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Hypothetical question:

If a large (size class 2 or larger) asteroid ship Jindarians say, were struck by a sufficiently powerful laser or other energy weapon that could generate significant heat during a star fleet battles game turn/impulse, would the vapor generated as multiple tons of rock get incinerated, be sufficient to move the ship one star fleet battles tactical hex back, in the direction opposite of the shield facing where aforementioned energy weapon beam struck?

This could be the basis for a previously unknown (and unpublished) new empire primary weapon…one that does both damage AND causes an (involuntary) retrograde movement on the targeted ship.

Wow.
what a concept.

By Douglas Lampert (Dlampert) on Monday, June 30, 2025 - 07:40 am: Edit

Not if we're using anything like real physics.

Remember, a hex in SFB is 10,000 km and turns are short. Deposit enough energy for that level of recoil, and the entire ship is vapor and we're looking at vapor from the exploding ship recoiling that fast.

That said: You could probably technobabble about warp field interactions with the vaporized material providing a pseudo-force which causes the ship to move.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, June 30, 2025 - 07:49 am: Edit

Douglas, thank you.

Just an idle thought.

I was thinking that such a game mechanism might for a different kind of special scenario rule.

By Douglas Lampert (Dlampert) on Monday, June 30, 2025 - 08:05 am: Edit

You can technobabble it easily enough if you want such a mechanism for something, it's certainly no worse physics-wise than most of the rest of the setting and weapons.

Is it a good game rule/scenario/mechanism strikes me as a lot more important to SFB than plausible physics.

By Mike Curtis (Nashvillen) on Monday, June 30, 2025 - 08:55 am: Edit

Not to mention if you laser the Jindo ship enough you might produce enough handwavium to make it work.

By MarkSHoyle (Bolo) on Thursday, July 31, 2025 - 07:37 pm: Edit

High Noon has issued a recall for some of its Beach Variety packs because they contain Celsius energy drink cans that were mistakenly filled with vodka seltzer, leading to potential unintentional alcohol consumption. Consumers are advised to check for cans with silver lids and specific lot codes and to dispose of them if found.

They should have just announced the mistake, quietly remove the error cans and watch the rush....

By Roger Rardain (Sky_Captain) on Sunday, August 03, 2025 - 11:26 pm: Edit

I saw that Loni Anderson passed away today.
She was 79, passed after a lengthy illness.

For those too young to remember, one of her biggest claims to fame was Jennifer the receptionist on "WKRP in Cincinnati".

By Roger Rardain (Sky_Captain) on Sunday, August 03, 2025 - 11:26 pm: Edit

Deleted.

By Mike Erickson (Mike_Erickson) on Sunday, August 03, 2025 - 11:58 pm: Edit

WKRP in Cincinnati

Now THAT was a funny show.

--Mike

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, August 04, 2025 - 07:15 am: Edit

With God as my witness, I thought turkeys could fly.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Monday, August 04, 2025 - 10:24 am: Edit

“Film at eleven “, Doctor, Johnny Fever.

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, August 30, 2025 - 11:30 pm: Edit

SUBMARINE RAIDER, free on YouTube, a 1942 propaganda movie including Japanese admirals who order pilots who disappointed them to jump overboard.

Before the war starts, two brothers are on watch. One is a counter-spy who tracks Japanese spies, which seem to be everywhere. The other is a submarine captain. A carrier (with no escorts?) is headed for Pearl Harbor from due west and sends a fighter to destroy a yacht that spotted them. (Wasn't that in some other movie?) The sole survivor, a beautiful American socialite, is rescued by the submarine and helps them ambush the carrier after it attacks Pearl Harbor.

This includes a Navy helm order I have never heard: "Up rudder!"

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Saturday, August 30, 2025 - 11:34 pm: Edit

PRIMEVAL and PRIMEVAL: NEW WORLD
Streaming on Amazon.
These series, the first British and the second Canadian, are part of the same universe. Anomalies (balls of light) appear randomly around London and Vancouver and are wormhole passages to earlier times, not necessarily including dinosaurs but always including something dangerous. The teams have to catch the critters and get them home before the space-time continuum is destroyed.

By Jeff Anderson (Jga) on Sunday, August 31, 2025 - 03:41 pm: Edit

IIRC, the VFX people behind 'Primeval' were the same folks who did the original 'Walking With Dinosaurs.'

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - 04:30 pm: Edit

MAYFLOWER II
A movie on Prime video.
Hilariously bad scripting. On a future Earth, the government is using fear of a population crisis to control the population. Private land is confiscated to force people to live in cities where the government can control them. People are paid to accept sterilization. The only legal church uses a bible heavily edited by the government. Children are brainwashed by teachers that government and safety are good but uncontrolled freedom and runaway family size is dangerous. Underground Christian groups secretly refurbish an old Galactic Virgin spacecraft to escape to a free space colony where they can safely read the original but now illegal bible.

I cannot tell if this thing was shot by Evangelicals trying to be serious or atheists trying to write a spoof. That may be why it is enjoyable, anyone can enjoy the (so bad it’s good) movie and think the movie is on their side.

By Jessica Orsini (Jessica_Orsini) on Wednesday, September 17, 2025 - 08:52 pm: Edit

You made me curious, so I went digging. It was written by Greg Lammiman and directed by Dallas Lammiman, both of whom are very much Evangelicals, and who have a history of producing this sort of stuff.

By Jeff Wile (Jswile) on Sunday, October 12, 2025 - 11:26 pm: Edit

Our local PBS channel broadcast “Hunt for Red October”.

Pretty good flick, still holds up entertaining wise.

Forgot that one of the U.S. Navy formations talked about in the movie was the “New Jersey Battlegroup.”

Great lines.

“One ping Only, Vasily”.

By Robert Russell Lender (Rusman) on Monday, October 13, 2025 - 07:23 am: Edit

There are a handful of videos online describing the events of the real life story that inspired Tom Clancy's novell.

Here is one of the better ones I've seen.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mh0N3iG-7Uc

By Steve Cole (Stevecole) on Monday, October 13, 2025 - 07:48 am: Edit

Hunt For Red October is free on YouTube.