How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

[GoldenAge]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

I think my approach to playing ship combat in Hero stems from years of playing Star Fleet Battles. I always wished I had an entire team of players to help me fill out my damn SSDs!!!!!

 

(If you ever played a 20-hour marathon or all weekend-long game of SFB against multiple players with 1500 points or more of ships you know what I'm talking about!)

[Erkenfresh]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

Goldenage, you do make me want to try harder.

 

I haven't had much luck with it yet, with the pilot rolling to attempt to dodge while the weapons guy shoots the laser, over and over and over again. I have to agree that the TE ships as written have way too high defense and the ablative stuff kind of adds to the nightmare. I've simplified ships down so they have three "layers" of hitpoints. Shields take half damage from physical attacks, armor takes half damage from energy, and finally the hull (or BODY) which has no damage reduction. This has sped up the combat quite a bit, but done little to add to the excitement. But GA has given some great ideas here to try out.

[GoldenAge]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

Also something I didn't mention above, but try to include in every battle... The battle of Egos!

 

There's rarely a Captain out there who climbed to that position without a huge ego. Characters like that like to let you know exactly how they'll beat you. They say that hey can't hear you scream in space... Tell that to Khan and Kirk! =D

I highly recommend that GMs try to initiate some sort of roleplaying scenario between the captains. Make it personal (and, perhaps, strategic as one savvy captain tries to distract the other with presence attacks and intimidation - or, maybe, subtle advances from the opposite sex or even killing him with kindness and compliments).

 

Some of the best movie moments can come in between the phases.

[Old Man]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

Goldenage, you do make me want to try harder.

 

I haven't had much luck with it yet, with the pilot rolling to attempt to dodge while the weapons guy shoots the laser, over and over and over again. I have to agree that the TE ships as written have way too high defense and the ablative stuff kind of adds to the nightmare. I've simplified ships down so they have three "layers" of hitpoints. Shields take half damage from physical attacks, armor takes half damage from energy, and finally the hull (or BODY) which has no damage reduction. This has sped up the combat quite a bit, but done little to add to the excitement. But GA has given some great ideas here to try out.

 

I guess the issue here is options; every character needs to have them. The gunner's job is going to be pretty boring unless he a) has lots of targets to prioritize or has different weapons to employ. Option might actually be the way to go. Hero can support a wide range of interesting weapon effects aside from RKAs. There could be shield suppression torpedo warheads, 'entangles' that disrupt the opposing ship's warp drives, energy web projectors that make force walls, and so on. If there are limited quantities of any of these on board, then that adds another layer of decision making, and if the weapons officer is fighting with the helmsman for 'more power!' then that's another.

 

Most starship combat games are pretty boring when it comes to weapon diversity. SFB in particular was guilty of this. Energy costs, accuracy, rate of fire, and damage all varied, but in the end they all just marked boxes off the other ship's SSD. That's why I eventually settled on playing Tholians; I wanted to be able to do something besides just take another shot at the enemy.

[GoldenAge]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

Most starship combat games are pretty boring when it comes to weapon diversity. SFB in particular was guilty of this.

 

WHAT? Plasma (from types S, R, and T to shotgun and overloads) anyone? You never played the ISC, did you?

 

Add to that the diversity of customizable Drones (almost everyone has them and can choose a dozen different configurations from scatter pacs to probes). There are T-Bombs, overload or proximity Photon Torpedoes, Type I, II, III and Gatling Phasers and even ESGs! And if you want to take a ship without destroying it there were always landing parties (the ONLY way to party). SOOO many weapons, so few aliens to destroy! True, the SSDs don't convey a real sense of drama, but neither do Champion's write-ups.

 

But, you're right. It's really about a prepared GM creating an interesting ship and populating it with creative players.

 

However, even if your ship has only 1 weapon, a good tactical officer should be constantly looking for new and creative options to destroy his foes. Any asteroids around that he can tractor into his foes? What about T-Bombs? Perhaps a trick using available technology? And how can he neutralize his opponent's attacks? Maybe readjusting the phase modulators of his shield projectors will help?

 

This is true of all critical ship positions. The real fun starts when the players realize that by working together and combining particular strengths they can produce superior results.

ROLEPLAYING!

[tkdguy]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

Starmada has some diversity when it comes to weapons. Each one has a different special effect.

[Old Man]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

WHAT? Plasma (from types S, R, and T to shotgun and overloads) anyone? You never played the ISC, did you?

 

Add to that the diversity of customizable Drones (almost everyone has them and can choose a dozen different configurations from scatter pacs to probes). There are T-Bombs, overload or proximity Photon Torpedoes, Type I, II, III and Gatling Phasers and even ESGs! And if you want to take a ship without destroying it there were always landing parties (the ONLY way to party). SOOO many weapons, so few aliens to destroy!

 

There are tactical differences between all the weapons, obviously, and plasmas are more versatile than most, but at the end of the day they all just do damage. That's what bored me about SFB, and it's an area that Hero can certainly do better in.

 

And the ISC were pretty easy to deal with using web casters. Pretty much any seeking weapon race was. Even the Romulan player who insisted on starting any game in retrograde

 

 

However, even if your ship has only 1 weapon, a good tactical officer should be constantly looking for new and creative options to destroy his foes. Any asteroids around that he can tractor into his foes? What about T-Bombs? Perhaps a trick using available technology? And how can he neutralize his opponent's attacks? Maybe readjusting the phase modulators of his shield projectors will help?

 

This is true of all critical ship positions. The real fun starts when the players realize that by working together and combining particular strengths they can produce superior results.

ROLEPLAYING!

 

Exactly! But sometimes it's nice if the players have certain options spelled out for them already, rather than playing by ear and hoping the GM goes for all their strange ideas. It should actually be possible to make a straight up starship wargame using Hero and having it play as well as, if not better than, SFB (for example).

[GoldenAge]

Re: How To Run Interesting Starship Battles

 

...and it's an area that Hero can certainly do better in.

Too true... I suspect that's why we're here.

[Erkenfresh]

I'll be doing some more ship combat and typed up a nice sheet of maneuvers. Does any of this look out of place or unbalanced?

 

Piloting (Combat Piloting)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Dodge +2 DCV, -1 OCV

-2 Wild Attack +1 OCV, -1 DCV

-2 Flee -2 DCV, -2 OCV, x2 flight speed

-4 Maneuver Position +1D6 weapon damage

-4 Careful Attack +1 OCV

-6 Focused Attack +4 OCV to hit a specific location, -2 DCV

 

Command (Tactics or PS: Command as appropriate)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Raise Shields +1D6 shields

0 Red Alert +3 DEX to determine initiative this round

-2 Focus Fire +2 OCV to hit a specific location

-2 Reroute Power +2 to engineer’s skill roll

-4 Evasive Action +1 DCV

 

Engineering (Electronics or PS: Engineer as appropriate)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Boost Shields +2D6 shields

-2 More Firepower +1D6 weapon damage

-4 Givin’ it all she’s got +5” Flight, +1 DCV

 

Sensors (Systems Operation or KS skill as appropriate)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Analyze Movement +1 OCV

-2 Find Weakness +1D6 weapon damage

-4 Space Isnt Empty Look for an environmental hazard such as an asteroid

-4 Jam Comms Prevent ship from using communications

[Erkenfresh]

Oh wow, the formatting didn't work at all. I hope it makes sense.

[Mathew]

Yes.

[GoldenAge]

I'll be doing some more ship combat and typed up a nice sheet of maneuvers. Does any of this look out of place or unbalanced?

 

Piloting (Combat Piloting)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Dodge +2 DCV, -1 OCV

-2 Wild Attack +1 OCV, -1 DCV

-2 Flee -2 DCV, -2 OCV, x2 flight speed

-4 Maneuver Position +1D6 weapon damage

-4 Careful Attack +1 OCV

-6 Focused Attack +4 OCV to hit a specific location, -2 DCV

 

Command (Tactics or PS: Command as appropriate)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Raise Shields +1D6 shields

0 Red Alert +3 DEX to determine initiative this round

-2 Focus Fire +2 OCV to hit a specific location

-2 Reroute Power +2 to engineer’s skill roll

-4 Evasive Action +1 DCV

 

Engineering (Electronics or PS: Engineer as appropriate)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Boost Shields +2D6 shields

-2 More Firepower +1D6 weapon damage

-4 Givin’ it all she’s got +5” Flight, +1 DCV

 

Sensors (Systems Operation or KS skill as appropriate)

Roll Penalty Maneuver Name Effects

0 Analyze Movement +1 OCV

-2 Find Weakness +1D6 weapon damage

-4 Space Isnt Empty Look for an environmental hazard such as an asteroid

-4 Jam Comms Prevent ship from using communications

LIKE! Can't wait to see more!