Topic: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

Hi all I bought the book online yesterday, my 'background' to the game is FC so I saw a couple of things that look a bit 'strange' within the book - though I've only skimmed so far. Just after comments from anyone who knows better!

1) The way thrust works there doesn't seem to be any kind of agility / turning circle differentiation between the ships in the game - of course the ships have different thrust values but that does not seem to stop them turning (indeed a DN seems to be capable of making a 120 degree turn in a move) - have I missed something? or does this not make much difference in the long run?
Also I've seen the 'cinematic movement' option and this looks like a better option for me than the standard 'inertia' mechanism of movement - anybody play with this?

2) Photons don't seem to be slow - seems strange from a long background of expecting photons to not fire every turn. If I just add 'slow' will it screw anything up?

3) Similarly disruptors are slow when overloaded. Again, if I change that will it cause issues?

I don't want to mess with the game too much, in fact I'd rather just play the rules but I would like the weapons to act like the FC ones.

Thanks, Stu.

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

1) Movement is based (loosely) on vector mechanics. Thus, in theory, even the slowest ship can turn completely around in a single move, but it can do so only if traveling at a slow-enough speed. If you use the cinematic movement rule instead, the game will feel more like SFB/FC.

2) If you add "slow" to photons, the Federation ships will become seriously underpowered.

3) Likewise, if you remove "slow" from overloaded disruptors, Klingons will become overpowered.

The issue with weapons is that Starmada does not have (a) a defined turn length or (b) energy allocation. Thus, we couldn't do a straight 1:1 comparison with turn lengths in SFB/FC, because that would mean plasmas would fire every third turn -- an eternity in a Starmada game. Similarly, without energy allocation to restrict the over-use of overloaded weapons, we added "slow".

In the end, you can tweak the ships however your want; just be prepared for some balance issues. smile

Hope that helps.

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I guess this question is for Nova?

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

The questions (and answers) apply both to Nova and Admiralty.

Sent from my SPH-L710 Using ForumTouch for Android

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I haven't seen where disruptors are "slow" when overloaded in Admiralty. I have almost every book for Admiralty and I think it is a great system. I have been completely impressed with starship construction. I can't see how any change to a weapon could upset game balance as long as the correct CRAT is used as the guide line. Isn't that the point in having such a comprehensive CRAT?

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

Two things that disapointed me over the SFU books. One that is related to SFU is that there are fleets that are very similar (klingons and kzinti) and in the end, too many things look like the same (all have phasers, transporters, etc.).
The other is about the starmada translation. Ships are much too powerful. Their life expectancy is very small. I remember a game (Admiralty) where a klingon destroyer was destroyed at long range (18 hexes) due to disruptor fire) from some kzinti ships. Two or three cruisers fired at long-range this way and pouf, no more destroyer.
Such a thing would never have happened with SFB and although I don't ask for both games to be similar, I just felt that starmada ships should be less easier to kill just to give us more time to move around and maneuver and not simply move straight one or two turns before one fleet is  shotto ribbons. range-based ROF phasers are especially monstruous...

Marc

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I understand it can happen and happen fast. However, the kzinti player had to have rolled fives and sixes to hit at that range and score enough damage to get all it's hull. Sounds like lucky shooting too. In SFB it would have lost most of it's shield and had to turn off or start taking internals but it could have stayed and fought for many more turns. You could make a simple change to make it last longer, when hull hits are scored for damage mark a half a box. That will give them more time to fly.

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I don't remember the détails, but it was bloody for a start.
The solution for me was to recreate the fleets according to my taste, making the ships simpler to use and with a lower firepower to resistance ratio .

Marc

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I would like to see those ships.

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I've done a first try there:

http://www.mj12games.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=5595

But I reworked to simplify them again. I didn't finish the work though.
But I played with the last version and they work well, at least to my taste.

Marc

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

Thanks

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I let my work to rest sometimes, but my goal is:
- Simplify the designs to avoid systems that have no real impact in a so fast paced game. For example, marines everywhere. I prefer to let some commando ships have a lot of them than have all ships have some of them. They tend to negate themselves.
- Simplify the weapons arcs and number of weapons systems: Usually, one heavy with FF, one close range, light, medium TT.
- In my STA universe, the SFU shields are shields, but all ships also have armor, just to jeep them fighting longer.
- Reducing the ships designs to those that are really useful.
- Standardizing designs, for example, all DN are (for example) 24 hulls.

All in all, it makes the designs simpler and thus the games can deploy a lot of ships and keep a good pace.
You don't have for example, to continually look at the SSD to determine the fire arcs of each and every weapon.

Marc

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

Yeah, you did a great job they sweet.

Re: New to Starmada (Klingon Armada)

I do the same for the Naval-style Starships I design & use.  A
in fact, all of these BBs & DNs have the same three weapons, with the larger ones having more of them & more hull/armor, the smaller ones having less.  All of these weapons have Acr.
Everyone of these Naval-type starships have:
  some range 18 Plasma Guns that have Dfs&Dx2,
  some range 15 Mass Drivers with Cts&Dx2,
  some range  3 Chain-guns with Dfs.
The DNs that represent the USS Arizona, HMS Warspite, IJN Nagato, etc are CR=650.  They have 49 Hull, 49Armor, &:
   4 FX Plasma Guns,
   4 AX Plasma Guns,
   5 CD Mass Drivers,
15 TT Chain-guns.
These ships have a thrust=6, no shields, & no ECM. 
I have one larger type of DN representing the unbuilt SouthDakota class, and many smaller ships representing the South Carolina, Florida, Arkansas, & Texas classes.  They are a lot of fun to play and work well in the games I play.  I also have CG designs, DDs, & CVs.
Cheers