Rule proposal: firing at impacted seekers

Mike · Post by **Mike** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 1:58 am

I would like to propose a rule change, specifically, phasers used in the defensive fire phase to fire at impacted seeking weapons would fire at range=0 instead of range=1 as the rule now reads.

No range could possibly be closer than an impacted seeking weapon's range, yet ships in the same hex are at range=0.

marcus_aurelius · Post by **marcus_aurelius** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 2:08 am

My understanding is that firing at impacted seekers once for the entire FC impluse (1/8 turn) is a simplification of SFB where you can fire every SFB impulse (1 /32 turn).

If I remember correctly (it has been many years) in SFB the closest range at which you can fire at a seeking weapon is at range 1. If the weapon gets to range zero in SFB then it impacts and there is no chance to fire.

So, changing the defensive fire range to zero in FC would break the symmetry with SFB and actually make defensive fire in FC to be better than SFB.

mjwest · Post by **mjwest** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 5:37 am

marcus got it, for the most part.

Using the range 1 chart for defensive fire was an intentional design decision. Steve felt that using the range 0 chart would end up being too efficient.

Kang · Post by **Kang** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 11:30 am

Plus it's been said elsewhere that the Range 1 stipulation simulates firing at the seeking weapon 'all the way in'.

storeylf · Post by **storeylf** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 12:22 pm

Aye - I don't think seekers are that overpowering anyway. Defensive fire is already fairly efficient.

The ADD change coming in will also hugely alter drone balance amongst the drone using races (to much in my gut feeling). I'd not do anything else to do with defensive fire for quite a while until more people play with the ADD rules.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Sat Jan 15, 2011 3:32 pm

Intentional design decision. Not going to change.