I love the special things the various empires get. From the Cloak, Carronade, Photon, Web, ESG, UIM, IC & IPG, Hellbore & Fusion & PhG.


But at a certain point a lot of the special things just don't get any better. Or others get them.

So what kind of neato ideas would You think would be cool to add to the X period?

I'll try to give each it's own posting.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 11:56 am: Edit

A EW thingy JUST for the Lyrans designed to be carried on casual Mech links?


This is just a re-iteration of something SPP has already evaluated and went thumbs down.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 11:57 am: Edit

Or a Romulan or Gorn ability to fire torps as QWT?

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 11:58 am: Edit

Maybe a date when Webcasters get more common in the Tholian fleet? Or some new ability for them emerges? Like ranged ability to SHOOT reinforcement into webs?

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 11:59 am: Edit

Maybe a special Rom PF that acts as a cloaked decoy?

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 12:00 pm: Edit

D5 arcs for all Klink X disruptors?

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 12:00 pm: Edit

Gorn getting an extra PPT? Or maybe an EXTRA F ppt for the larger torps (so you can fake shooting a downfired torp)? Or perhaps PPT can be set to impersonate enveloping torps? Or a way to use larger ppt as ECP?

By Mark Steven Hoyle (Markshoyle) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 12:38 pm: Edit

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Like ranged ability to SHOOT reinforcement into webs?

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By William T Wilson (Sheap) on Monday, May 11, 2015 - 07:45 pm: Edit

I think the rules for the X1 period are pretty well set at this point (after two rounds of addenda!) But for X2...

I like the ability to fire more energy into an existing web with a webcaster, but that sounds like an X2 thing. With freestanding web, you would extend the time before it collapses, and with anchored or globular web, you would just add strength points. (Maybe you shouldn't be able to do it with globular web, since webcasters can't create those).

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:10 pm: Edit

I don't think the X period is too fleshed out yet.

1) The SHIPS might be enumerated, but I can see them getting new skills/ options. Just like the Gorn Carronade came WAY after the ship designs had set in stone.

2) Like I said, these could have varied YIS and/or be considered optional refits. SVC & SPP might say something like "fairly uncommon due to it's cost, the Photon UIM was rarely seen on ships other than cruisers..."

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:14 pm: Edit

Variable depth cloak for Roms.

Currently the cloak has exactly 4 settings, OFF, going down, coming up, and at max.

I'd propose a 5th setting, that of "shallow depth" so that the Rom could engage the cloaking device and STAY at the first (or second, etc) level.

While this would NOT be as effective, it WOULD let the Rom threaten to "surface" faster, thus changing the dynamic of the sub hunt and making Cloaking much more interesting.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:15 pm: Edit

Heavy Carronade. A Gorn only thing.

This is a Carronade that uses a heavy plasma torp as it's base.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:17 pm: Edit

PPD availability increased.

I could see there being an increased availability of the PPD at some point.

I defer to the pros as to whether the PPD would be a good trade for torps for ISC cruisers.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:20 pm: Edit

A dedicated Wild Weasel equivalent that attaches to mechlinks.

Restricted to Dreadnaughts/ SCS/ BCS/ CVA & such high value targets.

Basically a self powered wild weasel. So you wouldn't have to pay to charge and hold it.

I dunno who should be the one to field this. Maybe not empire specific.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:23 pm: Edit

A Hellbore/ Fusion combo.

Basically the Fusion can charge and use a half power hellbore (or so).

Or the Hellbore can fire as an overloaded fusion.

This would mean that the Fusion ships don't HAVE to overrun to be effective. And the Hellbore ships would have a tiny bit better overrun threat.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:26 pm: Edit

Dial a Photon.

Prox OL Photons. For those range 8 battle passes.

Or perhaps Prox Photons can be fired as "mirror pairs" like a narrow salvo. So you can kill that ScatterPack at range.

Dunno

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 03:42 pm: Edit

I dunno what mirror pairs means.

You already CAN fire prox photons in a narrow salvo to kill scatter packs at range.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 - 06:29 pm: Edit

I kind of agree with William Wilson. These sound like X2 more than X1.

Some additional thoughts:

Plasma Torpedoes
Even with sabot and plasma bolts, Gorn and Romulan ships can have problems with direct-fire-empires that try to maintain range and bombard from a distance. I'ld like to see further improvements to these technologies, perhaps a speed-48 plasma sabot and a plasma bolt with improved long range accuracy. Give the Gorns one of these upgrades, the Romulans the other. Don't give either to the ISC, who would get an improved PPD. The difficulty with this suggestion is that it might be too powerful against X1 or standard-tech ships. Only playtesting would resolve that for certain.

Photon Torpedoes
A number of years ago, someone (I don't recall who) argued for a "seeking weapon mode" for photon torpedoes, probably inspired by The Undiscovered Country movie. I don't recall the suggested properties for a seeking photon torpedo but it seems to me the idea only works if it meets two requirements.

1. It must be radically different from a seeking plasma in some way.

2. It must br good enought to be useful but not so good as to overshadow the direct fire mode.

If nothing else, a seeking mode for photon torpedoes would re-emphasize the difference between photon torpedoes and disruptors, which was somewhat blurred by X1 (photons can fire every turn, armed disruptors can be held for reduced power cost, difference in raw crunch power reduced between a CX and DX, since the DX was upgraded to 6 disruptors).

Web Caster
Rather than allow webcasters to fire into existing web to reinforce it, how about allowing 2 web casters (both must be X2) to combine their fire to create a stronger or larger (than the current 5-hex maximum) web? This could potentially be powerful, but the above-suggested upgrades to plasma and photons could also be powerful, depending on the details.

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 01:25 am: Edit

Well if we're playing darts, try this:

Borak Hunter-Slayer Fighters

Basically, a Hunter Killer that is detonated remotely and converts it's suicide bomb into a focused Ph-M shot, maximum range (8?).

Or maybe a Ph-C (3-shot burst), same range.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandor) on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 06:08 pm: Edit

If i was upgrading the Romulans. I would of course love the ability to fire under cloak. That would of course just be horrifying. Plus how would one gain a lock on to fire plasma.

As for something that would be possible. Better fire control for bolts. As one problem with any plasma is catching the other ships. Longer range tractors that use less power at range would be a very good addition for plasma ships. A range three anchor threat would back of the range a ship can hit with.

Now a way to jam a Wild Weasel would be on my wish list as well

By Mark Steven Hoyle (Markshoyle) on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 07:12 pm: Edit

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Plus how would one gain a lock on to fire plasma.

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By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 07:34 pm: Edit

I could see an improved HK shuttle for th eBorak.

Maybe not THAT good...


The whole point of this topic is for there to be X1 new "thingys." That are not game breakers nor require all the existing X SSDs be redone.

By Michael Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, May 13, 2015 - 07:35 pm: Edit

An empire specific drogue that gives the owning ship the equivalent of a UIM. For those long range DF bombardment missions.

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 08:07 pm: Edit

A use for a probe.

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Thursday, May 14, 2015 - 11:34 pm: Edit

I'm SOOO going to be Griswold for this.

Jim,

"1001 Reasons Why Aliens Use Probes"

You asked for it.

;)

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Friday, May 15, 2015 - 09:09 pm: Edit

...and we have a winner.

Seriously, how did we have to wait all this time for someone to post that?