One thing to consider, if you exchange a large number of light guns for a small number of heavy ones, you've also just changed your hit location chart so that your hull is going to get hit a lot more often.  Each hull lost will be worth less (maybe) because your overall cost will probably be lower, but you'll be losing them more often.

That said, the Bantam class is a much better ship with 4d10(x2) LPs as primaries instead of the 4d10(x3) conventional guns.  Those strong secondaries make up for any slight weakness against light-armor targets in my book.

Rich

Arguably, yes, POD does fill the need for available hardcopy.  But I'm not sure that it allows you to put your product on the shelves of all those game stores out there, nor does it work well with the distribution net.

OTOH, perhaps the real question is whether MJ12 *needs* the distributor-retail system to sell their products.  Five years ago I would have said yes, you must get you stuff into stores to survive.  These days, between internet and word-of-mouth, maybe you don't...

Rich

Indeed, quite true.  As Royal Navy Astrographic Service experience has shown, the "viscosity" of the ether increases as local gravity decreases.  This increasing "grab factor" makes ether propulsion systems more effective in deep space than in orbit, allowing the higher speeds required for interplanetary transits...but it also makes etheric turbulence more of a factor.  While such effects are still only felt by the energized components of a ship's drive systems (normal matter being transparent to ether-flows) it is quite possible to suffer grevious damage if a severe ether-storm is encountered.  Sail ruptures, propeller overloads, even outright dismasting all await the incautious traveller, and even in high orbit "weather" conditions may force ships to deactivate their drives to ride out the storm safely.

All quite elementary, Carruthers. 

Yep, the series is:

Ringworld
Ringworld Engineers
Ringworld Throne
Ringworld's Children

I enjoyed the first and fourth most, but they were all good reads.  RC is an exceptionally fine example of Niven's most polished writing, and it's really quite amusing how he manages to subtly work "corrections" for earlier astrophysical bloopers into the story.  It's also refreshingly short, not one of the 600 page slabs that have become the industry standard.  A really good storyteller never uses more words than he needs to...

Rich

Ah, the Dawghouse ain't so bad.  It's no Admiralty Lounge, mind you, and you gotta watch out for them damned dirty screws, but I'm sure you'll survive. 

I'm amused by the fact that what gets you jailed on TMP would be the height of civility over on Frothers.  Ye gods, that Big Mean Elf boy knows how to start an argument, and keep one going.  Feel the hate...

Which might explain why I spend *so* much more time on TMP than Frothers, come to think of it.

Rich

Is the PDF errata being fixed "on the fly" on the POD hardcopy version, or does that need to wait for some kind of major update?  Not sure how the technology works...

Rich

Don't forget, though, it doesn't take very many boarding parties to ruin your day, especially if you have no Security or BPs of your own on defense.  Successful Boarding Pods also don't linger around on the table getting shot at, unlike fighters.  I like to think of them as drones with continuing damage and the ability to keep attacking till they hit, personally...

Rich

Eh, it's best not to be too thin-skinned about TMP posts.  The message boards there have become less and less civil over the last few years, and some people just enjoy busting on anything new that comes along.

OTOH, maybe they just didn't like them.  As you said, you can't please everyone.  So far I haven't heard any complaints from the Iron Stars crowd, and those are the people who really matter anyway.  I certainly like everything I've seen so far.

So, when are you taking orders? 

Rich

Well, they would, wouldn't they?  They'll also work with Starmada, or A Sky Full of Ships, or Red Chicken Rising, or Parzival's GOBS rules.  Heck, I'd be tempted to use them as retro-tech Eldar in BFG if I was still playing. 

Really *good* minis make everybody happy...and at least it will spread some awareness of the fact that Iron Stars is out there, and just in time for the expansion.

Rich