Perhaps a Suicide Freighter (R1.33) or a Death Rider PF (K7.0) (both could do a webbreaker damage explosion), perhaps the webbreaker explosion is sustained (for 1 extra turn with the PF, and 3 extra turns with the SF).
Also maybe something like a webtender that drains web strength.

By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 08:15 am: Edit

Or the WB gains an overload feature ?

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 10:13 am: Edit

Regarding suicide freighters and death rider PFs; if I recall correctly, a death rider that reaches its target explodes at a fixed strength, regardless of of damage to the PF itself (not 100% sure - need to check my rulebook when I get home) but the strength of a suicide freighter's explosion is based on the number of surviving cargo boxes. I think a web breaker version should be based on one or the other, not both.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 10:43 am: Edit

How about this for a hypothetical freighter-based counter-web suicide ship? Basic rules as per a suicide freighter but can only be targetted on web hexes. When it reaches the web hex, it "detonates", reducing the web by two strength points for each surviving cargo box and destroying the ship. Alternately, it can be set (at time of "launch") to "web leech" mode. In this mode it will reduce web strength by one point per surviving cargo box, and will continue to do so each turn (on the same impulse it initially inpacted the web) until the web is destroyed or the Tholians destroy the ship.

Example: A small freighter (25 cargo) is sent into a Tholian web. The Tholians are directing their fire at Seltorian warships so the ship is undamaged when it impacts the web and detonates, inflicting 50 points of degradation on the web. If it had been set to web leech mode, it would inflict 25 points but the ship would remain intact. The Tholian again fire most of their weapons at actual warships but do fire a little bit at the leech, destroying (among other damage) 10 cargo boxes. So it inflicts 15 points of web degradation, 32 impulses after initial impact. The next turn the Tholians fire at it again and destroy 10 more cargo. The web leech inflicts degrades the web by 5 on turn 3 (32 impulses after the previous degradation). The Tholians decide they can live with the 5 points of degradation each turn and from then on direct all fire at Seltorian warships. So it continues to degrade the web by 5 points each turn until either the web goes down or the Tholians can turn their attention back to finishing off the the "leech".

Points still to be determined about the web leech:

1) If the web goes down with an intact leech still in it, does the leech just deactivate or does it then proceed to the next ring?

2) If the Selts destroy a Tholian base and the leech hasn't been destroyed, can the Selts salvage and repair it or is the leech destroyed at that point?

Comments: A large freighter would detonate for 100 points or leech for 50 per turn (minus damage). A full strength, 30-hex outer ring of a wedding cake has 1050 strength points. A full strength, 18 hex middle ring has 630 points. So the freighters do significant damage but are not enough, by themselves to take down the rings unless they hit them while the webs are weak, or they are deployed in unrealistically large numbers.

Thoughts? Good idea or not?

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 06:23 pm: Edit

Definitely X (or even 2X) territory in that this makes the suicide freighter a shaped charge against the web wall ...

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 07:31 pm: Edit

My 0.002 Quatloos worth, but I don't see a "Suicide Freighter" as a web buster, but perhaps that's just because of how long I've thought of Webs as things that are only weakened by time and Web Breakers, HOWEVER there is another screwball thought that crossed my (alleged) mind...

As we all know, the Tholians have Web Tenders; the modified freighters that consist of a huge bank of APR with a couple Web generators.

The Hydrans have their Fire Support Pallet; a rack of four Hellbores firing L or R. While this is a uniquely Hydran weapon, it still suggests the potential for a family of related items.

In this case, could the Seltorians, with the help of Klingon engineers, come up with a pod that serves as a housing for (perhaps) four Web Breakers, firing off to either the L or R arcs?

If such a pod were built on the hull of a standard Civilian Cargo Pod, it could be operated as a Seltorian counter vessel to the Tholian Web Tender.

With the existence of Seltorian Battlewagons, I think such an idea might not be totally unreasonable, but maybe that's just me.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, June 08, 2022 - 11:52 pm: Edit

No web breakers on deathriders or suicide freighters.

By Gregory S Flusche (Vandar) on Thursday, June 09, 2022 - 06:13 pm: Edit

I do like the web breaker pod. It would make sense. Could be built from a klingon battle pod as well. replacing Disr with Web breakers.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Friday, June 10, 2022 - 06:06 pm: Edit

Big problem with using modified Klingon Battle Pods for it (something I considered, by the way) is that the Seltorian Tug is listed as "Campaign Conjectural." Sure, if your campaign has the Seltorians using those units, more power to you, but I've personally not played in one.

By Stewart Frazier (Frazikar3) on Saturday, June 11, 2022 - 06:30 pm: Edit

Don't the Selt have an LTT??

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, June 12, 2022 - 12:53 am: Edit

You are correct, Stewart.

The MSC lists it as "LPU," meaning there is ONE, although that's Canon; campaigns could make it a regular production warship (although likely limited production)