Federation Commander Forum Index Federation Commander
A NEW fast paced board game of starship combat!
 
 FAQFAQ   SearchSearch   MemberlistMemberlist   UsergroupsUsergroups   RegisterRegister 
 ProfileProfile   Log in to check your private messagesLog in to check your private messages   Log inLog in 

What is EW?

 
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Federation Commander Forum Index -> General Discussion
View previous topic :: View next topic  
Author Message
USS Enterprise
Lieutenant Commander


Joined: 27 Feb 2009
Posts: 376
Location: Vulcan

PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:36 pm    Post subject: What is EW? Reply with quote

There has been talk of an EW rule for the scout ships if they are made. What is EW?
_________________
"The good of the many outweighs the good of the few"

"Since my customary greeting would seem entirely self serving, I will simply say good luck."

"Live long and Prosper."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
gambler1650
Lieutenant JG


Joined: 30 Mar 2009
Posts: 71

PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:47 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Electronic Warfare.

In SFB you can apply energy to increase your ship's ECM (electronic counter measures) to make your ship harder to hit. You can also add energy to ECCM (electronic counter counter measures) to counter your opponent's ships ECM.

Scouts have 'channels' that they can use to 'loan' ECM/ECCM to other ships in addition to what those ships can generate on their own.

They can also break lock ons to drones (effectively causing a drone to go inert).

Scout channels can be used to gather information (like labs).

I have no idea what would be added with scouts, but while I like the idea of Electronic Warfare, I find it to be a rule in SFB that I would only use in very small battles. It increases playing time without adding enough fun detail to the game, for me (others love it).
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
Scoutdad
Commodore


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 4754
Location: Middle Tennessee

PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 9:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Gambler has it correct:
EW (Electronic Warfare) is the SFB equivalent of the counter jamming / counter-jamming tactics used by modern navies and such...
Scouts have special sensors... each sensor can be used once a turn for various function - all of which require varying amounts of energy.
    They can generate OCM (Offensive Counter Measures), which can be used to "paint" a target ship, making it easier for your allies to hit
    They can generate ECM (Electronic Counter Measures) which make your ship harder to hit. From 1 to 6 points can be spent, each of which provides 1 point of ECM.
    They can generate ECCM (Electronic Couter Counter Measures) which eliminates ECM on a 1:1 basis.
    They can break the tracking of drones, causing them to lose their targets.
    They can be used to generate lab data
    And other various and sundry uses that have no equivalent in FC.


As for it's uses in SFB... we [Battlegroup Murfreesboro] wouldn't dream of playing w/o EW being in effect.
We've gotten so used to it, that even in a 30 ship fleet battle, it's inclusion only costs an extra minute or two each turn... a neglible time frame when compared to EA for that many ships. Rolling Eyes
_________________
Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger
USS Enterprise
Lieutenant Commander


Joined: 27 Feb 2009
Posts: 376
Location: Vulcan

PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:14 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Do scouts have weapons?
_________________
"The good of the many outweighs the good of the few"

"Since my customary greeting would seem entirely self serving, I will simply say good luck."

"Live long and Prosper."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message
djdood
Commodore


Joined: 01 Feb 2007
Posts: 3412
Location: Seattle, WA

PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

They're support ships, so not many.

The Fed scout gave up all photons and four phasers for special sensors, leaving only two Ph-1, a pair of pop-gun Ph-3, and a drone rack (and before the refits all it had was the pair of Ph-1's).

Most weapons "blind" the scout channels when fired, so the scout wouldn't necessarily want them anyway (not that it would have power to use them).
_________________
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Visit poster's website
mjwest
Commodore


Joined: 08 Oct 2006
Posts: 4066
Location: Dallas, Texas

PostPosted: Thu Jun 11, 2009 10:41 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Fed SC is a bad example.

To get the idea of a scout ship, take a normal CW, CL, DW, DD, or FF and replace its heavy weapons with special sensors one-to-one (Pl-S/G are each replaced with two special sensors). There are notable exceptions to this (e.g. Fed DD->SC and Romulan SPA->SPC), but that will work in the vast majority of the cases.

And, instead of summarizing them, just go read the rules for Special Sensors.
_________________

Federation Commander Answer Guy
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Wolverin61
Commander


Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 495
Location: Mississippi

PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 1:50 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Scoutdad wrote:
As for it's uses in SFB... we [Battlegroup Murfreesboro] wouldn't dream of playing w/o EW being in effect.
We've gotten so used to it, that even in a 30 ship fleet battle, it's inclusion only costs an extra minute or two each turn... a neglible time frame when compared to EA for that many ships. Rolling Eyes


I never played a game of SFB where we used EW. I guess you'd call it a case of never playing enough with the same people to get them that deep into the rules.

I like the BoM special sensor rules. Not nearly so ... intimidating.
_________________
"His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Scoutdad
Commodore


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 4754
Location: Middle Tennessee

PostPosted: Fri Jun 12, 2009 3:55 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

They really aren't that bad.

We have a large, dry erase board in our gaming room. We simply grid it off and use a dry erase marker to trac EW status for each ship...

4 columns (Ship ID / ECM / ECCM / OEW) and two markers (red / green)

use the green marker for positive shifts (ECCM) and the Green foir negative shifts (ECCM and OEW)...
make changes as the stats is changed...
it takes less than minute to look at any ships status and determine EW level at any phase of the game. Cool

If you can use Andros and play the silly little PA tricks, then EW is a breeze.
_________________
Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger
Wolverin61
Commander


Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 495
Location: Mississippi

PostPosted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 12:36 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Sounds cool. Very organized. All our games just had paperwork. I guess the most organized we ever got was using the improved EAF from Captain's Log #16. Oh, and we did use the Turn Event record form (or whatever it's called) a few times too.
_________________
"His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Scoutdad
Commodore


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 4754
Location: Middle Tennessee

PostPosted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:27 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

I guess we're way too organized...
We've got the EW dry erase board...
Every player has their own DAC/EA/SOP/Turn EVent Form; each printed on a separate color cardstock and laminated so you can wipe-on,wipe-off!
We have a high-speed Damage Allocator (an 18 compartment plastic organizer). Each compartment has 3 pairs of 12mil dice... 1 pair red, 1 pair white, 1 pair blue and the lid is superglued shut. Roll to hit, determine damage from the weapons chart... then shake the damage allocator once and set it down. Read compartments from R to L, Top to Bottom, Red-White-then Blue pairs until you're out of damage. 54 points can be scored in one roll.
We also have several sets of the laminated Shuttle/Drone/Plasma/Mine cards from CL 16 or 17...
And a programable timer to insure that EA doesn't take too long...
_________________
Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger
Wolverin61
Commander


Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 495
Location: Mississippi

PostPosted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:34 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All I can say is, WOW! Too bad I don't live close to you. Wink

I don't know about the timed EA though, sometimes it'd take me a minute to figure out what to do with that extra point of energy (or that extra point I need!).
_________________
"His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Scoutdad
Commodore


Joined: 09 Oct 2006
Posts: 4754
Location: Middle Tennessee

PostPosted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 2:52 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wolverin61 wrote:
All I can say is, WOW! Too bad I don't live close to you. Wink

Mississippi isn't that far from Tennessee, we're practically neighbors.
And I will be at CoastCon in early March of 2010. I plan to do a lot of Fed Comm - but I could be persuaded to squeeze in a game of SFB, if I had an opponent there... (nudge, nudge, wink, wink...)

Quote:
I don't know about the timed EA though, sometimes it'd take me a minute to figure out what to do with that extra point of energy (or that extra point I need!).

We'd give ourselves plenty of time, usually 5 or 10 minutes per ship... we just used it to keep from having a 30 minute long EA session if everyone only had one ship...
_________________
Commander, Battlegroup Murfreesboro
Department Head, ACTASF
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Send e-mail Yahoo Messenger
Wolverin61
Commander


Joined: 16 Nov 2008
Posts: 495
Location: Mississippi

PostPosted: Sat Jun 13, 2009 3:00 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

All that sounds great. I've been trying to unlearn SFB/learn FC so I guess I'd better stick to FC. Too bad I can't go and do like I used to.
_________________
"His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking."
Back to top
View user's profile Send private message Visit poster's website
Display posts from previous:   
Post new topic   Reply to topic    Federation Commander Forum Index -> General Discussion All times are GMT
Page 1 of 1

 
Jump to:  
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum


Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2005 phpBB Group