Dogfighting Calculations for tonnage

[PsiTraveller]

So assuming the Highburn Thruster boost from the other thread has allowed a fighter ship to get into Close range the dogfighting rules take over.

For the sake of an example let's say there is a 35 ton fighter with 2 firmpoints used as a Tachyon Barbette and it has got into Close range with a 800 ton Mercenary ship with 8 triple turrets of Beam lasers.
The fighter is M-9, HB 6 fir s combined thrust of 15

For the Pilot check the 800 ton ship has

Pilot skill: 2
over 100 tons: -2 (chart)
700 tons over 100 tons: -7 (chart)
Thrust for dogfight: 3
for a -6 to the pilot check

The fighter will have
Pilot 2
Thrust for dogfighting: 15
Roll is +17

Fighter wins and places his fighter behind the mercenary cruiser, but it has turrets so it does not matter much. Fighter gets +2 to attacks


The 600 ton ship has for its attacking numbers
Gunner Skill 2
Pilot Check: 1
Range: 0
Software: 5 (for first turret only)
Beam Laser bonus: 4
Negative modifiers: -6 for being a ship not a knife fighter (pg 162)
Losing Pilot Check: -2
Evasive Action : -2
Evade 1 on fighter: -1
Turret 1: +1
Turret 2-8: -4 to roll

So Turret 1 will hit on an average roll (7 +1 bonus). Damage will be 1D + 2(2 more lasers) +0 for Effect for 6 points on average (5.5 actually)
Assuming the fighter has armour exceeding that, no damage, no Critical.
The other 7 turrets would miss on average rolls, only hitting if the Mercenary rolled an 11 12. And still do no damage to a fighter with armour.


The fighter attack
Dogfight Check win: +2
Gunner skill: 2
Pilot check: +1
Range; 0
Fire Control: 5
Evade 1: -1
Evasive Action: -2
Result: +7

Average attack roll is 7 + 7 = 14. That is a 6 Effect hit. If the fighter does damage it will cause a critical.

Does this add up? am I doing this correctly or have I missed something?

 

[PsiTraveller]

35 Ton Tachyon Firmpoint attack fighter

Tonnage 35, 14 Hull points
TL 15 Stealth, Emissions Contol (.7 tons)
13 points Bonded Superdense armour (3.92 tons)
M-9: 3.15 tons
High Burn Thruster: Thrust 6 (4.2 tons)
Fuel: M Drive 1 ton
Fuel HBT: 1 hour, 60 points (5.25 tons)
Power Plant: TL 15 : 3 tons
Bridge 3 tons, Holographic controls
TL 15 computer: rating 35: Fire control 5 Evade 1 software
Advanced TL 15 Sensors
Weapon: 2 Firmpoints Tachyon Barbette: 5 tons in ship Close range AP 10

34.2 tons, 111 MCr

 

[Chas]

For your fighter swap out bridge for cockpit 1.5 tons
Look to your advanced options for your thruster.

Sorry have to run

 

[Nerhesi]

Yup - Chas, I think you're right.

Looking forward to:

a) Fight Screening rules from High Guard - so if fighters ignore interceptors and still attack the large ship, the interceptors get a significant bonus.
b) The crit rules for large ships. For the mercenary cruiser example, it's fine - the cruiser is going to be dead pretty quick if a TL14 tachyon armour fighter(s) is/are on it. But as.. someone ( I think it was you?) pointed out, large ships are gonna be "crit-killed" way too fast

 

[PsiTraveller]

Well I am actually not wanting to swap out for a cockpit, I want to get a bridge and a cabin in the ship. It can act as a stealth fighter, and act as an independent raider if need be. At least that is one thought. As a long term guerrilla fighter hiding out in the out reaches of a system.
I was also trying to figure out how many people I can fit in it, because I want a gunner, pilot and sensor operator to handle missiles on the approach to a ship.

Still knocking ideas around it.
It's a pricey ship, the computer and software is over a third of the cost.

I took the tachyon weapon for the AP value. It lets me hit and Crit every six seconds. In a dogfight a larger ship will be critted into oblivion (assuming it does not wipe out the fighters inbound) in under a spaceship combat round. 10 Crits from a fighter in one minute, 60 criticals in a spaceship round will leave the defender a smoking hulk. At least that is my fervent hope.

 

[PsiTraveller]

And again, this is a one on one situation, so no screening ships, interceptors etc to throw the cold light of logic and tactics into the mix.

To counter this make the mercenary ship have 4 laser turrets and 4 missile turrets. Send a dozen missiles at the fighter on the way in from Very Long range. +12 to hit in the salvo overcomes a lot of defence bonuses.

But as a concept of getting in a swarm of smaller ships to chew holes in bigger ships it is something to play around with.

 

[Chas]

Well I am actually not wanting to swap out for a cockpit, I want to get a bridge and a cabin in the ship. It can act as a stealth fighter, and act as an independent raider if need be. At least that is one thought. As a long term guerrilla fighter hiding out in the out reaches of a system.

Nice. This is the part I like the best, actually making the system work into interesting designs

I've got a 50 ton covert intruder concept I'd like to see how that scrubs up now, but have other priorities for the moment.

The Self Aware drone brain will get you a +4 on skills for 1MCr. Might be well worth a look if you are still crimped for space and cost effective in the total design. But your sensor suites will want a polish I think and they'll burn tonnage.

 

[PsiTraveller]

Where is this Self aware drone brain? what book? page number? This could be very interesting.... :twisted:

 

[Chas]

It's in the vehicle handbook download with it's own chapter titled Drones.

 

[PsiTraveller]

Thank you, I was looking in High Guard. That was my problem