|
Federation Commander A NEW fast paced board game of starship combat!
|
View previous topic :: View next topic |
Author |
Message |
Steve Cole Site Admin
Joined: 11 Oct 2006 Posts: 3832
|
Posted: Sun Mar 13, 2011 11:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Maybe we need to split this into two threads, one for "lots of drones" and one for the non-historical DF fighters. _________________ The Guy Who Designed Fed Commander
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
mjwest Commodore
Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 4075 Location: Dallas, Texas
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 4:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
To touch on a couple questions that were asked ...
dharras wrote: | Question for drone armed figters; normal ship drones must be launched from a unit within 25 hexes of the target (4F2a); they must also be within 25 hexes of the controlling unit at all times (4F2e). Fighter drones however must be launched within 8 hexes (5QM3b); should the control range of Fighter drones be specified as 8 hexes (going 24+1 ought to then evade a large number of them)? |
Yes, I think this is completely reasonable. I agree with doing this entirely.
Quote: | Another question: If a fighter fires a drone and lands back on a ship, what happens to the drone in flightn (currently unspecified) - is control dropped, or maintained even though its back onboard? |
The drones are lost. The fighter must remain on the board to control the drones, and it may not transfer control. _________________
Federation Commander Answer Guy |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Savedfromwhat Commander
Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 657
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 5:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
The zone of control of 8 hexes would greatly hinder their effectiveness as damagebut would still force people to stay out of overload range of your ships. That might be a very good limit for keeping drones off the table. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Savedfromwhat Commander
Joined: 23 Aug 2007 Posts: 657
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:01 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Forgot but that raises the question what about plasma armed fighters? Plasma is self guided although it only lasts 4 impulses. What about impacted drones that move 9 hexes away? |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mjwest Commodore
Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 4075 Location: Dallas, Texas
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Savedfromwhat wrote: | Forgot but that raises the question what about plasma armed fighters? Plasma is self guided although it only lasts 4 impulses. What about impacted drones that move 9 hexes away? |
Plasma is, as you say, self-guiding. It is on its own once launched. Note the target must still be within 8 hexes for launch.
And you are right. I suppose it is the case that once launched, the fighter needs to be able to guide it past 8 hexes. Certainly, impacted drones need to remain past 8 hexes. Hmm. Guess that one needs more thought after all. _________________
Federation Commander Answer Guy |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kang Fleet Captain
Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 1976 Location: Devon, UK
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 7:27 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Impacted drones and 9 hexes: fairly straightforward.
The ship the drones have impacted on must deal with the drones during the impulse of impact as usual - ADD/ESG, Phaser whatever, and, also as usual, either tractor any that the weapons have missed, or let them impact. Just like normal.
Then on any impulse after that where tractored drones are found to be outside their 8 hexes' guidance range, they simply lose tracking and are removed. _________________
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
mjwest Commodore
Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 4075 Location: Dallas, Texas
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:07 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I didn't mean to imply it was difficult to handle. I am just not sure that is the result I want to see. I am not sure I want to see an impacted drone to go "poof" if a ship gets to range nine from the controlling fighter. _________________
Federation Commander Answer Guy |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kang Fleet Captain
Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 1976 Location: Devon, UK
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:16 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Ok, then, let's take an analogy. Ship A is tractoring an impacted drone launched from Ship B, and the two ships move more than 25 hexes apart.
The drone is now outside the ship's guidance range; does the drone then go 'poof'? (Rule (4F2e) "Weapons more than 25
hexes from the controlling ship also self-destruct").
Don't forget, the drones in each case (fighter-launched and ship-launched), while impacted in the sense of that they are off the board and on the ship card, are still 'in flight' because they have been tractored and have not yet detonated. They can have their tracking dropped voluntarily while in this position, why not involuntarily? _________________
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Nerroth Fleet Captain
Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 1744 Location: Ontario, Canada
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Maybe give the drone fighter a twelve-hex zone of control, then?
That would still be less than half of that a ship has, but perhaps give the fighter that bit more of an option. _________________ FC Omega Discussion (v3)
FC LMC Discussion |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kang Fleet Captain
Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 1976 Location: Devon, UK
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:33 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I know that drone control limits (both in terms of total numbers and also ranges) are a play-balance feature (after all, who wants every drone from the enemy ship chasing them at the same time? ) but I still find it very difficult that in the 26th Century, starships are armed with AIM-7 Sparrows rather than AIM-120 AMRAAMs. Figuratively speaking, of course
Not that it affects this discussion, of course.... _________________
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
JonPerry Lieutenant SG
Joined: 12 Jul 2010 Posts: 124
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 8:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
With a turn break, fighter has two drones in the air after the target. Must stay within 8 hexes of the target.
This is already tough to do, as most ships can just outrun the fighter easier than they can outrun the drones.
If the ship is closing, though, you can have the situation where these two drones impact the ship early in the impulse, and the ship keep closing with the fighter, and then the ship just decides it is cheaper and easier to shoot the fighter. Kill the fighter and the drones drop tracking.
Yes, you can do this with a ship launched drones, but ships don't just blow up as easily.
Is this a desired effect?
edit - i forget (sitting at work) if Offensive ADDs can kill fighters (i know they can be fired at standard shuttles). If so, it would seem to further imperil the poor "standoff" fighter who needs to get (and stay) far closer than he would like to do his job. A single energy-free ADD at the fighter and those two drones it launched are not your problem anymore. |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mjwest Commodore
Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 4075 Location: Dallas, Texas
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:31 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Kang,
I think Jon expressed my concerns nicely. Sure, it is directly analogous to a ship's 25 hex range, but I don't know that this effect is what is desired.
So, I guess we will have to go with this for right now:
A fighter must be 8 hexes or less to launch drones or plasma torpedoes. Once launched, the larger 25 hex rule is use for maximum range. Plasmas are self-guiding. A fighter must continue to control its drones, and if destroyed, all drones still on the map (or impacted) self-destruct and are immediately removed. _________________
Federation Commander Answer Guy |
|
Back to top |
|
|
Kang Fleet Captain
Joined: 23 Sep 2007 Posts: 1976 Location: Devon, UK
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 9:57 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Nice ideas. This would also kind-of fit nicely with (i.e. it's analogous to) the rule (6A1e) about planets and line of sight not being blocked for drones already flying, but new ones cannot be launched without line-of-sight.
This way, drones already in flight have less restrictive conditions than the conditions required for lauch. _________________
|
|
Back to top |
|
|
Dal Downing Commander
Joined: 06 May 2008 Posts: 651 Location: Western Wisconsin
|
Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 11:51 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Don't A10s and A20s get to launch from 12 hexes away. Why are drones which have a longer endurance getting cut to 8 hexes? _________________ -Dal
"Which one of you is the Biggest, Baddest, Bootlicker of the bunch?"
"I am."
"ARCHERS!!! THAT ONE!!!!" |
|
Back to top |
|
|
mjwest Commodore
Joined: 08 Oct 2006 Posts: 4075 Location: Dallas, Texas
|
Posted: Tue Mar 15, 2011 2:03 am Post subject: |
|
|
The provisional rules from CL37 (available as a free download from Commanders' Circle) stipulate that all of the weapons have a max range of eight. So, disruptors, photons, and drones may only be launched/fired at a maximum range of eight. (Which, actually, makes the Stingers have a *longer* range, as they can fire out to 10 hexes.)
Again, these are playtest rules. It is highly likely that things will need to be tweaked as we go along. If direct-fire drones get flushed, then it is likely that ranges can be extended a little. (But, hopefully not to 25 hexes for drones!) _________________
Federation Commander Answer Guy |
|
Back to top |
|
|
|
|
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
|