"Does that mean the Gorns (who also have very long Nacelles) cannot use it?"

In fact just the opposite is true. One thing that was thankfully left out of the Prime Directive rulebook was the intial reports of Gorns with tails. Once GIA realized it's mistake all records of this reporting was expunged from Asteroid Alpha.

(Just be thankfull I didn't get started with the splash damage feature)

By Kevin Howard (Jarawara) on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 11:01 pm: Edit

In fact, the Gorns tend to produce more P.O.O.H due to their overall engine body mass. To quote one visiting Federation Engineer "That is one big pile of P.O.O.H."

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Thursday, August 29, 2002 - 11:16 pm: Edit

Hrm, and the SOuldra would have dark P.O.O.H.

By Ryan Peck (Trex) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 12:07 am: Edit

To paraphrase the R10.1A

"No-one has every since an Andromedan P.O.O.H. and lived."

By Andrew Harding (Warlock) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 01:20 am: Edit

The Hydran Monarch class is identifiable at Tacintel level A due to not having P.O.O.H. all over it.

By Andy Palmer (Andypalmer) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 07:50 am: Edit

While the Hydrans respond with a No Comment when asked if their Monarchs produce P.O.O.H. at all, they do categorically affirm that, if their Monarchs did, hypothetically produce P.O.O.H, it would be non-maloderous.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 08:11 am: Edit

This has the makings of one heck of a Captain's Log humor section...that is, is scatological humor isn't considered a taboo there.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 08:12 am: Edit

...and don't even start on the relevant "Captain's Log" jokes...

By Ryan Peck (Trex) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 10:31 am: Edit

Didn't the scatological jokes start a few issues ago withe the cover stating 'The Price of Dooty'??

By Mark Kuyper (Mark_K) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 12:26 pm: Edit

Jessica,
I thought the ship always ejected the captains log (for higher command to review) before entering combat. This would be especially important if they were facing a more powerful enemy warship.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 03:26 pm: Edit

heavy fighter pods: who sent that in? I need to track something down.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 04:13 pm: Edit

Heavy Fighter Pods:

By David Kass (Dkass) on Thursday, March 14, 2002 - 02:00 am

I would like to suggest heavy fighter pods (basically 2 space pods). They take two rails. Generally under the same restrictions as the equivalent standard pods. Most are about equal to multiple standard pods (or perhaps slightly better--although those could be toned down if necessary). Suggested possibilities are:
*Heavy Chaff Pod (5 packs)
*Heavy Phaser Pod (ph-2, requires 1 point of power--could be down fired as ph-3 twice, on separate turns).
*Heavy Ground Attack Pod (2 point of ground attack strength each)
*Heavy Cargo Pod (2 cargo)
*Heavy Mine Laying Pod (one T-bomb) I question this one, but perhaps if very limited (e.g. one per carrier).
Note that I am specifically not proposing heavy EW pods (too many difficult issues if they are better than standard EW pods). These are an expansion of my original Ph-2 pod.
I have a more formal rules writeup if desired.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 04:19 pm: Edit

Ok, that's what I was remembering. It's very different from the one I just wrote and I'm not sure it's going to be necessary to do the Kass ones. For the chaff, ground attack, and cargo, you may as well use two standard pods. The phaser-2 one I think got made obsolete by my "long pod". I'm not buying the minelaying system. So, we're done. Thanks.

By Mark Kuyper (Mark_K) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 04:36 pm: Edit

SVC,
How about a multi-shot ADD that mounts on a pair of rails? Something like 4 shots but max 1 per impulse.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 05:22 pm: Edit

How about a canister with four (three?) ADDs which mounts only on a heavy rail. Right now, the only think that mounts in two rails is a cluster bomb and I don't really want to go there with anything else. Those wierd paired rails that carry type-IVs are too wierd to go anywhere else with.

By Mark Kuyper (Mark_K) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 05:46 pm: Edit

I've been thinking of an anti-fighter system that may work well; Short range Anti Drone Drone. Its basically a short range version of a type IV with a smaller warhead optimized for rapid fire from ADD racks.

Endurance is 6 impulses and speed is 32. Can target anything within 12 hexes. It does 1 point to SC 4 and larger targets, 1d6 Vs SC 5 and 2d6 VS SC 6 and smaller. Basically its halfway between an ADD and a type IV. The big advantage they would have is they can be fired once per impulse by an ADD rack.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 06:27 pm: Edit

Mark Kuyper:

I am pretty sure your proposal was supposed to be fore type-VI, not type-IV drones.

By Mark Kuyper (Mark_K) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 06:40 pm: Edit

SPP,
Correct. Typo. :-)

Its supposed to be between a type VI and an ADD. Better than an ADD, faster firing than a type VI. Later improvement in the system (at least in its ADD role, possibly better as an anti-fighter system).

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Friday, August 30, 2002 - 07:34 pm: Edit

SVC: Along with the Plasma Gatling I've also come up with another AF fighter weapon.

Standard Rail Converter Coupling. It attaches to a standard rail and couples two Type VI or two RALADS together. Both must be fired on the same impulse at the same target. Takes an aditional half deck crew action to load. So to load it it would take 1 1/2 actions. The SRCC is lost at the point of firing. i.e. it duplicats the targeting insructions to each drone and launched with the two drones then separates from the drones a few meters from the fighter. It burns up as the drones take off for their targets.
This could allow a fighter to launch more drones than it can control so care must be taken by the player.

I figure it could be a Lyran invention to allow their fighters to compeat one to one with Stingers. Part of my back story is a few years after its introduction the Klingons discover it and the Fighter deal nearly breaks down. The Lyrans quickly share the technology. Kzinti spys capture it shortly after. The Feds discover the device through the Kzinti. Orions have access but never have much use for them.

I was working out the rule. Now the Cat's out of the bag, should I continue?

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 04:42 am: Edit

How about this.

THE LAUNCH TEE

Esencially this is a "T" shaped bracket that hangs down from a Type I drone rail, and has two Type VI launch rails on the ends of the flanges.

So for a few BPV ( Say 0.25 BPV each ) you can mount two dog-fight drones or possibly two RaLADD on the fighter.

So an F-18 could carry 6 RaLADD instead of 4 as it currently stands.

I'm not sure if the Type VI and RaLADD launch restrictions are enough to stop the F-14 from ruining the game with these, so we might need another restriction.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 12:35 pm: Edit

MJC. I like your idea as it is essentually the one I posted just above.

The X version holds three half space drones.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 12:48 pm: Edit

I like Loren's idea for a reai converter. Simple and elegant; and, it makes sense. Interpceptor fighters using these would kick ass on CAP duty.

By Charles Gray (Cgray45) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 05:12 pm: Edit

In the ship area-- what about Logistics support vessels? Essentially a ship with a limited manufacturing capability-- not so much to be able to build things from scratch, but to cannibalize material, as well as reduce the logistics train-- if you have a ship that can cast molds and hulls for drones and fighters, you only have to ship the parts of them that cannot be built, which would then reduce the amount of material that has to come via convoy-- you still need the material to jmake the hulls, etc, but OTH, that's more durable, and multi-use then drones, etc, so it's easier to make up for blasted cargo boxes.

Even fleets cut off from aid could "cannabalize" material to keep a trickle coming. The Hydran's were the first to come up with this idea, although the ship wasn't ready for the war, and the Fed's later fielded a few for use when they were moving into Klingon and Romulan space.

(this came up due tot he absolutely hideous logistics tail of CVBG's as well as drone and fighter races in general. It can't be *too* successful-- one of the big problems of the midyear war years was the fact that no matter how successful your attack you tended to run out of steam logistics wise, but it could be one of those things that made life a little easier, but was not so overwhelming as to change the paradigm.).
I'm not certain of the exact design-- an Armed freighter with some fabrication boxes would be the easiest conversion-- but also most vulnerable, while a purpose built ship would be a raid magnet and also might price the concept out of use. I might suggest that the Hydran's designed a purpose built design, and the feds used a modified FA-L.)

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 05:25 pm: Edit

Oooo ... fighter product line pods. Build one fighter per day out of spare parts, scraps, raw materials, or delivered components. Handy for bases or for following the fleet into combat zones.

By Charles Gray (Cgray45) on Saturday, August 31, 2002 - 06:42 pm: Edit

I cannot tell a lie, You'll have to credit Naval Institute Proceedings for the idea.
In an article discussing possible future UCAV carriers, the author suggested desiging the entire family around common engines, avionics and sensors, and providing the ship itself with high speed plastic and composite formers. Thus, the UCAV's could be held in storage, very space effecient, until you pulled them out, assembled the unit, and formed the airframe around them. Better, you didn't have to worry about being stuck with a UCAV that wasn't what you needed. Need a scout? Just rip the guts out of the bomber and turn on the formers.
The idea really piqued my interest, so I stole it!
(and for our scary X2 Kzinti gadget-- on-the-fly drone builder boxes...).