Andro Threat File
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(R10) Andros:
Andro Threat File
A topic for weapons / systems designed for everyone's favorite Extra-Galactic Invaders.
The Andromedan Power Absorber Torpedo
I had this idea years back and finally made time to write up the rules for them. I posted them on my website earlier this week, but thought I'd post here as well as I'd like some feedback.
In conjunction, I have 3 ships carrying the Torpedo:
Conquistador Variant: Crusader
Intruder Variant: Interloper
Dominator Variant: Director
Note that the most common PA Torp variant would be either Cobra or Mamba based, the Mothership variants would be rare. I just started with them as they are the coolest.
42
So, are hey supposed to damage a unit if they reach the same hex? It might be there, but I didn't see it.
Robert Cole,
Is the Crusader meant to operate with out SatShips?
I like this idea
Robert Snook: Yes. They are like drones in that respect.
Ed: Yeah, Crusader is a Hanger-less Mothership. Thanks!
42
Robert,
I like the idea. Your rules seem to have covered all the bases.
A few rule issues.
1. Drone PAT needs to be spelled out. Any drone impact will kill another drone in the rules but I don't think you intend this.
If a typeI drone can kill a PAT they aren't as useful.
2. Similarly I'm not sure an ADD doing 6 damage,
by 184 they are very common perhaps 4 damage.
3.You need to spell out that the PAT explosion isn't like a Tbomb in area effect.
A few other questions
Need to look at how common these variants might be?
How many racks on a COB,MAM?
Ever on a VIP?
They may help with the Andro "threashhold" problem which would be cool. Or just raise the threshold which wouldn't.
Paul Stovell:
Drone interactions: Good point. You're right that they shouldn't to be auto-kills - I'll fix that.
ADD: Right now it takes 3 ADD hits to kill a (energy free) PAT (18 damage to a PAT that can take 14). If ADD damage were decreased to 4, it would take 4 ADDs to kill the same PAT (16 damage to a PAT that can take 14).
Explosion Damage: Sheesh... I actually had that in an earlier version of the rules. Must've erased it while formatting. You are correct: a PAT will only explode against its target, it won't effect any other target (except in WW collateral) I'll fix that.
Variants: Mothership variants: I'd think the S8 rule would allow only a Mothership PAT varaint only if there is another (non PAT variant) Mothership in the same battle. Don't know about limits on SatShip PAT variants.
Cobra variant will probably carry 2 racks. Mamba might get 4. In the rules I basically limited the weapon to the LS / RS arcs, so an odd number (3 would make sense for the Mamba variant) is hard. Of course, I could always change the rules. 
No Viper variant. There weren't many (any?) Vipers in operation that late. Of course if this is an old Andro weapon that wasn't used until Y184, then there would be a Viper. Hrm... I'd probably make one... just to be complete.
I also have plans for a MWP variant that has 1 or 2 racks with no reloads.
Glad you like it.
42
Updated Section (FPA1.57):
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(FPA1.57) OTHER WEAPON INTERACTIONS:
(FPA1.571) DRONES: Drones do not auto-kill a PA Torpedo. Instead, use the following procedures:
(FPA1.5711) If the Drone was targeted on the PA Torpedo, the drone explosion strength is applied to the PA Torpedo as damage.
(FPA1.57111) If the drone explosion damage destroys the PA Torpedo, both weapons are removed from play.
(FPA1.57112) If the drone explosion damage does not destroy the torpedo, only the drone is removed: the PA Torpedo continues to its target (with whatever damage inflicted by the drone).
EXAMPLE: A standard Type-I drone impacts a PA Torpedo it was targeted on. The PA Torpedo had no energy in its panel at the time of impact. The drone explodes for 12 points of damage. The PA Torpedo absorbs 10 points of damage into its PA Panel, with the additional 2 points applied to the torpedo itself. This leaves only 2 damage points needed to destroy the PA Torpedo.
(FPA1.5712) If the PA Torpedo was targeted on the Drone, the PA Torpedo explodes for its full warhead strength (minimum 10 points). See (FPA1.436).
(FPA1.57121) It is possible that the explosion of a PA Torpedo does not destroy the target drone, in this case, the damaged drone will continue to its target, while the PA Torpedo is removed from play.
EXAMPLE: A PA Torpedo impacts a Type-H drone with a single space of armor. The PA Torpedo had no energy in its panel at the point of impact. The PA Torpedo explodes for 10 points of damage applied to the drone.
(FPA1.572) PLASMA: When a PA Torpedo impacts a plasma-based weapon, the PA Panel attempts to absorb the plasma energy. The actual PA Torpedo warhead can do no damage to the plasma weapon, only the PA Panel. To determine the damage done to / by a plasma-based weapon use the following procedures:
(FPA1.5721a) Subtract the amount of energy available in the PA Panel from the plasma warhead.
(FPA1.5721b) If there is any plasma warhead remaining, subtract the amount of damage required to destroy the PA Torpedo from the plasma warhead.
(FPA1.5722) The results of (FPA1.5721) will have one of the following effects:
1. If the PA Torpedo was targeted on the plasma weapon, and the plasma warhead is reduced to zero, remove both weapons from play.
2. If the PA Torpedo was targeted on the plasma weapon, and the plasma warhead is NOT reduced to zero, remove the PA Torpedo. The plasma weapon will continue.
3. If the PA Torpedo was NOT targeted on the plasma weapon, and the plasma warhead is reduced to zero, remove the plasma weapons from play. The PA Torpedo (most likely with its PA Panel full, and some damage to the Torpedo itself) will continue.
4. If the PA Torpedo was NOT targeted on the plasma weapon, and the plasma warhead is NOT reduced to zero, remove both weapons from play.
5. If the PA Torpedo is destroyed, AND the plasma weapon’s warhead is reduced to zero, both weapons are removed from play.
(FPA1.573) ESGs: ESG damage is treated as any other damage. I. E. The ESG field is absorbed into the PA Panel first, applied to the Torpedo second.
(FPA1.5731) If a PA Torpedo is destroyed by an ESG field, it does not explode.
(FPA1.574) ENVELOPING WEAPONS: Enveloping weapons (hellbores, PPDs,) treat PA Torpedoes as any other unit with 360o PA Panels.
(FPA1.5741) Enveloping Plasmas use the procedures in (FPA1.572).
(FPA1.575) WEB: As with the normal PA Panel rules, PA Torpedoes cannot absorb energy from a Web. They can be trapped in Web as a drone can.
(FPA1.576) WRG DEFENSIVE MODE: Damage by Warp-Augmented Railgun Defensive mode is determined as a drone.
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Formatting is better here, but I can't upload to my website from work.
The 2nd example (drone interactions) is incomplete, but I can't remember the stats on a Type-H drone.
Comments? Additions? Is it too mangled to read?
42
Big thanks to Ken Burnside, btw.
His Rule Templates (from CapLog 23) really made this 100% easier.
42
Robert,
You might also consider a PAT variant for the sled. A PAT "bombardment" role might be good.
Perhaps 6 PAT racks in place of 12 mineracks.
Analysis.. " PAT on a COB.
Does the same potential damage as a TRL at much greater range for no power expended AND every turn(well for 6 turns) But damage can be mitigated by all the ways drones can be......
Still 6 of these from 3 COB supporting an INT run in rather than the rather crunchy COB themselves.
Dunno. I'll need to do some scheming..
More questions
PAT is the baseline 2 replace a TRH and 1 a TRL?
COB,MAM as they are small you migh feel FH are an reasonable arc then 3 for MAM is easy.
If PAT's were accepted base versions would be required.
Paul
I had been thinking of this for a while.
Andromedon Drogues.
Basicly after seeing the GP races use them for a number of years (Maybe YIS190-192), and capturing a couple of dozen copies of them. The Andro's were able to create there own.
Considering that the Andro's don't have a 'shuttle bay' as other races. They were able to modify their own "tractor" (pure tractor, not TR's) to have a 'drogue' attachment. Being only on pure tractor beams, will mean that they can only be used on motherships.
This would essentially be an external housing for the drogue "Sled" to be deployed (which doesn't really do anything in the game, being on the outside, just explain where it is).
Drogues available:
Special Sensor, 1 Special Sensor??
Phaser, 2P2 (360) or 4P3
Anti-Drone: This was actually one piece of new technology that the Andro's applied. They took normal TR technology, and tuned it to work against drones/fighters only. It works just like an ADD, but the ship must use 1 reserve power for each shot (with a 3-shot max a turn from the Drogue).
Mine: can carry 3 T-Bombs on it, and can drop 1 a turn, or all in one hex. Think of it as a 'heavy weapons drogue' filled with T-Bombs instead of Plasma-Fs.
No Energy Module/PA drogues or any thing resembling that.
Others, To Be Determined
If an Andro displaces, it loses any deployed drogues. They take damage just like any other GP drogue.
Scott, Andros do have a hatch that can lay mines and that they can land shuttles into. I imagine a drogue could be deployed through the hatch.
Well I wanted to tie it to the 'tractor beam' so that only Motherships could carry them.
Call it a limitation. Because otherwise, "How many drogues can my ship carry?" If it's one per tractor beam, its real cut and dry.
The two aren't mutually exclusive.
JohnT.
I don't know of a sat-ship that has a tractor beam. Off the top of my head, I might of missed one though
Big fan of Andros, but I'm not a fan of "tech mixing". Especially for Andros. Let's keep them as different as we can.
42
Scott,
I may have misunderstood. I think the true-tractor-only restriction makes sense.
Be an interesting post-andro-war development. No major economy backing the syrvivors, they resort to tricks like drogues.
It could be interesting, could stir up a hronet's nest to have the Andro phaser drogue deploy P-1's instead of P-2's. Not being behind PA panels means not being limited by their effects.
OTOH, if the andros only use phaser-like weapons rather than phasers, this would not be an option, unless they took to using scavenged P-1s from galactic ships.
"Sat Ships" with trac
Bull Snake
King Snake
Queen Snake
All of the C3 Sleds
Rattler
Diamondback
However since all of these are non combat variants (as in lacking TR's) they do seem to be the exception.
To maintain only Mother Ships being able to carry you may want to say that the Andro drogues are limited to SC3 and greater, and that if used to support a drogue that tractor beam cannot be used for any other function while the drogue is deployed.
I just dug this old file out of a dark corner of my hard drive as I put together a new Special Projects page on my website. This one will give anyone who takes it too seriously a nightmare.
(E_.0) DISSECTION BEAMS
When the GSC Darwin returned from its epic voyage to an alternate timeline (SH166.0), it brought back vast amounts of data about Andromedan technology. The crew of the SCX Canaris managed to transmit most of the information gathered by Federation spies during the war to the Darwin before the scout ship was destroyed. Among the harrowing accounts in the data was a file on an Andromedan device described as a Dissection Beam.
Federation scientists managed to piece together enough of the fragmented data to understand the weapon’s characteristics. Based on many of the same principles as the Tractor-Repulsor, the weapon appeared to be capable of cutting away whole sections of ships and exposing their crews to the vacuum of space. While apparently rare in the alternate timeline, its effect was devastating. It could literally tear both engines from a cruiser with only two shots.
No Andromedan ship was ever reported to operate such a device in the historical timeline. When Galactic forces captured the Devastator construction facility at the conclusion of Operation Unity, several examples of the weapon were found in storage. It is not known if the Andromedans planned to install these weapons on the Devastator or if they had been used on other ships. Even though galactic scientists could not determine how the weapon operated, most of the major races retained copies of the device for further study.
(E_.1) INSTALLATION ON THE SSD
(E_.11) SSD: The Dissection Beam (DB) is a double sized weapon represented by two boxes on the SSD. Both boxes must be destroyed to destroy the weapon. These boxes are destroyed on “torpedo” hits. The DB functions normally with one box.
(E_.12) SIZE CLASS LIMITATIONS: Dissection Beams can only be installed in ships of size class three or larger.
(E_.13) KNOWN SUBSTITUTIONS: The files brought back by the Darwin included data on three classes of Andromedan ships known to operate Dissection Beams. See (R10._) below.
(E_.14) ALLOWABLE SUBSTITUTIONS: Theoretically, a Dissection Beam could be installed in place of two adjacent Heavy Tractor-Repulsor Beams. The DB would have the same arc as the weapons it replaced. Each DB installed would increase the BPV of the ship by 20. (Tactical Note: Some Andromedan ships, such as the Conquistador, have only two TRHs and no other tractors. While these ships could theoretically mount a DB, they would be of limited use because they would have no ability to tractor the target.)
(E_.2) ARMING PROCEDURE
(E_.21) ENERGY: The energy to fire a DB may come from any source.
(E_.211) To arm a DB, six points of power must be allocated for each of two consecutive turns. (This cannot be 4+8 or 8+4, for example) The weapon may be fired on the second turn. This arming energy does not include the power required to tractor the target unit in (E_.32).
(E_.212) Energy for the first turn of arming may come from reserve power, but the eight impulse delay from (H7.532) applies. The first turn of arming may be completed using contingent reserve power (H7.6).
(E_.213) Energy for the second turn of arming must be allocated; it cannot be reserve power. If no power is allocated on the second turn, energy from the first turn of arming is lost. Power for the first turn of arming may come from reserve power, but the eight impulse delay from (H7.532) applies. The first turn of arming may be completed using contingent reserve power (H7.6).
(E_.22) DELAY: Dissection Beams cannot be held in a loaded condition. It uses the same rolling delay as TR beams (E9.22). If not fired by the end of the second turn of arming, a DB loses the energy from the first turn of arming and that second turn becomes the first turn of a new arming cycle.
(E_.3) FIRING PROCEDURE
(E_.31) ELIGIBLE TARGETS: A Dissection Beam cannot be used against targets smaller than size class five. Size class six or smaller targets are two small for the DB to acquire. Any attempt to fire at size class six or smaller targets will result in the discharge of the DB but will cause no damage to the target.
(E_.32) TRACTOR REQUIRED: The target of a Dissection Beam must be held in a tractor to operate properly.
(E_.321) If the target is held in a tractor beam, follow the procedure in (E_.35).
(E_.322) A DB may be fired at a target not held in a tractor beam. Roll one die for each DB fired at a target not held in a tractor. Record the result. If the result is a 1 or 2, the weapon does damage normally as described by (E_.35). If the result is a 3 or 4, the damage determined by (E_.35) is reduced by 50%, dropping all fractions. If the result is a 5 or 6, the DB misses the target and causes no damage. (Tactical Note: This is the only procedure that allows a Dissection Beam to strike a target beyond a range of three hexes (the maximum range of tractor beams)).
(E_.33) NO EFFECT AGAINST SHIELDS: Dissection Beams have no effect on shields. DBs cause no damage to shields and cannot fire through shields. To cause any damage, the facing shield of the target ship must be down, including any General Reinforcement (D3.343). If a ship attempts to fire a DB through a shield, the weapon discharges harmlessly. This limitation applies to the shields of both the target AND the firing unit. This limitation prevents any ship equipped with shields to use a Dissection Beam safely.
(E_.34) EXPANDING SPHERES: ESGs have no effect on the operation of a Dissection Beam.
(E_.35) IMPULSE: Dissection Beams may fire during the Second Hellbore Firing Option of the Direct-Fire Weapons Stage 6D2 of any impulse. (Tactical Note: This allows a ship equipped with a DB to drop a shield on the target as required by (E_.33) using other direct-fire weapons and then fire a DB through that down shield on the same impulse. However, if the firing ship fails to produce a down shield, the DB will be harmlessly discharged by (E_.33) as all direct-fire, including Dissection Beams, must be announced in Fire Allocation Stage 6D1.)
(E_.36) MAXIMUM RANGE: The maximum true range of a Dissection Beam is eight hexes. If fired against a target not held in a tractor (and any unit beyond range 3), the procedure in (E_.322) must be used. A DB may be fired a greater effective range than eight hexes.
(E_.37) PROCEDURE: The amount of damage is determined using the Heavy Tractor-Repulsor Beam Table (E9.35). The procedure is as follows: Determine the range to the target. Roll one die for each DB (pair of boxes on the SSD, not one die for each box) and cross-index the die roll result with the range column. The result is the number of damage points scored. (This die roll may be adjusted by (E1.8).) The resulting damage is resolved by (E_.4).
(E_.38) OVERLOADS: Dissection Beams cannot be overloaded.
(E_.39) NOT TRACTOR-REPULSORS OR TRACTOR: Despite their origins as tractor beam technology, Dissection Beams may not be used a tractor-repulsors or tractor beams.
(E_.4) DAMAGE RESOLUTION
(E_.41) SEPARATE VOLLEYS: Each Dissection Beam fired in a single impulse is resolved as a separate volley after all other direct-fire damage is resolved.
(E_.42) DAMAGE PROCEDURE: For each Dissection Beam that scores damage on the target, roll two die. The result is used to determine all damage generated by that specific DB in the DAC.
EXAMPLE: An Andromedan Incisor fires one of its Dissection Beams through a down shield of a Federation CC+ held in tractor at range 2, scoring 20 points of damage. A pair of dice is rolled and the result is a 10. All twenty hits are resolved as a ten on the DAC. The resulting damage would be: 1 phaser-3 (#9), 1 tractor, 15 left warp (all of the left warp on the CC), and 3 impulse.
(E_.43) NATURE OF DISSECTION DAMAGE: Boxes on the SSD damaged by a DB are, in effect, physically removed from the ship. This is unlike normal damage, as it cannot be repaired by any means during a scenario. The portion of the ship that contained the systems affected has been removed and can only be replaced in a shipyard.
As the DB is not merely damaging systems but removing them, DB damage can be applied to systems already marked as damaged by other weapons. Players should mark the two types of damage differently. Damaged scored by normal weapons fire should be marked with a slash mark or an “X”. Damage from Dissection Beams should be marked by completely filling the SSD boxes removed.
EXAMPLE: In the example above in (E4.42), the Federation CC+ had already received damage to one phaser and three left warp boxes due to other direct-fire damage. This damage would be ignored by the Dissection Beam and these damaged systems would be removed from the ship.
(E_.44) PERSONNEL CASUALTIES: By cutting through the hull of the target, the Dissection Beam causes rapid decompression of the target’s interior. While all ships have blast door that close immediately to contain such damage, the loss of personnel in this case is inevitable.
(E_.441) CREW UNITS: For each DB that damages the target, roll one die. Score the result as a number of crew units killed. It is possible that the number of crew units could be reduced to zero by this procedure.
(E_.442) BOARDING PARTIES: If using (D16.0), any Dissection Beam cutting into a boarding party area will result in casualties to boarding parties in that area. For each area that is penetrated, roll one die. The result is the number of boarding parties lost on EACH side that has forces in that area. This result is not cumulative with (E_.441)
EXAMPLE: In the example above in (E4.42), the Federation CC+ had been previously boarded by the Andromedans in Area D (the aft hull). All of the DB damage was in this area. After rolling one die, resulting in a six, the Federation player marked of six crew units as killed. The last crew unit marked off included two boarding parties, reducing the Federation player to eight boarding parties. Another die is rolled to determine BP casualties, resulting in a four. The Federation player, who had all of his BPs in this section to repel the boarders, loses two more, for a total of four. The Andromedan only had three BPs aboard the Federation ship, and since this number is less than four, all of the Andromedan boarding parties are lost.
(E_.443) SIZE CLASS 4+: (E_.441) and (E_.442) does not apply to class size five units.
(E_.45) SHUTTLE BAYS: Shuttle bays removed by Dissection Beams cannot be used to hold shuttles after they are destroyed. If an armed shuttle is in a shuttle box removed by a DB, there is no chain reaction (D12.0). Any launch tubes associated with a removed shuttle bay are also removed.
(R10.0) ANDROMEDAN SHIPS
DISSECTION BEAM SHIPS
(R10._) DISSECTOR HEAVY DREADNAUGHT (DSR): A version of the Dominatrix (DMX) Class Heavy Dreadnaught (R10.40) equipped with two Dissection Beams. Replace each pair of TRH-FH (A+B, C+D) with a DB-FH. BPV is 547. All other data same as the DMX.
(R10._) INCISOR BATTLECRUISER (ICR): A version of the Imposer (IMP) Class Battlecruiser (R10.27) equipped with two Dissection Beams. Replace both TRH-LS (B+C) with a DB-LS and replace both TRH-RS (D+E) with a DB-RS. BPV is 325. All other data same as the IMP.
(R10._) EXTRACTOR COMBAT SHIP (EXT): A version of the Exploiter (EXP) Class Combat Ship (R10.38) equipped with one Dissection Beam. Replace both TRH-FH (A+B) with a DB-FH. BPV is 212. All other data same as the IMP. Significantly, this ship lacks a standard tractor beam, forcing the EXT to use one of its two TRH as a tractor to avoid the penalty of (E_.322).
Very evil grin.
But where's the damage chart?
*edit\ Wait... I see it... use the TRH table... gotcha... \edit*
42
Man, can you get any more BORG like than that?
That's jsut scary man.
1) Be sure to specify the firing ship must hold the target in the tractor.
2) The idea sounds nasty, but the implementation seems weak. The weapon does no more damage (could do less if the target isn't tractored) than a TRH, but takes the space of two of them. Furthermore, some of its damage is likely to be wasted due to the re-damaging aspect. The penetrating aspect is interesting, but I'm not sure how dangerous it really is...
It really depends on the die roll I guess. Rolling a 7 will not be nearly as bad as rolling a 10 or 11. I haven't really gotten an opportunity to test it, so it may very well be "weak" (at least in relative terms). I figured the weapon needed to be a little restricted until I got a chance to really see its effects - I find it easier to increase a designs effectiveness than to scale it back - just a personal preference.
Thanks for the heads up on the tractor. I'll take another look at the rules and make sure it is clear.
Through my website I was contacted by another player, Jeff Anderson, who had an idea for a new Andromedan system. He calls it the "Turntable", and it is basically a large plate that allows a Satellite Ship to dock to a Mothership in a type of Turret.
After some discussion with Jeff I have written up some rules for the system, along with some ships to use it.
Jeff was curious about any thoughts or input other players might have, so I thought I would post the information here.
Andromedan Turntable Website
Andromedan Turntable Rules
Andromedan Turntable Cruiser
Andromedan Turntable Dreadnought
If you want to contact Jeff without going through the BBS, his email is on the website I linked above.42
ROBERT:
Just when I thought it was safe to go out into the galaxy and play again you come up with another reason to go back inside, shut-lock and deadbolt the doors and lock all the windows. The Turntable rules are nasty stuff. On top of that you come up with the Dissection Beam rules and I wonder why the Andromedans (would have) kicked the you know what out of the galaxy.
STEVE:
How about it guy, let the Dissection Beam rules into R13?. How about throwing the Turntable Rules in for good measure too. TALK ABOUT EVERYONE RUNNING AND HIDING!!!!!!!!!!!!
Just some thoughts,John.
John Hacker:
The Dissection Beams are Jeremy Gray's.
The Turntable credit goes to Jeff Anderson (though I did help flesh them out some).
My Andro weapon design is the PA Torpedo.
For some fun, we could put them all together and create some "very evil things(TM)".
ROBERT:
Now that I know who did each item I know now who to give credit to, thank you very much for the insight.
As to putting ALL OF THAT NASTY - EVIL - DISGUSTING TECHNOLOGY TOGETHER, I think i'm going to take my GORN you know what and go and hide somewhere safe, say, The Tholian Holdfast (Or maybe the Great Energy Barrier).
Oh the heck with it, i'm a Gorn I think plasma technology would win over it. WE DO HAVE THE GORN ANCHOR for crying outloud.