barrages - does lack of armor improve effectiveness

[Nerhesi]

So, continuing to alternate between an adventure game and a naval game, we ran into an interesting question from our group:

Thanks to trillion credit squadron, we now know that you subtract armor from the IWD (individual weapon damage) to determine the defensive DM.

None of the 3 examples (in 2 books) however, display armor having a negative effect on the attack. For example:

If I'm using a particle barbette barrage (iwd 4) and I have armor 2, is that +2 to my barrage DM??? All the example stick to scenarios where the armor is higher than the IWD, so the DM is negative. That makes sense, but is the the DM floored to 0 similar to sandcasters/lasers?

What do you folks think?

 

[Galadrion]

Okay, to clarify the literal meaning of your question here...

If I'm using a particle barbette barrage (iwd 4) and I have armor 2, is that +2 to my barrage DM???

What you are implying with the way you've stated this problem is that a given starship's armor detracts from the effectiveness of its own weapons. This is, in fact, a faulty interpretation of the rules. To clarify those rules: an aggressor's weapons provide a positive DM on the barrage tables, while the defender's armor provides a negative DM on those same tables. The better the attacker's equipment, the higher the damage goes, while the better the defender's equipment, the lower the damage goes, clear? Weapon modifiers come from the side providing the weapons, armor modifiers come from the side providing the armor.

There is plenty of confusion available in the space combat rules, though - especially the barrage rules.

 

[Nerhesi]

Thanks - thats how we've been playing it thus far. Just that after a few months of doing so... I noticed the only examples given had comparissons between weapons and armor where the IWD was lower than the armor.

Thanks for confirming

 

[locarno24]

Yup, nothing stops a DM being negative (in fact, when faced with capital ship armour, it usually will be).

 

[Galadrion]

In point of fact, if you're going into a fight where the DM is not negative, somebody is in a situation they have no business being in. If you're in a fight where the barrage rules are a good idea (more than a few weapons on either side), you want all the armor you can get. Or the fight's going to be a short one. One way or another.