Tigleth Pilisar
Banded Mongoose
1. Initiative - if Tactics is used and the effect is negative, does it reduce the initiative roll. i.e. Tactics (naval)-1 rolls a 2. 2+1-8=-5 to initiative?
2. If a turret is a triple turret, does it fire three times separately and get three potential hits or fire once as a group and get three hits? Does the gunner's modification apply to all three rolls?
3. When in the phase does each side delare what software they will use? I would guess if you have a rating 15 computer, then you can use a total of 15 rating value of programs in a turn. I am guessing they use it up during the turn as they declare.
4. If a ship "dodges" does the sucessful dodge cause a -2 to only 1 attack against the ship or against all attacks against the ship in that round or against all the attacks from one turret? If a ship had 3 triple turrets, would it fire 9 times and a dodge would only help against one of them, buringing a thrust? Seems pretty weak to dodge.
5. When you line up a shot does it line it up for one turret with three weapons or only one shot on that turret?
6. How does the evade program work? Like a dodge I would guess. Do you add the pilot's skill to the evade program? Is there an intelligence or education DM as well for this manoeuver? Does using the evade program burn a thrust or just if the pilot does it?
7. ECM versus missles is done in the ship action phase, (after all attacks are resolved), while point defense is done in the combat phase as a reaction? This would mean no ECM if fired at adjacent or close range?
8. I don't see how a starship that is moving and evading can be boarded by astronauts/marines in another moving starship.
Ship design questions:
a. Why is no formula given for travel time?
b. I don't get the intellect program. If you want the ship computer to know pilot, engineering, astrogation, etc, then the computer has intellect (rating 10 running), and then do you leave the page on ship software (113) and go to page 92, general software and then buy "Expert" programs? For example "Expert/2" of Astrogation would cost 10,000, use 10 (ship intellect) plus 2 rating for a total of 12 (therefore model 3 or better computer) and would automatically provide the skill of Astrogation-1? Would you also get to use the pilot's education DM or because the computer is doing it, no education DM?
c. I don't think I understand missles right. Basic/smart missles only do 1d6 of damage, cost 15k to 30k a pop, the missle rack costs 250k more than a pulse laser that does 2d6 damage, and you have to use up one ton of space for every 12 missles! Firing 10 smart missles costs 300,000cr! And it wasted a bunch of ship space.
d. What is the game implication of a fixed mounting? I understand it can't move and can only fire one way but you just have to say it was pointed at the enemy. So you save half costs, but is it harder to hit with or something?
e. Can three particle Beams be on one turret? That does 9d6 damage plus three crew hits for a building cost of 1 MCr and 1 ton of space. A particle beam bay costs 20 MCr, uses 50 tons of space and only does 6d6 of damage with one crew hit. Why would anyone ever design a ship with a bay rather than the turrets? This is way out of whack.
f. In High Guard, does it actually say that two torpedoes take up 5 tons of space? A triple turret missle rack uses 1 ton of space and costs 3.25 MCr. Three missles go which can do 3d6 damage (unless nuclear). I can put 12x5 missles or 60 missles in 5 tons of space which means 60d6 of damage. High Guard says these torpedoes which take THIRTY times as much space do 4d6 damage! Is that a misprint. Plus no where in High Guard does it say the price of torpedoes, but is that because they are so inefficient on space and do such little damage that no one in their right mind would actually incorporate this into a ship design?
g. You can "harden" a bridge or computer against EMP. When does an EMP get used against you? How do you EMP someone? What does it cost and so on?
h. To confirm, using lasers is free as long as there is a power plant with rating as good as the better of manoeuver and jump, while missiles cost big? I also note that none of the High Guard new weapons seem to have ammunition costs: The new multi-warhead missle, shockwave missle, ortillery missle, torpedoes, railgun ammo, chaff, etc are all missing a cost. And I still can't believe a torpedo is 30x larger than a missile but only does 4x the damage. I mean you've made a single torpedo only slightly smaller than an entire stateroom.
i. If a missle bay (50 tons cost) is in a ship, can that bay hold 12x50=600 missiles or do you need to allocate more space?
Any insights into the above appreciated. Thanks.
2. If a turret is a triple turret, does it fire three times separately and get three potential hits or fire once as a group and get three hits? Does the gunner's modification apply to all three rolls?
3. When in the phase does each side delare what software they will use? I would guess if you have a rating 15 computer, then you can use a total of 15 rating value of programs in a turn. I am guessing they use it up during the turn as they declare.
4. If a ship "dodges" does the sucessful dodge cause a -2 to only 1 attack against the ship or against all attacks against the ship in that round or against all the attacks from one turret? If a ship had 3 triple turrets, would it fire 9 times and a dodge would only help against one of them, buringing a thrust? Seems pretty weak to dodge.
5. When you line up a shot does it line it up for one turret with three weapons or only one shot on that turret?
6. How does the evade program work? Like a dodge I would guess. Do you add the pilot's skill to the evade program? Is there an intelligence or education DM as well for this manoeuver? Does using the evade program burn a thrust or just if the pilot does it?
7. ECM versus missles is done in the ship action phase, (after all attacks are resolved), while point defense is done in the combat phase as a reaction? This would mean no ECM if fired at adjacent or close range?
8. I don't see how a starship that is moving and evading can be boarded by astronauts/marines in another moving starship.
Ship design questions:
a. Why is no formula given for travel time?
b. I don't get the intellect program. If you want the ship computer to know pilot, engineering, astrogation, etc, then the computer has intellect (rating 10 running), and then do you leave the page on ship software (113) and go to page 92, general software and then buy "Expert" programs? For example "Expert/2" of Astrogation would cost 10,000, use 10 (ship intellect) plus 2 rating for a total of 12 (therefore model 3 or better computer) and would automatically provide the skill of Astrogation-1? Would you also get to use the pilot's education DM or because the computer is doing it, no education DM?
c. I don't think I understand missles right. Basic/smart missles only do 1d6 of damage, cost 15k to 30k a pop, the missle rack costs 250k more than a pulse laser that does 2d6 damage, and you have to use up one ton of space for every 12 missles! Firing 10 smart missles costs 300,000cr! And it wasted a bunch of ship space.
d. What is the game implication of a fixed mounting? I understand it can't move and can only fire one way but you just have to say it was pointed at the enemy. So you save half costs, but is it harder to hit with or something?
e. Can three particle Beams be on one turret? That does 9d6 damage plus three crew hits for a building cost of 1 MCr and 1 ton of space. A particle beam bay costs 20 MCr, uses 50 tons of space and only does 6d6 of damage with one crew hit. Why would anyone ever design a ship with a bay rather than the turrets? This is way out of whack.
f. In High Guard, does it actually say that two torpedoes take up 5 tons of space? A triple turret missle rack uses 1 ton of space and costs 3.25 MCr. Three missles go which can do 3d6 damage (unless nuclear). I can put 12x5 missles or 60 missles in 5 tons of space which means 60d6 of damage. High Guard says these torpedoes which take THIRTY times as much space do 4d6 damage! Is that a misprint. Plus no where in High Guard does it say the price of torpedoes, but is that because they are so inefficient on space and do such little damage that no one in their right mind would actually incorporate this into a ship design?
g. You can "harden" a bridge or computer against EMP. When does an EMP get used against you? How do you EMP someone? What does it cost and so on?
h. To confirm, using lasers is free as long as there is a power plant with rating as good as the better of manoeuver and jump, while missiles cost big? I also note that none of the High Guard new weapons seem to have ammunition costs: The new multi-warhead missle, shockwave missle, ortillery missle, torpedoes, railgun ammo, chaff, etc are all missing a cost. And I still can't believe a torpedo is 30x larger than a missile but only does 4x the damage. I mean you've made a single torpedo only slightly smaller than an entire stateroom.
i. If a missle bay (50 tons cost) is in a ship, can that bay hold 12x50=600 missiles or do you need to allocate more space?
Any insights into the above appreciated. Thanks.
- if it ain't clear to you it probably isn't real clear to everyone else either, and the authors rarely clarify (some changes are in edits and etc.). As I mentioned (and I did respond to a number of your items), many items on your list are 'contentious' and have had numerous, differing, unofficial clarifications.
. I have considered a number of options, but tested none.
