Hi Norman,

Medium speed drones (speed 20) should be used to test Triangulum ships that have the Y120 refit. Speed 8 drones versus the pre Y120 ones. I know the timeline don't align well since medium speed drone are date Y167 but in the Triangulum Galaxy the Spear missile (speed 32) are available in Y154, prior to that the Javelin Missile are speed 16. Fast drones can also be used to test those fully refitted ships.

Sorry about that, I should have made sure you were doing it this way. My fault.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Saturday, November 02, 2013 - 02:36 pm: Edit

Thanks Francois. I will make sure that all drones are speed 20 for further playtesting. I appreciate you clarifying that for me.

But don't be upset if you get a subspace transmission from a couple of angry Klingon Captains!

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Monday, November 04, 2013 - 02:41 am: Edit

Hi Francois. Here is a summary of the first Imperium vs Gorn Duel. This battle will be included in my official playtest report, along with a couple of other battles.

The Gorn CA closed and tricked the Imperium CA into launching a Wild Weasel for a Pseudo Plasma Torpedo. After reaching Range 1, the Gorn CA grabbed the Imperium CA with a Tractor Beam. The Imperium CA could not escape.

The Gorn CA launched two Plasma-S torpedoes while using the Gorn Anchor. What the Gorn did not anticipate is the resilience of the Imperium CA. The Imperium returned fire with its Linear Accelerators and Hypermass Autocannons. The Imperium CA was not badly hurt by the Plasmas because of its Neutronium Armor.

The next few turns resulted in a real slugfest at Range 1 with both ships firing everything they have while using Tactical Maneuvers. The Imperium CA was surprised by the number of Gorn Shuttles that it suddenly had to face. In the end, the Gorn CA won the firefight, but only after every last box of Warp Engine was destroyed on the Imperium CA.

Please see the Notes/Suggestions/Conclusions section at the bottom.


IMPERIUM IMPERATOR CA (with Y49 + Y31 REFITS) vs GORN CA (WITH THE + REFIT/NOT THE BATTLECRUISER) DUEL #1:


TURN 1

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving slow.

The ships are heading towards each other.

Imperium fires 1 standard burst Hypermass Autocannon at Range 38. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard burst Hypermass Autocannon at Range 31. It misses.

Imperium shoots 1 standard burst Hypermass Autocannon at Range 25. It misses.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 25. 2 points of damage are absorbed by the Imperium's reinforcement.

TURN 2

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium slows to Speed 4.

Both ships are heading toward each other.

Gorn launches a Plasma-S Torpedo at Range 10.

Imperium fires one overloaded single shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 8. It misses.

Imperium fires one overloaded single shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 6. It misses.

Imperium fires 4 Medium Linear Accelerators at Range 6. They score 12 points of damage on the Gorn's #1 Shield.

Imperium fires 4 Small Linear Accelerators at Range 6. They score 5 points of damage on the Gorn's #1 Shield.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 6. 9 points of damage are marked off the Imperium's #1 Shield.

Imperium launches a Wild Weasel. Plasma-S begins seeking the Wild Weasel instead of the Imperium CA.

The Plasma-S strikes the Wild Weasel. It is revealed to be a Pseudo Plasma Torpedo.

Imperium fires one overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 2. It misses.

The Gorn CA attaches a Tractor Beam on the Imperium CA at Range 1. The Imperium CA tries to use Reserve Power for Negative Tractor, but it is not enough to break free.

TURN 3

Both ships begin the turn right next to each other. The Gorn CA is Tractoring the Imperium CA.

The Imperium CA tries to break the Gorn's Tractor with Negative Tractor. The Imperium does not win the Tractor Auction. The Imperium remains caught in the Gorn's Tractor Beam.

The Gorn CA launches two Plasma-S Torpedoes at the Imperium CA.

Imperium fires 4 Small Linear Accelerators and 4 Medium Linear Accelerators at one of the Plasma-S Torpedoes. 22 points of warhead strength is subtracted from one of the Plasma-S Torpedoes.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at the Gorn CA from Range 1. It misses.

The two Plasma-S Torpedoes hit the Imperium CA. After subtracting reinforcement, the Imperium CA takes 34 points of damage to Shield #6. Shield #6 collapses and the Imperium CA takes 13 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 10 FH Neutronium Armor.

The Gorn CA launches 6 administrative shuttles.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 7 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses all of its FH Neutronium Armor, 1 Small Linear Accelerator, and 1 Warp Engine.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 5 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Warp Engine and 1 Medium Mine.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. 16 points of damage is scored on the Gorn's #6 Shield.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Warp Engine and 2 Small Linear Accelerators.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

Both ships use Tactical Maneuvers to turn. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. It misses.

6 shuttles fire 6 PH-3's at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 22 points of damage to its #5 Shield. The #5 Shield collapses and the Imperium CA takes 1 Internal.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Impulse.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 5 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 RH Neutronium Armor, 1 Impulse, and 2 Batteries.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 7 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 Impulse and 5 RH Neutronium Armor.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. It misses.

Both ships use Tactical Maneuvers to turn. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

The Imperium CA uses Tactical Maneuvers to turn. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

At this point in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no #6 Shield and no #5 Shield. Shield #1 has taken 9 points of damage.

The Imperium CA has no FH Neutronium Armor and 3 boxes left of RH Neutronium Armor.

The Imperium CA has lost 4 Small Linear Accelerators, 1 Medium Mine, 4 Warp Engines, 3 Impulse, and 2 Batteries.

The Gorn has taken 17 points of damage to Shield #1 and 16 points of damage to Shield #6.

TURN 4

The Gorn CA still has a Tractor Beam on the Imperium CA. The Imperium CA tries to break free with Negative Tractor but fails.

The Gorn's #2 Shield is facing the Imperium CA.

The Imperium's #3 Shield is facing the Gorn CA. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

Imperium fires 4 Medium Linear Accelerators at Range 1. After reinforcement, 22 points of damage are applied to the Gorn's #2 Shield.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. It misses.

6 shuttles fire 6 PH-3s at Range 1. The Imperium's #3 Shield takes 22 points of damage. The #3 Shield buckles and the Imperium CA takes 1 Internal.

The Imperium CA loses 1 RH Neutronium Armor.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium loses 2 RH Neutronium Armor and 1 Warp Engine.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Bridge, 1 Medium Linear Accelerator, and 1 Warp Engine.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Medium Linear Accelerator, 1 Impulse, and 1 Battery.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. It misses.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Medium Linear Accelerator and 1 Warp Engine.

Both ships uses Tactical Maneuvers to turn.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. 16 points of damage are scored on the Gorn's #1 Shield. The #1 Shield collapses and the Gorn CA takes 3 Internals.

The Gorn CA loses 1 PH-1.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. It misses.

Both ships use Tactical Maneuvers to turn.

At this point in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no #6 Shield, no #3 Shield, and no #5 Shield. It has taken 9 points of damage to Shield #1 and 12 points of damage to Shield #4.

The Imperium CA has no FH or RH Neutronium Armor.

The Imperium CA has lost 4 Small Linear Accelerators, 3 Medium Linear Accelerators, 1 Medium Mine, 7 Warp Engines, 4 Impulse, 3 Batteries, and 1 Bridge.

The Gorn CA has no Shield #1. It has taken 22 points of damage to its #2 Shield and 16 points of damage to its #6 Shield.

The Gorn lost 1 PH-1.

TURN 5

The Imperium CA is still trapped by the Gorn CA's Tractor Beam. It cannot break free.

The Imperium's #2 Shield is facing the Gorn CA.

The Gorn's #6 Shield is facing the Imperium CA.

Imperium fires 1 Medium Linear Accelerator at Range 1. After subtracting reinforcement, 5 points of damage are scored on the Gorn's #6 Shield.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. 16 points of damage are scored on the Gorn's #6 Shield. The #6 Shield collapses and the Gorn CA takes 13 Internals.

The Gorn CA loses 2 Warp Engines, 2 PH-1s, 1 Plasma-S Torpedo, and 1 Bridge.

6 shuttles fire 6 PH-3s at Range 1. 21 points of damage are scored on the Imperium's #2 Shield. The #2 Shield buckles but the Imperium CA suffers no Internals.

Gorn fires 2 PH-1s at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 15 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Medium Linear Accelerator, 6 Warp Engines, and 1 Bridge.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 Warp Engines.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 4 Warp Engines.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. The Gorn CA takes 16 Internals.

The Gorn CA loses 1 Plasma-S Torpedo, 3 Impulse, 1 PH-1, 1 Warp Engine, 1 Bridge, 1 Aux, and 1 Emer.

Both ships use Tactical Maneuvers to turn.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. 16 points of damage are marked off the Gorn's #5 Shield.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. 16 points of damage are marked off the Gorn's #5 Shield. The #5 Shield collapses and the Gorn CA takes 8 Internals.

The Gorn CA loses 2 PH-1s, 2 Batteries, 2 APR, and 1 Warp Engine.

Both ships use Tactical Maneuvers to turn. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

Both ships use Tactical Maneuvers to turn. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 4 Warp Engines.

The Imperium CA uses Tactical Maneuvers to turn. The Imperium's Turret is facing the Gorn CA.

At this point in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no #6 Shield, no #2 Shield, no #3 Shield, and no #5 Shield. It has one box left on Shield #4, and 15 boxes left on Shield #1.

The Imperium CA has no FH or RH Neutronium Armor.

The Imperium CA only has 4 Hypermass Autocannons, 8 Warp Engines and 1 RA Medium Linear Accelerator left.

The Gorn CA has no #1 Shield, no #6 Shield, and no #5 Shield. Shield #2 has taken 22 points of damage.

The Gorn CA has 2 PH-1s remaining and 31 Total Power to use.

TURN 6

The Gorn CA is still Tractoring the Imperium CA.

The Imperium CA is facing the Gorn CA.

The Gorn's #3 Shield is facing the Imperium CA.

The Imperium only has enough power to fire 1 overloaded single-shot Hypermass Autocannon at Range 1. It misses.

6 shuttles fire 6 PH-3s at Range 1. The Imperium's #1 Shield collapses and the Imperium CA takes 6 Internals.

Gorn fires 2 PH-1s at Range 1. The Imperium CA takes 9 more Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 8 Warp Engines, 3 Scanners, 1 Probe, 2 Hypermass Autocannons, and 1 Sensor.

The Imperium CA is now dead in space. It has no power left at all. All of the Imperium's Warp Engines, Impulse, and Batteries have been destroyed.

The Gorn CA is damaged, but not crippled. The Gorn CA is victorius.


Captain Rex of the Gorn Triceratops snarls, "Dinos...Crunch...Imperium"


NOTES/SUGGESTIONS/CONCLUSIONS

1) The Small and Medium Linear Accelerators work fine. We suggest to add a note on the Linear Accelerator Table on the SSD that states that the minimum damage is 1 and the maximum damage is 6 (and you can miss by getting a negative number). It would be quite easy to misread the chart and not apply the correct damage.

2) The number of Small and Linear Accelerators on the Imperium CA is still questionable to us. We need to playtest this further. The amount of Linear Accelerators worked fine for this Duel that ended up at close range, but we don't know how they will work out at mid to long range (meaning there might be too few Linear Accelerators or there might be too many). The reason this is important is because the Linear Accelerators have taken the place of Phasers, but they function completely different from Phasers. We will see what happens in the second and third Duel.

3) The Hypermass Autocannon also requires further playtesting. During this playtest Duel, it was firing in overloaded, Single-Shot Mode at close range. While it delivered the damage of an overloaded Photon Torpedo every round, it had a terrible chance to hit, had to wait 4 impulses in-between shots, and was limited by the Turret Arc. None of us had ever seen an overloaded weapon miss this much at Range 1 (it got pretty frustrating for the player!). So, at first glace, it seems like the Disadvantages (poor to-hit, 4-impulse delay, Turret arc) of the Hypermass Autocannon balance the Advantages gained (a very powerful shot each turn). But we can easily see a game becoming unbalanced just by a series of lucky rolls. So this weapon seems, for right now, to be all or nothing, 50/50, either hit or miss (depending on the die roll). This is only for the Single Shot Mode, of course. The Hypermass Autocannon really needs further playtesting to see if it is balanced or not.

4) The Hypermass Autocannon has not really been tested in Burst Mode thoroughly. This Duel was fought at close range using Single Shot mode. In a mid to long distance battle, with the Burst Mode being used, is the Hypermass Autocannon too powerful? At first glance, it seems like it can hit like a Photon but every turn for the cost of a Disruptor. However, the Burst Mode is also balanced by the to-hit roll, having to wait 4 impulses between shots, and the Turret arc. Also, the damage for Standard Burst Mode is comparable to Disruptor damage. So, further playtesting is needed to see if the Hypermass Autocannon in Burst Mode is balanced or not.

5) The 4-impulse delay for the Hypermass Autocannon is questionable as well. We realize the 4-impulse delay is there to balance the weapon, but it makes the Imperium extremely vulnerable to a single, massive (alpha) strike. 16 impulses is a long time to wait in order to fire all four "Torpedoes", while your opponent can fire all four of his Torpedoes (Photons, Disruptors, etc.) in a single impulse. So while the 4-impulse delay might balance the power the Hypermass Autocannon can generate every turn, it may handicap the Imperium as well. But this remains to be verified through further playtesting.

6) The Neutronium Armor works extremely well against Mizia strikes.

7) The Medium Mine remains to be tested. It will take careful planning to drop the mine in a place where it will be effective against the enemy. The opportunity certainly did not come up in this Duel.

8) The Shields on the Imperium seem balanced. In combination with the Neutronium Armor, the Imperium CA was able to absorb a lot of punishment.

9) The Imperium CA has no APR. Why is that? Just wondering if there is some kind of rationale behind it.

10) The Imperium has 5 Shuttle Bays. I wonder what their Carriers will look like later...

11) The Power Curve on the Imperium CA is fine.

12) The Imperium player at one point talked about launching his shuttles to fire at the Gorn. Since the Imperium don't use Phasers, what are the shuttles armed with? A single Small Linear Accelerator?

13) The Turret Rules on the Imperium CA SSD state: Possible Facing All. The Turret can only turn in the FX Arc. We would suggest changing the SSD to avoid any confusion.

14) What do the Imperium look like? Just like Humans? Animal-men? Or something else?

15) The Imperium CA is really fun to play. It just takes getting used to because it is so different. But the design is really cool, with the Medium Mine, the RA Medium Linear Accelerator, the Turret, the Neutronium Armor, and the powerful weapon (Hypermass Autocannon) that has several limitations placed upon it.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Monday, November 04, 2013 - 01:41 pm: Edit

Hi Norm,

To survive n anchor and still go out fighting is impressive.

Next battle, try to stay farther away using the turret to keep the enemy in arc and sniping with the HAC. Also with this type of battle the medium mine will become much more handy.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Monday, November 04, 2013 - 01:54 pm: Edit

Thanks Francois. After the battle, my group did say that next time they are going to try to fight from mid range using the turret.

What are your thoughts on the Comments/Suggestions section?

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Monday, November 04, 2013 - 02:16 pm: Edit

At this point I'm not satisfied with the linear accelerator and I'm not sure they add much to the ship or the game in general, maybe the Imerium ships should be equipped with either the Proton Pulse Emitter or Pulse Phaser.

The HAC in single shot: I'm tempted to change the to-hit and damage for this weapon.

Keep the same range bracket, range 0-1 to-hit= 4 damage= 6, range 2-3 to-hit= 4 damage= 5, range 4-8 to-hit= 3 damage= 5, range 9-12 to-hit= 2 damage= 4, range 14-30 to-hit= 1 damage=4. Double damage for overload.

So a little less damage for a little more to-hit chance at short range.

The Imperium is a multi-racial empire but main ruling race is avian, looking and the same feeding habit as vulture.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Monday, November 04, 2013 - 03:16 pm: Edit

Thanks Francois.

We thought the concept of the Linear Accelerator was cool. It had a random die for damage, like the Loriyill's Fireball, but it took the place of Phasers. Also, the chart was unique, because it did not have the standard to-hit separated by the damage. Instead, the damage and to-hit are combined in single chart. So we hope you keep the Linear Accelerators.

The only things we suggest about the Linear Accelerators are:

1) Make it clear on the chart that it does from 1-6 damage only (not more than 6). The chart can be a little confusing about the damage.

2) Get rid of the fractional energy costs. We calculated it fine, but it slowed us down a little having to deal with the half points. It would just make it easier to use whole numbers.

3) Extend the range. This requires further playtesting to confirm. Phasers can fire much further than Range 15. It seems quite limiting to have the main phaser type weapon on a ship be limited to Range 15.

The concept behind the Hypermass Autocannon seemed pretty cool too. A lot of damage in a single turn but with a bad to hit chance, delays between firing, and turret arcs. We were going to suggest, based on further playtesting, to:

1) Possibly lower the damage on the Single Shot, but keep the bad to-hit chance. Maybe instead of damage 16, it might be 12, for example.

2) Possibly reduce the 4-impulse delay to a 2-impulse delay or even a 1-impulse delay (depending on how playtests go)

3) The Burst Mode may need to be modified based on further playtesting.

If you decide to lower the damage and increase the to-hit chances (in Single Shot mode), then the Hypermass Autocannon will become more and more like a Photon or Disruptor.

As it stands, the Single-Shot mode is already being compared to a Photon (based on to-hit, energy cost, and damage), and the Burst mode is already being compared to a Disruptor (based on to-hit, energy cost, and damage).

So we feel, the more different the Hypermass Autocannon is (with its limitations: bad to-hit, impulse delay between firing, turret arc) to the Photon and Disruptor, the better. It just needs further playtesting and modification to ensure proper balance.

Of course, the final decision about the Imperium is up to you. Triangulum is your galaxy (and an awesome galaxy it is!).

Just our thoughts on it for you to consider.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, November 04, 2013 - 08:13 pm: Edit

For what it's worth, I would prefer to see the Imperium keep the linear accelerator as their primary phaser-equivalent, if only to help keep them distinct from the younger realms in their midst (or from their old Frigian foes).

Unless, perhaps, one could have an option to equip one or more of the autonomous provinces with either PPEs or PPs? (In which case, the "standard" Imperium Fleet would retain the linear accelerators; but, say, the Gorthang or Atlar provinces could experiment with alternate options.)


Also, Norman, have you been using the Imperium rules while accounting for the 2011 errata update? Some of the turret issues from CL23 were addressed in that file.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Tuesday, November 05, 2013 - 12:44 am: Edit

Hi Gary. I am glad to hear that you like the Linear Accelerators too.

Yes, we were using the turret rules in accordance with the 2011 errata update. Basically, on the Imperium CA (size class 3), the turret is FX, with a 120 degree arc, turning every 8 impulses, and cannot be pointed to the rear (facing the #4 shield).

While many people think having a turret is an advantage (because you can change the weapon arc as opposed to having them set in a specific direction), there are disadvantages that could arise with the use of a turret. It is these disadvantages that I believe help to balance the Single Shot mode of the Hypermass Autocannon.

Some disadvantages of using the turret are:

1) Your turret might not turn fast enough to be facing the enemy.

It may seem that, in a Duel scenario, it would be easy to always point the turret at the enemy. But consider these possibilities:

a) The opponent circles around you at a very fast speed while you are moving slow. It is possible that he can make a battle pass on your ship and end up in a position that your turret cannot reach. For example, let's say it is Impulse 7 and your turret is facing toward the #6 Shield. The opponent moves multiple times (while you do not) and gets in a position on Impulse 14 where you need to to fire out towards the #3 Shield. The turret will only be able to turn towards the #1 Shield within that 8 impulse span. This may be difficult for your opponent to achieve, but it certainly is possible.

b) The enemy overruns you and ends up on the opposite side of you. This is like a) above, but instead of traveling around you, the opponent just flies over you. Will the turret turn fast enough to face him again? Probably not.

c) The opponent approaches from the #4 Shield angle. Unlikely, but possible in a Duel.

d) An Andromedan might displace to a different arc before your turret could turn.

e) A Nicozian could easily skip-warp around you to a different arc before your turret could turn.

f) The Ryn could easily use their Quantum Transporters to get to a different arc before the turret could turn.

g) The Souldra could "fade-out" with their Dimensional Phasing Device and "fade-in" to a different firing arc before the turret could turn.

h) The Triaxians could easily get a different arc or the #4 facing with their Tri-Directional movement. The turret may be too slow to catch them.

i) The Flivvers could easily use their Hoverwarp to get to a different firing arc before the turret could turn.

2) All of the Medium Linear Accelerators and the Hypermass Autocannons are tied to the turret on the Imperium CA. This makes them all fire in a certain direction and also makes them unable to fire in other directions at that same moment. What if Drones or Plasmas are approaching from another arc (assuming your turret is pointed at the enemy ship in a different arc)? What if Shuttles (Suicide, Administrative) or Fighters are approaching from another direction? The turret is a clear disadvantage in these situations.

3) It was mentioned in the Borak (E3) Thread that a turret can purposely be turned away from an enemy until you are ready to use the turret heavy weapons. The purpose of turning the turret away from the enemy is so that he cannot destroy the weapons on the turret with damage because the turret is not facing towards him. So you are protecting your heavy weapons until you are ready to use them. However, this also creates a case where you telegraph your intentions by turning the turret away (or towards) the enemy.

In other words, if a standard ship has weapons all facing different arcs, then the enemy ship has no idea what weapons are going to be fired and when. But if a ship with a turret approaches and the turret is pointed right at them (or away from them), then it is clear what they intend to do (meaning the intention is telegraphed).

4) For the Imperium CA (size class 3), the turret cannot be pointed towards the rear (#4 Shield). This can be a disadvantage in any situation where you are trying to move away from an enemy (having your #4 Shield facing him) and he is following you.

I just wanted to clarify what I meant when I said the turret could be a disadvantage for the Hypermass Autocannons. I was not referring to the 60 degree arc in Module E2 or the 120 degree arc mentioned in the 2011 errata update. Thanks.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Tuesday, November 05, 2013 - 01:07 am: Edit

Hi Francois. The new Helgardian SSDs look great with the Rotary Shield charts and the Graviton Beam charts on them. I also like the redesigned Particle Shotgun table. It is much easier to read.

I just noticed the Helgardian have a really interesting ship called a Heavy Shield Cruiser. This ship is equipped with an awesome new weapon called a Shield Projector. It looks like the Shield Projector has both offensive and defensive uses.

Is the Shield Projector in your Triangulum Rulebook? I couldn't find it in there. Have you created the official rules for the Shield Projector yet? If you have, please forward them to me. We wanted to try this cool ship out. Thank you.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Wednesday, November 06, 2013 - 04:27 pm: Edit

Hi Norman,

The Borak can turn its turret to protect the weapon because they are phaser, on the Imperium ships only the LA would be protected not the HAC which is considered a heavy weapon and doesn't have directional damage.

The Shield Projector, isn't in the rulebook and will be added later, the Helgardian ships equipped with a shield projector can send the projected shield to protect an ally or to obstruct an enemy firing weapons.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Thursday, November 07, 2013 - 12:48 am: Edit

Hi Francois. Thanks for the clarification about the Turret Heavy Weapons. I was thinking of the Borak's Megaphasers when I wrote that and I forgot the Megaphasers were directional as opposed to the Hypercannons which are not. I appreciate your help.

The Shield Projector will be a lot of fun to playtest. Please let me know when you have added it to your Triangulum Rulebook.


Here is a summary of the second Imperium vs Gorn Duel. This battle will be included in my official playtest report, along with a couple of other battles.

The Imperium CA tried to fight a running battle from mid range. This was unsuccessful, because the Imperium's Hypermass Autocannons were not a match for the Gorn's Plasma-S Torpedoes, even at mid range. In addition, the Gorn CA proved to be faster than the Imperium CA.

After absorbing the first volley of Plasma-S Torpedoes, the Imperium CA tried to close on the Gorn CA while it was reloading its Plasma Torpedoes. The Hypermass Autocannons and Linear Accelerators failed to do significant damage during this time.

Once the Plasma-S Torpedoes were once again rearmed, the Gorn CA turned around and closed on the Imperium CA. The Imperium CA fired its Hypermass Autocannons at the Gorn CA while firing all of its Linear Accelerators at one of the Plasma-S Torpedoes. Both Plasma-S Torpedoes struck the Imperium CA causing heavy damage.

The final blow landed when the Gorn CA performed a tight Battle Pass (almost an Overrun) at Range 1, firing PH-1s as Mizia strikes as it passed. With Shields down and no more Neutronium Armor, the Imperium CA was severely crippled.

The Gorn CA ended up behind the Imperium CA and the Imperium CA could not even fire its 4th Hypermass Autocannon shot at it. The Imperium CA disengaged, but vowed to return to claim Vengeance.

This Duel reinforced some suspicions that we had about the Hypermass Autocannons, the Linear Accelerators, the Turret, and the Neutronium Armor.

Please see the Notes/Suggestions/Conclusions section at the bottom.


IMPERIUM IMPERATOR CA (with Y49 + Y31 REFITS) vs GORN CA (WITH THE + REFIT/NOT THE BATTLECRUISER) DUEL #2:


TURN 1

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving fast.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 29. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 26. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 23. 2 points of damage are absorbed by the Gorn's reinforcement.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 23. 3 points of damage are absorbed by the Imperium's reinforcement.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 21. 2 points of damage are absorbed by the Gorn's reinforcement.

TURN 2

The Gorn CA is moving toward the Imperium CA. The Imperium CA is moving perpendicular to the Gorn CA.

The Gorn CA is moving very fast. The Imperium CA is moving fast.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 12. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 11. 3 points of damage are scored on Shield #1.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 9. It misses.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 9. 5 points of damage are marked off Shield #3.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 7. 7 points of damage are scored on Shield #1.

Gorn launches two Plasma-S Torpedoes.

Imperium fires 1 Medium Linear Accelerator at a Plasma-S at Range 6. The warhead is reduced by 1 point.

Gorn fires 2 PH-1s at Range 6. 6 points of damage is marked off Shield #3.

At this point in the Duel, the Gorn CA has taken 10 points of damage to Shield #1. The Imperium CA has taken 11 points of damage to Shield #3.

TURN 3

The Imperium CA is moving away from the Gorn CA with his #3 Shield facing him. The Gorn CA is facing the Imperium CA.

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving slow.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 6. It misses.

Gorn fires 6 PH-1s at Range 5. 19 points of damage are marked off Shield #3. The Imperium's Shield #3 collapses. The Imperium CA takes 9 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 7 RH Neutronium Armor.

Imperium fires 1 Medium Linear Accelerator at a Plasma-S at Range 3. The warhead is reduced by 2 points.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 5. After subtracting reinforcement, 6 points of damage are scored on Shield #2.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 5 through the down Shield #5. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 RH Neutronium Armor. The Imperium CA has no RH Neutronium Armor left.

Imperium fires 4 Small Linear Accelerators and 4 Medium Linear Accelerators at a Plasma-S at Range 1. The warhead is reduced by 17 points.

2 Plasma-S Torpedoes strike the Imperium's #2 Shield. The #2 Shield buckles and the Imperium CA takes 19 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 10 FH Neutronium Armor. All of the Imperium's Forward Hull is gone.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 6. 7 points of damage are marked off Shield #3.

At this point in the Duel, the Gorn CA has taken 10 points of damage to Shield #1, 6 points of damage to Shield #2, and 7 points of damage to Shield #3.

The Imperium CA has no Shield #2, no Shield #3, no Forward Hull, and no RH Neutronium Armor. The Imperium CA has 2 boxes of FH Neutronium Armor left.

TURN 4

The Imperium CA is facing the Gorn CA at mid-range. The Gorn CA is making a wide turn.

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving at medium speed.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 12. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 11. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 10. 3 points of damage are marked off Shield #6.

Imperium fires 4 Medium Linear Accelerators at Range 10. 3 points of damage are marked off Shield #6.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 10. 1 point of damage is absorbed by reinforcement.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 7. It misses.

At this point in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no Shield #2, no Shield #3, no RH Neutronium Armor, and no Forward Hull. The Imperium CA has 2 boxes of FH Neutronium Armor left.

The Gorn CA has taken 6 points of damage to Shield #6, 10 points of damage to Shield #1, 6 points of damage to Shield #2, and 7 points of damage to Shield #3.

TURN 5

The Imperium CA's #6 Shield is facing the Gorn CA. The Gorn CA's #6 Shield is facing the Imperium CA. Both ships are close to each other.

The Gorn CA launches 2 Plasma-S Torpedoes.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 3. 8 points of damage are absorbed by reinforcement.

Imperium fires 4 Small Linear Accelerators and 4 Medium Linear Accelerators at a Plasma-S at Range 1. The warhead is reduced by 21 points.

2 Plasma-S Torpedoes strike the Imperium CA. The Imperium CA takes 39 points of damage to the #6 Shield. The #6 Shield collapses. The Imperium CA takes 18 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 FH Neutronium Armor, 1 Impulse, 12 Warp Engines, 1 Hypermass Autocannon, 1 Aux, 4 Batteries, 1 Medium Mine, and 1 Small Linear Accelerator.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 1. 8 points of damage are marked off Shield #1.

The Gorn CA is passing the Imperium CA. It is almost like an overrun, except that it is at Range 1 to the side of the Imperium CA.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1 through the down Shield #2. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 Warp Engines and 1 Impulse.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 1 through down Shield #2. The Imperium CA suffers 7 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 1 Small Linear Accelerator, 4 Warp Engines, and 1 Impulse.

Gorn fires 2 PH-1s at Range 1 through down Shield #3. The Imperium CA takes 11 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 6 Warp Engines and 1 Medium Linear Accelerator.

Gorn fires 2 PH-1s at Range 1 through down Shield #3. The Imperium CA suffers 11 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 Small Linear Accelerators, 1 Bridge, 7 Warp Engines.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in Burst mode at Range 1. 8 points of damage are marked off Shield #6.

** The Gorn CA moves behind the Imperium CA out of it's turret arc. The Imperium's 4th Hypermass Autocannon cannot fire at him! **

At this point in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no Shield #6, no Shield #2, no Shield #3, no FH Neutronium Armor, no RH Neutronium Armor, no Forward Hull, no Rear Hull, no Impulse, no Batteries.

The Imperium CA has lost 4 Small Linear Accelerators, 1 Bridge, 5 Shuttles, 1 Medium Linear Accelerator RA, 1 Hypermass Autocannon, and 21 Warp Engines.

The Gorn CA has taken 6 points of damage to Shield #6, 18 points of damage to Shield #1, 6 points of damage to Shield #2, and 15 points of damage to Shield #3.

The Gorn CA has taken no Internals!

TURN 6 AND ON

The Imperium CA is severely crippled and disengages.

The Gorn CA has won a Decisive Victory!


Captain Greenbeak of the Imperium Scavenger squaks, "This is not the end!"


NOTES/SUGGESTIONS/CONCLUSIONS

1) The Hypermass Autocannon seemed like a hit or miss weapon. You either rolled really well or you rolled really bad. We have tried the Hypermass Autocannon in Single Shot mode at Close Range and in Burst Mode at Medium Range. Both resulted in multiple misses. This makes it very difficult for the Imperium player to rely on this weapon. Even when the weapon did hit, it didn't seem to do a tremendous amount of damage, although that might be one's first impression when you look at the damage chart and compare it to a Disruptor or Photon.

2) The fact that the Hypermass Autocannon has to wait 4 impulses in-between shots is an extreme disadvantage. This gives the opponent time to turn, to gain distance, and to even get out of the turret's arc. We recommend to change the time in-between shots to 2 impulses instead of 4 impulses.

3) If you look at the Hypermass Autocannon's damage and chance to hit when within overload range (Range 8 or less), it seems to follow that the Imperium's best chance to win is to close the distance and knife fight. But this seems contrary to the design of the Imperium, which is to fight at mid-range utilizing the advantage of its turret. Also, the 4-impulse delay makes it difficult to fight at close range, because the Imperium ship will take a full Alpha Strike in a single impulse and return the (Hypermass Autocannon) shots over the next 16 impulses (probably hitting different shields).

4) The Linear Accelerators work really well, but we recommend to extend their range. The Small Linear Accelerator should be 1D6-2 at Range 4-8, and 1D6-3 at Range 9-15. This will allow the Small Linear Accelerators to fire a little further.

The Medium Linear Accelerators should definitely be able to fire past Range 15, especially if the Imperium ship is supposed to fight from middle-long range. You could do something like: 1D6+0 at Range 4-8, 1D6-1 at Range 9-15, 1D6-2 at Range 16-24, 1D6-3 at Range 25-35.

Extending the range on both the Small and Linear Accelerators will give the Imperium a good fighting chance at long to medium range.

5) The Neutronium Armor almost gives the Triangulum ships an unfair advantage. Notice that this applies to all Triangulum ships and not just the Imperium CA.

Consider that a Triangulum ship can take about 20 Internals and not really be damaged significantly. The 20 Internals will be absorbed by the Neutronium Armor and the Forward and Rear Hull. 20 Internals on an Alpha Sector ship can cause some serious damage (depending on the die rolls, of course).

Add to that, the fact that Triangulum ships have not one set of Neutronium Armor, but two (FH and RH) sets of Neutronium Armor. This makes it a very clear advantage during battle. If the FH Neutronium Armor is gone (from about 20 Internals in the FH), the Triangulum ship can turn and still take another 20 Internals (roughly) in the RH without being seriously damaged. So it can survive two good shots twice that would normally really hurt an Alpha Sector ship (the Alpha Sector ship would have taken 2 sets of 20 Internals each).

For this reason, we recommend to change the FH Neutronium Armor and RH Neutronium Armor to just one set of Neutronium Armor (maybe 10-15 boxes, enough to take one 20 Internal shot easily) that protects the ship from every direction. This makes more sense anyway, if the Neutronium Armor is supposed to guard key systems. Also, this idea neatly lines up with the concept of the Alpha Sector's Armor, which protects from any direction too.

We also recommend to reduce the number of internal boxes on Triangulum ships. This will balance the advantage of the Neutronium Armor protecting key systems (allowing it to take the first 20 Internals easily).

Consider this analysis:

The Imperium CA has 98 Internal Boxes. It also have 12 FH Neutronium Armor and 9 RH Neutronium Armor.

The Gorn CA has 90 Internal Boxes and no Neutronium Armor at all.

The Shields on the Imperium CA are significantly lower than the Gorn CA.

Having 21 Neutronium Armor and more Internal Boxes is a large advantage, even with the lower amount of Shields.

Therefore, we recommend to give the Imperium CA one set of Neutronium Armor (10-15 boxes), less Internals (maybe around 90 like the Gorn CA), and more Shields (Make #1 = 28, All Others = 24).

6) We recommend for the Administrative Shuttle on the Imperium to carry one Small Linear Accelerator. Your original SSD showed that the Shuttles carry two Small Linear Accelerators. This might be too much. Imagine what if the Alpha Sector Shuttles carried two PH-3s, instead of one PH-3? One Small Linear Accelerator is about the equivalent of a PH-3.

7) Why does the Imperium CA have no APR?

8) The turret worked fine, but did not seem to give the Imperium CA any advantage, either at mid-range or close range. This might be different in a fleet battle.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Thursday, November 07, 2013 - 05:01 pm: Edit

Hi Norman,

Okay, first of all their is a problem with the SSD in Captain Log #23, the LA chart is wrong. The SSD I sent you have the right chart.

For the SLA, the range bracket and damage are:
0-2 dam.: 1d6+1
3-5 dam.: 1d6-2
6-15 dam.: 1d6-3

For the MLA:
0-2 dam.: 1d6+4
3-5 dam.: 1d6+2
6-15 dam.: 1d6-2
16-35 dam.: 1d6-3

You should always use the SSD I sent you since they have been corrected.

I'll come back later for the rest!

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Thursday, November 07, 2013 - 06:08 pm: Edit

Neutronium armor, that's a tough question and most of the time people don't ask it the right way. For this exercise I'll compare the Federation heavy cruiser and the Valorean heavy cruiser. two volleys of 40 points of damage will be scored, one on the #1 shield and another one on the #2 shield. No reinforcement will be applied. Both ships have received all refits.

Fed CA: total shields= 150
first voley: 40 damage - 30 shields = 10 internals.
Second volley: 40 damage - 24 shields = 16 internals.
Total: 26 internals.

Val CA: total shields + Neutronium armor = 140
First volley: 40 damage - 24 shields = 16 internals.
Second volley: 40 - 20 shields = 20 internals.
Total: 36 internals.

So for the same two volleys the Valorean CA has received 10 more internals then the Fed CA. Notice that the Valorean CA has 10 Neutronium armor in the FH arc so at best it would stop the additional 10 internals received.

Neutronium armor isn't a great defense it is in fact a bad shield (you are better off with 30 shield then 24 shields and 6 neutronium armor). Also most (not all but most) Triangulum CA have less phasers then the equivalent Alpha Octant CA (the Valorean CA has 8 versus the 10 of the Fed CA), some have less heavy weapon (the Valorean CA only has three TBA) and most have a secondary system destroyed on drone hits making them more fragile then the equivalent alpha octant CA.

Yes with only one volley and against small mizia attack the neutronium gives a marginal advantage but it isn't has great has it looks.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Thursday, November 07, 2013 - 06:11 pm: Edit

Shuttle, in all cases the administrative shuttle used by the Triangulum empires is 1 of the smallest phaser equivalent used by that empire (360 degrees).

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Thursday, November 07, 2013 - 06:15 pm: Edit

Why don't the Imperium ships use APR? Flavor, that's it. I could cut 2 impulse and give them 2 APR but that would not change much about the ship.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Thursday, November 07, 2013 - 06:38 pm: Edit

The Hypermass Autocannon: Let's compare the damage of the HAC in burst mode versus a disruptor at different range. Both have the same arming cost. This comparison is for standard load.

range 1: HAC= 4.58 DIS= 4.17
range 3: HAC= 4.58 DIS= 2.67
range 5: HAC= 4.16 DIS= 2
range 8: HAC= 3.33 DIS= 2
range 12: HAC= 2.16 DIS= 2
range 16: HAC= 2.16 DIS= 1
range 24: HAC= 1.16 DIS= 0.67

Has you can see the HAC does significantly more damage at most range then a disruptor, this is balanced by the fact that a HAC cannot fire all of its chambers at the same time, but it could be change to once every two impulses and still be a significant penalty.

Has for the hit-or-miss nature of the HAC, again let's compare it to the disruptor.

range 1: HAC= 91.7% DIS= 83.3%
range 3: HAC= 91.7% DIS= 66.7%
range 5: HAC= 83.3% DIS= 66.7%
range 8: HAC= 83.3% DIS= 66.7%
range 12: HAC= 72.2% DIS= 66.7%
range 16: HAC= 72.2% DIS= 50%
range 24: HAC= 58.3% DIS= 33%

Has you can see the HAC has a really significant advantage against the disruptor in to-hit chance (also being fired on two dices gives it another advantage versus ECM). I think you were a little unlucky with your HAC firing during the battle.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Friday, November 08, 2013 - 02:37 am: Edit

Thanks for the responses, Francois. Everything you said makes perfect sense.

Here is a quick summary of the Imperium (so far):

1) The Linear Accelerators have been modified to extend the range. However, when we began playtesting against the Gorn CA, we used the SSD from Captain's Log #23. To keep the playtests fair, we will continue to use the Captain's Log SSD for the third Duel. After that, we will switch over to your revised Imperium SSD.

2) The explanation about the Neutronium Armor makes sense. Now I see why the Triangulum ships have less shields than their Alpha counterparts. I suppose the Neutronium Armor and shields will stay as is.

3) Your breakdown of the Hypermass Autocannon makes sense in theory. For some reason, it doesn't work during playtest. Maybe we just got a series of bad rolls.

After these three Duels against the Gorn CA, I believe we should try lowering the delay in-between shots to 2 Impulses. Can you please confirm this is what you want for further Imperium playtesting?

4) The APR and Shuttle explanations make sense.

So far, the Imperium CA has lost 2 Duels against the Gorn CA. If it loses a third Duel, then I believe something needs to be changed (which will be to extend the range on the Linear Accelerators and give the Hypermass Autocannons a 2-Impulse delay instead of a 4-Impulse delay).

I'll post a battle summary as soon as possible. Thank you.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Friday, November 08, 2013 - 04:44 am: Edit

Yes Norman, go with a delay of 2 impulses.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Friday, November 08, 2013 - 02:31 pm: Edit

François, have you had a chance to put any thought into the kind of transports and bases being used by these empires?

One thing that marks the distinction between Omega and the LMC in terms of their respective states of development in SFB is that Omega's published empires are much greater in number, yet much thinner on the ground logistically-speaking; whereas the published LMC factions (or at least the "big three" which take up the bulk of Module C5) may be fewer in number, but are much better represented when it comes to the tools needed to make them campaign compatible. (They also have many of their "war" classes and refitted hull types available, whereas Omega still has yet to see most of its speed-30 cruisers hit the presses.)

What I might be worried about with the plan to offer 8 M33 empires in one go is that mone of them may have enough space in a future SSD book to allow for the kind of support units needed to fly them in a campaign.

For what it's with, if the choice was between offering more empires but with less tools apiece, and offering fewer empires but making each one that is presented more campaign compatible, I'd much prefer the latter.


For example, I'd want to see the Helgardians get a wider array of their TL 12 hulls (to include the "war" classes hinted at in E2), as well as their freighters, priority transports, tugs, ground bases, mobile bases, battle stations, starbases, and suchlike in the one volume - to echo how the Baduvai, Eneen, and Maghadim are done in Module C5. And ditto for the Imperium, Arachnids, Mallarans, and others.

If it turned out that some of the transports made by a given empire were "exported" and used by other empires, well and good, since that would free up room in later modules for other unit types. (Maybe some neutral faction helps regulate the kind of support vessels or civilian bases operated by the various "Warp Pact" empires, or something?)

And if doing this meant that some empires would have to wait for a second volume to get around to them, that would at least mean that they would get a proper shake-down when their turn comes around.


Plus, from a playtesting perspective, fleshing out less empires in each go would make it easier to accommodate each batch of new rules and technologies that would need to be taken for a spin before a group of factions was ready to publish.


We don't know yet exactly how much SSD space a proposed Triangulum module would have available to it. But if the choice came down to doing 8 empires at a glance, or 4-5 empires in greater detail, I would personally argue in favour of the latter option.

But of course, it would be a matter for you and ADB to work out, if it comes to that.

By Francois Angers (Francoisngg) on Sunday, November 10, 2013 - 08:58 am: Edit

Gary,

I have the design for many civilian transport but not the base.

I'm open about how to get the Triangulum empire out there. How many SSDs for each empire would people like to see in the first module? Less empire with enough SSD to be campaign capable from the start, or more empires to get an overview and then a second module with reinforcement for them?

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Sunday, November 10, 2013 - 01:58 pm: Edit

While I would be in favour of campaign compatibility, one thing I do not feel is necessary would be for M33 to go the way of Alpha, in terms of offering an exhaustive list of mission variants for every possible hull class.


To stick with the Helgardians, their numbers are helped by having no need for carriers or PF tenders, since they use neither fighters nor gunboats. But of the hull or mission variants one could see them using (fast, scout, survey, escort, commando, shield projector), they would, or perhaps should, only need one or two of each variant type (or one peacetime and one "wartime" hull per mission variant) to get them by.

So, for the Helgardians, the "peacetime" Spotter SC could be supplemented by a "Demon Spotter" CWS later in the timeline. Similarly, they could have one pre-war and one wartime commando hull, a similar divide for their shield projector cruisers, and so on and do forth.

(Fast ships could fit this dynamic well. A CF could be created using peacetime construction, with a CWF built as a wartime hull.)


In terms of bases, I like the idea that not all M33 bases need be alike, in terms of size or functionality.

Given the huge lead-in time the Helgardians had, I could imagine their experience paying off in terms of their fixed installations. They may have a variety of base sizes, to include things like sector bases and stellar fortresses; all of which would help make the stronghold such a tough nut to crack. (But then, with no fighters, PFs, or neutronium armour belts to help bolster their defences, perhaps they need to make their bases bigger and more powerful to try and compensate?)

Perhaps the Imperium and Frigians each have a similar head-start, in terms of their respective base types. (Maybe the Imperium doesn't allow any of the autonomous provinces to build anything larger than a sector base, while a stellar fortress-sized bastion lies in orbit of the Imperium capital?)

The younger empires may not need (or have the opportunity to build) such an array of bases, so may only need a mobile base, battle station, and/or starbase (or sector base) apiece.


Actually, that raises an interesting question; would the Helgardians be able to build remote-controlled fighters or gunboats to help bolster their fixed defences, or would they have to go without such attrition units altogether?

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Monday, November 11, 2013 - 12:29 am: Edit

I would like to see a six empire module with 16 ships each. I wouldn't wait to make them campaign viable later as omega came out in 1999 and is still not campaign ready.

By Ken Kazinski (Kjkazinski) on Monday, November 11, 2013 - 06:14 pm: Edit

I would like to see enough ships to be able to play a fleet battle along with a few scenarios.

By Norman Dizon (Normandizon) on Wednesday, November 13, 2013 - 12:44 am: Edit

Hi Francois. Here is a summary of the third Imperium CA vs Gorn CA Duel. This battle will be included in my official playtest report, along with a couple of other battles.

The Imperium CA fought a decent fight through Turn 4. It maintained its distance, fired at range, and ran away from the Plasma-S Torpedoes when they were launched.

While the Gorn CA was recharging its Plasma-S Torpedoes, the Imperium CA gave chase and tried to score damage with its Hypermass Autocannons that can fire every turn. This worked for 2 turns but then the Gorn's Plasma-S Torpedoes were ready to fire again.

The Imperium CA ended up at close range with the Gorn CA and tried to match the Plasma-S Torpedoes with its own Overloaded Hypermass Autocannons. This did not work (due to the 4-Impulse delay) and the Imperium CA took massive damage as a result.

This Duel brought up a new issue regarding the Linear Accelerators. We believe this is a key reason (combined with the Hypermass Autocannon Impulse Delay) that the Imperium CA has lost 3 out of 3 Duels with the Gorn CA.

Please see the Notes/Suggestions/Conclusions section at the bottom.


IMPERIUM IMPERATOR CA (with Y49 + Y120 REFITS) vs GORN CA (WITH THE + REFIT/NOT THE BATTLECRUISER) DUEL #3:
** Note that this Duel uses the Imperium CA SSD from Captain's Log #23. The Linear Accelerator charts have not been updated and the Hypermass Autocannon has a 4-Impulse delay **


TURN 1

The Gorn CA is moving at medium speed. The Imperium CA is moving at medium speed.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 29. It hits. 2 points of damage are absorbed by reinforcement.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 25. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 21. It hits. 2 points of damage are absorbed by reinforcement.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 21. 1 point of damage is absorbed by reinforcement.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 17. It hits. After subtracting reinforcement, the Gorn takes 1 damage to Shield #1.

TURN 2

Both ships are facing each other. They are making a battle pass at an oblique angle.

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving at medium speed.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 10. 3 points of damage are scored on Shield #6.

Gorn launches 2 Plasma-S Torpedoes.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 10. 4 points of damage are marked off Shield #5.

Gorn fires 2 PH-1s at Range 10. 5 points of damage are marked off Shield #5.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 10. 3 points of damage are marked off Shield #1.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 9. It misses.

Imperium fires 4 Medium Linear Accelerators and 2 Small Linear Accelerators at Range 4 at one Plasma-S. The warhead is reduced by 6 damage points.

* Note that the Imperium CA has to fire at the Plasma-S at this point because it is about to turn. After the Imperium CA turns, the turret (with the Medium Linear Accelerators) will not be able to shoot to the rear (#4 Shield).

* Imperium is ready to fire the 4th Hypermass Autocannon shot, but it cannot fire the turret to the rear (#4 Shield). The Hypermass Cannon does not fire its fourth shot at this time.

2 Plasma-S Torpedoes strike the Imperium CA. They traveled 16 hexes. After subtracting 6 from the warhead strength (from the Linear Accelerator damage), 24 points of damage are applied to Shield #4. Shield #4 collapses and the Imperium CA takes 3 Internals.

The Imperium CA loses 2 RH Neutronium Armor.

Imperium fires one standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 12. 3 points of damage are marked off Shield #2.

At this point in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no Shield #4. The Imperium CA has taken 9 points of damage to Shield #5 and 2 points of damage to its RH Neutronium Armor.

The Gorn CA has taken 3 points of damage to Shield #6, 4 points of damage to Shield #1, and 3 points of damage to Shield #2.

TURN 3

The Gorn CA is running away while it is recharging its Plasma-S Torpedoes. The Imperium is trying to catch him.

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving very fast.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 9. 3 points of damage are absorbed by reinforcement.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 8. After subtracting reinforcement, 3 points of damage are scored on Shield #3.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in single-shot mode at Range 8. It misses.

Imperium fires 2 Medium Linear Accelerators at Range 8. 2 points of damage are scored on Shield #3.

Gorn fires 4 PH-1s at Range 8. 11 points of damage are marked off Shield #6.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 7. 4 points of damage are marked off Shield #3.

At this point in the Duel, the Gorn CA has taken 3 points of damage to Shield #6, 4 points of damage to Shield #1, 3 points of damage to Shield #2, and 9 points of damage to Shield #3.

The Imperium CA has no Shield #4. The Imperium CA has taken 6 points of damage to Shield #6, 9 points of damage to Shield #5, and 2 points of damage to its RH Neutronium Armor.

TURN 4

The Gorn CA is running away from the Imperium CA while it is recharging its Plasma-S Torpedoes. The Gorn's #4 Shield is facing the Imperium CA. They are 6 hexes away from each other. The Imperium CA is chasing the Gorn CA

The Gorn CA is moving fast. The Imperium CA is moving slow.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 6. 7 points of damage are absorbed by reinforcement.

Imperium fires 4 Medium Linear Accelerators and 2 Small Linear Accelerators at Range 6. After subtracting reinforcement, 12 points of damage are marked off Shield #4.

Gorn fires 6 PH-1s at Range 6. After subtracting reinforcement, 1 point of damage is marked off Shield #1.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 8. 7 points of damage are marked off Shield #4.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 9. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 10. 3 points of damage are marked off Shield #5.

At this point in the Duel, the Gorn CA has taken 4 points of damage to Shield #1, 3 points of damage to Shield #2, 9 points of damage to Shield #3, 19 points of damage to Shield #4, 3 points of damage to Shield #5, and 3 points of damage to Shield #6.

The Imperium CA has no Shield #4. The Imperium CA has taken 1 point of damage to Shield #1, 6 points of damage to Shield #6, 9 points of damage to Shield #5, and 2 points of damage to its RH Neutronium Armor.

TURN 5

The Gorn CA is facing the Imperium CA. They are 6 hexes apart. The Imperium CA's #3 Shield is facing the Gorn.

Gorn launches 2 Plasma-S Torpoedoes.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 6. After subtracting reinforcement, 4 points of damage are marked off Shield #1.

Imperium fires 1 overloaded Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 5. 8 points of damage are marked off Shield #1.

Imperium fires 2 Medium Linear Accelerators and 1 Small Linear Accelerator at one Plasma-S at Range 1. 8 points are subtracted from the warhead strength.

2 Plasma-S Torpedoes strike the Imperium CA. 52 points of damage are applied to Shield #3. Shield #3 collapses and the Imperium CA takes 31 Internals.

Gorn fires 6 PH-1s at Range 4 through the down Shield #3. The Imperium CA takes 24 more Internals.

The Imperium CA takes 55 Internals total.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 4. It misses.

Imperium fires 1 standard Hypermass Autocannon in burst mode at Range 3. 5 points of damage are marked off Shield #1.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 3 through down Shield #3. The Imperium CA takes 4 Internals.

Gorn fires 1 PH-1 at Range 5 through down Shield #4. The Imperium CA takes 5 Internals.

At this in the Duel, the Imperium CA has no Shield #3 and no Shield #4. The Imperium CA has taken 64 Internals.

The Gorn CA has 9 boxes left on Shield #1 and 5 boxes left on Shield #4. The Gorn CA has taken minor damage to Shield #6, Shield #2, Shield #5, and Shield #3. The Gorn CA has taken no Internals.

TURN 6 AND ON

The Imperium CA is severely crippled. The Imperium CA disengages.

The Gorn CA has taken no Internals.
The Gorn CA has won a Decisive Victory!


Captain Yellowfeather of the Imperium CA-Carcass squaks, "Vultures hate Reptiles!"


NOTES/SUGGESTIONS/CONCLUSIONS

1) This battle brought up a new issue. The Linear Accelerators on the Imperium CA are not a match for the Phaser-1s on the Gorn CA. I don't mean that one Medium Linear Accelerator is not a match for one Phaser-1 (which may or may not be true). I mean that the 4 Medium Linear Accelerators in the Turret on the Imperium CA, combined with the 4 Small Linear Accelerators (which are primarily FA) are not a match for the 8 Phaser-1s (and their firing arcs) on the Gorn CA.

To illustrate what I mean, we will examine the maximum and minimum damage that the Phasers and Linear Accelerators can do. However, it is important to look at how many weapons, realistically during a Duel, can be brought to bear on the enemy ship.

We are not doing a straight weapon to weapon comparison. Rather, we are comparing the amount of damage a ship can generate in a given arc at a specific range.

We have found that the Gorn CA can generally bring 6 Phaser-1s to bear on his opponent every turn. If he is lucky, he can also use the last 2 Phaser-1s (total of 8 Phaser-1s on the Gorn CA) by maneuvering well.

The Imperium CA can generally bring 4 Medium Linear Accelerators to bear on his opponent. If the enemy ship is at close range and in the forward arc, then he might be able to bring his 4 Small Linear Accelerators to bear on his opponent as well. But more often than not, the Imperium CA can only use 4 Medium Linear Accelerators on his opponent.

The rear Medium Linear Accelerator rarely came into play and was not much of a factor. There were also times when only 2 Small Linear Accelerators could be used due to the enemy ship being off to the side of the Imperium CA.

Now, let's look at the Maximum and Minimum Damage (instead of just using a straight average) calculations for 6 Phaser-1s vs 4 Medium Linear Accelerators:

* 6 Phaser-1s Maximum/Minimum Damage
Range 0: 54 damage (9x6) max/24 damage (6x4) min
Range 1: 48 damage (8x6) max/24 damage (6x4) min
Range 2: 42 damage (7x6) max/18 damage (6x3) min
Range 3: 36 damage (6x6) max/18 damage (6x3) min
Range 4-5: 30 damage (5x6) max/12 damage (6x2) min
Range 6-8: 24 damage (4x6) max/0 damage (6x0) min
Range 9-15: 18 damage (3x6) max/0 damage (6x0) min

* 4 Medium Linear Accelerators (old table) Max/Min
Range 0-1: 24 damage (6x4) max/4 damage (4x1) min
Range 2-3: 24 damage (6x4) max/4 damage (4x1) min
Range 4-8: 20 damage (5x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min
Range 9-15: 12 damage (3x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min

* 4 Small Linear Accelerators (old table) Max/Min
Range 0-1: 24 damage (6x4) max/4 damage (4x1) min
Range 2-3: 20 damage (5x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min
Range 4-8: 12 damage (3x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min
Range 9-15: cannot hit/no damage

* 4 Medium Linear Accelerators (new table) Max/Min
Range 0-2: 24 damage (6x4) max/4 damage (4x1) min
Range 3-5: 24 damage (6x4) max/4 damage (4x1) min
Range 6-15: 16 damage (4x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min
Range 16-35: 12 damage (3x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min

* 4 Small Linear Accelerators (new table) Max/Min
Range 0-2: 24 damage (6x4) max/4 damage (4x1) min
Range 3-5: 16 damage (4x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min
Range 6-15: 12 damage (3x4) max/0 damage (4x0) min
Range 16-35: cannot hit/no damage

It is important to note that the Phaser-1 is not as dependent on a good die roll as the Linear Accelerators. Chances are, at close ranges, that the Phaser-1 will do some damage at least, and a lot of damage at most. This is due to nature of the damage chart for the Phaser-1.

The Linear Accelerator, however, is very dependent on a good die roll. Roll bad, and it does virtually nothing. Roll well, and the most you get is 6 damage points. The Linear Accelerator cannot exceed 6 damage points, whereas the Phaser-1 can.

So why has the Imperium CA lost 3 Duels in a row against the Gorn CA? We believe part of the answer has to do with the damage output of the Linear Accelerators and their firing arcs. Looked at collectively, they simply are not a match for the Gorn's Phaser-1s.

Here is what we suggest to fix the Linear Accelerator issue:

a) Allow the Linear Accelerators to do more than 6 damage. Let the add-on number actually increase the damage. For example, for 1D6+4, if a 6 is rolled, let the Linear Accelerator score 10 points of damage instead of just 6.

b) Change the firing arcs on the Linear Accelerators on the Imperium CA so that more can fire at their opponent during the course of a battle.

c) Upgrade the Small Linear Accelerators to Medium Linear Accelerators (which would be more in line with the 8 PH-1s on the Gorn CA). Notice the Gorn CA does not have 4 Phaser-3s on it.

d) Add more Medium Linear Accelerators and Small Linear Accelerators to the Imperium CA. Rather than change damage tables, just give the Imperium more weapons to work with (to balance it against the Phasers on the Gorn CA).

2) The 4-Impulse Delay on the Hypermass Autocannons is a real disadvantage. It prevents the Imperium CA from having an Alpha Strike. When the Imperium faces 2 Plasma-S Torpedoes, the most it can do is fire 1 Hypermass Autocannon and 4 Medium Linear Accelerators (plus the Small Linear Accelerators if the arc is right). In addition to the two Plasma-S Torpedoes, the Gorn CA has, on average, 6 PH-1s that it can add to the Plasmas. After the Imperium CA is struck with these powerful strikes, it has to wait 12 more impulses (4 for each Hypermass Autocannon) to fully return its shots. It is very likely the enemy has turned and moved by then. Also, there is good chance the Hypermass Autocannons have been destroyed by Internals.

As suggested before, we recommend to change the 4-Impulse delay on the Hypermass Autocannons to a 2-Impulse delay. You have already approved this change (the data from this playtest Duel just supports that change).

3) The Burst Mode on the Hypermass Autocannon is reliable for scoring hits on the opponent. This Duel showed that there were more hits than misses when firing in Burst Mode. The Single Shot mode is a bit unreliable and frequently missed the target (which it is supposed to do in order to offset its amount of damage).

4) The Medium Mine did not really come into play in this Duel.

5) For the first time, it seemed like the Imperium CA had a chance (a little one) to win the Duel if it could keep fighting from mid-range. If you examine the damage taken by both ships through Turn 4, you will see that the Imperium wasn't too badly off (although it had lost one of its Shields while the Gorn had not). If the Imperium player maneuvered really well and the Gorn player made some mistakes when firing his Plasma-S Torpedoes, it may have been possible for the Imperium CA to win. But this is only possible if the battle stayed at mid-range and not close range (like it did in this playtest Duel).

The Imperium CA is clearly a Saber Dancer. In our opinion, it just needs some of its tools upgraded so that it can have a fair chance at winning.