2nd Ed Shadows

[Da Boss]

Some thoughts and suggestions for 2nd Ed –

At present the Shadows are limited in choice – and especially in campaigns makes things less interesting for the controller and those who fight them.

Fleet choice

Priority Level: Patrol
Shadow Fighter Wing – the fighters themselves need a boost – perhaps a higher hull, but this does nothing for their “turkey shot” ability against any kind of fighter. Taking the fluff as a description of their abilities:
Other fighter craft engaging these ships are usually advised to rely on their own agility to evade these devastating blasts and disengage as quickly as possible, leaving the destruction of Shadow fighters to the anti-fighter screens of capital ships
Suggest giving them +2 dogfight (not against Vorlons) or more likely an Anti-fighter weapon – or the above needs a major rewrite……………

Priority Level: Raid
Shadow Scout – these work well at present and don’t really need any major changes…….

Priority Level: Battle
Shadow Ship (Young) - use the old models to make a “youngling”

Priority Level: War
Shadow Ship (Adult) – loose the Hunter –it’s a horrible looking ship and not “proper” shadowtech – a version of the present Hunter stats

Priority Level: Armageddon
Shadow Ship (Ancient) – similar to present ship

Stations
Shadow Cloud

Nice bit of controversy now:

Puppet Masters – the Shadows constantly manipulate younger races to war upon and cull one another giving promises of ultimate power and new technologies.

When using the Shadows fleet, you may spend 1 Fleet Allocation Point of your allowance on “puppet” ships from one of the following “tainted” fleet lists; Earth Alliance (Third Age), PSI-Corps or the Centauri. (maybe the Drakh?)

In a campaign, the Shadows may have a maximum of 1 Fleet Allocation Point at Battle level spent on puppet’s ships at any one time.

Re experience - - both they and the Vorlons need more than 6 abilities to make it less boring

– if more is made of Psykers and hopefully people will be able to “buy” them for their fleets – perhaps a useful experience would be “telepathic pilot” – immune to Jamming – as I believe they were trying to get such pilots for the PSI Corps?

Thank you for your time…………………

 

[Shadow Queen]

The hunter is going to an EA Covert Ops fleet list

 

[Da Boss]

Good

any opinion on the rest?

thanks

 

[Triggy]

Almost what I'd go for (on all counts - particularly the +2 dogfight) except I'd go for a souped up Scout/Destroyer at Battle PL rather than a "really" young Shadow Ship

 

[CmdrKiley]

Re-use the old Fleet Action Shadow Dreadnaught as a medium Shadow Ship, perhaps an alternative to the Hunter.

Use the Fleet Action Shadow Cruiser as a young Shadow Ship.

Use the Fleet Action Shadow Scouts as a Heavy Fighter or Patrol Boat type ship.

The EA Covert Ops Shadow Hunter is a good idea.

I like the idea of picking up some of the EA, Centauri or League Ships into the Shadow Fleet. As each of those races were experimenting with Shadow Tech, some of it could have taken over the ship and 'left to join the Shadows'. Give them a lower Crew Stat but the Flight Computer Trait, and then a choice of a Shadow Weapon or Trait.

Perhaps the Drakh could get a Shadow ship in their fleet as well. According to the fluff in the RPG, they've been looking for all sorts of leftover Shadowtech. They did get their hands on 2 Death Clouds. The Shadows have left ships buried all over, there were 2 buried in Earth's System, I wouldn't be suprised if more showed up after Corriana VI.

 

[Shadow Queen]

Matt has it in the 2e bit on this forum

 

[Shadow Queen]

there should be some Shadow tech hidden some place or another

 

[voodoomachine]

Change it so that the Shadow Scout weapon cannot be intercepted anymore. That has to be the most ridiculous thing I ever read.

Shadows use beam technology on all their ships.

 

[Tankdriver]

The hunter is going to an EA Covert Ops fleet list

It's doing what with the who now?

 

[captainsmirk]

Shadows use beam technology on all their ships.

Watch the duel between Ivanova's White Star and the Shadow scout prior to the battle in Sector 83 and then perhaps rethink that statement.

However we do see ships like the Scout firing beams later on, so a I say have beam armed non-scout variant...


Nick

 

[Rabidchild]

As much as I love the shadow ship, I'm not sure how much fun I could have with a fleet that only had differing sizes of the same ship as 3/4 of its options.

The shadows have a great deal of character and I would like to see that character developed into more options. If it can be done with a ship that looks as strange as the Whitestar, it can be done with the shadows.

All that being said, I agree with most of Da Boss' points. Why do the shadows and vorlons have some of the worst fighters in the game? Oh and I love the idea for the Puppet Masters, that would give the Shadows a much needed boost of variety.

 

[Shadow Queen]

http://www.mongoosepublishing.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=24729 for all who cant find it

 

[CmdrKiley]

Watch the duel between Ivanova's White Star and the Shadow scout prior to the battle in Sector 83 and then perhaps rethink that statement.

However we do see ships like the Scout firing beams later on, so a I say have beam armed non-scout variant...

Well Ivanova fought a scout, however in the B5W the model was listed as a Destroyer/Scout.

Perhaps a Destroyer variant, equipped with a beam.

 

[Shadow Queen]

A boy scout with a beam weapon :?

 

[Da Boss]

Ok had a look - nothing there seems to have addressed the points in this post - esp as the only change in the variety of Shadow ships seems to be a merely cosmetic Hunter to young Shadow ship. :?

Is it better to post ideas there then?

Hope the game is not being rewritten (as it sounds) - the present rules are, in the main excellent. A huge revision may lead to another SFOS - having to completely change most of the ships not long after the game is released.

eg: why change beams - they work fine - the arguments all seem to centre round who should have them and how powerful? :?

 

[captainsmirk]

Yeah, the Destroyer was the idea I was after (although that was an anti-fighter ship, the B5W Strike Destroyer variant had MSBs though).


Nick

 

[Shadow Queen]

Yeah, the Destroyer was the idea I was after (although that was an anti-fighter ship, the B5W Strike Destroyer variant had MSBs though).


Nick

MSB's??????????

 

[captainsmirk]

Molecular Slicer Beams.

Sorry...


Nick

 

[MustEatBrains]

I´d like a destroyer variant of the scout as a battle choice too, would be a good opportunity to make more use of the nice model. Together with the two levels of shadow ships and the death cloud, the Shadows would have something useful at almost all priority levels, without giving up their character.

I´m not sure about the +2 dogfight for the fighters; instead I´d give their weapon the Mini-beam trait (would be interesting for shadow scouts, too, now that I think of it. Or a rule like the laser/pulse arrays of the Nova).

I don´t know if anyone of you knows the B5 mod for Star Trek Armada 2; but in this mod, the shadows could built a "Shadow Star" - a ship based on captured White stars, but replacing the vorlon tech with shadow tech (could be nice for special scenarios)...

Or another idea: While the WS is a mixture of Vorlon and Minbari tech, there could be a similar ship built by the Drakh, including shadow tech.

 

[Da Boss]

the B5 mod for Armada - is that an actually computer game conversion - sounds very cool as really enjoyed Armada. :shock:

The idea of the Battle Scout - is a good one and yes more interesting than 3 Shadow Ships. I think if that was coupled with the "Puppet Masters" would give some quite nice variations.

fighters need something - minibeam is interesting -anyone know how that works in the new game?