Large Ships, Reduced Crew, and Additional Sensor Stations

[Condottiere]

The trick is justifying human participation.

 

[Sigtrygg]

As you already made, yes.

Each warship will want to have a number of local sensor operators to establish sensor locks, and break the enemies locks.

Don't they need their own sensor? How do twenty sensor operators all use the same sensor/EW array at the same time?

 

[Condottiere]

I would think they could do time share on the big sensor array.

But require separate antennas to do individual jamming.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Don't they need their own sensor? How do twenty sensor operators all use the same sensor/EW array at the same time?

I have no idea, but the sensor system enables all tasks by all of the crew:

HG'22, p21:
The DM column in the Sensors table is applied to all
Electronics (comms) and Electronics (sensors) checks
made by crew in the ship.

It's a sensor system, not a single radar dome.

 

[Sigtrygg]

Each array needs its own power supply

 

[collins355]

Now we are back to needing someone who is an expert in MgT2 Fleet Combat rules. lol

The good (?) news is that in Fleet Combat you simply total up the number of sensor ops and divide that by three, rounding up. The result is the number of incoming missiles dudded by EW. (it isn't entirely clear, but the rules seem to be saying that you then multiply that base result by the "crew score"+the EW software number of the vessel. The crew score is 2 for an average trained crew, 1 for novices and 3 for veterans)

 

[collins355]

Should have pointed out that, in Fleet Combat, missiles always hit unless stopped by defences.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Should have pointed out that, in Fleet Combat, missiles always hit unless stopped by defences.

Ouch.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Each array needs its own power supply

I would consider them backup systems, just like back-up computers.

MgT1 TCS, p6:
Back-up Systems
Much like a frozen watch, ships are often built with duplicate systems to replace those damaged or destroyed in combat. These are normally jump drives, manoeuvre drives, power plants and computers so the ship can keep functioning even when its most important systems are destroyed. Whichever of the two devices is functioning at a higher output (obviously the main system when no damage has been sustained) is the one that is active, and the main system and back up may not function at the same time. If the main system takes damage reducing its output below that of the back-up, the back-up will take over until the main system has been repaired or until the back-up is damaged enough that its rating drops below that of the main system.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

The good (?) news is that in Fleet Combat you simply total up the number of sensor ops and divide that by three, rounding up. The result is the number of incoming missiles dudded by EW. (it isn't entirely clear, but the rules seem to be saying that you then multiply that base result by the "crew score"+the EW software number of the vessel. The crew score is 2 for an average trained crew, 1 for novices and 3 for veterans)

Clear enough?

HG'22, p113:
For electronic warfare:

• Divide the number of sensor operators by three, rounding up, to determine the base number of missiles eliminated. For example, if a ship has 67 sensor operators, the base number is 23.

• Add the Crew Skill score to the Electronic Warfare software number and multiply that by the base number, obtained above to obtain the electronic warfare pool number.

EWPool = SensOps/3 × ( CrewSkill + EW software)

1 Pool eliminates 1 missile or 1/2 torpedo.

No rolls, quick and easy...

 

[Terry Mixon]

Clear enough?


EWPool = SensOps/3 × ( CrewSkill + EW software)

1 Pool eliminates 1 missile or 1/2 torpedo.

No rolls, quick and easy...

Yep. That does make it simple. It also makes clear why having more sensops is critical.

 

[Arkathan]

So using fleet rules, you pack the sensops in like sardines and don't worry about where they sit.

 

[Condottiere]

In a row.

 

[Terry Mixon]

Don't they need their own sensor? How do twenty sensor operators all use the same sensor/EW array at the same time?

I'd imagine the array can handle a lot of users. A default 1,000,000-ton ship with one array has 134 sensops. Adding more arrays doesn't change that by adding more, just adds redundancy. It's like the radar and other systems in a modern warship have multiple users. It already has the capacity.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Should have pointed out that, in Fleet Combat, missiles always hit unless stopped by defences.

So wait... If I have a group of 10 individual ships shooting at "the bad guys" I have to half My missiles every X number of turns, but if I group into a squadron, magically they all fly to the target and hit with 100% accuracy?

That seems a bit weird to Me.

 

[Terry Mixon]

So wait... If I have a group of 10 individual ships shooting at "the bad guys" I have to half My missiles every X number of turns, but if I group into a squadron, magically they all fly to the target and hit with 100% accuracy?

That seems a bit weird to Me.

Space magic.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

So wait... If I have a group of 10 individual ships shooting at "the bad guys" I have to half My missiles every X number of turns, but if I group into a squadron, magically they all fly to the target and hit with 100% accuracy?

Squadrons ≠ Fleet combat.

Squadrons can be used in basic combat, see HG'22, p102.


Fleet Combat is basically the same as basic combat without the attack rolls. It's just a highly simplified way of doing statistical combat resolution. Missiles behave the same way as in basic combat, but without the attack roll. They take as long to reach the target as normal, and salvoes are halved as normal.

 

[MasterGwydion]

Squadrons ≠ Fleet combat.

Squadrons can be used in basic combat, see HG'22, p102.


Fleet Combat is basically the same as basic combat without the attack rolls. It's just a highly simplified way of doing statistical combat resolution. Missiles behave the same way as in basic combat, but without the attack roll. They take as long to reach the target as normal, and salvoes are halved as normal.

So, we have 3 sets of rules for combat in space? Normal, Fleet Manoeuvers, and Fleet Combat? That is way more complicated than I thought it was.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

So, we have 3 sets of rules for combat in space? Normal, Fleet Manoeuvers, and Fleet Combat? That is way more complicated than I thought it was.

No, just two sets: Basic and Fleet.
Both can use squadrons: Basic p102; Fleet, p114.
Both can use optional vector movement.

 

[Sigtrygg]

I'd imagine the array can handle a lot of users. A default 1,000,000-ton ship with one array has 134 sensops. Adding more arrays doesn't change that by adding more, just adds redundancy. It's like the radar and other systems in a modern warship have multiple users. It already has the capacity.

I would agree with that if Mongoose had stuck with 2% of ship for the bridge, But now we have to account for every sensor and comms system. How come I can put 5tons of sensors on a 400t ship and have one sensor operator, but on a warship that same 5 ton sensor array can now be used by 200 sensor operators?