Twin-Linked Weapons - What does it really mean?

[cadianshock]

So I wrote this article about Twin-Linked weapons, a little fun really thinking through what it may mean in real life.

My three reasons are

1. Fixed Firing Structure
2. Inexperienced Shooters
3. Time Constraints

Full details and article here

[url]http://cadianshock.com/twin-linked-weapons-really-mean/[/url]

[Broodingman87]

If you want a real world example of the twin-linked rule at work in real life, look at all the fighter planes from world war two. It's not that they are more accurate, you're just dumping more shots down range. The P-51 had 6x .50 cal machine guns, the Bf 109 had 2x 20mm Cannons. The 109 left holes the size of a dinner plate in aluminum, where as the P- 51 left hole the size of a coin in aluminum, the thing is it left 20 holes the size of coins, allowing the P-51 to slice a wing clear off. More guns equal less time between shots. While not in changing your probability to hit, it does increase the exposer.

[cadianshock]

That my friend is a superb comparison.

[Broodingman87]

That my friend is a superb comparison.

Sniff sniff, I smell sarcasm.

[cadianshock]

No no! Not at all. Its a great example and makes perfect sense in that situation where you just needs lots of shots to hit something thats hard to hit.

But when you move that into a game with dice it makes less sense. The only difference is that the plane could hit twice with both weapons. Eg the left weapon hits the enemies left engine and the right weapon hits the right engine. It could, in theory hit twice. But in the world of 40K we can only hit once - ever.

Thanks for reading and thanks for commenting! :-)

[CoffeeGrunt]

I always thought the point of Twin-Linked was that each one alternated shots. I made a tank in UDK that had two Autocannon-esque weapons that alternated in fire, and not necessarily every hit came from both barrels, especially when traversing to track a moving target, the timing difference between one barrel firing and another could mean that you miss with the first, but hit with the second.

High Rate-of-Fire weapons would benefit from spraying more lead downrange, and the game simplifies this to prevent it getting too encumbered with dice. I saw a suggestion that Twin-Linked should make every Hit count for two, which could work I suppose if barrels are firing simultaneously.

Twin-Linking is represented a lot in movies and such, though. It's normally just to unleash a hail of lead on the target. I prefer the Co-Axial special rule Forge World have that GW have never bothered to pick up on: if the Co-Ax weapon hits, the main gun re-rolls to Hit. Works similarly enough to real life and makes sense as a method of lining up a shot.

[Path Walker]

Current rules for Twin Linking is just a way of simplifying the old rules, which was that both weapons fired at -1 to hit, this gets a roughly similar result and reduces the number of dice to roll.

[cadianshock]

I always thought the point of Twin-Linked was that each one alternated shots. I made a tank in UDK that had two Autocannon-esque weapons that alternated in fire, and not necessarily every hit came from both barrels, especially when traversing to track a moving target, the timing difference between one barrel firing and another could mean that you miss with the first, but hit with the second.

High Rate-of-Fire weapons would benefit from spraying more lead downrange, and the game simplifies this to prevent it getting too encumbered with dice. I saw a suggestion that Twin-Linked should make every Hit count for two, which could work I suppose if barrels are firing simultaneously.

Twin-Linking is represented a lot in movies and such, though. It's normally just to unleash a hail of lead on the target. I prefer the Co-Axial special rule Forge World have that GW have never bothered to pick up on: if the Co-Ax weapon hits, the main gun re-rolls to Hit. Works similarly enough to real life and makes sense as a method of lining up a shot.

That Co-Ax rule sounds really great, realistic, useful and tactical too. Wish there was more stuff like that in 40K and less stuff like Twin-Linked and Soul Blaze. But thats another article altogether.

Current rules for Twin Linking is just a way of simplifying the old rules, which was that both weapons fired at -1 to hit, this gets a roughly similar result and reduces the number of dice to roll.

This I did not know, the new rule is a lot simpler, which is better I guess.

[CoffeeGrunt]

That Co-Ax rule sounds really great, realistic, useful and tactical too. Wish there was more stuff like that in 40K and less stuff like Twin-Linked and Soul Blaze. But thats another article altogether.

Indeed, like a specific Laser Lock kinda deal.

[Broodingman87]

No no! Not at all. Its a great example and makes perfect sense in that situation where you just needs lots of shots to hit something thats hard to hit.

But when you move that into a game with dice it makes less sense. The only difference is that the plane could hit twice with both weapons. Eg the left weapon hits the enemies left engine and the right weapon hits the right engine. It could, in theory hit twice. But in the world of 40K we can only hit once - ever.

Thanks for reading and thanks for commenting! :-)

Or it could be that you want raw damage, look at a battleship, the U.S.S. Iowa has 9x 16 in. (406mm) cannons. Compared to a plane a ship is pretty easy to hit, It just takes a lot more punishment to kill a ship.

One big thing, if I'm hitting a planes left engine with my left weapon and right engine with my right weapon... unless we're talking modern where both engines are on the center line, if we're talk WW2 where the engines are on opposite wing, I don't want to be following that close to the target plane. Hitting two centerline engines, two right engines, or two left engines is okay but, hitting a left and a right engine at the same time is impossible.

Keep in mind another thing about ballistics, you can hit, penetrate the target, and do no damage, it is possible to shoot me in the torso and not hit a single blood vessel, organ, or bone. The bullet just passed clean through.