Please forgive groggy reply; having trouble switching from daylight savings...
I hope the point with mixed or not units might be whether you want a fully
logical FH, which obviously most tend compared to certain other game
systems. ;->= However, my Konstantin, should it ever see battle, will
certainly have at least on all=female squadron in memory of the valiant
P-3
pilots mentioned elsewhere.
We might well have Texas contingents of the FCT be 'too gentlemenly to have
women fighters'. My limited experience, though, is that Texans are entirely
comfortable, and rather proud of the toughness of their females.
***
I was thinking of building a couple of system defense boats...
***
You'll have to check the archives, but I'm fairly certain that most folks
think not-FTL ships aren't a great bargain, especially if you need
tug/carriers to transport. We'd probably need details on how your
campaign is running; do you need FTL to use gates? FTL only works with gates?
B5's
semi-mixed?
***
I also am thinking of using needle missiles to try and capture as many ships
as possible.
***
Some campaigns require extensive rework to refit a ship into a foreign (to
it's origins) fleet. This might also be a requirement to balance such a
campaign. Add the defense's advantage of non-FTL forces, and the enemy's
loss of ships resulting in the defender's acquiring new ones means a 'first
assault' best have the concentration-of-force to assure success. I.E.,
one BIG honker.
I agree with Brenden, and probably modify it slightly to, nothing kills a
campaign faster than making it obvious that you will lose your entire
offensive arm in such an assault, and have everyone sitting in their separate
citadels waiting for attacks.
On the other, other hand, Samir, I may just be experiencing sour grapes. I
really envy your enthusiasm; I never tried a campaign game after only two
games! ;->=
The_Beast
> On Mon, Oct 28, 2002 at 05:02:01AM -0600, devans@nebraska.edu wrote:
> You'll have to check the archives, but I'm fairly certain that most
Quick example: the Vandenburg heavy cruiser. Current cost: 261 points. Cost
with the FTL drive removed and the spaceframe shrunk (but the same number of
hull boxes): 221 points (now mass 67). Saving: 40 points. Cost
of a minimal mass-18 tug which can FTL-tow mass 67: 54 points. 14 more
points, less tactical flexibility...
However, if you use Oerjan's revised hull costs - TMF^2/100 rather than
TMF - the basic Vandenburg is 245 points, the STL Vandenburg is 199
(saving 46), and the tug costs 39. So it starts to look doable.
Beast suggested that system defense boats aren't usually seen as a bargain,
but I tend to disagree--as long as you bear in mind that they're
essentially fixed defenses. If your opponent have commerce raiders etc
wandering about, then you'll need a squadron of something in every system,
so you may as well have them be non-FTL ships.
> Quick example: the Vandenburg heavy cruiser. Current cost: 261 points.
Cost with the FTL drive removed and the spaceframe shrunk (but the same number
of hull boxes): 221 points (now mass 67). Saving: 40 points. Cost
of a minimal mass-18 tug which can FTL-tow mass 67: 54 points. 14 more
points, less tactical flexibility...
Assuming the tug can only transport one ship. If you've enough time for
the tug to make 2-3 round trips, then it's worthwhile.
***
Beast suggested that system defense boats aren't usually seen as a bargain,
***
I'm not sure we disagree at all. Firstly, the comments have been pretty
strongly they aren't a great bargain. Within a one-off battle, where
you'd
need a tug-space for every ship, it's probably true.
In a campaign, depends on a number of things. If you're assuming
intra-system FTL, then there's still an advantage to FTL. However, in
most defensive situations, the freed points are well worth putting into extra
SDB.
I think we all agree, just talking a bit of cross-purposes.
The_Beast
Oh, yes, and one of my Texaco FreeTrade Zone scenerios was of an assault by
non-FTL ships being delivered to an edge-of-system, with one tug having
dropped it's cargo and gone back for another pair of DD's, while another tug
had just arrived and was preparing to disengage it's pair, only to be
ambushed by in-system forces.
A case of figs suggesting ships, situations, and psuedo-history, my
imagination had been fired by the cruise missles off of a 1/144th B-52.
The pylons, molded with two CM's attached, were being converted to the tugs.
Ah, unfinished projects... *sigh*
The_Beast