I followed this debate for too long not to give my 2 cents.
I would nerf overwatch as it breaks the game mechanics in a way that is over the top. A round should typically take about 6 seconds in which all characters perform their action simultaneously. This isn't simple to put realistically into rules without simplifications and abstraction. I have verified the 6 seconds with running, it would take an AG Bonus of 10 to reach the 100m in 10s but running doesn't take into account that you are already running or just starting to run. Sure a good simplification but maybe not necessary as you could simply get a +50% bonus if you where already running last round. This would mean for an above average human ( AGB 3) that they would run at 16,2 km/h which is pretty fast indeed if you take into account that you are armoured and carrying weapons around. RAW this would be only 10,8 km/h.
But I digress.
So every character acts in initiative order, in order to be able to roll and apply the results of each action. Overwatch lets your break out of this initiative order to take an action each team a condition is met.
My problem with the RAW is that it doesn't limit the number of attacks, so a gun with a large clip size will totally rule anything and there is no limit on the "kill zone" but a 45° arc. It is humanly impossible to keep watch over the full length of such an arc, as it will reach as far as the eye goes.
So my house-rule would be the following:
you can take up to two times a standard attack , semi- or full-auto attack. Each enemy can only trigger the condition once per half action and twice per full action.
Your declare a kill zone, which comprises an 45° arc and you define a condition: "I see an enemy in my KZ", "I see an enemy move out of cover", "I see an enemy take aim for a shot",...
You chose the type of your attack.
You will need to be aware (and if needed make an appropriate awareness test) of when your condition is met to have your attack triggered. If these conditions are met, you my chose to make your chosen attack action.
There is a focus area in your kill-zone, defined by a declared distance + and - ±15m, which can be larger the further away the distance is. Outside this area of your character will get a penalty of -10 if he wishes to shoot at a target within 15m of the focus area and -20 within 30m of the area. The focus area of your overwatch will change to the area on which you took your shot.
If you wish to shoot a target further than 30m outside the Focus Area, you loose one half action and thus only has one attack during his overwatch.
Any reaction action will break the overwatch.
So key to me are: your focus vision and aim is limited, your shots are limited to one bonus and you may choose not to take the overwatch shot. To avoid being forced to take a bad shot or shoot at a unimportant target.
Sure this seems a lot more rules but it feels a lot more intuitive and is still manageable. I put in the number of 15m as it would be the typical distance a humanoid should be able to cover in one round. This is an estimation and mainly to make the point that the focus area is limited.
PS: I've read multiple in this thread that snipers should be overpowered. This is true in my house-rule as I believe that the main advantage of a sniper is range. They can take shots well over 400m without being easily spot by vision. Take into how long it takes for a human to close the gap (± 17 turns) and the sniper should be able to get 34 shots (forgetting clip size) in before people are getting in the 100m range (at standard human running speed). By then the sniper will have run away to hide or get into another position. Or you have run into an ambush, set up by the comrades of the sniper :-D
Sure you can start to design your encounters to allow for this, but this isn't much fun if you do it each turn.
Most of what you suggest here is in fact the RAW. a couple of points that are not are the "Visual focus area, shot limitation and picking your target". 1.) If you are in an entrenched position such as a Bunker or foxhole, your VF is effectively "Downrange" so ANY movement could trigger it! 2.) The greatest strength of a machine gun is the ability to mow down "mobs" of enemies if properly used. I wouldn't want to take that away. 3.) Picking your target is situational. A Sniper might focus on one target for the "If he pops up to shoot I'll blow his head off!" type of shot. But if your stated condition is "If anyone enters my killzone" than you can not pick your target. You might elect to not fire (IE if a friendly crosses your gunsight!) but that is effectively a "Hold" action and would end overwatch for that turn. That is the RAW and that's how I would apply them.
A couple of "Clarifications" I use:
1.) Conditions that specify an ANY type of action such as ANY movement or ANYONE tries to make an attack WILL require an
Awareness
test that may very well have modifiers attached. (Bad guys don't generally have "Ok you can shoot me now!" signs on their chests!
)
2.) The Aim action may not be used in Conjunction with overwatch. It is by definition a "snapshot" so there is no time to aim.
3.) While overwatch may be used multiple times during a round it may only applied against any given target once. The whole premise of an Orc boyz headlong charge is "Sumbody's gonna git to ya'z!"
If I were to change overwatch at all I might consider the following:
A.) Allow Dodge actions against triggers that specify movement actions (Mixed feelings on this one.) Of course, said dodge would replace whatever action the target was attempting and might leave them exposed . (If you dive to the ground during a "Tactical advance" you are no longer in cover!)
B.) Double the "Fail rate" of the weapon for each shot after the first due to insufficient cooling. If the weapon fails during subsequent shots it is damaged and may not be fired until repaired. (A routine [+10] Trade: Armourer or Challenging [+0] Tech use test to replace the barrel] Of course you must have the parts/materials to perform said repair!
Edited by Radwraith