• Registered: 2011-06-11
  • Posts: 110

Topic: Help with custom points values

I'm wanting to work out a few new ship traits and I need help with working out points for them.  I don't really understand how the points were worked out so that's where I need the help.

These are all for the B5 universe and I'm mainly converting from B5W.

1) Jump Drive
- Standard Hyperdrive rules are too slow for B5.  Also our games generally last around 2-5 turns, the current hyperdrive rules are too slow for this, by the time you decide to jump out, it's too late.  I'd like to increase this somehow and more reflect B5W where you open a jump point on your turn and it's open ready for next turn.  Keeping the jump point open longer than this means you can't fire and your engine rating is halved.

Any ideas for a cost?  Now this is a least twice as good as the existing jump drive but how would you set the points for this?  I think the existing hyperdrive is DRAT x1.2 so would it be right to say x1.4?

2) Advanced jump drive
- This is a more advanced version of the above.  There are 2 advantages.  1) You gain a bonus to jumping in to battles, to help prevent scatter and you can escape a Vortex disruptor but it's pretty much the same.  I'd say DRAT x1.5 or something.

3) Shadow Phasing Drive
- This is more similar to the current Hyperdrive rules.  You simply dissappear on the turn after activating.  My initial thoughts were to roll 2d6 all the time without a chance of failure but I think it's too slow.  I'd prefer same rules as the Jump Drive above but no placing of a jump point.

This has the disadvantage of not allowing other ships through so I'd say points are same as the jump drive.

4) Vortex Disruptor
- I've already created this by using a normal weapon with some traits to make it cheap, such as piercing -3 and no hull damage.  This makes it virtually worthless though (about 3 points on a 1000 point ship).  Any comments whether this is good enough?  I mean the weapon can't even fire at ships, but if it hits a jump point it can destroy ships entering.  Not sure how to point this?


I know this is a lot at once, but it's all related, so any help would be great!

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

Re: Help with custom points values

I've got nothing for the jump drive issues, but I think that the shadow phasing drive can be treated as a Cloaking special equipment with the regular rules without it being really broken. If you wanted to amp it up you could up the point cost a bit, treat it as a cloak that can't "fail" unless facing other ancients or something. That would certainly make the shadows pretty scary in my book! Also, if a shadow wanted to end the game by fleeing he could just cloak and declare he is never going to un-cloak...pretty much the same as jumping out.

As to the vortex disruptor, my gut feeling is that it should be a piece of special equipment, maybe the size of a standard hyperdrive to keep things simple. Depending on what you work out for the jump drives you have to work out the exact effect. Maybe it's as simple as when a ship activates a jump point, and a vortex disruptor is within range, the jump point fails, destroying the ship opening the point. Make it 1 for 1: 1 disruptor blocks one vortex, but if there are two or more the rest of the ships are unaffected.
Anyway, that's just a couple of quick thoughts.
Cheers,
Erik