Sathar Ship Designs

AZ_GAMER's picture
AZ_GAMER
November 16, 2010 - 10:28pm
I have been working on a Sathar warship lately and have found myself very frustrated with the project. I would like to do something a little different. I do love the original SFKH designs for Sathar warships but would like to something a little different. What design features are truely important on Sathar ships? The long booms and Spherical command modules? Should Sathar ships continue to have the same technology as UPF ships as described in boardgame (Yes I realize the technologies are not exactly the same and things like rocket batteries and lasers while physically similar may actually be a little different but statistically function similarly). Should Sathar Ships have a more Alien look to them? Is there use of spies and agents the reason why Sathar tech is similiar to UPF tech? So many directions this could go in.
Comments:

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 17, 2010 - 11:43am
1. Alien look: good I give it 2 thumbs up even if a new look will obsolete my entire fleet of painted sathar ships. I would say something that captures the essence of the original but with a more organic flavor not quite alien hive organic flavor but close

2. RE: Booms, spherical command modules and other capabilities- I totally loved the boom separation capability of klingon ships in Star Fleet Battles back in the day- they were sleek, fast and you could self destruct the ship while separating the boom and maybe you could survive the blast to continue pounding on the federation ship. So what if its been done befor its just cool- incorporate boom separation and the new battle tactic of diving into enemy formations, self destructing the ship and separating the boom.

3. if the sathar are continuing to infiltrate and steal in the frontier they will continue to appropriate new tech. Maybe sathar have an inability to inovate and ask the questions that would let them inovate so that they must steal from others. Knowing that innovative species could out strip them tech wise causes their genocidal reaction to civilizations with near comparable tech to them. Huh thats an idea that needs to be discussed else where thanks for asking the question AZ
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

iggy's picture
iggy
November 17, 2010 - 12:50pm
I've always thought of the sathar as ahead of the frontier in biotech/cyborg-tech.  I imagine the insides of their ships full of cybernetic equipment.  Hence they destroy it rather than let it fall into enemy hands.  Maybe the small symbiotic organism mentioned in the Zeb's timeline is a life-form used by the sathar in their ship board cybernetic equipment. (watch jedion have fun with this one)Smile

Anyway, this could reflect on the ship exteriors.  Sensors and other exterior equipment could be self contained habitats for the cybernetic organisms.  There would be subtle hints to this in the ship design.

I also say keep to the booms, spherical, smooth like skin themes too.
-iggy

jedion357's picture
jedion357
November 17, 2010 - 5:25pm
We could also write off the one sathar ship detailed in the KH modules as a copy of stollen tech and used specifically for training their new client species on Snoball for fighter operation even though that race had no tollerance for high G maneuvers- maybe they thought they could change that.

I'd bet if we did up a series of sathar ships that were substantially different then the one in the module and gave a explanation like that that most people would sign on for the new designs.

Are you doing the exterior image or will you be doing interior images and deck plans?

Have you see any of the World Works products- paper terrain for miniatures gaming? I've always liked the look of the shadow core interiors for sathar ship interiors
http://www.worldworksgames.com/store/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=5&products_id=140
I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers!

Anonymous's picture
w00t (not verified)
November 19, 2010 - 2:13pm
As a suggestion, you could submit a few designs for review and comment. Let us see what you have in mind. 

Will the Stampede's picture
Will the Stampede
November 27, 2010 - 2:17pm
padawan357 wrote:
2. RE: Booms, spherical command modules and other capabilities- I totally loved the boom separation capability of klingon ships in Star Fleet Battles back in the day- they were sleek, fast and you could self destruct the ship while separating the boom and maybe you could survive the blast to continue pounding on the federation ship. So what if its been done befor its just cool- incorporate boom separation and the new battle tactic of diving into enemy formations, self destructing the ship and separating the boom.


At the risk of completely missing the point of the conversation:

The tactic Jedi described above makes perfect sense given the Sathar mentality.
" 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death."

Will the Stampede's picture
Will the Stampede
November 27, 2010 - 2:26pm
jedion357 wrote:
We could also write off the one sathar ship detailed in the KH modules as a copy of stollen tech and used specifically for training their new client species on Snoball for fighter operation even though that race had no tollerance for high G maneuvers- maybe they thought they could change that.

That was actually an intel platform for a rival clan.

A suggestion: Create a few one-off Sathar brain/cyberships, where a single worm's brain is hardwired into the ship to serve as its operating system. With a variety of hulls(particularlly the Juggernaut), they can either serve as suicide ships for one-way missions, or as planetary bombardement and invasion ships, such as a cyber-controlled Juggernaut raining death, destruction, and attack creatures/troops down upon the unsuspecting enemy.

" 'Beware the Beast, Man, for he is the Devil's pawn. Alone among God's primates, he kills for sport, for lust, for greed. Yea, he will murder his brother to possess his brother's land. Let him not breed in great numbers, for he will make a desert of his home and yours. Shun him; drive him back into his jungle lair, for he is the harbinger of death."