Federation Commander

[storeylf]

I was pondering start of game weapon arming, and was also thinking about plasma - (that weekly hot topic). In particular something I said in the faster plasma thread, that I just re-read, got me to thinking about this, along with my respnse to the drone reload question. I dare say someone has proposed something similar before.

Heavy weapons that are 2 turn armers, on the whole get the option to start a game with the first turn of power paid, at the expense of empty batteries at the start of game. Plasma also gets the option to have the first turn of power paid but without the battery penalty (barring F's of course).

Flip that logic around for a moment, and look at the identical rule from another angle

Heavy weapons that are 2 turn armers, on the whole get the option to start a game with only the last turn of power to pay, at the expense of empty batteries at the start of game. Plasma gets no such option.

Plasma is unique in Fed Comm in being the only weapon system that can't fire on turn 1, unless I'm forgetting something. It's also the only weapon system that has a 3 turn arming cycle. That means that the likes of Feds, ISC, Hydrans, Andro can start a game ready to fire their heavy weapons. If they fire on turn 1 they can fire again on turn 3 and 5 in theory. As a gross generalsiation I find that by turn 5 the game has probably been largely decided, and in tourney style games you may be lucky to even reach turn 5 in the time limit. Plasma on the other hand can fire at the earliest on turn 2, and (if they can avoid losing the tubes and the energy) will have it ready again by turn 5. If plasma could fire on turn 1 like other heavy weapon firers then they could in theory fire again by turn 4. So by turn 4 both plasma and other 2 turn armers could have had 2 shots should they choose to, in what will usually be the most important turns of the game. In a tourney style game they are also more likely to have a decent chance of actually getting a second shot off. The 2 turn armers still get the drop on the plasma by being ready again on 3 rather than 4, so their advantage hasn't been totally eroded.

As I mentioned in that other plasma thread, I found in tourney style games my biggest issue was that you cannot rely on a second shot like other weapons can. You can 2 turn arm your limited number of large tubes, which can give you shots on 2 and some on turn 4, but unlike other weapons you are having to deliberately downgrade your weapon in order to get in that second shot in the time limit. Of course half or more of your plasma is usually only F's and can't 2 turn arm anyway.


Proposal:

Plasma gets the same option of sacrificing batteries in order to start with only one turn of energy left to pay like other weapons do. The existing rule could remain as well, they choose to start with 1 turn power with no battery penalty or 2 turns power with the battery penalty.


OK it's a rule addition and I'm not a fan of them unless they clearly fix a problem. Most people consider plasma a big problem but they are often looking at it from how to actually use it rather than armiing cycle. I don't put myself in that category generally, but I do think, that the 3 turn arming and lack of turn 1 readiness combines to be an issue. It means they have only 25%-50% the amount of heavy weapons fire that other ships have in usally the most important first 3 or 4 turns of a game.

On the plus side, the rule itself is not a new mechanic - it is exactly the same as most 2 turn armers already get, just a slight twist in the way you look at it.


Comments? (and no I'm not into a wide ranging discussion on plasma generally, there are other threads for that).


PS: MWest, my expectations of a change are suitably low

[terryoc]

I would like to see such a change.

In the SFB tournament format, the ships start much closer together than in FC. They also start at what the SFB rules call "WS-III", so there are options for having a bit of extra overload energy in photon torpedoes, for example. Let's assume the first turn was simply the two squadrons closing with each other and overloading weapons (which is what happens most of the time anyway), start the two squadrons much closer, and get with the blasty-blasty much sooner.
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"Captain" Terry O'Carroll, fourteen papers published including six best of issue
"Man, Terry, you are like a loophole seeking missle!" - Mike West

[Bolo_MK_XL]

Larger Plasmas do have the option of firing as in 2 turns as Quick load Fs --
Start arming as regular, if situation becomes serious you can add 2 pts of energy and fire as F --- (4J2d) ---

[storeylf]

[Bolo_MK_XL]

A lot to digest in your post, just missed that part ---

[storeylf]

[Kang]

Also don't forget that Gorns, Feds and Orions can carronade Type-F's on Tn#1. Granted, their potential targets may well be out of range, but it is an exception to the 'plasmas can't fire on Tn#1' statement.
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[Kang]

Another thing to think about is that the Feds often don't have their fully-charged Alpha (i.e. full overloads) charged until Tn#2, similar to the plasma boys. Setting up a full spread of double-shotted photons can often be a three-turn operation for Feds.
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[storeylf]

[storeylf]

[Kang]

[storeylf]

The other thing that might occur is more aggressive play by plasma ships. I know some people were concerned that plasma was 'boring'. If you can have plasma armed on turn 1, even if only to pay holding on turn 2 then it might result in more aggression early on and set the tempo for the game.

It might not, but certainly at the moment there is a strong incentive to hold back early on as your main plasmas aren't armed, and on turn 2 you are paying the final turn energy.

[pmiller13]

[JimDauphinais]

I do as well. It is a simple change that adds a little help to the large Plasma tube ships.
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Jim Dauphinais, Chesterfield, MO

St. Louis Area Fed Comm Group: http://games.groups.yahoo.com/group/STL_Federation_Commander/

[Dal Downing]

Like was stated big plasma can be 2 turned fire as a F Torpedo I am not sure we need to change their arming cycles because it seems a rare occurrence where a plasma Ship Fires on Turn 1 anyway. I am more leaning toward a Speed Change on Plasma Torpedoes to a 32+1 (Speed 40) which is what Late war Sabot Refits provide in SFB. Think about this it makes Plasma travel faster i.e. "run a target down," and adds "Range Endurance" to the Warhead as well because Torpedoes degrade by impulse.

I am still playing with this before i start a full lobby on a speed change.
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-Dal

"Which one of you is the Biggest, Baddest, Bootlicker of the bunch?"
"I am."
"ARCHERS!!! THAT ONE!!!!"