[GZG] Cruisers ... in the FT world [and] John's Shipbuilding/Campaign Rules-VC

2 posts ยท Jan 18 2006 to Jan 19 2006

From: Doug Evans <devans@n...>

Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 10:29:38 -0600

Subject: [GZG] Cruisers ... in the FT world [and] John's Shipbuilding/Campaign Rules-VC

BB wrote on 01/17/2006 09:30:40 AM:

> The reason this doesn't necessarily transfer well to FT is simple:

On the other, other hand...

There is cinematic/literary space travel that works just like this; may
have to allow as part of 'cinematic', at least optionally.

On one side, you can have tactical versus operational or interstellar warp,
the former being a sort of stutter warp? Also, if I recall correctly, David
Gerrold's voyages of the Star Wolf(?) had a back ground where the larger the
hull, the larger the warp bubble, though it was used for
sensing, still in the If-I-recall-correctly mode.

However, it could as easily be for warp TRAVEL as well.

On the whole issue of insane commanders...

Allan Goodall wrote on 01/17/2006 08:53:52 AM:

> That can still end up with "gamey" results. The player figures out

I have to admit I'm a bit twitchy on this; someone earlier mentioned
surrender, and I realized that in the iron/steel error, surrender was
DAMN seldom, accept by sailors in the water. Even evasion after major damage
could be iffy; plenty of examples of ships closing and firing just before
exploding or as they were going under.

The above example could prove even more disasterous, where they roll one's
instead, and they lose the ship instead of half the points, but even real
commanders have 'rolled those dice' hoping to snatch victory.

I think there was a German ship at Heigoland or Dogger Bank that had only one
functional gun, and Brits closed, assuming it was surrendering, when it fired
just to let everyone know it wasn't giving up.

Craddock claimed he had little chance against Spee's squadron, but challenged,
and lost, anyway.

Heck, don't you love it when, in Hunt For Red October, Ramius tell's Ryan
something like "your conclusions were all wrong; Halsey acted stupidly"?

Tom McCarthy wrote on 01/18/2006 07:40:20 AM:

> Games Workshop's narrative campaign packs typically are well liked,

In the end, I would see a set campaign structure being good for fleet
books, i.e., Tuffleyverse-tied. However, for the actual rule-set, I
would see simple, short examples, such as the operational 'campaign' from the
FTII main book to be more appropriate for the generic tenor we appreciate.

Not to mention suggestions of adapting many board games as campaign
settings. Vague tying of NPV/CPV to various rules without mentioning
specific rules by name. I'd be delighted to see short adaptations of J.U.M.P.,
Federation and Empire, Imperium(s), etc.

The_Beast

From: Michael Llaneza <maserati@e...>

Date: Wed, 18 Jan 2006 19:27:19 -0800

Subject: Re: [GZG] Cruisers ... in the FT world [and] John's Shipbuilding/Campaign Rules-VC

> Doug Evans wrote:

> On the other, other hand...
That's the gripping hand, see the sequel to "The Mote in God's Eye" for
particulars.

> On one side, you can have tactical versus operational or interstellar

You are correct. It was the Star Wolf series and he did use the size of the
bubble as a factor in top speed. Bigger ships could see farther and move
faster. The biggest ship in space was truly feared, by the time you

saw it it was on its attack run already. I did get the sense that the cost of
the bigger ships went up exponentially, although Gerrold never actually said
so. Huge ships are rare and powerful, the more common "clipper ships" were
never hinted at being small or outclassed amongst their weight class.

These are excellent books btw, most (if not all) of the people on this list
would greatly enjoy them.