Planet Mongoose
- Thread starter Sagan771
- Start date
Greg Smith
Mongoose
That is a pretty good description of how it has gone.
Interesting reading... a little sad to see the multitude of plasma counters going - the look on your opponent's face is a picture in SFB when you unload, but I like the idea of the VaS rules where you put the counter next to the ship to mark the target... it still allows you to scare the living **** outa your opponent. 
One question for Matthew... Pseudo Plasma won't have any use now, I'm guessing, unless a target can be made to divert those phaser IIIs?
One question for Matthew... Pseudo Plasma won't have any use now, I'm guessing, unless a target can be made to divert those phaser IIIs?
Well, I certainly won't miss the "need to be a lawyer to remember all the rules" that SFB suffers from... that's for sure.
One thing I want to see, actually, is the ability to lend defensive fire to another ship - so if a plasma or drone's coming in on a friendly ship that's nearby, another ship can use its own weapons to further weaken those drones or plasma... not sure if that was the case or not...
One thing I want to see, actually, is the ability to lend defensive fire to another ship - so if a plasma or drone's coming in on a friendly ship that's nearby, another ship can use its own weapons to further weaken those drones or plasma... not sure if that was the case or not...
Iain McGhee
Mongoose
About a third of the effective range of phaser-1s in FC IIRC. But yes, they should still be a threat in close quarters. Gatling phasers are downright evil close-up.
BFalcon: PPTs don't appear in FC so they might not be in anyway (nor do WW for that matter, so it probably balances out), but they'd still work with the ACTA:SF system as described wouldn't they ?
You won't know if it's real or not until either it hits you or you open fire on it, so it can still make the enemy waste defensive fire on it (as with FC you have to declare all weapons fire and it's targets before resolving it) or try to outrun it.
BFalcon: PPTs don't appear in FC so they might not be in anyway (nor do WW for that matter, so it probably balances out), but they'd still work with the ACTA:SF system as described wouldn't they ?
You won't know if it's real or not until either it hits you or you open fire on it, so it can still make the enemy waste defensive fire on it (as with FC you have to declare all weapons fire and it's targets before resolving it) or try to outrun it.
Iain: good point... a PP could just be a dud counter to make the opposition player *think* you just fired your plasmas to line him up as usual for the decent shot...
Wild Weasels could be implemented quite easily tbh - just have them subract from the strength of a plasma or drone hit maybe? Just have it a special ability rather than a model...
Wild Weasels could be implemented quite easily tbh - just have them subract from the strength of a plasma or drone hit maybe? Just have it a special ability rather than a model...
Iain McGhee
Mongoose
Wild Weasels as they are in SFC if not SFB (don't remember if it works differently, haven't played SFB since the mid-80's) would be pretty easy to create as a Special Action: no firing and minimum speed limitations on the ship and all seeking weapons fired at it target the WW shuttle instead for that turn. The big problem is that Special Actions are declared before the ship moves, so it wouldn't really be much use.
What they could do is make it another option like the Evade Seeking Weapons rule described in Matt's write-up. Off the top of my head: something along the lines of you making an opposed CQ check against the firing ship to launch a WW in time for it to be effective, in which case all seeking weapons targeting the ship will hit the shuttle instead (bit of a fudge). You must have at least one shuttle on board and a working shuttle bay, and this expends one shuttle whether successful or not. The ship must move at minimum speed and cannot fire next turn (another bit of a fudge). Yes, it is a bit of a slow day
Don't know if it'd be really worth having since you should be moving at high speed against plasma/drone heavy fleets unless you want mauled, so you'd almost always by getting the benefits of Evade Seeking Weapons anyway.
What they could do is make it another option like the Evade Seeking Weapons rule described in Matt's write-up. Off the top of my head: something along the lines of you making an opposed CQ check against the firing ship to launch a WW in time for it to be effective, in which case all seeking weapons targeting the ship will hit the shuttle instead (bit of a fudge). You must have at least one shuttle on board and a working shuttle bay, and this expends one shuttle whether successful or not. The ship must move at minimum speed and cannot fire next turn (another bit of a fudge). Yes, it is a bit of a slow day
Don't know if it'd be really worth having since you should be moving at high speed against plasma/drone heavy fleets unless you want mauled, so you'd almost always by getting the benefits of Evade Seeking Weapons anyway.
Iron Domokun
Mongoose
In regards to wild weasels and pseudo-plasma, I think that AcTA: SF should simply ignore those rules, much as Federation Commander and Star Fleet Armada do. They're necessary in SFB for balance, but in AcTA I think they'd simply be a complication. (Not to mention ECM plasma, enveloping plasma torpedoes, plasma shotguns, sabot plasma, carronades, et cetera ad nauseam.)
Iron Domokun
Mongoose
I wonder if the ACTA: NA grappling rules could be adapted for tractor beams?
Iron Domokun said:
That is exactly where we started
However, they have been somewhat simplified now.
AdmiralGrafSpee
Mongoose
I have to say I'm quite excited about this game. I played SFB quite a bit back in the early to mid 90's, but I've moved a couple of times since then and its not an easy game to get others into (I was taught SFB by someone else).
My current group has within the last year or so gotten into space games - we all had played BFG at some point in the past but more recently we've been playing Colonial Battlefleet and Starmada.
We were all keen to get into Klingon/Romulan Armada, but after trying them out a couple of times I find I don't care for the adaptation - especially Plasma Torps and cloaking.
From what I've read about A Call To Arms (and of course that blog entry) it sounds pretty darn sweet. Can't wait to pick up the game.
I really like the use of orders to simulate energy allocation.
I agree that some of the more crazy stuff like wild weasels, scatter packs etc don't need to be in the game - but please tell me you'll have the "Romulan/Gorn anchor" in there :wink:
-Tim
My current group has within the last year or so gotten into space games - we all had played BFG at some point in the past but more recently we've been playing Colonial Battlefleet and Starmada.
We were all keen to get into Klingon/Romulan Armada, but after trying them out a couple of times I find I don't care for the adaptation - especially Plasma Torps and cloaking.
From what I've read about A Call To Arms (and of course that blog entry) it sounds pretty darn sweet. Can't wait to pick up the game.
I really like the use of orders to simulate energy allocation.
I agree that some of the more crazy stuff like wild weasels, scatter packs etc don't need to be in the game - but please tell me you'll have the "Romulan/Gorn anchor" in there :wink:
-Tim
