so it fills in between seasonal roles like agriculture. One vehicle, one tech team, one engine, one dropship bay, but many roles, and you're not even fully paying the omni cost. (Though again there's your point that, but for the quirk of rules that treats trailers as vehicles, why not just field the trailers?)

Good thoughts, and I appreciate the input. It's funny that a "hey here's an exploit" can be a "why the hell is this going to help you?" :)

Anyone have any thoughts on the omniVTOL mechanized battle armor?

[ehlijen]

Why would you make omnitrailers? Surely you could just hitch on a different trailer when you need different equipment? Should be faster to do than to install a new omni pod on the supertech set of wheels you're dragging behind you if you went omni trailer.

The omni vtol seems rules legit. And no more wierd than a Omni-modified savannah master dragging along 6 tons of BA...

[snewsom2997]

Trailers are cheap just build them to suit your needs. Or use Containers, and flat beds. Build one type of trailer, and customize containers.

[wellspring]

Why would you make omnitrailers? Surely you could just hitch on a different trailer when you need different equipment? Should be faster to do than to install a new omni pod on the supertech set of wheels you're dragging behind you if you went omni trailer.

Well, as I said, a trailer counts as a vehicle for Strat Ops purposes, whereas a pod doesn't.

[Hersh67]

Well, as I said, a trailer counts as a vehicle for Strat Ops purposes, whereas a pod doesn't.

That's an error in StratOps.  Many trucking companies *don't* dedicate nearly that much support to trailers.  Okay, I'm using a real world info to the game (and I can hear the catgirls wail), but seriously, it's the tractor that is really the heart of the unit.  We had over 200 truck and 300+ trailers but only 2 dedicated trailer mechanics.  Granted I think we had maybe 2 refrigerated trailers and a few step deck trailers with the rest being plain box trailers.  Still, the biggest thing is replacing lights, brakes, & tires.

 

[wellspring]

That's an error in StratOps.  Many trucking companies *don't* dedicate nearly that much support to trailers.  Okay, I'm using a real world info to the game (and I can hear the catgirls wail), but seriously, it's the tractor that is really the heart of the unit.  We had over 200 truck and 300+ trailers but only 2 dedicated trailer mechanics.  Granted I think we had maybe 2 refrigerated trailers and a few step deck trailers with the rest being plain box trailers.  Still, the biggest thing is replacing lights, brakes, & tires.

Don't blame yourself. I caged the catgirls and delivered them, then asked you to pull the trigger. ;)

What I'm seeing is maybe the need for a note in strat ops mentioning that unpowered trailers (that is, trailers without an engine) don't count as vehicles for the purposes of those rules. What minor maintenance they do require is handled by the crew that tends the cab (which obviously IS a vehicle and is maintained normally).

Thanks for all the input!