We can all pretty easily agree that MDC in Rifts & the latter Robotech books was out of control, right? Especiall when it came down to mega-damage pistols. Quick explanation: Palladium created the mechanic of "Structural Damage Capacity," or SDC. They used this as a correlary to Hit Points, to explain how a boxer can take more punches than a banker; also to give "hit points" to objects like cars & tanks. Later, when they started coming out with hardcore future miltary stuff, they invented "Mega Damage Capacity" which is like SDC, except an order of magnitude higher; each "MDC" point was worth 100 SDC points in theory, but in reality, what it meant was that a karate guy can't do damage to a tank or a mecha by punching it or stabbing it with a knife. It also meant that if a tank shot that ninja, that ninja was DEAD. This was all well & good (well, sort of-- as much as any Palladium mechanic besides Bio-E was ever any good) until they started putting out personal laser pistols. You give Johnny PC a 1d4 MDC laser pistol, & suddenly any shot is deadly; more to the point if you give Susie NPC a laser pistol, Johnny PC is roadkill.
Anyhow, I always wondered why not just make the mechanic permeable? I mean-- okay, so if Jack PC wants a laser pistol so he can at least take pot-shots at the battlebots if they surprise him? That is fine; why not make the pistol do its damage to SDC or MDC? I mean; a super-duper-mega-sweet laser blast could easily blow a hole in a guy the same size as a bullet, right? Sure, it might be able to put a hole in hardened plasteel or whatever the warmech was made of, but it will be the same side wound in a flesh body. I don't know, bugged me; seemed easy to fix. Then again, I always sort of thought that there should be a step in between weapons where they by-pass SDC, too; you know, the above boxer might be able to take a beating, but both he & the banker are going down if you shoot them with your .45. Is all I'm saying.
Why the heck am I obsessing about Palladium rule conventions?
