Space Combat

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by dence:
How might one use HighGuard agility with the vector based combat rules? Any ideas?

Use the agility of the ship as the maximum bonus that can be gained from using the defensive programs maneuver/evade or auto/evade.
E.g. a ship with maneuver4 but agility 3 can alter its vector by up to 400mm (or 4cm if using my scale) each turn but the greatest defensive bonus it can have against laser fire etc. is -3.

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by dence:
How might one use HighGuard agility with the vector based combat rules? Any ideas?

Use the agility of the ship as the maximum bonus that can be gained from using the defensive programs maneuver/evade or auto/evade.
E.g. a ship with maneuver4 but agility 3 can alter its vector by up to 400mm (or 4cm if using my scale) each turn but the greatest defensive bonus it can have against laser fire etc. is -3.

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by daryen:
Sigg,

Those weapon conversions are beautiful. Can I steal those for my website? (Crediting you, of course.)

Hi daryen,
no probs. Please use them

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by daryen:
Sigg,

Those weapon conversions are beautiful. Can I steal those for my website? (Crediting you, of course.)

Hi daryen,
no probs. Please use them

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Christopher:
Again, thanks for your replies!

You're welcome

glad to be of help.

These ideas sound great! BUT...
To make sure I didn't misunderstand you: the signatures (passive/active) are actually added to the respective range of the scanning ship, aren't they?

Your examples:
A Ship with a passive signature of +3 (Probably using 3g to gain speed. It had only a passive signature of +1 if it didn't accelerate that turn - assuming it has got a power plant 3 to support its 3g thrusters (3/2 rounded down)) encounters a ship with military sensors on passive mode (range 2.0 light seconds divided by four equals 0.5 light seconds). The passive signature adds 0.75 to that (3 x 0.25 = 0.75). So we've got a detection range of 1.25 light seconds.

That's right, I was concerned the examples were a bit unclear (it was very late )

The scanning ship running active sensor scans would give us the normal range of 2.0 light seconds, to which 0.25 light seconds are added (+1 active sig times 0.25). Resulting in a detection range of 2.25 light seconds.

Yep, that's it again.

Another aspect of detection...how do the sensors of the ship that is being scanned affect the detection range? Does active scanning automatically reveal your presence or does it increase the range at which you are detected by a certain factor? (The classic traveller rules only say that maintaining radio silence halves the detection range and that being in orbit and maintaining radio silence results in 1/8 of the detection range)

I should have added, a ship going active can be detected at a range equal to its own active scan base range plus the passive scan range of the detecting ship.
E.g. a TL13 ship with model 7 active sensors is closing with an unknown at a distance of 1.8 light seconds. It goes active with a range of 1.6 light seconds. The enemy ship is a fighter with a much lower reflected signature than expected and so the active ship can't get a weapons lock. The fighter is TL 11 and has model 1 sensors. It has a passive sensor range of 0.2 light seconds and so now has a weapons lock on the ship and may fire.

A ship in orbit around a planet and silent running has its passive signature masked completely, i.e it is reduced to 0, and all detection ranges are halved.
E.g. a ship with 2 light second active sensors would have to get within 1 light second (plus relected signature) of a planet with an enemy bogey in orbit. If it were using its 0.5 light second passive sensors it would have to be 0.25 light seconds from the planet to detect theenemy ship.

I think about leaving the vector-thingy aside and just using range-bands (one range band = 10.000km, one light second = 30 range bands) as proposed in the German Traveller Edition, to make things less complicated. Guess it's best to ask the players for their preferences.

Yep, the most important rule is to have fun

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Christopher:
Again, thanks for your replies!

You're welcome

glad to be of help.

These ideas sound great! BUT...
To make sure I didn't misunderstand you: the signatures (passive/active) are actually added to the respective range of the scanning ship, aren't they?

Your examples:
A Ship with a passive signature of +3 (Probably using 3g to gain speed. It had only a passive signature of +1 if it didn't accelerate that turn - assuming it has got a power plant 3 to support its 3g thrusters (3/2 rounded down)) encounters a ship with military sensors on passive mode (range 2.0 light seconds divided by four equals 0.5 light seconds). The passive signature adds 0.75 to that (3 x 0.25 = 0.75). So we've got a detection range of 1.25 light seconds.

That's right, I was concerned the examples were a bit unclear (it was very late )

The scanning ship running active sensor scans would give us the normal range of 2.0 light seconds, to which 0.25 light seconds are added (+1 active sig times 0.25). Resulting in a detection range of 2.25 light seconds.

Yep, that's it again.

Another aspect of detection...how do the sensors of the ship that is being scanned affect the detection range? Does active scanning automatically reveal your presence or does it increase the range at which you are detected by a certain factor? (The classic traveller rules only say that maintaining radio silence halves the detection range and that being in orbit and maintaining radio silence results in 1/8 of the detection range)

I should have added, a ship going active can be detected at a range equal to its own active scan base range plus the passive scan range of the detecting ship.
E.g. a TL13 ship with model 7 active sensors is closing with an unknown at a distance of 1.8 light seconds. It goes active with a range of 1.6 light seconds. The enemy ship is a fighter with a much lower reflected signature than expected and so the active ship can't get a weapons lock. The fighter is TL 11 and has model 1 sensors. It has a passive sensor range of 0.2 light seconds and so now has a weapons lock on the ship and may fire.

A ship in orbit around a planet and silent running has its passive signature masked completely, i.e it is reduced to 0, and all detection ranges are halved.
E.g. a ship with 2 light second active sensors would have to get within 1 light second (plus relected signature) of a planet with an enemy bogey in orbit. If it were using its 0.5 light second passive sensors it would have to be 0.25 light seconds from the planet to detect theenemy ship.

I think about leaving the vector-thingy aside and just using range-bands (one range band = 10.000km, one light second = 30 range bands) as proposed in the German Traveller Edition, to make things less complicated. Guess it's best to ask the players for their preferences.

Yep, the most important rule is to have fun

 

[mike wightman]

Do you want to complicate things further with CT based rules for electronic warfare (ECM, ECCM), sensor drones and decoys, nuclear explosion whiteouts, chaff etc.?
These are mostly derived from Striker

 

[mike wightman]

Do you want to complicate things further with CT based rules for electronic warfare (ECM, ECCM), sensor drones and decoys, nuclear explosion whiteouts, chaff etc.?
These are mostly derived from Striker

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

"Do you want to complicate things further with CT based rules for electronic warfare (ECM, ECCM), sensor drones and decoys, nuclear explosion whiteouts, chaff etc.?" - Sigg Oddra.

I used Star Fleet Battles when it first came out, and the for about three years thereafter. It just seemed to work, that's all.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

"Do you want to complicate things further with CT based rules for electronic warfare (ECM, ECCM), sensor drones and decoys, nuclear explosion whiteouts, chaff etc.?" - Sigg Oddra.

I used Star Fleet Battles when it first came out, and the for about three years thereafter. It just seemed to work, that's all.

 

[kaladorn]

You mean star fleet litigations? Wasn't a PhD in Rules Lawyer an asset? (I played SFB for something on the order of five or six years.... a lot.... but it just got a bit much).

 

[kaladorn]

You mean star fleet litigations? Wasn't a PhD in Rules Lawyer an asset? (I played SFB for something on the order of five or six years.... a lot.... but it just got a bit much).

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
You mean star fleet litigations? Wasn't a PhD in Rules Lawyer an asset? (I played SFB for something on the order of five or six years.... a lot.... but it just got a bit much).

Depends upon the group and edition being played....

*I*Never had rules issues until expansion II came out...

I quit running tournaments when the Captains (4th) ed was becoming so large I needed a 4th binder for the rulebooks.

 

[aramis]

Originally posted by kaladorn:
You mean star fleet litigations? Wasn't a PhD in Rules Lawyer an asset? (I played SFB for something on the order of five or six years.... a lot.... but it just got a bit much).

Depends upon the group and edition being played....

*I*Never had rules issues until expansion II came out...

I quit running tournaments when the Captains (4th) ed was becoming so large I needed a 4th binder for the rulebooks.

 

[Beck's]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Do you want to complicate things further with CT based rules for electronic warfare (ECM, ECCM), sensor drones and decoys, nuclear explosion whiteouts, chaff etc.?
These are mostly derived from Striker

Nuclear explosion whiteouts? Omg, we don't want some physically 100% correct simulation that goes down to the detail that much, right?

But feel free to elaborate on the use of ECM/ECCM and sensor drones!

(damn, I lent my Striker-rules (the reprints) to somebody who moved away from this town...almost a year ago...time to get them back...need the weapon tables also)

Btw, what about running silent in deep space. In this case only the passive signature is reduced to zero, I presume? And does running silent require the shut-down of the power plant, anyway? (that would make a lot of sense, but all sources I've found so far indicate otherwise)

 

[Beck's]

Originally posted by Sigg Oddra:
Do you want to complicate things further with CT based rules for electronic warfare (ECM, ECCM), sensor drones and decoys, nuclear explosion whiteouts, chaff etc.?
These are mostly derived from Striker

Nuclear explosion whiteouts? Omg, we don't want some physically 100% correct simulation that goes down to the detail that much, right?

But feel free to elaborate on the use of ECM/ECCM and sensor drones!

(damn, I lent my Striker-rules (the reprints) to somebody who moved away from this town...almost a year ago...time to get them back...need the weapon tables also)

Btw, what about running silent in deep space. In this case only the passive signature is reduced to zero, I presume? And does running silent require the shut-down of the power plant, anyway? (that would make a lot of sense, but all sources I've found so far indicate otherwise)

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I gave up using SFB when Strategic & Tactical Ruleplaying became more important than actually having fun.

Besides, I always lost playing the Romulans.

 

[Keklas Rekobah]

I gave up using SFB when Strategic & Tactical Ruleplaying became more important than actually having fun.

Besides, I always lost playing the Romulans.

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Christopher:
Nuclear explosion whiteouts? Omg, we don't want some physically 100% correct simulation that goes down to the detail that much, right?

It's quite simple, if a nuclear missile detonates then ships within a certain range must roll to avoid losing their sensors for a turn while they reset. You can also make the blast radius a barrier to sensors trying to see past it.

But feel free to elaborate on the use of ECM/ECCM and sensor drones!

(damn, I lent my Striker-rules (the reprints) to somebody who moved away from this town...almost a year ago...time to get them back...need the weapon tables also)

I'll have to go and dig up my old notes, I'll post them later; tomorrow at the latest

Btw, what about running silent in deep space. In this case only the passive signature is reduced to zero, I presume? And does running silent require the shut-down of the power plant, anyway? (that would make a lot of sense, but all sources I've found so far indicate otherwise)

I rule that to run silent the power plant has to be reduced to a trickle in order to hide the passive/radiated signature, i.e. effectively switched off.
Borrowing from High Guard though, the jump capacitors could be fully charged beforehand and provide a few hours of "battery power"(much like diesel/electric subs).

 

[mike wightman]

Originally posted by Christopher:
Nuclear explosion whiteouts? Omg, we don't want some physically 100% correct simulation that goes down to the detail that much, right?

It's quite simple, if a nuclear missile detonates then ships within a certain range must roll to avoid losing their sensors for a turn while they reset. You can also make the blast radius a barrier to sensors trying to see past it.

But feel free to elaborate on the use of ECM/ECCM and sensor drones!

(damn, I lent my Striker-rules (the reprints) to somebody who moved away from this town...almost a year ago...time to get them back...need the weapon tables also)

I'll have to go and dig up my old notes, I'll post them later; tomorrow at the latest

Btw, what about running silent in deep space. In this case only the passive signature is reduced to zero, I presume? And does running silent require the shut-down of the power plant, anyway? (that would make a lot of sense, but all sources I've found so far indicate otherwise)

I rule that to run silent the power plant has to be reduced to a trickle in order to hide the passive/radiated signature, i.e. effectively switched off.
Borrowing from High Guard though, the jump capacitors could be fully charged beforehand and provide a few hours of "battery power"(much like diesel/electric subs).