Star Fleet Battles Starships

[Greywind]

So you scan your crewmen, then use some random matter you've got sitting around for the sending process, instead of THEM. Yeah, you need some mass to move around, but nothing says it has to be the same mass that got scanned.

Also, (not that if affects this discussion much) the transporter, according to the technical manuals, breaks the transported object down into subatomic particles, but doesn't convert it to energy. Obviously, the show doesn't pay much attention to this.

It's also worth noting that a Star Trek transporter kills anyone who uses it, then creates a new person on the other end who THINKS they're the original. No wonder Bones didn't like them. Don't think this is true? Well, there's absolutely nothing, according to the description of their operation, that prevents the operator from waiting until the duplicate has been confirmed to have arrived safely before disintegrating the original. How do you think Riker would react to getting fizzled out of existence after hearing his duplicate call up from the surface to say he made it safely?

Riker didn't like finding out he had a duplicate that ended up sucking face with Troi.

[Midas]

So, first off, how about setting the scale to one inch equals 300,000 km, and one turn equals one second?

This gets rid of the Scalosians being the only effective crew for a starship problem.

Keep the turn mechanism of SFB, or use SPD to change directions?

Should we keep the maximum flight per turn at 30 (or 31 or 32*) inches, or can we go ahead and scale up to whatever warp the ship is capable of?

*BTW, I wank this to say that 30 is .99c, 31 is .999c, and 32 is 1c. Just different enough to give a race at near light speed.

[Christopher]

So, first off, how about setting the scale to one inch equals 300,000 km, and one turn equals one second?

That would mean every inch is a light-second. But to be useable effectively, phasers, disruptors and co. should be fired on a range where they don't have a complete second of delay. I think this would be a good starting point for a Custom Megascale/Warpscale Advantage.
For sublight flight I wouldn't go higher than 1-2 km per hex/inch (the Sovereign class is about 700m long; Galaxy around 642.5 meters; constitution barely 300m so it could qualify for being "small"). I think 1 km would be best at start, then look for a megascale/warpscale model that makes 31c not to expensive.

I really like how Star Trek Online did it:
Normal Impulse roughly equals combat movement in HERO, "Full Impulse" is Non-Combat Movement while warp is in the area of Megascale.

[Zeropoint]

Well, if you watch the shows, you'll see that the Trek verse has absolutely abysmal targeting systems, capable of routinely missing a starship-sized target at ranges of only a couple kilometers. Based on the on-screen evidence, shooting at something a whole light-second away would be pointless.

[GoldenAge]

You're not taking into account ECM, ECCM and Nimble Ships.

[Midas]

Well, if you watch the shows, you'll see that the Trek verse has absolutely abysmal targeting systems, capable of routinely missing a starship-sized target at ranges of only a couple kilometers. Based on the on-screen evidence, shooting at something a whole light-second away would be pointless.

LOL, sad but true. I've always fanwanked this as dramatic license. The Constellation wasn't *really* at small arms range when they destroyed the Doomsday Ice Cream Cone, when the Enterprise shot up the First Fed boundary buoy, etc.

[megaplayboy]

Think about some prospective weapon damages: 5d6 KA, 10d6 KA, 20d6 KA.(very light, medium and very heavy phasers, let's assume)
For 1m= 1km, Max Ranges for those three would be 750km, 1500km and 3000km, respectively.
For 1m= 10km, it would be 7500km, 15,000km, and 30,000 km
For 1m= 100km, it's 75,000km, 150,000km and 300,000km(1 light second).
If you want the ranges to equate to a finite number of hexes on the map, then keep the weapon megascale at 1m= 100km, and make the movement scale 1m=10,000km. Max range for a very heavy beam weapon is then 30 hexes. Movement would then be at a decently high sublight level.

You could also keep 1 Turn at 12 seconds.

[Old Man]

Well, if you watch the shows, you'll see that the Trek verse has absolutely abysmal targeting systems, capable of routinely missing a starship-sized target at ranges of only a couple kilometers. Based on the on-screen evidence, shooting at something a whole light-second away would be pointless.

Dramatic license ++, but you could also explain it as having starship weapons that are difficult to aim for some reason. If there's a significant delay between pulling the trigger and having the frap ray actually emerge from the emitter, or if the weapon is on some kind of extremely hard to slew physical mount, that could explain the I accuracy.

Of course at some point you're going to have to quit trying to reconcile starship combat with real physics, otherwise you'll either go mad or win a Nobel prize.

[Greywind]

Weapons firing at center mass was the justification for the Romulan ships having a large open area in TNG.

[cptpatriot]

I know us Trekkers/Trekkies like talking our Trek, but let's not forget something very simple here. The original question was asking about Star Fleet Battles starships which uses the Star Fleet Universe, which is based on the Star Trek Technical Manual, and not the Star Trek Universe that spawned TNG, DS9, and Voyager.

At least SFB has some level of consistency in combat, where as the TV shows didn't. Stuff like 'annular confinement beam jacket' for allowing FTL firing of phasers and all that stuff as said in the DS9 tech manual while there was evidence of them doing so in TOS.

[Old Man]

Weapons firing at center mass was the justification for the Romulan ships having a large open area in TNG.

That might make it the only Trek ship with any kind of justification for its shape at all.

[megaplayboy]

That might make it the only Trek ship with any kind of justification for its shape at all.

"because cylindrical and boxy ships are boring. Duh!"

[Old Man]

*cough* Honorverse *cough*

[Escafarc]

*cough* Honorverse *cough*

But "Space" is bigger in the Honorverse.

[Ninja-Bear]

I thought I heard that the Federation's saucer was to be reminiscent of UFO flying Saucers.