3,401 Reply by mj12games

(12 replies, posted in Starmada)

murtalianconfederacy wrote:

about Stealth generators and various weapon effects (sorry if this has been asked before, but I looked at the FAQ and I couldn't find it...)

Regarding inverted range modifiers and range-based DMG/PEN/ROF, does the stealth generator affect these?

The ship with the stealth generator shifts the range band up by one, for better or worse.

Thus, in your two examples, the inverted range mods would give a +1, and the range-based ROF would get one die (although the target is really at medium range, the SG shifts this to long range, with all the appropriate combat changes).

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3,402 Reply by mj12games

(12 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

cricket wrote:
thedugan wrote:

http://www.geocities.com/thedugan/pix/Venusian01.JPG

Nice!

Although, the 'claws' should perhaps be bigger...

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,403 Reply by mj12games

(12 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

thedugan wrote:
cricket wrote:

Something you can describe as a "thing" or a "being", not a "blank-man".

Well....something like this maybe?

http://www.geocities.com/thedugan/pix/Venusian01.JPG

Nice!

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,404 Topic by mj12games

(2 replies, posted in Starmada)

Jim is a dork; I can't believe he missed this one until now... smile

According to the rules, both minesweeping and mine detonation happen in the Combat Phase-- thus making minesweeping impossible (since all actions in the Combat Phase are simultaneous).

So, a simple fix needs to be made. The first sentence in section C.18.1 should read:

C.18.1 wrote:

Mines are detonated in the End Phase, before new mines are deployed.

Go to forum: Starmada

3,405 Reply by mj12games

(12 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

thedugan wrote:

I'm rather partial to having the 'Tropical' regions be hot places where we'd be unable to venture, inhabited by 'crab analogs' of some sort. The 'Artic' regions up north (where tropical conditions exist in the winter) being the usual 'lizards in loincloth's' thing....

One thing I really like about Wells' Martians is that they are alien, not humans with bumpy ridges on their foreheads or a Tolkienesque fantasy ripoff.

In keeping with this, I'm more partial to crab-like beings, rather than lizard-people (or anything-people).

Something you can describe as a "thing" or a "being", not a "blank-man".

Dan

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,406 Topic by mj12games

(12 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

My copy of "Worlds At War" arrived from Lulu yesterday, and it looks pretty durn cool, if I do say so myself.

I've been reading over War of the Worlds again, finding lots of little details that either escaped me the first time, or which my memory has expunged in favor of more salient facts (like where I left the remote to TiVo).

In any event, I just stumbled across this little tidbit:

"Lessing has advanced excellent reasons for supposing that the Martians have actually succeeded in effecting a landing on the planet Venus."

Does this get anyone else's wheels a-turnin'?

smile

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,407 Reply by mj12games

(1 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

KDLadage wrote:

As I understand it, printed versions of this one are via Print-On-Demand, correct? What experience to you all have with this new and growing technology, specifically as it deals with this book?

You are correct, and as luck might have it, I just received my POD copy last week. I have to say I am very impressed with the quality -- you really can't tell the difference between the book printed by Lulu and those printed by our "traditional" print company.

However, deeper consideration reveals I shouldn't be all that surprised-- our traditional printers use the same technology as Lulu does for runs of under 250... so in effect, we've been doing "print on demand" for years.

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,408 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

aresian wrote:

Only suggestion I would make is for there to be different 'fingers'  in at least the political and military 'arms'.   Why would the Martians (or Natas) put all of their eggs in one basket?  Seems like any large organization is going to draw unwanted attention and get smashed.  Smaller ones might get lost in 'background noise'.

Seems reasonable to me... but in true evil empire fashion, there has to be someone (or someTHING) at the heart of it all... bwahahahahaha.... smile

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,409 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

hundvig wrote:

But you could very easily have the Red Russians as catspaws or allies of that shadowy organization known as the Terror, lead by Natas and his lovely-but-ruthless-in-a-good-way daughter, Natasha.  And Natas, who claims to be a prophet with uncanny powers of the mind, might very well be a dupe of the Martians, who presumably are up to mentally dominating the odd Terran mystic or two.

I hadn't even thought of the mental compulsion angle... smile

I like this -- a lot. In the Iron Stars rulebook, I make brief mention of "Liberta Rossa", which means "Red Liberty" in Italian.

If Liberta Rossa is just one 'branch' of a shadowy underworld organization, then we could tie a lot of these ideas into a very scary situation, especially if the point of this group (these groups) is to prepare the way for the Second Invasion.

*A "political arm", a la Sinn Fein, who could be the core of our "proto-Nazis", complete with snazzy outfits and over-the-top rhetoric.

*A "criminal arm", like that of Moriarty, perhaps led by Natas. They provide the cash.

*A "military arm" made up of mercenaries who may or may not be devoted to "the cause", or just want to soak up the money and excitement.

Who knows? Maybe the military arm has gotten hold of some ether-ships...

The airship inventor (who was so colorless I've forgotten his name...typical period hero) presumably drowned himself after hearing the news about Cavor.  So, no free ride for Natas and company.

A shame, really. smile

The World Wars are (presumably) still on the schedule in IS, just delayed and with different players than Tsar Wars.

Indeed -- although not really delayed. I expect us to get to WW1 right on schedule. Just wait 'til you see the next supplement... heh...

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,410 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

hundvig wrote:

Angel of the Revolution ends with the world at the feet of the triumphant Aerians, who found a Utopian society in the mountains of Africa after destroying the ability of other governments to wage war and saving Britain from a Franco-Russian invasion complete with subs and war zeps.  Syren of the Skies takes place 150(?) years later, when the Aerians, following the prophetic commands of the long-dead Natas, give control of the world back to the national governments.  This leads to all sorts of entertainment, as the last heir of the Tsars promptly steals an Aerian skyship, duplicates it, and starts a world war that gets interrupted by most of the life on the

So, how much of this is compatible with the Iron Stars background so far?

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3,411 Reply by mj12games

(25 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

thedugan wrote:

Well, I expressed that concern, but 'running out of material' is more of a concern to me than going too fast. Telling a good story is the MAIN concern.

Based on the types and amount of discussion, I'm not too worried about running out of material. smile

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,412 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

thedugan wrote:

I'm thinking un-organized proto-Nazi's without the snazzy uniforms. They'd be out to destroy the human race, certain they could keep the genie in the bottle...

Okay... I don't mean to seem flippant here, but Nazis without the snazzy uniforms aren't really Nazis, are they?

Aside from the fact that people still study WW2 Germans in large part because of their uniforms, the whole fascist house of cards is built on a foundation of ritual and symbolism.

If we're gonna introduce proto-Nazis, they've gotta have nifty duds.

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,413 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

hundvig wrote:

We're accepting Wells' work as canonical (well, within limits...the War in the Air thing clearly didn't/doesn't happen as written),

Actually, with a bit of fudging, you could make WitA fit. But it changes entirely the balance of power on Earth as I see it shaping up in IS.

what about other writers from the period?  Are we borrowing at all from Verne...does Nemo sail the seas, Robur roam the skies, and has there been a cannon shell shot to the moon?  Or Griffin...while Honeymoon and the Tsar Wars stuff clearly can't happen as written, that creepy SOB Natas and his Terrorists would make an excellent catspaw for the (Wells) Martians.  And how about Sherlock Holmes and Moriarty?  I've got a soft spot for the World Crime League myself...

I'm open to any and all suggestions.

However, I don't recognize "Tsar Wars" or "Natas"...

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,414 Reply by mj12games

(2 replies, posted in Starmada)

Thranac wrote:

Basically, a x1.5 Multiplier for DR and +50% space cost for the engines.
Fluff would talk about extra shielding, redundant back up systems, and improved reinforced alloys for the engine and reactor.

The 50% SU surplus is fine, but a x1.5 to the entire DR is too much.

I'd only multiply the MPs by x1.5 for Offensive Rating purposes.

Go to forum: Starmada

3,415 Reply by mj12games

(3 replies, posted in Starmada)

Thranac wrote:

Ok, well, if you have come to these conclusions after all this time then I'm not going to contest anything except Concentrated. I thought you gave it a thumbs down on your last post months ago as it completely undermines your damage allocation system.

I haven't come to any conclusions "after all this time"... I'm just reposting what I understood to be the last point in this discussion.

Oh and what did you decide on how Flash effects multiple flights of fighters in the same hex?

Flash should affect each flight separately.

Go to forum: Starmada

3,416 Reply by mj12games

(3 replies, posted in Starmada)

Rich Oden wrote:

Weapon trait, Volatile:  Any time a volatile weapon is destroyed, immediately roll one die on the ship's damage chart, which *can* trigger further rolls if more Volatile weapons are hit.  SU multiplier x0.5, maybe?

I think the SU cost is fine... what's more important is how the volatile trait affects the point cost.

Unfortunately, there's no easy answer, since the frequency of this extra point of damage varies with the size of the ship and the number of volatile weapons (or, for that matter, the number of engine boxes in the case of "Volatile Engines").

I suppose you could apply the same x0.5 modifier for starters, but I'd want this playtested extensively...

Go to forum: Starmada

3,417 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

hundvig wrote:

Well, no.  One can be an anarchist without embracing terrorism as well, at least at the philosophical level.  Terrorism is all about what is and isn't acceptable tactics in conflict.  Being an anarchist is to reject the structure of organized society in favor of self-determination.  Many anarchists (particularly the bomb-chuckers in the time period we're talking about)  are also terrorists, but they aren't really a subset of the breed.

I'll resist the urge to escalate the subject creep and just say I see your point.

smile

Bringing us back to topic, I think it's becoming obvious that there were factions in the world that would be ripe for Martian plucking, so to speak, while they readied themselves for the inevitable second Invasion.

I guess I've been assuming from Day One that the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand would have been orchestrated by Others -- but whether those are Martians per se, or Someone Else, I haven't quite figured out yet...

And don't forget we've got about 5 years still to cover before we get to WW1. And someone was saying we were moving too quickly... smile

Dan

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,418 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

Chad Wilson wrote:

> > That's fine as far as outright collaboration, but your
> run-o-the-mill
> > anarchists will still be quite useful...
> >
> > Who else is willing to set off a bomb or assassinate a
> polical leader
> > with little to no prodding?
>
> One man's anarchist becomes another man's terrorist.

True enough.

"Anarchists" are by definition "terrorists"... except that anarchists are honest about the fact that they enjoy chaos, whereas terrorists (try to) hide their evil streak behind a pseudo-political agenda...

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,419 Topic by mj12games

(3 replies, posted in Starmada)

And one more...

Rich Oden wrote:

For the fighter jocks, just thinking here:

Superior Jammers:  Each fighter in the flight counts as two fighters for purposes of Screening.  Cost x1.1 (?)

Lightly Armed:  Fighters in this flight make all rolls to hit at -1. 
Cost x0.7 (??)

Clumsy:  All attacks of any kind against this flight gain +1 to hit. 
Cost x0.7 (???)

Cost modifiers are, at best, a guess.  You could combine all three on one flight and have a fair version of SFB's SWAC shuttles, although of course they don't operate in squadrons...

Go to forum: Starmada

3,420 Topic by mj12games

(3 replies, posted in Starmada)

And another pre-forum topic that should be continued...

Rich Oden wrote:

Full of 'em lately, aren't I?  Not entirely sure these are new (somebody must have had this idea already), but I'd like some feedback on costs:

Weapon trait, Volatile:  Any time a volatile weapon is destroyed, immediately roll one die on the ship's damage chart, which *can* trigger further rolls if more Volatile weapons are hit.  SU multiplier x0.5, maybe?

Equipment, Volatile Drive System:  Any time a ship with VDS takes an Engine hit (ie loses a movement point), roll one die on the ship's damage chart, which *can* trigger further roll if more Engine hits are caused.  SU's of Engines x0.5, perhaps??

Volatile systems may not be repaired by any means during the course of a scenario, although other damage caused by their explosions may be.

Good for modelling explosive ordnance of all kinds (weapons) or engines that run on antimatter/black holes/plain old rocket fuel (drives).  Also good for building those "firecracker" ships you see in a lot of anime...you know, the Nameless Bad Guy designs that show up in groups of at least a thousand and appear to have packed their cargo holds full of nitroglycerin before the battle.  smile

Go to forum: Starmada

3,421 Topic by mj12games

(3 replies, posted in Starmada)

This message was one of the last to appear on the Yahoo! group before the switch to the forum. I am re-posting it to make sure we maintain the continuity...

> -----Original Message-----
> From: K. David Ladage [mailto:KDLadage@msn.com]

> See below for some of the things I think it would be good to have...

Okay... had some time to chew on this and digest some of the responses.

None of it came back up with last night's dinner, so that's a good thing. smile

> GENERAL
> * Shields 6 and higher --

The idea of having shields 6+ be extensions of shields 5 (i.e., 5-5-4-3-2-1, 5-5-5-4-3-2-1, etc.) really treads on the "redundant shielding" ability -- one or the other would be extraneous (sp?).

If I were to allow such a thing, I would side with Jim, and adapt the "multiple sixes" rule for to-hit rolls.

Then, each shield rating above 5 would double the DefRat modifier; e.g., shields 6 = x12, shields 7 = x24; shields 8 = x48, etc.

Prolly not going to see many shield-10 ships out there. smile

> * Signature {optional rule} --

I've been experimenting with this off and on for a while, and I always get hung up on how to compute the signature value.

Personally, while I like the idea, it has too much of a "tacked on" feel to it. If we were re-creating Starmada from scratch, I would likely include signature as a part of a comprehensive sensors rule. But with Starmada as is, I think it's too much.

> * Technological Levels -- make the list of equipment that is not
> impacted by the Equipment Technological Level "official."

Yeah. I think the easiest thing is to add a column to the chart in section A.1.5. I'll try to do that today.

> WEAPON MODS
> * Concentrated --

I don't see a problem with this. The point cost would be unaffected.

> * Draining --

I think this would be too fiddly -- it would require us to define which pieces of special equipment are "powered" and which aren't. Also, how many Draining weapons can I fire in a given turn? All of them? Just one?

Again, if we rebuilt Starmada with power-consumption rules, that would be one thing, but this prolly won't interface with the existing game very well.

> * Expendable --

This should be easily done. Just apply the number of shots as a modifier to the weapon cost.

> * Flash Damage --

I think we've hammered this one out. If you're using hidden movement, then any cloaked ship in the target hex is affected automatically. If you're not using hidden movement, then a cloaked ship has a "saving throw". Roll a die and add the number of hexes moved in the current turn; if the result is 7 or more, the shot misses the cloaked ship.

The modifier should be x3 or x4.

> * Halves Hull Damage --

I like the concept... multiplier should be x0.85.

> * Halves System Damage --
> * Ignores Armor -- self explanitory.

I don't think either of these really work for me. First of all, we got rid of the "no system damage" and "extra system damage", so I'm not sure "halves system damage" fits in.

Secondly, armor is supposed to be a reinforcement of the hull structure -- anything that ignores armor should ignore the hull altogether (and we've already got that. smile In addition, as has been pointed out, this leads to things like "Ignores Reinforced Shielding", etc.

> * Ignores PDS -- self explanitory.

Fine. Multiplier of x2.

> * Inverted Range Based RoF/PEN/DMG --

First thought is a multiplier of x2.1.

> * Inverted Variable RoF/PEN/DMG --

First thought is a multiplier of x2.3.

> * No System Damage --

See above. I don't think we should have weapon effects that deal with "system damage".

> * Non-Penetrating --

-1 to PEN rolls would be a x0.7 modifier.

> * Rate of Fire less than 1 --

No need to change the formula for this. Just apply 1/3 or 1/2, as appropriate.

> * Reduced Damage --

Seems a bit fiddly, and really tough to point cost...

> * To-Hit 2+ --
> * To-Hit 6+ --

I suppose these would be okay. To-hit 2+ = x0.83; To-hit 6+ = x0.17.

> EQUIPMENT
> * Advanced Sensors --

Huh. I think it could work -- give it a x1.5 modifier to the ship's DR.

> * Cargo Bays -- change this from 50% of the ship to a fixed amount...
> like say 100 SU per bay.

No. smile

Seriously -- I like cargo bays as they are. Any changes to this would be
scenario- or universe-specific, and as cargo does not affect the CR of the ship, how cargo bays are added to a ship is irrelevant.

> * Hyperdrives -- I really think that, in any revision to the rules you
> make, removing the odd, strange, bizaar rule on hyperdrives would be a
> good idea

I don't think it's odd, strange, or bizarre...

It's set up in this fashion so that players who don't want to bother with hyperdrives can just pretend they don't exist.

Go to forum: Starmada

3,422 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

aresian wrote:

As for collaborators with Martians I would nominate a group of Nihlists.

That's fine as far as outright collaboration, but your run-o-the-mill anarchists will still be quite useful...

Who else is willing to set off a bomb or assassinate a polical leader with little to no prodding?

smile

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,423 Reply by mj12games

(3 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

hundvig wrote:

Of course, you'll also need a strategic movement system, and some kind of rules for intelligence and scouting.  Just simple stuff like that...  smile

Well, I assume a "strategic" map would be one that covers the Earth/Moon system, plus space stations, plus the KF cluster.

Not a whole lot of strategic points in space... hmm

Dan

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,424 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

Chad Wilson wrote:

> How about brain control inserts in unwilling victims and
> being forced into servitude like puppets?
>
> Those grays are pretty sneaky fellas.

That could be acceptable.

I've already decided that the Martians will be working through, with, or over the anarchist fringe... whether or not this is due to brain implants or just old-fashioned persuasion, I don't know yet.

Go to forum: Iron Stars

3,425 Reply by mj12games

(41 replies, posted in Iron Stars)

Chad Wilson wrote:

> I wouldn't aim for those cities at all!  Too much of a chance
> of being repelled.
>
> Instead, I would choose a remote location low in population
> (less resistance), but high in resources.  If I were the
> martians, I would invade Africa.
>
> It would take the world's governments weeks to respond, at
> which time a base of operations would have already been
> well-established.  Factories to support Earth operations
> could be built in short-order, too.

This may be true... for the second attempt.

But the first time around, the Martians did invade at least one population center (London); and it's likely they had little fear of being repelled (for obvious reasons, as it turned out). Even now, the Martians are probably unafraid of human weapons and technology -- although they may suspect we've been busy in the years since.

Go to forum: Iron Stars