There have been a lot of fighter variants built and unbuilt over the years in Captain's Log, vearious flavors of ST-9, St-1, St-2, St-F, St-H, speed 15 heavy fighters for everyone and whoknows what else.

Obviously CVAs based on Heavy Dreadnoughts could be a thing and I'm sure there are carriers and escorts that could have appeared in Captain's Log (Lyran CLV for instance).

Might let R13 have other things instead, prolly in Captain;s Log there's enough by now.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 09:48 am: Edit

Richard, feel free to post a list of every carrier or escort SSD from Captain's Log.

By Jeffrey George Anderson (Jeff) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 11:21 am: Edit

If you're open to new ideas thrown around, there's one I had a couple years back, based on a photo I have in my library.

A U.S. Navy F-8 Crusader flying by that had its fuselage weapons station loaded with TWO AIM-9 Sidewinders. The picture got me thinking about a modification for the Federation F-8, Kzinti AAS, and Klingon Z-2; a modification that allows those fighters (and ONLY those fighters) to carry four type VI drones instead of the two type I drones.

I didn't want later, more advanced fighters to have this option because they already have load-outs that include type VI drones. I also thought that, if this option were made available, these fighters might end up being too powerful in the anti-fighter/anti-drone role, but too weak in other areas.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 01:36 pm: Edit

I still want an A-18 ...

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 02:41 pm: Edit

The war dreadnought carriers, the picket carriers of which we have seen the Kzinti one. Fast carriers for other empires? The heavy police ship carriers?

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 03:45 pm: Edit

Unlike DNHs., WDNs I think were very rarely built, I doubt we'd need variant s of those.

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 04:36 pm: Edit

I don't need them but we have carrier and space control variants of the battleships which were never built except the B10.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 04:41 pm: Edit

If A18 is the one with the photon we all know why you want it and why you can never be allowed to have it.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 04:45 pm: Edit

Well, it's different though. Why make carrier versions of war DNs? There are already going to be normal DNs and DNHs around so there isn't much need.

BBs on the other hand, if an empire DID build one it's pretty obvious they'd want to make it into a CVA or SCS and there aren't any 'other BB hulls' that they'd be doing it to instead.

This sets aside the whole meta game point where BBs are much more popular (presumably) with players than WDNs are.

By Mike West (Mjwest) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 04:49 pm: Edit

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Quote:

If A18 is the one with the photon ...

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By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 06:35 pm: Edit

But players do not want conjecturals, so no A18, no Lyran Indig Fighters, no Gorn indig fighters, no X-fighters.

Capiche?

By Nick Samaras (Koogie) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 11:08 pm: Edit

I would be okay with no more carriers but since we are here what about police ship escorts for police carriers?

By Dennis Surdu (Aegis) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 11:38 pm: Edit

How about stealth fighters and fighters that are survivable enough to not be attrition units. Or perhaps ones that are capable of using smarter drones. Anti ship drones only able to be launched from fighters would be interesting.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 11:48 pm: Edit

Surdu: Good luck with that.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Tuesday, July 30, 2019 - 11:54 pm: Edit

Stealth fighters are auto reject.

By Richard B. Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 12:07 am: Edit

I should mention that sronger drones do exist, but genreally ships cannot launch them (though drogues and ground bases can).

By John Wyszynski (Starsabre) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 08:05 am: Edit

DN pure carriers; no heavy weapon, with an oversized squadron, heavy fighter squadron, and standard squadron.

By Dennis Surdu (Aegis) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 08:54 am: Edit

Does this all mean that the R sections will get an update with new ships?

Eitzen: I am surprised there is new discussion about new carriers so I decided it couldn't hurt to ask :-) Also, stronger drones do exist but I was thinking of a drone that is similar to U.S. Navy's LRASM. In game terms it would be fun and since the Feds do not use PFs, a version only launched by fighters would be interesting. Frankly, it is easy enough to play within a group or at cons with house rules so not a big deal.

By Jeffrey George Anderson (Jeff) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 10:58 am: Edit

While that does sound like fun, Starsabre, I brought up that idea a few months ago in a separate topic in "Ship Proposals," where it met with... Shall we say "Tepid" responses.

I called the whole subject, "Supercarriers and Theater Control Ships."

Gotta say the whole killer of the idea is to ask if anyone would be interested in moving all the counters around on a board if all forty plus fighters were out simultaneously AND had launched their drones/plasmas, so THOSE counters were also out on the board and had to be moved.

Counter movements alone could take fifteen to twenty minutes for a single impulse. Might turn an otherwise fun session of the best starship tactical game the world's ever seen into a bookkeeping nightmare.


There is another idea that was published in a playtest book that never made it to the final product that had a warm spot in my heart. While I'd guess that it's a dead subject, I'm still curious enough to ask about the Federation A-7 from the Marines playtest book. Is there any chance of seeing it make a return in a module J3? What about ground attack fighters for other folks?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 01:59 pm: Edit

Sigh. For the 337th time, no A7 will ever be published. The playtest showed it wasn't needed, just hang the bombs on any regular fighter.

By Joe Carlson (Jrc) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 03:15 pm: Edit

I would like to see some of the historical scenarios like the "Pleiades Turkey Shoot" updated. There was a scenario about an X-repair dock that was attacked and damaged so the X-squadron wasn't able to participate in Adm. Radey's battle.These two scenarios could be mage into a campaign.

maybe a development story on how the Federation developed the SCS and it's strategic doctrine of the "Third Way" could be added.

Some type of direct fire weapon could be added for all races.

By Dennis Surdu (Aegis) on Wednesday, July 31, 2019 - 09:42 pm: Edit

How about remote control fighters for X Tech era ships? It is a natural progression of a tech trend and only X techs would have the sensor rating to handle it. Basically what in the real world are pilotless weapons platforms. Perhaps the ships fielding them would need an extra auxiliary control box or new control box. The fighters themselves have pros and cons. A couple pros may be an additional HET, turn mode of 1 at all speeds and larger drone loadouts. Cons might include limited range from controlling ship, high BPV, and a poor DFR. The carriers themselves would be more purpose-built with launch tubes and automated deck crews for rapid rearming, etc. Huh, come to think of it, sounds like a neat new race idea ;-)

I know there are fighters like this in Omega, but nost SFB fighters were developed in the 80s and I think having some higher tech fighters and carrier capabilities would help make the game a little less "dated".

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, August 01, 2019 - 01:01 am: Edit

We already said there would be no more advanced fighters. An x-carrier would have remote control fighters, but adding a couple of fighters to every x-ship is a non-starter.

By Gary Carney (Nerroth) on Thursday, August 01, 2019 - 03:17 pm: Edit

In Captain's Log #41, there is an article about a "Squadron That Never Was" of supposed Hydran hulls in Lyran Democratic Republic service; there are four SSDs for these "LDR-Hydran" ships in the same issue. This material also includes data on "Snapper-1" and "Snapper-2" fighters, which intelligence agencies in the Lyran Empire thought that the LDR might have been able to build.

If there was anywhere these "Snappers" were to be formally published, would it be here (along with other fighters) or in a potential "more ships that never were" product instead?

Actually, in the context of the "LDR-Hydran" ships in CL41, I would have thought it more of an option for the Lyran Empire's intelligence officers to speculate on the Republic using an "export model" of a Stinger, were such a thing possible, rather than picture them working up entirely new "Snapper" designs.

On a side note, is there any line art for the Snapper-1 or Snapper-2 in the LDR Master Starship Book - and if so, do they look like Hydran fighters, or do they have entirely new hull designs?

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Thursday, August 01, 2019 - 03:52 pm: Edit

This would not be the place for those ships, Gary.