New method of using an ESG. Possibly a 175 refit?

Yes, I saw the earlier concept.

Around Y170 Lyran engineers began experimenting with a way to tie their warp engines into the ESG systems to create something similar to a gravity wave that they could use to blaze their way through the stars. The results were promising but mixed resulting in the New ESG-Warp Tie-in refit, NEWT.

The result of this is the ESG wave mode.

Requirements: at least one warp box, AWR or Warp Engine, must be designated as "tied in" to the ESG system. When used in Wave Mode the ESG is detroyed outright, the tied in system box(s) may be destroyed. Operating Unit does not need a lock-on for wave mode to operate ESG in this mode.

Cost to operate: Same as normal ESG only all energy must be warp energy (no capacitors). Reserve warp is usable.

Effect:
Two modes, both are one impulse effects that occur in the operate ESG step and are finished at the end of the immediate operate ESG step.

Directed Wave Attack(DWA):
ESG Wave does 1/2 damage to all units out to range 3 based on energy put into system and range. One sideslip is allowed, the first hex must be directly ahead. Effective range may not be shortened. Damage occurs to all units. Legendary Navigators and Ace pilots subtract 1 point from damage taken to their Unit.

Ex: 5 points of warp = 7 points of damage at range 3 and 8 points of damge at range 2 and 9 points of damage at range 1 and 10 points of damage at range 0.

General Protection Mode(GPM):
ESG Wave does 1/4 damage to all units in a specified radius. At range 0 all units except operating unit are damaged.
Ex: 4 points of ESG are released as GPM at radius 2 resulting in 13/4= 3points of damage to every unit at radius three. A 5 Point ESG used in GPM at radius 0 would cause 5 points to all units at radius 0. Note that incoming seeking weapons would not be affected unless launched in the hex that impulse.

Operation:
Player designates during EAF warp boxes tied into the ESG system, if any. These boxes may not be used for any other purpose. Reserve Warp may augment/supplant this purpose as desired.
During declaration of ESGs the player announces that the ESG field will be normal or operated in wave mode. Wave mode is carried out immediately and completed on announcement.

RESTRICTIONS:
Simultanous Wave modes not allowed as the forces would destroy the generating Unit. A Unit may not operate in wave mode within 1/4 turn of operating in wave mode. Multiple units whose wavemodes interact onanimpulse cancel out the effect completely. If a second (or third etc) unit operates in wave mode that interacts, within 1/4 turn, with hexes previously affected then that Unit and the Unit(s) previously generating must make a second (additional) breakdown roll as they are all tied into that warp space.

After operating ESG in wave mode the player marks the ESG operated in wave mode as destroyed and rolls for breakdown. If the Unit breaks down the effects of the wave still occur. If the Unit breaks down all system boxes tied into the ESG are marked as destroyed prior to breakdown effects.
If the Unit does not breakdown then roll against the Damage control rating for each system box tied into the ESG. Add the current (even if being expended) breakdown bonus to the die roll for thesystem boxes. On a roll greater than the rating (with bonus if applicable)the system box is destroyed. This includes both warp boxes AND batteries if reserve warp is used.

Example of Operation:
A Lyran CA has been in a small squadron action. 12 fast drones reach range 2 bearing on 2 different shields. Realizing that the drones will overwhelm the remaining phaser defenses the Lyran decides to use one ESG in GPM wave mode. He ties in 3 points of reserve warp to add to 2 points of warp designated in EA. 17/4=4.333 or 4 points to every unit at radius 2. The surviving 4 are dealt with at range one. Unfortunately the CA had used his HET bonus earlier in the battle to use the ESG in direct wave mode and must now roll for breakdown without a bonus, rolling a 4 and not breaking down (this time). The Damage Control rating is still 4. The rolls for sytem boxes are 4,4,5,6,2,4,5,2, for the 5 warp system boxes and three batteries resulting in 2 warp engine boxes and 2 batteries beingmarked as destroyed.

Refit notes:
Cost 15%ship BPV
CA, CL available Y175
BC, DN Y176 avaialable
All new construction 176+
Lyran Police ships and PFs do not recieve this.

LDR refit available for all classes Y177.
All LDR units eligible except PFs, if built.

X-ships:
All X-ships have this refit. Add 20% to the bpv.
X-ships do not roll for breakdown for using ESG wave mode.
1st generation X-ships must roll for system box destruction, and roll for the ESG box addtionally instead of automatically destroying it. 2nd generation X-ships do not roll for system box destruction or destroy the ESG in this mode.
Note that although the damage does not increase for X-ships the penalties decrease.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 12:29 pm: Edit

Question? What could a full fleet of lyrans do to an opposition fleet at knife-fghting range with this? An "average" 10-ship fleet would muster in the neighborhood of 25 ESGs. x4 points of damage per ESG at 3 hexes range...

This is too powerful for X2 to be honest. The cost is server but the enemy fleet is destroyed or pretty close, who cares?

Too unbalancing against drones and attrition units in small numbers (your example bears that out) and too powerful against fleet units in large numbers.

By Douglass E. Howard (Doug_Howard) on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 12:45 pm: Edit

John,
1/2 or 1/4 the damage they'd do using ESGs in a standard mode. This gets cut down a lot more by the time restrictions on use by both the using unit and nearby units.

BPV shift is meant to help with X-ships and could easily be adjusted up or down.

By Douglass E. Howard (Doug_Howard) on Thursday, October 23, 2003 - 12:55 pm: Edit

Mine interaction with ESG Wave Mode.

All Mines, including t-bombs, in a hex affected by wave mode must roll higher than the range from the generating unit to detonate.

If a Mine explodes due to ESG wave mode, all system boxes "tied in" are destroyed and the number of boxes destroyed in this manner is subtracted from the mine explosion strength. 1/2 the remaining mine explosion strength is fully applied to the bearing shield(s) of the ESG Wave operating unit. Only the operating unit is affected by the mine detonation.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 04:53 pm: Edit

My point is is I take some engin damage but am capable of wiping out a fleet, the system is rather unbalancing.

By Douglass E. Howard (Doug_Howard) on Friday, October 24, 2003 - 06:38 pm: Edit

Max damage of 10 points in DWA once per 8 impulses at the expenditure of HET bonus on 1st shot and risk of break down each subsequent attempt doesn't sound like a fleet destroyer. Especially considering that most fleet wouldn't want to get that close to a Lyran fleet in the first place.

I'd also consider it reasonable to restrict DWA mode to BCs and DN classes.

The smaller GPM can also only generate a maximum of 5 points under the same time restrictions...
Maybe we could further restrict the time by adding "by any unit within 100 hexes of the wave effect for 8 impulses".

By Douglas E. Lampert (Dlampert) on Saturday, October 25, 2003 - 04:27 pm: Edit

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Quote:

Max damage of 10 points in DWA once per 8 impulses at the expenditure of HET bonus on 1st shot and risk of break down each subsequent attempt doesn't sound like a fleet destroyer. Especially considering that most fleet wouldn't want to get that close to a Lyran fleet in the first place.

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By Douglass E. Howard (Doug_Howard) on Sunday, October 26, 2003 - 11:24 am: Edit

I was looking over the auto-reject list and DWA seems to definitely fall under items that are auto-rejects that so it's pretty much a non-issue... oopsy...

NOTE: DELETE DWA MODE for the above reason.

However the GPM mode doesn't fall under the auto-reject list, so I'll leave that part of the proposal up.

By Robert Eddy (Tar_Zhay) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 10:16 pm: Edit

Maybe if they used a mauler template for a directional attack... (it could be fired one of the six directions) other wise the weapon would damage friendly ships as well. What speed would the wave be (31)? Its kind of scary having a ESG used as a spherical mauler… I like the idea of a focused gravity wave, that doesn’t destroy the ESG (make it cool down like a fusion. ;}

By Robert Eddy (Tar_Zhay) on Saturday, December 06, 2003 - 10:19 pm: Edit

OH ya, I still would have the mines do feed back to the ship… like normal and would do damage to any other esg in the way.