Number of fighters per base

The original question on the other post was not how many could attack a ship, but how many could make contact with a ship. The word "contact" is in the Gaim crewed missle flight rules.

If you use the stem, which is were all measurements take place, then only 4 flights, if using square bases or counters, can make contact. If using hex bases then only 3 can make contact.

The problem is if you use bases then what is the offical size base for each ship. Then what do you do about counters?

I like the idea about limiting the number of flights based on the prioroty level for making contact, but for attacking, it really should depend on how many can actually get within range of the stem of the ship.

Regards

Tschuma
 
More reasons not to confuse the size of a ship (and thereby how many ships could realistically make contact) with the priority level (AKA combat effectiveness):
Babylon 5 vs Omega
Explorer vs Hyperion

It's for the best not to get the priority level mixed up in a situation where it doesn't belong IMHO.

On the other hand, it would be an idea for MGP to maintain that list of which ships belong on which base. All they need to do is say small, medium, or fighter for each ship, and then they can define limits based on that. You wouldn't even have to be limited to using the official base either, just so long as you use the numbers given for the official base.
 
problem with base size regulation
means a lot of players need to change bases..some ships become unballanced on new bases and MGP need to re package blisters etc with correct bases for priority level
or two for ships at different levels

all vs the symantics of B5 vs an Omega physical size! and priority

think the arguement doesn't really stack up

pun intended!

2+1/priority level !! whoo hoo
 
No, players would not need to change their bases. As I said in my previous post, players wouldn't need to be limited to actually using the official sized bases.
If a ship officially comes with a small base, players could still use a different size base for the actual model, but they would still use the "small base" entry on MGP's table of how many fighters can contact each base.

Alternatively, just give a single figure for how many fighters can contact a ship, any ship. It makes just as much sense if not more sense than trying to drag the priority levels into this, and it also has the advantage of keeping things simple.
 
how about 1 for every 10 damage points or part thereof as ships with more damage tend to be bigger?
so 1-10 damage points 1 fighter attack
11-20 2 fighters attack etc etc.
only matters for things that have to make contact like suicide fighters and breaching pods.
 
katadder said:
how about 1 for every 10 damage points or part thereof as ships with more damage tend to be bigger?
so 1-10 damage points 1 fighter attack
Click to expand...
Eg: White Star breaks that idea. Only 1 fighter can attack a Raid ship?
 
Burger said:
katadder said:
how about 1 for every 10 damage points or part thereof as ships with more damage tend to be bigger?
so 1-10 damage points 1 fighter attack
Click to expand...
Eg: White Star breaks that idea. Only 1 fighter can attack a Raid ship?
Click to expand...
Which shows the beauty of the idea. White Stars are pretty damn small for their effectiveness, and as such shouldn't be able to be contacted by as many fighters.
 
its only contact fighters, but sure why not, its a small ship, doesnt have alot of space for these fighters to crash into or breach, hell the pods would probably breach each other even using just 6.
 
katadder said:
its only contact fighters, but sure why not, its a small ship, doesnt have alot of space for these fighters to crash into or breach, hell the pods would probably breach each other even using just 6.
Click to expand...
This idea whilst not quite as simple as the PL suggestion, it is more fitting with the spirit of the game and is still very easy to calculate.

The White Star is a great example actually as its low Damage score shows how small it is (and is nothing to do with PL) therefore shouldn't have so many BPs/suicide fighters making contact.

Never forget this would have absolutely zero effect on standard firing as this measures to the stem anyway.
 
I think that having a default list of "official" base sizes (no matter what base you actually use) would be the smallest change to the current system and would work well. Given the options presented so far, I like this one the best.

If you were to base the number of fighters/breaching pods that can make contact with a ship on the damage rating of the ship, then you should have a minimum number that can do so to keep game balance. Saying that only one flight can make contact with a White Star is radically altering the power of these elements.

I would suggest something more like: one fighter/crewed missile/breaching pod can make contact with a ship per ten points of said ship's starting damage value (rounding up) with a minimum of four flights being able to make contact. This keeps things simple without giving lower damage ships more protection than they deserve...

ShopKeepJon
 
Burger said:
Bad example, yes the command omega does have a different model.
Click to expand...
That's what I get for using counters instead of models :wink:

Having a statistic for each ship is probably the only way to definitively balance it based on ship size, but basing it on damage would be a good mechanic. It may make the suicide fighters and breaching pods too weak against small ships though. ShopKeepJon's idea of setting a minimum would be good. If this is standardised the number that can contact a fighter flight should be included also.
 
yep I'm happy with one "contact" flight per 10 damage
I think we'll start using this as a house rule in Aldershot

the Narn arn't going to be happy though!
 
Yeah, what about the Avioki?

All of a sudden well built ships are a penalty?

Just don't like the idea, if a standard base size is too hard, just go with a set number of flights. Anything else and you are creating new balance issues and undermining what standards there are in the game. No ship was balanced with the idea that it was more or less vulnerable to fighter flights making contact.

Ripple
 
I think the Avioki is a good example for the 10 damage per flight
its supposed to be big and (cargo) spacious so therefore would be more vulnerable to "contact flight" attacks
its the smaller sturdier Narn ships that should have issues with the house rule, "rule of ten"
 
If it's across the board probably 6. If you're talking small base and large base as standard base sizes (every ship is allocated one) then I'd say 4 and 8 respectively.
 
We have a working rule of six in contact now. It was how many of the hex counters we could easily get onto/in contact with a standard base. It was theoretically possible to get more... but too hard to accomplish using the models.

Four did seem a bit light to use as many ships have that or more in AF dice. Much greater than six and smaller ships just popped.

Ripple
 
Just curious, is there a final consensus concerning this topic?



It might (and I say might, since I have yet not played a single battle yet) make a difference as to how I would start to learn the rules and such.
 
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