Jeff, thanks for the rule number as well as the answer. I accept the firm no.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Monday, August 21, 2023 - 02:56 pm: Edit

Can all races repair asteroid damage similar to the Jindarians, even if not as stealthy? This would provide the same effect as the shield idea above.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Monday, August 21, 2023 - 03:37 pm: Edit

John Christiansen: Short answer is: NO.
Longer answer is the Jindarians have ready repair materials which is not really available to non-Jindarians. See (D25.2) which limits the repairs to Jindarians, and to asteroid ships of the Jindarians.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 02:29 pm: Edit

Steve, thanks. I didn't think so, but it was worth asking.

In reading the web rules I didn't see if the "sack of rocks" from (G10.1314) which has not been relieved of its duty will retain this duty if the web is at strength 0 whether the web is being spun or has dissipated. Is a strength 0 web strong enough to keep the sack of rocks together retaining anchor status? This with (G10.43) can make a big difference in players' actions.

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 02:32 pm: Edit

John Christiansen:
You might bear in mind that the Jindarians are LIVING in their asteroids and have a need to repair combat damage because their sons and daughters are affected the damage.

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 02:47 pm: Edit

In another thread there came the question of the definition of "wedding cake" when referring to webs. In that thread I said:
"We may also need to have 'wedding cake' defined. In any three tiered baked confectionery I've seen used at a marriage ceremony, the largest diameter layer was on the lowest level. The middle sized confectionery was in the middle height position, and the smallest diameter one was at the highest level. This parallels the chart in (G10.83). It may not be a Tholian wedding cake if the outer web has the greatest strength."

Is a WS-1 3-ring web with the outer ring at 25 aggregate strength points, a middle ring at 11 aggregate strength points, and an inner ring at 2 aggregate strength points legal? The total adds up to the 960 web points of WS-1 per (G10.83), and no web exceeds the 25 ASPs of the WS-1 3rd layer per (G10.833).

By Mike Kenyon (Scottishenginee) on Tuesday, August 22, 2023 - 07:29 pm: Edit

(E24.342) The rule says "You do 1 point of damage, plus one for every three points of speed above 12". The example, then shows that a speed 20 drone would take 4 points of damage.

Math would seem to indicate that this should be 3 points.

Is
a) the example correct and this is a rare and unmarked round up example?
b) the example incorrect and the rule correct?

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 - 11:05 am: Edit

Good question, Mike.

My guess is you may have missed the general rule in SFB that fractions of 0.499 or less are rounded down and fractions greater than 0.5 are rounded up.

So, according to the rule you posted, you get, 1+(20-8)/3, which comes to 3.67, which in turn rounds to four.

Again, that's my guess, and I am often wrong...

By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 - 02:42 pm: Edit

Jeff, shouldn't the 8 in your equation be 12?

By Steve Petrick (Petrick) on Wednesday, August 23, 2023 - 04:20 pm: Edit

Mike Kenyon:
The drone loses one point for being hit, and 8 points of speed which rounds to 3 more points of damage (two full points and 2/3rds of a point rounded up), resulting in its being destroyed. The rule and the example are correct. Thanks for checking my math, you never know what holes are left in my brain from the strokes (seriously), even though I did that rulebook before the series of strokes occurred.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 10:31 am: Edit

(Brain Phart... )

In all seriousness, I actually retyped the message about a half dozen times because it kept reading as something unpleasantly demeaning.

(One of those blasted AS manifestations; I'm sensitive to other people's condescentions, so I tend to be paranoid about sounding condescending myself...)

... Aaaand I lost track of numbers.

(Kinda like some EA forms I've had over the years... )

By Jeff Guthridge (Jeff_Guthridge) on Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 02:39 pm: Edit

Mike, Jeff…. This scenario you have been hashing the math over seems perfect for externally armored drones. It’s a win-win if you have the availability and points. Extra hit points and slows the 20’s down to the point where they take less damage too.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 09:12 pm: Edit

I tried looking for this answer but did not see anything specific about it -

Anyone know this?

It appears that Hellbores can be started for the first turn of arming using batteries and that the 2nd turn must be allocated. That seems clear.

Let's say however that the guy/girl with the hellbores decides not to arm the hellbores for the 2nd turn of arming. Is the energy that is lost from the first turn of arming known to the opponent? Or, if a fully armed hellbore is not fired and someone decides to not arm it going forward for whatever reason. Is that known?

By Jeff Guthridge (Jeff_Guthridge) on Thursday, August 24, 2023 - 09:20 pm: Edit

Jack, generally speaking unless a weapon’s rules states that it can be ‘dismissed’ stealthily, when aborting charging process on a subsequent EA, the partially charged warhead is ejected for crew safety, this emission is detectable. I do not know on hellbores specifically, but it is probably no different than an overloaded disruptor, half loaded photon, or partial plasma torpedo.

When I get the chance I’ll go on a rules hunt and report back.

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Friday, August 25, 2023 - 07:53 pm: Edit

Jack, the relevant rule is (E1.24) - discharge is always announced including the amount of energy unless otherwise defined or if using (D17.0) TacIntel and no observing units have Level B (which is extremely rare).

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Saturday, August 26, 2023 - 12:12 pm: Edit

Clarification - I am only interested about tournament play - so whatever my opponent can see in a tournament. Don't think tactical intelligence is used there.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Saturday, August 26, 2023 - 05:13 pm: Edit

Steve P, need some help. Recently I ran across a not saying that fighter prototypes were out from 1 to 2 years prior to general use. I found in the Fed Master ship chart that several units used F4 and F8, but I would like to if possible find the general comment. I looked through the master star ship but could not find, just thought I might see if I could get lucky, maybe somebody on the board can help, thanks

By wayne douglas power (Wayne) on Saturday, August 26, 2023 - 05:35 pm: Edit

Eddie,

you can find this fighter reference in, notes on Annex #4 [Module R1 page 30 1992 edition].

Year: The year when this fighter was first available in squadron service. Prototypes might have been in service up to three years earlier; limited numbers up to two years earlier.

By Eddie E Crutchfield (Librarian101) on Saturday, August 26, 2023 - 05:47 pm: Edit

WAYNE thank you you are a life saver.

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Saturday, August 26, 2023 - 11:04 pm: Edit

Jack: so the case before the “or” would apply

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Sunday, August 27, 2023 - 10:23 am: Edit

Thank you Alex. Here is a similar example:

Plasma F armed for T1 arming but then not armed for T2 arming because plasma player expects damage. I have never in the history of ever had a plasma player announce that they did not allocate energy for T2 arming and T1 energy is discharged. Also, someone rolling an S torpedo for 5 turns in a row. I have never had anyone forecast out loud discharge of energy because they rolled a torp forever. This is a very big deal if that is required.

What I really want to know is if a Hellbore player puts 1 point in a hellbore for t1 arming with the idea they would finish it with batteries, but then does not, does the HB player have to announce the dissapation of that 1 point of power and effectively announce he does not have the hellbore available T2.

It is clear to me on disruptors and overloaded but unfired weapons, you have to announce it. It's less clear to me on multi turn weapons with rolling delay features. If you have to announce energy disappation from 2 turns ago that is a huge deal that literally no one has ever done, like ever.

By Alex Chobot (Alendrel) on Sunday, August 27, 2023 - 02:46 pm: Edit

Then the plasma players in question have been playing incorrectly - see (FP1.14), (D17.4) Level B, and (D17.9) by not announcing the discharge of the partially completed warhead. Rolling delay is not announced because while energy is lost, no warhead is discharged.

In the case of the hellebore situation you describe, the player would have to announce the discharge of a 1 point warhead.

By Jack Taylor (Jtaylor) on Sunday, August 27, 2023 - 04:40 pm: Edit

Alex- I think you are right about my hellbore question after a lot of digging around.

For plasma-

(FP1.91) ROLLING DELAY: Reserve power can be used to supply the additional energy required to complete the arming of a torpedo held by rolling delay (FP1.221). If two points had been allocated on Turn #1 and two points on Turn #2, and then only two points were allocated on Turn #3, the energy from Turn #1 is not lost; the torpedo can be completed with reserve power during a later portion of the turn. The Turn #1 energy will be lost if the torpedo is not completed by the end of Turn #3.

Ok so that part is clear. What is still unclear to me is whether or not that energy loss from t1 arming while doing rolling delay past T3 is known to my opponent. Plasma's are not direct fire weapons so d17.4 doesn't help.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Sunday, August 27, 2023 - 04:56 pm: Edit

Jack:

OK, so here's my take.

(E1.24) is for discharging a fully-armed weapon, and *only* for that.

The Turn 1 arming energy lost via a hellbore rolling delay come Turn 3 is *not* discharging a fully-armed weapon; it is simply the loss of the Turn 1 energy, which no point is described in the rules as a discharge.

So no, you wouldn't need to announce the lost energy.

By Nick Blank (Nickgb) on Sunday, August 27, 2023 - 07:52 pm: Edit

(E1.244) covers discharge of a partially armed, or arming, weapon at the end of a turn or during a subsequent EA. Such a discharge is announced.