A drone payload module, that reduces the damage the drone can do, but which makes it more likely to hit, or at least harder to stop.

The drone is programed like a swordfish drone.
When the program conditions are fulfilled, the POPUP module increases the speed of the drone, for the next 8 impulses only.

A 1/2 space module provides +6 "thrust".
+6 thrust increases the speed fo a 1 space drone by +6.
+6 thrust increases the speed of a 1.5 space drone by +4.
+6 thrust increases the speed of a 2 space drone by +3.
+6 thrush increases the speed of a 3 space drone by +2.

If the speed exceeds 32, this results in the drone moving two hexes in one impulse, as a Hypervelocity unit.

Points:
It is effectively a form of armour - harder to shoot down, but at the cost of a lower warhead yield.
One problem is that all unidentified drones ~might~ have this upgrade, and will therefore draw more fire, even if they have not, in fact, paid the cost for this payload.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 06:50 pm: Edit

Interesting. I take it that the drone is pre-programmed to go into popup mode at either a pre-determined distance from the target, or after a certain distance traveled? What kind of BPV cost is associated with this? And, how much does it reduce the damage? Say on a standard Type I, with an 8 point warhead?

By Hugh Bishop (Wildman) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:10 pm: Edit

interesting, if it goes into hypervelocity mode, perhaps there should be a chance of missing or non-detonation. This module should be a very limited availability item and expensive. This module could have been built in the later years of the general war in response to the Aegis system.(the hyper jump takes away 1 hex worth of firing opportunities for adds and phasers, forcing a defending ship to make fire decisions early.

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:12 pm: Edit

Would be interesting as a LYRAN ONLY weapon.

By Kenneth Jones (Kludge) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:14 pm: Edit

Give it a +2 or so ECM bonus to the target So the drone would have to roll on the ECM prox chart.

By David Lang (Dlang) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:14 pm: Edit

Less, other then fighters (which are klingon models and therefor not lyran designs anyway) when do lyrans use drones?

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:16 pm: Edit

David, Exactly the reason it should be Lyran only drone.

They don't invent Ftrs but they might invent a twist to a weapon system for the ftrs they are using.

By michael wheatley (Mike_Wheatley) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:49 pm: Edit

The warhead is reduced because part of the warhead payload is replaced by the POPUP payload.

Maybe I'm using the wrong terminology...

A atandard type I drone has 1 explosive module, which does 12 points of damage.
One could replace this with a 1/2 space explosive payload/module (6 damage) and a 1/2 space POPUP payload/module.
It would thus gain +6 speed in its terminal approach, at the cost of only doing 6 damage.

--

Programmiing is intended to be based on "range to target", like a swordfish drone. (Which avoids a completely new rule to understand, and is probably more effective.)

--

I quite like the idea of an ECM penalty for hypervelocity units, but plasmas don't have them, so that seems unlikely to get passed.

--

I'd want the drone to go inert after the 8 impulses of boosted speed, purely to remove counters from the board!

--

Cost: it needs one. Ideas anyone? (More than armour, but not by much.)
Availability: Limited or restricted - votes?

By Christopher E. Fant (Cfant) on Monday, July 29, 2002 - 07:56 pm: Edit

This I actually kinda like.

Cost 1.5 per 1/2 space.

Whatever the most limited availability is, this should fall in that category.

By Piotr Orbis Proszynski (Orbis) on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 01:38 am: Edit

Hey not bad... but it WOULD wreak havoc with ESG timings... it would be nice to have some race-specific drones for extra flavour, frankly, but I don't think Lyrans should be the race to get these. And honestly, I don't know if fast drones need a "hypervelocity" boost -- plasma in late war is weakened, drones are not. So speed in excess of 32 should be lost. Where this baby would really shine is in combination with external armour: VIF +1 sp POP +1/2 external armour, speed 26 with a boost to 32, takes 8 damage to destroy (at range 2 that's 3 p-1s to AK!), 12 point warhead...

But you know, the thing is, it's actually EARLY drones that suck and need help. I am kinda tired of late general war inventions and improvements; how about something that went OUT of use? Fast drones are plenty good.

So how about making POP cost dependent on the speed of drone it is installed on -- and it cannot boost speeds over 32 -- something that would make installing it on late-war drones really cost-prohibitive.

E.g.:

Original Speed	Cost of 1/2 space POP
8	1
12	1.5
20	2.5
32	10

-- boosting the engines gets exponentially more expensive the more efficient they already are, and after the burn, the drone goes inert as the engines shake themselves apart.

But WOW this would make speed 8 drone tactics a lot more varied

And of course they should be a Kzin-only racial weapon, heh, heh...

Orbis, a.k.a. Cat-a-Mite, the disgraced captain of The Jeopard

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 07:06 am: Edit

IMHO, 10 points for a fast drone popup refit is broken. The plasma sabot rules will kick plasmas up to a constant speed of 40, without such a gross disparity in BPV. I like the original cost of 1.5 per space posed by Chris.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 11:54 am: Edit

Orbis, I'm liking your idea. How about, double speed for speed 8 and speed 12 drones(8 impulses at set time or range from target) only? Each comes out a few years (5?) before the first speed 20 drones. These were the first trials for the new weapon.

Mike, Some how I think the last item on his chart is a mistake. It is incosistant with the rest of the chart an his discription above.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, July 30, 2002 - 04:12 pm: Edit

Well, he did say it gets exponentially more expensive. 10 is too much, though.

By Piotr Orbis Proszynski (Orbis) on Wednesday, July 31, 2002 - 02:38 am: Edit

Probably is. I was just throwing out numbers. If it gets to playtest, we'll see