Topic: Boarding Pods info

I wounder what is the formula for calculating boarding pod space capacity, or at least what number I should use as 183 big_smile

This info miss in the Starmada Rulebook, or at least I missed it big_smile

And speaking about boarding pod... Can anyone give me some advice? How to use them and how to defend? And why use them and not teleporter?

Re: Boarding Pods info

Boarding pod capacity and SU cost is covered with Marine Squads in S:AE core rules, Pg 38.

S:ISS covers Breacher Pods.

Re: Boarding Pods info

Yes, but the rules on page 38, while stating that Boarding Pods can be customized per F.1, fail to provide a coefficient for the formula found in F.1.

Using the revised capacity for standard boarding pods of 16, and the boarding pod stats of 6/10/4+/0, when I the formula backwards, I get a coefficient of 12.

Re: Boarding Pods info

The coefficient is 18.

Boarding pods are a form of striker used to transport marines to their target. A standard boarding pod flight is identical to a striker flight, except that its capacity requirement is 16. Pod flights may be customized per option F.1: Customized Fighter Flights, but may not be given any fighter traits. The initial coefficient in the capacity requirement formula is 18, not 183.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

Okay, now *I'm* really confused.  Using a coefficient of 18, and the Boarding Pod stats on Page 38 of SAE Core (v0.0) of Size 6, Speed 10, Attack 4+, Defense 0, I get:

(18 * (7*7) * 10 / 4 /6)**.5 = 19.16 -> capacity 20

v0.0 says the capacity for these boarding pods is 25
v1.0 revision summary says the capacity for these boarding pods is 16

What am I missing?

Re: Boarding Pods info

Don't try to reverse engineer the boarding pods like you would any other fighter flight. Remember: they are only useful when combined with marine squads; for which you've ALSO paid in space units and combat rating.

The actual value for boarding pods was determined using the quadratic equation... wink

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

So what it sounds like you are saying is that standard board pods are cheaper than custom boarding pods because they are standard wink

Re: Boarding Pods info

rafial wrote:

So what it sounds like you are saying is that standard board pods are cheaper than custom boarding pods because they are standard wink

Remember...they ARE built by the lowest bidder!  lol

Re: Boarding Pods info

Okay, I didn't want to get into the math, but since it seems important... smile

A flight of boarding pods is roughly the equivalent of a striker flight with DMG 2 (since it automatically causes a "hull" hit). This means its capacity requirement should be 26 ((29 x [6 + 1]^2 x 10 / 6 / 6)^.5 x 1.3 = 25.83). Therefore, you should be adding +145 to the ORAT and +5.8 to the DRAT per flight.

However, remember that you've already "paid" for some of this via the marines themselves -- +1 to the DRAT per squad, or +6 for enough squads to fill a boarding pod flight.

So, what we need is a value N that, when including the marine's DRAT addition, comes out to a final result of 26. Or:

(5N x (N/5 + 6))^.5 = 26

5N x (N/5 + 6) = 676

N^2 + 30N = 676

N^2 + 30N - 676 = 0

The solutions for N are 15.01 and -45.02 -- obviously, we won't be using the negative result. Keeping with precedent, the 15.01 is rounded up to 16.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

rafial wrote:

Okay, now *I'm* really confused.  Using a coefficient of 18, and the Boarding Pod stats on Page 38 of SAE Core (v0.0) of Size 6, Speed 10, Attack 4+, Defense 0, I get:

(18 * (7*7) * 10 / 4 /6)**.5 = 19.16 -> capacity 20

Also, a standard boarding pod flight has a to-hit of 5+, not 4+? If you plug in /6 instead of /4 for the attack value, you get a result of 16...

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

Aha! SAE Core 0.0 pg 38 lists an attack value of 4+ for boarding pods, and the 1.0 revision summary does not errata this. There's the discrepancy!

Re: Boarding Pods info

rafial wrote:

Aha! SAE Core 0.0 pg 38 lists an attack value of 4+ for boarding pods, and the 1.0 revision summary does not errata this. There's the discrepancy!

Oh... I forgot that was even a change. :oops:

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

Excuse me, where I can find the 1.0 revision summary?

Re: Boarding Pods info

Zerloon wrote:

Excuse me, where I can find the 1.0 revision summary?

http://www.mj12games.com/starmada/mjg0120rev.pdf

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

cricket wrote:

Okay, I didn't want to get into the math, but since it seems important... smile

Ah... it just wouldn't be a good day until Dan pulls out the math of starmada (notice that there was a square root in there right - that's two for the price of 1))...

Just couldn't help replying
-Bren

Re: Boarding Pods info

So the ATT value for boarding pods is 5+, and the coefficient is 18?

Good to know.

Re: Boarding Pods info

Thanks for the link big_smile

But... I know maybe I'm annoyng... there no sign of the fact that boarding pod hit at 5+ rather than 4+.

Maybe is a typo of my version, but you should put an official "errata" or something like some faq.

Thanks again big_smile

Re: Boarding Pods info

Zerloon wrote:

But... I know maybe I'm annoyng... there no sign of the fact that boarding pod hit at 5+ rather than 4+.

Well, the rules state that boarding pods are the same as strikers -- which are themselves the same as fighters -- which have a standard to-hit of 5+.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

Even though underneath the rules for boarding pods they are listed as 5+...

Hmm.

Re: Boarding Pods info

Okay, in the hopes of eliminating confusion, here are the boarding pod rules in their entirety, per the most recent version of the rulebook:

BOARDING PODS

This option requires the use of option F.6: Strikers.

Boarding pods are a form of striker used to transport marines to their target. A standard boarding pod flight is identical to a striker flight, except that its capacity requirement is 16. Pod flights may be customized per option F.1: Customized Fighter Flights, but may not be given any fighter traits. The initial coefficient in the capacity requirement formula is 18, not 183.

When a flight of pods is launched, immediately remove a number of marine squads from the carrier equal to the size of the flight; e.g. if a standard flight is launched, six squads are removed. These squads have been placed inside the pods, and will be used to board enemy starships.

Damage scored by a boarding pod flight does not result in a die roll; instead, each point of damage lands one boarding party on the target.

A pod that fails to score a hit, or penetrate the target's shield rating, is not necessarily destroyed—although that is a distinct possibility. But it is unable to make another attempt, and is removed from the board like any other striker once its attack has been made.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: Boarding Pods info

murtalianconfederacy wrote:

Even though underneath the rules for boarding pods they are listed as 5+...

Hmm.

That is odd. I bought the pdf version as soon as it was available, page 38 under Boarding pods states:
A standard flight of boarding pods has a size of 6, a speed of 10, an attack value of 4+, and no defence rating.

There is no list between Boarding Pods on page 38 and Teleporters on page 39.

It is no big deal, I have corrected the shipyard.
Does the printed version differ from the pdf? I wonder.

Paul

Re: Boarding Pods info

OldnGrey wrote:
murtalianconfederacy wrote:

Even though underneath the rules for boarding pods they are listed as 5+...

Hmm.

That is odd. I bought the pdf version as soon as it was available, page 38 under Boarding pods states:
A standard flight of boarding pods has a size of 6, a speed of 10, an attack value of 4+, and no defence rating.

There is no list between Boarding Pods on page 38 and Teleporters on page 39.

It is no big deal, I have corrected the shipyard.
Does the printed version differ from the pdf? I wonder.

Paul

That's why Dan is posting the whole of the latest Paul.  There was a revision made after the initial release/printing. smile

Re: Boarding Pods info

Ta.
Just downloaded the latest version at RPG.

Paul