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So the discussion of the Eldar Guardians with heavy weapons made me reflect back on AT/SM1 a bit, and how amazing the details of combat could be. I know some might see it as excessive dice rolling, and believe me, I know first hand how this system could drag out big games into taking multiple days to play out, but in smaller games, which could be played on a 3x3 foot area, I think some of the events that can be created are just priceless. It also gives a lot of heroic events that are usually lost in systems that follow an abstract mindset.
Lets take a Land Raider for example, facing off against another Land Raider. There are typically two ranges for each weapon in this system (short and long) so we'll assume they are in short range. Each Land Raider comes with two twin-mounted (or grade 2) lascannons, as well as a heavy bolter facing the front, and another facing the rear. Land Raiders were real beasts in those days. Now the heavy bolters are useless here, so lets say the first Land Raider is opening up with both lascannons on the second. At close range, they would need a 4+ to hit, but this can be modified by its own orders, and even the target's orders, and cover. But lets just keep it at 4+. If any of these 4 dice hit (one dice for each lascannon (the grade 2 gives it 2 dice)), then a critical hit roll is made against vehicles. This represents hitting the engine, fuel, ammo, whatever that signifies catastrophic damage, and only applies to vehicles and Titans, and not infantry. Every weapon has a different critical hit number, and the lascannon comes with a really nice 4+. So on any roll of 4+, the Land Raider is toast, without a save. If a roll of a 1 is made, then that shot actually bounces off the hull, no damage is made.
If any of these critical hits fail, but don't roll 1s, then the target makes his saving throw for each hit. Land Raiders have a nice 3+ save, but as you can see, they can be overwhelmed.
In those rolls alone, I can see a narrative playing out where maybe all hits are made, and all hits are critical, completely obliterating the Land Raider, or maybe all hits are made, none are critical, and some amazing rolls are made to save the Land Raider. Its those heroic moments that are lost in modern games where the focus is on a detachment and not the unit. Maybe all the shots but one miss, yet the one that hits is a critical.
Lets imagine one of the Eldar Avenging Warriors mentioned in the other thread: They come equipped with a single lascannon as a support weapon, meaning they cannot fire it if they have moved. Lets say they are hold up in a building. Lascannons are less effective against infantry, so you need to roll a 6+ regardless if its short or long range to hit them. The Eldar are however, in a building that makes it more difficult to hit (-2), which means you'd need to roll a 8+ to hit (that means rolling a 6 followed by a 5 for each shot). If that manages to happen, then the Edlar would make a save at -1, which put their save at 5+. Imagine if there were 4 Avenging Warriors in that building. . . the odds would be in their favor. In this case, sometimes its easier to just shoot up the building and hope it collapses, but thats another story.
But lets say the Land Raider unloads on the Warriors, miss some, hit some, and that unit manages to save, return fire and nail the Land Raider with a critical hit. Its events like these that went on in every game that I played in this system and it was awesome because I could imagine every event. I've seen beaten down detachments do some amazing last stands or even drive back an opponent because those opportunities to do something were there.
I know that level of detail isnt for everyone, and people like to say they like to focus on the tactics and not the details, but to me there are tactics in every level. It AT/SM1 is just more micro than macro. And it was epic in its infancy so it doesnt do everything perfect, especially morale, but nevertheless for small games played on smaller gaming tables it is hands down an amazing system. But for those that have to have big games on big boards, then its def not your system.
The memories. . .
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) details: it seems that if you want to play a game where you roll for the kind of damage a Land Raider can suffer, you would play at a different scale that's better suited to the level of detail. There is beauty in well-designed games at any scale, I find, and sometimes it's nice to play a game that really emphasises the higher-scale stuff without getting bogged down in whether the low-scale stuff is correct, reasonable, or playable. 
