The Inside Scoop on Gaming

Killer Crosshairs from Biohazard Games is a generic hit location supplement. Its goal is to integrate into any game that doesn't have a hit location system, and still work within the framework of the game.

It does this by introducing an extra dice roll, which determines the location on the target that the bullet/beam/phaser blast/lead pipe hits. The cool bit is the transparent crosshairs that you actually place over a drawing of the target, to determine where the attack ends up hitting. A crosshair for projectile attacks is included, as is a transparency for melee attacks. It's a rectangular crosshair, I guess..

I tried using Killer Crosshairs with Shadowrun, my standard gaming system. Shadowrun has no hit-location system, just a simple modifier for a "Called Shot". I managed to sneak the Killer Crosshairs rules into the normal Shadowrun combat phase pretty easily. (You can download the modified Killer Crosshair rules for firearm combat at my website.)

Once I had the rules written, they worked pretty much as I expected in-game -- they provided slightly more realistic deadliness at the expense of some time. Drawing up silhouettes to place the crosshairs on took extra time (You have to draw them the right size, or else the scale of damage is thrown off.), as did rolling an extra dice and applying the damage in a new way.

The melee rules didn't fit really well into Shadowrun, however. This isn't a fault of Killer Crosshairs -- it's simply because Shadowrun uses an abstract melee combat system, where one dice roll may represent a series of attacks, dodges, counterattacks, and feints. I did put together a system for using Killer Crosshairs with Shadowrun melee combat, but I don't even use it myself. It simply breaks the system too much.

Is the extra time worth it? Depends on your style of gaming, really. If you like to kill with one shot, or knock a glass out of the barkeeps hand with an arrow, and your current rules system doesn't cover it, Killer Crosshairs may work for you. It should be noted that the rules don't just apply to firearms, they can be used with any projectile attack that travels in a straight line.

The book itself is not a work of art. It's only 24 pages long, and a good portion of that are pre-drawn silhouettes. These drawings are stuck right in the middle, which means they break the rules into two sections. Basic guidelines for using Killer Crosshairs with most common game systems are included. It's printed on fairly thick paper, which is a big plus. As you probably know, RPG books get beat up like no other type of book.

However, my favourite part was the Damage and Injuries section. It lists (In graphic terms..) exactly what amount of damage it takes to inflict a certain amount of pain. For example, under 100% damage to the Jaw or Mouth, it says: "Jaw wrenched from skull with horrible spray and crunching sound", and it gives percentages for things such as Unconsciousness, Concussion, and Death in the above circumstance.

For the price, Killer Crosshairs is an okay book. While you may never use the rules in it, it's certainly a novel idea, and may inspire you to write your own rules. The Damage and Injuries portion is certainly useable without the hit location rules, and easily adaptable to most game settings. If physical injuries don't play a large part in your game, or if you don't need or want extra realism, you can safely pass this one by.

Style: 2 (Needs Work)
Substance: 3 (Average)

Killer Crosshairs
Author: Jeff Barber Category: game Company/Publisher: Biohazard Games Cost: 9.95 Page count: 24 Playtest Review by Adam Jury on 04/07/98. Genre tags: none	Killer Crosshairs from Biohazard Games is a generic hit location supplement. Its goal is to integrate into any game that doesn't have a hit location system, and still work within the framework of the game. It does this by introducing an extra dice roll, which determines the location on the target that the bullet/beam/phaser blast/lead pipe hits. The cool bit is the transparent crosshairs that you actually place over a drawing of the target, to determine where the attack ends up hitting. A crosshair for projectile attacks is included, as is a transparency for melee attacks. It's a rectangular crosshair, I guess.. I tried using Killer Crosshairs with Shadowrun, my standard gaming system. Shadowrun has no hit-location system, just a simple modifier for a "Called Shot". I managed to sneak the Killer Crosshairs rules into the normal Shadowrun combat phase pretty easily. (You can download the modified Killer Crosshair rules for firearm combat at my website.) Once I had the rules written, they worked pretty much as I expected in-game -- they provided slightly more realistic deadliness at the expense of some time. Drawing up silhouettes to place the crosshairs on took extra time (You have to draw them the right size, or else the scale of damage is thrown off.), as did rolling an extra dice and applying the damage in a new way. The melee rules didn't fit really well into Shadowrun, however. This isn't a fault of Killer Crosshairs -- it's simply because Shadowrun uses an abstract melee combat system, where one dice roll may represent a series of attacks, dodges, counterattacks, and feints. I did put together a system for using Killer Crosshairs with Shadowrun melee combat, but I don't even use it myself. It simply breaks the system too much. Is the extra time worth it? Depends on your style of gaming, really. If you like to kill with one shot, or knock a glass out of the barkeeps hand with an arrow, and your current rules system doesn't cover it, Killer Crosshairs may work for you. It should be noted that the rules don't just apply to firearms, they can be used with any projectile attack that travels in a straight line. The book itself is not a work of art. It's only 24 pages long, and a good portion of that are pre-drawn silhouettes. These drawings are stuck right in the middle, which means they break the rules into two sections. Basic guidelines for using Killer Crosshairs with most common game systems are included. It's printed on fairly thick paper, which is a big plus. As you probably know, RPG books get beat up like no other type of book. However, my favourite part was the Damage and Injuries section. It lists (In graphic terms..) exactly what amount of damage it takes to inflict a certain amount of pain. For example, under 100% damage to the Jaw or Mouth, it says: "Jaw wrenched from skull with horrible spray and crunching sound", and it gives percentages for things such as Unconsciousness, Concussion, and Death in the above circumstance. For the price, Killer Crosshairs is an okay book. While you may never use the rules in it, it's certainly a novel idea, and may inspire you to write your own rules. The Damage and Injuries portion is certainly useable without the hit location rules, and easily adaptable to most game settings. If physical injuries don't play a large part in your game, or if you don't need or want extra realism, you can safely pass this one by. Style: 2 (Needs Work) Substance: 3 (Average)