Sideslipping Modifiers

[paladin2019]

Re-reading the rules for sideslipping, I missed this first sentence's significance .

"While superficially similar to skidding, sideslipping units do not use any of the rules for skidding unless specified otherwise."

The PSR/DSR modifiers for skidding are part of skidding and aren't referenced when sideslipping talks about them. Do VTOLs, WIGs, and hovers really not modify their rolls?

From a balance issue, I can see the point. The local meta has used the skidding modifiers and I routinely use this to squeeze extra movement out of VTOLS to get to the next TMM band and/or get infantry into position on early turns. But are we doing it wrong and sidelipping isn't supposed to potentially add this much movement?

EDIT: Going back to Battletech Compendium the version I started with before I got into this combined arms foofaraw, VTOLs just made a PSR when turning at flank speed and a failure was just a one hex slip. No modifiers are mentioned. This now makes me think the intent is no modifiers, but that just feels wrong with the rest of the style of the current version of the game.

[Lanceman]

Unintentional sideslip (flanking and turning) have no modifiers on the PSR. Even damage in this case, as the critical damage that would apply modifiers (stabilizer) also restricts the unit from using flank movement, meaning you can't put yourself in the position to sideslip. You do, however, have to make the roll any time you change facing and move forward a hex at flank. This means that potentially you'd roll for a sideslip several times in one movement if you get real squirrely with it. (pg 67-68, Total Warfare, as you quoted initially). The only additional modifier I can think of is for the use of Sprinting/Overdrive movement, which would convey a +2 on each PSR (pg. 16, TO: AR).

Controlled sideslips (pg. 23, TO: AR), have a -1 modifier on the PSR.

 

[Charistoph]

Motive Damage would be another Modifier that would apply, those one time +1, +2, and +3 affects can add up (provided you weren't somehow Immobilized first).

But yeah, the modifiers that a Tracked or Wheeled Vehicle would have tacked on for trying to drift around a corner are not applied to VTOLs and Hovercraft, largely because they are ALWAYS taking them in those conditions as opposed to it being a fluke situation in the case of the other.

Even without the modifiers, I've lost a few hovercraft to those sideslips.  Rolling a '2' when shearing away from a cliff isn't conducive to keeping the machine healthy.

[Lanceman]

Motive Damage would be another Modifier that would apply, those one time +1, +2, and +3 affects can add up (provided you weren't somehow Immobilized first).

You're right, I was misunderstanding what the Motive System damage paragraph under VTOL movement was conveying.

[paladin2019]

Thanks, all