Playtest rules: Crusade era and 3rd age

[nekomata fuyu]

The idea I have in mind for a strike carrier is as below. Basically, it's designed as a light, manouverable hull to quickly close/jump in on a target before launching it's entire compliment of fighters in a single turn.

When you consider that 4 Firebolts is a Skirmish point worth of fighters, that leaves the ship itself to be worth about a Skirmish point, so similar to a Chronos. For this one I've taken the approach of beefing up the damage and crew a little bit, and dropping the firepower a touch.

Raid
Speed: 8
Turn: 2/45o
Hull: 6
Damage: 22/4
Crew: 24/6
Troops: 2
Craft: 4 Firebolt Starfury flights
Special Rules: Anti-Fighter 2, Carrier 4, Interceptors 2, Jump Engine
In Service: 2270+

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Railgun 15 F 3 AP, Double Damage
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 F 2 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 A 2 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 P 4 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 S 4 Twin-Linked


Another alternative would be to have a standard load of 4 Auroras, upgradable to Firebolts as per normal rules. This would leave room to boost the ship itself:

Raid
Speed: 8
Turn: 2/45o
Hull: 6
Damage: 26/5
Crew: 28/7
Troops: 2
Craft: 4 Aurora Starfury flights
Special Rules: Anti-Fighter 3, Carrier 4, Interceptors 2, Jump Engine
In Service: 2270+

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Railgun 15 F 4 AP, Double Damage
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 F 4 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 A 2 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 P 6 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 S 6 Twin-Linked

I think if anything I prefer the beefier version with the Aurora loadout. Whilst the ship would have been designed with the Firebolts in mind, this at least gives you the flexibility to use older models of Starfury.

 

[Triggy]

Stryve - I like both of your takes on how the ship would fit into the role it is designed for. Between them and my version (modified from Ripple's) you'd have a fair ship to test out.

Now we just need Mongoose to make this as an option...

(even more EA ships ought to make Shadow players happy )

 

[Da Boss]

surely every fleet gets a shiny new variant for fun and giggles rather than just a select few.......... :wink:

 

[stepan.razin]

The idea I have in mind for a strike carrier is as below. Basically, it's designed as a light, manouverable hull to quickly close/jump in on a target before launching it's entire compliment of fighters in a single turn.

When you consider that 4 Firebolts is a Skirmish point worth of fighters, that leaves the ship itself to be worth about a Skirmish point, so similar to a Chronos. For this one I've taken the approach of beefing up the damage and crew a little bit, and dropping the firepower a touch.

Raid
Speed: 8
Turn: 2/45o
Hull: 6
Damage: 22/4
Crew: 24/6
Troops: 2
Craft: 4 Firebolt Starfury flights
Special Rules: Anti-Fighter 2, Carrier 4, Interceptors 2, Jump Engine
In Service: 2270+

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Railgun 15 F 3 AP, Double Damage
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 F 2 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 A 2 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 P 4 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 S 4 Twin-Linked


Another alternative would be to have a standard load of 4 Auroras, upgradable to Firebolts as per normal rules. This would leave room to boost the ship itself:

Raid
Speed: 8
Turn: 2/45o
Hull: 6
Damage: 26/5
Crew: 28/7
Troops: 2
Craft: 4 Aurora Starfury flights
Special Rules: Anti-Fighter 3, Carrier 4, Interceptors 2, Jump Engine
In Service: 2270+

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Railgun 15 F 4 AP, Double Damage
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 F 4 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 A 2 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 P 6 Twin-Linked
Heavy Pulse Cannon 12 S 6 Twin-Linked

I think if anything I prefer the beefier version with the Aurora loadout. Whilst the ship would have been designed with the Firebolts in mind, this at least gives you the flexibility to use older models of Starfury.

Why Carrier 4 for a ship that carries 4 fighters?

 

[Greg Smith]

The only ship that can lauch all of its fighters in one go is the Raiders' strike carrier because it has external rails.

A ship with four flights should have carrier 2 at the most requiring a scramble to lauch them all in one turn. The more warship oriented version might not even have carrier at all.

 

[nekomata fuyu]

Why Carrier 4 for a ship that carries 4 fighters?

Because, (if you read the first couple of lines,) it's designed to be able to launch its entire compliment in a single turn. And I don't mean that it relies on a skilled crew to cycle the launch mechanism quickly enough - I mean that it's a design of the ship that all 4 flights can be launched simultaneously.

 

[stepan.razin]

Why Carrier 4 for a ship that carries 4 fighters?

Because, (if you read the first couple of lines,) it's designed to be able to launch its entire compliment in a single turn. And I don't mean that it relies on a skilled crew to cycle the launch mechanism quickly enough - I mean that it's a design of the ship that all 4 flights can be launched simultaneously.

I guess there are some rare scenarios where this would be useful.

 

[Greg Smith]

In ambush, the ambushed force has no fighters launched, so it would be useful.

I'm not convinced a ship without extrenal mounts should be able to launch all its fighters in one turn - even a Poseidon's cobra bays can't do it. But since Neko is making up the stats and we don't have a model, it isn't important.

 

[nekomata fuyu]

I guess my ship would seem a touch weird, probably because I'm not trying to squeeze out every last advantage within the mechanics of the game (AKA creating a cheese ship). It's about designing a "fluffy" ship that can also work within the mechanics of the game.
Leaving ACTA mechanics aside for the time being, would it be advantageous for a ship to have all 4 flights of its fighters in quick launch mounts ready to be launched within seconds? It's more or less irrelevant that the ACTA ruleset means that there is very little benefit compared to having half as many lauch mechanisms - all that means is that when you figure out the priority point cost of the ship, the rest of the ship would be near enough as powerful as the same level of Carrier 2 ship.

As for the model, I do actually have a design in mind that I plan to build (hopefully sonner rather than later). It has 6 cobra style bays along each of the top, bottom, port, and starboad panels of the hull. Unless you've picked up a refit allowing it to carry an extra flight of fighters, its entire compliment can be kept in the launch bays ready to be launched all in one go.

 

[stepan.razin]

In ambush, the ambushed force has no fighters launched, so it would be useful.

I'm not convinced a ship without extrenal mounts should be able to launch all its fighters in one turn - even a Poseidon's cobra bays can't do it. But since Neko is making up the stats and we don't have a model, it isn't important.

If a carrier start in hyperspace, will its fighters be launched only once it arrives?

 

[Greg Smith]

If a carrier starts in hyperspace, the pre-launched fighter restriction is the same - 1 flight; or half its flights for a fleet carrier.

 

[Greg Smith]

Leaving ACTA mechanics aside for the time being, would it be advantageous for a ship to have all 4 flights of its fighters in quick launch mounts ready to be launched within seconds?

I imagine that space condiserations usually play a factor, ie there are usually more fighters than launch bays. I suspect that reflects real life naval carrier operations when planes can only be launched one at a time.

I would imagine a space ship could be designed with extra launch bays - although in a battleship, I'd imagine they would want to keep holes in the hull to a minimum for both structural and defence purposes.

It's more or less irrelevant that the ACTA ruleset means that there is very little benefit compared to having half as many lauch mechanisms - all that means is that when you figure out the priority point cost of the ship, the rest of the ship would be near enough as powerful as the same level of Carrier 2 ship.

I agree. The need to scramble and to launch fighters as a ship goes into battle is simply a reflection of the drama of such scenes portrayed on TV.

 

[Methos5000]

In ambush, the ambushed force has no fighters launched, so it would be useful.

I'm not convinced a ship without extrenal mounts should be able to launch all its fighters in one turn - even a Poseidon's cobra bays can't do it. But since Neko is making up the stats and we don't have a model, it isn't important.

I always thought that was funny about the Poseidon. The stats don't match it anymore but it used to carry 96 fighters (16 flights of 6 fighters per flight) and had 96 sets of bay doors on it (if I added it up correctly). It made sense that it should have been able to launch all fighters but because of the rules restriction it couldn't. It doesn't matter as much now because it carries 144 fighters but still only has 96 bay doors but I just thought it was strange.