I have a PC Character continually firing missles from his grav copter...which seem to do huge damage. I wanted to bring in a Phalanx Gun system in my next game for the NPC base they are attacking to have proper defence. I'm guessing it would be a little like point defenses or Sand for Star Ship Combat? Not sure Does a Phalax Gun exist anywhere in the books for vehicular combat?
Phalanx Guns in Vehicle Combat
- Thread starter Galahad68
- Start date
Rikki Tikki Traveller
Cosmic Mongoose
A Heavy Machine gun or Very Rapid Fire (VRF) Gauss gun would work at a Point Defense weapon.
The problem is there are no stats for how effective they would be.
The Phalanx system on US Naval ships has been around since the early 1980s (Early TL 7).
I think our problem is that MGT doesn't have a comprehensive Vehicle Design System yet.
Striker (for CT) would be a good reference and should integrate with MGT fairly easily.
The problem is there are no stats for how effective they would be.
The Phalanx system on US Naval ships has been around since the early 1980s (Early TL 7).
I think our problem is that MGT doesn't have a comprehensive Vehicle Design System yet.
Striker (for CT) would be a good reference and should integrate with MGT fairly easily.
Galahad68 said:
You did note the wry smilie :wink:
The point is, as often as not, currently available (or near future, very near future, developments of it) are rated at ludicrously high Tech Levels for, one presumes, "play balance" reasons ... or, alternately, the current writers are in the same 1950s never advanced technology level that Marc Miller seems to have been in back in the mid seventies when he wrote CTrav :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink: :wink:
<note the wry smilie, its just IMO, of course>
Phil
Ok...I think I just simplified it for myself.
In the senerio I mentioned above, there is a Grav Copter, complete with missles, firing on a Vargr merc base. I was thinking about giving the base a point defense system, but it might be easier to explain this way...
There are a number of Type S 100tn ships parked within a kilometer of the attack. does it seem fair to simply have the PDL's from one of those ships open up on a vehicular missle attack.
I've already decided that having it open up on the Grav Copter its self would be a bad president. If the ship hit it would just vaporize the PCs since starship guns are proported to be that much bigger than veh. guns. my rational for this is that Starships weapons are really for hitting larger things in Space. But the PDL's are meant to hit small moving targets at close range. I would think they would be able to handle it.
What do you think?
Jon
In the senerio I mentioned above, there is a Grav Copter, complete with missles, firing on a Vargr merc base. I was thinking about giving the base a point defense system, but it might be easier to explain this way...
There are a number of Type S 100tn ships parked within a kilometer of the attack. does it seem fair to simply have the PDL's from one of those ships open up on a vehicular missle attack.
I've already decided that having it open up on the Grav Copter its self would be a bad president. If the ship hit it would just vaporize the PCs since starship guns are proported to be that much bigger than veh. guns. my rational for this is that Starships weapons are really for hitting larger things in Space. But the PDL's are meant to hit small moving targets at close range. I would think they would be able to handle it.
What do you think?
Jon
Well, "small target" from a starship POV is often quite large, in reality.
I'd keep it simple, though; they have a missile defence system, based on the "wall of steel" approach that Phalanx and others use, if you like and it works as follows for each incoming warhead:
If you like, you can let the PC firing them have any effect from his attack roll also work as a DM. Adjust the numbers to fit how easily you want the base to defeat the missiles (I.E. make it 8+ if you want it to be a bit hit-and-miss and 2+ if you want to be all but guaranteed to kill them unless overwhelmed).
I'd keep it simple, though; they have a missile defence system, based on the "wall of steel" approach that Phalanx and others use, if you like and it works as follows for each incoming warhead:
Code:
4+ on 2D6 is a kill, with -1 DM for every additional simultaneous missile attack.If you like, you can let the PC firing them have any effect from his attack roll also work as a DM. Adjust the numbers to fit how easily you want the base to defeat the missiles (I.E. make it 8+ if you want it to be a bit hit-and-miss and 2+ if you want to be all but guaranteed to kill them unless overwhelmed).
Galahad68 said:
I think that starship lasers acting in the PD role have a much larger engagement range than ATGs. They are much more likely to flash-fry the GCopter as soon as it is evidently hostile. It's more the kind of target they are designed to hit. So, if your players haven't done the recon, their fault for getting shot down by the assets they didn't know were in place. If they did the recon and ignored the armed spaceships with LoS to their attack route, again their fault for being arrogant.
Just because a group has a thing doesn't mean they get to use it all the time.
Even more fun, particularly if the grav copter is providing air support for other PCs on the ground - go after the grav copter with exactly the same thing he's using.
He's busy blasting away at the guys on the ground, laughing it up when 2-3 similarly armed and performing grav copters sneak up and start taking potshots at him - now he's forced to flee and the chase is on.
Alternately, you could say the Type S's still intervene, but without firing their weapons - how well would a grav copter perform if it's constantly being buzzed by scout ships?
He's busy blasting away at the guys on the ground, laughing it up when 2-3 similarly armed and performing grav copters sneak up and start taking potshots at him - now he's forced to flee and the chase is on.
Alternately, you could say the Type S's still intervene, but without firing their weapons - how well would a grav copter perform if it's constantly being buzzed by scout ships?
Incidentally, 'proper defence' for a base like that is usually an anti-air system, not a missile defence system. Why not have the NPCs use a ground-to-air missile system, complete with long-range RADAR or TL equivalent and missiles intended to be lethal to fast moving air assets?
Galahad68 said:
Vehicle mounted or towed point defence weapons are definitely a thing in Striker or Mercenary. That's what the VRF Gauss Gun is intended for, as it's really too big and clunky to use as a close support weapon for infantry. A towed mount for a VRF Gauss Gun could be emplaced and used to protect a base, or a light AFV chassis could be fitted with a mount to use for mobile point defence cover.
The basic Striker point defence system against direct fire weapons such as tac missiles is to roll to hit for the PD weapon. Hit on (say) 8+ with a generous autofire bonus (+8 in Striker iirc) and for every two higher than the base hit roll you take out an extra missile.
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