Comet house rules for SF

[MarkDawg]

We used this proxy model for a comet and had it move across the table 2d6 every end phase it was pretty cool and added a lot to the game.

 

[billclo]

I did this comet several months ago. I posted a pic but no one seemed to like it. It does the job though.

 

[MarkDawg]

If you play SF with no terrain you are really missing out the extra movement you get from planets and moons along with the line of sight blocking makes the game a million times better same goes for the comet.

 

[Nerroth]

After (finally) getting my own copy of the rulebook this week, I should note that there are official rules for using comets on page 21. Not that there is anything stopping people from doing their own thing with them, of course.

(As an aside, I didn't realise just how small those Kurgan ships were compared to the Klingon hulls.)

 

[MarkDawg]

We used the rules but nowhere dose it say that the comet moves so we added that and I think it works well plus I like the Idea of moving terrain in a war game.

 

[JohnDW]

I do like what you did, but maybe it moves too fast, I'd say 1d6, 2d4, or 1d8 for the comet per turn, even though they're moving 'fast', they're pretty slow compared to warp powered ships, so I don't think they should get to potentially move as fast as a ship can move normally in one turn.

 

[MarkDawg]

True but the tail is long so it stays on the board for a while.

 

[The Big D]

I could give you loads of sciency reasons why the comet probably shouldn't actually move during the time frame of a single game of ACTA SF but I like the the idea of moving terrain too much to really care!

One thing I would suggest is movement of stellar objects, is totally pradictable and tand to move with constant speed and/or acceleration. With this in mind I would roll once for the speed at the start of the game and it would then move at the same speed for the entire game. Or, for being close to a gravity source decide on an acceleration or deceleration rate for it for the game such as 2d6 movement, adding +1 each turn so for example turn 1 roll 5, turn 2 it moves 6, turn 3 7 and so on.

Geoff

 

[GalagaGalaxian]

That was my nag too, but I stopped myself and though "Well, technically its already apparently moving at Warp Speeds (given combat in the Star Fleet Universe takes place at speeds up to Warp Factor 3.2). This comet obviously doesn't care at all about our feeble notions of Science, so why not a little random movement? :lol:

 

[nekomata fuyu]

So basically, the comet ignores physics because it rocks?

 

[tneva82]

That was my nag too, but I stopped myself and though "Well, technically its already apparently moving at Warp Speeds (given combat in the Star Fleet Universe takes place at speeds up to Warp Factor 3.2). This comet obviously doesn't care at all about our feeble notions of Science, so why not a little random movement? :lol:

Well. I don't see much that it would really add to(mine at least) games but would scretch the suspension of disbelief even further than warpspeed comets would(though then again I have slight issue with the whole warpspeed battles. I don't recall that much of during warpspeed combat in the series(though albeit couple years since I last watched it) so I'm imagining it to happen sub-warp speed anyway). So if I'll have comets moving around I'll have it move at fixed speed. Probably slowish to reduce the "how that can move so frigging fast anyway?" effect.

 

[nekomata fuyu]

I seem to remember that tactical use of warp speed was considered unusual even in TNG. (check out the Picard Maneuver)
Star Fleet Universe is a different beast however, so they can apply whatever different evolutions of tactics that they wish.

 

[tneva82]

I seem to remember that tactical use of warp speed was considered unusual even in TNG. (check out the Picard Maneuver)
Star Fleet Universe is a different beast however, so they can apply whatever different evolutions of tactics that they wish.

True enough but question then is why invent the whole "fights happen at warpspeed" thingie?

But then again not a big problem! If I want to say "my battles happen at sub-warpspeed" then the nice thing is it affects NOTHING game wise Only how you imagine it.

Biggest beef I have with the whole thing is that suddenly the weapons need to be able to go at warpspeed as well. I have hard time imagining how the phasers, photons and disruptors are suddenly able to break the laws of physics as well. I can accept ships breaking those because otherwise there wouldn't be much of fights between aliens since there wouldn't be real between stars travel suitable for warfare but I don't see reason to make it even harder to swallow by suddenly having energy go past lightspeed

Much easier to just imagine that for battles to happen ships must decrease speed BELOW warpspeed.

 

[GalagaGalaxian]

If I remember correctly the handful of fights we saw in the Original series mostly took place at Warp Speeds. I know the Enterprise uses reverse Warp to try to outpace and weaken the Romulan Plasma Torpedo in Balance of Terror. IIRC the Klingons in Elaan of Troyus attacked the Enterprise at warp speeds, firing their disruptors, though the Enterprise itself was at sublight speeds due to a bomb that would explode if they went to warp. I admit its been a while so I could be misremembering the Klingons being at warp.

It was only in the Movies and TNG that fights suddenly dropped to impulse speeds.

 

[Rambler]

Yeah the reason the SF Universe cpmbat takes place at warp speed was because it took place at warp speed in TOS. Next Gen specific decided to redact that so one of thier captians could invent a cool never before seen maneuver.

Iirc in ST:TMP didn't they use warp speed photons to blow up a rouge asteroid because the phasers were off line?

 

[tneva82]

Yeah the reason the SF Universe cpmbat takes place at warp speed was because it took place at warp speed in TOS. Next Gen specific decided to redact that so one of thier captians could invent a cool never before seen maneuver.

Iirc in ST:TMP didn't they use warp speed photons to blow up a rouge asteroid because the phasers were off line?

fair enough. Though still could swear every time we saw enterprise firing photon's it was standing still.

But that's then one thing I'll just change in my games. Warpspeed moving weapons is bit too much for me to swallow. They put nacelle's to every phaser bolt(can't be really a beam then. More like series of small bolts fired fast enough to look like a beam) to get them go warpspeed?-)

 

[Halfbat]

These are the comets I now use after trying a card one. I'm not sure I'd have them moving as they'd be too slow, imho (see Greg), but I can see the case for a slow drift, and as the tails could be said to point away from the sun, they could also move in almost any direction.

Total cost 90p, btw, for three felt rectangles. And some old black paint, some white and some pale sea grey.