 July 17, 2015 - 5:48am | In WoWL module the module starts out with 2 assault scouts on order and about to be delivered. This actually represents some active naval expansion. To some extent we treat the setting as static but the numbers listed in the book really represent a slice of time and as you advance the time line there should be continual naval expansion. Where would a high population planets like Clarion, Minotaur, Pale, or Fromeltar go with their own "native" militia organizations? Random sathar incursions into White Light aught to convince the crown to build the Royal Marines to something at least the size of a strike force like that of Nova, Sure they'll have a lot of assault scouts and frigates for general policing of the system but it would make sense for some heavy hitters like cruisers and some squadrons of fighters based out of Clarion station. It would also make sense for the numbers for Space Fleet to not be static as well. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
 July 17, 2015 - 7:42am | Oh yes I agree. SF is like a lot of of comic book series, things are pretty static. Not realistic other than to give each referee a jump off point from which to create and take it out of stasis: Which is what should happen versus trying to keep it static. There are options as well for space fleet that I think needs exploration... A planets whole space fleet need not be able to jump, the ships need to be able to defend effectively that's it. So a planet might have a few hoopty can jump anywhere trans-system capable fleet (which probably is listed so they can jump to help other colonies against the Sathar or cut the Sathar off at the pass before they even get near their home system), but you can bet they have in system only ships that can not jump, but are powerful war ships none the less (in other words not all fighters). The fleet the books & modules shows us is the hoopty ships, because that is what sci-fi fans like, and I am sure R&D did not think much past an old Star Trek type galaxy... in the old series, Star Fleet is spread pretty thin. Ships like the Enterprise have patrols, visit colonies & outposts (which are pretty undefended), there are cargo ships but they too seem rare, even the bad guys (powerful empires) often are doing the same thing a few ships here and there, undefended colonies and so on. The idea was anyones military at that stage whether Star Fleet or say the Klingons was like a cavalry patrol in space checking on their borders, checking in at the fort (a deep space station of some sort), checking on the trading posts, & pioneers and so on... even the Klingons are spread thin heck they even go a visiting that one station per treaty agreements (grant you there was a hidden reason for the show but the fact that was in the klingon-feddy treaty means deep space stations are rare too!), but as the show went through various reboots we watch the vastness of space shrink, the territories become crowded: space becomes urbanized & suburbanized and space traffic increases. So when we look at the "Frontier" we have an ever increasing population, increasing trade, a real need to expand the map, increased need for outposts, space stations (of many types), expanding ranges of governments (multi-system, not just multi-planet), and so on... so the Frontier like Star Trek's Galaxy has shrunk and the need increases for more Jump capable ships for both militaries and civilians but there will always be a need for in system local system police, militia and even UPF fleet, fleet designed to stay in system but defend the heck out of system space. So I think that is what is really missing: the true system only designed war ships and police ships, this would bump the numbers up of fleet. Tactically and financially it would just make sense for there to be such ships... in fact the UPF might have to require so many jump ships in a militia because local governments might not want to spend the credits on a lot of jump capable military ships. There might be opportunities for militias to get jump capable older UPF ships as well that are being replaced with newer ships. "Never fire a laser at a mirror." |
July 18, 2015 - 2:44pm | The cost difference between the chem and atomic drive is not that much. Hard to see most navies giving up the performance of the atomic drive. If assaualt scouts can get behind sathar destroyers they can match acce/decel and maneuver to keep the DDs in front of them allowing their FF weapon's to reign destruction and preventing the sathar from using their heavy FF weapons. In my opinion powerful warships with chem drives are as useful as the Maginot line was vs the Nazis. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
