• Registered: 2005-04-25
  • Posts: 39

Re: Federation CA data card

Here are a few off the wall ideas...

Shields
First shield hit is taken on the facing shield.  All remaining hits are rolled for randomly (d6, 6 possible results). Hits scored against down shields are ignored.

Pseudo Power management
Ok, I know eyes will roll on this one.  But it puts the decision to fire overloads in the right place, and presents a tactical decision of firing overloads or reinforcing shields.

- Overload Weapons (Letter O?)
All heavy weapons on the ship are prepared for overload firing.  They cannot be fired in normal mode on this turn, and if they are fired this turn they may not be fired next turn if the overload variant of the weapon has the slow firing trait.   Ships with this order plotted may not use shield reinforcement.

- Shield Reinforcement (no idea on letter)
The ship may ignore the first shield hit they receive during this turn.  Ships using shield reinforcement may not use the Overload Weapons order.

Basically a set of mutually exclusive combat options for the ship that at a high level represent how power is being allocated.   It could even be expanded to include a third option which grants the ship +1 to its engine rating for the turn.  This lets the player pick between offense, defense and speed/maneuver.  Basically the three things power is used for in SFB/FC.

Not sure how to cost it though.

Just a thought... feel free to burn me in effigy.

Alchemist

  • Registered: 2005-04-02
  • Posts: 125

Re: Federation CA data card

Shields...

Is it the first hit of every volley, from every ship, etc. that automatically gets negated by the shields before rolling the other hits..

  • Registered: 2005-03-29
  • Posts: 330

Re: Federation CA data card

I still can't decide if I like the option of the first shield damage taking from the incoming fire arc or if the first damage is a shield from the incoming arc.  Of course, the first way is a lot easier to add to the starmada engine...

-Bren

  • Registered: 2005-04-02
  • Posts: 125

Re: Federation CA data card

Well, and to add one more thought....if the first hit is always taken by the shield..how does that fit with a Borg Cube firing at a constitution class cruiser? Technically, the technology of the borg cube should go right through the shields of a constitution class cruiser..even with the shields at full strenght. If the first hit always gets taken by the shield...then no matter how big the hit, the shields will take it?

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

Re: Federation CA data card

kehrer1701 wrote:

Well, and to add one more thought....if the first hit is always taken by the shield..how does that fit with a Borg Cube firing at a constitution class cruiser?

Well, since the Borg are not part of the Star Fleet Universe, there's no problem, right? big_smile

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2005-12-28
  • Posts: 195

Re: Federation CA data card

cricket wrote:
kehrer1701 wrote:

Well, and to add one more thought....if the first hit is always taken by the shield..how does that fit with a Borg Cube firing at a constitution class cruiser?

Well, since the Borg are not part of the Star Fleet Universe, there's no problem, right? big_smile


pfft, I fight them every time Beowulf's nephew comes to play.   big_smile

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

Re: Federation CA data card

kehrer1701 wrote:

If the first hit always gets taken by the shield...then no matter how big the hit, the shields will take it?

Seriously, tho...

My understanding of the suggestion is that the first point of damage is used to reduce the facing shield; not that the first "hit" is absorbed by the shields. Thus, a trait like "Piercing +3" would still suffice to simulate Borg weaponry.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2005-04-02
  • Posts: 125

Re: Federation CA data card

ah, I was just trying to show that what ever you come up with to simulate a star trek type of shield rule, that people will naturally want to expand it to "other" Star Trek era ships. So, whatever rule comes up, I was trying to say that it had to be able to be "universal."
I guess once I see the 'offical playtest rules' I can understand the proposed concept better.

with the proposed rule, is it per volley, per attack, per Captains yelling...

  • Registered: 2005-03-27
  • Posts: 811

Re: Federation CA data card

kehrer1701 wrote:

with the proposed rule, is it per volley, per attack, per Captains yelling...

actually, it's per stone-weight of the gamer running the ship. The heavier you are, the better your weapons fire.

Might as well capitalize on gamers' most common trait

There's a decibal to shield correlation there someplace too.

  • Registered: 2008-12-22
  • Posts: 654

Re: Federation CA data card

kehrer1701 wrote:

ah, I was just trying to show that what ever you come up with to simulate a star trek type of shield rule, that people will naturally want to expand it to "other" Star Trek era ships. So, whatever rule comes up, I was trying to say that it had to be able to be "universal."
I guess once I see the 'offical playtest rules' I can understand the proposed concept better.

with the proposed rule, is it per volley, per attack, per Captains yelling...

Just wondering, has anyone proposed lowering the shield rating by the number of IMP dice that it stops in that facing?  Don't reduce the shield rating track as if it were damage, just the facet. That would seem to give it the feel that the shield was hit by something and reduced, but not technically damaged. Maybe each turn the shield could regenerate 1 point of facet (total for the entire ship not each facet) not to exceed the total shield rating available on the track (to add actual damage to the equation). That would seem to give the feel of Trek shields that reduce as they are struck, and damage does seem to penetrate all the time on screen, even while the shields still have XYZ precent remaining. It may not be a port from SFB but it should give the "feel" of Trek. It would probably necessitate re-costing shields, and could theoretically make ratings of greater than 5 not outrageous ("Shields 7 eh? Well we'll just whittle those down a bit with phaser fire before we go in for the kill")
Just thinking out loud...er...in type.
Cheers,
Erik