Federation Commander

1. Can the carronade be used to target systems? I think it can but the way it is described I don't know.

2. If a F torp is hit before being fully armed can it still carronade until the end of the turn like firing an armed torpedo?

Plasma Carronades (4J4c) are a special case of Plasma Bolts (4J4). As such, they operate like "regular" Plasma Bolts, except as described in (4J4c).

1. Yes. (3D4a) says that directed targetting can be used by direct fire weapons at range 10 or less, as long as no overloaded weapons are included in the volley. Since Plasma Carronades are direct fire weapons with no overload function (that can't fire outside range 10), and since (4J4) and (4J4c) do not add any additional restrictions, then, yes, Plasma Carronades can use directed targetting.

(As an aside, this is a powerful ability of normal plasma bolts. They can use directed targetting with bolts fired at range 10. This gives them the opportunity to seriously hurt an opponent before even getting to overload range!)

2. No. After a torpedo launcher is disabled (4J3d), it may only be "launched normally". This means it must use seeking mode. Additionally, (4J4b) specifically states that "[d]isabled launchers cannot fire plasma bolts." (And, as discussed above, carronades are a special type of bolt.)

I've got a follow up on the carronade.

The rules say it's used by gorns, feds, and other empires.

Am I correct in assuming that means anyone with a Pl-F launcher can use a carronade?

Thx
DN

Other means Orion. The Gorns, Federation, and Orions can use the carronade.

The Romulans and ISC may NOT use the carronade.

Orions CAN use the carronade then? That's kinda scary, in the case of a Salvage Cruiser with six plasma-Fs... 42-48 points of carronade damage per turn...

mjwest wrote:Other means Orion. The Gorns, Federation, and Orions can use the carronade.

The Romulans and ISC may NOT use the carronade.

That is something that needs to be clarified in the next rules revision. Newbies and old-timer SFB folks who dropped out before carronades entered the game: "Others" = any race I am currently using that has Plasma-F.

I've got to go with TJolly...that really needs a clarification. To me, others means everyone else w/ a PL-F.

To be honest, I don't see why Rom/ISC could not also develop it. After a few blasts from a carronade, they would probably want to know what caused it. Between intelligence and R&D, they'd be able to figure it out and provide their own versions.

later
DN

In SFB, Gorns developed the carronade and the Feds and Orions got it from them (illegitimately in the case of Orions). Romulans probably could have developed it, but in SFB the carronade is less powerful and is mainly useful for cloak hunting, so the Romulans probably didn't bother with the cost of developing it and deploying it on their ships. ISC might have developed it, but didn't because they weren't fighting enough cloaked ships to make it worthwhile.

I do agree that "other empires" needs to be clarified. I had been interpreting it to mean "other empires that we include in future products might get carronades, but unless it's specifically stated in the rules that that empire has carronades, they don't have carronades".

terryoc wrote:I do agree that "other empires" needs to be clarified. I had been interpreting it to mean "other empires that we include in future products might get carronades, but unless it's specifically stated in the rules that that empire has carronades, they don't have carronades".

This, BTW, is basically the correct interpretation.

The Carronade is basically the "Gorn gimmick". As such, the whole point of it is to not let the Romulans and ISC have it.

Yes, I will add this clarification to my rules notes. (Edit: Which is no promise of anything. Just that it is noted as an issue and will be raised.)

Can the WYN use the Carronade? I tend to think of them as the Orions' little brothers [due to the cluster shipyard] and so thought that perhaps if the Orions can use the Carronade, then the WYN can.

Perhaps this, and the notes on just who CAN use the Carronade, is one for the CRUL?

No, the WYN may not use carronades.

And it is in the CRUL. Only the Gorn, Federation, and Orion may use it.

So it is. Thanks, Mike. What I'd done was to search the CRUL for 'carronade', and the Rule (4J4c) which you have quoted does not contain the word [in fact the entire (4J) section does not contain 'carronade'] - that was why I'd missed it.

Can the WYN even mount plasma in any of their weapons hard points? iirc, they're restricted to phasers, disruptors, and drones (though I could be misremembering) in FedCom.

Well, as of a CL or two ago, the WYN do have the occasional "off-brand" ship that includes some plasma torpedoes.

Also, the Orion ships in WYN service don't really have any explicit option mount restrictions.

But, for the currently published ships in Federation Commander, you are correct. The AuxBC can only mount Ph-1, Drone, or Disruptors. The "fish" ships may only mount Ph-1 or Drones.

junior wrote:Can the WYN even mount plasma in any of their weapons hard points? iirc, they're restricted to phasers, disruptors, and drones (though I could be misremembering) in FedCom.

Bum. I'd forgotten that too.

Not doing very well, am I?