I imagine one big problem with doing a SSJ#3 is making sure you have enough of the right type of material.

Over in the SFB rules questions, SPP mentioned that Module P6 was out of print. While it did contain many playtest sections (e.g. Paravians and Vudar), it also included many sections that were totally conjectural and will never be added to the game proper (e.g. photon sizes and megaphasers). The latter group of sections would, were it done today, likely have ended up in a Stellar Shadows Journal, rather than a playtest module.

So, since P6 is out of print, would it be possible to reprint those conjectural sections in SSJ#3 to help provide the material you will need. By doing this, you get what is hopefully easier to produce material to fill out SSJ#3, those who do not have P6 get that cool material, and we all get the GW-era Carnivons.

We can all win!!

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 12:04 pm: Edit

I have P6 and there are a few things that could fit SSJ3. The problems may be deciding if a particular idea be forever dubbed as SSJ or remain on hold for possible future use.

By Randy O. Green (Hollywood750) on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 08:32 pm: Edit

SSJ#3 would likely need a pretty hefty piece of GW Carnivon fiction.. which is hard to write until after the GW Carnivon rules are done.. sort of a Catch 22.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 08:58 pm: Edit

Well, the Carnivon rules have to be playtested so...

Anyway, does it have to be GW era fiction?

By Jonathan Jordan (Arcturusv) on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 09:17 pm: Edit

Why not a revised Five Powers War (Replacing the Four Powers War) with modern Carnivons for the fiction? Wonder what that war would be like, Kitties vs Methane heads and Dogs with the Klinks slappin' everyone else around?

By Jay K Gustafson (Jay) on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 09:52 pm: Edit

Romulan Klingon war

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Tuesday, December 16, 2008 - 11:07 pm: Edit

Loren,

I am guessing that the Carnivon rules have to be written, much less playtested.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:58 am: Edit

The GW Carnivon rule, sure. That wouldn't preclude getting a piece of fiction done in time to be published along with the final rules. The writer could be a playtester to get a look at the rules early. I don't see that the GW changes would be all that much work to produce. I see this as well in the realm of SPP capabilities (if assigned the task).

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 09:48 am: Edit

Loren,

I don't know that I would have put the last sentence exactly in that way ...

Anyway, the GW Carnivons will not be terribly difficult. However, there are still lots of decisions to be made, and, to me, what answers that are chosen is the interesting part. I can figure out what I would choose, but that isn't interesting (at least in this case). I want to see Petrick's answers.

And there are some interesting questions: How will they improve the directionality of death bolts? Will they get full drone speed improvements.? Any other surprise improvements? Will the nipper improve? How so? Will they keep their "no overloads" promise on the disruptor cannon? Will it get DERFACS and/or UIM?

And then you have the alternate history? Why do they survive? Who "pays" for that survival? How far do the ripples go? Are the Hydrans, Klingons, and Feds affected? What else happens?

Anyone with SFB experience can figure out credible answers to all of them. I want to see what Petrick (and SVC) come up with.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:54 am: Edit

A few carnivons probably made it to Sargasso, but the ships they would build there might not be anything like the hypothetical GW Carnivons. I don't see GW carnivons being a tough design problem. Deathbolts = faster. Disruptor cannon = overload. Heel Nipper = same (technology improvements would be just enough to keep it working on middle years and general war warp engines, might not work against X-engines).

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:50 pm: Edit

At the risk of contradicting SVC, ...

If it was not for the color text in Y1, I would completely agree with you. However, that text would seem to eliminate some options.

Death bolts are described as being "inaccurate", yet you can pick which non-facing shield they hit. I really want to see those "accurate" deathbolts! So, besides going faster and doubling the warhead, I would expect to see some improvement in their ability to "lead" targets.

For disruptor cannons, the color text says that the Kzinti would have adopted them had they not proven to be impossible to overload. So, that would seem to eliminate the possibility of overloads for disruptor cannons. But that isn't necessarily a bad thing. Maybe they are improved in a different way. Maybe this is compensated for in their other two weapon systems.

For the heel nipper, how far do you want to go? The obvious answer is to improve the range. It could increase the damage to two, but I figure the one box is good enough; their primary purpose is their movement effects. Maybe the target has to miss two impulses of movement ...

The technical issues aside, the big thing I am looking for is the pseudo-history of how they survive. Maybe they find the WYN cluster is hollow. Maybe the Klingons accidentally weaken the Kzintis enough that the Carnivons are able to "shift" east and survive in a portion of now-conquered former-Kzinti territory. Maybe they get the Lyran and Kzinti to fight each other before they are completely driven off-map and are able to recover.

I don't know, but I am very curious to see what Petrick can come up with. I really like what he did with the whole GW Paravian pseudo-history, and look forward to see what he does with the GW Carnivons.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 12:53 pm: Edit

An alternative to Disruptor Cannon overload might be an underload able to fire every turn but limited in range. One might say this is just like disruptors then but it's not. the disruptor overload is limited in range. It's really the opposite of a regualar disruptor.

By Andy Vancil (Andy) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 01:34 pm: Edit

If we're talking SSJ material, there's no reason the Carnivons couldn't find a way to OL the DC. In the regular universe, it couldn't be overloaded, but in an alternate reality, this doesn't have to be the case. There is no reason in terms of game mechanics or playability why OLs are not viable. For balance, I think it would be better to limit them to +50% rather than double damage, but other than that, I don't see a problem.

The DC might have also received some of the fire control improvements (DERFACS, UIM) that disruptors got...

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 01:38 pm: Edit

I really don't see a reason not to assume that GWCs would not have FOed a way OL the DC.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 02:24 pm: Edit

I just thought it would be interesting to have a weapon that ends up having an OL damage level as the normal loading. Everyone figures out how to OL their weapons. Maybe the Carnivons figure out how to make it small so they can fit more and learn to underload them for tactical versitility.

But this is Year of the Book. When GW Carnivons are discussed I'll post there.

By Michael Lui (Michaellui) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 05:28 pm: Edit

It could be that the Kzinti just gave up on trying to figure out how to overload the DCs when the Klingons/Lyrans started to deploy OL capable disruptors on everything they had. It's a lot quicker/easier to get copies of the enemies weapons than make your own. And then, when they had all those overloadable disruptors on their own ships, their budget was probably cut as "not necessary".

The Carnivons didn't have that luxury since they "left" before overloadable disruptors came out and just kept improving what they had.

By Joseph R Carlson (Jrc) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 05:38 pm: Edit

SVC,

I would like to see a campaign book. This would have the updated U sections like U7.0. Is it possible (meaning a project that could be included) to expand (U7.26) Standard Technology, and U7.28) Foreign Technology to include Omega/Omega, Omega/Alpha sector races, and Magellanic/Alpha sector races.


SPP has updated a number of campaigns in Captain's Log articles. I would like to see the CL material incorporated into the updated campaign U sections.

Could a section on logistics be added to U7?

By Randy O. Green (Hollywood750) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 07:38 pm: Edit

My point was, if you're writing a story about Carnivons that's not GW tech, why not write one using the existing rules and put it in a regular Captain's Log? That's been done before. Ideally, for SSJ fiction, you'd have Petrick's GW-era Carnivon history and the SSJ GW Carnivon rules in order to do the story justice. Unless the story didn't have to match the rules or the alternate history, and what's the fun of that? ;)

By James Hallmark (Jhallmark) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 07:51 pm: Edit

I would like the Andro Threat File.

I don't see any reason for it to need counters. Basically its a book of obvious refits, Ph-1 and X. And a few variants.

By Stacy Brian Bartley (Bartley) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 08:14 pm: Edit

If we do the Andromeda Threat file, I hope we answer the question of how, since we never found a living Andromedan, never deciphered their tech, never got their computer records, HOW do we KNOW they're from Andromeda?
regards
Stacy

By Shawn Hantke (Shantke) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 08:40 pm: Edit

What we realy need is Prime Directive Andromedans to answer all the questions :+)

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:05 pm: Edit

Randy,
and my point was that the story could be started when the rules are started and the writer would be a playtester so as to have access to the rules drafts and able to make changes as the rules change.

By Jay K Gustafson (Jay) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:46 pm: Edit

How about what they look like what they are

By Stacy Brian Bartley (Bartley) on Wednesday, December 17, 2008 - 10:53 pm: Edit

We probably won't get any of that. But HOW we know they're Andromedan absent any evidence is an interesting query.

How, I would answer absent any evidence is:

"The Andromedan galaxy contains unique spectral indicators that is also present in the explosions of the Andromedan crafts. The chances of them being there and NOT being from the Andromedan galaxy is statistically impossible."

Still would have liked to hear SVC's answer

regards
Stacy

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Thursday, December 18, 2008 - 12:41 am: Edit

Stacey

All that says is that the ship that exploded may have been built in the Andromedan Galaxy. It doesn't mean that that is where the race originated from.

Also any Andromedan ship built with resouces found only in this galaxy would have the same kind of resonence that is found in any Galaqcic Empire ship from here.

Ther same can also be said of new constructs that were built in the Magellanic's "neck of the woods"

When it comes to figuring out what the Andromedans look like and just where they really came from, all I have to say on the matter is this...."Live with the mystery and just shoot them as they come"

B^)