Using High Guard Weapons with Book 2

[Nathan Brazil]

OK I have made a set of fleshed out rules for turret weapons. These rules are based on Book 2 Starship rules that already exist. With the implications the existing rules provided, you can further extrapolate.

The basis:

• A ship of any tonnage normally has enough power all to fire all of its lasers once in a combat round.
• The Double Fire computer program: Double fire allows a ship to draw excess power (if available) from the power plant and thus increase the output of laser weaponry. When this program is functioning, a vessel with a power plant rated at least one letter higher than its maneuver drive (and which has not yet taken damage to reduce the current letter rating to equal to or below the M-drive letter) can fire a double beam or double pulse with laser weaponry.

The premise:
With this you MIGHT extrapolate the idea that in some combination any Book 2 Starship could fire an energy weapon or particle accelerator if it simply had a larger Power Plant. How big? Don’t quibble about the exact energy points. Keep it LBB. I have tried to keep to using everything in Book 2 terms.

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Now the new rules:

SHIP DESIGN
Weaponry
Power Requirements for Energy Weapons and Accelerators: Inclusion of even a single energy weapon requires a power plant rated at least one letter higher than its maneuver drive. Inclusion of even a single accelerator requires a power plant rated at least two letters higher than its maneuver drive. Having both requires only two letters higher. The greater cost of larger power plants combined with the costs of these weapons means they typically are found only on military ships.

Turrets:
Energy Weapons (Plasma Guns and Fusion Guns), require an enlarged single or dual turret occupying 2 tons for fire control and space for the larger energy weapon(s). A dual energy turret may contain 2 energy weapons or a single energy weapon and a laser, missile, or sand caster.
Particle Accelerators may only be mounted on enlarged single turrets occupying 3 (standard) or 5 (barbette) tons for fire control and space for the weapon.

Turret Weapons:
Plasma Guns: Available at TL 10. Cost: 1,500,000 Credits per weapon
Fusion Guns: Avalable at TL 12. Cost: 2,000,000 Credits per weapon
Particle Accelerator Barbette: Available at TL 14. Cost: 4,000,000 Credits per weapon
Particle Accelerator: Available at TL 15. Cost: 3,000,000 Credits per weapon

COMBAT
Energy Weapons have a +1 DM to hit. They may not fire at targets further than 2500 mm however. They incur the –DM for sand if encountered. Plasma Guns cause 2 hits if successful. Fusion Guns cause 3 hits if successful.

Particle Accelerators ignore sand. Barbettes cause 3 hits if successful. Turrets cause 4 hits if successful.

COMPUTERS
Change Double program rules
From
Double fire allows a ship to draw excess power (if available) from the power plant and thus increase the output of laser weaponry. When this program is functioning, a vessel with a power plant rated at least one letter higher than its maneuver drive (and which has not yet taken damage to reduce the current letter rating to equal to or below the M-drive letter) can fire a double beam or double pulse with laser weaponry.
To
Double fire allows a ship to draw excess power (if available) from the power plant and thus increase the output of laser, energy and accelerator weaponry. When this program is functioning, a vessel with a power plant rated at least one letter higher than its maneuver drive, two letters or three letters in the case of equipped energy or accelerators respectively (and which has not yet taken damage to reduce the current letter rating to equal to or below the that normal minimum letter) can fire double laser, energy or accelerator weaponry.

 

[flykiller]

When this program is functioning, a vessel with a power plant rated at least one letter higher than its maneuver drive (and which has not yet taken damage to reduce the current letter rating to equal to or below the M-drive letter) can fire a double beam or double pulse with laser weaponry.

or can operate plasma/fusion weapons, three higher can operate paws?

 

[Nathan Brazil]

Perhaps badly written. The intention is that I did not want double fire to be irrelevant or add exception cases. Keep it simple LBB. Normally on a PAW equipped ship with my new rules you need a P-Plant two letters higher. So for double fire to work it needs a plant three letters higher.

My philosophy in conversions is to try to keep a feel or flavor of the old stuff onto the converted set without changing the rules you are converting to. As much as possible. It is always a balancing act.

Another example of this how plasma/fusion works. They have penetration and limited range in High Guard. To keep it LBB without introducing Armor and rolls for defenses, I set a specific range limit (using the existing DM ranges in Book 2) and give them a small bonus for the additional penetration.

Normally in Book 2 environment, there are no armor or screens so in Book 5 they ignore that damage reduction second "penetration roll". So sand provides no defense.

Simple.