From: Bif Smith <bif@b...>
Date: Thu, 5 Apr 2001 20:20:18 +0100
Subject: FT-Narc beacons and other electronics
I thought I`d put this on list for discusion, even though it should be a WotW. Narc targeting beacon. Fired from a sml launcher, with a mass of 2 but a range of 36 mu (got to have some advantages for no warhead). Fired just like a sml, including pds. If any missiles suvive, they lock a magnetic (or whatever) homing beacon onto the targeted ships hull. These beacons all have a different frequency, allowing several to be used at once. When a sml round is fired at a target with one of these beacons on it, the sml`s can bypass any bansai missile sponges and also gain a +1 on the number of missiles to hit roll (max still 6). The cost of this system I would place at x4 mass, and any sml`s with the homing warheads also cost x3 mass +1 (ie, 7 points Vs 6 for a normal range sml). Of course, this would require more record keeping, but not that much. The beacons on the hull could be removed by DCP`s, but how should this be done, due to the hull of a warship in combat would be very hazardous to your health (rathere a understatement). I would say a DCP removes the beacon on a 6, and the DCP dies on a roll of 1. This would remove 1 beacon, because they may be more than 1 beacon upon the hull (requiring multipul rolls, hensemore chance of casualties to the DCP`s). This one requires thought (ie-help, I can`t decide how to ballance this). Jamming/decoy missiles. These would replace the warhead with a electronics package designed to blind/jam the sensors/pds of it`s target. Avalible in both sml and MT missile versions. When fired, this missile jams the pds of it`s target and any adfcon/pds tied to it. The missile must be targetted and destroyed first, before any other missiles can be engauged by the defences. The pds must be allocated to each salvo (sml) or missile (MT) including the jammer(s). If the pds doesn`t destroy the jammer, the other pds cannot engauge/destroy the other missiles incoming. This I would give the same mass and performance as the equivalent missiles, but the cost would be higher because of the electronics involved (say, x5 mass?). Just a rough idea at the moment. Works better with MT missiles, due to each missile being a separate missile instead of a salvo (or you could roll the number of sml`s on target, that is the number of jammers to be intercepted). Decoys. A decoy would be lauched at the begining of the turn, and the ship would move acording to it`s written orders (but the enemy not seeing them). The decoy(s) would also be moved from the starting point just like a ship, and would be displayed on the board identical to the real ship. This would force the enemy to split his fire. The decoys would die at the first shot. My feeling is to allow them 3 turns endurance, due to the high power requirements to emit a ships electronic signiture to fool the enemy sensors. Mass 4, cost 20. Another rough idea (thinking of the goast rider decoy missiles in HH).