A merging of b5wars and acta?

[blackphoenix]

I've been playing both b5wars and acta for several months now and find parts from both games great and others lacking. So I've taken on myself to make some house rules for a combination of the two.

I'm going to create both a hex based movement and inch based movement as well. Its still work in progress but I wanted to get people's feel for it.

The mechanics are similar, roll to beat the armor for a point of damage, no "bulkhead" rolls since I've done less with AP and SAP. I still need to work out how criticals will work but I thought I'd share my first two ships...



Centauri Primus Battlecruiser:
Level: Battle
Class: Capital Ship
Speed: 8"
Turns: 1/45
Turn Delay: 6"

Damage: 70
Hull: 5 All around

--Weapons-------------------Arc------Range----AD--------Delay-----Special
4x Forward Twin Arrays-----F/P/S-------8"-------4--------None-------None
2x Port Twin Arrays----------F/P/B(a)---8"-------4--------None-------None
2x Starboard Twin Arrays---F/S/B(a)---8"-------4--------None-------None
2x Port Battle Lasers---------B/P--------30"-----10--------1 per 3----Heavy Weapon
2x Starboard Battle Lasers--B/S--------30"-----10--------1 per 3----Heavy Weapon



EA Omega Destroyer:
Level: Battle
Class: Capital Ship
Speed: 8"
Turns: 1/45
Turn Delay: 8"

Damage: 90
Hull: 6 Forward/Aft, 4 on Port/Starboard

--Weapons---------------------Arc------Range----AD--------Delay-----Special
2x Forward Heavy Lasers------F--------30"-----10--------1 per 4----Heavy Weapon
2x Forward Heavy Pulse-------F--------24"-----12--------1 per 3----Heavy Weapon
6x Port Particle-Beams--------B/P/B(a)-12"-----2--------None-------None
6x Starboard Particle-Beams--B/S/B(a)-12"----2--------None-------None
2x Aft Heavy Lasers------------A--------30"------10--------1 per 4----Heavy Weapon


*Heavy Weapons: +1 on roll to damage

 

[Burger]

I'm going to create both a hex based movement and inch based movement as well.

???

 

[Lord David the Denied]

This makes little sense to me... do you need to be familiar with both games to understand?

 

[blackphoenix]

Sorry, meaning I was going to create a ruleset for inch based movement and a seperate one for hex based. Not a mix of both.

I prefer hex base moment, but I know alot enjoy measuring.

 

[blackphoenix]

This makes little sense to me... do you need to be familiar with both games to understand?

Not really, just house rules, but trying to combine what I like and what I feel works for both.

One thing I always enjoyed of b5wars was the weapon delay times. Heavy lasers might fire once ever 4 turns but inflict a good amount of damage. You just need to plan your attack so you're not without for a couple turns.

 

[Silvereye]

One thing I always enjoyed of b5wars was the weapon delay times. Heavy lasers might fire once ever 4 turns but inflict a good amount of damage. You just need to plan your attack so you're not without for a couple turns.

I always assumed that this was made up for with either lower AD (weapons being cycled, so while some were firing, others were re-charging) or the Slow -Loading trait (where there was not enough space to mount additional weapons to that area).

 

[Reaverman]

B5 Wars, and ACTA.....Boys looks like we git ourselves a lynching....

Burger...git me some rope

Greg...You git the horses

LDD...Hot water and towels


Just kidding...but seriously you are trying to add to completely different gaming styles.

 

[Lord David the Denied]

Hot water and towels? Are we lynching someone or delivering a baby? :?

:wink:

 

[Burger]

Hot water and towels? Are we lynching someone or delivering a baby? :?

:wink:

Well we need a bath when we get home from the lynching :lol:

 

[Lord David the Denied]

I see. I'll warm up the tub...

 

[Locutus9956]

Not really, hes simply trying to create a game that takes some of ACTA's speed of play with B5Wars modelling, and by the looks of it ending up pretty much with ACTA but with B5Wars ship profiles instead of flat hull scores and turn delays for weapons rather than various traits (more powerful weapon = more dice simply) Personally I think it COULD work but tbh if you REALLY want a quicker play version of B5Wars without losing too much of the complexity, simply dump B5Wars maneuvering and use that from full thrust instead You would be amazed how well that can work

Also lose any worries of enerygy management, actually come to think of it this may require some more drawn out thinking to really work but to be honest Im not that bothered... I LIKE the full on uber complex version of B5 Wars, sure it takes forever and a day to play but theres something very fun about that level of detail, you can play at captaining a ship properly rather than ordering a fleet around (and thats the crux of it really, ACTA is a fleet strategy game, B5Wars is designed for much smaller tactical engagements really, between single ships or small squadrons (the Biggest game of B5Wars Ive ever played (that is to say that wasnt between 2 first one sides....) was about 5000 pts. (Bear in mind that a Sharlin with its full fighter compliment alone nearly fills that....)

 

[frobisher]

This makes little sense to me... do you need to be familiar with both games to understand?

By what he's said, you just need to know ACtA.

 

[frobisher]

(the Biggest game of B5Wars Ive ever played (that is to say that wasnt between 2 first one sides....) was about 5000 pts. (Bear in mind that a Sharlin with its full fighter compliment alone nearly fills that....)

Ah you wimp, That's a two-three hour job 10K is where the battles get big and nasty and you have to set days aside...

Though...

...but tbh if you REALLY want a quicker play version of B5Wars without losing too much of the complexity, simply dump B5Wars maneuvering and use that from full thrust instead You would be amazed how well that can work

Movement is actually the easiest and quickest thing to keep in the game.

If you want to speed it up lose the Electronic Warfare. That is the one thing that slows every turn down (as people designate targets, start to allocate EW, then change their minds etc.).

Oh, and don't ever let anyone use anything other than Flight combat resolution for fighters - ever.

 

[Locutus9956]

aye anyone even trying to use other than flight combat resolution for fighters gets bludgeoned to death with the rulebooks. ALL OF THEM....

As for EW never found that takes much time at all, the most time consuming part of the game is working out precise thrust for everything ( like to try pulling some fancy maneuvers sometimes )

As for game size I've not played a game where any one PLAYER had over 5000 points but we did once play a game using 4 complete sets of hex maps set out over an entire room floor with 6 players all using different fleets of about 4000 points each. Much fun was had by all (though Vree Tzymms blew up my Omega which was anoying (for those who don't know B5Wars, Tzymms were EVIL little gits back in the day ).

I did get to watch with some satisfaction after that though as the entire Vree force got annhilated by a collossal hail of torpedoes from several Centauri Demos over the next few turns. In the end we ended the scenario in an amusing fashion of having 2 Shadow cruisers jump in and trash what was left on the board (we were playing with everyone racing to capture a 'dead' shadow ship in the middle of floor and noone held the field before the shadows turned up to collect it

 

[frobisher]

As for EW never found that takes much time at all, the most time consuming part of the game is working out precise thrust for everything ( like to try pulling some fancy maneuvers sometimes )

As a Drazi player pulling off whacky manoeuvre's etc after your thrusters drop off becomes second nature I suppose...

 

[Silvereye]

Ah, the good old rolling and pivoting and then turning into the pivot thing.

Its usually the front thrusters that go first, then some smart-ass shoots of those on on the stopping side as you are pivoting to try and stop flying off the map, so you have to roll too and something else is bound to go wrong at that point. I have had a couple of tumbling ships lost from the fight this way they merrily pirouetted off the table.

 

[Hash]

I've been playing both b5wars and acta for several months now and find parts from both games great and others lacking. So I've taken on myself to make some house rules for a combination of the two.

Having never played B5 Wars - I am quite curious to see what you come up...must admit, I would be very interested in the hex movement system.

 

[Nomad]

Introducing 4-turn reload times into ACtA? Gaaak! Please don't.

One thing about ACtA I really like is that my Heavy Lasers can fire every turn (initiative sinks permitting, but hey, that's tactics, right?) so my Omegas and Hyperions don't get eaten alive during the recharge turns.

Warlocks can fire their HPCs more than once per game (they take *six* turns to reload in B5W..I usually fire them once, then use the energy for thrust instead).

The main thing from B5W I'd like to see imported into ACtA in the Newtonian movement system - ships being able to pivot off-boresight, turning more rapidly at lower speeds and not stopping when their engines go off-line. The best hexless system to do this that I've seen is GZGs Full Thrust II. Now combining that with ACtA...Hmmm...

 

[Reaverman]

I've been playing both b5wars and acta for several months now and find parts from both games great and others lacking. So I've taken on myself to make some house rules for a combination of the two.

Having never played B5 Wars - I am quite curious to see what you come up...must admit, I would be very interested in the hex movement system.

Hex suck, for a start it means you either turn 60 degrees or you dont, there is no inbetween. Also in a hex game, sometimes a ship might just not be in the forward arc. Yet a model right behind it, is (by the way the hexes fall). Where as in the current rules, its easy to figure out.

 

[Lord David the Denied]

I never do agree with Reaverman, but hex-grids cut about as much ice with me as they do with him...

Anyone get the reference? :wink: