Gorns

[Myrm]

On the plasma side we tend to do badly against the drone types as we lack the drone defences which means phaser 1s on anti drone which cuts down the firepower.

Hence why Kzinti captains are sportsmen - you often see big signs up at shipyards saying 'Gorn Fishing'

 

[Iron Domokun]

Myrm, you get to announce ESG use to soak up a hellbore attack before the dice are rolled to see if it hits. If you do, any hellbores from the attacking ship auto-hit. So you can use your ESGs to protect a ship with a down shield for a bit longer, but its certainly not a magic bullet and soaks up power. OTOH, you can't use an ESG to protect another friendly ship the way you could in SFB. ESGs on a ship can only protect that ship.

ESGs also help quite a bit vs drones. I imagine that when a Lyran uses Intensify Defensive Fire in ACTA it will get some kind of bonus vs drones but be unable to use its ESGs offensively (that's just a guess).

 

[andypalmer]

You pretty much have to have a drastic change in how ESGs are (vs. SFB) as SFB-style ESGs are NOT good in fleet actions (negative synergy). I suspect that the FC approach will work in ACTA and will allow the Lyrans to be viable in full fleets actions.

 

[Myrm]

I would hope ActA might go back to a field effect if they can, it does allow for interesting squadron play - you can keep it simple by having self effect and also remote effect with a single distance limit to avoid that blasted ESG strength table.
I always thought ESGs made for great small unit tactics - DN plus escorts or carrier escorts mostly.

ESGs always struck me as the item that would be hardest to convert to ACtA.

 

[Greg Smith]

For the uninitiated, how do ESGs work?

 

[Democratus]

In SFB, the ESG was essentially a giant "bubble" of energy created around a ship.

You could set the radius of the bubble from tiny (just one hex) to large (3-hex radius).

Anything physical that came in contact with this bubble would take damage. The bubble would drop when it had inflicted all the damage possible for its energy/size - or after it had been up a full turn.

Lyran ships were not immune to each other's ESGs, though one ship could put a bubble around itself and other ships nearby. Fleet formations were a delicate thing with the Lyrans because of the high risk of ESG friendly fire.

 

[Myrm]

In Star Fleet Battles, you charge them with energy in the allocation phase and then you can emit from them at some stage during the turn.

It puts up a bubble of 0 to a few hexes in size, with the strength of the field being a product of energy in and field size - bigger fields are weaker. The field then moves around the board with the ship until it is dropped or downed by damage and forms an impermeable barrier around the space it encapsulates. Normally you throw it up minimum size around yourself, or maximum size around a squadron, possibly with overlaying fields.

The field strength affect the damage done when ramming the hex or bigger field into other ships, whe it hits drones rather than the drone exploding the field damages the drone taking it out much more pleasantly than absorbing a drone hit on shields. Similarly it hits shuttles and fighters and wrecks them. Its useful against minefields. It has a specific weird interaction with Hellbores. It ignores cloaking devices so can be used to ram Romulans before they fire.

In SFB is about the only thing I can think of one a ship that is an area effect that is not an explosion.

 

[Greg Smith]

It shouldn't be too difficult to model in ACTA. It might be a simple on/off, or a variable radius. Damage/attacks are inflicted on any ships that are in X". Plus a defensive feature. If it is power hungry, make it a Power Drain spevial action to use it.

 

[Nerroth]

In contrast, the ESG in Federation Commander takes the "expanding" part to heart. While it's not relevant in defensive burst (which are only useful against drones or suicide shuttles that have "impacted" the ship), offensive bursts start by affecting the units in the same hex as the firing ship, and only expand out into the ring of adjacent hexes if there are any ESG damage points remaining.

But the ESG is used up in the event; there is no lingering "bubble" on the tabletop after it is used in FC.

As Iron Domokun says, I would sooner suspect that version of the ESG, rather than the SFB one, to be chiefly considered for use in this game system.

 

[Greg Smith]

As Iron Domokun says, I would sooner suspect that version of the ESG, rather than the SFB one, to be chiefly considered for use in this game system.

I think so. I think the ACTA looks to FC first. Which would make ACTA rules even simpler.

 

[katadder]

did do rules for all new weapons greg.
best way to do an ESG in CTA is a slow loading eMine that fires from the firing ship so gets all people around it.

 

[Captain Jonah]

Will be previewed this week (today, if I get time!).

Any sign of some love for the Gorns yet :?: :lol:

 

[MongooseMatt]

Any sign of some love for the Gorns yet :?: :lol:

Havina an argument uploading photos to Wordpress at the moment - as soon as it is fixed, they'll be up!

 

[Captain Jonah]

Outstanding thank you.

We need some rubber dinosaur joy for the weekend :lol:

 

[GreyHart]

Why do I hear "Godzilla" in the background?

 

[Captain Jonah]

Raaaawr

Tremble in fear before the might of the rubber dinosaur with his fleet of ahem "heavy set, stoutly build" ships as his plasma fire burns your cities (as long as they are called tokyo. :lol:

 

[Greg Smith]

Up from the depths,
30 stories high,
Breathing fire,
His head in the sky,
Godzilla!

Will the Gorn have a Godzuki-class scout ship? :twisted:

 

[GreyHart]

Raaaawr

Tremble in fear before the might of the rubber dinosaur with his fleet of ahem "heavy set, stoutly build" ships as his plasma fire burns your cities (as long as they are called tokyo. :lol:

Up from the depths,
30 stories high,
Breathing fire,
His head in the sky,
Godzilla!

Will the Gorn have a Godzuki-class scout ship? :twisted:

I think I started something.. :wink:

Godzuki class Scout and Gojirra class Dreadnought. :twisted:

 

[Finlos]

The Federation did give the Gorn Battleship a reporting name of Godzilla while other Gorn ships were designated after Terran dinosaurs. No reason at all, however, you can't call one of your ships the GCS Gojirra or Godzuki.