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Fed GSC questions

 
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Nerroth
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 5:22 pm    Post subject: Fed GSC questions Reply with quote

When the Main Era Ship Card for the Federation Byrd-class Galactic Survey Cruiser was done in playtest form in an early issue of Communique, it was treated as a Borders of Madness ship due to its having special sensors (which weren't integrated into the "vanilla" FC ruleset at the time). Similarly, the Middle Years version of the GSC in Briefing #2 (and the relevant Ship Card e-pack on e23) had its special sensors removed for the same reason.


However, in light of the more recent integration of sensors into the game engine, is the Main Era GSC now considered to be a "standard" ship; and does the MY version of the GSC get its sensors back, the way the various bases got theirs in recent revisions of the FC Reference Rulebook?
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mjwest
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 6:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

My interpretation:

The main era GSC printed in Communique is still a playtest ship subject to change an redefinition at a later time. Most likely, this ship, along with the other survey ships, will be added directly to the base game, given that special sensor rules are included in the FC rules as of Rev6. However, until the GSC (and the other survey ships) are formally published, its status is always subject to change and redefinition.

The Middle Years GSC has no reason to be changed or modified. Yes, this creates a bit of difference from SFB, but that is the cost of including the ship in FC Middle Years. Since no other empire has a survey ship in the Middle Years, and no other empire is getting a survey ship in the Middle Years, there is no real need or imperative to change the ship. The ship stands as printed and needs no revision.

(To be blunt, had special sensors been added to the base rules prior to Briefing #2, the Middle Years GSC still would not have had sensors because no other empire in the whole module got a survey ship or a scout. It would have been a huge advantage for the Federation that would have been unfair and unjustified.)
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Nerroth
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 6:56 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

If the issue affecting the MY GSC is primarily one of balance, could an option to be do the other SRs (if and when they happen) in such a way that their ship Cards note the adjustments needed to fly them in the Middle Years; akin to the kind of details added into Booster #91? That could then allow the MY GSC to get its sensors; or, perhaps, for it to be integrated into a formally published Main Era GSC instead.

Ordinarily, it would not be encouraged to try and include both MY and GW versions of "line ships" on the same Ship Card. But in the case of "mission variants" that are only likely to be done once (if at all), that sort of thing might help allow the Ship Cards that are done for such ships to cover both angles.

(Similarly, if we get any commando ships based on hulls that served in the Middle Years, a similar set of notes could allow those hulls to "double-up" if necessary.)
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mjwest
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I really don't think that there are any intentions of doing additional Middle Years ships. As such, there is absolutely no need to do anything about changing the Middle Years GSC. If, at some point in the distant future, a "Briefing #2/3" came out that included support ships for the Middle Years, then the Middle Years GSC could be revisited. Until then, however, there is no need to revisit that ship or make any changes to it. It is what it is.

And, no, I don't expect that when the support ships for the main era are produced that "older" ones will include markings or notes on how to back-date them into the Middle Years. That would be a lot of work for little gain and would be highly unfair to many empires as the ships included will likely be far from uniform in their applicability to the Middle Years. Not to mention that doing that effectively introduces "refits" into Federation Commander, which I am sure is a bad idea.

The LDR boxes are in 99% of the cases trivial conversions of this system (Ph-Gs and Ph-1s) for that system (Ph-3s and Ph-2s). Other notes are 100% trivial conversions of this system (e.g. particle cannons) for that system (e.g. disruptors). You are asking for expanding that coverage to full-on refits, which is very different. I just don't think that is a good idea.
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Nerroth
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:21 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Actually, once Module C6 comes out, there might be more scope for an expansion to Briefing #2; not just in terms of the Middle Years Paravians and Carnivons, but in the opportunity it would provide to give a proper MY fleet to the ISC. (Based on what we see on Mapsheet P, the Concordium's history would be very different in the "Paravian timeline" than it was historically.)

But, that's an idea for another thread.

Still, if it meant that there would indeed be room for MY support variants at that later stage, there'd be less need to worry about it here.
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mjwest
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PostPosted: Wed Jun 26, 2013 7:32 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The initial focus around any Federation Commander efforts regarding C6 will be for the combat ships in the main era. Anything else is secondary to that. After that, we'll see.
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