SV: Lensmen

I seem to remember a long discussion on lensmen this summer, correct?

///Magnus

-----Ursprungligt meddelande-----
Fran: William Spencer [SMTP:williamspencer@hotmail.com] Skickat: den 5 januari
2000 21:42
Till:   gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
Amne: Re: Lensmen

On Tue, 4 Jan 2000, Nyrath the nearly wise said:
> [snip]

Yikes! That would be tough. Ships would have infinite movement factors, and
turn modes, until somebody speared them with a tractor beam.
> [snip]

I know it'd be tough - that's why I asked. :)

Picky comment: The ships don't have infinite movement - they "accelerate

instantly to their maximum possible speed, depending upon the medium they are
in." Streamline your ship and you can go faster! Game scale would have to be
several parsecs to the inch.

Best I could come up with to handle this was use of two scales...one when
inert, the other when free. Use inert when handling Grand Fleet maneuvers,
then go to free for dogfights, until the tractors lock-on, then it's
back to inert. Unfortunately, I don't have two tables to play on.

The problem I can see immediately is that once the tractors lock-on,
whoever
has the best guns and shields wins - no element of chance. (At least,
that's how it worked in the books...)
Well, the other problem I can see is the use of the big weapons - free
planets, negaspheres, sunbeams and such. I don't have enough miniatures or
counters (or time!) to handle thousand-ship battles.

On the other hand, maybe it could be "faked". Just use the regular movement
rules for free flight; inert ships are stationary by comparison.

Heck, I don't know. Where's that Mentor fella when ya need him?

- William Spencer