From: Jared E Noble <JNOBLE2@m...>
Date: Thu, 6 Aug 1998 09:59:04 -0900
Subject: Multi-Grade FTL (Was Re: Launching non fighters (FTL drive))
> On Wed, 5 Aug 1998, laserlight wrote: I personally like the idea of defining Civilian,Military, and Superior* FTL at different Mass percentages - while this may not make a decided advantage in a one-off game, I am more favor the one-off games that seem to accurately encompass the 'feel' of a campaign, if nothing else. With these systems (say, 5%, 10%, 20%)* things still stay pretty much abstracted, but can be easily fit into many backgrounds. The Milennium Falcon definately has Superior FTL, and TOS series Trek ships, while definately FTL capable, are not as fast as TNG-era, and the Borg are faster still (in the same era). And why shouldn't military ships be able to outperform bulk freighters in FTL? * I have included Civilian,Military, and Enhanced instead of Standard, Enhanced, and Superior. pick your poison. ** Military is set at 10% so all the current designs would not be invalidated - it would suck if the ministry of defense suddenly realized that after the massive cost layout their entire fleet was outfitted with civilian drives. Now if you stick with the GZG description for Jump drives, we are told "The fastest cycle possible is around one jump per six hours, but this requires _Military Drives_ and power plants along with thte most sophisticated jump navigation software..." So there exists an idea of graded drives in the descriptions. Also, since there is a limited, but apparently variable range to jumps, and increasing inaccuracy with range, It may be reasonable to assume that more advanced drives also reflect the special navigation software. So strategically: (enhance those campaign games) More advanced drives allow faster travel time, attributed to faster turn-around and longer jumps. Tactically: True, there is not a lot of use for FTL in tactical game, but here's some ideas: 1) Leaving under FTL - FT p23 last 2 paragraphs say that on turn of announcement ship may not thrust or use any weapons, but still moves full distance, next turn is half-movement and then leaves the board. Civilian FTL could be full-movement for both turns (or even longer), while Superior FTL could be single turn of full movement with no second turn at all. 2) Dangerous translations (the suicide jumps) - FT p.24 says that Anything within 6" of translating ship force a die roll for problems. First of all, anyone that tries to deliberately use this tactic to damage enemy ships as anything but a dying ship's last gasp should be slapped. But beyond that, Civilian drives could have a larger 10" radius, Superior drives a 4" radius (tighter, more controlled jump field, useful for squadron operations) 3) Entering the board under FTL - FT p24 - Civilian ship deviate from intended position be 1d6x2, Superior by 1d3. 4) Towing Capacity - FB defines a Tug to the have 10% FTL for itself (presumably a military grade tug?), and 20% of it's "Towing" capacity. So maybe allow Superior FTL to be down-graded to Military level, and Tow up to 50% of it's own mass. You may not want to do this all the time, but the flexibility would be nice. OF course you could extend this idea to a "Civilian grade Tug", at 5%/10% - which means that your standard military ships could tow 50% of their mass at civilian speeds. I don't think we need worry too much about standard civilian tugs in a campaign game - I know I don't want to track all my civilian traffic, but it does explain how the battered survivors of Task Force 27 could limp home with their crippled cruiser in Tow... > Or points cost increased. I'm not sure this is a solution, unless you increase it a lot, which may make sense, but seems out of whack. In the FB, you pay 1 pt for each Mass, then all Drive and Hull (Integrity and Armor) installations are 2 pts per mass, FireCon and ADFC are 4 per mass, and almost everything else is 3 per mass. at only 10%, you really need to jack the FTL up quite a bit to really make a bite. It also doesn't seem to encompass the flexibility of Multi-Grade FTL (but the again I could be biased...) > I personally don't like this idea, as the FTL really has little Of course, I think "Most FT games" need to take in a broader world view - What is going on and why - With very little effort, it becomes easy to encompass many other ideas: "OK, Tom has pretty much decimated John's defending force, and your task force follows the fleeing survivors towards the Nimbus 3 colony. John, the only units that can respond are the Rapid Response Force stationed at Colos. For next week's game bring the ships for this Force, which must all be equipped with Superior drives to respond in time. They will be your only support for the fleeing survivors - I will determine what damage control the surviors of can muster by then." > > I could see a campaign game situation where