Searching for the LEGENDARY CAPTAIN
Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB Proposals Board:
New Rules:
Searching for the LEGENDARY CAPTAIN
Yes, where is he? I can't recall the last time I used the Leg.Captain in his proper role as Captain,
I don't think I ever had a reason to. Since the ability to bluff often is disabled,
to prevent players to ruin the game,
there is not much reason NOT making him an Leg. Engineer. or Weaponeer, is it?
And that is very unsatisfactory to say the least.
I think when you roll for Leg. officers and get a Captain you shouldn't have to ponder
only wether you use him as an Leg. Engineer or Leg. weapons officer.
Therefore I'd like to give him a few abilities that makes him useful in his own right.
Obviously his abilities should have it's roots in traditional Trek.
These additions would simulate a leg. captains sixth sense and tactical skill
(at least this should be represented No rerolls here!)by enabling a player
to make desicions based on a little more info than the rules normally allows.
I'd like to add the following abilities to the rules for the Leg. Captain:
1.
The player with a Leg. Captain on one of his ships can ask his, or her, opponent for the target of one seeking weapon, or wether or not a plasma torpedo is a Pseudo torpedo or not, or
the REAL status of one shuttle (it would however not reveal the strength of a SS or the loadout of an SP).
This can be asked only once each turn.
2.
After EA but before the new turn starts the player with a Leg. Captain on one of his ships can ask his, or her, opponent for the starting speed of one of his units. Then that turns EAF for the ship with Leg. Captain on can be edited.
Or,
After EA but before the new turn starts the player with a Leg. Captain on one of his ships can ask his, or her, opponent for the arming status of one heavy weapon. Then that turns EAF for the ship with Leg. Captain on can be edited.
Note:In case both players have these officers all this is done secretly in writing and revealed simultaneously.
[edited]
good ideas, there will need to be a bit of tinkering (the ability to find out if a plasma is real or not is significantly more useful then learning the target of a single drone for example)
No, but knowing if it's a G or F or some other info might be useful. Knowing the target can be too.
Good thoughts Carl.
Maybe limiting the knowledge of a single plasma (real or fake) to 1 torpedoe per game. Instead of 1 per turn.
I wouldn't mind seeing some captaincy coming into the game...how about!?!
1) The Captian through his excellent command skills and intercom; organise BP combat aboard his vessel as though he were a Leg' Major of Marines whilst still remaining on the bridge.
2) He command skills enable a legendary Weapons Offocer under him to opperate to of the three abilities of -1 to range or 1 free ECM or 1 free ECCM. He may also through practice and drill drcrease the range limit on the -1 range bonus to R5. ( Thus he may use it at R6 or more ).
3) By proper understanding of the finer intricacies of Engineering ( being a Leg Engineer himself ) the Leg' Captain may enable a Leg' Engineer to increase the bonus extra energy a Leg' Engineer may generate from 4 to 5 points of power.
4) Through proper leadership and his own inate sence of direction as a Legendary Navigator in his own right; a Leg' Captain may reduce the number of rolls to be come lost in a nebula for a Leg' Navigator under the captain from twice in a turn to just once ( on impulse 15 ).
Or some like thos would be fun...I'm not sure if Leg Captain, Officer and outstanding crew should have any compounded abilitites.
MJC
..That would certainly explian why Kirk with all his legendary officers and crew could trash pretty much any opposition he came across...
simplify things a little.
instead of the current 'acts just like leg officer X this turn' or MJC's 'adds a bonus to leg officer X' make it that the bonuses similat to what MJC is proposeing are all in place, even with a standard crew (the improved training) and other leg officers are cumulative
MJCs suggestions are welcome and interesting, but the problem is that they require other Leg officers on the ship in order to be useful. If the Captain is alone, as he most likely would be, he will still most likely be used as a Leg. weapons Officers, or possibly the Engineer (the best choise for plasma ships probably).
I wonder if the identification of plasma torps is big enough to worry about. I am probably influenced by being exclusively (the last years)playing tourney games of course.
First, asking for the arming status in EA of ONE torpedo is not going to help much. Except vs the WarEagle
A Klingon, for example might arm half the Disr to standard level and the rest as O/L.Then there is a 50% chance you ask for the arming status of the wrong weapon!
As for plasma ships, well most plasma torps that are launched are real aren't they? And the big ones often are EPTs.
Actually I thought when writing the proposal above this ability (to identify seeking weapons) would be less useful when fighting plasma ships!
Ah well I could be wrong(While I think of myself as Ace material, I have actually very little gaming experience.I learned playing well when I was in the PBEM tourneys, but thos games are slooow. I think I have just played ca 30 tourney games)
I'd also like to point out that my ideas in my initial post are most useful in a duel situation, which is proper considering the Trek background.
Even Kirk would have a hard time to stand out
in a Fleet battle!
I want Kirk back so continue post your ideas guys!
CMC, that's why I suggested giving the captian these (or other) abilities independant of other leg officers and let the abilities stack
so for example you have the option of
1 power AND -1 out to range 2 AND manuvering abilities AND MMG effect on boarding parties AND plasma identification abilitie, AND ...
or
4 power (acting as leg engineer)
or
-1 out to range 4 (acting as leg weapons officer)
or
...
And when a Legendary Captain and a Legendary Blonde Female Yeoman are on the same ship...
Some kind of smattering of L.O. abilitites all running concurrently but not like the full capability of the subsituting the Leg' Captain as a Leg' Officer; would be pretty handy.
David, don't you think Jack of all Trades abilities would beat the specialist ones?
MJCs last comment suggest that would happen
Okay...how does these fit?
1) His command skills enable a legendary Weapons Officer under him to opperate two of the three abilities of -1 to range or 1 free ECM or 1 free ECCM. He may also through practice and drill drcrease the range limit on the -1 range bonus to R5. ( Thus he may use it at R6 or more ).
2) By proper understanding of the finer intricacies of Engineering ( being a Leg' Engineer himself ) the Leg' Captain may enable a Leg' Engineer to increase the bonus extra energy a Leg' Engineer may generate from 4 to 5 points of power.
3) Through proper leadership and his own inate sence of direction as a Legendary Navigator in his own right; a Leg' Captain may reduce the number of rolls to be come lost in a nebula for a Leg' Navigator under the captain from twice in a turn to just once ( on impulse 15 ).
A legendary captain may not just inspire his legendary officers to perform to a higher degree but his crew as well. Not only does he gain from the abilities listed above but also his crew will gain from the abilitites below even when their are no legendary officers under the legendary captain. The captain my generate the following abilitites simaltainiously in his capasity as captain, he looses these abilitites if he substitutes as any other kind of Legendary officer (although he'll gain the abilities back when he returns to the big chair although any one time use ability used and then the captain subsitutes will not refresh the one time use ).
• As a legendary science officer in his own right a Leg' Capt' may drill his science teams well and thus raise the TACINTEL level of his vessel by 1 (G22.34).
• Being a legendary cheif Engineer in his own right his may drill his engineering crews well such that the vessel generates 2 extra points of power. This is 3 points if the crew is outstanding and 1 if the crew is poor.
• The Captian through his excellent command skills and intercom can; organise BP combat aboard his vessel as though he were a Leg' Major of Marines whilst still remaining on the bridge.
• Being a Legendary Weapons Officer in his own right he may drill his electronic warfare teams to be more productive and may generate either one free point of ECM or ECCM. See G22.711 for details. This bonus does no applie if a legendary weapons officer is opperating under the legendary captain ( in which case use that bonus listed above ).
• Being a Legendary Navigator he may drill his bridge crew to be more effective in manouver and thus gives his vessel a bonus equal to G22.86 even when there is no Legendary Navigator opperating on the bridge. If there is a Legendary Navigator then the bonus given by the captain or the Navigator may be used in the one die roll but not both. A Legendary captain may not use this one time bonus and then substitute for a Legendary Navigator and then attempt to use the bonus again opperating in that role.
CMC,
Quote: David, don't you think Jack of all Trades abilities would beat the specialist ones?
yes, and they should (the leg captain is more expensive then any of the specialists after all)
just don't make it overwelming.
Well David, actually I meant that the abilities should be balanced. I want to give players an extra option but still making it a tough decision on in which mode to use him.
Jak of all trades tend to beat specialists any day IMO.
Thus I would ALWAYS use MJCs Leg Captain above, it simply beats the extra 4 power of the Leg Eng any day
You should note the difference in the proposals:
In mine I don't give the Captain any extra shipbased abilites (turnmode EW etc.) but instead concentrated on what would affect play.
The Captain gains no abilities but he gains INFO.
I regret I can't explain better but I writing this in a rush.
I've been thinking about this and have come to the conclusion that I am against it on "aesthetic" grounds, for lack of a better way of putting it. Legendary Officers is inherently a somewhat munchkin rule and this just makes the "munchkin-ness" worse.
Just my .02 quatloos worth.
David, don't you think Jack of all Trades abilities would beat the specialist ones?
Only outside of the specialist specialty...it would take an extrodinary JOAT to beat a specialist IN the specialist's specialty...
Of course I meant there is a risk the JOAT would always be more ATTRACTIVE to the player than the specialist one.
(But I only remembered the word ATTRACTIVE right know. English isn't my mother-tounge you know)
I don't know...under my proposed rules the mix of 2 extra power and 1 ECM ( or ECCM I might be flying an X ship ) just doesn't come close to 1 ECM plus a die roll shift that I can get changing the Leg' Captain into a Leg' W.O. so I think I'ld substitute him.
Now If I had a Leg' W.O. and a Leg' Captain would I substitute him for a Leg' Eng'...I might if I were on a frigate but othwise I might like to keep my power and BP command abilitites working in unison.
But isn't that what games are really about, particularly with respect to SFB and say power...that you choose to BUY some-thing-or-other and through that purchase forgo buying something else.
CMC, given that the leg captain costs 25 BPV vs 15 BPV for the most expensive specialist (IIRC) I would hope that the JOAT captain would be more attractive to the player.
we just need to keep it from being overwelming, and so far it isn't.
Since I and my gaming buddy never buys LOs, but roll for them only, I am looking at it only from gameplay perspective.
I want a third, JOAT option, of the LC be balanced to the other two options of using him as a either LEO or LWO. I am not making any comparison with the REAL LEO or LWO.