New Campaign could use some feedback

[MitchellS]

I'm working out some ideas for a science fiction game based loosely on Star Trek and, as I have none designed or played in a science fiction game in my live, would like any feedback you can give me. The basic premise so far is that there is a Galactic Council made up of all non-hostile sentient species yet encountered. The current estimated count is about 50 members overseen by a Galactic President elected every 10 years.

 

The military and exploration aspect of the game are controlled by Strategic Command. This operates similar to Starfleet but with a slightly more militaristic bent, as the galaxy is a little more apt to go hostile than the Star Trek universe.

 

The current chain of command for Strategic Command is:

 

Grand Admiral: This person is the leader of Strategic Command and answers solely to the Galactic Council.

 

Vice Admiral: These 5 individuals make up the War Council of Strategic Command.

 

Flag Admiral: These 6 individuals command Command Carriers. 5 of them operate as military governors of each of the 5 Sectors. The 6th Command Carrier is stationed at Earth and is in charge of the Earth Defense Forces.

 

Star Admiral: These individuals command Starbases and Carriers. There are currently 25 Starbases and 17 Carriers.

 

Commodore: These individuals command Starports and Battleships. There are currently 113 Starports and several hundred Battleships in Strategic Command.

 

Star Captain: These individuals command Destroyers and Cruisers.

 

Captains: These individuals command Frigates, Couriers, and Science Vessels.

 

Commander: These individuals command Troup Transports and Medical Ships.

 

Lieutenant Commander: These individuals command Repair Vessels, Supply Ships, and Fighters.

 

Ensign: These individuals command fighter craft.

 

Enlisted: These individuals make up the bulk of the Corp and cover every other gambit of operation.

 

 

The current classes of vessels of Strategic Command are:

 

Class I: [/i]Command Carriers[/i]

These are the command ships of the fleet. A Flag Admiral is always in command of these ships and they always have several other classes of ships in escort. There are currently 6 Command Carries in commission: one for each of the 5 sectors and 1 in reserve at Strategic Command at Earth. These ships generally care 50 C7-A, 50 C7-B, and 25 C7-C fighters as well as 5 C13-A and 2 C13-B couriers. A typical escort compliment will include: 3 C3, 3 C4, 1 C10, and 2 C11.

 

Class II: Carriers

These are similar to Command Carriers but on a smaller scale. Each Carrier is commanded by a Star Admiral and is responsible for a quadrant within a designated Sector: the Command Carrier is always responsible for Quadrant 1 and three Carries are responsible for Quadrants 2 through 4. There are currently 17 Carriers in commission: three for each of the 5 sections and 2 in reserve at Strategic Command. These ships generally care 40 C7-A, 40 C7-B, and 20 C7-C fighters as well as 2 C13-A and 2 C13-B couriers. A typical escort compliment will include: 2 C3, 2 C4, 1 C10, and 2 C11.

 

Class III: Battleships

These are the heavily-armored and weaponed ships of the fleet. Their soul purpose is battle and conflict. These ships are commanded by a Commodore and are generally stationed at various Starbases and Spaceports to serve as protection and patrol ships.

 

Class IV: Destroyers

These are "light" Battleships designed as escort/protection ships for other ships in the fleet. These ships are commanded by a Star Captain and are generally found patrolling supply routes and escorting military and civilian ships through hostile territory.

 

Class V: Cruisers

These ships are commanded by a Star Captain and operate as exploration and scout ships. These ships are designed to pioneer new sectors and make first contact with new races and civilizations. These ships are also used to penetrate into enemy territory to garner information and spy on enemies. There are currently two sub-classes: C5-A Pathfinder and C5-B Chameleon.

 

Class VI: Frigates

These are fast-moving warships designed for outlying border patrol. These ships are commanded by a captain and are generally the first line of defense against an enemy aggressor. Frigates are lightly armored but exceptionally maneuverable and carry potent weaponry.

 

Class VII: Fighters

These are the small, 1 to 2 man, craft generally found aboard Command Carriers, Carriers, Starbases, or Spaceports. There are currently three sub-classes: C7-A Space Viper, C7-B Hornet, C7-C Stingray. These ships are generally flown by Lieutenant Commanders or Ensigns.

 

Class VIII: Troop Transports

These ships transfer battalions of marines to combat areas. These ships have a small crew and a commanded by a Commander. There are currently two sub-classes: C8-A Armadillo and C8-B Bumblebee. These ships are generally stationed at Starbases and Starports until needed.

 

Class IX: Science Ships

These vessels, commanded by a Captain, are research centers and are usually second contact ships sent in to garner additional information about new cultures, planets, and all things scientific. These ships are generally stationed at Starbases and Starports until needed.

 

Class X: Medical Ships

These mobile hospitals are designed to heal, house, and transport injured personnel. These ships are commanded by a Commander and are either found traveling with Command Carriers and Carriers, or stationed at Spaceports awaiting potential conflicts.

 

Class XI: Supply Ships

These ships are designed to transport supplies, personnel, fuel, and other necessities to supply the fleet ships. A Lieutenant Commander and a crew of 5 are generally stationed about the huge slow-moving vessels.

 

Class XII: Repair Ships

These are mobile docking ports which carry mechanics and repair parts to damaged ships away from Starbases and Starports. The crew generally consists of a Lieutenant Commander and some 40 other officers and repair personnel.

 

Class XIII: Couriers

These ships are designed to carry hardcopy information or up to a dozen personnel quickly and easily to a desired location. Many ambassadors use this class of ship. These ships are commanded by a Captain due to the nature of the information or passengers aboard. There are currently 2 sub-classes: C13-A Cheetah and C13-B Hermes.

 

Class XIV: Non-Military Ships

This class of vehicles consists of several sub-categories which cover everything from merchant vessels to corporate transports to luxury yachts.

 

 

The vehicles use the current classes of propulsion:

 

Fusion Drives

Fusions drives are what provide thrust and operate similar to older jet and chemical propulsions systems only they are cleaner and require little upkeep or refueling.

 

49 Class A Fusion Drive (575 kph/1,725 kph): (Total: 70 Active Cost, 49 Real Cost) Flight 20", x16 Noncombat (55 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 37) plus Up To x125 NCM (15 Active Points); Only In Vacuum (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12)

62 Class B Fusion Drive (865 kph/6,900 kph): (Total: 90 Active Cost, 62 Real Cost) Flight 30", x16 Noncombat (75 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 50) plus Up To x125 NCM (15 Active Points); Only In Vacuum (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12)

75 Class C Fusion Drive (1,150 kph/9,200 kph): (Total: 110 Active Cost, 75 Real Cost) Flight 40", x16 Noncombat (95 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 63) plus Up To x125 NCM (15 Active Points); Only In Vacuum (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12)

89 Class D Fusion Drive (1,450 kph/11,250 kph): (Total: 130 Active Cost, 89 Real Cost) Flight 50", x16 Noncombat (115 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 77) plus Up To x125 NCM (15 Active Points); Only In Vacuum (-1/4) (Real Cost: 12)

93 Class E Fusion Drive (1,450 kph/22,500 kph): (Total: 135 Active Cost, 93 Real Cost) Flight 50", x16 Noncombat (115 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 77) plus Up To x250 NCM (20 Active Points); Only In Vacuum (-1/4) (Real Cost: 16)

 

Light Drives

Light drives are what allow vehicles to travel at greater than light speed. These engines operate via a balance of matter and anti-matter which allow for a distortion in the space/time field surrounding a vessel.

 

11 Series I Light Drive (1 LY/Year): Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 trillion km; +3 1/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 10,000km (+1/4); Extra Time (1 Year, -6), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Stellar Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

12 Series II Light Drive (12 LY/Year): Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 trillion km; +3 1/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 10,000km (+1/4); Extra Time (1 Month, -5), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Stellar Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

13 Series III Light Drive (52 LY/Year): Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 trillion km; +3 1/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 10,000km (+1/4); Extra Time (1 Week, -4 1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Stellar Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

14 Series IV Light Drive (365 LY/Year): Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 trillion km; +3 1/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 10,000km (+1/4); Extra Time (1 Day, -4), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Stellar Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

17 Series V Light Drive (168 LY/Week): Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 trillion km; +3 1/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 10,000km (+1/4); Extra Time (1 Hour, -3), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Stellar Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

24 Series VI Light Drive (1,440 LY/Day): Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 trillion km; +3 1/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 10,000km (+1/4); Extra Time (1 Minute, -1 1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Stellar Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

 

Jump Drives

Jump dives operate by opening a small stable worm hole in space allowing a vessel to immediately "jump" between the two points. The current limit is 10 Light Years and puts a considerable strain on the engines which limits the number of times they can be used between repairs. Jump Drives are currently used to make tactic maneuvers or as escape plans. Strategic Command hopes to soon be able to make this into a weapon of sorts.

 

14 Alpha Series Jump Drive (30 LY/Day): Teleportation 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 light-year; +3 1/2); Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), 3 Charges (-1 1/4), Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Worm Hole Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

16 Beta Series Jump Drive (60 LY/Day): Teleportation 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 light-year; +3 1/2); Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), 6 Charges (-3/4), Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Worm Hole Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

17 Gamma Series Jump Drive (90 LY/Day): Teleportation 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 light-year; +3 1/2); Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), Extra Time (Extra Phase, -3/4), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Worm Hole Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), 9 Charges (-1/4), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

18 Delta Series Jump Drive (120 LY/Day): Teleportation 10", MegaScale (1" = 1 light-year; +3 1/2); Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Requires A Worm Hole Navigation Skill Roll (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), 12 Charges (-1/4), Not In Atmosphere (-1/4)

 

 

Laser weapons and Missiles are the most common armament of the fleet. Strategic Command is currently working on Anti-matter torpedoes to add to the arsenal.

 

Laser Weapon Systems

Lasers are the standard weapons on all small ships. Class I-IV vessels contain long-range versions of these weapons allowing them to fire several thousand kilometers.

 

34 Type 1 Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (11,250"; +1/2), 60 Charges (+1/2); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (One hex row; -3/4), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

45 Type 2 Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 3d6, Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (14,000"; +1/2), 125 Charges (+3/4); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

55 Type 3 Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (16,875"; +1/2), 125 Charges (+3/4); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

65 Type 3-A Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 4d6, Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (20,625"; +1/2), 250 Charges (+1); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

69 Type 4 Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 5d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (21,125"; +1/2), 125 Charges (+3/4); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

81 Type 4-A Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 5d6, Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (25,750"; +1/2), 250 Charges (+1) (244 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

82 Type 5 Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 6d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (25,250"; +1/2), 125 Charges (+3/4); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

97 Type 5-A Laser: Killing Attack - Ranged 6d6, Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (30,875"; +1/2), 250 Charges (+1) (292 Active Points); OIF Bulky (-1), Limited Arc Of Fire (60 degrees; -1/2), Real Weapon (-1/4), Beam (-1/4)

 

Missile Weapon Systems

Missiles are standard on all ships Classes I-VII. Class I-IV vessels contain long-range versions of these weapons allowing them to fire several thousand kilometers.

 

57 M1 Thunderhawk Missile: Killing Attack - Ranged 5d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (18,750"; +1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2); OIF Bulky (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4), Beam (-1/4), Limited Arc Of Fire (180 degrees; -1/4)

69 M2 Thunderhawk Missile: Killing Attack - Ranged 6d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (22,500"; +1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2); OIF Bulky (-1), 6 Charges (-3/4), Beam (-1/4), Limited Arc Of Fire (180 degrees; -1/4)

87 M3 Thunderhawk Missile: Killing Attack - Ranged 7d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (26,250"; +1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2); OIF Bulky (-1), 8 Charges (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Limited Arc Of Fire (180 degrees; -1/4)

100 M4 Thunderhawk Missile: Killing Attack - Ranged 8d6, No Range Modifier (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (30,000"; +1/2), Armor Piercing (+1/2); OIF Bulky (-1), 8 Charges (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Limited Arc Of Fire (180 degrees; -1/4)

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

I don't intend for there to be force fields on ships. I only want force fields to be available for Starbases. I also don't want the vessels to be so heavily shielded as to needing 20d6 RKA attacks to penetrate them. So the defenses of the vessels will fall into the following categories:

 

Ships Hull Shielding:

Class 1 Shielding: up to 8 Def

Class 2 Shielding: up to 10 Def

Class 3 Shielding: up to 12 Def

Class 4 Shielding: up to 15 Def

Class 5 Shielding: up to 18 Def

Class 6 Shielding: up to 20 Def

Class 7 Shielding: up to 25 Def

Class 8 Shielding: up to 35 Def

 

Now using this information I am seeing the various classes of ships being equipped as follows, so far:

 

Command Carrier: T5A Lasers, M4 Missiles, C8 Def,

Carrier: T5A Lasers, M4 Missiles, C7 Def,

Battleship: T5A Lasers, M4 Missiles, C7 Def,

Destroyer: T5 Lasers, M3 Missiles, C6 Def,

Cruiser: T4 Lasers, M2 Missiles, C5 Def,

Frigate: T4A Lasers, M3 Missiles, C3 Def,

Fighter: T3 Lasers, M2 Missiles, C2 Def,

Troop Transport: T3 Lasers, M1 Missiles, C3 Def,

Science Ship: T3A Lasers, M1 Missiles, C3 Def,

Medical Ship: T1 Laser, C3 Def,

Supply Ship: T2 Laser, M1 Missile, C3 Def,

Repair Ship: T1 Laser, C2 Def,

Courier: T2 Laser, M1 Missile, C3 Def,

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

I've decided to give the Series VI Light Drive Extra Time 20 min instead of 1 min. This will limit the speed to about 500 LY/Week. I'm thinking now the campaign will only encompass about a 1,000 light year radius around the Earth. That is about half a billion stars, which seems like enough to me.

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

Have you developed power sources for your ships yet? It seems all you need are writeups for power sources and lesser systems (Life Support, Sensors, etc...) and you'll be all set.

 

Good stuff!

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

You wouldn't happen to have all of this stuff in an HD prefab, would you?

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

Your writeups of the the Jump Drives don't limit the number of times that they can be used per day, but I don't know whether you wanted to limit it in that way. I do like the way you have limited it to a certain number of Charges, reflecting the idea that after the Charges are used the engine is "damaged" and needs to go back to the shop to refill its charges. Very cool.

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

According to your missile writeups (M4, for example) the missiles arrive at the target in the same phase that they are fired. That means the M4 can travel 30,000" in just one phase. If that's by design, then cool, it's just semantics, really, but you might consider putting Extra Time on them to reflect that fact that the missiles have to travel to the target, as opposed to lasers which generally travel at "the speed of light".

 

Still, I like what you have. I hope I'm not coming across as critical of your work, because I really dig it.

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

I also like how you've applied "No Range Modifier" to your weapons to account for the great distances that starships usually have between them. Terran Empire dealt with this by adding Range PSLs to the sensors suite.

 

Of course this means that your vessel targetting systems can't be jammed or disabled because you don't have an actual power reducing the Range penalty whereas in TE someone could blow up the vessel's sensors and the ship would be unable to fire at great ranges without massive penalties.

 

It's a simplification that I think will make space combat much easier than in TE.

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

One last thing...

 

I WANNA SEE SOME SHIP WRITEUPS!!!

 

That is all.

[Myrmidon]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

The obvious question is who are the major species in the Galactic Council and Strategic Command. Followed up by why would they agree to form such a Council.

 

I'd suggest 6 important species with the rest being aliens who were bootstrapped several technology levels upon being contacted by the Council. Each of the big boys has client species under their thumb/being guided to enlightenment that support their policies in the Council and can be leaned on for votes/support etc.

 

Also who's the major bad guy alien species. Who are the players going to be sent out against?

 

Cheers, David

[Ben Seeman]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

For the fusion engines you have a translated kph velocity. How is that calculated? I guess what I'm asking is: are you basing those velocities on a specific SPD? I vessel with a SPD of 3 would obviously not travel as far as a vessel with a SPD of 4 using the same fusion engine.

 

The other engines don't require this question to be answered since the jump drives are teleportation and the light drives override the need for using SPD with the Extra Time limitation.

[Rapier]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

Your writeups of the the Jump Drives don't limit the number of times that they can be used per day' date=' but I don't know whether you wanted to limit it in that way. I do like the way you have limited it to a certain number of Charges, reflecting the idea that after the Charges are used the engine is "damaged" and needs to go back to the shop to refill its charges. Very cool.[/quote']

While this is entirely dependent on how your campaignverse turns up, I agree. What is the time delay between jumps? Its a good genre convention that I don't think you should overlook. There is nothing more stressful for a starship captain than jumping into an ambush and having to evade until the jump drive charges up enough for another jump.

 

This would also give you the opportunity to have (especially on the smaller vessels, if they are jump capable) the ships boarded/captured.

[Rapier]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

According to your missile writeups (M4, for example) the missiles arrive at the target in the same phase that they are fired. That means the M4 can travel 30,000" in just one phase. If that's by design, then cool, it's just semantics, really, but you might consider putting Extra Time on them to reflect that fact that the missiles have to travel to the target, as opposed to lasers which generally travel at "the speed of light".

 

Still, I like what you have. I hope I'm not coming across as critical of your work, because I really dig it.

Especially in non-person combats (cars, starships, subs, etc), I like to use the vehicle rules to create missles and torpedos. Then you use summon (possibly in an MP or something to reflect the various torp loads) to bring them in or just buy them outright with the vehicle rules and give the vehicle builds charges etc. This allows you to GREATLY tweak the torps (ie missles) so that some are stealthier, some are bigger damage, some are AP, some are IFF etc.

 

This also gives the players the option of spocking the loads (eg 'Captain, I believe I can reconfigure the yield on those torpedos to match the frequency of the romulan's shields.') I little mechanics, weaponsmith etc and you are in business.

 

Like Ben, just looking at it from different angles. I REALLY like the track you're on.

[Rapier]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

I WANNA SEE SOME SHIP WRITEUPS!!!

With some sample deck plans.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

Have you developed power sources for your ships yet? It seems all you need are writeups for power sources and lesser systems (Life Support, Sensors, etc...) and you'll be all set.

 

Good stuff!

I'm working on those now. I need to figure out how many lasers will be on each ship and things like that to get an idea of how i want to handle the power systems. Right now I'm looking at each ship having 3 systems: General System, Auxiliary System, and Weapon's Batteries. The Weapon's batteries will need to be charged before they can be used. Right now I'm thinking about the REC of the Weapon's Battery costing End from the General System. I need to run some tests first.

 

I have long-range sensors done and I'm just trying to decide how I want to handle short-range sensors. I will have 2 life support systems on each ship.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

You wouldn't happen to have all of this stuff in an HD prefab' date=' would you?[/quote']

I'm slowly compiling it all into a prefab for ease of use.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

Your writeups of the the Jump Drives don't limit the number of times that they can be used per day' date=' but I don't know whether you wanted to limit it in that way. I do like the way you have limited it to a certain number of Charges, reflecting the idea that after the Charges are used the engine is "damaged" and needs to go back to the shop to refill its charges. Very cool.[/quote']

Yeah, I didn't really want to have a per day limit. I just wanted to have a repair limit. So they might use up all the jumps in a day or they might use them up in a week depending no when the system can be repaired. I also figured a lucky Engineering roll might allow for a quickie repair if needed for an emergency.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

According to your missile writeups (M4, for example) the missiles arrive at the target in the same phase that they are fired. That means the M4 can travel 30,000" in just one phase. If that's by design, then cool, it's just semantics, really, but you might consider putting Extra Time on them to reflect that fact that the missiles have to travel to the target, as opposed to lasers which generally travel at "the speed of light".

 

Still, I like what you have. I hope I'm not coming across as critical of your work, because I really dig it.

I didn't even think about extra time. Putting an extra segment or phase onto the missiles would make for some interesting combat options as well with possibly larger ships trying to get in front of a missile in time to save a smaller ship. I like that idea.

 

And you're not being critical at all. I posted here to get ideas that I might not have thought of. This is the first Star Hero thing I have ever done. I'm just learning.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

I also like how you've applied "No Range Modifier" to your weapons to account for the great distances that starships usually have between them. Terran Empire dealt with this by adding Range PSLs to the sensors suite.

 

Of course this means that your vessel targetting systems can't be jammed or disabled because you don't have an actual power reducing the Range penalty whereas in TE someone could blow up the vessel's sensors and the ship would be unable to fire at great ranges without massive penalties.

 

It's a simplification that I think will make space combat much easier than in TE.

Thanks. I was trying to keep things as simple as I can. I thought about doing it the TE way but just decided against it. I prefer the range to be part of the weapon design itself rather than due to a computer system.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

One last thing...

 

I WANNA SEE SOME SHIP WRITEUPS!!!

 

That is all.

I plan on throwing some together just as soon as I get everything finalized. I'm curious to see what they look like too.

 

Thanks for all the great advice.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

The obvious question is who are the major species in the Galactic Council and Strategic Command. Followed up by why would they agree to form such a Council.

 

I'd suggest 6 important species with the rest being aliens who were bootstrapped several technology levels upon being contacted by the Council. Each of the big boys has client species under their thumb/being guided to enlightenment that support their policies in the Council and can be leaned on for votes/support etc.

 

Also who's the major bad guy alien species. Who are the players going to be sent out against?

 

Cheers, David

That's what I'm just starting to figure out myself. I like the idea of having lesser aliens as part of another group's involvement. I was planning on having the race from Alpha Centauri being originally 100 year behind Earth in tech so when they were encountered it was easy for Earth to convince them to become allies by dangling shiny baubles. Sort of like the pilgrim and the indians. I'm planning on having 5-6 adversarial races that are pushing the borders on a few sides of the expanding Galactic Council. I want to throw in some really alien species like rock men and suck as well. I just got more involved on the tech side of things due to my conversations last week about TE and AW.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

For the fusion engines you have a translated kph velocity. How is that calculated? I guess what I'm asking is: are you basing those velocities on a specific SPD? I vessel with a SPD of 3 would obviously not travel as far as a vessel with a SPD of 4 using the same fusion engine.

 

The other engines don't require this question to be answered since the jump drives are teleportation and the light drives override the need for using SPD with the Extra Time limitation.

I based the original calculations off of a 3 Spd vehicle. My original thought was that all vehicles would be Spd 3 for easier ship combat.

 

I also considered just using segmented movement based on velocity and then having ships be able to do turns and attacks on their Spd. So a Class A Fusion Drive would have a maximum of 7500" per turn [based on 3 Spd vehicles] but would actually move 625" per segment and could change course, slow down, accelerate, and fire only on the Phase it had an action, whether 3 Spd or 4.

 

If anyone has any better ideas I'd love to hear them.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

While this is entirely dependent on how your campaignverse turns up, I agree. What is the time delay between jumps? Its a good genre convention that I don't think you should overlook. There is nothing more stressful for a starship captain than jumping into an ambush and having to evade until the jump drive charges up enough for another jump.

 

This would also give you the opportunity to have (especially on the smaller vessels, if they are jump capable) the ships boarded/captured.

I choose to make a short time delay [1 extra phase] for jumps. I figured if there was a need for any delay it would come while the Captain was waiting for the engineer to give them that one extra jump beyond the charges. Plus I like the edge the Jump Drive gives to the Galactic Council ships.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

Especially in non-person combats (cars, starships, subs, etc), I like to use the vehicle rules to create missles and torpedos. Then you use summon (possibly in an MP or something to reflect the various torp loads) to bring them in or just buy them outright with the vehicle rules and give the vehicle builds charges etc. This allows you to GREATLY tweak the torps (ie missles) so that some are stealthier, some are bigger damage, some are AP, some are IFF etc.

 

This also gives the players the option of spocking the loads (eg 'Captain, I believe I can reconfigure the yield on those torpedos to match the frequency of the romulan's shields.') I little mechanics, weaponsmith etc and you are in business.

 

Like Ben, just looking at it from different angles. I REALLY like the track you're on.

I'm still trying to feel it all out myself. I wasn't even sure if I would use missiles or torpedoes or plasma cannons. I've only been working on this 2 days so far.

 

I'll probably choose to go with the extra time rather than vehicles. I think the vehicles will just add another level of complexity to it. I would also still allow for reconfiguration of the missiles based on what the players would do within the role-playing. I like to give players a lot of options and leeway.

[MitchellS]

Re: New Campaign could use some feedback

 

With some sample deck plans.

Believe me, if I had any mapping ability at all I'd do deck plans. I'd love to see the layout of a Command Carrier or Cruiser.

 

The hardest part is building the ships from the fighter up. I need to know what the size of the smaller craft are so that I know how big to make the Carrier Classes. I need to make sure all those fighters and couriers will fit within it and still leave room for everything else.