Available in Y178
Cost 4 Bpv
Destruction by H&R only.
Increases Bolting chance at range 0 and 1 by 1.
So at range 0 to 1 a bolt will hit on a roll of 1-5.
Burns out on a roll of 1 on a D6.
On burnout prevents any other bolts for 8 impulses, and decreases the chances of any bolts in the next 32 impulses by 1 for bolts up to range 5. Bolts beyond that range have normal rolls. Bolts beyond range 5 may not occur with the 8 impulses of burnout.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, April 15, 2002 - 11:20 pm: Edit

I'm going to avoid saying anything as I don't want to be accused of shutting down a conversation that might go somewhere, or of starting a panic that something is a "done deal".

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 03:57 am: Edit

Since the acronym is already used in SFB the device can not possibly work!

Silly Gorn.

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 06:50 am: Edit

Got a better acronym?
Anbody thinks it's too much?
Anybody thinks it's too little?
Too late?

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 06:58 am: Edit

Too much. I say this only because the plasma isn't supposed to be a DF weapon, and bolting is just an optional way to fire. A 1-5 at those ranges is as good as any other DF weapon gets (exception: overloaded photons) and better than some. IMHO, it should never be that good.

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 07:11 am: Edit

K this isn't for range 0-5 but R0 and 1. Wher 4 Dis is 1-5 for 40, Phot are 1-6 for 64. This would be 1-5 for 50 for a three turn weapon.

By David A Slatter (Davidas) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 07:17 am: Edit

Lesss

When does fast plasma come out? Isn't it about then? In which case, the player should launch fast plasma at ranges 0-1 and it'll hit anyway for more damage.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 08:06 am: Edit

Lesss,

I may have been unclear. When I say "1-5" I'm referring to the die roll. Range 0-1 with an 84% just seems a bit high for me for a weapon used in a secondary firing mode. Photons and Disruptors would have been in use for years, with the opportunity to perfect their systems, and thus should be more accurate. Also, when used by a fast loading ship, the rate of fire will be an issue. I don't mean to be critical, truly, it's just that plasmas seem to have enough going for them already (bolts, enveloping, shotgun, downloading, fast loading, ecm, and sabots) without giving them direct fire parity with the other premier direct fire weapons.

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 08:51 am: Edit

Well at R0,1 you'd want to launch anyway no?
This is just for the rare complicated movement situation wher launched plasma should hit but won't, and fast plasma is a playtest rule not a done deal.

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Eagle) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 09:02 am: Edit

Coming up with a rule for "rare and complicated movement situations" is probably a dead horse from the start. No need to waste paper on a rule that is rarely used.
I know SVC have rejected proposals for that reason. (It was a rule to create the WWII "Hood" effect)

By Carl-Magnus Carlsson (Eagle) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 09:05 am: Edit

OTOH, a UIM for the plasma ships is actually a good idea, IF you make it more useful. I suggest it works at range 1-10 (anything less would be of only limited value. After all, would YOU move to range five to a Feddie just to bolt better???). I suggest it to be a X-era device. (No need to complicate things in GW)

By Tos Crawford (Tos) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 09:25 am: Edit

I'd rather a PERFACS system that gives a -1 in the 11-20 range bracket. Raises to-hit to 50%.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 09:38 am: Edit

If I were a Gorn commander who found myself with the option of equipping my ships with this gizmo for 4 BPV per ship....I'd tell the contractor to get stuffed and grab either a T-bomb or some marines with those points. I'm sorry, but at a range of zero or one, I have no interest in bolting, and lots of interest in grabbing you with a tractor and shoving plasma down your throat (or, if the situation permits, boarding and taking your ship). I'd have even less interest in this thing when my inspectors tell me that the contractor's gizmo has a 16.67% catastrophic failure rate per usage.

In fact, I might go so far as to recommend to Gorn Intelligence that they arrange for said technology to be offered to the Romulans via a hired Orion, in hopes that they waste R&D time and budgets on the thing...and in hopes that they try bolting instead of launching should they find themselves at range 1 or 0 from our ships.

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 01:01 pm: Edit

Lesss
I was just jokin' but the acronym could just be rearanged. Really just jokin' EMPB. Just not Play By E Mail. Might get us mid-nighters confused.

By Mark Russman (Cannich) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 01:07 pm: Edit

Jessica: What if the Rom your trying to kill has a weasel an loads of tractor energy? Maybe he already has the weasel out, and can make until he cloaks on the turn break...
If your at range one from him its likely that you
A: ate his plasma
B: weaseled his plasma
If he cloaks, you've got a load of plasma with no place to go...
...just a thought.
IMO: if you were going to use this system, there should be a 'cool down' period of one turn after bolting.
Everyone seems to be in an uproar about the effectiveness of plasma...
Plasma is not the problem...
Problem: Speed changes (especially unplotted), free movement, and the general evolution of ships into units that can go 22+ with weapons armed.
In a local campaign the GM used speed 64 plasma's..when launched at 64, each hex of movement counted as two hexes ie they became short ranged. It seemed to work quite well.

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 01:51 pm: Edit

Mark,

All the things you mentioned are valid concerns, but I see them as just part of the game. Making bolts more accurate doesn't really address a real problem, IMHO. The speed 64 plasma with half the range sounds brutal, though I can't say too much as I haven't tried it. For me, a 1-5 at range 0-1 is just a bit much, especially for a weapons alternate firing mode.

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 01:54 pm: Edit

"there should be a 'cool down' period "
There is.

By Piotr Orbis Proszynski (Orbis) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 02:06 pm: Edit

I like the PERFACS! 11-20? How about 11-22? (*1000 BPV fleet of King Eagles with PERFACS uncloaking at range 15! *whoop* *whoop* *whoop*)

By Jim Davies (Mudfoot) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 05:05 pm: Edit

Ultimately, it is useful only when weasels or displacement are threatened, and marginal then.

Maybe the Kakhanded Design Bureau were developing an improvement to the UIM, and found they could only sell it to the Romulans. How or why the Gorns got hold of it is anyone's guess.

By Mark Russman (Cannich) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 09:09 pm: Edit

Lessss: cool down- there is? ok..what?

Mike: I brought up the spd 64's for reference-ie the Gm thought there was a problem as well...
The other reference's were to point out that there is times when it would be NICE...
-- Bolting was designed to 'fix' the OLD problems with plasma...so I'm not disagreeing with you.
The problem isn't with the plasma though; its with the change in the game...more rules to allow flexible movement (speed changes, free movement) and the ever increasing speed of the ships in the game.
For these same reasons, both fusions and ESG's are now suffering...If you don't believe it, play a few games without those rules, or with out the newer ships (refits, war cruisers)

By Mike Raper (Raperm) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 09:28 pm: Edit

Mark,

Oh, I agree there are some possiblities for change...my personal crusade is to improve the photon. I can understand improving the plasma as a matter of course, don't get me wrong. It's just that improving bolting to me isn't the way to go, because it gives the plasma player a df weapon that is near parity with the other major df weapons in the game. I would think the major plasma races would continue to improve the normal seeking effects of the plasma, like with the new sabot rules. With those, a plasma can outrun a ship by 25%...that's pretty bad.

However, if I were to try to improve bolting, I'd treat it as any other DF weapon...I'd let the firing ship overload it, and cut the range. Say 50% more damage, and cut the range down to a max of 10, leaving the to hit rolls the same. It would cost more power, but have more "oomph". Making things more accurate is a tough proposition to get by, it seems. Still, go with it! If it makes it, congrats. I don't want to seem argumentative at all, and if I do, I apologize. I'm just trying to help look at it from all sides, you know?

By michael john campbell (Michaelcampbell) on Tuesday, April 16, 2002 - 11:40 pm: Edit

How about this.

IIRC all plasma bolts work along these lines.

1) The plasma is detonated inside the Plasma Generator/Launch tube ( I can't remember which ).
2) The charged subatomic particals and charged remaining plasma are then accellerated out of the launch tube by the solinoid electro-magnets that are mounted along the length of the Launch Tube.
3) The final few electromage nets are not solinoids but rather four ( or 8 or 12 ) electromagnets that when switched on will attract the charged plasma toward that one or two ( of the four ) magnets and thus control the "bearing" of the plasma bolt.


So here is my basic idea.

By having more of the electromagnets in section 3, or having them spaced over a longer distance, we can increase the accurracy of the plasma bolt, rather like extending the barrel of a rifle.
This I think should increase accuracy of the bolt at RANGE and not at R0 & R1.


There could be three ways to get this to work.

1) Just add more directional magnets and increase the to hit chance of the plasma bolt over the 6 to 10 range braket from 1-3 of 6 to 1-4 of 6.

2) Replace some of the accellerator magnets with directional magnets. The to hit chance becomes 1-4 for the 6 to 10 range bracket but the damage inflicted is based on the next size lower warhead.

3) Declair it to be an overload emulator. Increase the to hit chance to 1-4 over the 6 to 8 range bracket ( or possibly the 5 to 8 range bracket.


I'ld call it. Extended Electro-magnetic Guidance System or E.E.G.S. and I'm sure the Fed crews will refer to it as "eggs" because of their afection for lizard names for everything gorn.

By Andrew Harding (Warlock) on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 02:55 am: Edit

Personally, I don't think plasma ships are particularly weak at range 1. Sure, I'd like to be able to counter long ranged sniping by Disr/Photon fleets a bit better, but don't think range 0-1 bolts need improvement any more than the web fist does at that range.

By L.LeBlanc (Lessss) on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 06:45 am: Edit

mark
burnout prevents any other bolts for 8 impulses, and decreases the chances of any bolts in the next 32 impulses

By Jonathan Perry (Jonathan_Perry) on Wednesday, April 17, 2002 - 08:41 am: Edit

Why would people want to see another upgrade to the plasma heavy weapons before the ink is even dry on the other two very substantial plasma upgrades?

I don't want to accuse others of being unreasonable, but this is unreasonable.