(This post isn't going to mean much to anyone who hasn't played Chain Reaction.  I'm mostly putting it here for my own memory's sake.)

On the Two Hour Wargames Yahoo group, there is (as always) a lively discussion about possible ways to "slim down" Chain Reaction 2.0 in the forthcoming scifi version.  CR2.0 is itself a sleeker version of the original Chain Reaction, and really plays quite nicely with a dozen or two figures per side.  It only bogs down when you get too many figures involved in combat at the same time.  Another "problem" is that the turn sequence for the game is pretty free-form in a lot of ways.  Though that's brilliant for small battles, it can get confusing in large battles.

I made a somewhat radical proposal yesterday, but after trying it out last night, I've abandoned it in favor of a more conservative approach.  Here are the things I'm thinking about:

"May Not Fire" reaction results includes both voluntary and involuntary shooting.

Since a reaction check can cause a figure to lose its voluntary movement, it should also be able to lose its voluntary shot.  In particular the "In Sight" test has a result of "May Not Fire".  I say that this should apply to the default shot as well.  Simple enough, but the way it's written allows the figure to go through a shootout, and then still take its "Activation Shot" after things are all over.  I think that's crazy and inconsistant.

An implication of my interpretation is that a figure will only be able to use its "free" shot against figures that it can already see at the start of its activation, since any other figures will be "spotted" through the "In Sight" test mechanism.  That makes me happy, and has the same effect that some of my older proposals were trying to get at, but without any special rules or new verbiage.

"Fast Move" is an action.

"Fast Move" and "Charge" actions do not allow actors "In Sight" tests

"Fast Move" is a test a moving figure can make to see how far it gets to run.  This is a "friction" element to the game that affects running and simulates that it's hard to get a group of people to run all at the same time.  My "change" is that I would class "Fast Move" as an action, not as something you can do during a normal move.  I would also say that Fast Moving (and Charging, for that matter) figures don't get to take "In Sight" tests, since they're not looking for hostiles, they're running into position (or charging into combat, respectively).

Naturally, the enemy still gets his "In Sight" tests, and if he winds up shooting at you, then you'll have the chance to shoot back.  You just won't be throwing "In Sight" tests of your own as you sprint into place (or charge into combat).

Peering around a corner ends your move

And the last modification - a figure who wants to peek around the edge of some hard cover (like a building) msut forfeit the rest of its movement.  It just seems goofy that a figure can run to a corner, peer around, and then run further on in a single activation.  The "peek" represents a natural break in the action, and should also end the activation.

With those minor changes I think that Chain Reaction games will play even more smoothly.  Players will have to choose between rapid movement and a "fighting advance", and once the enemy appears, things will get a little more out of control.

Now we'll see if anyone on the THW list agrees.