New T5 and space combat modifiers.. attack vs defence

[Nerhesi]

This is probably going to be double posted and I hope a moderator removes the other one but;

Hey - for the new T5 version, please tell me that fighters are significantly harder to hit? Or that hitting is significantly harder than mongoose? Not just fighters, but against skilled/small/fast targets?

Or are we looking at hitting being trivial as per Mongoose? Where you positive modifiers available to hit: Fire control, gunner skill, dex/int DM completely dwarved your possible defensive modifiers when considering competant pilots/gunners on both sides (-2 for dodging, -1 for evade software.. then range, but this almost never came into play with particle or larger weapons).

Im wondering if the new version at least takes into account defender/dodger/piloting skill as equally as it takes into account firing skill.

 

[Magnus von Thornwood]

Ummm. Yes?

Nerhesi,

Well, while I am something of an expert at designing starships, I am not yet up to snuff on fighting them.

Now, given that I have run a few combats, but in only one did they have fighters.

The first thing to deal with is the Size of the Missiles the Fighter was carrying since in T5 Missile Hits are based on the Missile Size and not the Launcher. (This is different from most starship class weapons where the Mount determines the Damage done by the Weapon.) After that is was how to handle their Damage if they hit, do they each do damage individually or as a group. In the end we went with group, which turned out to be pretty sick when they hit.

Now as for do things like Skill and such matter? Hell, yeah. Better pilots and advanced fighters can do some damage. Though they are limited once they expend their Missiles as Fighters only do Vehicle scale damage with their Beams and Energy Weapons.

A Starship's Weapon Mounts can also affect the outcome, larger, higher TL mounts are going to increase your chances to hit. This will be to your defender's benefit when faced with lots of little fighters spitting dangerous missile fire.

One of the things I have noticed is while Missiles cost a bit and are consumables, they seem to rule the battlespace, so if you do use fighters, load up on missiles.

So, those are my impressions from just a few sessions. If I get more under my belt, I will try and get back and tell you how it went.

As for how it rates against Mongoose, that I could not tell you not having that edition.

Hope that helps.

Laterness,
Craig.

 

[Nerhesi]

Thanks but you missed my question that I'm hoping you can answer

Is your chance of being hit, by direct fire weapons/missile/anything, affected by your skill? Example, is it harder to hit a more skilled pilot? I know for a fact if you're a more skilled gunner/pilot you can hit easier. Sure - but what about the inverse?

Sure increased TL weapon mounts, skill and so on increase your ability to hit. But are the equivalent technologies and rules to decrease someone's ability to hit you back?

Example: is dodge just a flat modifier regardless of your ship size or Thrust rating?

Thanks
PS - Direct fire weapons being useless? So no Particle Beam Barbettes or so?

 

[robject]

There's a lot of space to cover here, so I'll just answer one question here. Your ship's agility makes it harder to hit; it's a direct DM on the task. So powerful maneuver drives increase your survivability. Your ship's size also makes it harder to hit.

 

[Nerhesi]

Excellent - two major things that were not in Mongoose Traveller that really irked me. I'm glad they're in.