Thoughts for NAC vs NSL matches! Aka New tech/Modified FB ships

Given my current
NSL/NAC/Kravak fleets (pretty big) with some FSE thrown in that usually
when my group plays..... we usually avoid the NAC fleet because... well quite
frankly they just don't have the firepower to take down the bigger

NSL ships and the kravak usually maul them badly. They also seem to lack the
pds defenses to deal with the small FSE fleet that I throw at them (

acutally the SDN + 2*CA usually causes lots o'havoc with SML's )

Anyway, this lead to a serious of splinter scenerios... The NSL outcasts vs
NSL and NAC forces. I have 2 scenerios which pit the NSL outcasts vaporizing
the NAC forces. However the recent whining about who gets to

play the NSL had me thinking about ways to bolster the NAC forces with
new tech/new ideas.  So here we go.

New Tech
--------
Heavy Beam System (Thanks to Beth Fulton): Basically same as in the EFSB.
capacitor rated from 1-6 (# dice it fires).  Cost 3*mass, mass 3*rating.
Projectors fire through 1 arc only, cost 6 mass 2. Always hits* does 1d

- 1 for every full 6" from firing ship.  Capacitor recharge rate (roll
d6, 1-2 = recharge 2 pts, 3-4 = 3 pts, 5-6 = 4 pts ).  If Capacitor
takes
a threshold then roll d6.  On a 1-4 capacitor discharges but not knocked

out.  On a 5-6, capacitor is knocked out doing 1 pt of damage/point held

in capacitor to ship.
[Something like that..... I don't rember the rules exactly... mabye it
was a 50/50% shot for damage on cap threshold?].  Also subtract the
active screen level from each die of damage. Aka range 13" against
level-1 screens = d6-3 (1 for screen, 2 for range)

Gatling Beam* Experimental?! We didn't really play with this one too much
treat as a subpak but damage is beam damage, and obviously isn't expended
after firing. 3 Arcs of fire, Cost 5, mass 1

AutoFire Beam's * These are pretty neat....interesting application
Just like class-# beams, but cost is 3*'s as much, and mass is 2*'s as
much as
normal class-# beam. Players ship gets 3 shots per battery.  However all

targets are assumed to already have 1 level of shields. (aka shift beam

rolls over by one screen level, no more then screen-3 effectively (aka a

6 = 1 hit)). However reroll damage is scored just like regular beams
(4,5=1pt,6=2pt+further reroll).  Also the Class-1 AF beam can fire
against missles & fighters like any normal class-1, but you have 3 shots

versue 1, but the Class-1 AF can only engage 1 fighter group or 1 SM
salvo or 1 MT missle with its 3 shots.

So..

  Class-1 AF beam (360 arc) mass:2 cost:9
  Class-2 AF beam (180 arc) mass:4 cost:18 , (360 arc) mass:6 cost:27
  class-3 AF beam (60 arc)  mass:8 cost:36 , +60 arc +mass:2 +cost:9

Combat example

  Class-1 at range 8" firing at unscreened target (effective lvl-1
screen)
          1-4 = 0pts  5=1pt 6=2pt+reroll    3 shots
(aka 3 dice, can break them up against multiple targets if there are multiple
fire con's available.
  Class-1 at range 6" firing on screen-2 target (effective lvl-3
screen[max])
          1-5 = 0pts 6=1pt+reroll 3 shots
(aka 3 dice, needing 6's to do any damage)

Basically lame against screened targets.... pretty dangerous to
non-screened targets.

What does this mean... both weapons aren't very good against heavily screened

Cool ideas for the RNS........

Furious Hack = Assult Cruiser
remove Pulsetorp & Class-3 beam.  Add HBS system(Class-2 cap, + 1
projector (f)). Cost and Mass same.

     * An PDS escourt/HBS assult ship.  This puppy is ment to escourt a
battle line ship closing in on a Von Tegethoff or something like that.

Vandenberg Close Assult Cruiser
Drop Drives to MD 4 and remove both class-2 beams.  Add 3*Class-2 AF
beams (rs,ls,fh).  Cost +8 mass the same

* An interesting Ship... Get close and cause some havoc, but the
class-3
gives it some plinking power when getting to range

Avalon Hack Assult Ship
Remove all 3 class-3 beams.  Add HBS system(Cap-4,3*projector(2*f,a))
mass and cost the same.

Anyway, my group wanted to explore the idea of the RNS refiting mothballed
ships that it needed to send to track down the NSL outcasts (which had some
big fleet ships... and well... the NAC ships don't doo so well going against
the NSL big guys...) So... we said... here's your fleet:

3*Minerva FF's 3*Ticonderoga DD's 2*Huron CL's 2*Assult Cruisers (Furious
Refits) 1*Vandenberg Close Assult Cruiser 1*Avalon Assult Ship

We were trying this as a small strike team against....

1* NSL CVA 1* CA 1* CE 2* CL 4* DD

Anyway....... what does the group think on the AF beams? or the NAC hbs

ships? We use Cinematic and some of the guys were moping about the high mass
penalty and short range of the HBS system. They wanted to allow a multiple arc
firing projector. We had

multi-arch HBS projector.  Mass 2 , 1 arc, + 1 mass/extra arc to 3 arcs
max. Cost 3*mass.

Any Comments?

Thanks, chuck

> On Thu, 18 Nov 1999, Charles N. Choukalos wrote:

> Given my current
well
> quite frankly they just don't have the firepower to take down the

Thats why I take PDS heavy ships or Mod Classes when fighting FSE. I've had
several battles vs NSL and either come out with a stale mate (a win when the
NAC is defending a system) or a serious victory.

Sounds to me like your NAC forces just roll bad.

> Charles N. Choukalos wrote:

> Given my current

Cinematic or Vector? I've found the NAC ships (except the Vandenburgs)
to be OK against low-thrust enemies in Cinematic where you can usually
stay out of the worst killing zones of the thrust-2 ships, but rather
weak in Vector. Vandenburgs just die horribly no matter which movement rules
we use.

> They also seem to lack the pds defenses to deal with the small FSE

Again it depends on the movement system used. NAC ships are fast enough not to
be hit by *every* salvo missile in Cinematic, but OTOH the
Furious-class CE isn't too good - it can either use its main armament
OR stay with the heavies, but usually not both at once :-/ In Vector
it's the other way around; they have problems dodging but the Furious is a
reasonably effective combat unit.

[New weapons - haven't finished looking at Beth's HBWs, waiting for
some details to be clarified, but since she's away from her computer
that may take a while :-/ ]

> Gatling Beam* Experimental?! We didn't really play with this one

Looks OK, as long as you don't give it PDS capabilities of any kind.

> AutoFire Beam's

Looks reasonable too. Might be slightly too cheap, but I don't think I'd go
above a cost of 5x AF weapon Mass for it.

> Vandenberg Close Assult Cruiser

-16 [8 engine Mass] - 12 [4 weapon Mass] + 54 [12 AF Mass] = +26
points. If you had used standard weapons (cost 3*Mass) to replace the
engines (like the Vandenburg/T), you'd've landed at +8 points.

> * An interesting Ship... Get close and cause some havoc, but the

> class-3 gives it some plinking power when getting to range

Powerful against NSL and most light units, but a bit pricey. Don't fight ESU
SDs with this one, though <g>

> Avalon Hack Assult Ship

What stats do you use for the unmodified Avalon class?

> Add HBS system(Cap-4,3*projector(2*f,a))

A rear-facing projector? OK, well... useful for discouraging pursuit I
suppose, but every turn you fire the rear projector is a turn you aren't
maneuvering at all (in Cinematic, at least) <shrug>

> We use Cinematic and some of the guys were moping about the

Beth's HBS has the same relative Mass penalty per extra arc as the C3
battery if it uses a cap-2 capacitor, and a lower relative arc penalty
than the C3 batteries for all larger capacitors. If they don't mope about how
big
multi-arc C3 batteries are, they have no reason to mope about the cap-2
HBS and should be delighted about the big-capacitor HBSs.

Still haven't finished the analysis, but it looks as if the Beth HBS should
cost around 4-5xMass for all components.

Regards,