BetterThanLife
SOC-14 1K
I haven't figured out why there is a gunnery skill. In all other combat it is your BAB and Dex that matter. Commander's leadership and/or tactics knowledge is very important as is the fleet commander's tactical knowledge. (Hence the need for a Flag Bridge on Capital ships.
If you eliminate the +5 crit for a spinal mount and make the maximum damage multiplier to *2 for any of the weapon systems, remove the Gunnery skill (using the BAB instead) and use the (offensive EW operator skill + Computer size) - (defensive EW operator Skill + computer size) perhaps with a roll each and the tactics bonuses that would make the space combat a little less lethal without rewriting the whole rule set.
Spinal mounts are still very nasty, they will still auto hit at the larger levels but it won't be at the same low level it is now. (Most Naval ships auto hit with all its weapons under the current rules against typical targets.) They will still shatter escorts (Which is a what they are supposed to do.) but they won't kill each other outright with one hit. This gives you a reason to have Dreds and Battle Cruisers without making the smallest ship you can mount a spinal mount on the best ships to build. It also means escorts and fighters still have a role. (THough it still isn't much of a role.) While a flotilla of destroyers with Meson Bays will still be extremely nasty, they should be, they at least won't auto kill Capital ships.
I am going to play with these rules in MTU and see how it works.
(Of course this will make Marine Gunners nasty. But traditionally they always have been.)

If you eliminate the +5 crit for a spinal mount and make the maximum damage multiplier to *2 for any of the weapon systems, remove the Gunnery skill (using the BAB instead) and use the (offensive EW operator skill + Computer size) - (defensive EW operator Skill + computer size) perhaps with a roll each and the tactics bonuses that would make the space combat a little less lethal without rewriting the whole rule set.
Spinal mounts are still very nasty, they will still auto hit at the larger levels but it won't be at the same low level it is now. (Most Naval ships auto hit with all its weapons under the current rules against typical targets.) They will still shatter escorts (Which is a what they are supposed to do.) but they won't kill each other outright with one hit. This gives you a reason to have Dreds and Battle Cruisers without making the smallest ship you can mount a spinal mount on the best ships to build. It also means escorts and fighters still have a role. (THough it still isn't much of a role.) While a flotilla of destroyers with Meson Bays will still be extremely nasty, they should be, they at least won't auto kill Capital ships.
I am going to play with these rules in MTU and see how it works.
(Of course this will make Marine Gunners nasty. But traditionally they always have been.)