Sandcasters
- Thread starter stofsk
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BetterThanLife
SOC-14 1K
But since the sand ablates when hit by a laser. And since the canisters are what a cubic meter max, how much sand are we talking about? There can't be that much and it would disperse fairly rapidly. (Newton's laws are pretty clear on that.
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BetterThanLife
SOC-14 1K
Snad casters provide the same level of protection regardless of the size of the ship. a Single Triple sand turret works equally well for a 50 ton fighter as it does for a 500,000 ton Drednaught. It provides exactly the same level of protection.
Sand ablates when hit by lasers and one would assume when it causes a missile to prematurely detonate.
Sand when fired from a sandcaster is moving away from the firing ship and spreading out. (Objects in motion tend to stay in motion.) Since there is no friction in space it will keep moving away and dispersing and would quickly become ineffective.
There are no rules that state that your sand has any impact on yor own ouutbound fire or sensors.
Setting aside the problem of using Point defense against a Weapon which travels at the speed of light when you only have lightspeed sensors for a moment. The more probable way sandcasters could work is in the point defense role. So the sand would be effective against one shot only.
Sand ablates when hit by lasers and one would assume when it causes a missile to prematurely detonate.
Sand when fired from a sandcaster is moving away from the firing ship and spreading out. (Objects in motion tend to stay in motion.) Since there is no friction in space it will keep moving away and dispersing and would quickly become ineffective.
There are no rules that state that your sand has any impact on yor own ouutbound fire or sensors.
Setting aside the problem of using Point defense against a Weapon which travels at the speed of light when you only have lightspeed sensors for a moment. The more probable way sandcasters could work is in the point defense role. So the sand would be effective against one shot only.
Sandcasters have never made a whole lot of sense. The most plausible role for something resembling a sand dispenser would be in a role equivalent to chaff or smoke dispensers. However, such a device would be equally effective against all weapons; particle and meson beams would not ignore sand-as-chaff.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
In Mayday sand does affect your outgoing fire (-1DM to hit), and has an effect on missiles (missiles get a -1 DM on their attack table if the target is in a sandcloud).
In the missiles special supplement sand can also cause a missile to malfunction:
By the way, in High Guard first edition particle accelerators are stopped by sand...
In the missiles special supplement sand can also cause a missile to malfunction:
I agree with Anthony, the existing rules do not make much sense.
By the way, in High Guard first edition particle accelerators are stopped by sand...
BetterThanLife
SOC-14 1K
I never said they make sense. I am stating of the two the point defense interpretation, as silly as that sounds, makes more sense than huge floating clouds of sand.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Yep, I agree.
What I normally do in LBB2 combat is give the sandcaster a bonus of -1 for each launcher - so a single turret gives a -3 to be hit, a double turret a -4, and a triple turret a -5.
Similarly a missile is disabled on a 12+, 11+ or 10+ depending on the number of launchers in the turret.
What I normally do in LBB2 combat is give the sandcaster a bonus of -1 for each launcher - so a single turret gives a -3 to be hit, a double turret a -4, and a triple turret a -5.
Similarly a missile is disabled on a 12+, 11+ or 10+ depending on the number of launchers in the turret.
A small point, but I don't think gravity is an EM force. What would its wavelength be?Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Hmm, over use of gravitics...
grav plates
acceleration compensators
null grav modules/contra grav lifters
maneuver drive
repulsors
tractors
grav focused lasers
sand cloud manipulation
(jump drive???)
Now, how many applications of manipulation of the electromagnetic force can you think of?
Isn't the grav manipulator for the sandcaster in the turret rather than the cannister anyway...
Or were you suggesting a comparison between Gravitics Applications and EM Applications?
A short term hazzard at best. Solar and planetary gravity will eventually clean up the mess.Originally posted by BetterThanLife:
But since the sand ablates when hit by a laser. And since the canisters are what a cubic meter max, how much sand are we talking about? There can't be that much and it would disperse fairly rapidly. (Newton's laws are pretty clear on that.)
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
The latter...
The idea that working gravitics would have a similar impact as EM devices do today - particularly at the higher TLs - makes alot of sense to me. I don't think its cannon, but I've always figured gravitics are integral to the smaller fusion power plants (as I understand one of the big issues with getting a workable practical fusion reactor today is plasma containment.) Gravitics would also open up a hole new realm of industrial applications to include pumps with no parts coming into physical contact with the fluid.Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Hmm, over use of gravitics...
grav plates
acceleration compensators
null grav modules/contra grav lifters
maneuver drive
repulsors
tractors
grav focused lasers
sand cloud manipulation
(jump drive???)
Now, how many applications of manipulation of the electromagnetic force can you think of?
Isn't the grav manipulator for the sandcaster in the turret rather than the cannister anyway...
Getting back to the implications for the original post however - if the canister is normally ejected and/or controlled by gravitics within the turret, maybe you could use a "junk canister" that allows you to use your garbage in lieu of the ablatives for suppression of ground forces. Kind of akin to the scene from "Pirates" were they packed the silverware into the cannon.
mike wightman
SOC-14 10K
Answer depends upon ruleset
Using Striker or MegaTraveller then the ethically challenged merchants and the Impies in full BD are
Using Striker or MegaTraveller then the ethically challenged merchants and the Impies in full BD are
