FT: cloaking rules

I liked the cloaking rules that someone suggested which I found at a website
which I cannot find anymore, and I don't recall who deserves the credit for
them. But I felt they didn't far enough and so I modified them, especially in
detecting cloaked ships. One problem I have is how to mark a ship that just
cloaked after not being cloaked, especially to standard mode. Maybe the
cloaked ship has to use the marker where it is and everyone knows where the
ship is as it moves, the only way for the cloaked ship to move off of the
marker is go to blind mode (in which case the marker does not move as long as
the ship remains in blind mode).

The Advanced Cloaking System I added on a whim because of a particular movie.
I don't know if the cost I assigned is fair
and maybe the detection bonus could be +2 for one weapon fired
and +3 for 2 or more weapons fired (or +n, n being the number
of weapons fired?).

Glen

Cloaking Rules

A vessel capable of cloaking will have 3 modes of cloaking: Off, Standard, and
Blind. Changing cloaking mode is done before the plotting step and told to all
players.

Off mode The ship is not cloaked.

Standard mode Place a bogey marker on the board within 12" of the cloaked
ship's actual position. The player must make a note of how far and what clock
direction the actual ship is from the bogey marker. In this mode the cloaked
player would know the position of the other ships, but not to the degree that
he could fire most weapons at them. MT Missiles & Salvo missiles would be able
to be fired since they have their own guidance. However, doing so could give
away the position of the cloaked ship.

Blind mode The player leaves a marker where the ship cloaked or entered the
board cloaked. The player must must write orders for all turns that the ship
will remain in Blind mode. The maximum thrust that can be used in Blind mode
is 1, this can be used for turning or velocity changes. While in Blind mode
the ship cannot attack or be attacked except by area effect weapons such as
the Wave Gun and Nova Cannon.

Detecting standard mode cloaked ships Ships are able to search for standard
mode cloaked ships using their sensors during their fire phase. The base range
is 12" and only one arc can be searched. Each Fire Control System dedicated to
searching extends the search range by 24" or increases the arc by 1. Enhanced
or superior sensors may act as a Fire Control System for searching for cloaked
ships, this is in addition to their search roll bonuses.
The searching player rolls one die and if the roll is 6+
then the cloaked ship is detected by the searching ship for this turn only if
it is within range and in the arcs searched. The player of the cloaked ship
must state to all players the arc and the range from the searching ship so
that it may fire upon the cloaked ship. Bonuses to the search roll are:
    +1 if the cloaked ship altered course or velocity this
turn,
    +1 if the searching ship has enhanced sensors or
    +2 if it has superior sensors,
    +1 if the cloaked ship launched any missiles or fighters
       this turn or
    +2 if it fired any other weapon this turn
(advanced cloaking system),
    +1 if the cloaked ship received damage in the previous
       turn or
    +2 if it receives damage in the current turn.

Advanced cloaking system The advanced cloaking system allows a ship in
standard cloaked mode to fire any weapon. The mass is the same as the normal
cloaking system but the points is doubled in cost (mass x 20).