Charles Carroll:

Sequence of play. If the damage during the movement stage was sufficient to destroy the death bolt (or the Stinger-2 Fighter, or the Scatter Pack Shuttle, or the multi-warhead drone, or the disruptor bolt you were going to fire, or etc.) it does not release or fire

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Friday, March 05, 2021 - 06:52 pm: Edit

Am I correct that the questions from roughly a month ago related to mines are still outstanding? See January 30 at 12:28pm and February 4 at 1:30pm. I scrolled through the pages since then and didn't see an answer.

Jay

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Saturday, March 06, 2021 - 12:34 am: Edit

Thank you Steve Petrick.

I just wondered since the phrasing could have been considered to state that it fired. But fires happen later...so it goes off then. Sort of like Hellbore fire going off before...and also after but still all happening at the same instant and coming after regular fire. Anyway...I thought exactly what your answer was. If it dies. There is no fire.

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Saturday, March 06, 2021 - 12:35 am: Edit

And yeah....John...I am still wondering about the count for delay...and if that would make multiple mines go off based on the number of ships entering rather than random rolls to see which mine saw which ship and so a lot of mines never went off.

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Saturday, March 06, 2021 - 08:18 pm: Edit

And now for something else lol.

Boarding party combat. D7 variety.

Two players near the end of control spaces. 1 control space remains. The attacker does enough damage to capture the last control space.

Is this supposed to be simo with the defender? Or...can the defender direct damage to capture it back? Or seeing it was captured, could he declare that he directs damage to capture a previously captured control space?

Or does he have to wait till next turn to recapture a control space? There does not seem to be a definitive answer listed? This will be coming up tomorrow probably lol. So any help as in a specific ruling from Steve Petrick. Or a specific rule in D7 that says yes or no you cannot recapture a lost control space or a different one after he says he captured one.

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Sunday, March 07, 2021 - 02:37 am: Edit

Well It was mentioned to me...that this was covered in the later added rules. D15. So we can ignore this. Though without D15 rules, it is not clear and those are add on rules. But anyway, it has been clarified. So that works.

By Tim Longacre (Timl) on Thursday, March 18, 2021 - 05:56 am: Edit

This is a question I don't think that I've seen answered anywhere, so...
How do command ratings apply to freighter convoys, where you are more than likely to have more ships there than the command rating of any single ship in the convoy could accommodate?

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Thursday, March 18, 2021 - 10:31 am: Edit

Tim, see (S8.5) and specifically (S8.54). In patrol scenarios, including freighters has to be by mutual assent and all cargo ships count as one ship, with a maximum number of ships equal to the command rating of the flagship (and some limits on composition). However players are also explicitly allowed and suggested to make variances as part of setting up their scenario (as this is getting into ad-how scenario design rather than just a straight patrol battle at this point).

Background-wise, I see as command ratings represent the close integration necessary for military operations, while freighters and other civilian ships are much looser and mainly a matter of shepherding each other in the same general direction.

By Tim Longacre (Timl) on Thursday, March 18, 2021 - 04:39 pm: Edit

Thank you very much

By James Cain (Jcain) on Monday, March 29, 2021 - 06:40 pm: Edit

Does a YBarM Early Barracks Module come with any commando or heavy weapons squads as part of its boarding parties?

Does the addition of a YBarM Early Barracks Module to a base allow the base to purchase Commander's Options as if it were a commando/troop ship?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 - 01:37 pm: Edit

Jame Cain:

There is no specific guidance on the troops found in the Early Barracks Module beyond that it has 20 boarding parties, which is 67% of the boarding parties found in the Barracks Module. The Barracks Module has 26 Boarding Parties, one Commando Squad, and three heavy weapon squads.

Given that Commando Squads and Heavy Weapons squads are allocated to Commando Ships and Troop Transports in subsequent Modules (Y2 and Y3) and can be purchased normally in Module Y1 as Commander's Options, I would say that it can be assumed based on the above that the early Barracks module has one (1) commando squad and two (2) heavy weapons squads included.

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 - 10:31 pm: Edit

Looking over the Gorn Carronade. Something I have never used since I rarely play Gorn. I am trying to figure out what it means when it says treat it like a Bolt. Obviously...to me that means at the least, When fired it is a 1-4 to hit. Since 5 is the max range and it always treats any shot as if it at the actual range.

Ok so far. But...we have a chart. Which states the damage done is such and such. Ok...but is that half damage dropping all fractions? Such as happens when you bolt a torpedo? Or is this the actual damage scored if you hit?

Assuming you treat a Carronade exactly like a bolt, then you never do more than 4 points if you have 5 points of power in the shot. 8 to 7 which is 3.5 to 4. Or is it actually 8 to 7?

Anyway, Just want clarification since there is a chance I will be playing Gorn some time soon as I am trying to expand my knowledge base.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Tuesday, March 30, 2021 - 11:41 pm: Edit

Charles, I understand your confusion (and have shared it ), but even though I'm NO expert, I am about 99.44% sure that there are enough differences that the rules for Plasma Bolts (FP8.0) do NOT apply to the Carronade.

The rules for the firing procedure (FP14.3, or more specifically FP14.31) says, "The Plasma Carronade is a 'range of effect' weapon. Roll one die and consult the chart in (FP14.33)."

There is no mention in the Carronade rules about damage being halved or there being any "Hit-or-Miss" die rolls.

By Glenn Hoepfner (Ikabar) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 03:36 am: Edit

99.44%?
I'm astonished about your lack of confidence.

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 09:53 am: Edit

Hi Charles,

Although carronades and bolts are both direct fire weapons, they are very different.

Unlike a bolt, there is no "to hit" roll with a carronade. It is a range of effect weapon - like a phaser. When fired, you roll a die, consult the chart, and apply that much damage. There is no halving. The number on the chart is the amount of damage applied. The only instance where you might reduce the impact is if the target is cloaked and you need to apply the damage adjustment in G13.37.

As you can see in the chart, the damage doesn't vary much from a die roll of 1 to 6. Where the variance comes in is from where you are in the plasma F arming cycle. Only a fully armed plasma F can do 7 or 8 points of damage. In contrast, a carronade in the first turn of arming will do 3 or 4. At a range of five, a first turn carronade actually ends up being a slightly more efficient weapon than a phaser 1.

Comparing a bolt and a carronade, a fully armed torpedo is more efficiently fired as a carronade than as a bolt. A fully armed carronade will do an average of 7.67 points of damage. If fired as a bolt, it potentially can do ten points, but because it will miss 1/3 of the time, the average damage per firing drops to 6.67. Thus, it pays to fire a fully armed torpedo as a carronade. However....

One other big consideration with a carronade: once you add sabot energy to a torpedo, FP14.25 prohibits you from using that torpedo as a carronade. Such a torpedo can still be fired as a bolt, but not a carronade. For this reason, to maximize flexibility, do not add sabot energy during energy allocation. Keep some in reserve. Then if you decide to launch the torpedo normally, use the reserve power to upgrade it to a sabot. Going back to my damage comparison above, if sabot energy has been added, you must fire it as a less efficient bolt.

By John M. Williams (Jay) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 10:02 am: Edit

SPP,

Were you ever able to get resolution on how to handle multiple mines in hex with different sequencing instructions? It's been a while so see January 30 at 12:28pm and February 4 at 1:30pm as a refresher.

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 01:32 pm: Edit

While I agree with the replies. The use of it acts like a Plasma Bolt implies the damage is halved.

Now we have the same type chart with different damages listed for all plasma. But we halve the damage for bolts.

Anyway...I certainly agree it could be full damage based on the chart just as a bolted torp could be full damage but then using the same rule of...it acts like a bolt....the damage is halved.

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 02:41 pm: Edit

The reference to its likeness as a plasma bolt is in the intro paragraph as "It is fired in the same manner and under the same restrictions as a plasma bolt (FP8.0), but the firing aperture is wider, resulting in a broader but shorter-ranged blast
of plasma." This is more akin to flavor text than rules text - the actual operation of the weapon is defined by the specific rules that follow.

Standard plasma bolts use (FP8.43) to calculate their damage, where it is defined as one-half the warhead strength of the torpedo at the true range to the target. Carronade shots use the (FP14.33) and (FP14.36) procedures, which don't reference the torpedo's warhead strength at all [indeed, as the weapon may not even be fully armed and legible to launch as a torpedo or fired as am (FP8.0) bolt, there isn't even a warhead strength value to halve in the first place]. As all carronade shots have to use that procedure, it would be entirely pointless to give a table of values and then expect people to have to halve them every single time.

By Douglas Saldana (Dsal) on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 - 06:18 pm: Edit

Has ADB ever published a table for damage from plasma bolts? I know its not difficult to make that calculation (since it's just halving the torpedo warhead strength for the appropriate range and dropping the fraction) but it would still be nice to have it in a table.

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Saturday, April 03, 2021 - 10:24 pm: Edit

ROFL....yep Alex just like the table of values for plasma we have to halve every time we bolt.

Anyway...I, unlike some, like my rules to do one of two things. Be specific without involving optional words that have other meanings when dealing with things. Or...even better a very simple example. At range 4 with 1 point of power...look at chart....it causes such and such damage as per the chart.

Anyway...just was wondering since I am playing Gorn in a campaign and in 5 years...will have access to this. Silly me. I like to know how to use the things I can use.

By Marcel Trahan (Devilish6996) on Sunday, April 04, 2021 - 10:51 am: Edit

I have a question regarding enveloping HB fired at a hexside of planet for general damage purpose.

Do the HB try to envelop the planet and does that damage to all 6 side or is the P2.733 become in use for a specific side, or the full HB damage is used for that specific hex?

Marcel

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Sunday, April 04, 2021 - 11:08 am: Edit

It is specific though: (FP14.3) is the firing procedure and tells you exactly how it works. At no point does it reference or use the weapon’s warhead strength in this, so there is nothing for (FP8.43) to halve even if you were trying to apply it.

Standard plasma bolts use (FP8.43) because the plasma bolt rule was added after the weapons and their table existed, adding that info would clutter an already large chart, allows the plasma bolt rule to be easily future compatible, and it is a hit-or-miss weapon, not a range of effect weapon. If the intent of plasma carronades were to do half the listed damage from a table that exists *only* for how much damage a carronade shot does, why wouldn’t it just list the intended final damage?

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, April 04, 2021 - 01:03 pm: Edit

Interesting question, Marcel.

Rule (P2.7331) states, in part, that when an enveloping weapon is fired at a ground base, half the damage is, "[expended on the surrounding landscape (P2.525)]."

The referenced rule starts, "Sometimes the objective is 'general destruction,' simply bombard the planet to destroy buildings, settlements, roads, crops..."

(etcetera...)

Were I to ever be asked to make a ruling on the matter, I would rule that the full damage from a Hellbore, according to the (E10.32) chart says would be applied towards the two hundred points damage threshhold for general destruction, not the ten points that the (E10.711) chart says.

As far as what hexsides might be hit, there is no provision in the (P2.733) rules for hitting other ground bases in the same hex side; not even for other ground bases on the same power grid. For this reason, I would rule that all of the damage from the Hellbore would only affect the specific hex side that the weapon was fired on.

Anyway, that's my assessment of the rules, but I am (VERY) frequently wrong.

Hope it helps.

By Richard Eitzen (Rbeitzen) on Sunday, April 04, 2021 - 01:10 pm: Edit

Hellbores cannot envelop planets (neither can plasma).

By Charles Carroll (Nosferatu) on Sunday, April 04, 2021 - 08:16 pm: Edit

Alex that is because while it makes the reference to plasma bolts which would be half....you are assuming the table means that is the damage. Which is why the assumption, which is probably correct, makes sense. But by adding in the plasma bolt concept we created an unneeded issue of the possibility of half damage.

A plasma carronade does not in anyway act as a plasma bolt. It does use a variety of plasma which is very short ranged and appears to always hit. So because of that Bolts have absolutely nothing to do with it.

Now while you can decide if you want to use it as a bolt or as a carronade is certainly interesting, they act totally different. Sort of like the Jindarians and using their weapon as a weapon or as a close range anti small unit cannon.

My point is there is confusion generated when you bring bolts into a non bolting situation especially since bolts are half damage.

With this said I appreciate the feedback and see no reason not to accept the belief that a carronade's damage is simply based on the chart as is, ignoring anything to do with bolts since it has nothing to do with bolts.