Alternative forces (i.e., non-canon aliens ships)

Well, I have gone berserk on the FB1 design stuff - I compared it to
FT/2nd and while it means less Needle Beams for the Nekton Small Boys I
think I like the design process better. It allows me more ability to
reflect the key non-canon Alien races in my gaming.  I just wish i had
the ships done to try them out.

I know this will bore some but I am going to bounce a few fleet design
patterns off the list for feedback:

The Whistlers - Avians who gave up flight for Intelligence.

The Nektons - Think man-sized Amphibs (+/-, mostly minus) with an
attitude of 'Grendel' in the SF book 'Hereot' (I think I spelled that somewhat
correctly) and a paranoia from their first contact via the enslaving Ralnai
(Ralnai philosophy (as much as they have one) is "Kaw
Kokk" - power over others)!  More slaves (owned/killed) means more
status. The Nektons tossed the Ralnai off their home planet then expanded
against them (aided indirectly by the Second StarWar (the Ralnai versus
everybody (well except the Dreenoi but they make the Klackons look like
dieters of other species...)

The Klackons - *Big* Crabs with a taste for anybody who looks
vulnerable.
 Capable of interaction and trade just prefer to /take/ things where
possible.

Mertuns - the enigmatic low gravity octopod race very like H.G.Wells
'Martians'.

Others to follow - Ralnai, Rauwoofs, Blarads, etc.

Humans will look very similar to canon - not that much difference in the
lives of Homo Sapiens.

"The Birds"  - the Whistlers - Background right out of Ratner's Space
Marines (do you want that from the old rules set?) - very much into
'strike' attacks. Based on the book I have out of the Tech Library describing
the various forms of hunting by raptors and other predatory birds. In, strike,
out. Fast initial actions not much on staying and slugging it out.

*Very* big on fighters - almost every cruiser (plus) has a 'nestship'
version.  Those ships not 'nesting' use a lot of SMR/SML backed up by
PT's. Some beams, almost always class 2 or class 1. Small ships have
fragile/weak hulls ('throwaway') and medium ships use weak/standard.
Nothing stronger then Standard. Period. Next to no use of Armor. High mobility
values. Below HC mean is 6 (some 8), Above uses Drive 4, some 6. Typical
masses: CT = 10, FF = 20, DD = 30, LC = 50, Hc = 80, [No
BC],
BB = 140, DN/BDN = 160, no [SDN], CVL = 150, CVH = 180.  "Mother Nest"
ship (CVVH) = 200 on a weak hull. EC = 70 (only with CVVH).

The Nektons - *Very* Big on Needle Beams, only less os on PT's.
Moderate amount of screens used on cruisers and larger ships. Average Hulls,
some armor. Average to High mobility. Drive 6 if less then HC, Drive 4
above, Largest ships use Drive 2.  EC uses Drive 3 - basically
'herds/drives' escorted vehicles.  Largest ships have 6-8 PDS (based on
recent war with Whistlers) but DD and less generally have no PDS -
Nektons consider fighters as 'trash fish' and only recently made the
concession of putting ADFC and multiple PDS's on their largest ships.

Typical masses: SC = 8, CT = 10, FF = 20, DD = 30, DHAA = 40, LC = 50, EC =
60, HC = 80,

BC = 100, BB = 120, BDN = 140 (2 versions - one with strong hull), SDN =
160 (2 versions - both with Super Hull and a third version with a strong
hull at 200).

The Mertuns - Use lots of multiple smaller beams instead of fewer big
beams (love those arrays of class -1's) strong hulls, and liberal use of
screens.  Lightest ships have drive 6/8 but drive 4 from DD thru BB,
with
Drive 2 beyond that common. Absolutely *love* PDS's.  Have a /thing/
about 5 arc Class-3/Class-4 - big guns need lots of ability to target
stuff. Cruisers and capital ships use 1 to 2 screens.

Typical Masses: CT = 16, FF = 24, DD = 32, DH = 40, LC = 48, EC = 64 (that's
right), HC = 80, BC = 96, BB = 98, 3 versions of the BDN (NO fighters!) [one
super hull with light armor, one strong hull with more
armor, and one average hull with in-between armor and SDN = 180 (NO
fighters!!) Rumors that they are building a version of carriers but with
the enigmatic Mertuns it's sure to be /different/ then human ones...

Klackons - call themselves "The People of the Seven" - whatever that
means. Makes Mertuns almost scrutable. Land forces are based on seven
-
7 soldiers in a squad, 7 squads in a platoon, 7 platoons in a company,
etc.   Ships often come with Two Large Beam Guns (for the class) and
multiple smaller support beam guns. (the capitals indicate an attempt to
reflect the Klackons use one set of words for main battery weapons and
another completely different set of words for 'other' batteries - even
of the same type (Beam, PT, etc.) Klackons like Beams, *big* beams, even
to the point of only having two over-sized for the class beams and no
other offensive weapons in some cases. Go Figure, it's a (klackon phrase)
'claw thing' (assuming that's translated correctly. Klackon language appears
to be extremely fluid, some would say ambiguous on purpose. Klackons have
average to good mobility, use strong hulls almost exclusively, and as much
armor as they can squeeze on once the main guns and other vital systems are in
the design (for the BDN and SDN.) Tactics call for a rush to close and then
sitting at as close as possible range and seeing who cuts and runs first.
Klackon casualties are freely eaten by surviving klackons ["You *waste* the
protein by burying the
bodies?!?!?!" would be a Klackon response to Human burial/cremation
practices]

Typical masses are: CT = 14, FF = 21, DD = 35, LC = 49, HC = 84, BC =
91, BB = 140 (3 versions - A - 2 x Class-4, 5 arcs, B - 2 x Class-4 3
Arcs overlapping in the fore arc, 2 x Class - 3, 3 arc centered on the
fore arc, C - 2 x Class-3, % arcs, 6 x Class-2 6 arcs), BDN = 168, SDN =
210 (3 versions - no armor/3 x Class-4, 5 arcs - 2 x class-4 5
arcs/armor
16, and 3 Class-4, 3 arc and armor 12).  CV's are reported to exist but
no one has seen them outside of Klackon Home (or what is believed to be
their home) Space - reports from emergency comm pods (thinks the buoys
in Red Storm Rising that the gives away the retreating American Subs...) from
the only known human strike in Klackon Home Space had blurred sensor reports
of impossibly large ships that may have been CV equivalents. Apparently these
are valued too much to be used outside of 'home' space.

There are intelligence reports of smaller (relatively) what may be CV's
having been seen recently just inside Klackon home space from non-human
sources. Apparently in at least one case there appeared to be either
large missiles or fighters launched - no observations of recovery
procedures has been reported.

Specific designs will be posted later.

Feedback on this and the individual designs is desired, The purpose of
the designs is to reflect the fighting styles of the race not to max/min
or munchkinize the ships. Certain less efficient design traits may be included
to reflect the 'thinking' of the alien race.

G'day Glenn,

> The Whistlers - Avians who gave up flight for Intelligence.

I know you've based this on some existing scifi somewhere....but I wouldn't
have rated the ratites as more intelligent than the parrots or raptors
;)

> "The Birds" - the Whistlers - ....

Do they only use speed as a defense? Or do they use screens and PDS too?

> The Nektons - *Very* Big on Needle Beams,

So PDS suites on large ships is actually rare? How do you intend on supporting
the Needles with PTorps (what kind of ratio)? Too heavy on needles may
actually leave you a bit weak on fire power, especially at range. I guess the
most needle heavy ships would also be the ones with the armour etc as you're
going to have to risk getting close?

> The Mertuns - Use lots of multiple

OK I'm a bit confused you say they use lots of small and then say they have a
thing about very big??

> Klackons - call themselves

So all hull masses will be in multiples of 7.....;P

> Ships often come with Two Large

The concept sounds OK < well alien enough;) >. Not sure how it will play
though, I have a feeling you're going to feel rather frustrated with the

lack of flexibility of response. What kind of coverage (arc wise) will the big
beams get?

> Feedback on this and the individual

As a first cut they seem pretty good, though I have a feeling some of the most
extreme aspects will be tempered by play...their equivalent of the admiralty
calling for refits;)

Cheers