Archive through April 22, 2021
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: Rules Questions:
SFB Rules Q&A:
Archive through April 22, 2021
If I may be so bold, Jack, it sounds like you've got a question about the difference between "True Range" and "Effective Range."
It's something I had a problem with. 
Fortunately, your example is a good one to try and explain things. The rules, in this case (E3.33), say, "When the effective range of a disruptor bolt is different from the true range, use the effective range to determine the probability of a hit and the true range to determine the number of damage points scored."
"True Range" is the exact count number of hexes from the firing ship to the target. In this case, you used the example of the Kzinti being at range 1.
"Effective Range" is the "True Range" with modifiers. While you said nothing about the state of the sensors (I'll assume for this example that either the Sensors are still rated a "6" or you made your sensor die roll ), you said the scanners have taken a hit and are now rated at 1. This means that the "Effective Range" is 2.
From that, yes, you would use the "Range 2" column on the Disruptor Bolt Combat Chart to determine a hit (the Effective Range) and the "Range 1" column to determine the damage (the True Range).
Hope that clears it up, and yes, it's something I had a problem with in an early game (egads, that was a long time ago!!)
Thanks Jeff- I believe you are correct about the whole thing.
I was not completely sure about it since we are talking specifically about the scanner system itself. I know for example when shooting disruptors at a cloaked ship you use the true range to determine damage and the effective range to figure out if it hits or not. Probably also true if a ships scanner is damaged and is firing but was hoping to get an official answer. Scanner rules don't really talk about it.
Jack, see (D1.4), which defines the effective range as "the true range + scanner factor + any other adjustments".
Alex- thanks, that is what I was looking for. Case closed!
Deleted
Question because this came up in a campaign and now I am wondering.
Bases can obviously be on a hex side of a planet. But when you put a base station, BAT or Starbase on a planet. Attacking it becomes very problematic since you cannot target it beyond range 5. And at range 5 no ship is going to do well against the number of phaser 4s that such a base has. Add in you can have 3 to 6 bases? That would seem to be a serious issue.
Which also brings to mind, the issue of offside phasers and things. Are they all able to target the same? Are some unable to fire? Can a base pull a ship down and crash it with a tractor? As in rotate it in 1 hex at the start of a turn?...which would put it on the ground?
Anyway some thoughts I had...using a big base. The tractor even using a smaller base if they have one.
BATS and SBs, etc are not Size Class 5, or smaller, why wouldn't you be able to target them beyond five hexes?
Charles Carroll,
Large ground bases have 180 firing arc (P2.721), you have (on a single hex planet) one solid shield (P2.73) and can still WW (P2.732), be aware of range 4 ballistic targeted seekers that you can not WW (P2.713).
Also Monsters normally ignore ground bases unless attacked.
Sometimes Paravians and Orions like their bases on the ground.
Charles Carroll,
(P2.712) yes can tractor and pull down to planet , but not normally during length of a scenario.
Empires that do not have most ship able to land on planets would normally still have the base in orbit so ships can dock.
(P2.7) Bases on Planets
Do the SSUs docked to the MWP hangers on an Andromedan Mobile Operations Sled add to the amount of hanger space needed to pick up the sled, or are they sufficiently "flush" enough to the sled in such a way that it still only requires 3 "spaces" within the hanger of an Andromedan mothership?
Good question, Tim.
With my usual disclaimer ("I can't speak for ADB, I'm no expert, blah blah blah..."), I have to say that the color text in the MOS description (i.e.: docked at high speed, etcetera, etcetera) says, at least to me, that the MWP are semi-external, if not fully external. Also, the rules for hangar spaces suggests that whenever a hangar is occupied by a SatShip of the proper size, it's a tight fit.
The combo of those two elements suggests to me that it's not possible for a MOS to be held in the hangar of a mothership with MWPs attached, and that a mothership wishing to deliver a MOS with MWPs to a site must have its hangar configured specifically for the task.
However, that's just my take as a player, and has roughly a 50% chance (or better?) of being wrong.
So here is a thing that is surprising.
(S4.32) OVERLOAD rules say that the Federation can always have 2 points of overload energy per tube at WSIII.
Has this always been a general rule for WSIII? Everyone I have ever met has always assumed that this was a special tournament rule for the Federation in tournament play. But it turns out that it might just be a general rule?
Is this the case?
(Mind possibly blown).
Since 1990's Basic Set.
When was it introduced, Volume I (didn't see it in a quick scan of the expansions)?
Edit - not in the Designer's Edition either ...
Question-
A Tholian is sitting at speed 0 next to a Klingon stuck in a 10 strength web. The Klingon launches a speed 32 drone that is immediately stuck in the web. Next impulse, the Tholian tractors the drone. Does the drone accumulate escape points from the web while it is tractored?
Jack, there does not appear to be a rule that just says "a tractored drone does not move", but (G7.51) says they do not have a pseudo-speed, which means they are not generating movement points while under tractor. Also, (G7.325) which specifies that drones do not impose any additional movement cost the towing ship is a specific rule in the more general (G7.32) which covers towing "non-moving ships and other objects".
That's two clear indications that a tractored drone is no longer moving and thus is not generating movement points for the purposes of (G10.511) - just using its rated speed for the purposes of determining when it is eligible to turn (G7.51).
Thanks Alex- probably still need Petrick to sign onto this one and confirm.
Learning webs makes questions happen:
(E14.11) PROCEDURE: The web caster is armed normally (E12.3),
and the decision to expend that energy as a web fist instead of as a cast web is made in the Fire Decision Step and announced in the Fire Declaration Step of the Direct-Fire Weapons Segment
Question - if the web fist misses the target is the amount of energy shot out of caster known? Looks like it but wanted to be sure.
Stewart,
Man. Thanks! Yeah, I don't have any old rulebooks anymore (which is weird, as I have all the F+E books back to '86. I guess the SFB books are just too big :-), and over in the current SFBOL tournament discussion, we are all being confused by the Fed overload status in a general sense (as we are using an alternate Fed design, and no one specified the overload status before we started playing, and then confusion ensued).
So it seems like "at WSIII, Feds get 2 points of OL energy per tube for the Photons" is just a general, default rule, and not a rule specific to the Fed TC.
Charles Carroll asked on Tuesday, April 13, 2021: Question because this came up in a campaign and now I am wondering.
Bases can obviously be on a hex side of a planet. But when you put a base station, BAT or Starbase on a planet. Attacking it becomes very problematic since you cannot target it beyond Range 5. And at Range 5 no ship is going to do well against the number of phaser-4s that such a base has. Add in you can have three to six bases? That would seem to be a serious issue.
ANSWER: There is only one reference to not being able to engage bases larger than size class 5 from beyond four hexes range, and that forbids the use of ballistic targeting to hit such bases (P2.713). If you put a base larger than size class 5 on a planet, it can be engaged by any attacking unit out to the maximum allowed range (it will still benefit from the atmosphere). The Range 5 limit to engage ground bases is specific to small (and medium) ground bases (R1.14C2).
Charles Carroll asked on Tuesday, April 13, 2021: Which also brings to mind, the issue of offside phasers and things. Are they all able to target the same? Are some unable to fire?
ANSWER: This is covered by (P2.721) and (P2.731). Basically all the base's weapons (whether Starbase or Mobile Logistics Base) become 180* and the three facing shields are doubled, i.e., they add the three shields that are blocked by the planet.
Charles Carroll asked on Tuesday, April 13, 2021: Can a base pull a ship down and crash it with a tractor? As in rotate it in one hex at the start of a turn?...which would put it on the ground?
ANSWER: See (P2.712), you can tractor any enemy ship, but you cannot force it into atmosphere, or the ground, until "after the scenario ends" to paraphrase.
Tim Longacre asked on Friday, April 16, 2021: Do the SSUs docked to the MWP hangers on an Andromedan Mobile Operations Sled add to the amount of hanger space needed to pick up the sled, or are they sufficiently "flush" enough to the sled in such a way that it still only requires three "spaces" within the hanger of an Andromedan mothership?
ANSWER: As the ship description of the MOS says "in a hasty evacuation . . . the MWPs would be left to their fate." it is obvious that there is no space for the MWPs in the hangar with the MOS.
Peter Bakija asked on Friday, April 16, 2021: So here is a thing that is surprising. "(S4.32) OVERLOAD rules say that the Federation can always have 2 points of overload energy per tube at WSIII." Has this always been a general rule for WSIII? Everyone I have ever met has always assumed that this was a special tournament rule for the Federation in tournament play. But it turns out that it might just be a general rule? Is this the case? (Mind possibly blown).
ANSWER: Yes, this is the case. The change was made more that 25 years ago.
Jack Taylor asked on Friday, April 16, 2021: Question: A Tholian is sitting at Speed Zero next to a Klingon stuck in a 10 strength web. The Klingon launches a Speed 32 drone that is immediately stuck in the web. Next impulse, the Tholian tractors the drone. Does the drone accumulate escape points from the web while it is tractored?
ANSWER: Alex Chobot correctly answer this: "(G7.51) says they do not have a pseudo-speed, which means they are not generating movement points while under tractor. Also, (G7.325) which specifies that drones do not impose any additional movement cost the towing ship is a specific rule in the more general (G7.32) which covers towing 'non-moving ships and other objects'."
Jack Taylor asked on Friday, April 16, 2021: Learning webs makes questions happen: (E14.11) PROCEDURE: The web caster is armed normally (E12.3), and the decision to expend that energy as a web fist instead of as a cast web is made in the Fire Decision Step and announced in the Fire Declaration Step of the Direct-Fire Weapons Segment Question - if the web fist misses the target is the amount of energy shot out of caster known? Looks like it but wanted to be sure.
ANSWER: If you fire a weapon, and it fails to hit its target, the amount of energy you released is still known. There is are obvious exceptions for system specifically designed to fool the sensors (PPTs) or self contained systems that are removed from the board without hitting anything (tracking dropped to a type-VI drone that never got a lock-on to its target, leaving you wondering if it was a type_ drone or a type-IV drone), or other defined cases. But there are few "direct fire" weapons (I cannot think of any) that do not reveal the power in them when they are shot, whether a hit is scored or not.
Do shuttles/fighters on a balcony need to be announced?
Peter DiMitri asked on Tuesday, April 20, 2021: Do shuttles/fighters on a balcony need to be announced?
ANSWER: If not using tactical intelligence, then under (D17.91) yes. If using tactical intelligence the balcony position are revealed at tactical intelligence level F IF THE BALCONY CAN BE OBSERVED.
Thank you SPP.
Do plasma torpedoes get a small target modifier? R0.6 says that they are size class 7, but E1.7 doesn't list them among the small targets.
Peter DiMitri asked on Thursday, April 22, 2021: Do plasma torpedoes get a small target modifier? Rule (R0.6) says that they are size class 7, but rule (E1.7) does not list them among the small targets.
ANSWER: I would have to say that after 30 years that (E1.7) is definitive of the case and they do not get the modifier.