This has been updated.

It should now be a playable at least 'beer and pretzels' game.

No promises my ramblings make sense  :shock:

I tried to keep it simple. Due to granuality in things like speed I kept to a simple 'units'. I tend to use the route of getting a set of mechanics that plays and then refine.

Yes, skidding is too simple at the moment but should be playable.

Take care when trying to develop an acceleration formulae. The variables are so wide. Its not a horsepower V weight thing.

One of the reasons I have never been all that satisfied with the feel of carwars type games is that I raced for about 10 years. I stopped when I started a family. My last car weighed about 650kg and had 121BHP at the wheels. 0-60 was about 5.2 to 5.6. All from a 1950's design 1.3 single cam engine.

<IMG src="http://www.ironchicken.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/crisincar.jpg"></IMG>

IC

That was one of my fundermental questions... Is the aim carwars2 with a broad range of weapons upto and including light cannon as suggested above or road-warrior esk game with lighter weapons and defenses (pipe bombs, harpoons, shotguns etc)? I think in terms of mechanics it makes little difference except in a scaler form. It is a question of flavour tho'.

To get your juices going if you have not seen them before try... http://www.stanjohansenminiatures.com/Road.htm and

http://www.stanjohansenminiatures.com/Road%20cars.htm

These are minis, bikers and bolt on bits designed to be used with hotwheel type cars.

Just heading off to Turkey... work unfortunately... at least its cooler than London

The best fighter hits on a 4+ (bomber) therefore perhaps just adjust the table...
1-3 flights on a 1
4-8 flights on a 1-2
9+ on a 1-3

And of course make it incremental as all other fighter rules are. Then the first 3 flights moved into position are treated normally but the forth flags the higher attack rating.

4 basic -2 for long range -1 for fighters +1 for EWS (countering the fighter's -1) = 6.
8)

I agree here, those that raised this did so in good will. The fact it has produced passionate responses suggests it si a subject that needs airing.

I also agree with the person whom mentioned previously that house rules are all well and good but not transferable. I suppose what i would like to see is some form of compendium, even if it sits in a sticky where those concepts where the systems and rule models are suitable to become optional rules are collected and 'published'. A repository of global house rules if you like. Hell if MJ12 eventually collated them into a PDF expansion, I would buy it.

As for fighters, there are ways of dealing with them but it does come down to a bit of a shell game, which I find as one of the weaknesses of S:X. We have only just started playing and try and build around sensible fleets, there are all sorts of extreme builds that cause problems. Overuse of expendables, repeaters, fighters, etc. Fighters seem to just be an easy one to overuse.

Oh and Dan, your Valkrye has only AB guns. Isnt that a big weakness for an anti-fighter ship? a single A-F gun or an ACE and BDF setup would seem more sensible.

First, I did intend the fighters to magically appear back on the nearest carrier in the end phase. I saw this as a necessary abstraction to avoid messing with flights returning, counters marking returning flights and rules for what they could and could not do. It was a bit of KISS to fit with the flavour of Starmarda. The flights still cannot launch until the end phase that follows... and if the carrier is short on launch bays... hands up all those that would target a carrier with beached fighters...

I also intended an abstraction of CSP fighters being in the ship's hex for measuring range, where in reality they are patrolling. I did not intend for them to die with an exploding ship.

Actually i see this as an interesting tactic not a loophole. The cost of the screen would be relatively expensive and the player would need to weigh up the pros and cons of tieing up resources for the added protection.

I agree the wording was unclear. I have changed it in the post above to clarify.

As for fighters moving faster than normal. I feel this is a necessary abstraction to keep the rules simple. As a fighter flight on CSP can only react and not proactively engage and it must land and relaunch to change modes, it would be difficult to gain advantage from the potential faster move.

One tactic I suppose could be to build a fast escort, assign CSP flights and then it could zip around providing CSP cover where needed by the fleet. That does not particularly ofend me either.

I think I have covered every eventuality I can think of....

Combat Space Patrol

When launching from carrier a fighter flight can be designated as performing one of two functions. The first is the normal attack mode and the second is combat space patrol (CSP).

Fighters on CSP do not move in fighters phase and cannot attack ships. They are instead allocated to a ship to help defend it and nearby vessels against fighter attack. The fighter flight can only be allocated to a ship within the fighters normal move and is immediately placed with the ship. The fighters are considered to be in the same hex as the ship but for convenience the flight may be placed adjacent. Pick an appropriate marker to designate the flight on CSP.

While on CSP, the flight gains the ability to intercept an enemy flight that strays to within six hexes. After an enemy flight has moved, but BEFORE it has attacked, any flight on CSP can attempt to intercept. Roll a die; if the result is equal to or greater than the range, the interception occurs. The CSP flight is moved to a hex adjacent to the target flight, and its attack is resolved BEFORE the enemy flight gets to attack. If this roll is less than the range, the attempt has failed. The fighter flight is then marked as spent (flip over the counter used if appropriate or turn the flight around). This makes defence of the stationed ship extremely effective with this effectiveness diminishing the further CSP fighters need to move to intercept.

Each flight on CSP may attempt to intercept only once per turn

A flight on CSP cannot move during the Fighter Phase (except to intercept as above); however, it does move with the ship around which it is patrolling.

Once placed on CSP, a flight MUST remain so until an interception attempt is made (successful or otherwise).

If using the optional Dogfight rules (F.3), the intercepting flight may be moved into the same hex as the target flight instead of an adjacent hex. After the dogfight they can return to their charge.

To change a flight of fighters from CSP to normal attack (or vice-versa) it must land on a carrier.

If 2 ships with fighters on CSP move within 6 hexes of each other the fighters do not engage. They are on guard orders and will stay with their charge.

If the ship protected by a flight on CSP is destroyed then the flight can reallocate to another ship within move range. If there is no ship within move range the flight lands on the nearest carrier in the end phase. If there is no carrier it is considered destroyed.

Slow fighters get a -1 to intercept and fast fighters get a +1.

Fighters on CSP can engage drones or battle satellites.