• Registered: 2015-02-18
  • Posts: 4

Topic: Why is the Contstruction System so Complex

I just bought the Nova Edition and the rules were living up to their billing as simple but not simplistic until I got to the construction rules.  Its been a long time since I saw construction rules for any game with them that had math that complicated.  Logs, square roots, YIKES.  I was thinking this might be the system I use for when I want to be able to have empires clash and be able to handle large battles easily, but the construction system is making me rethink that decision and had I known it was that complex I might not have purchased the system.
Please consider revising the system.  Its all well and good that you have an online tool for building ships but in a system that prides itself on being simple to learn you shouldn't need a scientific calculator or an online tool to build new ship designs.

  • From: Denver, CO
  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 3,578

Re: Why is the Contstruction System so Complex

I understand it may seem daunting, and certainly the construction system has gotten more detailed as time went on, but there is a good reason for it.

Most of the math is necessitated as part of the point-costing system, which I am confident has shown itself over the years to be the most comprehensive and balanced you will find. OldnGrey's spreadsheet and the online construction tool hide most (if not all) of the math from you, so if you really don't want to know about the nuts and bolts, you don't have to.

That being said, I can certainly look at places where the system can be streamlined or retooled. I appreciate the feedback.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2010-11-15
  • Posts: 298

Re: Why is the Contstruction System so Complex

@Sunwolf

As Cricket pointed out, there are tools (spreadsheets/online builder) already available for you to design ships which don't require you to have any knowledge of the actual design math.  Our group played a fairly large campaign with the previous version of Starmada, using only ships we had designed ourselves.  We just used the spreadsheets and nobody had to worry about what was in the construction rules in terms of calculations/math.  It was great.

-Tim

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: Why is the Contstruction System so Complex

Welcome, if you have any problems with the ship construction there is usually someone looking in that could help.
If you decide to give Shipyard Nova a go and have any questions just ask, I look in every day or so. The spreadsheet was written with OpenOffice, which can be put on a flash drive. It is a handy way to keep everything needed together in one place along with your ship designs.

Paul

  • Registered: 2015-02-18
  • Posts: 4

Re: Why is the Contstruction System so Complex

Well it is nice that there is spreadsheet available to help with the design.
I was hoping to be able to create some simple designs with just paper and pencil as I don't always have a PC handy.

I do have a question about rounding and the trait multipliers.  Do you round to two decimal places (unless specifically noted otherwise) or do you keep all of them or truncate?  Most of the examples show two decimal places.  Also do you multiply the trait multipliers together?

Also is there a spreadsheet for the Nova edition?  I found one for the Admiralty addition and an online ship builder for the Nova addition but no spreadsheet. <edit> (I found the spreadsheet just after I posted this)

Officially the rules state there is no upper hull limit, but what is the largest hull that is practical to use in play?

Thanks in advance for considering my questions.

  • Registered: 2005-06-08
  • Posts: 760

Re: Why is the Contstruction System so Complex

Rounding: Yes rounding to two decimal places keeps everyone on the same page so to speak (in a thread way back).
Weapon trait modifiers: Again yes but makes no real difference if you multiply them together or apply them one at a time.
Just remember that the range based combinations have different SU factors.

Hull size depends upon how long you want the game to last BeowulfJB's ships can be well over 100 hull. All comes down to how long you want the games to last and how many ships there will be. What I would say is look out for the upwards spiral - Larger ships - Larger Guns - Larger ships - Larger Guns.... which I think can get just plain daft.
Take a look through the files section to see how others have handled ship sizes.

Paul