 November 25, 2014 - 5:09am | KHs rules are perhaps best at small actions 2-12 ships. With less ships you use the Advanced Damage table and with more you use the basic game rules of all damage goes to hull points. Things start to bog down in large fleet actions. A recent post on SF-UN got me wondering about fleet actions. a fleet action with hundreds of ships is not going to be concerned with ship X has a laser cannon and a masking screen. In fact one heavy cruiser miniature or counter will likely represent a division of 2 cruisers or 2 divisions of cruisers in formation. A Light cruiser on the table would be similar or as many as 6 ships in formation. and so on. a fighter would be a squadron of 12. All ships would be represented by Attack and defense numbers and possibly a "Saving throw" or DCR number A Formation would have health states- Trim, damaged, depleted, destroyed. Models on the table at start of game are Trim. When a formation is damaged a cotton ball is added to the minitature (underneath or trailing it) this represents debris and atmosphere leaking from the damaged ships which is being picked up by radar and scanners. When a ship is depleted a second cotton ball is added (tear each cotton ball in half and streatch it out some to form a debris trail) Damage control and improve a health state. mechanic should be a simple rule not requiring looking up much more than a card on that particular ship (no flipping through a rule book during play or consulting tables) If PCs are riding in a ship in a formation that is damaged, depleted or destroy they can pretty much survive much as in the current KHs rules. Game master simply shifts to a deck plan and plays out the SAR scenario. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 25, 2014 - 5:12am | RE: squadrons of fighters They could be used as CAP or combat air patrol to interdict other fighters (automatic intercept of attacking fighters forcing those fighters to dog fight your fighters and not go at heavier ships) Screening of larger ships (see screen below) Or Attack- meaning the can move and attack as other ships. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 25, 2014 - 5:24am | Screening of larger ships Typically smaller ships screen larger ships in formation: assault scouts, frigates etc. Screening means that heavier ship gets a big boost to its defensive number and only a small boost to its offensive number. Attacker can opt to pick off the screening formation, in which case it relies on its organic defense numbers. or attempt to blast through to the defended formation (it benefits from greater defense) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 25, 2014 - 6:43am | Thinking a simple D10 mechanic ships have attack numbers of somewhere between 1-9 big military ships have bigger numbers and must roll this number or under in an attack. Ships being targeted add their defensive number to the die roll. A hit means the formation is knocked back in "health"- damaged, depleted, destroyed. DCR is a number again between 1-9 and every 3rd turn DCR is rolled for any formations not "Trim" to improve their condition by one. Damaged formations are less effective so if it is damaged modify all formation stats by -1 (Attack, Defense, DCR). If Depleted modify all stats by -2. Move stat is pretty much what they are in KHs. Just pulling stats for fomations out of the air till I can play test (A= Attack, D=defense, R= DCR): Fighter: A 3, D 0, R 0 Corvette: A3, D 1, R 2 Assault Scout: A 3, D 1, R 2 Frigate:A 4, D 2, R 3 Destroyer: A 4, D 3, R3 Light Cruiser: A 5, D 3, R 3 Heavy Cruiser: A 5, D 5, R 4 Carrier: A 2, D 3, R 5 (may repair fighter squadrons that land previous turn) Battleship: A 6, D 6, R 6 Unarmed freither might be: A 0, D 2, R 3 Armed freighter might be: A 2, D 2, R 3 These numbers leave room for other things to be worked in at the fringes like the Jeggernaut from Day of the Juggurnaut and the Zuraquore asteroid ships which should be tough. Stations can be worked into this system. Mechanon's and saurian ships can be worked in easily enough. Movement stats is as listed in KHs. Stations may repair anthing smaller than a frigate that docks with it the previous turn, Carriers may repair fighter squadrons that dock the previous turn. Small craft (HS4 and smaller) may land on a planet and return to space 3 turns latter (during that time they should get one automatic repair success ie one improvent in its "health" condition. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
November 25, 2014 - 6:53am | Screening rule is: A. One formation total may screen another formation B. screening unit is -1 to attack stat, defense and repair is unchanged C. screened unit is +2 to defense stat D. screening unit must move and maintain formation with the screened unit (which is usually slower and less manueverable) I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
