• Registered: 2006-09-06
  • Posts: 99

Topic: rules for broadside weaponry?

I apologyze if I am asking a question which has been already asked here. What I am wondering is if, Starmada X has special rules for ships from settings which require the majority of weapons at the "long side" firing arc (port and starboard) an not at the front arc.

As far as I know, the design point calculations evaluate only the width of the firing arc but not the quality.

For example in the Warhammer 40k setting the absolute majority of weapon banks are in the port and starboard arcs, giving the ship-to-ship combat a age-of-sails flair. The ships in WH40k are much more long than wide, so its logical that alot more weapons can be integrated at their broadsides than in the front.

If I want to recreate such an 40k age-of-sails starship combat in Starmada X, I could not detect any rules for this. Theoretically I could place all weapons in front and have no disadvantage. Are there special rules for such settings?

A quick optional rule fix, could be a WP modifier which is a rebate for broadside weapons (like 0.6 for broadside WPs) Many thanks for help.

  • Registered: 2005-03-29
  • Posts: 859

Re: rules for broadside weaponry?

Not that I can remember, no.

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

Re: rules for broadside weaponry?

No edition of Starmada to this point makes any distinction between port/starboard firing arcs and forward/aft arcs. All are point-costed solely on the width of those arcs.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

  • Registered: 2006-09-06
  • Posts: 99

Re: rules for broadside weaponry?

cricket wrote:

No edition of Starmada to this point makes any distinction between port/starboard firing arcs and forward/aft arcs. All are point-costed solely on the width of those arcs.


Thanks alot to you and murtalian for your answers. What do you think could be a satisfying rule solution for such broadside flavored spaceship option? Maybe the "rebate" of 0.6 WP I suggested in my recent post? Or maybe a limit how many weapon batteries/point cost could be put in certain firing arcs?

  • Registered: 2022-11-16
  • Posts: 516

Re: rules for broadside weaponry?

Enpeze wrote:
cricket wrote:

No edition of Starmada to this point makes any distinction between port/starboard firing arcs and forward/aft arcs. All are point-costed solely on the width of those arcs.

Thanks alot to you and murtalian for your answers. What do you think could be a satisfying rule solution for such broadside flavored spaceship option? Maybe the "rebate" of 0.6 WP I suggested in my recent post? Or maybe a limit how many weapon batteries/point cost could be put in certain firing arcs?

I'm not sure I understand why you'd need an "official" rule, or change in the point costing, for this.
If you're going to be constructing ships to simulate Battlefleet Gothic, for example, it seems like you could simply construct the ships as they are in that universe, and let the point costs fall where they fall.
If you're going to have players other than you converting or constructing ships, and you feel that a large percentage of weapons should be firing to either broadside, then simply come up with some sort of gentleman's agreement that a certain percentage of the weapons on a ship must be in either broadside arc.
If I'm remembering correctly, a lot of the weapons batteries are broadside oriented, but not all. I believe the Eldar have almost all, if not all, of their weapons (both weapons batteries and pulse lances), mounted in the forward arc.
So I think any design restrictions you incorporate would need to be race specific.
Kevin