From: Tim Jones <Tim.Jones@S...>
Date: Thu, 25 Jun 1998 15:32:16 +0100
Subject: Trek Background: SML's are Photon Torpedos
Trek Background: In my on going Star Trek Source Book project, I thought that pulse torpedoes were the closest analogy and the obvious inspiration for them was the photon. Now with SML's I think it gets even better. This gives you the photon salvo effect, it gives you the targetting and evasion effect and it gives you the potential massive damage effect. In Trek you don't have point defence but you do have ablative shields. You also get the magazine and launcher concept which you actually see in ST VI. My feeling is that the ER salvo gives a good match as the photon is a long range weapon. Also the magazine capacities in the FB are a bit low for a trek style shoot out so I'd probably increase them to ten slavoes for say the Enterprise C. You can also create proximity photons by using the variable SML aquisition ranges (3Mu 6Mu etc) with probably a yield modifier for the larger (change the SML to hit roll) IIRC this is similar to the photon spread concept that James Clay used in his Trek Micomachine games (I never saw one live but have read various posts here and in ragnarok and James' home page)