Mind Scream

[eldiablito]

I would tend to agree... I had this idea in my head that Shadow screams could work like the TP ability to remove special actions. So the scream you "hear" would keep you from operating efficiently and you could be forced to stop your special action.

As a way to help out against fighters, they make a crew quality check or they are stunned. So, they are not killed, but simply rendered useless when they come close.

 

[Everyman]

I agree entirely with the sentiments here, this ability has no real correlation to the show and is designed to simply mess with a single race.

We want to avoid going to a more rock-paper-scissors of race A beats race B easily system, so this rule should be changed to something more universal. I think penalties to CQ checks or something like a Comm Disruptor type effect (with a greater penalty to Psychic Crews being fine) would work much better than this killing the crew on Psi Corp ships. The Psychic Crew trait has an effect against any race just a more pronounced one against the Shadows and so should their Mind Scream.

 

[silashand]

this ability has no real correlation to the show

While I might agree it's a little too powerful vs some races, it actually does have a correlation from the show based on reported contacts with them. In that respect it is *very* characterful and I like the ability a lot.

Cheers, Gary

 

[Hindsight]

Lyta was knocked onto her ass when she first tried to make contact with a Shadow Vessel. She was deeply effected by the scream. It was only Kosh's words, through the part of Kosh that resided in Sheridan, that gave her the initial boost to fight the Scream and grip the Shadow Ship so it could be destroyed by a Plot Device... er I mean... the backup brought by G'Kar.

Also, that passage from the Book of G'Quan was what gave Garibaldi the idea to use Telepaths in the first place, so I'd say that book holds a certain weight, especially in the context of Telepathy.

 

[Stonehorse]

I'm happy that the idea of the Mind Scream has been added to the Shadow Fleet, it is after all something that we hear in the series quite a bit.

The rule I think is a nice attempt, but fails, in the series the Scream doesn't kill anyone, it stuns them.

What I think the Scream should do is one of these;

1.
When a Shadow ship moves within 6" of an enemy ship that has a special action, the enemy ship loses the Special Action it had been given.

2.
When a Shadow ship moves within 6" of an enemy ship the ships crew quality is reduced by 2.

The Scream should be used more as a way to disrupt the enemy fleets, not be used as a way to total beat a single fleet.

 

[Silvereye]

If your going down that route, I'd add:

3.
When a shadow ship moves within 6" of an enemy ship with the Psychic Crew trait, the trait is lost while it remains within 6" of a shadow ship.

 

[skavendan]

If your going down that route, I'd add:

3.
When a shadow ship moves within 6" of an enemy ship with the Psychic Crew trait, the trait is lost while it remains within 6" of a shadow ship.

You couldn't do that shadow players would opt to move double speed to get within 6 so you cant pin with psi crew. that'd have to be at least 3"

 

[Ripple]

I like the idea of a crew quality penalty to ships close to a shadow ship. Or maybe reduce it, so instead of a field effect, it's targeted. We wouldn't know from show evidence whether it hits everything or one thing at a time, I think. We hear it whenever we 'see' shadows, but usually we only see reactions from one ship crew at a time. Could be wrong there...

Just worried about the pile of scouts... already a popular build... wiping out massed fleets of smaller vessels or fighters just by being nearby.

Ripple

 

[Stonehorse]

Good point Ripple, think it would balance the Mind Scream if it can only target one ship during it's move.

That and the Mind Scream can't be stacked, so none of this having several SHadow Ships flying past the same ship to reduce it's crew quality to 0.