[FT] SML's and Banzai Jammers......

Alan,

Why not go with the simple rule of....

for each firecon on the SML firing ship... she can chose her target for 1 SML
salvo. If the salvo is within 6" of the target ship after movement,

then it is the target that is locked onto. So lets recap....

An FSE Jeraz could (assuming no damage) lock both of its SML's (from its

2 launchers) onto 1 or 2 targets of its choice (Written down or in our case to
speed up play balance we go with option 2 described below and hence just
allocate after ship movement). So if you're flying one of my Free Cal Tex
Kenedy class missle cruisers ( 4 SML launchers and only 1 firecon...well, you
can only lock 1 salvo onto 1 target of your choice the other's act as normal).

Thoughts/options:

(Idea): each fire con on firing ship allows you to lock onto 1 target at
launch if target is within 6", then you hit, otherwise the salvo doesn't do
anything ( aka wasted... even if other targets are within 6") (Opt 2): as the
original idea, but with a twist to speed up play and keep some of us from
delimbing others in our group. In this mode rather then write down the target
we just count up the number of firecon's on SML equiped ships and we allocate
that many total SML's on the table to targets. Any other SML's act normally
(aka closest target). Note though we do this "fast" aka no dilly dallying we
don't allow you to measure other then yup this salvo is within 6" of this ship
ect...
(we use a template). That way there's no measuring and trying to optimise
you're firing solution... we just wanted to represent the idea that a fleet of
ships firing missles would be able to pass

control back and forth and given what we can do now would just allow targets
         to be easily id'ed/painted/whatever...  This is how we play.
It works quite well and keeps the rules lawyers at bay.

We've gone through quite an iteration in play. After a few lopsided SML

battles and a lot of SML equiped ships proving their various vulnrabilities it
was decided by our group that.

1. Fighters are generally better overall expendable munitions
    (last longer, more multifacitited, no hit/miss deal... )
2.  PDS and ADFC can eliminate much of the SML/fighter threat
3. Speed and manuverability can completely eliminate the SML threat and

do
    an aweful lot to reduce/eliminate the fighter threat (Can still
escourt though) 4. Who wants to spend all the mass in SML's and then miss with
all of them and have a handful of wimpy beams to shoot with... can you say
toast for

your fleet..... knew you could.
5.  Its not realistic in a moderate+ sized fleet that there would be soo

many scout ships (especially if they're nothing but ftl and drives!) doesn't
make any sense. Ships should fit within a fleet doctrin that has a balance or
focal point. If they're small ships they have to contribute firepower or
something to the fleet. They also can't be an overly dominate% of the fleet's
pts in less there's a reason (1 exception: we have a campain... 1 player can't
build anything larger then hull size 60. He tends to build "assult scouts"
                       mass 14 sized ships ~50 pts/pop.  They tend to
dominate his fleet.... we allow this because it fits.) Other then that I or
another one of our players with a short fuse and Lots of muscle then mutters
something about being needing a punching bag ect... as we degenerate into a
verision of Polish Full Thrust: Kinda like warfside polish poker but face hits
are legal..... just kidding. But the
     majority of my group (3/4 players hate the munchkin approach and
just want to have fun... we don't want any lopsided victories because of
balance issues. We found our option 2 to be the best way to make SML's a
weapon you'd want to put on your ships. So far we have the following fleet
strategies...

(Cinematic movement.  Decent size table... speeds range from 6" -> 24"
in
most of our games... every once in a while we play at 30+" speeds )

1. Beams & Screens (avg hull) fleets
2.  Pulse Torps & scrn-1 + armor + strong hull (big ships only) fleets
3.  SML's to the gills & weak hull + avg manver fleets

*Usually we do normal fleet book levels of pds/ship but add adfc to
anything
 larger then a light cruiser (Great for SML/fighter defense)
*So far option 2 has been battling out with option 1 as the most common it
seems just when we're all ensconced in (2), we decide the ability to

hit better at range pushes (1) ahead and then we flip around. *We usually
don't go all fighters. Usually only in larger fleet battles

do we find fighters flying around and usually they stick to the fighting
escourts (DD's go boom quick against 2 ftr groups). However the big guys
usually have too many pds and adfc pds that they're not worth targeting.
*option 3 is not all that common.  Usually we start at speeds 12-16
range or so. If anyone is on option 3 then everyone usualy speeds up and trys
to stay at range.

Anyway....... just some thoughts from our group. Give option 2 a try. It makes
SML's the way (we think) they should be.... nasty and visious in the right
conditions for a couple o'rounds... then whoops.... you shot your load you
nasty boy... now time to squeal like a pig.........

Chuck