From: Bif Smith <bif@b...>
Date: Fri, 20 Oct 2000 15:23:59 +0100
Subject: (FT) ECM,never leave home without it
I was just reading over the back mails about missiles, and I thought you might be interested in a idea I had a while ago about ECM vs missiles. To explain it, I will have to go back to the begining and explian my reasoning about sensor, ECM, decoys and missiles, so here goes- ECM & Sensors In FT, sensor were discribes as having a range of 36MU for passive sensors, and 54MU for active sensors. Now, it may just be me, but in every sf novel I`ve read, passive sensors usually out range active sensors. Assuming systems comparable to todays tech, we can see the wobble in another star using passive sensors (a.la hubble), but how long would a radar pulse take to get there and back (this is a retorical question, don`t bother with a answer). Even on a closer range scale of a battle, you would still have a time delay on infomation getting back to you in time for you to react to. Therefore, I think passive sensors sould have twice the range of active sensors*, but be very limited in the infomation they give. My preference is for active to have a range of 24MU (standard), and increase by 6MU for enhanced, 12MU for superior sensors. Beyond that range, the target can be detected by passive sensors, but they only give the aprox. size of the vessels concerned to within 50 mass (i.e.-jean d`arc masses 250-300 mass). If using ECM, even this isn`t disclosed, all they`ll see is the bogey marker, with no idea of size at all. Against active sensors, the ECM would be rolled against. My idea was for using the masses given for ECM to represent a class 1 level ECM system, a.la. PBL`s, and the greater the ECM level, the harder it would be to penitrate. The ECM would work on the size of the ship, in 50 mass increments (i.e. 01 to 50 mass = size 1, 51 to 100 mass = size 2), and would have to be rolled under on a 1d6 to defeate the ECM involved. For each atempt at defeating the ECM, you get a -1 to the roll (plus an extra -1 with superior sensors, -2 with enhansed). The ECM would reduce the size of you ship by -1 for each ECM level you carried, and each ECM level would be a separate ECM symbol on the SSD, capable of being destroyed/disabled by a threshold check.Multipul sensor suits (i.e.-3xsuperior sensors) would be allowed to enable a ship to identify more than one target at once, or for each sensor above the first allocated to a target, you gain a -1 on the defeating ECM roll. Any extra sensor suits must be the same grade as the primary suit, and have their own damage icon on the SSD, making them suseptable to dammage. This would enable ECM to be a battlefield weapon that could be used in the game, instead of a strategic weapon, whereby you bluff you opponents into reterating without and combat, as shown in the rulebooks. It also represents the differences in energy outputs between a DD, and a SD. The reason I chose a range of 24MU for active sensors, is that it makes missiles (especially the variable range HH type missiles, as I`ll explain later) vulnerable to decoys (as I`ll explain later also). For actually knowing where you enemy is, this could be represented by a grav sensor, that can detect a active drive or screen out to a long range (say, 200MU with no details, just theres a ship at xyz co-ordinates) , and also the hyper pulse of a ship arriving. All sensors and ECM/decoys would be disabled if a command bridge threshold check fails. Area affect/individual ECM To represent the difference between area affect ECM and individual ECM, we can say that with indiviual ECM, if you use your sensor suit, the target can tell the bogey that is using sensors (you tell your opponent, he has to remember). With area effect ECM, the opponent does not know the bogey using sensors, just the general direction (one of those 6 bogeys over there). Also, area effect ECM provides ECM for any bogey within,say,10MU (only an example, havn`t any decision yet as to what`s ok), as opposed to individual, that provides ECM for just the ship mounting it. This also opens up the posibilities of say a DD protected by a SD`s area ECM, providing sensor data for the SD`s missiles, without the SD exposing itself. To allow this, both ships must mount ADFC, to represent the computers and rapid data com.systems for exchainging the data needed. Also, only works within the ADFC radius of 6MU. Summary Jean D`arc size 6 (270mass), refitted with level 2 individual ECM (4 mass/40 points), effective emitions level 4. Scouting DD, enhansed sensors x1, roll under 4 on a 1D6 - 2* at a range of 36MU (active sensors range), to reveal data on target/replace bogey marker. Roll under 4 on a 1D6* (no modifiers, out of active sensor range), at a range of upto 72MU, to replace bogey marker. *-1 per turn attempted scanning BIF`s MT/HH variable missile Range-24MU per turn Endurance-3 turns Cost-6 Dammage-4D6 (1/2 armour, 1/2 hull) Mass- 2 per missile Engaugement/attack radius-6MU on first turn, 5MU on second turn, 4MU on third turn** Notes- Launched from a internal launcher like SML`s (mass-3, cost-9, 1arc fire/ mass-4, cost-12, 2 arc fire, thinking along the line of HH broadsides/chaisers for this system), may use secondary movement*** like fighters in exchange for 1 turn endurance, but the attack radius reducess to the next lowest setting, must be decided before launch****, maneuvers like fighters. Missiles vs ECM If there is only one target, the ECM would gain you nothing against missiles, whether the enemy has penitrated you ECM or not. But, if your ECM is still efective, you could use decoys against the missiles. The decoys would be a small drone, equipt with a weasel emmiter, that would emmit the same sensor returns as the mothership (or any other ship). This could be represented by instead of 1 bogey marker, there is now 4 bogey markers (mothership + 3 decoys). If you changed vector as well, the enemy would left guessing as to whitch is the target, and have to prenitrate the ECM of each in turn to decide. As given above, if the decoys were launched in the turn that the missiles would attack, the firer would have to decide how many missiles attack each target. Then the missile attack is resolved as normal, but with those missiles that attacked the decoys would be wasted shots. Of course, the decoys would be dead (bang). Decoys My decoys would have to be carried aboard a ship (not nesasserally the ship using it/ the ship it mimmics), at a mass of 3, a cost of 21*****, and be deployed at the start of the movement turn. It moves as a normal ship, with a thrust upto 8 (keep it at the same as the mothership it`s mimmicing, or the enemy will notice), with the launching ships velocity at the start of that turn. If you think the cost is high/low for this system, remember that it is efective at diverting MT type missiles that ignore sacrificial ships/escorts, and it removes mass from offensive systems to defensive ones (after all, you are not going to mount just one on your SD, are you?). *My reasoning being that it takes twice as long for a radar pulse (or whatever) to travel there and back, as it does for EM emmisions (or whatever) to just travel back, therefore, if you have the same time to react to the infomation under combat conditions, the passives have twice the effective range for the infomation collected. **To represent the missiles limited sensors/ECCM, and the shorter reaction time for the mothership to update the missiles target systems. Can attack any target within range as decided by firer, not just the closest. ***May use all three turns endurance in a single turn, and move 24MU, a secondary move of 12MU, and a tertiary move of 6MU, then engauge any target within 4MU ****When launching, next to the missile symbol, write S for 2 turn normal and 1 secondary after both normal moves (i.e.-sprint setting), or SS for 1 turn movement and 2 secondary movements (i.e.-supersprint setting). *****Mass and cost may be altered (not just the decoys), only a rough guess at the moment. Depends on feedback from more enlightend members (Oerjan Ohlson, waiting for your reply?). P.S.-These ideas are the first time I`ve put all the different ECM, sensors, decoys together in one set of rules, and may need amending in light of feedback (if they don`t, it`ll be a first). I don`t think I forgot to include or mention anything or reasoning behind it, but if I did, I`ll try to reply to any points raised. P.P.S.-My spelling is aufull, sorry for any mistakes.