 October 1, 2014 - 10:01am | Well you can't shoot what you can't see, so yes. However, if the opposing ship has an energy sensor the ion drive can still be detected...at which point there is no penalty. I rule that the ion driven ship can only coast in a staight line to remain invisible. Since the description reads the ion field is scattered in a 360 degree field rather than concentrated aft (as under normal acceleration), once you change the field for acceleration and maneuvering the ship appears on radar again. |
 October 1, 2014 - 6:21pm | Wasn't there an indetpth article on Ion drives and jamming in the SFman? I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
October 1, 2014 - 10:14pm | Probably, that magazine has everything. ;) |
 October 2, 2014 - 4:31am | Is there? I recall reading an article about the often overlooked benifits of an Ion drive over an atomic one. ----------------------------------------------- |
 October 2, 2014 - 5:13am | Window The rules regarding radar windows are a little thin and, in places, contradictory. In fact, the section of the canon rules that address the jamming of energy sensors contradicts itself within its two paragraph length! The very first sentence reads: “neither window nor decoys will fool energy sensors!”. And the second to last sentence reads: “However, ships with ion engines are invisible to energy sensors.” So at first it seems to say energy sensors can find any ship, but then it says that ion ships are invisible. Which is it? Despite this apparent contradiction, it may be inferred that a ship with ion drives can not be targeted inside a window even by a ship with energy sensors. Only chemical or atomic engines of other ships hiding in the window can be detected by energy sensors (or if the designer of an ion driven ship was foolish enough to use a nuclear generator to power the ship). As energy sensors are designed to detect any “source of extreme heat”, they might not be useful in detecting the relatively low heat output from fuel cells and life support systems, except at very close range. This leaves visual sensors as a search medium over an immense expanse of space. SFMan 12 |
 October 2, 2014 - 7:32am | I don't know why they'd need to just look for extreme heat. Relative to the background temperature of space, even a very small ship would have a heat signature that would be easy to pick out. Even a ship using an ion engine would still be releasing heat (for other purposes). I don't buy the whole 'stealth in space' thing  |
October 2, 2014 - 10:01am | Yeah, the person who edited that paragraph obviously went on and wrote most of Zeb's Guide. I'm sure there's a Marvel No-Prize grade explanation for the ion drive/energy sensor contrdiction. I don't have one, so I simply ignore the closing cotradiction instead. I figure an energy sensor can either detect energy or it can't, and if it can't then it's not an energy sensor. |
October 2, 2014 - 11:54am | Would ALL military UPF ships be equipped with energy sensors do you think? My original post was thinking in terms of my gunner's furture attempt to target the specific system on a target ship's laser battery which is on an Ion driven civilian ship (being used as a military ship). I guess that would be mostly visual even if they block radar because they see the target ship now... as in it has not been trying to jam radar. Was just considering if that would be helpful for the enemy ship to do... start venting Ion energy to jam radar in a active firefight. ----------------------------------------------- |
October 2, 2014 - 1:39pm | Well I know the Clarion Royal Marines use them sparingly so, if going against a Militia or civilian ship, they probably only have radar so - Yes. It would be helpful to vent Ion energy to jam the radar. |
October 2, 2014 - 2:50pm | Would ALL military UPF ships be equipped with energy sensors do you think?
I would presume any SpaceFleet vessel that is a frigate or larger would have an energy sensor (along with a WNB as well). Assault scouts and fighters probably wouldn't, in fact the fighters couldn't since it's a 20 cubic meter system and they're already cramming 40 cubic meters worth of assault rockets & launcher into a 31 cubic meter hull. Even the CMS Leo in Warriors of White Light has a WNB and energy sensor. So I would safely say any warship HS:5 or higher would have that full compliment of sensors and jamming equipment, with battleships sporting the deluxe WNB system. |
