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

Topic: Steel and Air

This is a new Starmada: Nova Edition supplement courtesy of yours truly. Best short description is 'battleships, ironclads and wooden warships in the air'. It also includes my idea regarding flotillas...

EDIT: Because of my rush to try and get everything done, I spotted some cosmetic errors--for example, some of the TL 0 flotillas had some weapon batteries starting off on the same line as the previous battery. I also noticed that some things that I had thought through when designing the ships were not clear in the actual document--such as the troop transport carrying four assault shuttle flotillas, for example. I have clarified that in this latest version. If there are any other things that aren't clear, or other cosmetic niggles, please let me know and I'll sort them out.

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

Re: Steel and Air

Just realised that the chase gun is listed as being a TL -2/TL -1 weapon, when in fact it is only a TL -1 weapon.

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

Re: Steel and Air

Have I mentioned that I think this is really wicked awesome?

Daniel Kast
Majestic Twelve Games
cricket@mj12games.com

mj12games's Website

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

Re: Steel and Air

This setting is pretty neat, and you really look like you put some brain into coming up with the environment and the way to make Flotillas workable.
One thought did occur to me, and it's really just a terminology thing...but it caught my attention because of the "technological timeline" development of the designs (please don't take this as a criticism, more like thinking out loud) Namely, the use of carronades as the armament of the "old" ships. Carronades historically were a later development than regular cannons and seem a bit out of place as the primary armament of the era. Maybe I need to let go of the term carronade as a specific type of gun, and just get on with my life, but well, that's just how my mind works  smile
Keep up the good stuff,
Cheers,
Erik

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

Re: Steel and Air

@cricket: thanks big_smile

@Blacklancer: Yeah, I know, but Carronade sounds so much better ( wink ), and my knowledge of medieval artillery isn't up to scratch (I did write out a list of old-style cannons in use before the Spanish Armada about five years ago, but one of my clear-outs might have binned it). I also didn't want to have to put in two different types of weapons whose effects were exactly the same. Maybe I should have. I think that if I change the name of the TL -2 weapons to 'Old Heavy Gun' and 'Old Light Gun' (the same as Heavy Carronade and Light Carronade), that makes it slightly better, but for the moment I'll leave as-is...:)

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

Re: Steel and Air

Re: Flotillas

I've started work on a new setting, similar to Eternal Quest (human-centric, large-scale and with the possible addition of aliens), but with flotillas. I've decided to add a new type of flotilla, the Corvette, where each flotilla is a pair of Corvettes.

However, with each Corvette being 1.5 hulls, I'm wondering if they should have Reinforced Hulls. I'm currently thinking no, but giving them a point of armour instead. I'm also wondering whether I should keep with ECM for flotillas or go to Stealth...

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

Re: Steel and Air

murtalianconfederacy wrote:

Re: Flotillas

I've started work on a new setting, similar to Eternal Quest (human-centric, large-scale and with the possible addition of aliens), but with flotillas. I've decided to add a new type of flotilla, the Corvette, where each flotilla is a pair of Corvettes.

However, with each Corvette being 1.5 hulls, I'm wondering if they should have Reinforced Hulls. I'm currently thinking no, but giving them a point of armour instead. I'm also wondering whether I should keep with ECM for flotillas or go to Stealth...

I think Stealth...it can't be countered by offensive ECM use and  it implies something physical about the vessel's design that makes it tough to hit (in the case of Flotillas I would think size and maneuverability), rather than a "system". Reinforced systems would seem to work better than the armor in my mind because it would lessen the impact of damage (spread out?) while the armor would actually forestall it, know what I'm trying to say?

Cheers,
Erik

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

Re: Steel and Air

Yep. My main thought processes were along the lines of 'because each corvette would in essence be a 1.5 hull ship, you don't have to hit as many fire control stations, drive rooms etc to knock out a ship', combined with 'this'll give a slight bit of variety to flotillas, rather than them seeming like smaller or larger versions of the same ship'...

And I agree with you on Stealth. I went with ECM initially because it made the calculations just that little bit easier...