This isn't a proposal for a formal SFB rule, but a topic for discussion of how to handle drones fired from off-map when they come up in a campaign. (I figure if ADB wants to print a formal rule, they probably have at least one already on file...)

As I see it, there are two distinct situations: general support, which is standard procedure for Kzinti and Klingon fleets and also fairly common for Feds. Any General War campaign ought to reflect this. Then there is `true' drone bombardment, where the only units on one side are the type-IIIXX drones. This seems less important to model, as I have trouble seeing a situation where it can be useful (except maybe with large numbers of DB ships against a weak base) because speed-20 drones just won't ever hit GW-era ships able to maneuver freely.

For general support, what I'm thinking is something like this:

Each turn, a number of type-IIIXX drones in Wild Boar mode enters the map at a given hex. (Perhaps a die roll can randomize the precise hex of entry for each drone within a six-hex zone?) The number is equal to 3/4 of the number of type-B racks on DB ships in the support echelon plus 2/3 of the number of type-A or -C racks (FRD). (Are there any DB ships with type-F racks? I think not, but they would contribute at 1/2...) Drones enter the map with 15 turns of endurance remaining.

The player using general support drones must record the turn on which bombardment will begin and the order drones will be fired before play begins. Drone support may be terminated after a set number of turns or may continue until drone supply is exhausted; this must also be recorded before play begins.

A fleet's ability to use general drone support will depend on the campaign rules in effect, but the support echelon must be quite nearby in strategic terms for this to work (like 100 SFB hexes or so).

One question I'd like suggestions on is how to handle this with a floating map. It seems to me that the target of the drones would have a motivation to `float' the map away from the drones' entry point, potentially complicating things a great deal. Assuming that the DB ships are at least 100 hexes away off-map, there would be a five-turn lag before they could reprogram waypoints to compensate for drift... and this is going to make it hard to get drones to arrive at the right place as the battle drifts around.

By John Trauger (Vorlonagent) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 03:22 pm: Edit

Drone bombardment is impossible unless you're hitting a combat site with a fixed point of interest, such as a base or planet.

The question then comes: can I force an engagement significantly away from such a site if I chose?

By Thanasis Kinias (Tkinias) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 06:53 pm: Edit

Vorlonagent: You mean what I was calling `true' drone bombardment, as opposed to off-map drone support, right? F&E surely indicates that the latter is possible and in fact routine.

Of course, F&E also now has drone raids (as of Planetary Ops) which allow targetting anything, but with doubled effect on slow ships and bases. I'm frankly skeptical about the idea, but it's canon now.

By Scott Tenhoff (Scottt) on Tuesday, October 05, 2004 - 07:18 pm: Edit

TK, I submitted a scenario to SPP actually, that is the same thing, but it kept a fixed map.

The background was that the DB-supported side was attacking to breakthrough to get to the defender's rear area.

As such the Defender had to prevent the Attacker's ships from getting through undamaged.

Here was what I wrote:
(SP___.47) Drone Bombardment: The attacker receives 9 Type-3M drones per turn from the xx01 board edge, set them up Impulse 1 each turn. These enter the board as “tame boars”, until they reach their terminal hex, which the attacker must program them three turns in advance of their arrival of their terminal hex where they will become “wild boar” and seek their own targets. So this will mean that the attacker must plot the first three turns of bombardment before the setup of the defender. Their terminal hex must be within 10 hexes of the xx01 Map A board edge. They will follow all rules for “Wild Boars” under (FD??.??). The drones will only arrive for the first 10 turns of the battle, after which it will stop (the drone bombardment ships leave for reloading). All drones will have 4 turns of endurance left when they enter the board.
(SP___.48) Breakthrough: The Defender is tasked with defending this area of space to prevent a breakthrough by the Attacker. Any Attacker exiting thru xx30 of map B, with at least ¾’s of it’s weapons undamaged (this is counted per box), the attacker gains twice it’s modified BPV in Victory points (so take it’s BPV, minus any VP for internals, then double it) for VP. Drone Racks must have at least 6 drones each, including reloads, to count as being ‘non-destroyed’.

By Donald Beisswenger (Jdgpanzer) on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 12:21 am: Edit

You need to remember there is another way a drone bombardment can arrive, with waypoints and such you should be able to have most of your drones arrive at the same time. Like modern day artillery missions time on target one gun can have all its rounds come down at the same time just by firing at different angles.

Imagine the problems a enemy fleet will have when hundreds of drones come at them, huge scatterpack with random targets.

By Michael Lui (Michaellui) on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 01:45 am: Edit

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Quote:

Like modern day artillery missions time on target one gun can have all its rounds come down at the same time just by firing at different angles.

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By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 04:00 am: Edit

Off map drone has been around longer than the F&E Drone raids rule. One of the early scenarios is a Type-IIIXX drone raid against a Klingon Convoy.

By Ryan Opel (Ryan) on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 04:07 am: Edit

Michael Lui,

Ah, yes they can.

Moderen guns with advanced reloaders and targeting capability can fire a 4 round "burst" at different angles and charges and have all four land on target at the same time.

The Crusader..."rate of fire will increase from the current four rounds per minute to 10 to 12 per minute. With this rate of fire, a single howitzer will be able to deliver at least four and up to eight rounds on a target that impact nearly simultaneously -- something which takes a platoon to do now."

The German PZH2000 has the same capability.

By Michael Lui (Michaellui) on Friday, May 23, 2008 - 06:54 am: Edit

Ah, the advances of modern weapons. Once the human factor is taken out of the loop everything becomes quicker and more accurate. I suppose I haven't really looked up what advances in artillery there was since I got out....~15 years ago?