[FT] Starfire Bug designs

Reading through the novel again about the Auger SDN, it describes them as
capital forces beams that ignore shields; modelling them as standard
Pulsetorps would give the right result.

I've been looking at it for a few days and had a few ideas, including scaling
things down for a playable warp point assault. Now all I need to do is read
through and do the allied forces.

*****

AFHAWK SML salvoes are treated as Sa'Vasku Interceptor pods (1 mass). Normal
SML salvoes can also be used as Interceptor pods, but subtract 1 from kill
numbers.
Pulsetorps are capital force/primary beams. Pulsar-C are Plasmaguns.
Fighters only receive Torpedo/Interceptor bonuses on the first turn
(ordinance launch) and revert to standard fighters for remaining endurance.

*****
Standard FT Scale:

Acid SDN (Plasmagun) Mass: 200 Hull: Average
Hits: 60; 15/15/15/15
Crew Factor: 10 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2
mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 6
6 x Pulsar-C (FP/F/FS)
7 x Pulsar-C (AP/FP/F)
7 x Pulsar-C (F/FS/AS)
2 x SML (AP/FP/F; F/FS/AS)
Magazine: 9 std salvoes (18 mass) (later 7 std salvoes, 4 AFHAWK)

Archer SDN (Missile carrier) Mass: 200 Hull: Average
Hits: 60; 15/15/15/15
Crew Factor: 10 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2
mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 4
3 x SML (AP/FP/F)
Magazine 1: 9 ER salvoes (27 mass) (later 7 ER, 6 AFHAWK)
3 x SML (F/FS/AS)
Magazine 2: 9 ER salvoes (27 mass) (later 7 ER, 6 AFHAWK) 6 x PDS

Auger SDN (Primary Beams) Mass: 200 Hull: Average
Hits: 60; 15/15/15/15
Crew Factor: 10 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2
mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 4
2 x SMR (ER) (FP/F/FS)
6 x Pulsetorps (AP/FP/F)
6 x Pulsetorps (F/FS/AS)
4 x PDS

Avalanche SDN (Energy weapons) Mass: 200 Hull: Average
Hits: 60; 15/15/15/15
Crew Factor: 10 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2
mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 4
2 x SMR (ER) (FP/F/FS)
6 x Class-3 (AP/FP/F)
6 x Class-3 (F/FS/AS)
4 x PDS

Ambush BC Mass: 80 Hull: Average
Hits: 24; 6/6/6/6
Crew Factor: 4 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 3 (commercial x 2 mass)
Screen-1
Firecons: 4 SMR (std)
4 x Class-2 (AP/FP/F)
4 x Class-2 (F/FS/AS)
4 x PDS

Antelope BC Mass: 80 Hull: Average
Hits: 24; 6/6/6/6
Crew Factor: 4 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4
Screen-1
Firecons: 4
2 x SMR (std) (FP/F/FS)
2 x SML (AP/FP/F; F/FS/AS)
Magazine: 3 x std, 3 x ER (18 mass)

Derringer CH Mass: 60 Hull: Average
Hits: 20; 5/5/5/5
Crew Factor: 3 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 1 (Commercial Drive)
Firecons: 2
3 x SML (FP/F/FS)
Magazine: 7 x ER Salvoes 2 x PDS

Danger CH Mass: 60 Hull: Average
Hits: 20; 5/5/5/5
Crew Factor: 3 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 1 (Commercial Drive)
Firecons: 2
10 x Pulsar-C (FP/F/FS)
2 x PDS

Cannon CL Mass: 40 Hull: Average
Hits: 12; 3/3/3/3
Crew Factor: 2 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 2
3 x Pulsar-C (AP/FP/F)
3 x Pulsar-C (F/FS/AS)

Carbine CLG Mass: 40 Hull: Average
Hits: 12; 3/3/3/3
Crew Factor: 2 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 2
2 x SML (FP/F/FS)
Magazine: 5 x Std Salvoes (Later 4 x Std Salvoes, 2 x AFHAWK) 2 x PDS

Cataphract CLE Mass: 40 Hull: Average
Hits: 12; 3/3/3/3
Crew Factor: 2 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 2 2 x ADFC
5 x Class-1
9 x PDS

Cleaver CL Mass: 40 Hull: Average
Hits: 12; 3/3/3/3
Crew Factor: 2 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 2
2 x Pulsetorps (FP/F/FS)
2 x PDS

Bug Gunboats Treat as Heavy Fighters.
Torpedo/interceptor only applies on the first turn, revert to normal
afterwards.

*****
Mass Battle Scaled (1/4 size)

Acid SDN Mass: 50 Hull: Average
Hits: 16; 4/4/4/4
Crew Factor: 3 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2 mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 2
SMR (std) (FP/F/FS)
2 x Pulsar-C (AP/FP/F)
2 x Pulsar-C (F/FS/AS)

Archer SDN Mass: 50 Hull: Average
Hits: 16; 4/4/4/4
Crew Factor: 3 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2 mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 2
SML (FP/F/FS)
Magazine: 4 ER salvoes (12 mass) (later 3 ER, 3 AFHAWK)

Auger SDN Mass: 50 Hull: Average
Hits: 16; 4/4/4/4
Crew Factor: 3 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2 mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 2 SMR (Std)
2 x Pulsetorps (FP/F/FS)

Avalanche SDN Mass: 50 Hull: Average
Hits: 16; 4/4/4/4
Crew Factor: 3 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 2 (commercial x 2 mass)
Screen-2
Firecons: 2 SMR (Std)
2 x Class-3 (FP/F/FS)

Ambush BC Mass: 20 Hull: Average
Hits: 6; 2/2/1/1
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 3 (commercial x 2 mass)
Screen-1
Firecons: 1
2 x Class-2 (FP/F/FS)
PDS

Antelope BC Mass: 20 Hull: Average
Hits: 6; 2/2/1/1
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4
Screen-1
Firecons: 1 SMR (std) 2 x PDS

Derringer CH Mass: 16 Hull: Average
Hits: 4; 1/1/1/1
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 1 (commercial x 2 mass)
Firecons: 1 2 x SMR (std) PDS

Danger CH Mass: 16 Hull: Average
Hits: 4; 1/1/1/1
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 1 (commercial x 2 mass)
Firecons: 1
3 x Pulsar-C (FP/F/FS)

Cannon CL Mass: 10 Hull: Average
Hits: 3; 1/1/1/0
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 1
Pulsar-C (6-arc)

Carbine CLG Mass: 10 Hull: Average
Hits: 3; 1/1/1/0
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 1
SMR (std) (FP/F/FS)

Cataphract CLE Mass: 10 Hull: Average
Hits: 3; 1/1/1/0
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 0 ADFC 3 x
PDS

Cleaver CL Mass: 10 Hull: Average
Hits: 3; 1/1/1/0
Crew Factor: 1 FTL: None (not in Starfire) Main Drive: 4 Firecons: 1 Pulsetorp
(F)

Bug Gunboats Treat as Heavy Fighters
Endurance is reduce to 2. Torpedo/interceptor only applies on the first
turn, revert to normal afterwards.
*****

Neath Southern Skies -http://home.pacific.net.au/~southernskies/
[Pirates] Dame Captain Washalot
[MKW2] Admiral Peter Rollins - Task Force Zulu-Beta
[Firestorm] Battletech PBeM GM

> -----Original Message-----

Here we go again... If I sound snappish, it's because of that year and
a half I spent playtesting the Starfire module :-/

> Robertson, Brendan wrote:

> Reading through the novel again about the Auger SDN, it describes

It describes them explicitly as being armed with capital primary beams.

While the primary beam was developed from force beam technology, the
difference between a force beam hit and a primary beam hit is similar
to the difference between hit from a two-handed sword and one from a
surgeon's scalpel.

The Starfire "capital primary beam" is a weapon with somewhat shorter
range than a capital force beam, but which punches a 2"-hole through
the target, destroying the one system it hits but inflicting very
little hull damage (unless they hit something - eg. magazines - which
could blow up):

"Over seventy primaries scored direct hits on the ten lead ships. The
narrow-focus weapons punched tiny holes, little more than five
centimeters across, but they punched those holes through anything..." (In
Death Ground, chapter 9)

Primaries also ignore armour completely. The closest thing to this in
FT is a long-ranged needle beam, not the P-torp.

Full Thrust P-torps are very similar (in damage effects but not PSB) to
the Starfire capital lasers (hetlasers and X-ray lasers) used by
various Alliance members. These are mentioned eg. in chapter 17, but for a
better description of them read the novel "Crusade" (where Admirals Antonov
and Avram, among others, are introduced). These
weapons ignore screens but not armour, and are somewhat shorter-ranged
than the capital force beams but have a similar potential for inflicting hull
damage.

(The somewhat suicidal Theban capital X-ray lasers featured in Crusade
could be represented by P-torps with Mass 3+1/extra arc, but which
inflict an automatic Core critical hit on the firing ship whenever it
rolls a "1" to-hit for any of its lasers :-/ )

> *****
Normal SML salvoes can also be used as Interceptor pods, >but subtract 1 from
kill numbers.

OK for the AFHAWK. It makes the normal SML salvoes extremely powerful
compared to AFHAWKs though - I'd suggest half range (6mu) and half
damage (1D3) compared to AFHAWKs, and even that is probably too strong.

> Pulsetorps are capital force/primary beams.

No, see above.

> Pulsar-C are Plasmaguns.

Yes.

> Fighters only receive Torpedo/Interceptor bonuses on the first turn

Torpedo bonus yes (representing fRAAM). Interceptor bonus no - at least
not for fighters, since the fighter guns used primarily by Ophiuchi
pilots tasked with interception duties are multi-shot.

Gunboats are discussed below.

> *****

But they only cost Mass/2. Not that the cost is particularly relevant
in these battles, of course :-/

> Screen-2

That's an awful lot of missiles for the Acids. A single launcher would be
plenty.

> Archer SDN (Missile carrier)

OK

> Auger SDN (Primary Beams)

No. See above.

> 4 x PDS

> Avalanche SDN (Energy weapons)

Capital force beams, to be exact :-/ OK design.

> Ambush BC

The Ambush-class BCs have pure missile armaments. No beam weapons at
all.

> Antelope BC

No standard missiles on the Antelopes, only ER and AFHAWKs.

> Derringer CH

OK

> Danger CH

OK

> Cannon CL

OK

> Carbine CLG

OK

> Cataphract CLE

Too many Class-1s and too few PDSs. In the novel, the Cataphracts
didn't have *any* anti-ship weapons; in the game module they have a
single small force beam (1 x Class-2) because otherwise they'd be
useless as minesweepers under the Starfire minesweeping roles...

> Cleaver CL

No, needle beams. See above. The Cleaver has considerably shorter range than
the Auger, too, so normal FT needles for this one.

> Bug Gunboats

Gunboats were *easier* to destroy than fighters, not the other way around!
That is to say, it took no more damage to destroy a gunboat than to destroy a
fighter, and the gunboats were considerably easier to hit... In the novel they
could also be engaged by normal starship weapons, but they were harder to hit
for the big weapons than larger ships.

> Torpedo/interceptor only applies on the first turn, revert to normal

I assume this represents their light load of AFHAWK or Standard
Missiles? I'd allow them to carry 1 AFHAWK salvo or 1/2 SMR (roll 1D3
missiles to hit), chosen before the battle starts, in addition to their normal
fighter weapons.

Regards,

I haven't ready Insurrection or Crusade yet (only found out they were starfire
novels last friday). Must have got my wires crossed when I dug out "IDG" last
week & was reading the ship stuff.

Back to the drawing board I guess. (I might run a web warp point defence later
this year with the downscaled ships)

Neath Southern Skies -http://home.pacific.net.au/~southernskies/
[Pirates] Dame Captain Washalot
[MKW2] Admiral Peter Rollins - Task Force Zulu-Beta
[Firestorm] Battletech PBeM GM

> -----Original Message-----

> Robertson, Brendan wrote:

> I haven't ready Insurrection or Crusade yet (only found out they were

Lack of background data explains a lot <g> It's not that usual for a
scenario module for a game to be the synopsis for a novel, either - the
other way around is rather more common :-/

Later,

I know next to nothing about the starfire design system, but the novel
insurrection introduces several new weapons.

The rebels develop resetting shields, ie: a big breaker instead of a fuse The
federation develops super monitors and a beam that slices ie: active

> Corey Burger wrote:

> I know next to nothing about the starfire design system, but the novel

> insurrection introduces several new weapons.

Close. The "slicing beam" (a development of the capital primary beam)
was a rebel weapon as well. The Federation's new weapons - apart from
the super-monitors - were a very big, ultra-fast and ultra-long-ranged
missile, and a dual-mode beam which could fire either as a normal
capital primary beam or as a capital force beam.

Regards,