Questions on small craft weapons and turrets

[AnotherDilbert]

I keep thinking of that High Guard rule that allows a fighter to be fitted with two torpedoes - a nasty surprise for a larger vessel.

That was first edition, now we must use torpedo barbettes.

Which brings me to my question - since most fighter designs don’t have much more than bare-bones sensors, won’t that limit missile engagement ranges?

Even the simple sensors reach to Distant range. We can mix in a few fighters with better sensors and the whole squadron can see better.

 

[Geir]

Right. So. Back to small craft turrets.
It then follows that a missile turret on a small craft would only hold four missiles and therefore be essentially pointless.
What never occured to me is that those four missiles could be reloaded (the heavy fighter design has another 96 in storage).
So I suppose it would go: Fire one missile for four turns. Reload on the fifth turn. Repeat.
My vision was more of externally mounted missiles on pylons: Fire one or all of them at once and then you're done, have a nice day and return to ship, but I guess not.
It also never occured to me that you can have "popup fixed mounts" but it says so right on p.24.
But they must be more like a bombay than fixed pylons to allow the gunner to reload. He's not going outside to do it.

I have this vision of pinnaces as torpedo boats now... Plasma torpedoes at distant range...

 

[paltrysum]

Even the simple sensors reach to Distant range. We can mix in a few fighters with better sensors and the whole squadron can see better.

Ah yes, from High Guard: "However, in terms of sensors, always use the highest quality (taking into account both actual sensors and the skill of the operator) within the squadron."

Question for you: Do you extend that capability to fleets? E.g., does a single ship in a fleet with advanced sensors have the ability to feed that data to all other ships in its fleet?

 

[GarethL]

Could you please stick to one question per topic? How will we find the answer to the stealth question in a few months/years when it's hidden in a topic about small craft turrets?

Sorry, my fault

 

[GarethL]

Even the simple sensors reach to Distant range. We can mix in a few fighters with better sensors and the whole squadron can see better.

Ah yes, from High Guard: "However, in terms of sensors, always use the highest quality (taking into account both actual sensors and the skill of the operator) within the squadron."

Question for you: Do you extend that capability to fleets? E.g., does a single ship in a fleet with advanced sensors have the ability to feed that data to all other ships in its fleet?

I had always assumed vessels share data, I mean, warships do that now after all,

 

[GarethL]

Right. So. Back to small craft turrets.
It then follows that a missile turret on a small craft would only hold four missiles and therefore be essentially pointless.

That's four attacks potentially launched in salvos of three - nasty for any small vessel, and as part of a wing even more so,

Definitely not pointless

Density of fire counts for a lot with missiles (I fit some SDBs with missile barbettes in drinax, a nasty surprise )

 

[AnotherDilbert]

That's four attacks potentially launched in salvos of three - nasty for any small vessel, and as part of a wing even more so,

It's four missiles per launcher, so if you can launch three missiles you have 12 missiles.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Question for you: Do you extend that capability to fleets? E.g., does a single ship in a fleet with advanced sensors have the ability to feed that data to all other ships in its fleet?

Yes, and as a consequense I allow one detection roll per squadron or fleet, because:

1) I'm lazy, one roll is easier than umpteen rolls,

2) Many rolls distort the detection chance. If you allow many rolls anything will be automatically detected even if a roll of 12+ is required. Not fun.


I don't see this as much of a problem, since nearly all warships will have good sensors anyway.

 

[GarethL]

That's four attacks potentially launched in salvos of three - nasty for any small vessel, and as part of a wing even more so,

It's four missiles per launcher, so if you can launch three missiles you have 12 missiles.

Three firmpoint turrets each with one rack is three missiles per turn each with a magazine of four is a total of twelve missiles, yes.

 

[Geir]

That's four attacks potentially launched in salvos of three - nasty for any small vessel, and as part of a wing even more so,

It's four missiles per launcher, so if you can launch three missiles you have 12 missiles.

Three firmpoint turrets each with one rack is three missiles per turn each with a magazine of four is a total of twelve missiles, yes.

Right. But wouldn't that be true whether you kept the fixed mount or upgraded to turrets? Missiles are smart, so they could be launched in any "facing", so I don't see the point of upgrading to missile turrets on small craft. That costs money and uses power.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Three firmpoint turrets each with one rack is three missiles per turn each with a magazine of four is a total of twelve missiles, yes.

Right. But wouldn't that be true whether you kept the fixed mount or upgraded to turrets?

Quite, each missile rack comes with a 4 missile magazine (for small craft), so it does not matter if you mount three launchers in fixed mounts, three single turrets, or one triple turret, you always get 12 missile magazine total.

Missiles are smart, so they could be launched in any "facing", so I don't see the point of upgrading to missile turrets on small craft. That costs money and uses power.

Agreed.

 

[baithammer]

Your only able to ready fire 4 missiles from the system, but you can reload from storage by taking the reload action. ( Otherwise the 96 missiles on the 50 dt fighter would be wasted space.)

Basically you have 4 shots then have to spend a turn reloading the rack / turret / ect. ( With missiles being about 80+ kg each, assuming autoloader.)

 

[Condottiere]

Since I've given up on smallcraft, I'm a little rusty on the details.

You want that turret, since you can fire in all directions, in theory.

Again, in theory, since missiles and torpedoes are supposedly not subject to smallcraft range limitations, they have a stand off option.

In that sense, you can embed the missile launchers, and point the smallcraft in the preferred direction.

 

[AnotherDilbert]

Your only able to ready fire 4 missiles from the system, but you can reload from storage by taking the reload action.

Quite.

I allow continuos fire from dedicated missile magazines (LBB5 style), but needing reloading for missiles carried as cargo (LBB2 style) for normal adventuring ships, but that is obviously a home rule.

 

[baithammer]

Missiles have a number of quirks.

1.) Don't require the launcher to be facing the target as they have their own drive system.
2.) Lose the smart trait if used at adjacent or close range.

I allow continuos fire from dedicated missile magazines

Honestly not really needed as the larger ship scale systems have a lot of ready space available at the cost of greater displacement.