[FT] Nanite Colony (was: Devourers)

I had thought along these lines also. A nanite colony creature.

Build ships using Human style Tech. Beams are modified into tractor beams such
that they do not inflict damage, but provide conveyance for the nanites.
Screens effect the transfer beam as they would Beams (i.e. cut down the number
of nanites that infect the ship.

Damage is marked off in the normal fashion. But it represents areas of the
ship that are infected instead of damage. Crew factors can attempt to
disinfect the hull boxes and infected systems as if repairing systems. If the
roll is equal to or greater than the normal threshold check number
(i.e.
6 for 1st, 5+ for 2nd, etc.) the system is controlled by the nanites. If
engines are infected, the nanite player may write movement orders for the
ship (if 1st infection write for only 1/2 of MD, round down; ship player
writes order to use up to 1/2 MD round up). In order to use a weapon of
the infected ship, it must have infected both a weapon and a FCS.

Also the infection spreads. For each hull box row infected, one additional
hull box is infected at the end of each turn, after DCP attempts are made
(this give the DCPs a better chance to keep the infection down, but can result
in threshold damage after DCP repairs). If DCP disinfect a ship's hull back
past the beginning of a hull row (i.e. the 1st box of the 2nd row of a ship
was infected and DCP manages to disinfect 2 hull boxes), the ship does NOT
take the threshold check again if the hull boxes are reinfected this game.
During a game, newly infected ships cannot be modified to allow them to infect
other ships (only the ships that start the game infected). If a ship is
abandoned, the infection spreads at double the normal rate. A ship that is
completely infected has full control of all ship functions. DCPs may attempt
to sabotage their own ship (if it is determined that the infection
cannot be stopped). A DCP that rolls a 4+ may damage a ship system; on a
roll of a 6+, it may destroy the system. For each additional DCP in the
attempt (up to 2 extra), adds 1 to the die roll.

If the ship takes damage, it takes damage to the infected hull boxes first. If
it takes a threshold check from damage, the threshold check is performed
normally.

Nanites may make repairs to systems as normal (use the crew factors hull
boxes that they control to indicate the number of pseudo-DCPs available
to them).

In the few play-tests, the Nanite ships should cost about 2x normal.
Also, victory points should be varied with the amount of ships that the
nanites take over. In other words if the sides start with even points (1:1),
and the
nanites take over a ship worth 1/5 of the opponent, final victory points
should be adjusted (1.2:1).

In the couple of play tests, it made for a good deal of fun. Players suddenly
have to deal not only with the enemy, but with the odd shot from their own
ships. They also have to decide when a ship is too infected and turn on it.

Reminds me of my own metal virus rules, except that the ships would fall under
the control of the viruses and simply act as enemy ships, normal battle, until
they morphed into infectious colony ships, when they'd be able to infect new
ships via a kind of ramming attack.

Basically, they'd end normal simultaneous movement at a certain distance, then
receive an assault move similar to a FTII fighter's move.

One of those things that come to you after seeing something that starts an
idea flowing. I found deep discounted Xmas ornaments, pointed spindles in
gold, silver, and pearlescent, as well as pearlescent icicles, only about an
inch long.

Yet another idea that never went much further, though, after adding your ideas
to mine, I still have bags of the little ornaments somewhere...

The_Beast

Bell, Brian K (Genius) wrote

> I had thought along these lines also.

I like! Going back to the "vertical damage weapons" we discussed some time
back, how about "Hull row hit by the initial infection is determined by
1d6-2, resluts below 1 treated as 1.  However, subtract 1 for each
active level of screens. If the result is now 0 or below, the hit has no
effect; in this case, fighters escorting the targeted ship may be infected."

***
resluts below 1 treated as 1.
***

We all know what we're thinking, and I don't think any further comment is
necessary...

The_Beast