Power Plants, without using EP

[infojunky]

Do power plants matter if you aren't using EP, or some other form of power allocation?

 

[whartung]

Yes. It turns out that ships don't work very well without power plants, and battery powered flashlights only last so long in the cold dark.

More to the point, in CT, the Power Plant needs to match the Jump/M-Drive, whichever is larger.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Do power plants matter if you aren't using EP, or some other form of power allocation?

Context please.
The answer to your question depends on the context.

 

[mike wightman]

Well in LBB2 if the power plant is a letter above the m-drive (they can be the same performance number) then double fire is allowed.
Which makes me wonder if you have m-drive 2 and pp 2 the same letter if you lower the output of the m-drive to 1 does that allow double fire?
Does double fire become possible if battle damage reduces your m-drive letter?

 

[infojunky]

Context please.
The answer to your question depends on the context.

Originally Jump didn't require a power plant, thus maneuver+power was effectively the maneuver drive. With no other requirement.

 

[infojunky]

Yes. It turns out that ships don't work very well without power plants, and battery powered flashlights only last so long in the cold dark.

More to the point, in CT, the Power Plant needs to match the Jump/M-Drive, whichever is larger.

Depends on your edition.

 

[infojunky]

Well in LBB2 if the power plant is a letter above the m-drive (they can be the same performance number) then double fire is allowed.
Which makes me wonder if you have m-drive 2 and pp 2 the same letter if you lower the output of the m-drive to 1 does that allow double fire?
Does double fire become possible if battle damage reduces your m-drive letter?

Ok, the one place in that collection of rules...

 

[infojunky]

But to be even clearer, most of the Subsystems in T5 are self powered, Distributed power is also a option.

As such is a specific Power Plant a requirement. In general in terms of rules as played?

Honestly right now I am leaning towards "Power" hits/damage as something like a Critical Hits at best.

Consider how hard it is to hit the Power plant in CT High Guard as well.

 

[Spinward Flow]

Consider how hard it is to hit the Power plant in CT High Guard as well.

Interior Explosion or Critical Hit were your only options.

Of course, damaging away all of the fuel was another way to (indirectly) "hit the power plant" ...

No fuel ... no EPs ... no power.

 

[Grav_Moped]

Well in LBB2 if the power plant is a letter above the m-drive (they can be the same performance number) then double fire is allowed.
Which makes me wonder if you have m-drive 2 and pp 2 the same letter if you lower the output of the m-drive to 1 does that allow double fire?
Does double fire become possible if battle damage reduces your m-drive letter?

That's actually a darn good question.
You apparently can't do it deliberately (limit to 1G -- in this case -- to enable double-fire) under rules as written.
But if the M-drive literally can't use the extra power due to damage, why couldn't you re-allocate the un-useable power to the weapons?

I can see setting a house-rule that allows double-fire if either maximum maneuver or maximum -DM for evasion-app usage is capped.