Archive through April 12, 2017
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB Proposals Board:
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R01: GENERAL UNITS PROPOSALS:
Armed Priority Transport Variants.:
Archive through April 12, 2017
Getting out of Dodge, APT, FT, PT, or most warships.
Turn #1, Undock. Range from base at end of turn: one hex.
Turn #2, accelerate to Speed 10. Range from base at end of turn: 11 hexes.
Turn #3 accelerate to Speed 20. Range from base at end of turn: 31 hexes.
Turn #4 accelerate and announce disengagement: Range from Base at end of Turn: FT 24 hexes, PT 31 hexes. APT and most warships 32 hexes.
Disengaging from orbit, assuming a radius 1 orbit, data is basically the same except acceleration starts on Turn #1 and concludes on Turn #3 and is the distance from the planet/moon.
Starting from radius 2 orbit, add one hex to the range at each level
Starting from radius 3 orbit, add two hexes to the range at each level.
As a last point on the "getting out of dodge" issue. When you run away in your APT thinking you can make full warship speed and that is all that matters, you are making the classic "flight" mistake.
Speed has a lot less to do with getting away than evasion.
Once any of the ships has successfully disengaged by acceleration, the hunt is on. Any of the ships can be destroyed by the pursuers successfully interdicting the escape route and hitting the fleeing ship with a single phaser-3.
I do not need to overhaul super spy Garth Getgen's ship to stop him, I need to maintain a sensor lock while coordinating the movement of Wayne Douglas's and Steve Zamboni's ships (who were originally just patrolling out in that direction) to block Garth's flight. Garth needs to find some means to break my lock, and not get picked up by anyone else, and simple speed is not the answer.
Quote: "Garth needs to find some means to break my lock, and not get picked up by anyone else, and simple speed is not the answer."
Actually, it is. Or rather, acceleration is the answer, if we're talking above tactical Warp 3.14 and in the same warp-engine category. If I have a smaller ship, I might be able to hit my top speed before you can and open enough distance that you lose me on your sensor. You, having the bigger ship, will have a slightly higher top speed and will eventually run me down if I can't open the gap. Or, as you said, bring in other ships to cut me off. But if I get lucky, I might be able to break contact long enough to change my course and then find a hole to craw into. It's all in the "Can He Get Away" article that I wrote a few years back. 
However, if a APT or FT only has Aux engines and not Standard (warship) engines, I stand no chance against any true warship. 
By the way:
Quote:Turn #1, Undock. Range from base at end of turn: one hex.
Turn #2, accelerate to Speed 10. Range from base at end of turn: 11 hexes.
Turn #3 accelerate to Speed 20. Range from base at end of turn: 21 hexes.
Should not range on turn #3 be 31 hexes (1 + 10 + 20)??? I presume this was a simple typo.
Garth L. Getgen
ECM is the answer, and Terrain is the answer for breaking lock on in pursuit, after and during disengagement by acceleration.
Several escape techniques exist. Movement behind a planet that blocks line of sight from the pursuit ship, with a course change and increase the range.
If enough range coupled with being not in line of sight would seem to make sublight evasion possible.
If out of line of sight, and the escaping ship can make it safely to a terrain feature such as an asteroid field, or a nebula or some other terrain, hiding could be an option... if they have the speed to get there before the pursuit forces can gain a line of sight and a successful lock on.
Escape seems unlikely from any form of defended planet. Turn 2, planet based phaser-IV cripples APT and escape attempt ends.
Sublight evasion won't work until the escaping ship gets 35 hexes from the bases on the planet since each base gives a -1 modifier. Three bases or ships prevent evasion. So how exactly is the fleeing ship planning on surviving until the end of turn 4?
Instead of a special ship, use the spy's classic technique of looking innocent and not getting caught.
Richard Wells:
Thus a stock Free Trader.
Planet based phaser-4s are easier to escape from than those on a base.
Turn #1 undock from base. Base sounds alarm and uses battery power to begin warming phaser capacitors (cannot fire until 32 impulses pass).
Turn #2, move to Range 11, but it all depends on what impulse the alarm went out and the base used a battery to warm its capacitors. You might get pounded on Impulse #1 (if the base sounded the alarm on Impulse #1 of Turn #1), or at Range 11 (if the alarm was sounded on Impulse #32 of Turn #1). At Range 11, assuming three phaser-4s the average is 14 points of damage, drops the shield on a Free Trader and scores two points of internal damage, drains the batteries on a Prime Trader and drops the shield. Drops the shield on an APT and scores nine points of internal damage.
Planet.
Turn #1 break orbit and move to Range 10. Even though the alarm has been sounded, ground based phaser-4 bases do not have batteries.
Turn #2, planet based phaser-4 bases provide power to phaser capacitors to warm them. Ship moves to Range 30.
Turn #3, planet based phaser-4s fire at the target at Range 30 on Impulse #1. Three phaser-4s would average three points of damage.
But basically, if there are three phaser-4s in either case, and they are at any weapon status above Zero on Turn #1, your ship is toast. Whether you just undocked from the base, or were in orbit above the planet out to Radius 3, because the average damage at that range for three phaser-4s is about 55 points. Which, while not guaranteed, is just about enough to detonate a Free Trader on the spot (58 points of damage would guarantee its immediate destruction, assuming no reinforcement energy applied to the shield), would definitely vaporize an armed priority transport (even if it had all available energy above the three points of power needed to move Speed 10 and have shields and life support), and leave a Prime Trader in such a mess that it is not going anywhere.
NOTE HOWEVER: If the planet has some small ground power stations connected to the phaser-4s in "Power Grids" the batteries of the power stations could be used to warm up the phaser capacitors of two of the ground based defense phaser-4s in each such grid, and if there are additional such combinations, and they are in arc . . .
Garth L. Getgen:
Yes, it was a typo [picky, picky picky, I mean I have Jean for that (Grin)].
So the APT are free trader runs is blown up by the Phaser IV.s. Latter the small freighter leaves orbit on its way to deliver goods else were. The Smart Spy has smuggled aboard are uses a fake ID and forged ticket.
Escape from a base?
Turn 1, undock. Base sounds alarm and grabs you in a tractor powered by batteries. You ain't going no where buddy. If you negative tractor them, they just turn on the command mines that are normally off in the approach corridor.
Base can also spit out a passel of shuttles, etc that can shoot you in a few impulses with their P3.
All good spies know to turn off the tractor beams before they go.
Dude, have you not seen Star Wars?!?!?!?
I think this is one of those rare cases where (D18.0) Surprise would apply.
Michael Grafton:
Not really.
On Turn #1 only a Sector Base or larger can generate enough tractor power from batteries to stop even a Free Trader from escaping.
Problem is that if you are undocking, you are at Speed 1 on Turn #1, so you will be tractored on Turn #2, unless the base in question is smaller than a base station.
Or a mystic space wizard sabotages the tractor beam controls......
As noted, getting away from a base is harder than getting away from a planet, mostly because the base has batteries, and because that first turn is generally spent at Speed 1 undocking.
We only discussed phaser-4s. But consider trying to get away from any "drone-armed" base. Even if the drones are lowly Speed-8s, the base can lob them at you the moment you are in its sights. And a Speed-12 drone will catch you (near the end of Turn #2) before you can jump to Speed 22 from Speed 11. Plasma-Fs are always armed and ready to go, and Speed 32, so they will smack you pretty quick (and hard).
Disruptors and fusion beams can have battery power applied and open up immediately. (And while a battle station might fire only one overloaded disruptor on Turn #1, it can fire again on the following turn).
Fighters can be scrambled, and even if they do not have other heavy weapons ready (due to low weapon status), they can be close and hit you with massed phaser-3 (or phaser-G) fire before you can accelerate away. (To be honest, two turns of a battle station's four admin shuttles blasting away may be enough to keep an APT from escaping in such a situation, i.e., the shuttles will hit you on Turn #1, and again on Turn #2, and even if they do worse case (for them) 12 points of damage each time, that can be up to 14 internals on an APT even if it took the damage on two different shields.
Bases are seldom going to be "surprised" simply because if a base needed to be doing the things "surprise" indicates it was doing, there would be a squadron of ships guarding it at the time.
Basically, when you are getting out of dodge, you are hoping like heck that you have a turn or three's "grace" before the officers in command of the base (or planet) realize that you should not be doing what you are doing.
Sensor Officer: "Officer of the watch, the Free Trader "Happy Go Lucky" has undocked, but I do not have an authorization for it to depart at this time in my operations log.
Officer of the Watch: "Communications, contact the 'Happy' and tell them their departure has not been authorized and they are to stand down."
Communications Officer: "Sir, the 'Happy' says that they are suffering a computer glitch which is causing their engines to overload, and they must get clear of the station before they detonate."
Officer of the Watch: "What? Oh My Gosh. Sound the collision alert, raise shields to maximum."
Sensor Officer: "Sir, the 'Happy' is clear of the bay, and is accelerating away, I cannot detect the malfunction in their engines, but at least if they do explode they are far enough away that the base and local traffic will not be affected."
Security Officer: "Sir, I have an alert from internal security. The 'Happy' is to be locked down and impounded. It is believed to have enemy agents on board it."
Officer of the Watch: "What? But. Oh heck, there goes my career."
So, the lessons for aspiring GURPs PD players are, what exactly?
If they have a APT, dock to the orbiting base to off load cargo, if there is one. Arrange for local cargo shuttles 2 space shuttles, or larger if available.
Once cargo is off loaded, leave the orbiting station/base and achieve a separate orbit of the planet more than three hexes away from the base, to avoid tractor beams. Choose an orbit more than 5 hexes from the orbiting base/station but within 5 hexes of the planet hex side that contains the planet city/star port that the players interface with, so to allow players use of the APT transporter but to prevent the base the ability to board the APT if the shields go down.
Use shuttle only when necessary, transporter for emergency exit.
If the planet has Def Sats, and allows civilian use of the transporter relay function... the APT should maintain orbit on the opposite side of the planet to deny a lock on to the orbiting base.
Won't help if the PDU have ground based phaser 4s...
Any other suggestions to help aspiring GURPs PD players survive?
Problem with that approach is that you may make the base suspicious.
"Why is that ship in such an inefficient orbit and/or on the other side of the planet Ensign?"
"Is that against regulations sir?"
"No, but I think they just qualified for a random inspection. Hail them."
go ahead. If it's smuggling, a free trader is better.
If it's information or a person, inspecting the ship will yield nothing.
Waste of time, and crying wolf too often gets you reassigned to a less critical post.
I'm doubtful that the APT would be allowed to choose its own orbit around any but the most primitive of outposts. There would more likely be something analogous to Air Traffic Control that would assign it an orbit.
Jeff Wile:
An APT should dock to a base, off load cargo, on load cargo, and be off. And the cargo should all be SCHEDULED. An APT is not going to arrive with "unspecified cargo" and then loiter around waiting for a new cargo consignment to be provided. Again, the ship carries "priority cargoes" which is why it is economic to operate.
It might arrive and have a SCHEDULED layover (the head office has decided the crew needs a few days shore leave, or the ship has a SCHEDULED maintenance period that will be provided by the base).
It might have an unscheduled "repair." (Things do break under use after all.) But that tends to mean the ship is docked for the repair, and if not, that negotiations and inspections of what needs repair are going on.
A Free Trader can be expected to arrive, deliver a cargo (or not) and negotiate with the local merchants to take on a new cargo to carry someplace. While some Free Traders are in fact owned by corporations and adhere to schedules, a lot of Free Traders are wholly independent.
But APTs are not Free Traders.
The point here is that, barring "unusual circumstances," an APT does not loiter around waiting for your highly trained agent or prime team or assassins or saboteurs or what have you to move into position, gather the intel, snatch the leader/scientist/what have you, and then leave. It drops off (if it is not picking up) whatever it was sent here to deliver and leaves to get the next cargo. It does not dicker with the locals over a new cargo to carry.
Unless the APT that was just finished dropping off legitimate cargo was part of the extraction plan.
* APT undocks and gets to other side of planet.
* Complete mission.
* Commandeer transporter and beam to APT on opposite side of planet using transporter repeater relays in DefSats or other satellites.
* APT immediately makes 60 degree turn to put a shield betwen it and the planet and prevent boarding and makes its escape.
By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Wednesday, April 12, 2017 - 09:02 am: Edit
So, the lessons for aspiring GURPs PD players are, what exactly?
First and foremost, SFB/FC uses a different narrative for play than G:PD or PD20M.
In the tactical games, unless using a different setup, all systems work. There is no down time for maintenance, or because someone spilled their coffee on the control computer. There is no hesitation in following orders to fire, just because the gunners childhood friend is on the APT. Rpgs are intended to use, or create, such opportunities.
Think of Star Wars and Obi Wan disabling the Death Stars Tractors, or Han's attempt to ta talk his way out of the cell block. In the first case player subterfuge mostly succeeded, in part due to Vader's ego in wanting Obi Wan and ignoring the others, in the second, Han badly missed his Fast Talk roll.
Mike Dowd's suggestion comes closer to plausible. Closer.
It is possible that a team was inserted onto a planet (or into a base) some time ago, and has signaled readiness (or a need) for extraction.
The problem will still be having a legitimate reason that an APT that is controlled by the team's side is able to arrive right then.
More likely, if you are going to make your getaway on an APT, the circumstances will be that an APT is present, and your merry band of cutthroats is able to seize it to make their escape. Choosing it (yes) for its speed and because they are pretty certain that with surprise they can subdue its 35-44 being crew. (With an unknown number of others, not to exceed doubling the crew, that is to say up to eight additional boarding parties purchased with the ship's four available Commander's Option Points. . . plans do go awry because of things not known when they are put into operation.)
Even more likely would be a variant, the "Armed Executive Transport," which might (under the guise of some wealthy individual taking a tour, arrive on station and remain a while . . . your problem there is always someone doing a check on the "wealthy individual" because they are curious to know why such an individual is visiting their little slice of heaven.
Are DefSats controlled by the planet defences, how is the APT using them for its own purpose.
Commandeering them could bring attention to the APT.
By that point, Wayne, it is too late to do anything about it.