Merits & Flaws? (New thread, not the same approach as Graysin's but similar)

[Diamondback]

Based on Graysin's post below and a few others that've floated around, I've been thinking about a "Merits/Flaws" system to build off the game's Ace Abilities for campaigns. Some would be temporary, some permanent, some have to be learned over time, some your pilot is either "born lucky" with or not and others might have prerequisite abilities before they can be claimed.

I'm thinking to incorporate all the WWI and WWII Ace abilities, adapting them both to use a WWII-style "recovery time", which may be fewer turns in recognition of slower speeds and lower G-forces. Also, each crewmember on multi-seat A/C could claim independent merit/flaw sets, though any attached to an observer or other non-pilot cannot be used to affect maneuver mechanics unless either they upgrade to pilot somehow or their pilot's incapacitated.

Some that I'm thinking of:

Merits:
Biological--Enhanced Peripheral Vision: This pilot may Tail any aircraft within its front 180 degrees. Must be claimed at character creation. Potentially subject to loss if pilot wounded.
Biological--Superior Night Vision: If played in a scenario that imposes penalties on attacks in Nighttime games, this pilot ignores those penalties. (Only takes half-penalties, like maybe being allowed to make Long Range attacks in the 1st half of the LR section of the ruler, if "ignore" is overpowered?)
Split Focus: Requires "Enhanced Peripheral Vision". This pilot may Tail two aircraft at once. This Merit costs double.
Learned--Bullet Checker: May be claimed any time before start of a game. Standard WoW ability.
Scrounger: (need wording, but on a 4 or 5 Damage draw at game-start can partially cancel "Mr. Red Tape" for you or another pilot this game)
Precognition: At the start of each turn, draw 1 Damage card. If you draw a 5, the other pilot must show you all three of their planned Maneuvers before you plan your first.

Flaws:
Vulture: This pilot must always target the most damaged enemy plane on the map.
"Mr. Red Tape": If this pilot's aircraft requires repair or specialized equipment (Incendiary Bullets or Rockets) between games, draw 1 Damage card. If that card is a 0 or 1, those repairs or equipment are not available.
Blue Falcon: If able, this pilot must attack every turn--even if this means shooting through a friendly plane, in which case the attacked and obstructing plane each draw Damage cards and take 1/2 the drawn damage (round up). Special Damages count at full effect.

I'll add more as I think of 'em--if anyone else cares to suggest additional abilities or refine existing ones, I'd appreciate the help.

[jbmacek]

I really like the idea. I'm half-tempted to mine my large collection of GURPS books for useful advantages/disadvantages.

[Diamondback]

Just a note: EPV, SNV and Split Focus were inspired by a few traits I have in real life, which some of the cops I shoot with think might actually allow me to do that Hollyweird 2-targets-at-once crap.

Good point... I should start mining D6 and D20 books, and have my IT-geek mine his World of Darkness books.

[Archidamus]

How about a Biological or maybe Learned - and I'm not sure what to call it - where the pilot isn't disorientated during spins etc., enabling them to recover more easily.

[Diamondback]

Good one, I'll see what I can work up or find--maybe a version for each, the Biological being able to be claimed at start and the Learned only after a certain amount of time.

[David Manley]

I like this idea. I used something similar in Air War C21 which seemed to work fine. In that case I extended the idea to "tweaks" with the aircraft as well, so it was possible to have fine tuned engines or something that was just a bit more "slippery" than usual, or conversely end up with an aircrfat that shoudl eb good but in your particular case is a bit of a dog. It certainly ups the uncertainty factor.

[Diamondback]

Good point, DM--eventually, I'd like it to have Pilot, Aircraft, Ground Mechanic, and where applicable Crewman separate specialties, where some merits make an individual plane "cost" more and make it more difficult to requisition, and some skills would be linked to a specific airframe (like how sometimes a master swordsman or gunfighter will prefer a specific weapon over all others even if there's no visible difference), others to all aircraft of that design--maybe even a "Preferred Weapon" dual Merit/Flaw that gives a pilot something extra with "his" plane but takes away if he's flying any other.