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mj12games.com/forum → Posts by madpax
Also note that contrary to most space games, Starmada allows you to create any fleet, wheter based on movies, books, etc. or from what you could imagine.
A great asset.
Marc
... or made of thin air...
Marc
The second thing is does anyone here have any idea what the learning curve is for Starmada?
For having taught the game to some friends, I can say that it's maybe the easiest game to learn and play. You usually can start a game after fifteen minutes of explanations.
Marc
Is that the Hood syndrom?
Marc
I'd hate to see an SSD or Death Star...
Who cares. Just one well placed shot and the Death Star is toast.
Marc
Maybe you can find some there:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/community-cont … y=helmsman
Marc
KA, RA (and very shortly, Alien Armada) are based on Federation Commander, nor SFB, meaning some differences. For example, shuttles can't attract drones and plasma.
We use the regular Starmada shield rules in KA & RA. The ship's shields equal the strongest facet.
It makes the ships more resilient. BTW, shields are treated very differently between SFB/FC and Starmada, as in the latter, you can destroy a ship and without having damaged the shiels.
In SFBs, when playing a Klingon, I usually closed to close (knife fighting) range. Now I strongly recommend keeping your distance and taking advantage of the long range weapons at your disposal. Use this tactic with whatever race or ship you're piloting.
Fed ships are better at short range. Not only their Ph 1 begin to be very powerful, but Photon torps can hit very easily, making short work of almost anything.
Use your drones and tractor beams!!!
Drones are really different. You know fire loads of them, they can hit the target before being shot at (except by antidrones), but to do damage, they have to hit and then penetrate before.
Once the opponent's shields are down surprise them with boarding parties
You don't even have to wait for shields to be done. A bit more tricky, though.
I will say this... Starmada, Klingon Armada, and Romulan Armada area a damn sight better than the original SFB rules!!!!!!
Simpler rules, lot more fun, lot more ships, less play time, so much the better.
Marc
They are two different things.
IMP or Impact roll, determines if the hit is blocked by the targets shields/screens/armor.
DMG (when the hit beats the shields etc) is the number of dice rolled on the damage chart to determine the type of damage inflicted.
This is clear on page 23 of the core rules.
Paul
I know that. I was just wondering why both exist. In essence, you could remove the DMG value, you would have essentially the same effect. Aside Nomad's explanation, which seems a good one, I'm unable to see the reason for having those two traits.
Note that a weapon having, for example, IMP 2 and DMG 1 costs (a bit) more than the same one having IMP 1 and DMG 2.
Marc
Just to be sure I didn't overlook something:
- Why IMP and DMG are two different stats? They could have been merged at the beginning, no?
Suppose the following gun: RNG 9 ROF 1 ACC 4+ IMP3 DMG 2. Unless I missed something, you would have exactly the same result with the following values: RNG 9 ROF 1 ACC 4+ IMP 6 (DMG would have no raison d'etre this way). This wouldn't change the attack routine, but I fail to understand why distinguish IMP and DMG.
- Why the special trait 'double damage SU cost is so expensive?
Suppose the follwing gun: RNG 9 ROF 1 ACC 4+, DMG 2 (fire arcs AB). Its SU cost is 24.
If you replace the DLG 2 by DMG1 and add the double damage trait, you end up with an SU cost of 27.
So, in which way the double damage trait is more powerful than simple double the DMG value?
Marc
Also, thoses classes may not be easily understandable to people not english-fluent.
In the end, you easily remember which angle is what.
Marc
This is consistent. Of course, you could decide that everything is twice bigger, or twice smaller. You can even decide that dreadnought have a hull size of 4, whilst other ships are proportionnaly smaller.
Marc
Could you stop talking about good sci-fi series, please?
I'm tend to be more and more poorer. 
What about this serie?
http://www.amazon.com/Starfist-Wings-He … d_sim_b_25
Marc
I used to play Starmada a lot in the late 80s & 90s.
You meant Starfire?
I also played a lot of it, but regretted the latest versions being too complicated (can't understand just the set-up).
Otherwise, Starmada is more interesting as a game.
Marc
And why not the same SU/cost as the tractor beam?
Mostly because the Tractor beam is a multi-purpose system while this has just one effect, so to my mind it shouldn't be as "beefy".
On the other hand, the GS could have some more interesting effects than a tractor beam.
Marc
in addition to the reduced clutter and lack of AF defenses, weaponizing them lets you keep firing arc restrictions and prevents them from turning on a dime.
Right, fighters have to bracket their targets before firing missiles!
Marc
I have some questions and suggestion about them, if you please:
Battery W: Concussion Missile, 4/8/12, 1/5+/1/2, Area Effect
[g] [g] Ammo: 6
Why Area effect?
According to the video game X-wing, concussion missiles are very powerful against spacecraft (ships and fighters) but have no effect against an area. They could be 'piercing' or could be treated as seekers.
Battery X: Ion Cannon, 3/6/9, 2/4+/1/1, Increased Impact
AFAIK, ion cannon doesn't kill ships. They short-circuit things, sometimes all over the ship, so could ideally be 'no-hull damage' and maybe also 'continued damage'.
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g] [g] [g]
Could use a 'fire-linked'.
Battery W: Proton Torpedo, 2/4/6, 1/5+/2/1, Catastrophic
[g] [g] Ammo: 8
Again, could be treated as seekers.
Just my two euros-cents
Marc
I'm just a bit at a loss for SUs for this. Maybe for purposes of adding it you could create it as a weapon with RNG 6 ACC 5+ ROF 1 IMP 1 DMG 1 No Hull Damage and Area Effect (I know it only effects 1 target, but that's added to give it more girth, and hey, it technically does affect an area!
).
Ok, except that the area effect is not really what I would like for such a weapon.
I also wonder if it would be better to "abstract" it into a 360 degree system, instead of having arcs, sort of like tractor beams are treated.
I agree, I feel it would be better if the gravitic shifter is treated as a tractor like equipment, but instead of the tractor effect (anti-drone and grab-me if you can), its only effect (with the damage done, we could imagine such an effect on a ship pivoting not on its 'will') would be that 'at the end of the turn, the target ship is pivoted one hexside and only one, whatever the number of gravitic shifter hit it suffered, at the discretion of the enemy player.
I feel it would be better if the effect applied after all shooting because it would make such a weapon very powerful at short range.
Still not sure that would be proper points anyway
And why not the same SU/cost as the tractor beam?
By the way, I would probably just use the same exact thing for the Minbari gravity net, even though it is a bit different.
IIRC, the gravity net is displacing ships. Why not... but beware of the planet!
Marc
It's cool enouigh to be tried.
Marc
I personally would prefer to differentiate the "Scout/ELINT" capabilities from the standard FC and CM as this would make them different and "special" compared to the equipment on a "regular" ship. Then again, I guess maybe the ability to loan them to another ship would automatically make them special, especially in a setting where the regular warship has neither.
Erik
Whether those are separate equipments or the same one able to chose between different functions could be determined later. What should be those functions, and how should they work?
The first ones we already determined are:
- Loan Fire Control: A friendly ship within X hexes receive the Fire Control trait for this turn. Cannot be used by a ship already having that trait.
- Loan Countermeasures: A friendly ship within X hexes receive the Countermeasures trait for this turn. Cannot be used by a ship already having that trait.
- Detect Cloaked Ship: May add +1 (non cumulative) to the detection DR when trying to detect a cloaked ship.
Any other thought?
Marc
Quite right. I was never happy with the "Scout" designation for the tactical side of space combat; I always liked the old B5Wars "ELINT" a bit more.
I acouldn't agree more. I used the term 'scout' mainly becuse most ELINT ships (or equivalent) are termed scout, as in the SFU.
but I think "Electronic Intelligence" or "Electronic Warfare" vessels could certainly have a place in a fleet as long as the game doesn't become mired in ECM/ECCM/EW nightmare calculations.
If we use existing trait (fire control and countermeasures, mainly), it should be easy. I feel that we could create some more.
Marc
The last ones (for the moment).
marc
After much thoughts, trial and errors (sorry for the inconvenience, some designs seemed to be good at first sight :oops: ), I modified some of the designs, mainly for the Khanate.
I modified the lasers stats, reduced some ranges, corrected the dual weapon range, etc.
Here are all the files:
How about that:
Gravitic Shifter: RNG 6, ROF 1, ACC 5+, IMP 0 DMG 0
Gravitic shifter, although listed on the ship trait, is used as a weapon, and may be fired only at the end of the ship movement phase.
Only ships with a lower undamaged hull than the undamaged hull value of the firing ship may be targeted. A ship hit doesn't roll for IMP and DMG values (hence a value of 0 for both), but is pivoted 60°, at the discretion of the firing player. The targeted ship may not be pivoted more than once per turn.
I can't judge the price, but it could be the same as a tractor beam.
Marc
Very interesting!
According to the above, here is my synthesis :
There are many scout abilities, each a distinct ship trait:
- Loan Fire control: The scout ship (the ship with that trait) is giving Fire Control to any friendly ship within X hexes. This doesn't (shouldn't…) affect the scout ship fire control (ie, it can still use its own)
- Loan Countermeasures: The scout ship is giving Countermeasures to any friendly ship within X hexes. This doesn't (shouldn't…) affect the scout ship countermeasures (ie, it can still use its own)
- Detect Cloaked ship: The scout ship add a -1 to any detection DR against a cloaked ship within X hexes.
- Jamming: Any ship within X hexes of the scout ship treats a target as being twice the range. Shooting ships outside that radius of X hexes of the scout ship are not affected.
Personally, I prefer having only one scout trait, this trait enabling the scout ship to do as it pleases (one turn loaning countermeasures, the next trying to detect a cloaked ship, etc.). It would avoid having to multiply ship trait for the same ship, and whatever, only one function could be used per turn. Also, We could make it a non-redundancy trait, that is, only one such trait may be used on the same ship.
Jamming, whilst interesting on a theoretical basis, makes me uneasy. I'm not convinced of its usefulness (or, allowing modifications, could become too powerful). Ships within that radius will surely be within short range of the scout ship, making it short work, making the scout ship very vulnerable, and those outside that radius are not affected. Also, currently there exist missiles able to lock on jammers, rendering them not only ineffective, but helping the missiles greatly.
Marc
See, I was thinking more of B5Wars ELINT Ships, most of which tend to be bigger.
Problem is, I don't remember much about B5 Wars rules (but I have them at hand, currently and should give them a look). I was thinking more about SFU scout ships.
How about if in offensive mode (rather than inventing a new mode) an option would allow a friendly ship to ignore stealth instead of adding a bonus to ACC?
Why not, that's mainly rethoric . I added a mode to avoid having two different modes with the same name.
And maybe I should try drinking coffee...
How can you survive without the elixer of life????
Erik
Who said I was alive? :mrgreen:
Marc
mj12games.com/forum → Posts by madpax
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