Archive through September 24, 2019
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: Rules Questions:
SFB Rules Q&A:
Archive through September 24, 2019
Got another one 
Let's say I've got a fleet put together under S8.0, and I want to add a few PFs to it. Using R1.R1, I add 2 Mech Links to three of my ships as a refit for 2 points per ship. For simplicity, assume they are all standard combat hulls that don't carry any fighters or PFs normally. I then buy 6 basic PFs to put on the Mech Links (No Scout or Leader per R1.R1). R1.R1 also limits me to 6 of these in total (12 for Lyran).
I have always understood that:
1) These do not count against the fleet limit of 36 fighter equivalents because they are not on "True Carriers" making them Hybrids under S8.321-322.
and
2) They do not count against my fleet's Command Rating, because their carrier is present in the battle force (S8.23)
However, after re-reading S8.23, I am wanting to confirm my understanding. The specific sentence that I'm questioning is, "Each group of six or fewer casual PFs counts as one “ship” for command rating purposes." I am not sure if the 6 PFs I'm adding to this group count as casual PFs in this sense, or if this sentence is intending to clarify when counting casual PFs that are in the battle but not with their carrier.
Thanks!
The six PFs count against your command rating and against the fighter and PF limit. If you bought fewer, say for example only one, it would still count as one whole ship equivalent against your command rating, but as only one PF against your fighter and PF limit. Adding PFs under (R1.R1) does not make the ship a "true PF tender" (K2.111) but a casual PF tender (K2.114), so the added PFs count.
Hi all the year is 166 and empire is Gorn. Ships are CA and CL. My question is with regards to the plasma firing arcs.
The rules say:
(FP3.12) GORN LAUNCHERS: Early Gorn CA and CL ships had
their torpedo tubes aimed to the side at 60° angles, so that one could
track targets in the RF+R arc (launch in direction six relative to the
ship) and the other in the LF+L arc (launch in direction two). See
(D2.2) for arc descriptions.
What I want to know is whether they can launch directly to the front of the ship? The LF/L and RF/R arcs in D2.1 and .2 seem to say I can. could I have an official clarification as I don't know what they mean by Early Gorn? is Y166 early Gorn?
Early Gorn means before the plus refit and the addition of plasma swivels. (It doesn't mean Early Years Gorn, but this does apply to Early Years Gorn ships.)
To answer your question, since you are talking about the base CA and CL without the plus refit (since the plus refit doesn't appear until Y170, the ships don't have the refit in Y166), then, no, they may not launch their plasma directly ahead. They may launch plasma at a target that is directly ahead of them, but the plasma's facing on launch is 60 degrees off centerline. (So, plasma box A, with an L+LF arc will launch its plasma through the #6 shield.)
On the other hand, a plasma with an FA arc may only launch its plasma through its #1 shield, even if its target is at either limit of the FA arc.
Majead Farsi:
The requirement for a seeking weapon is that it must have its target in its FA tracking arc on launch (F1.24). So a Gorn CA or CL without the plus refit could, if the target was on its forward centerline, launch both torpedoes at it (when placed on the map, assuming the ship had a heading of "A," Torpedo A would face direction F, and torpedo B would face direction B, Both would move directly ahead on their first move (unless you chose to burn one or both torpedo's High Energy Turns), and on their next move both would turn to face the target (assuming the target's relation to them remained unchanged).
Thank you Mike and Steve for your clarifications.
Hi Steve
I have a question regarding the following ground bases: BHB, BMB, FGB-M, FGB-S, GFC and GPC.
Are the drones relaods limited to 3 sets of drones per fighters or they have more reloads like most drones user carriers?
Are they considered true carriers for EW lending and suppies (ie Chaff, EW pods, etc)?
Marcel
Marcel,
They are considered true carriers if the ground bases have a V in the Master Ship Chart notes. I think the ground bases can not lend EW, (J4.93).
Question re ECM drones came up last night.
Situation, 2 CAs moving speed 30 each launch a speed 20 ECM drone. Next imp they all move, ships and drones.
One CA now tractors the other CA and both pseudo speed is now 15.
Imp 11 speed 15 is to move but not speed 20.
Do the ECM drones move on imp 11 ?
Thanks
Cheers
Frank
ECM drones change speed with there ship they are protecting. So I would say yes?
Marcel Trahan:
From (R1.28A): "The cargo boxes hold 100 space points (50 each) of drones (total) or type-D plasma torpedoes (as appropriate for the owning empire). There are two sets of warp booster packs, two ECM pods, and 10 chaff packs per fighter stored in the base."
From (R1.28B): A slightly larger version holding 12 fighters (in two bays) and 200 spare drones. There are three sets of warp booster packs, two ECM pods, and 10 chaff packs per fighter stored in the base.
From (R1.28K): The cargo storage includes two sets of booster packs (total three per PF or fighter) and the remainder are "drone spaces." They have unlimited repair capability. Empires with drone-armed or plasma-D-armed fighters and PFs have cargo boxes able to hold 100 points.
From (R1.28K1): The cargo spaces hold two spare fighters, two spare sets of booster packs (total three per fighter), the remainder are "drone" spaces.
For the BHB, Annex #7G provides 400 spaces of drone storage.
For the BMB Annex #7G provides 300 spaces of drone storage.
All of the above bases are "true carriers" (as are the HFB-S, HFB, and HFC) which means they have the fighter supplies provided in (J4.75) and (J11.13), except where their drone storage is specifically spelled out in their ship description.
As true carriers they can lend electronic warfare to their fighters or bombers [nothing in (J4.93) says that ground bases are not able to lend electronic warfare as other true carriers can], but note that the planet may get in the way (less a problem if on an asteroid) and that they would pretty much need to be part of (in most cases) a power grid in order to have enough power to do so. Note that this is why planetary defense squadrons are sometimes divided between two bases (so that there is a base on each side of the planet to lend electronic warfare) and medium ground bases are generally found where there is more than one fighter squadron.
Francois Lemay: If the ship does not move, the ECM drone remains with it.
(FD9.111) If an ECM drone enters the hex of its "target," it will continue to pursue that target. If it is in the same hex, it will immediately reduce or increase its speed to match the target’s speed in an effort to stay in the same hex as its target, even stopping if the target does. Any speed increase must be within the limits of its maximum speed, e.g., a Speed 12 ECM drone could not keep up with a ship going faster than Speed 12. See also (FD9.18)
On ground bases loaning EW,
(J4.921) Any fighter that has a lock-on to and is within either three hexes of an uncrippled EWF (or MRS, or SWAC shuttle) from its squadron, or which is within ten hexes of its specific home carrier (or base), can receive "loaned" ECM and ECCM from that source.
All good
Question about drones and lock on in an unusual situation. A ship launched drones toward a planet to hit the planet on side E. Last impulse of the turn the drones move into atmosphere of side E. Here is the question. The ship is now 5 away from the planet. It is straight out along the F/A hex spine. It has a LOS to the hex the drones left. It has the planet in its LOS. But I believe at this time it could not shoot the base on the ground in E if there is one. So...does the ship lose tracking on the drones even though they are not on the ground. And a secondary question, if a different ship not the drone controlling ship was there...an enemy ship. Could it shoot the drones?
Another question regarding ECM drones.
If a ship that is using Tactical maneuvers while being protected by an ECM drone, does the drone TAC at the same time as the ship or its facing remains the same?
Marcel
To give a visual to Chuck's question [ yep, a current situation in a campaign battle].
Planet is in 3130.
Drones hit planet on side E.
Controlling ship is in 2927 end of turn.
2927 is a blind hex for any ground base facing E or A.
Does ship lose tracking on the drones hitting planet on first imp of next turn from side E ?
If tracking is lost, the drones will fall harmlessly to the ground I suspect !
Thanks.
Cheers
Frank
Error re above ground base facing.
2927 is a blind hex for any ground base facing B or E, not A as I first indicated.
My mistake.
Cheers
Frank
Based on what you have said, you do not have a LOS on the drone's current hex. Therefore, the drones are not controlled. Essentially the planet is between your ship and the drones.
If the secondary ship has a LOS with the drones, then yes it could shoot at the drones.
I have some questions on the order that damage is applied for rules (D3.3413) and (D4.34). I include the text for those two rules below for reference (from the Master Rulebook):
(D3.3413) On any given impulse during any given damage step, if damage from more than one direction strikes a unit with General Shield Reinforcement (GSR), even against the same shield facing, the larger damage total is resolved against the GSR first before any of it is combined into volleys (D4.22). If equal damage is scored from two or more directions, roll a die to determine which is resolved first.
(D4.34) MULTI-SHIP VOLLEYS: It is possible for a volley striking a given shield during a given impulse to include hits scored by two enemy units firing from two slightly different directions. This causes a problem when “phaser” hits (which have a directional restriction) must be resolved. In such a case, first resolve the damage points from the unit which caused the most damage, then from other units in the order of the damage they caused. (If two or more units caused equal damage, toss a coin or roll a die to determine which to resolve first.) The volley is still resolved as a single volley; this procedure governs only the direction of fire for the phaser hit restriction. This procedure is also used if multiple volleys strike a given target from multiple directions on the same impulse. The larger volley will be resolved first. If two (or more) volleys are equal, roll a die to determine which volley struck first.
Q1) For (D3.3413), if two units are in different hexes but directly in line with the target (for example, both directly in front of the target but in different hexes) are they considered in the same direction for this rule, or would damage from different units always be in different directions?
Q2) If two units were in the exact same direction (say both directly in front of the ship) is their damage combined for purposes of (D4.34) or is each unit always considered separately for purposes of this rule?
Q3) Is there a rule that covers the order that damage is applied to specific shield reinforcement and the actual shield boxes? I have assumed that that largest damage is applied first, similar to how internal hits are applied (D4.34), but do not know where this is covered in the rules.
Q4) Is the order that damage is applied, after being reduced by GSR and hitting the shields, or when being applied as internal damage under for (D4.34), the larger damage based on the current damage value (after the effects of shields) or is it based on the initial damage value? For example, target A has no boxes remaining on its shield #1 but has 5 general reinforcement points. Ships B and C fire on shield #1 of ship A from different directions doing 10 and 8 points respectively. Per (D3.3413) the 10 points is reduced to 5 by the GSR. When applying the internal damage per (D4.34), is the 5 (originally 10) points of damage resolved first or the 8 points of damage?
Ok I am lost at the question....as to why it makes any difference at all. Ok..so two ships fire on a shield...they hit the same shield. It can have no effect whatsoever on which phasers are hit no matter where they were since they hit the same shield. Which phaser gets hit is based just on the shield...as in only phasers that can fire out through that shield can be hit. And unless we are trying to determine who did each point of damage to someone...there is no reason not just lump all fire that hits into a volley since again. There is actually only one volley. So every hit is counted against the DAC in one volley and makes no difference at all as to who fired it.The Dac not resetting and it being a single volley means the damage just rolls down the DAC until no more damage is there to be applied...one ship shooting or 100 ships shooting. Its all just one lump sum of damage.
It makes a difference because direct damage can only hit a phaser if the phaser could fire back at the ship that fired so two ships that both fire and hit the same shield but be in different places where one could be fired on by an enemy phaser and the other cannot.
Note this restriction does not apply to hits from seeking weapons or enveloping weapons or PPDs and the like where being able to fire through the shield is sufficient.
That being said this is a very niche situation and would only matter if the DAC rolls make it matter.
A good example is 2 ships are just off center line on the #1 shield, but on opposite sides of the center line. This means one ship can hit LS phasers and the other ship can hit RS phasers.
Just my guesses:
Q1 and Q2, look at all ship positions. If they can hit different phasers, then resolve separately but still as part of the same volley. Otherwise, you can ignore this rule, because, while they are being resolved separately, there is no effective difference between the ships.
Q3, each layer of defense is effectively different. Resovle each in order from GSR, Specific Reinforcement, shields, armor, and then internals.
Q4, ship B resolves vs GSR first, but then would resolve it's internals second as part of 1 volley on the #1 shield.
Well true....Kenneth....but that would only apply to LF and RF usually. Though a couple of other possibilities also exist. Was not thinking about that.
Klingon phasers are the fun ones when you realize you can often shoot every Klingon phaser if you centerline the back.
That is so you can take out the pesky Kzinti drone wave.