Topic: Black Ops issues

[rdanhenry]

2.2.3 As previously mentioned, the +5 Profession Bonuses for Power Awareness and Power Manipulation seem inappropriate for the Layman (Modern) profession.

4.2.1 The Grenade Accuracy Chart is badly broken as written. It works if the "Difference Between Rolls" column is changed to "Player's Roll" and all but the last entry in that column reversed in order.

9.0 The scenarios refer to various maps/layouts that are not included.

[ob1knorrb]

Here's some additional notes from a document I did up shortly after I purchased Black Ops

.  There are an awful lot of errors, particularly words that would pass a spell check but are incorrect in context with the rest of the sentence.  I have compiled a list of items that I noticed in the hopes you will find it useful for the second printing.   Items surrounded by these braces {} should be removed, and items surrounded by [ ] should be added. i.e. in the first item listed, “where” should be replaced with “whether”.

page 6 col 1 last paragraph - “The biggest determining factor here is {where} [whether] the residents of the area supply close to 100% of their own goods......”

page 11 col 1 first paragraph - “Scientists [have] some field counterparts in archaeologists, ...”

page 15 Adolescence Rank Table - Several columns give ranks in combined Skill Categories (which you can't have category ranks for). These are the Crafts Skill Category, the Science/Analytic skill category, Technical/Trade - Professional and Technical/Trade - Vocational Categories

page 20 col 1- “Surveillanceone skill .......................................1” [ I’m not sure if this was supposed to be two lines or if it was one line with extra letters]

page 30 col 2 second paragraph, indented in italics, last sentence - Remember that a skill should be worth the develop[ment] points spent on it.

page 31 col 1 Technical/Trade - Vocational description - “... the primary qualification for inclusion into this category is {if}[whether] you typically need specialize[d], single-course training.........”

page 31 col 2 Combat Pilot skill description - Note at the end of the description states that "The Combat Pilot skill rank cannot exceed the pilot's Atmospheric, Orbital, N-Space Piloting or AFV Driver (which ever is appropriate) skill rank." However, none of these skills are described in the book.

page 35-36 col 2 Targetting - all instances of the word targeting in this description use two “t”’s before the “ing” but everywhere else in the book only one is used.  I believe the correct spelling is with one.

page 37 col 1 note under GRENADES - “Other rules may be necessary if the grenade [h]as a different method of arming.”

page 37 col 1 midway through last paragraph - “ At the same time, the GM should roll d100 (no[t] open-ended”

page 37 col 2 third paragraph (second example) - “ The grenade travel[ss] about 40 yards and then land[ss] to the right of the target”

page 37 col2 Grenade Accuracy Chart, the "Difference Between Rolls" column is listed in reverse, with the exception of the last entry.  i.e. the first entry should be "0 to 10"
not "96 to 99". To clarify, the table should start at "0 to 10" and proceed up to "greater than 110".

page 38 col 1 first paragraph under ROCKET LAUNCHERS - “Keeping in mind they are designed to {by} [be] used against armored ......”

page 38 col 1 - second paragraph under ROCKET LAUNCHERS - “Note that there are two type[ss] of rockets that .......”

page 38 col 2 - first paragraph - “When fire[d] against personnel, use the following procedure.”

page 40 col 1 - last paragraph - “Any adjust to range penalties can never take give a bonus to the attack” - YIKES! - try - “ Any adjusment to range penalties can give a bonus to the attack”

page 41 col 1 - first paragraph - second sentence - “Glasers consist of a thin hollow jacket, encased inside {is} [are] number 12 shot pellets and this is topped of[f] with a plastic seal”

page 41 col 1 - first paragraph - fourth sentence - “This , of course, cause[ss] intense shock and a massive wound.”

page 41 col 1 - second paragraph - first sentence - “ ....Ballistic Shrapnel criticals and increase[ss] the attack table by 2.......”

page 41 col 1 - second paragraph - second sentence - “ Against armored targets this round decrease[ss] the attack table by two levels...”

page 41 col 2 - second paragraph - “Against unarmored targets, this type of ammo increases the critical severity by one level and {delivering}[delivers] Ballistic Shrapnel .....”

page 40 - page number and funky little graphic are missing, probably because of the larger graphic

page 40 - col 1 - SHOK-LOCK - second paragraph - second sentence - “However, {any}[against] a mobile target, the ranges.....”

page 40 - col 2 - STARFLASH - “ ....(at which time they ignite {into}[with] a flash, loud bang ....”

page 41 - col 1 - first paragraph - “...... or underneath the barrel to sho

• t a red laser dot to the target.....”

page 41 - col 2 - first paragraph - “...(in addition to deliver[ing] fewer concussion hits, this.......”

page 53 - col 2 - GRAPPLING HOOK - “Mad[e] of a metal alloy,....”

page 54 - col 1 - ALUMINUM TANK - “This is an Aluminum-80; it hold[ss] 80 cubic feet...”

page 54 - col 2 - WEIGHT BELT - “ This is an actual belt [that] is fitted...”

page 58 - col 1 - “... and the occupant of the vehicle is not specifically target{t}ed, there is...”

page 58 - col 2 - “ ... critical given to the vehicle ( an{d} attack that fails to give....”


The second half of the book was much better, although it also held less interest for me so I was reading it less carefully. (My main interest in the book was that it helped me convert most of my Space Master items to Standard Rules.) I only noticed one error :

page 73 - col 2 - JAPAN - Defense Agency: - “.... They lack two important things: a spy satellite and a[n] analytical department.

[ob1knorrb]

I had to replace my single s in square brackets with ss above as the single is the code for strike out

[rdanhenry]

Yes, I've got that (and thank you for your efforts). However, minor typos do not belong in errata when the meaning is clear and there is no issue of either play or reference in other documents (as arises from inconsistent spell naming). It just clutters things up (although this is still shorter than an errata list for Fire & Ice or Arcane Companion). If a new printing were being done, those should be fixed, but that's not the point of these posts. I'm hoping that the new ICE will get errata (long overdue in some cases) for these products.

[David Johansen]

On a broader note it seems to be the point at which Training Package discounts went right off the rails.  If a rewrite was in the works I'd strongly suggest splitting some of the bigger ones into a couple or even three packages making it necessary to become a special forces agent over the course of a few levels.

[markc]

On a broader note it seems to be the point at which Training Package discounts went right off the rails.  If a rewrite was in the works I'd strongly suggest splitting some of the bigger ones into a couple or even three packages making it necessary to become a special forces agent over the course of a few levels.

 I agree. A good example would be how SM:P does TP with some linking to others.
MDC

[Marc R]

Numbering for my own sanity.

1) 2.2.3 As previously mentioned, the +5 Profession Bonuses for Power Awareness and Power Manipulation seem inappropriate for the Layman (Modern) profession.

2) 4.2.1 The Grenade Accuracy Chart is badly broken as written. It works if the "Difference Between Rolls" column is changed to "Player's Roll" and all but the last entry in that column reversed in order.

3) 9.0 The scenarios refer to various maps/layouts that are not included.

1) Some modern games have magic, but I do see what you mean, what would you suggest changing them to?

2) I don't want to mix up what you mean in execution, could you offer the replacement version of that column as you intend it?

3) Could you be more specific on which references?

[markc]

 IIRC the Professional Bonuses for the Layman Profession are supposed to be left up to the GM to allocate based on the background of the player. I think a note should be added so as to ID that fact to GM's and players alike and to not that the allocation of the bonuses are just an example.
MDC

[rdanhenry]

Flexible Professional Bonuses for the Layman might have been the thought, but it isn't the rules. If that is the correction made (rather than redistributing the bonuses in a fixed manner), there should be some guidelines for appropriate distribution.

Actually, the grenade chart is messed up worse than I'd realized. I had assumed Brent's erratum was right and he'd just missed the erroneous "Difference Between Rolls" header, but the numbering is not only mostly in reversed order, but has an overlap ("11 to 25" and "21 to 30") and a gap ("96 to 99" then nothing for 100-110, just "greater than 110"). I think I'd make the first column of the Grenade Accuracy Chart read:

Attacker's Roll
0-10
11-20
21-30
31-40
41-50
51-60
61-70
71-80
81-95
96-110
111+