Well, Petrick has half written a similar story.

Its in the Orbital Defense thingy topic from years ago.

Something about a Provisional Defense Battalion ordered to defend a recently reconqured desert world (What wasit Loren named it? New Caladonia or some thing?!?!)

Add in a national guard cruiser and change the attackers from Klingons to Romulan your're there with about every thing except an ending...(although as I recall, that story wasn't going particularly well for the Federation IIRC!)

By Michael C. Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 04:03 pm: Edit

Jeff,


You remember where that story is hiding on the BBS?

Maybe a keyword? I am stumped...

By Xander Fulton (Dderidex) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 04:20 pm: Edit

I think it got nuked in one of the BBS cleanups.

Hopefully, a copy is archived somewhere...

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 04:30 pm: Edit

Following the KISS method,

The GCA Warspite was responding to an emergency call for help from the (insert name here) colony, where the planet is about to be invaded by a HUGE roving "Starswarm", most of the planetary defenses having been eliminated save for a few remaining F-4s.

The Warspite was the only ship just barely within range to make the rescue attempt. Having pushed her aging engines well past the red-line in order for her to reach the planet on time, she suffers a catastrophic breakdown to her 'starboard' nacelle just as she enters the edge of the system. Now the Warspite must fight her way past the invading swarm and impose herself in front of them in a desperate attempt to stop the planet from being consumed, along with the colony.

By Xander Fulton (Dderidex) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 04:35 pm: Edit

Keeping in mind that there really is not necessarily a reason to explain the warp engine damage outside of SFB rules. No reason it CAN'T be explained outside of the SFB ruleset...just that it doesn't REQUIRE an external explanation.

Anyway, we DO have (D8.2), result #12. That's "no warp for movement" and "only 50% warp available for anything else"...IE, in the atmosphere, one warp engine streaming plasma badly, until you make the 'repair roll'.

Would be a good opportunity to re-introduce the 'critical hit' rules into a scenario, too - these get too little play, IMHO.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 05:58 pm: Edit

Mike,

Here it is:

Star Fleet Universe Discussion Board: Star Fleet Battles: SFB Proposals Board: New Rules: Orbital Defense Platforms

Its only umpteen hundred posts with something like 200 separate individuals posting to a shared RPG universe in a SFBs tactical scenario... most successful interactive game session ever achieved by ADB.

It should be commemorated by a story or something if only because it was so unique.

(just my $0.02 worth.)

By Michael C. Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 05:58 pm: Edit

Xander, thanks.

ANYONE remember what the colony name was? Or another keyword?

Mike

By Loren Knight (Loren) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 06:01 pm: Edit

Cassandra IV: AKA: Nomea

Nomea is in the planet list now (to honor all us that took part of that fun time) and SVC has the full write up. As it turns out, there wasn't room for it in PD Feds but its in a planet foder file I'm sure.

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 07:25 pm: Edit

Terry O'Carroll,

In your 12:35 AM post you say

---

Quote:

Nope, the plasma counts each hex of atmosphere as five hexes... (P2.852) note that plasmas count endurance as hexes, not impulses.

---

By Michael C. Grafton (Mike_Grafton) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 07:29 pm: Edit

Thanks Jeff and Loren.

I just wanted to re-read the story part...

By Alan Trevor (Thyrm) on Wednesday, February 02, 2011 - 07:31 pm: Edit

Also, how about this as a possibility? The ship did in fact take minor combat damage to the engine from an attack that just barely penetrated the shields. The reason it looks so bad is precisely because the ship is in the atmosphere and minor leakage from the slightly damaged engine reacts with the atmosphere to create smoke and flames way out of proportion to the real damage. If the ship were in a vacuum it would be obvious the damage was minor.

Just a thought...

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, February 03, 2011 - 01:39 pm: Edit

Alan,

Good IMO as far as it goes, but you havent explained why the ship would be in the atmosphere, and why in formation with just two fighters?

Must be a compelling story, if only we knew what it was!

By Troy Latta (Saaur) on Thursday, February 03, 2011 - 02:46 pm: Edit

It's quite possible there are more than two fighters; the rest just aren't in-frame.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Thursday, February 03, 2011 - 05:23 pm: Edit

You know, in a wierd kind of way, I'm reminded of the situation in World War 2 where the Japanese were attacking the Cavite Naval Base and Manilla, Ph.

you had most fleet units retreat to Australia, and left a number of launches, a sea plane tender, a collection of china river gun boats that had evacuated from China months earlier and a squadron of PT boats, protecting Corregidor island and Fort Drum.

the Japanese spent weeks bombing anything that moved but the gun boats kept close to shelter and shot back with everything they had available... sort of like the picture that Zander made with the Warspite.

By Xander Fulton (Dderidex) on Sunday, February 13, 2011 - 12:18 am: Edit

Here's another possibility...first thing I've really found that clearly requires being IN an atmosphere, no exception.

(D20.11)!

If Warspite had *previously* been damaged in an attack, badly enough that the enemy may have reported they were destroyed (before they were, themselves, destroyed?), but still new another wave was coming, they may have tried that. "Hidden deployment" is only something that can be done *before* a new scenario starts, and does require the ship being in some terrain that provides 'natural ECM'. One of the items specifically called out in (D20.111) for hidden deployment is being 'atmosphere hexes'.

Soooo...maybe that could be it. Ship hiding in the atmosphere to respond to any new attack as a 'hidden' unit, effecting repairs from previous attacks...

By Randy Blair (Randyblair) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 10:56 am: Edit

I'm almost done writing a story for this, but I'm having a tough time coming up with a title.
I'll be submitting it to SVC sometime later this week...

By Xander Fulton (Dderidex) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 03:43 pm: Edit

'Remember the Warspite'?

In the Talk Shoe last week, some (brief) discussion came up around this, and it was pointed out (as mentioned up-thread, I think) that Warspite was also the name of a Federation NCL. It was, as indicated by the picture (and Module R8) the name of the illustrated Federation YCA->GCA.

So....clearly, at some point, the GCA needed to be destroyed or decommissioned. Preferably, with at least one major glorious episode in her past to justify so quickly naming a new ship in her honor. I'd suggested that such a story (with Warspite as a GCA, being perhaps lost saving a colony or something), might have a nice epilogue paragraph of the commissioning ceremony of the NCL Warspite (with surviving crewmembers, who had been in the story, present?)

Or maybe the ship survived, and was retired honorably, with crew who had served on her (and present in the story) at the commissioning ceremony.

Dunno, but it seemed like it might be a nice touch.

By Randy Blair (Randyblair) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 07:21 pm: Edit

@Xander - I went with the "engine was internally sabotaged" route, but the explosion only took effect AFTER entering the atmosphere as planned for a fireworks display to impress the neutral Helvetians. (They are being courted to join the Federation and this takes place during the Ceremony of Signing.)

After the engine blows, Warspite is attacked by 3 Snipe A frigates but manages to barely survive.
It's a story almost entirely from the Captain's POV - a man who had been the captain of Warspite for 35 years. Wisdom and experience trumps brashness and boldness in Warspite's final journey.

Stay tuned.

By Xander Fulton (Dderidex) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 07:33 pm: Edit

Hmmm - "Captain of the Warspite for 35 years"? I have a hunch you'll have a hard time getting that by the Steves...it's pretty unlikely for someone to hold a given naval rank for 35 years.

Maybe he could have served on the Warspite for 35 years? That should at least be possible, but still kinda unlikely - officers tend to get transferred around a bit as their career advances.

Might need to tone that career range down some (unless he's a Vulcan?)

Overall premise sounds interesting, though - look forward to seeing what you come up with!

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 07:35 pm: Edit

Randy, how about:

"One Helvet of a day"

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 07:41 pm: Edit

Xander,

You have to remember that this is a GCA (National Guard ship). The Captain has probably retired from active Starfleet duty and took up the posting to his old ship as a reservist, so as to help keep the "ol' girl" out of mothballs (scrapyard)... so to speak.

By Xander Fulton (Dderidex) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 08:37 pm: Edit

'Served as the ship's captain 35 years ago' might work, then? Kept moving up in Star Fleet, retired as Admiral, came back to the reserves as a captain to help train up the next generation?

Module R8 makes the Guard ships in Star Fleet seem rather like Enterprise from ST:II - retired ships, where the cadets get their first training in flying 'real starships' before being assigned to front-line starships.

By Randy Blair (Randyblair) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 09:07 pm: Edit

@George - Yes, that was exactly my thought process when I was writing. Old ship, old captain who loves her and stayed with her until she could give no more.
The "rules" are different for the National Guard people (and some of those are outlined a bit in the story) than for Starfleet per se.

By Randy Blair (Randyblair) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 09:11 pm: Edit

Oh, and before I forget, I *do* explain why an old Republic class cruiser gets put ALONE in the Neutral Zone at Helvetia III. It runs along the same explanation as "Encounter at Denebola" and chronologically happens around the same time.
And since no source I could find describes the Helvetians, I went wild with imagination there. I hope folks will like 'em.

By George Duffy (Sentinal) on Monday, February 14, 2011 - 09:48 pm: Edit

One thing bothers me... since all of the national guard ships (GCAs) are usually crewed mostly by the native race of the homeworld they represent.

Which world does Warspite" represent?

I believe Earth, Mars and Cygnus were accounted for.