I was thinking about a command ship for fleets/squadrens, and thought
about flag bridges. I`ve thought about the penalties for the loss of a flag
bridge, in allowing the players one one side to not talk or write messages
between each other for 1 turn, so losing co-ordination between ships
tempererally (as well as the mass removed from offensive weapons, pds
etc).
As for advantages for using flag bridges, I`ve had several ideas, and are
looking for more.
Reasons for using Flag Bridges-
1-Any fighters can use any hanger on any ship for reloading/rearming
with no penalties. for this to be a advantage, there needs to be a penalty for
a different fighter group than the ones normally alocated to the ship
reloading (say, a extra 1 turn to reload a torpedo wing in a intercepter wing
hanger bay).
2-Allows the side with flag bridge to pass writen messages between each
other without the other side being able to intercept them. The side without
any (operable) flag bridges must only pass messages verbally, so the side with
the flag bridge knows what the other side is doing (represents the
co-ordination possible between the ships of a squadren or fleet).
3-Allows sensor infomation from any ship to be shared between any ship
in
the squadren/fleet. So, if one ship has improved sensors, it can share
this info with it`s collegues.
4-If more than one ship in a squadren/fleet has a flag bridge, if one is
destroyed/disabled, the other one(s) may take over immediatly, with no
pause/disruption in communications between ships.
Mass/cost.
Mass-5
Cost-15
Notes-Considered a core system, adds a second bridge symbol (with a F
added to represent the flag bridge) on the core systems. Also allows a extra
crew factor in boarding actions (if used), to represent the extra marines
carried for Admeral protection duties.
So, lets design a NAC command SD.
Churchill Class command SD (SDC)
Mass-240
Cost-814+Fighters
Hull (DP-70)
Drive (t-4)
Ftl Screens (x2) Armour (7) Flag Bridge PDS (x6) P.Torp (3a)x1 Cl.3 Bat (3a)x3
F.Con x3 Fighter Bay x2 Cl.2 Bat (6a) x3 Cl.1 Bat (6a) x2
Expensive, but better protected version of the Valley forge SD for command
duties.
Any comments/sugestions/alterations/improvements anyybody care to
suggest to this proposal?
Interesting idea.
I would suggest making it similar to an ADFC (mass 2, cost 8). The symbol
represents the command communications relay.
One other thing that it could do is to allow a group of ships within 6" of the
ship with a Command Bridge to move as a unit when using cinematic movement. By
this, I mean if the squadron has 4 ships plus the ship with the CB, movement
orders are written for the command ship and the rest of the ship follow, but
stay in formation (i.e. if ship A is 2" ahead and 1" left of the command ship,
it will still be 3" ahead and 2" left of the command ship after they make a 3
point turn to the starboard.
@
/-------------A
/ /--------C
A /
/
C A and C represent starting and ending points. @ indicates where A would have
normally ended up.
-----
Brian Bell bkb@beol.net
http://www.ftsr.org
-----
> -----Original Message-----
[snip]
> Mass-5
[snip]
> Any comments/sugestions/alterations/improvements anyybody care to
> I was thinking about a command ship for fleets/squadrens, and thought
[rest snipped]
Many of the advantages you describe are usually done automatically
anyway. And as for passing notes - talk about a recipe for bogging
down the game.
Good idea, but too complex/slow for my tastes.
> bif smith wrote:
> I was thinking about a command ship for fleets/squadrens, and thought
Not meaning to offend, but why does having space given over to a flag officer
and his staff confer such advantages to a ship, what is it that
these 'staff-weenies' do that when it filters down to the flight deck
crew enables them to break down the barriers and tackle 'strange' fighters
that arrive in their hanger bay?
> 2-Allows the side with flag bridge to pass writen messages between each
Today communications between navy ships is very good and I imagine that in the
future it's going to get better, tight beam communication between spacecrafts
will be probably very hard to intercept. And if the communications aren't
tight beam but being broadcast to all listeners, encryption will make decoding
vital time sensitive enemy communications impossible.
> 3-Allows sensor infomation from any ship to be shared between any ship
Again the quality of communications and transmission of data will make this
matter of fact (I believe that the US Navy refers to their system as NTD, I
think)
> 4-If more than one ship in a squadren/fleet has a flag bridge, if one
Again quality of the 'network' within the fleet will probably smooth over such
disruptions, with ships routing information to other ships in the fleet as and
when required. And if the Flag officer and his staff are lost with the
flagship, then that's what the chain of command is for. The next senior
officer would take command of the fleet using previous orders and
intentions (given by the previous commander), SOPs and his own judgement to
fight the battle (and defeat the enemy of course).
> Mass/cost.
Actually I think the idea of the 'flag bridge' is a good one, but I would use
it in team games where orders, planning and chain of command are important,
the flag bridge symbol would designate the 'location' of the players. For
example the FSE are battling the NSL, the NSL side is made up
half a dozen players, one being the C-in-C and the others commanders of
groups of ships within the NSL fleet. One group is commanded by myself, a
battle squadron of four DNs and I have my flag on the first DN (marked on the
SSD as such), during the battle the DN explodes killing me (cheering
heard in background, Derek looks around). I'm dead no longer able to give or
receive orders, I relinquish control of my group (to my subordinate perhaps?)
and become a spectator crying into my stout while my 'live' teammates and
opponents make much of my demise.
Despite the way this is about to sound, I like the idea of a flag bridge, I'm
just quibbling with the details.
Quoth BIF:
> >Reasons for using Flag Bridges-
Can't see why a Flag Bridge would confer this.
> >2-Allows the side with flag bridge to pass writen messages between
slows the game down
> The side without
actually that would represent a good cryptoanalysis team--very good, if
they can read it in realtime, and even better if they can intercept a message
laser.
> >3-Allows sensor infomation from any ship to be shared between any
How would you simulate a ship NOT sharing info? ie when a Bogey gets close
enough for the Sensor-S ship to identify, why would the other ships not
routinely get that information? Or did you mean "targeting info" instead of
sensor info? If so, why is it likely to be more accurate through having been
delayed in processing by being routed through another ship?
> >4-If more than one ship in a squadren/fleet has a flag bridge, if one
I don't see that--if the admiral is killed, it's going to take a certain
amount of time to transfer command effectively, regardless of whether there's
a flag bridge or not.
Suggestion--in a multiplayer game, you could require each player to have
a flag bridge, and if that ship is killed or the flag is disabled, then you
could require that player to bow out and the remaining players from his team
would need to take over his squadron. In a F2F game with timed moves, that
would simulate the extra load of the commodores' decision-making
capacity. In a PBeM game, where you have plenty of time, it wouldn't work. And
in a F2F game, I don't think I'd much enjoy it if I were the one who had to
bow out on turn 2 and just wait for the next 8 turns to be played.
Suggestion--if you have ships that break off due to morale, the flag
bridge could carry with it the possibility of rallying broken units.