A Few Questions

[Lost Soul]

First of all, I've only had the book a few days and am impressed with what Ive seen so far although I'm supprised by the relative lack of artwork that were used to seeing in Mongoose products. Don't get me wrong, the artwork that there is is of excellent quality but there just isn't very much of it in there.

Now for my questions:

Does anyone lnow where there are Racial statistics for creating Shi characters? The Character Creation chapter lists the three different Human Factions, the Quay section of the Factions chapter has Racial information for them, but there's nothing for the Shi. Is there a reason for that?

In the Vehicle Combat chapter, under the section on weapon ranges it only states that the modifier for long range is reduced from -4 to -2 due to the ease of firing mounted weapons. From this should I conclude that ground and air vehicle weapons only have a short and long range, like ship mounted weapons, or is it a typo? And if it is a typo, then what should it be?

In the descriptions for Spaceships, there are listings for Acc, Dec and Speed. I can't for the life of me figure out what these would be used for. During interplanitary travel the GRAV drive would be used, which doesnt use the standard speed listings, and during combat the new combat orders are used instead. I know I'm missing something, but I can't figure out what it is!

Also, if in space there is no limit to how fast a ship can travel, why have maximum speed listing? Is it the same as in Babylon 5, where the listed speed for Spaceships is used to limit its speed in an atmosphere. And if it is, why is the iCom Battleship listed whith a speed stat when it can't enter an atmosphere?

In the new space combat system, does anybody know how far short and long range are?

Finally, is there a map or something that shows the area which each Faction controls?

 

[dagent145]

1. Pg. 287, right under the block on the Shi Warrior

2. I'd assume its a 0/0/-2. Fits in with other things on vehcile weapons

3. Sub-grav cruising speed perhaps?

4. No idea

5. No, but if you look at the cards and the support Icons, you can get an idea.

Everyone's on Ganymede, that's where the action is.

Earth essentially controls everything Earth and inward, with only Mercury being in any doubt. They also have stations in the belt.

Gongen basically have Mars and its moons, as well as presence in the Belt.

Mavs hang in the belt and the moons of Saturn and Jupiter. The Accorn hangs out on Titan, the Cartel on Europa, the "Nest" on Ceres (an asteroid), the Hellcats on Themis, an Asteroid that's been made Mobile.

Shi, see Gongen, same basic idea. They specifically have a presence on Vesta a large asteroid.

Quay have no permenant planet size base. They have a couple stations, asteroids, and presence on outlying moons.

 

[Lost Soul]

Thanks for those answers dagent145, I guess I should have looked through the book a bit more thoroughly before I asked those questions, shouldn't I?

3. Sub-grav cruising speed perhaps?

That makes sense, but how would that work in relation to combat, which as far as I can tell is the only need to know how fast a ship is moving in relation to another, yet the ship combat section only seems to deal with orders.

Somethings still don't quite make sense to me. For example: say you've got a fast and agile fighter attacking a slow clumsy freighter, and by some bad dice roling the fighter gets badly damaged and decides to do a runner. As the fighter is much faster and more agile it should be able to brake off easily. Under the ship combat rules, unless you make the roll after issuing a tactical order to retreat, that isn't going to happen.

Have I got it right this time?

2. I'd assume its a 0/0/-2. Fits in with other things on vehcile weapons

Thats what I was thinking as well.

Although it doesn't fit in with the personal combat section, where it states in the section on ranged attacks (which it lists as anything from a plasma bolter to a mounted weapon) have a maximum range of 10 increments.

So maybe is should be 'reduced the range penalty -2 to -1 penalty per range increment'?

5. No, but if you look at the cards and the support Icons, you can get an idea.

Would they be from the CCG that Decipher is supposed to be doing? Hopefully more info on this will be given in the Battlefront sourcebook.

 

[PaulB]

Would they be from the CCG that Decipher is supposed to be doing? Hopefully more info on this will be given in the Battlefront sourcebook.

Decipher has already released two sets of cards in the Incursion block. The locations/planets indicate dominant factions.

 

[lastbesthope]

Also, if in space there is no limit to how fast a ship can travel, why have maximum speed listing? Is it the same as in Babylon 5, where the listed speed for Spaceships is used to limit its speed in an atmosphere. And if it is, why is the iCom Battleship listed whith a speed stat when it can't enter an atmosphere?

Whilst there is no limit (other than light speed) on how fast an object may travel in vacuum. You must consider how much stress the structure can take, and how far ahead you can see objects to have time to manoeuvre to avoid them. If you break either of those limits, your ship may just become a collection of shrapnel.

LBH

 

[dagent145]

Your space speeds are the GRAV speeds. GRAV 1 is equal to Roughly 160,000 KpH (or 96,000 mph for my fellow statesiders). Hope that helps

 

[Lost Soul]

GRAV 1 is equal to Roughly 160,000 KpH (or 96,000 mph for my fellow statesiders)

160,000kph? How did you come to that figure?

If 1 AU is 150,000,000 Kilometres (as listed in the book, give or take a few hundred thousand Kilometres), then a GRAV1 drive (which can travel 1AU in 48 hours) travels at roughly 3,000,000 kph!
(150,000,000/48 = 3,125,000)

And the GRAV 5 would have a speed in excess of 7,000,000 kph!
(150,000,000/20 = 7,500,000)

Whilst there is no limit (other than light speed) on how fast an object may travel in vacuum. You must consider how much stress the structure can take, and how far ahead you can see objects to have time to manoeuvre to avoid them. If you break either of those limits, your ship may just become a collection of shrapnel.

Which also kind of shows that the stress tolerance of a ship isn't a factor of how fast you can go.

Personally, I think the only use for the speed stats of ships is for use in an atmosphere, where they are treated like aircraft. (There are several references in the Vehicl Combat section to Ships being involved in atmospheric combat, such as how they are damaged - and what by.) But if thats the case, what are the Ship weapons ranges when used in an atmosphere?

Either that, or they're just for comparitive purposes (in the section on GRAV speeds it mentions that the Speed stats are used to show the efficiancy and power of the thrusters ships use in combat).

Finally, how close do ships have to be before they enter detection range?

 

[lastbesthope]

Whilst there is no limit (other than light speed) on how fast an object may travel in vacuum. You must consider how much stress the structure can take, and how far ahead you can see objects to have time to manoeuvre to avoid them. If you break either of those limits, your ship may just become a collection of shrapnel.

Which also kind of shows that the stress tolerance of a ship isn't a factor of how fast you can go.

Eh? I say structural stress is a factor, and you say it shows that it isn't? What am I missing?

LBH

 

[dagent145]

I used the Earth/Luna #s to get my speed figures. 400,000km/2.5 hours = 160,000 kph.

 

[Lost Soul]

Eh? I say structural stress is a factor, and you say it shows that it isn't? What am I missing?

I was assuming that you meant that the stress rating limits you to the listed speed rating, as presented on the different ship profiles.

I appologise if I got that wrong.

2. I'd assume its a 0/0/-2. Fits in with other things on vehcile weapons

It seems that there is a precedent of sorts for this.
In the Starship Troops RPG, in the Combat Chapter - under Ranged Attacks - it does state that all ranged weapons have only 2 range bands, and to fire beyond listed range and upto double range has apenalty of -4. Unless you have the Far Shot feat, you can't shoot beyond that range. Having said that, someone has noted that in a thread over on that forum and its been said that its wrong and should be ignored. If thats the case, what should the rule be here?

 

[Samvail1]

2. I'd assume its a 0/0/-2. Fits in with other things on vehcile weapons

It seems that there is a precedent of sorts for this.
In the Starship Troops RPG, in the Combat Chapter - under Ranged Attacks - it does state that all ranged weapons have only 2 range bands, and to fire beyond listed range and upto double range has apenalty of -4. Unless you have the Far Shot feat, you can't shoot beyond that range. Having said that, someone has noted that in a thread over on that forum and its been said that its wrong and should be ignored. If thats the case, what should the rule be here?

Yeah, that was me! All combat should be set with the 10 eange increments thing. Although I don't have the book handy, I would assume that ship weapons are the same. Although I might be wrong

Sam

 

[Anonymous]

Thats what I was thinking as well. In that case though, does the 'ease of firing mounted weapons' modifier still apply? Maybe at -1 per range increment, instead of the usual -2 (the modifier listed simply halves the difficulty, so it kind of makes sense).

 

[Lost Soul]

Thats what I was thinking as well. In that case though, does the 'ease of firing mounted weapons' modifier still apply? Maybe at -1 per range increment, instead of the usual -2 (the modifier listed simply halves the difficulty, so it kind of makes sense).

That was me - I thought i was logged in!

 

[dagent145]

Well, d20 Starwars only uses -2s for its range bands.