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	Archive through April 04, 2015	25		04/04 08:03pm

I haven't received my copy yet. Once I get it, I'll need a few days to test them out. All ready got a couple of Alpha and Omega empires picked out to test them.

By Guillaume Williams (Uioor1) on Saturday, April 04, 2015 - 09:52 pm: Edit

...Can't wait to hear how they turn out, considering buying a copy along with a copy of CL #20 SSDs so they have something to raid. Of course this all depends on how satisfied people are with them.

By John Christie (John46) on Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 05:55 am: Edit

They look interesting. Weaponry seems a little light, but then again they are Pirates. Hopefully this is a start on the remainder of the lost Omegans (Nucians, Echarii [I think that is the name] and Zosmans). I don't have C6, so I'm unclear whether that covers Omegan Paravians or whether they went a different way with their designs. And, of course, the many Ship Types most Races need.
Also, has any decision been taken on what Zosmans look like? One type we don't seem to have yet are Rats. Which would be perfect for Pirates.

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Friday, August 19, 2016 - 03:19 am: Edit

Light on weapons, heavy on boarding parties, it would be interesting to do a 550 battle group force with the Zosman Raiders.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, May 29, 2017 - 07:02 pm: Edit

I wasn't sure if this was the appropriate thread to mention this, or if it would be best posted over here instead - but now that Captain's Log #52 has been out for a short while, I wonder if there are any thoughts from those of you who have read both this issue and Captain's Log #50 on how well you deem the Zosman update file, along with the two new Zosman SSDs featured in CL52, to work with the original rules and SSDs from CL50 itself. Or, perhaps, if the new material makes the Zosmans any more interesting to you than they might have been beforehand.

One aspect of the update I hope might be further expanded upon at some future point is the distinction between the "core" Zosman Collective, the independent Marauder home colonies, and the various "on-map" Marauder cells operating elsewhere in the Omega Octant. It would be interesting if a future published module enabled one to run the Zosman Collective as a "traditional" empire, while also providing the alternative option of running one's own Marauder cell - with or without access to a given cell's "home" Marauder world.

Or, perhaps, one could allow for both options at once - as in, to let a given player operate the "at-home" Zosmans, and then let another player run a separate Marauder cell elsewhere on the campaign map (which may or may not include sending Fence cruisers to and from the cell's "home" Marauder world).

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 - 04:28 pm: Edit

I would like to see a biological description of them.

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Sunday, August 13, 2017 - 05:04 am: Edit

Stealth field:
On tracking strategic movement, part of the field operation could be within the ship design. It may have a form of silent running like submarine AIP, or it may be able to shroud its warp emissions with dampeners, breaking up its warp trail.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Tuesday, November 03, 2020 - 04:39 pm: Edit

With the Omega-Paravian preview in Captain's Log #54, there is the opportunity to consider what kind of interaction there might be between the Zosman Marauders and the Paravians of Omega.

If it turns out that the Omega-Paravians use the same kind of overloadable quantum wave torpedoes seen in Module C6, I would suggest making these weapons (plus any phaser-1s the Omega-Paravians might also turn out to use) available to any Marauder cells operating in or close to their space.

As the Zosmans operating in Worb space already have access to antiproton phasers, beams, and lances, it would seem reasonable for the Zosmans to be able to source those same weapons from Omega-Paravian space once the antiproton variants in CL54 are in more widespread service.

And while it's still not known what kind of life form the Zosmans themselves happen to be, I might argue against making them reptilian in nature, if only so that they can be considered as acceptable mercenaries by the Omega-Paravians (assuming the latter retain their deep-seated hatred of all "demon" species).

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, March 10, 2021 - 08:25 pm: Edit

I was watching a documentary episode which looked at the development of stealth fighter technology here on Earth, and I got to thinking of what approach the Zosman Marauders might have to take in terms of designing their size-1 and size-1 fighters around the ubiquitous Stealth field.

In engineering terms, the Zosmans do not try to use the kind of stealth coating that Orion Pirate ships equip; the goal is not to make the unit itself more difficult to detect in "normal" terms, but rather to enable its warp flare to be masked while operating the Stealth field. Even so, this would require certain design trade-offs to be undertaken, so as to allow the Stealth field to work in the first place.

One way this could be handled might be to oblige all Zosman fighters to have no pod rails at all; any pods (or other ordnance) would have to be carried in internal bays, akin to those used by the Federation F-111.

In the 2011 version of the Omega Master Rulebook, it's noted in the Bolosco OR-section that the Zosmans deployed at least two types of size-1 fighter (one more powerful than the other), along with at least one size-1 fighter type. Each new Zosman fighter led the Bolosco to develop their own new fighters to oppose them.

To use a set of real-world comparisons, perhaps the early Zosman fighter would be akin to the F-117; the advanced size-1 fighter would be equivalent to the F-35; whereas the Zosman size-2 fighter would be closer to the F-22.

Actually, the need to account for Stealth field operations might also oblige the Zosmans to have a unique multi-role shuttle design, with an internal bay but no pod rails.

I recall a note to the effect that "stealth fighters" would not be made available to the Federation, or to other Alpha Octant empires. But in this case, perhaps the "Stealth field fighters" used by the Zosmans might echo such real-world developments in some ways, even if the means by which such craft can operate would be quite different.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 - 01:46 am: Edit

As shown on the playtest Zosman SSDs in Captain's Log #50 and in Captain's Log #52, as well as on the range of Zosman starship miniatures currently listed on the Shapeways storefront, the number and type of modules available for use on a given Zosman unit varies from one class to the next.

For example, the Zosman destroyer has room for one weapon module and one system module (or two system modules); whereas the Zosman frigate can only install one weapon or system module at a time.

My thinking as regards would-be Zosman "volatile warp" Interceptors and fast patrol ships runs along similar lines.

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As shown in Star Fleet Battles Module Omega #5, the larger the individual Omega PF, the fewer one finds in a given Omega empire's flotillas.

By way of comparison, both the Mæsron and Iridani gunboats are amongst the largest of their kind; each is deployed four to a flotilla. Notably, the Mæsrons built theirs on the larger size due to the need to make room for tachyon missile storage; the Iridani, who use a distinct modular system on their own gunboats, build arguably the largest PFs to see service anywhere in known space.

So, I would suggest making the Zosman PF comparable in size (and in number per flotilla) to the Mæsron PF, but perhaps not quite as large as the Iridani PF. That might leave enough room for the Zosmans to build a slightly larger PF leader (or survey PF), in the Mæsron fashion; as opposed to the Iridani, for whom their PFL and PFQ are the same size as their "standard" PF.

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Further, I would suggest that the Zosmans use two-box-sized mini-modules. But unlike the setup for, say, a Romulan StarHawk over in the Alpha Octant, I would set things up here so that the Zosman PF has one weapon mini-module and one system mini-module (or two system mini-modules). This would, in essence, be a miniaturized version of the setup aboard the Zosman destroyer.

In a similar fashion, I might suggest that the Zosman INT have room for a single weapon or system mini-module only; thus echoing the setup for the Zosman frigate.

On a standard PF, or a PFL, the weapon mini-module would heave two FA WPN mounts (upgrade-able to FH/FP); the system mini-module would have a pair of APR* mounts (upgrade-able to AWRs).

On a standard PFS, the front mini-module would mount a pair of special sensors, with APRs in the aft mini-module; Zosman forces with access to Hiver technologies would have the option to replace the sensors with jammers, and the APRs with jammer power reactors.

For other mission variants, the mini-modules would be of whichever type is required to carry out a given mission. So 2 pairs of cargo boxes for a PFC; 2 pairs of barracks boxes for a PFG; and so on and so forth.

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As for phaser mounts on the PF base hulls, I would suggest two P-1 arcs (1 LS and 1 RS) and two P-3 arcs (also 1 LS and 1 RS). Perhaps just the two P-1 mounts for the INT?

I'd give the PF a pair of six-box "volatile warp" engines, with a pair of 4-box engines for the INT. By the way, whatever the Stealth field costs would be, supposedly the INTs are easier to disguise somehow. In any case, the afterburner function disrupts the operation of Stealth fields.

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Speaking of the Stealth field: since Omega PFs and INTs can't repair their own "volatile warp" engines, that might make things awkward for a Zosman force to disengage under cover of their Stealth fields if one or more of their gunboats had suffered significant engine damage.

Actually, it appears that only a "true" PFT can dock externally to a Zosman PF or INT without voiding each other's Stealth fields. Perhaps the Zosman ships providing home defence in the Phi Sector might do this, regardless of the Stealth field implications, if only as an emergency measure. But Marauder cells operating across the "on-map" Omega Octant might have to do without "casual" PF/INT usage entirely, in order to maintain operational security.

On the other hand, if becoming a "true" PF tender merely required, say, installing a would-be "PF tender module" - say, with two repair-capable mech-link boxes and two repair boxes per module - perhaps this might not be quite so much of an issue for them?

But even then, I'm not sure if both the tender and its externally-docked PFs and/or INTs still have to keep their respective Stealth fields active, or if the tender's Stealth field is enough to provide such coverage alone. By way of comparison, if two heavy and/or Fence cruisers wish to dock externally to a Syndicate base in order to move it undetected from one location to another, all three units have to keep their Stealth fields running together in order for this to happen.

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In short, if or when there might be an opportunity to take a closer look at how the Zosmans incorporate "volatile warp" technology someday, do any of the above ideas seem worth pursuing? Or is there an entirely different path you'd rather see this faction going gunboat-wise?

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Friday, June 10, 2022 - 01:03 pm: Edit

A reminder for anyone picking up the PDF edition of Captain's Log #50 from Warehouse 23, DriveThruRPG, or Wargame Vault: this issue is the one to introduce the playtest SSDs for the Zosman heavy cruiser, light cruiser, destroyer, and frigate, along with the rules governing the use of the Zosman Stealth field.

A few additional Stealth field interactions are detailed in the CL50 Supplemental File.

A further reminder that Captain's Log #52 includes the playtest SSDs for the Zosman Fence cruiser and Syndicate base, along with an "update" file which enables the use of these Zosman units in more detail, for anyone with a copy of that issue to hand (or who might be considering getting a copy at some future point in time).

And a yet further reminder that Matt Lawson has worked up a set of 3788 and 3125 sale Zosman starship miniatures for the Shapeways storefront.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Monday, July 18, 2022 - 04:59 pm: Edit

One other aspect of the Zosmans which might (hopefully) be worth looking at in more detail someday is the type of bases they use over in the Phi Sector.

As can be seen with the Syndicate base previewed in Captain's Log #52, the "on-map" Marauder cells draw two key advantages from this base design. Firstly, a ship can dock internally to the base, allowing it to be protected by the base's Stealth field while deactivating its own. And secondly, the base is designed to enable two heavy and/or Fence cruisers to dock externally to it, without any of the three units voiding each other's Stealth fields under (OG21.217).

Now, if that sounds similar to how a Romulan player might use a fleet repair dock... you'd not be far wrong. But the key difference is that the FRD is on a separate "design path" to an Alpha Octant mobile base. Or rather, for the Romulans, it can afford to be, courtesy of the cloaking device's docking interactions under (G13.18).

So, here's a thought: what if the Syndicate base is the Zosman equivalent of a mobile base? As in, what if all larger Zosman bases are built up from a Syndicate base, so as to allow each to dock a larger number of ships internally?

To put it another way: perhaps there is an intermediate upgrade - to include a centrally-installed segment containing a set of positional stabilizers - that can upgrade a Syndicate base into a base station. Further upgrades and expansions could lead up to a battle station, a sector base, a starbase, or perhaps even a stellar fortress.

Or, perhaps the Zosmans could borrow a page from the Probr playbook, and instead weld two or more bases side-by-side in order to create their larger bases? Unless the intricacies of the Stealth field were such that this would not be a viable alternative, in that it might not be possible to avoid having the "docked" bases void each other's Stealth fields.

The question might then be where, if anywhere, to install "P-4" mounts (which, historically, would be wide-angle phaser-4s... or, at least, they would be if we actually knew what a phaser-W4 looked like) and/or type-E tachyon missile racks. Would there be a need to install them directly onto the base proper, rather than installing them into "regular" weapon modules? For what (little) it's worth, I would prefer to oblige Phaser-W4s and/or TE-racks to be installed into the base proper - by which I mean into the "new" segment(s) providing the positional stabilizers - though I would otherwise retain the use of Zosman weapon and/or system modules.

So, does that sound like it might make for an interesting set of Phi Sector base upgrades, or (for Andromedan or Souldra players) a distinct challenge to try and besiege?

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 - 12:28 pm: Edit

A further reminder, for anyone picking up a copy of Captain's Log #52 from Warehouse 23, DriveThruRPG, or Wargame Vault:this issue includes playtest SSDs for the Zosman Fence cruiser and Syndicate base, as well as an "update" file aimed at further enabling playtesters to operate a Marauder cell in the "on-map" Omega Octant, or perhaps to run a home defence force tasked with defending the Zosman worlds in the "off-map" Phi Sector from Andromedan or Souldra attacks.

With this, all six of the current crop of playtest Zosman SSDs are available in PDF form, for anyone minded to try them out for themselves.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 - 01:11 pm: Edit

Mentioning the Probr did make me think...

(Uh-oh! )

Under Stealth Fields, both the Zosman and whomever they're fighting are under the penalties of passive fire control.

Under passive fire control, plasma-type weapons can't be fired at ranges less than five and Direct Fire weapons are unable to fire at targets at ranges greater than five.

How effective would Zosman be utilizing HEAT?

For that matter, because Probr also use Quantum phasers, how beneficial would the four ECCM of that Phaser type be for the Zosman to counteract the natural ECM penalties for ships under passive fire control?

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 - 01:52 pm: Edit

HEATs require a seeking weapon control channel to be guided in flight, under (OFP2.311); a Zosman ship armed with HEATs would have to be fully un-Stealthed and using active fire control in order to launch and guide them in flight.

Further, unlike the Probr themselves (who have accentuation variants with LS and RS arc target accentuators), an all-Zosman force would have to keep its TAs in the FA or FH arc in order to support any accentuated HEATs heading towards the marked target. But then, perhaps this would be less of an issue for "mercenary" Zosman ships operating in support of a Probr battle force.

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On a side note: according to (FQ1.312), quantum wave torpedoes can only be launched by ships using active fire control. So even if a future "update" file were to grant Zosman Marauder cells in Omega-Paravian space access to the QWT, a Zosman ship so armed would have to launch them while fully un-Stealthed - though, unlike the case with Probr HEATs, it could at least turn away and activate its Stealth field once its QWTs are in flight.