Archive through May 08, 2021
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: Rules Questions:
Background Q&A:
Archive through May 08, 2021
Be aware of the difference between cruising speeds (min maintenance) and dash speeds (Max maintenance) on engine costs ...
Garth, does the FTL speed have to be tactical warp? I'm thinking for small jumps that NTW on sublight ships might be cheaper. Or not. Just a thought.
We know Orion cartels obsess about keeping secret navigational charts, identities of undercover operatives, and identities of ships passing themselves off as law-abiding. We know that Orion cartels are merciless in making examples of anyone who even mentions the possibility of leaking information about such to law enforcement.
We know Orion cartels sometimes war with each other.
Is it safe to assume that the cartels treat each others spies more like prisoners of war, so long as they are not disavowed, even if such spies are caught stealing for other cartels information including navigational charts, identities of undercover operatives, and identities of ships passing themselves off as law-abiding? Are such spies exchanged unharmed when captured by neighboring cartels?
While I can't speak of personal experience with organized crime, I suspect that being paranoid about possible infiltration by various law enforcement organizations is a useful trait in staying operational.
From that, I'd guess that any potential prospect/recruit into the organization has to go through a vetting process that borders on (if not crosses all the way over into) insanity.
On the other hand, we also see, historically, that various criminal organizations, everything from the Mafia Families to the disgusting gutter gangs that terrorize inner cities with their drugs nowadays, fight fiercely over their "Turf."
("St. Valentine's Day Massacre?" Drive by shootings?)
I find it reasonable to doubt the SFU Orion Cartels would be any different. As such, I suspect that such "Spies" would be regarded more as traitors than anything else, and would probably be on the receiving end of the WORST punishments the Cartel bosses can think of. 
Does the Daedalus-class starship, the one with the spherical forward hull, fit anywhere in the SFU timeline? Or is that something ADB's license / contract prevent from showing up here?
Garth L. Getgen
As pretty as the Daedalus class is, Sgt G, my suspicion is that we're not going to see her.
There are, after all, so many beautiful ships and interesting new peoples that have become part of Trek but are absent from the SFU, and there are so many great ships and peoples in the SFU that have never become part of Canon Trek that the two have grown quite divergent.
At least that's my 0.02 Quatloos worth... 
The Orions pretty much know where the bases of the neighboring cartels are located. It is pretty much established that the Cartels do some trade with each other, e.g., spare parts for weapons not found in that region of space). There is also the problem that the Majority of Pirate ships are "Franchise Leasers," who may decide that pickings in their area have gotten too slim, or that things have gotten too hot, and, after amicably ending their lease, move to another cartel.
Most of an Orion crew knows very little about the Operations of their ship. Sure, they can repair it and man the stations, but they have no idea of where the ship is operating. Sure, they know the last freighter they knocked over had a crew of Gorns, but it might have been operating in Federation space.
The point is that only a small handful of personnel have access to the ship's navigation. And all of them are expected to destroy the ship rather than be captured, which history says they did, or at least tried to. And it is probably a little easier for these individuals to do the job than what we have seen of a Federation ship self-destructing (Kirk started the Sequence a couple of times and had to get other offices to agree, probably not as difficult for an Orion ship, e.g., you do not want to have someone in the chain who has been killed and cannot give his code to authorize the self-destruct).
Hi, there!
I recently read a book by Robert Gardiner about warships from the napoleonic era and was suprised to read about the "rasées". French 3rd or 4th rates being count down to only one single gun deck, becoming frigates and somehow improving their combat performance against other frigates.
I know SFB has plenty of exemples about warships being upgraded by adding structure or merging two ships into one. The concept of the "rasée" kept me wondering. Was there ever an example in SFB of a warship being cut down or made into a smaller type to improve their combat performance? Maybe the B10-Boom that fought as an emergency measure?
Any other example except removing game breaking equipement from ships like to original andros?
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Soeren Klein
Somebody submitted one once but the engineering did not work it.
Perhaps an example of this concept might be the Eneen Battle Destroyer in SFB Module C5.
When the Eneen attempted to upgrade their Early Years ships to "modern" (GURPS Prime Directive Tech Level 12) technology, they found it impossible to install more powerful warp engines onto them. Thus, their "old fleet" ships (the Light Cruiser, Destroyer, and Corvette) are more akin to Alpha Octant "National Guard" ships like the Federation GCA or Klingon LD4 than they are to "true" Middle Years warships.
As an attempt at an interim measure, the Eneen cut down on the carapace on the CL in order to create the BDD. However, while the resulting ship could move tactically at Warp 3.14 (SFB Speed 31), it did not fit well with the "side-firing" fleet doctrine being built around the "modern" Eneen Heavy Cruiser.
In the long run, it would not be until the Eneen developed "wartime construction" ships, such as the New Light Cruiser and War Destroyer, before they were able to properly address these ongoing design issues. But, it does help add character to the Middle Years Eneen fleet, in comparison to its peers out in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud.
I always thought of the various light dreadnoughts as being "kind of like" a razee. They lose some weapons and power systems compared to the "standard" dreadnoughts of their respective empires but have the corresponding advantage of lower movement cost. This generally means that at very high speed they actually have more sustained firepower over multiple turns than the standard dreadnoughts do because they have more power available for re-arming the weapons at speed.
It seems the general idea of a Razee was to take a ship (usually of an obsolete type) and either remove some of the upper decks (usually the forecastle and quarterdeck) and/or some of the guns in order to improve speed and maneuverability.
A more literal application of the concept in SFB would be to take an LD4 and remove the "crown" on the boom (corresponding to the forecastle), the rear "deckhouse" (corresponding to the quarterdeck), and a couple of the disruptors in hopes of lightening the frame, lowering the movement cost, and boosting the ship's tactical speed.
Not to mention that a B10-Boom did fight when the Andromedans visited Klinshai (forgot where that was mentioned though) ...
DNR - Federation Dreadnought Razee conversion.
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: New Product Development: New: Module 3030 never builts: DNR - Federation Dreadnought Razee conversion.
In this proposal, the idea was to remove the left and right out board sections of the Federation Dreadnought saucer section, thus reducing the DN movement cost down to 1 1/4 MC, reduce the crew size and (this part is hazy), but there was a discussion on improving the turn mode... but I may be remembering that part wrong.
That was the one the engineering didn't support.
Stewart that was Captain's Log issue talking about the B-10.
SVC:
The idea was, as a Stellar Shadows Journal proposal, it was never intended for “Normal Star Fleet Battles”. It was an attempt to build a fun ship to play under the SSJ banner.
I forget what BPV the two options were estimated at, but the first try was unplayable.
There were several suggestions intended to improve the design, but the big issue was the inability to find a competitive Klingon design. Just cutting down a C-8 boom didn’t work.
The whole Razee idea just didn't work. Move along.
I think I said that....
(Grin. Wink.)
Moving along, now.
Small background question out of the Rules Q&A regarding the two Gorn battle pods:
The unrefitted P-HB heavy battle pod (R6.8) has LF+L and RF+R arcs for the two side plasma-Gs, allowing it to track and launch at targets in it's FA (though it needs to centerline a target to launch both at the same time). When upgraded to swivel plasma-S's, these become LPR and RPR arcs, as the tug itself would block the full range of a forward swivel - but the ship loses the ability to target things in the 60-degree arc of it's number 1 shield with plasma at all.
The unrefitted P-LBE light battle pod early (R6.41A) has L+LR and R+RR arcs for it's plasma-G's, not the L+LF and R+RF. What is different about the P-LBE should that it starts with the rearward arcs compared to the unrefitted P-HB? And would the Gorn have considered upgrading the side plasmas of the P-HB to pl-S while retaining the fixed mounting to allow the battle tug to engage more aggressively (idea for Module R13?)?
In case anyone is interested, here's the original description for the Monitor Pod from 1984:
"As with most races, the Gorns built a limited number of pods designed to turn tugs into serviceable warships. This pod carries three plasma-G torpedoes, fixed firing in direction 5 (LF+L), direction 2 (RF+R), and direction 4 (RA). It can be converted to the Monitor+ pod, which has plasma-S torpedoes in swivel mounts firing LP, RP, and RA. Unlike battle pods of other races, however, it was not designed to create a balanced warship but a heavy firepower platform for use in fleet actions. This is a double-weight pod; it counts as two pods for the movement cost and turn mode of the tug."
Thank you, I did not know that the Battle Pod could be converted to fit a Monitor.
John L. Stiff:
The Gorn "Monitor Pod" is the Gorn "Battle Pod" and it cannot be converted to fit a "Monitor." It was termed a "Monitor Pod" in par because of its firing arcs which did not fit the normal premise of a Battle Pod (could not bring all its heavy weapons to bear unless the target was directly behind the tug).
I see a bit of confusion, John.
The Gorn Monitor Pod is the name they've given their equivalent of the Battle Pod. Aside from the name, it has nothing in common with a Monitor, and is not an augmentation system for that ship.
(Between us, though, the idea of a MC1 ship, even if it is SC2, armed with no fewer than SEVEN Plasma-S Torpedoes, does make the Munchkin in me start to drool... )