 April 24, 2008 - 7:09pm | Admittedly my least favorite starship design, I don't know about anyone else but I feel this ship needs a serious rework. The original canon minelayer is described as medium sized slow Ion drive powered lightly armed and armored warship. Well as a rear line supply ship that may cut it but as a front-line warship sneaking about enemy territory sometimes as forward unit behind enemy-lines this will simply not do. If I were on the crew of a mine-layer I would like my ship to be fast and stealthy with a powerful jump drive for fast get aways if discovered. Nothing is worse then dropping a string of space mines and having a Sathar task force jump into your sector and have make a not so hasty retreat back to the fleet. With the improved speed of a new engine design I would expand the role of the mine layer to include orbital bombardment with "depth" charges. An image of the minelayer from my campaign world. A step in the right direction as a faster medium sized warship but still not the stealthy redux I have in mind. |
 September 20, 2009 - 4:25pm | I have actually found seekers to be next to useless with only an acceleration speed of 2 for 6 turns then it explodes. If you activate one more than 2 hexes away, even a battleship can keep distance from one, unless it had drive damage and has a speed of less than 6. The seeker can only be used effectively in mine type mode due to the low amount of fuel on them, only 5 turns. he biggest thing going for them is the damage they do when they hit, 5d10. My group likes the idea of using them in head on attacks along with a torpedo launch and if in range RB with them, we like to call it the chicken shot. I know the book says they are placed like mines. This mode is an alternate use for seekers that we like to use. In this mode a seeker does this: has these stats: range 36 hexes ADF 2 MR unlimited MPO No defensive fire turn 1 range to target 10 seeker launch speed ADF 2 closing range to 8 the seeker has moved 2 hexes enemy ship detects seeker launch fire ICMs will be fired in defence if they miss this is what will happen turn 2 seeker speed 4 range down to 4 target ship use ADF 4 to stop and MR to turn 180 turn 3 seeker speed 6 target ship accelerates to 4 moving 4 hexes but since the seeker accelerates at 2 and is already moving at 6 then add 2 more for 8 the target ship gets hit in turn 3 taking 5d10 -20 DTM in damage from the seeker In this mode the effective range of a seeker for faster ships is about 10 to 12, for bigger ships it is about 15 to 20 hexes. We have scored hits as far as 25 hexes with the target ship having ADF damage and hitting big ships like the sather HC. After they are launched track them as a fighter. The catch to this is, the firing ships have to be in front of the fleet and not in the same hexes. This can put these ships out on their own to fend for themselves. We have a name for them also Lone Wolf attack ships. This can only be done during first engagements. So, mingling with the enemy fleet to keep them from using this mode is the better option but ten you have to deal with torpedo that can do almost the same amount of damage 4d10. Using seekers in this fashion makes the battles go real fast with a bunch of damage being dealt out in the first couple of turns. The fun part is when the target ship tries to evade them. If other ships come into a closer range it attacks them be it friend or foe. We do not use this all the time because it really makes the game into a mess for a little while tracking all those seekers then any ships that survive can o after the Lone Wolf ships that are by themselves. All I can say is to try it. It is an interesting way to use them. It does make for an interesting sight though on a board map. |
 September 21, 2009 - 6:54pm | Love the closeup! May I use it in one of my articles I'm submitting to the webzine? |
 September 21, 2009 - 7:16pm | Very Nice!! Awsome looking ship AZ! Time flies when your having rum. Im a government employee, I dont goof-off. I constructively abuse my time. |
September 21, 2009 - 8:12pm | @woot, please feel free, and if you want some more shots i have the model in the can and ready for use so just let me know what you need |
 September 22, 2009 - 2:39pm | I always looked at the Minelayers as being more system defense system more than first line warships. They are only assigned to TF Prenglar and TF Cassidine based at the two central heavily populated systems of the Frontiers. I do like the beefed up vision you have though and the art is great. @Gilbert. It sound like you are playing with more realistic vector movement rules. In those situations, SM become much more effective as you describe as you can't just turn on a dime and out run them as you descibe in the begining of your post using the canon rules. Ad Astra Per Ardua! My blog - Expanding Frontier Webmaster - The Star Frontiers Network & this site Founding Editor - The Frontier Explorer Magazine Managing Editor - The Star Frontiersman Magazine |
 September 22, 2009 - 6:45pm | +1 on the defensive end. I mean seriously, do you need to be moving at 3G when placing mines? Add to that, no astrogator can outaccelerate 1G worth of acceleration when plotting a jump. Although I will be among the first to argue that UPF needs to become more proactive concerning SpaceFleet than as presented in the game, their published data is far from respectable when it comes to defending the AD/KH published worlds, and is spread even thinner if you consider the Zeb Frontier map. Even so, I would see a minelayer better suited as a militia ship rather than attached to SpaceFleet. I do like the artwork, much better than the Star Trek Reliant looking KH boat. Great stuff! |
