| By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Monday, March 02, 2026 - 04:18 pm: Edit |
If this is a subject that's been considered, rejected, discarded, and erased, then I apologize for bothering anyone with it, BUT...
We have the limited production Spider-IIP, with the Phaser-2 replacing the disruptor (and its charges) on the standard Spider-II.
We have the Arachnid variant with Phaser-1s replacing the Disruptors.
Why not have a variant on the Scorpion INT with a Ph-1 replacing its disruptor? It'd improve the power curve for the small craft and make it better at fighting behind Webs.
| By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Monday, March 02, 2026 - 06:51 pm: Edit |
I like this and have a vague notion that I might have proposed it myself, once upon a time. Whether I did or not, I'd like to see this version of the Scorpion. The problem, I believe, is that interceptors generally were only in service a short time before being replaced by PFs and I think ADB's position is that they simply weren't around long enough for a lot of variants to appear.
| By Jack Bohn (Jackbohn) on Monday, March 02, 2026 - 07:11 pm: Edit |
There's the standard disclaimer that the conceive/design/approve/build/certify/test cycle was applied to PFs rather than Interceptors. This would be double for the Tholians. They went from Scorpian YIS of 179 to Arachnids in 180. It should be noted tha Scorpion squadrons are already facing G1s and at least intelligence reports of Bobcat-As.
With the Ph-1 limited to 15, I've a question on how effective it will be fighting behind web. If intercepting away from a base there's the possibility of only a length of linear web, which the enemy might maneuver around while out of range.
| By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Tuesday, March 03, 2026 - 12:08 am: Edit |
I suspect when Jeff mentioned
he was referring primarily to a base defense role. But as far as fighting in open space is concerned, a range of 15 still beats the range of its disruptor.
Quote:... make it better at fighting behind Webs
| By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Tuesday, March 03, 2026 - 12:12 pm: Edit |
Comparing the damage of a standard loaded Disruptor against the damage of a Phaser-1 at most ranges shows them reasonably close, and the power requirements of an overloaded Disruptor make it a questionable option without WBPs.
That's part of what made me ask this question to begin with.
| By Jack Bohn (Jackbohn) on Tuesday, March 03, 2026 - 07:24 pm: Edit |
The base defense discussion in Tholian Tactics has been educational: it's taught me I'm no qualified to talk on it. So here I go.
A Tholian base assault is divided into two parts? The enemy fleet dashing from the map edge to the web, then the fleet in the web (or a lane of the buzzsaw) and all the enemy captains wondering why they were in a hurry to get there. The first part has defender ships behind an outer web segment waiting for an optimal shot before falling back to a web segment further in. The second part is close-in work, possibly maneuvering to the enemy's weakest shield. In both cases the improved Scorpion has it all over a pair of Spider-IIp, just on weapons, without considering what else it could do. (Um... use the bridge box as a lab to identify drones?) (The ability to be webspinners would seem to be more important in open space encounters. You might be more comfortable risking a fighter rather than an interceptor. The fact that you can afford twice as many would only matter if using twice as many would get your web spun faster.)
My guess is it's not a game-breaking advantage, but possibly too many rules just for base defense in Y179-180.
| By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, March 04, 2026 - 12:32 pm: Edit |
Jack; a couple of comments about interceptors, and web spinners.
1. You compare the Scorpion to a pair of Spider-IIP. Remember that only half a base's single-space fighters can be either Spider-IIs or Spider-IIPs. The other half will be Spider-IIIs. So the more accurate comparison is six Scorpions versus six Spider-IIPs and six Spider-IIIs, or a single Scorpion to one Spider-IIP and one Spider-III, rather than a pair of Spider-IIPs.
2. You remark:
In my experience, twice as many spinners probably won't get your web spun any faster. (Occasional exceptions may occur.) Remember that the ship from which the spinner is "drawing out" the web still has to pay the power cost of six energy for each hex laid. Power available is more likely to be the limiting factor than number of spinners.
Quote:The fact that you can afford twice as many would only matter if using twice as many would get your web spun faster.
| By John Christiansen (Roscoehatfield) on Sunday, March 08, 2026 - 03:51 pm: Edit |
Alan, you beat me to the punch about the Scorpion not being around long enough for variants to be considered.
Jack, if the firing unit is in a hex adjacent to the web it is firing through, the web penalty is 0. Look at the range of the PF/INT P-1 firing range when the unit is adjacent to the outer web and the range of the base's P-4s when it is 5 hexes away from the outer web. They're about the same.
| By A David Merritt (Adm) on Sunday, March 08, 2026 - 06:04 pm: Edit |
I could see this being a field modification to INTs placed on bases, before they wear out.
| By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, March 08, 2026 - 11:51 pm: Edit |
Respectfully, ADM, I'm worried about it being a, 'Field Modification.' Maybe it's just me, but it makes me think of Commander's Era "Ship Customization" rules; something I think we'd ALL like to avoid like an Iranian Mullah would like to avoid sticking his head up right about now.
Mind you, I do still want for this to be an INT variant; I just think it really ought to be a factory standard one.
| By Mike Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Monday, March 09, 2026 - 07:30 am: Edit |
Alternartwly, it was so easy that it was just a matter of flying back to the sphere assembly yard and an individual Scorpion could be changed over in a couple days,
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