Scout Battle Control Ship
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: New Product Development:
New: Module 3030 never builts:
Scout Battle Control Ship
In Captain's Log #48 an "unbuilt variant" of the Federation Battlecruiser was published. The ship, called the "Ranger", was intended as an RTN hunter, but was completed as a standard BCG because the crisis had passed. I always thought this was a questionable decision on the part of the admiralty, as the the galactic powers will still need survivable RTN hunters for the invasion of the Magellanic Cloud. I hope (though do not expect) that ADB will reconsider this when/if the ship is ever "officially" published in a Module.
But the ship would be an even better RTN hunter (and better in "regular" combat as well) if it had the mixed F-14/F-111 group of the Fed BCS. I therefore am proposing a "Scout Battle Control Ship" based on replacing drone racks 3 and 4 with special sensors, as with the Ranger. With well over 90% of the firepower of a BCG (and 100% of the power and shields), plus 6 F-14s and 6 F-111s, the ship would have excellent survivability and might be able to eliminate small or poorly defended bases by itself. And with a command rating of 10, the same as any other BCH, it would be just as effective a fleet flagship as a BCG or BCS. And though it wouldn't generally use its special sensors during combat, it could still provide long range scanning for a fleet which had lost its "regular" scout for some reason.
Personally, there's a part of me that likes this idea, Alan. As a fiction writer, I would just LOVE to have a ship that can do it all.
It is therefore with regret that I have to voice my complaint about the Ranger and her derivatives (such as this idea); IMO, they would lose too much fighting ability to keep the special sensors clear and having just two of them isn't worth the loss of firepower.
Also, while it IS true that Special Sensors do increase the ability of a ship to gather strategic and tactical intelligence, they do so much more that blinding them should be a last resort.
This problem, by the way, is one of the things that makes assaulting Battlestations (and larger ones) such an interesting proposition; the base can only provide electronic warfare support for her defenders until she starts shooting herself. Then, base defenders surrender the EW advantage to the attackers!
That's why, when it comes to having carriers with scout channels, things like the carrier versions of the GSC are, IMO, a better option.
Jeff,
No. Bases have special rules. Unlike ships, bases can fire their weapons without blinding their special sensors*. I can't quote the rule number off the top of my head and have put my books away for the night. But I will cite the appropriate rule tomorrow, if someone doesn't beat me to it.
Regarding the Scout Battle Control Ship; recall that I am proposing it as a survivable RTN hunter, that might be able to destroy a small or poorly defended base by itself. For that role it needs special sensors to find the Andro base in the first place. It won't use the special sensors in combat. though it could do so if unusual conditions called for them. And really, it doesn't lose much combat power compared to the standard Fed Battle Control Ship. It has the same power, the same shields, the same phasers, the same photon torpedoes, but 2 drone racks instead of 4. How much difference would the additional drone racks make - given the enormous drone capability of 6 F-14s and 6 F-111s? I confess I don't see the problem.
*I believe there is one exception. The Ion Storm Generator on Vudar bases still blinds the sensors, I believe.
Once the Galactic Powers had eliminated the Desecrator anchoring the RTN routes between the Magellanic Cloud and the Milky Way, there would be little need for Galactic Powers RTN hunters in the Cloud itself. The threat to the Milky Way is pretty much defeated once the Desecrator goes down.
The Magellanic Powers themselves would be able to eliminate the RTN in the Cloud. Politically, they probably don't want GP ships wandering about in their territory, and the logistics are simpler for the Magellanic Powers too.
Besides which, any carrier is going to be tough to supply all the way from the Milky Way to the Cloud, especially with high-end fighters like F-14s and F-111s.
Rule for Bases not blinding senors is; (G24.135) BASES. Page 266, 2012 Electronic Master Rule Book.
Personally, I've always wondered why the Bismarcks and the New Jerseys were not turned into Rangers for the Andro War, they already have the power hook ups.
... Bases don't blind their own special sensors...
* sigh *
Oh well; that tells you all how bad I am at the game... 
Getting back to the subject at hand; the Special Sensor Battle Control Ship. The point you made about already having enough drones that the two B racks won't make that much of a difference is a good one.
Perhaps this descends into the realm of politics (and if it does, I do apologize), but I can just picture some condescending council member at an inquiry saying, "You need these ships to clear out Andromedans? This is clearly a case of fear mongering. The Andromedans are no longer a threat. Next thing you know, you'll be demanding more money for your militarization of the Federation by claiming that these new pirate types, what are they called again... Oh yes, Xorkaelians, are a threat..."
(Umm, can I try to say I'm a better storyteller than gamer, I type with a sheepish grin...)
If it makes you feel any better bases used to blind their own sensors.
I like the idea, but I think this one should remain in the archives as an unbuilt variant at best. The Romulan ThunderHawk is the only BCS with special sensors that was built and should remain so.
Perhaps this might be a good option to consider for the proposed "dark future" module, as a potential conversion undertaken in an attempt to stem the Andromedan tide once the RTN is belatedly uncovered in alt-Y200.
Indeed, making it a "dark future" ship would allow it to be configured as a gunboat tender, as the alternate timeline Federation begins deploying Thunderbolt PFs from alt-Y198 onwards.
Back in the "standard" timeline, there is an ongoing effort to try and deal with Andromedan remnants in the LMC post-Unity, as noted in the Sakharov article from Captain's Log #51. But it remains to be seen how many of the ships from the Unity task forces themselves were re-purposed for this role (as was done with Sakharov herself), or how many "new" ships were sent out from the Alpha Octant post-Unity for this purpose (as was done with the GSX Fermi).
Well, my preference would still be for the ship to be real, as an RTN hunter for the forces invading the LMC. The galactic powers have no idea what they will find there, until they actually arrive. That puts a premium on ships that can gather information... and live to report it.
As to the politics of Milky Way Galaxy ships wandering around the Magellanic Cloud, that would probably be the case for a while.
Whether the Magellanics liked it or not, it would be a couple of Generations I would think before they would recover from the Andromedan Conquest.
Merchant fleets need to be rebuilt in order to rebuild "national" shipyards to rebuild the fleet (the asteroid shipyards will do as a start, but are not going to be enough). School systems to create the new crews have to be restored. Bases need to be rebuilt. Piracy will continue and need to be suppressed (what? you think just because we have been liberated from the Andromedan Yoke that we are all going to be law abiding citizens now?).
In all seriousness, it will probably be the burgeoning Xorkalian threat that starts seeing the Milky Way forces in the LMC drawing down.
I was working on some notes for the post-Unity economy a while back and was calculating at just how much junk the MW fleets would be leaving behind in the Cloud after a drawdown. All of that invasion infrastructure is still there, and historically most powers are loathe to spend the money hauling it all back home.
All those abandoned bases along the invasion routes plus what what set up in the Cloud, supply dumps, casual fighter bases, discarded freighter pieces - years of a Galactic economy all piled in one spot, and largely free for the taking when the military fleets start heading home.
The post-Invasion Cloud could be packed with pirates and smugglers and rebellious systems - on top of whatever covert forces the Galactic powers left behind - which could mean decades before the Magellanic empires are strong enough to take control of their own space again.
Once the "future history" of the Alpha Octant is outlined in Module X2 (and/or in any future Xorkelian module), I'd hope that there might then be an opportunity for a would-be "Module C5R" to more fully explore the post-Unity LMC in greater detail.
For what it's worth, I tried to use portions of the aforementioned Sakharov article in CL51 to address some of the challenges involved both for the surviving Magellanic species and for the Unity task forces, so as to provide context for the actions which Sakharov herself undertook during her time in the LMC.
But I would not be surprised if the degree of ongoing commitment varied significantly from one empire to another, or from time to time. For example, it would make sense for the Tholians to withdraw their Unity task force fairly promptly, so as to enable them to prepare their own separate expedition over to the Draco Dwarf galaxy. Plus, it's questionable as to how much effort the likes of the WYNs or Vudar might put in - though the latter's high degree of radiation tolerance would make it easier for them to liaise with the Eneen.
But on the other hand, other empires like the Federation, Klingons, and ISC might be more liable to maintain a substantial ongoing presence - especially in the wake of Sakharov's return from the Omega Octant via the LMC to the Alpha Octant in Y219.