Archive through January 08, 2022
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: Rules Questions:
SFB Rules Q&A:
Archive through January 08, 2022
Frank Lemay:
The major things you are going to have to watch for is no size class 4 or smaller (and even that has a specific exception, i.e.., the Klingon G1N) can have an MRS except possibly small carriers (which is where the AuxCVL comes in, it is a "small carrier") and no more than three in. a fleet. So If you assign one to a Monitor, you have to watch deployments to avoid that limit on three. But you can assign one, even to a LMN with a carrier pallet. Since Monitors are size class 3 (except Light Monitors) they and not specifically prohibited (like light cruisers) they can be assigned an MRS shuttle in their own right. Light monitors are excluded by being size class 4, but can have one if they are operating as a carrier, even if a defensive one (assigned to a planet, i.e., as a base substitute.
Thank you SPP.
Cheers
Frank
In the latest Hailing Frequencies, the Fed fighters extra shows F-16E and F-20E fighters. From R1.F7 I thought that drone-armed fighters without type-I drones could only make EWFs by adding EW pods on the pod rails, thereby reducing their speed and DFR. However, the stats on the SSD show normal speed and DFR for the EWFs. Has there been a rule change, or have I misunderstood the rules, or is this a typo?
Paul Young:
While Nominally the F-16E and F20E do not get the C refit (says as much in the rule) the fact that the F-16C and F-20C exist and are not penalized for the drones (both give up two type-VI drones for two type-I drones. So the two-seat fighters of those types were given the same effect (two type-VI drones were replaced with two EW pods). It is a case by case situation.
SPP: Thanks.
Another data point is the G-20, which has two type-I equivalents with no penalty, either. And that was before the C refit, too.
As an aside, the third F-16CP from the left has dogfight drones instead of full type-I drones. The weird part is that it is unique in the group with this anomaly.
A ship already tractored by a friendly (using 1 effective point power) is subject to a tractor attempt by an enemy (1 effective point power) of the same size class.
Obviously the enemy doesn't get the tractor as their 1 point = the friendly 1 point.
Does the friendly tractor still drop because "(G7.37) ... In the event of a tie, both (or all) tractor attempts on the object fail and the energy is lost. ..." or does the friendly tractor have a special status and stay in effect because it was established first?
Assume no negative tractor used by anyone.
The friendly tractor will drop if things resolve as you suggest, however, the moment that the enemy ship attempts to tractor, an auction is begun, and the other friendly ship will have an opportunity to spend reserve or other allocated but unused tractor energy to increase their tractor strength to 2. If they do not increase their strength, the strength 1 tractor generated by the enemy would break the friendly link due to the tie. The target would also have an opportunity (in the same auction) to apply some negative tractor, but in that case if the enemy goal is simply to break the link that wouldn't help.
In the event the enemy were to attempt to tractor the target with strength 2, the target could counter-auction 2 negative tractor, or the friendly unit could increase their strength to 2. Both of those would result in no links established.
2 different rules questions
1st Ship going speed zero – launches 2 shuttles going speed 6. On the shuttles 1st move which would bring them out of the hex with the launching ship, can they land them selves on the launching ship?
2nd KR has a ship under weasel protection 2 hexes off its 6 and the wild weasel is 2 hexes off its 2. Can the KR lunch its S A tube at the protected ship (in arc of the ship but not the WW) knowing that after the launch it will track the wild weasel?
thank you
Seth
For your first question J1.52 covers the answer.
(J1.52) LAUNCH-LAND SEQUENCE: A shuttle can launch once per turn. A shuttle can land once per turn. A shuttle can launch and land during the same turn (in either order), but cannot perform either action twice in the same turn. There is a minimum 1/4-turn delay between launching and landing, except that a shuttle may land under (J1.62) less than 1/4 turn after it is launched.
thank you
Hi I posted this in August, sorry for double post, but the answer was insufficient for me to take it.
Where could I find online a visual legend for the different symbols on fighters? I have module J but I don't see where the triangles, squares, and circles are described graphically.
The answer was U0.0 has the chart, but my end of U0.0 in module j has no such chart.
I've inferred my own.
Circle: disruptor
Box with dot : photon or plasma f
Circle with stickman body: plasma d
Ew rectangle: ew pod
Square: chaff
Triangle: drone
Is the triangle with a bar vertically in it a type I drone and the empty one the VI?
Yes, the empty triangle is a Type VI and the one that's black down the middle is a Type I.
There're also the ones that have black on the sides and a white stripe down the middle. These are Type III. Also, VERY rarely, there are triangles which have the lower part black (a horizontal bar). These indicate a Type IV drone.
In addition, there are the icons for Plasma-D that have a tiny element filling part of the circle. These are icons for Plasma-Ks
Another rare one is a short line of smallish boxes, normally six (sometimes four). This is an ammunition rack for ADDs.
I'd go on about Omega weapons, but right now, there's a large, angry looking woman glaring at me while rapping her fingers on the handle of a large, cast iron skillet, so I think I'd better stop being annoying... 
Thanks. Hope that you got out of the pan situation. Just watched beyond white space, apparently pan attacks still happen at TL14.
Jeff if you have module G3, look on page 172. In the Omega Master rule book you can find the fighter weapon symbols on page 380.
KR has a ship under weasel protection 2 hexes off its 6 and the wild weasel is 2 hexes off its 2. Can the KR lunch its S A tube at the protected ship (in arc of the ship but not the WW) knowing that after the launch it will track the wild weasel?
thank you
Seth
Yes, I believe so Seth. Rule J3.201 seems to suggest that you're still launching "at the ship" and the wild weasel just has to be "undestroyed and unvoided and on the map." And then, per J3.42 it also has to be "within 35 hexes."
So yeah, KR can totally launch at the ship in arc, even if WW is not in arc, but assuming fully functioning WW, seeking weapon would immediately switch its target to the WW.
Note that you can launch at a ship when the weasel is off an another facing and then have your seekers turn slowly rather than HETing. So the target is stuck under restrictions longer than they'd prefer.
What if the WW is at range 0 to the launching ship (KR), could the torp leave the hex, or would it immediately track & hit the WW?
Daniel, (F2.32) covering same hex launches would apply here. The torpedo would immediately acquire the weasel as the target, but would not immediately impact since that occurs during Seeking Weapon Movement, which has already happened that impulse. On the following impulse, if the WW does not move then the torpedo impacts. If the WW does move, then the torpedo begins moving and track it normally - though that can be a bit tricky since the torpedo would need to be launched facing such that the weasling ship is in its FA arc, which could result in it facing away from the WW after that moves.
Question re MB and the amount of Pods/Modules they can have.
Can a MB have as many as 2 repair pods and 3 repair modules attached ?
Thanks.
Cheers
Frank
Frank - The SSD in R1 (pg 3) shows you could have 4 pods and 2 optional modules.
A restriction is placed on the MB by (R1.24A) found in R1. "The mobile base consists of two special MB pods (on the SSD) and four others, which are usually cargo pods. (No more than one or two could be other types of pods, most often self-defense or repair, but any type of pod can be used except as noted below." The noted below refers to (R1.24B) which discusses empire pods.
Based on the SSD and (R1.24A) you could have 2 repair modules and 2 repair pods.
As a follow on to the question Frank asked, are the pods on the MB military pods, or are they civilian ones?
In other words, are the Cargo Pods the 25 box "Civilian" types or do they vary by Empire (32 cargo boxes for the Federation, 24 cargo boxes for the Klingon, and so on).
Further, can the pods on a MB, if they are the civilian (Section R1.0) types, can they be augmented by Skids?
If they CAN be augmented by Skids, can the rule allowing a Small Freighter operating without a Cargo Pod to, in its stead, operate up to three skids, be used to give a fig leaf to the same being done with a MB*?
(* I hope the answer to this last one is "NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!!" )
Jeff - The rules for skids are (R1.68) in R8 (pg 6) and R11 (pg 3). The title of the rule is "Freighter Skids." not just Skids. The base rule states which type of units can use skids.
When I read through all the (R1.68x) rules they state, "used by freighters."
Based on the (R1.68) series of rules, it does not look like you can add skids to bases.