G'day Glenn,
I'm sure Oerjan will have more to say on the subject, but here's a few
thoughts I had.
> I sat down with FT2 and sketched out the weaponry...
Sorry I've never played FT before FB so can't comment there.
NEKTONS
> Alternate <Mass 20 FF>
Can't remember the Needle Beam FC requirements off the top of my head, but I
have a feeling this combo of Needles and FC is going to restrict you to
potentially killing one system very dead....was this a redundancy thing you
actually wanted to build in?
> This is a first cut, please let me
Haven't got time to check your math unfortunately, but the idea doesn't seem
to bad, though some of your BDNs and up may find it hard to actually get close
enough to get decent to hit rolls. Do you play vector or cinematic by the way?
WHISTLERS
> "Mother Nest Ship"
Why 3FCs, is redundnacy a design feature you were actually after? I'd be
tempted to drop it to one given the armament.
> BB
Firstly you're going to get good at judging placement with this ship;)
Secondly, once again why so many FCs? Off the top of my head I can't remember
which are houserules and which standard rules, but as far as I recall you only
need a functioning FC to fire all your SMLs (and they're
still placed where you like).
> BDN
OK this one doesn't have an FC at all....;)
> CVH
Once again 3 FC may be a little much.
MERTUNS
You may want to add an extra FC to some of the little guys (particularly
the DH and FF), otherwise you may find their lack of flexibilty too
constraining.....from one extreme to the other;)
> SDN
OK why 5 FCS on this one? I thought I had the system worked out until this one
popped up;)
> Starfish
Flavour wise why introduce the PT here? Was it a "stolen" weapon or something?
Just curious.
KLACKONS
> DD
I think your missing something here;)
> HC
OK once again a bit heavy on the FCs. Unless redundancy is something these
aliens are obsessed with I think they would've figured out the
cost-benefit
basis of FC:weapon allocation. I know you were trying to make them feel
"non-human", but there are some things that will have a universal
logic (at least in my opinion).
> BC and up
Once again I reckon they've got to many FCs < I bet you're sick of me saying
that by now;) >
The ideas seem OK, just a bit of tweaking to do I reckon.
Cheers
If I remember correctly, you have to have a dedicated Fire Control PER Needle
Beam
> --- Beth Fulton <beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au> wrote:
On Sat, 31 Mar 2001 19:46:45 -0800 (PST) Shawn M Mininger
> <smininger@yahoo.com> writes:
Well as the resident NB fanatic (well, of two?) I can tell you - only if
they fire on different targets. FT page 18 - ( and yes, I looked
/after/
I typed the first part of the answer. <grin>)
I really liked the NB as a "Nekton'ish" weapon (close, disable, board,
steal - the ship) When FTL was introduced to your culture by your
(eventually overthrown) enslavers you tend to take vengenance and paranoia to
a rather unbalanced degree.
Logic is an option in some aspects of Nekton Culture. <GRIN>
On Sun, 01 Apr 2001 11:54:39 +1000 Beth Fulton
> <beth.fulton@marine.csiro.au> writes:
Hello, Beth.
> I'm sure Oerjan will have more to say on the subject, but here's a few
No biggie, I have moved to FB1 completely myself.
> NEKTONS
One NB, 1/6 chance of a firecon/drive kill, two is 1/3, three is 1/2 -
since I view escorts as tangling with escorts first (and one firecon is
the norm on human/etc. escorts) this ship is designed to 1) put the
enemy escorts at the mercy of other Nekton "killer' ships and 2) make them
selves a threat outside their mass value to Cruisers and Capital ship
(Killing Firecons/engines) and to draw fire away from larger Nekton
ships who would kill the 'bad guys' (Ralnai, Humans, Whistlers, everybody
else) themselves. Not exactly IF kamikaze but very similar in effect.
This is the alternate FF, flys in formation with the 2xNB, one Class-2
ships as a 'systems killer' to set up a 'kill' by a cruiser or follow-up
DD flotilla. The 'standard FF has two firecons so, in theory, they can be
using both the beam and the NB at different targets at eh same time.
The 'alternate' is the Firecon/drive killer of the mixed FF flotilla (3
standard, 1 alternate).
> >This is a first cut, please let me
So far, both games (yes only two - tied up with the local historical
group most game days) cinematic.
Actually most fleet actions I plan to run (as opposed to play in someone
else's scenarios) will be 'small' - as in BB/BC (1, max 2) and Cruisers
and escorts. The BDN/SDN/CV stuff was just an attempt at extrapolation.
But I sometimes don't worry about winning so much as playing 'the Alien' and
having fun trying.
Besides, *Big* ships would take a lot of beads <grin>. But that's for another
post...
Nekton BDN/SDN designs are still in the learning by doing stage. Until
recently there were *no* Nekton ships bigger then HC in any numbers and they
had not been tested in reasonable amounts of combat. The Nektons
had mainly been raiding Ralnai/Human shipping with LC and below
flotillas. Then the Humans brought in The Whistler Merc infantry for an
unrelated campaign and they were ambushed by Nektons (who thought they were
some 'war supplies') and the 100% loss of the troops in the ships resulted in
a short war of retaliation between Whistlers and Nektons. It's not so much
'over' as 'on hold' right now.
In Historicals, I also like to play armies with a tie to my mixed
heritage sometimes that are not Uber-troops - Napoleonic Spanish as an
example - and this is somewhat the same type of approach tied to SF
setting. Charge of the Light Brigade type thing.
> WHISTLERS
Lose one on an escort (remember those Nekton NB's) you can't fire at all, the
idea of losing teh ability to defend yourself because you lost those FCS has
made the Whistlers a bit paranoid.. Whistlers fear being 'flying meat' more
then most. But since I love NB's for the Nektons I probably
over-react on the Whistler's part. The Whistlers tangle with the
Nektons
most often - their contact with human races is usually as mercenary
Light
Infantry and Air mobile/ Aircraft merc units. Also, this was the first
Whistler ship I designed and I was using a mental 'template' of Capital
Ship (3 FCS) and may not have realized I only had two direct fire guns -
Whistler Carriers depend on Consorts, PDS's and most definitely screening
fighters for protection. A Whistler Designer would turn that extra FCS into a
PDS in a heart beat. Live by the sword (fighter), fear dying by the Sword
(Fighter) to paraphrase. That and those slimy Nektons trying to knock out
firecons so they can slowly kill or board (Nektons use sonic weapons to
scramble neural matter in man to man combat) for capture enemy ships.
> >BB
Actually I hope to somebody else <grin> to play the Whistlers most of the
time. Whistler tactics aren't my personal cup of tea - i.e., I can't
seem to judge where to put missiles yet and 'NB and PT' are so much easier
[point ship, shoot.]
> Secondly, once again why so many FCs? Off the top of my head I can't
Paranoia about losing those FCS to damage. The Whistlers 'really, really like'
missiles... And they really really hate losing to the Nektons. Lots of
missiles make the 'close, point and kill' Nekton weapons systems more costly
to use, especially during closure... I also did not realize
that one FCS could direct multiple SML's - don't know why I didn't
since,
upon re-reading the SML section in FB1 it seems pretty clear one would
do... Duh on me for not catching that on the fi rst read through.
> >BDN
Oooops, bet I left it out when I typed. Better check my notes. No, I just
forgot to include it! Drop the one PT I guess, and add three FCS
(one for beams, one for PT, and one for SML's) plus a couple class-1's.
> >CVH
Point taken. <grin> How about the Class-2's don't overlap?? Or drop
the Class-1, make it 2 FCS and add a third Class-2???
> MERTUNS
That's the Mertuns. Thinking with a base eight counting system and being
extremely unbalanced in their technology - some very high by human
standards and some very low - they are impressed (no, obsessed) with
volume of fire for most applications. Similar to American approach of 'body
count' in Vietnam. " We killed a bunch of them we must be winning."
The DH could use a second FCS by dropping a PDS (4 is still agood number of
PDS's).
> >SDN
One [3, 3 arc] to the left secondary target, [one 3, 3 arc to] the right
secondary target, two for the main [3, 5 arcs] targets, one for the
Class-4. Strictly an experiment by the Mertuns. They shied away from
adding "only" two 2 Class-1's or a 'single' class-2... very number
oriented. It was considered to add PDS but it already had 9 (more then
adequate even to Mertun minds...)
Mertuns might not exist completely in our reality according to some human
Xenobiologists. The Mertun word for FTL can be translated as "...home away
from home..." but most Xenobiologists think this is a (rare) Mertun
use of humor and/or metaphor.
Some things they have done in the past seem completely illogical and yet they
are considered, in general, an emotionless race depending on 'logic' to make
decisions. They have popped into a piece of space, counted ships
and surrendered on terms that allow the ships/beings to be 'paroled'
(and they never break their word apparently) until the 'war' is over. Mertuns
never intentionally commit suicide or charge into what appears to be sure
defeat. Ther is no shame to fleeing or surrendering if they can't flee
overwhelming odds. Lie to them once and they will *never* have diplomatic
contact ever again with a race. Fortunately they recognize that Human
'nations' are not all the same group despite the biological 'facts' saying
they are one species and (in Mertun terms) 'should' be. They have no fear of
making 'risky' jumps saying that ships that disappear in hyperspace were
'transferred' not lost.
> >Starfish
> From the name (starfish,) it's for cracking open those 'hard shelled'
(i.e., Screen-2) targets - most likely to be other capital ships. There
was this skirmish between a trio of Mertun raiding flotillas (DD lead
FF's and Corvettes) and a human Screen-2 equipped BC... The Mertuns
were particularly unlucky with their beam weapons whilee the humans
combination of beams and PT's on those weak hulled FF/CT...
> KLACKONS
Like a weapon? Back to my notes.
Try 2x Class-2, 3 Arcs (overlap in the fore) and PDSx4.
> >HC
You know, that may be a mistake in my notes, although, IIRC Klackons see HC as
Capital ships, so maybe it was originally with one more gun?? Better take a
look there too. Yeah, that's the problem, when I decided
to use the class-3's it should have been 2 FCS and the left over point
used as a class-1, a added PDS or more armor..
> >BC and up
Muchas Gracias on the feedback. I chose *more* FCS on some ships for one race
but it seems to 'bled over' into the others more then I intended. It might
make more sense if I posted the 'stacked dice' geography of the part of the
universe(s) I used to make my game environment... I'll post that later.