> I'm sorry gentlemen, but this smacks way too much of SFB.
Just a completely off-the-cuff thought that sprang to mind while reading
this post (and the couple of preceding ones), on the subject of St*r Tr*k
simulations with FT -
To do FT Trek games, represent Shields like armour in FT (the new FB version),
but using the "directional" concept outlined already in this thread, ie: each
Shield only protects from damage coming through 1 arc, and
is represented by a number of boxes/circles like FB armour. Knocking
this off as it is hit represents the weakening of shields so often seen on TV,
when all of one arc's shield is gone then damage hits the ship as normal. The
difference between this and armour is that the shield generators may
re-inforce damaged shields (by a limited amount) at the END of a turn,
provided they are still functional. Thus, you can overload a single shield in
one turn and burn through it before it can be regenerated. To fully replicate
the ST "feel", you'd probably also need rules to allow switching power from
undamaged shields to reinforce damaged ones, and so on.
Note this ISN'T a suggestion for including in "general" FTgames, just
ST-specific ones.....
I rather like the idea, though, inspite of degraded fog-of-war, i.e.,
everybody can see, I'd want to use 'life' dice on each arc of the ship's base.
To be fair, ST combat seems to run with everybody knowing which shields are
weak, or down, anyway.
Marking and erasing boxes is, as much as anything, the reason I seldom see
damage control in our games.
Now, if only I would get around to making the pin-in-pegboard ship
displays I was always considering...
The_Beast
Ground Zero Games <jon@gzero.dungeon.com> on 01/14/99 03:38:22 AM
Please respond to gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
To: gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
cc: (bcc: Doug Evans/CSN/UNEBR)
Subject: FT-ST thoughts (was: RE: Directional armor &
shields)
> I'm sorry gentlemen, but this smacks way too much of SFB.
Just a completely off-the-cuff thought that sprang to mind while reading
this post (and the couple of preceding ones), on the subject of St*r Tr*k
simulations with FT -
To do FT Trek games, represent Shields like armour in FT (the new FB version),
but using the "directional" concept outlined already in this thread, ie: each
Shield only protects from damage coming through 1 arc, and
is represented by a number of boxes/circles like FB armour. Knocking
this off as it is hit represents the weakening of shields so often seen on TV,
when all of one arc's shield is gone then damage hits the ship as normal. The
difference between this and armour is that the shield generators may
re-inforce damaged shields (by a limited amount) at the END of a turn,
provided they are still functional. Thus, you can overload a single shield in
one turn and burn through it before it can be regenerated. To fully replicate
the ST "feel", you'd probably also need rules to allow switching power from
undamaged shields to reinforce damaged ones, and so on.
Note this ISN'T a suggestion for including in "general" FTgames, just
ST-specific ones.....
Jon (GZG)
> Just a completely off-the-cuff thought that sprang to mind
Ah! you have my full attention.
> The difference between this and armour is that the shield
(like in undiscovered country - where the photons burn through
and then the shields collapse - this is 'my' canonical shield operation
datum)
Would the shield generators be per arc or per ship? I assume per ship and the
generators have a rating which gives the number of regen points thay can
deliver.
For example a rating 1 shield generator could deliver say 3 regen points,
while a rating 2 6 regen points.
If the central shield generator gets taken out do all the shields collapse or
just the ability to regenerate them?
Doesn't the SSD get a bit messy with all this marking and unmarking of shield
boxes?
What would be a reasonable number of boxes for a shield
- about 4-6 per arc.
> To fully replicate the ST "feel", you'd probably also need
This may be overkill.
> Note this ISN'T a suggestion for including in "general" FTgames, just
Yep, Trek trek trek trek...(chanting into distance)