Hmmmmmmm. This hadn't really come up in any of the games I've played, but I'm
assuming that you are dealing with
an attacker-defender scenario. In a meeting engagement
it wouldn't make sense to already have mines out there.
Unless you feel that if a ship lays a mine outside the scan range, it isn't
revealed. Is that it? I don't like that idea. I would say that any mines
actually getting placed
_during_ the battle are visible, because the other ships
would either pick up the motion, thrust, or EM signs, depending on how you
feel they are deployed. This would prevent any disagreement on where they are.
In the original case of one combatant defending a sector, say around a planet
or a jump point, I have no problem with "hidden" minefields that are graphed
into position before the game starts.
Now, as to scanning them: how about allowing passive sensors to spot them OR a
specific sweep with the active sensors. To borrow a page from the ST rules
that Scott Field and I are playtesting, allow a ship to use one of its scans
each turn to scan a specific arc for mines. Logic: mines are a smaller than
ships, and are effectively in stealth mode, not giving off any EM radiation
beyond their 3" attack range, so scanning for them requires
a more concentrated search. This one-arc limit also makes it
a little more challenging for the attacker.
Another possibility: reduce the range at which the scans will detect mines.
Like maybe to half. 27" with active scans and 18" with passive. I like this.
This way, the attacker either comes in slower to allow more reaction time;
actively scans away, giving away his ships; or comes screaming in and takes
his chances. Historically, this is why harbors and such were mined in the wet
navy. Mines aren't expected to stop the enemy, or even to do a lot of damage,
though that's always nice. The intention is to slow the enemy down and
restrict his movement, allowing the defender to maneuver on him.
On a campaign note: if the defender is allowed pre-set mines,
and we are assuming that they have been in place for a while, does the
defending fleet have to have minelayers in it?
Really nasty thought: orbiting minefields move don't they? ie. like a moving
asteroid field? Ouch.
More than enough said.
Out here.
-monty (Robert Montgomery, New Orleans,
Moving minefields! I love it! Wait 'til I spring these on my group - it
would be difficult to monitor, though, unless the mines were heading in a
straight line rather than a true orbit. But I can see: Mine at 10,10 moving 2"
per turn at vector 3. In fact, before the game you set up a table of where
each mine is at each turn.
Regarding pre-set mines: I think you could assume that a planet that has
an FTL
fleet can be considered to have enough one-shot heavy lifter rockets to
lay a minefield without the neccessity of having specific minelaying ships.
I am using minelayer ships in a scenario right now. One side has just captured
a base and is laying mines around it at the time that the enemy fleet shows
up.
Nick Caldwell cncald@aol.com
______________________________ Reply Separator
We recently overhauled mines for our group, since we thought they were pretty
useless for the mass and cost etc.... we basically made two types of mine
layers; large and small. The large mine layer carries only three shots, but
the mine is a 6d6 beam weapon. The small minelayer carried an effectively
unlimited number of mines (may launch one per turn) each of which is a 2d6
beam weapon. In keeping with the original game mechaincs of mines (i.e. drop
them visible onto table during movement), we made the justification that mines
are not large enough to carry a passive sensor array with the resolution for
targeting the beam. Therefore all mines carry small active sensor units to
provide firing solutions for the warhead, which makes the mine visible on the
board as long as it is active (I would allow static defensive minefields to be
invivble until command activated). Following this line of thought, all you
need for a mine decoy is an active emitter which mimics the active sensor
output, a very cheap piece of hardware. So each minelayer may lay one actual
mine and one decoy each turn. This system worked pretty well in the game in
which it was used. A line of ships abreast dropped large mines and decoys in
front of an onrushing destroyer which veered to avoid as many as possible, but
guessed wrong and was destroyed by a 6d6 beam hit. Another ship flew perfectly
through a line of mines such that only a decoy was activated. The minelayer
ships had about
two-three
small minelayers, so that when moving at speed 4-6 was able to place a
marker
(mine or decoy) about every 3/4" - 1". Beware. This system needs a LOT
of mine markers.
P.S. For mine miniatures, I take some of the sewing pins with the 1/8"
round ball heads, mount them on little bases, prime black, then paint the
"mine" silver, white, grey, etc. Label the bottoms as decoy, large, or small.
and you have great looking mines.
Later
Brian