51

(59 replies, posted in Starmada)

If anyone would like to give it a try, I did stats for the fighters to try and do a Silent Death style game using Starmada.
I never got around to trying it out so I don't know how it will work.

Type: A-WING-class - STARFIGHTER (50)               
Hull: 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 12 8 4                                          
Screens: [TL0] 5 4 2
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[VW] 2:[VW] 3:[V] 4:[V] 5:[W] 6:[W]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                
Battery W: Concussion Missile, 4/8/12, 1/5+/1/2, Area Effect
[g] [g] Ammo: 6
Special: [TL0] Hyperdrive; Countermeasures               

Type: B-WING-class - STARFIGHTER (225)               
Hull: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 5 5 4 3 3 2 1                                      
Screens: [TL0] 16 14 12 10 7 5 3
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[VY] 2:[W] 3:[X] 4:[X] 5:[X] 6:[Y]               
Battery V: Auto Blaster, 3/6/9, 1/5+/1/1, Increased Hits
[g]                
Battery W: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g]                
Battery X: Ion Cannon, 3/6/9, 2/4+/1/1, Increased Impact
[g] [g] [g]
Battery Y: Proton Torpedo, 2/4/6, 1/5+/2/1, Catastrophic
[g] [g] Ammo: 10
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating; Countermeasures; Fire Control; Hyperdrive               

Type: X-WING-class - STARFIGHTER (88)               
Hull: 5 4 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 8 7 5 4 2                                        
Screens: [TL0] 12 10 8 5 3
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[VW] 2:[VW] 3:[V] 4:[V] 5:[V] 6:[W]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g] [g] [g]                
Battery W: Proton Torpedo, 2/4/6, 1/5+/2/1, Catastrophic   
[g] [g] Ammo: 6   
Special: [TL0] Countermeasures; Hyperdrive               

Type: Y-WING-class - STARFIGHTER (188)               
Hull: 7 6 5 4 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 6 6 5 4 3 2 1                                      
Screens: [TL0] 14 12 10 8 6 4 2
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[V] 2:[V] 3:[W] 4:[W] 5:[X] 6:[]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                
Battery W: Proton Torpedo, 2/4/6, 1/5+/2/1, Catastrophic
[g] [g] Ammo: 8               
Battery X: Ion Cannon, 3/6/9, 2/4+/1/1, Increased Impact
[abcdef]                
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating; Countermeasures; Hyperdrive               

Type: Z-95 HEADHUNTER-class - STARFIGHTER (53)               
Hull: 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 8 6 3                                          
Screens: [TL0] 10 7 4
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[VW] 2:[VW] 3:[V] 4:[V] 5:[W] 6:[W]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                
Battery W: Concussion Missile, 4/8/12, 1/5+/1/2, Area Effect
[g] [g] Ammo: 6   
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating; Hyperdrive               

Type: TIE-class - STARFIGHTER (21)               
Hull: 2 1               
Engines: [TL0] 14 7                                           
Screens: [TL0] 6 3
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[V] 2:[V] 3:[V] 4:[V] 5:[V] 6:[V]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                

Type: TIE ADVANCED-class - STARFIGHTER (51)               
Hull: 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL1] 14 10 5                                          
Screens: [TL0] 10 7 4
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[V] 2:[V] 3:[V] 4:[V] 5:[] 6:[]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                
Special: [TL1] Armor Plating; Countermeasures; Fire Control               

Type: TIE INTERCEPTOR-class - STARFIGHTER (29)               
Hull: 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 14 10 5                                          
Screens: [TL0] 6 4 2
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[2V] 2:[2V] 3:[V] 4:[V] 5:[V] 6:[V]               
Battery V: Light Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/1
[g] [g] [g] [g]                

Type: TIE BOMBER-class - STARFIGHTER (68)               
Hull: 3 2 1                
Engines: [TL0] 8 6 3                                          
Screens: [TL0] 11 8 4
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[VW] 2:[VW] 3:[VX] 4:[VX] 5:[WX] 6:[WX]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                
Battery W: Proton Torpedo, 2/4/6, 1/5+/2/1, Catastrophic
[g] [g] Ammo: 6               
Battery X: Concussion Missile, 4/8/12, 1/5+/1/2, Area Effect
[g] [g] Ammo: 6   
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating               

Type: MILLENIUM FALCON-class - YT-1300 LIGHT FREIGHTER (344)               
Hull: 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1               
Engines: [TL0] 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1                           
Screens: [TL0] 16 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[V] 2:[W] 3:[] 4:[] 5:[] 6:[]               
Battery V: Quad Laser Cannon, 2/4/6, 4/4+/1/1
[abcdef] [abcdef]                
Battery W: Concussion Missile, 4/8/12, 1/5+/1/2, Area Effect
[g] [g] Ammo: 8   
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating; Cargo (150); Countermeasures; Fire Control; Transport (75)               

Type: SLAVE 1-class - PATROL CRAFT (352)               
Hull: 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1               
Engines: [TL0] 6 6 6 5 5 5 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1 1                           
Screens: [TL0] 14 14 13 12 11 11 10 9 8 7 7 6 5 4 4 3 2 1
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[V] 2:[W] 3:[X] 4:[] 5:[] 6:[]               
Battery V: Laser Cannon, 4/8/12, 1/4+/1/2
[g] [g]                
Battery W: Auto Blaster, 3/6/9, 1/5+/1/1, Increased Hits
[g] [g]                
Battery X: Proton Torpedo, 2/4/6, 1/5+/2/1, Catastrophic
[g] [g] Ammo: 8
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating; Cargo (200); Countermeasures; Fire Control; Mines (25); Transport (100)               

Type: TANTIVE IV-class - CORVETTE (1059)               
Hull: 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1               
Engines: [TL0] 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1               
Screens: [TL0] 20 20 19 18 18 17 16 16 15 14 14 13 12 12 11 10 10 9 8 8 7 6 6 5 4 4 3 2 2 1
Weapons: [TL0] 1:[V] 2:[W] 3:[] 4:[] 5:[] 6:[]               
Battery V: Turbo Laser, 6/12/18, 1/5+/1/3, Piercing +1
[ace] [ace] [bdf] [bdf]                
Battery W: Twin Turbo Laser, 6/12/18, 2/5+/1/3, Piercing +1
[abcd] [abcd]
Special: [TL0] Armor Plating; Cargo (750); Countermeasures; Fire Control; Hyperdrive; Marines (20); Transport (750)

52

(10 replies, posted in News)

My board is green. Commence Primary Ignition.

53

(6 replies, posted in Game Design)

What about wooden counters like the ones that you used to have for Starmada?

If I was buying Grand Admiral, I'd buy some wooden rectangles at Hobby Lobby or Michaels, and print the counters out on Avery label paper.

54

(20 replies, posted in Starmada)

RobinStirzaker wrote:

The thing is that the drones carried by fighters have the same range as those carried by ships - this allows your fighters to fire from beyond the defensive weapons of the target ship and then either retire to rearm or follow the drones in given the target the choice of what to fire at (and often launching a second waves of drones at point blank range once the ship has used its defensive weapons).  This means that you have a fight of fighters launching a flight of strikers.

I think this can be easily done. For example the F-14 that I posted above, could activate as a striker 12 hexes from it's target, launch the striker attack but remain in the hex it started in. Not exactly by the rules but a reasonable fudge.

RobinStirzaker wrote:

I would suggest that you need a "RNG-2" or "RNG-3" option for fighters to allow for the use of stand-off weapons outside the range of the close defense weapons (anti-fighter batteries) of ships.

+1

OldnGrey wrote:

I think that most of the mentioned types could be made with the existing fighter/Dual Mode traits.

Seems the only thing missing is an "Unarmed" trait for a Dual Mode fighter carrying single or ROF-x stingers only.

Paul

With out adding some sort of rules for rearming fighters, how is a dual mode Unarmed/Striker fighter any different in game play from the A-6 Striker that I posted above? Once it fires it's striker it has no further impact on the game.

Of course if we add rearming rules, then absolutely we need an unarmed trait for fighters like the A-6.

55

(20 replies, posted in Starmada)

For dual-mode fighters, one mode can be a striker and the other mode a standard fighter. The striker is a single shot that is marked off after use, the regular fighter stays on the board and can be used again.

See rule F.9 Dual-Mode Fighters.

This option may only be used for fighter flights--however, one of the two modes may be as a striker (but not a seeker: see option F.6: Strikers). In this case, the striker mode may be used only once, after which only the fighter mode is available.

A couple of examples.
For a flight of Fed F-14's with a Phaser Gatling and a pair of Heavy drones, you might design it like this.
F-14, Size: 6, Speed: 12, Defense: 0, Mode 1 (Fighter/5+/ROF-3) Mode 2 (Striker/4+/ROF-2/DMG-2) Capacity 99

An A-10 with 2 Phaser-3's (1 front, 1 rear) and Photon Torpedo could be done like this.
A-10,Size: 6, Speed: 8, Defense: 2, Mode 1 (Fighter/5+/ROF-2) Mode 2 (Striker/4+/Bomber/DMG-3) Capacity 80

A fighter without an internal phaser would be just a striker.
A-6, Size: 6, Speed: 8, Defense: 1, (Striker/4+/ROF-2) Capacity 34

56

(9 replies, posted in Starmada)

My take on Fusions pretty similar, but the Hellbores are a little different. The main thing I try to do when designing weapons to fit into the SFB universe, is to keep the SU value similar to existing weapons. Mainly the Disrupter & Photon. (Disr SU: 30, Photon SU: 24) The PPD comes in at an SU of 28.

Fusions are short ranged and inaccurate, but if they hit you they are gonna hurt.
Fusion Beam, 3/6/9, 1/5+/1/2, Range-Based DMG
Fusion Beam OL, 3/6/-, 1/5+/1/4, Carronade; Range-Based DMG               
SU: 20

Hellbores could use some sort of enveloping trait,but I went with a higher IMP and Piercing +1.
I could see how Ranged Based Impact could work too.
Hellbore, 5/10/15, 1/4+/2/1, Piercing +1
Hellbore (OL), 5/10/-, 1/4+/4/1, Carronade; Piercing +1               
SU: 36

Phaser G I just went with a Phaser 3 with Range Based ROF.
Phaser-G, 3/6/9, 1/4+/1/1, Anti-Fighter; Range-Based ROF
SU:12 (Phaser 3 SU is 6)

Stingers I went with flight sizes of 1,3 & 6 to cover all the different load outs.
After seeing your designs I may redo the second mode as Strikers to represent the single shot nature of the Fusion/Hellbore load. But that makes them awfully similar to the seeker/drones that the Feds, Klings & Kzin use.  :?:
Stinger-1, 1, 3 or 6/12/0, (Fighter/5+)(Fighter/5+/Bomber/DMG-2)
Stinger-2, 1, 3 or 6/12/0, (Fighter/5+/ROF-3)(Fighter/5+/Bomber/DMG-2)
Stinger-H, 1, 3 or 6/12/0, (Fighter/5+/ROF-3)(Fighter/5+/Bomber/Piercing)
Stinger-F, 1, 3 or 6/12/0, (Fighter/5+/ROF-3)

For the ESG I think the Shockwave from Starmada X would work. Or at least be a place to start. On a similar note the Stutter Drive from ST:X would be a good starting point for the Andromedan's Displacement Device.
Now the Tholian Web on the other hand... :?:

57

(9 replies, posted in Starmada)

Nerroth wrote:

Maybe you'll have better luck next time!


(As an aside, it occurred to me that even without PPD rules, the current plasma options allow for certain ISC ships to fly in the game already. I suspect it'll be a long while before I see any of those in-system, but still... Hooray!)

You could always design your own. Other than the splash damage I don't remember anything about the PPD that can't be covered with the basic Starmada weapon design.

How about this for a PPD w/overload?
Regular Mode: RNG -/10/15, ROF 1, ACC 3+, IMP 1, DMG 1; Increased Hits, Minimum Range
Overload Mode: RNG -/10/-, ROF 2, ACC 3+, IMP 1, DMG 1; Carronade, Increased Hits, Minimum Range

Minimum Range encourages Echelon Tactics & Increased Hits mimics the pulses.

58

(10 replies, posted in Discussion)

Good news. Something changed since Friday. This morning I was able to get here from work without any problem. 8-)

59

(10 replies, posted in Discussion)

My work uses McAffe and last week it started being blocked as a "Phishing" site.

What a pain in the Bass. wink

60

(6 replies, posted in Starmada)

For really cheap maps & counters RPGnow has several downloadable sets for sale.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php? … 0_0_2730_0 Space map & counter set.
http://www.rpgnow.com/product_info.php? … 0_0_2730_0 Counter set.

If you are a little more crafty, you can make your own counters.
I start with 1.25 inch diameter wooden disks from the local craft store and Avery full page label paper.
Disks
<IMG src="http://www.americanwoodcrafterssupply.com/images/d/Discs/disks_wooden.jpg">http://www.americanwoodcrafterssupply.com/images/d/Discs/disks_wooden.jpg</IMG>
There are plenty of places online to download spaceship artwork. Just use a photo editer (Photoshop, Paint..) and size and print the art on the Avery label paper. The link below is to a set of drone counters that I made using a drawing of a Nike-Zeus missile.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/ … Drones.jpg

Then I cut them out using a craft hole punch and peal and stick to the wooden disks.
<IMG src="http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_430xN.79899749.jpg">http://ny-image1.etsy.com/il_430xN.79899749.jpg</IMG>

As a time waster, I've always been partial to 30-Second Bunnies Theatre.
http://www.angryalien.com/

62

(23 replies, posted in Starmada)

RobinStirzaker wrote:

If they were added as an extra page or so at the back of the PDF version of the product could they then not be copied and pasted into Vassal?

The source book PDF's are copy protected. You can't copy and paste from them.
The Drake notation would have to be a separate, unprotected PDF to allow copy and paste.

63

(1 replies, posted in Starmada)

Harrigan wrote:

I've noticed in the MyShipbuilder sheet and in Klingon Armada there there's a Starship option called "shuttle." Seems pretty obvious as to what it is, but I can't find a write-up anywhere describing if its able to ferry marines, etc. Can someone point me to the book and section that has it?

Thanks in advance.

The write-up is in Klingon Armada. I don't have my book with me so I don't know what page it's on off-hand, but it's in the setting specific section before the ship cards.

Basically, each shuttle can either carry one marine squad or act as a seeker. You have to chose which at the time of launch.

64

(6 replies, posted in Miniatures)

The ones at UStoys are the old Silent Death minis, same as EM4 has.
Another option is American Science & Surplus (http://www.sciplus.com). Do a search for Buck Rogers and you will find the plastic figures from the old Buck Rogers board game. They are small and not very detailed, but for a couple of bucks you can put together a huge fleet.
<IMG src="http://www.sciplus.com/itm_photos/webbuckrogers.jpg">http://www.sciplus.com/itm_photos/webbuckrogers.jpg</IMG>
Bottom row, left to right.
BR WAR BIRDS, (36)    $1.00
BR FIGHTER PLANES, (96)    $1.00 
BR SPACE SHUTTLES, (24)    $1.00

65

(12 replies, posted in Starmada)

Harrigan wrote:

Last question: is there a source of pre-painted minis around? Ideally pre-painted from the manufacturer? I'm *horrible* at painting minis, and for as much as I like these kinds of games, have never gotten enjoyment out of sitting down with the paintbrush...

Poliorcetes wrote:

I don't like to paint and I'm just starting to try the starship miniature scene.

Another source for prepainted are the Hasbro Titanium line of die-cast. Most are 3-4 inches long and come with a 2 inch long base. I remount mine on a standard 1 inch hex base with a steel washer on the bottom for balance. Even some of the fighters make good capital ships. The Star Wars line is the most extensive but they did have Battlestar Galactica ships too.

Or find some 1 3/4 inch diameter wooden disks and a 1 1/2 inch diameter hole punch at your local craft store. (Hobby Lobby or Michaels type place) Download pretty overhead pictures of starships from the internet, size them down to less than 1 1/2 inches long and print them on a solid sheet of Avery label paper. Then use the hole punch to punch them out and stick them on the disks. These work really well for fighter flights or for creating really large fleets without breaking the budget.

66

(13 replies, posted in The Admiralty Edition)

Not trying to troll or anything. You posted a maxed out over the top design so I posted a maxed out over the top design specificaly to counter it. Or were you looking for a "reasonable" response?

Frankly, I find that type of min/max design process to be annoying and no fun to play. I prefer fleets/ships with flaws and warts that leave you asking "How the hell am I supposed to use that?"

Sorry if you got annoyed. That was not my intention.

67

(13 replies, posted in The Admiralty Edition)

A couple of thousand points of escort ships with lots of anti-fighter weapons. You have a 9000 pnt Starbase. I can build a LOT of ships for 9000 pnts.

That and ships can out run fighters/strikers given enough time to accelerate.

68

(13 replies, posted in The Admiralty Edition)

Take 60 of them and space them out so they arrive 1 per turn. If the base stays cloaked, I send the rest of my fleet to destroy whatever the base is supposed to be protecting.

Or I could build a large wooden badger.... tongue

69

(13 replies, posted in The Admiralty Edition)

How to kill a 9000 pnt base with 35 pnts of ships.

Start 466 hexes away with 1 Flotilla of these.

Type: Sir Isaac Newton-class  RELATIVISTIC ROCK FLOTILLA (35)
Ships: 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: [TL0] 1
Shields: [TL0] 0
Weapons: [TL0]
Battery V: C+ Rock Gun, 1/2/3, 3/2+/3/3, Piercing +3
[g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g]
[g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g] [g]
Ammo: 1@

Accelerating at 1 hex per turn, in 29 turns, they will arrive at range 31 moving at 30 hexes per turn. The next turn, at range 1, you should, on average, get about 150 hull hits. yikes  (Yes, I did take into account the armor.)

If nothing else, this should be a reasonable stand in for an asteroid strike. :twisted:

*Edited for a better name.

70

(2 replies, posted in News)

A veteran is someone, who at one point in his life, wrote a blank check made payable to their country for an amount up to and including his life.-Author unknown

<IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/bekosh/Smilies/usa3.gif">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/bekosh/Smilies/usa3.gif</IMG><IMG src="http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/bekosh/Smilies/icon_salute.gif">http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v456/bekosh/Smilies/icon_salute.gif</IMG>

71

(2 replies, posted in Starmada)

Crud. :evil: The problems are with mine.
There was an error in the SU calculation for each battery. I fixed a rounding error in the battery ORAT calculation in v6.0g and didn't fix it in the SU calculation.

The CRAT was rounding up instead of rounding to the nearest whole number.

I've fixed it and posted v6.1 in the files section.

Mea Culpa. :oops:

72

(42 replies, posted in Starmada)

I found a couple more ship corrections.

Kzinti Dreadnought
Should have 3 more Phaser-3s in Battery Y. Arcs [ACEF] [ACEF] [ACEF]
The cost goes to 670 and the weapon damage chart becomes:
1: XY
2: XZ
3: XZ
4: YZ
5: Y
6: Y

Tholian Destroyer
Battery Z Disruptor arcs should be [ABC] [ABD] instead of [ABCD] [ABD].
the cost goes to 181 and no change to the weapon damage chart.

73

(10 replies, posted in Starmada)

cricket wrote:

The biggest change is -13 points (the Battle Station goes from 813 to 800 points).

I'm having trouble with this one too. With the revised Tractors & Probes, I get a CRAT of 738, I had 740 before revision.
I changed the SU's to 120% and the ACC divisors per the book.

Type: Battle Station (738)               
Hull: 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines: [TL0]
Faceted: [TL0] 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Facets: (3,3,3,3,3,3) DRAT Base 90
Weapons: [TL0]
Battery V: Phaser-3, 3/6/9, 1/4+/1/1, Anti-Fighter
[abcd] [abcd] [acef] [acef] [bdef] [bdef]   ORAT 240

Battery W: Phaser-4, 8/16/24, 3/5+/1/1, Range-Based ROF
[abcd] [abcd] [acef] [acef] [bdef] [bdef] [abcdef]  ORAT 3052.5

Battery X: Mode1: Photon Torp, 5/10/15, 1/4+/1/3, Doubled Range Mods
Mode2: Photon Torp (OL), 5/10/15, 1/4+/1/5, Carronade; Double Range Mods.; Slow-Firing
[abcd] [acef] [bdef] [abcdef] [abcdef]  ORAT 870
           
Special: [TL0] Cargo (500); Drone Rack (2)  ORAT 120 DRAT 4.8; Marines (24)  DRAT 24; Probe (5)  ORAT 25; Science (100); Shuttle (4)  ORAT 60 DRAT 2.4; Teleporters (4)  ORAT 40; Tractor Beam (4)  ORAT 84
   
Fighters: [TL0]               
2xDrone, 4/8/0, (Seeker/4+)               
4xShuttle, 1/4/0, (Boarding Pod/5+)(Seeker/4+)               

ORAT: 4491.5
DRAT: 121.2
CRAT: 738

74

(10 replies, posted in Starmada)

Thanks. I forgot the multipliers for Anti-Fighter & Fighter Exclusive. (28*.78=21.84 or 22) :oops:

75

(4 replies, posted in Discussion)

It's not just you, I get the same thing.