Some help with balancing weapons for MTU

[Input Jack]

Ok, I need some help with balancing weapons for My Traveller Universe.

See, I prefer my sci-fi to rely mostly on energy weapons. So I dont want to use sandcasters and missiles. I also dont like the automatic Rad hits from some weapons, nor the fact that certain Screens only work against certain weapon types. I also dont want a ship to have 500 turrets that all have to be rolled for individually...

Not because I dont find them realistic; just because they arent what I wanted for the "feel" of MTU.

What Im looking for, frankly, is a more Babylon-5 feel to spaceships and weapons.

But if I just say "No missiles. No sandcasters. Screens block everything equally" is that balanced? Will lasers be unbalancingly powerful without sandcasters to counter them? If screens block Fusion and Meson weapons, should the single system take twice as much tonnage as listed?

Im not clear on if the Traveller B-5 game is out yet or not. If so, please piont me at it, so I can use its ship weapons system for my game. if not, how about a "preview" of how to build ships weapons and defense systems?

Any and all advice that people can give on this topic is welcome and appreciated. Thanks, everyone

 

[Rikki Tikki Traveller]

Traveller B5 is not out yet. Many of your issues may be answered in that book.

If you eliminate the Kinetic weapons, then just take them off of the list of available weapons.

You do have a problem with Lasers not being stopped by sand though. You probably need to come up with something that has the same effect as sand, but isn't actually sand. Call it an "Energy Disruptor" or something and move on.

Shields are specific and should stay that way. If you ship needs both Nuclear and Meson protection, make them buy both shields, no biggie. The Black Globe Generator is the only Traveller shield that stops everything, and it has some significant disadvantages to balance it out.

High Guard has a Mass Fire system, called "Barrage Attacks" which basically gives each 1d6 of damage as 1 point on the Barrage Attack. Then it uses more statistical methods to determine damage. For large numbers of weapons (like 500 Triple Lasers) it works quite well. WARNING THOUGH, it doesn't scale well to the PC level combat in the TMB. I like it better than the purely statistical method used in the original HG though.

 

[atpollard]

You do have a problem with Lasers not being stopped by sand though. You probably need to come up with something that has the same effect as sand, but isn't actually sand. Call it an "Energy Disruptor" or something and move on.

An old game called CAR WARS has "Reflective Armor" as an upgrade against lasers.

 

[Patron Zero]

[\quote] An old game called CAR WARS has "Reflective Armor" as an upgrade against lasers. [/quote]

There's also ablative armor which 'absorbs' energy weapons fire and burns off much like a contemporary heat shield on a space craft.

http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-ablative-armor.htm

 

[Input Jack]

Thanks, fellas

Out of curiousity, whats the ETA on "Traveller Bab 5"?

 

[lastbesthope]

Listed as next month.

LBH

 

[Input Jack]

Listed as next month.

LBH

*Parties!*

 

[lastbesthope]

Let's wait till it actually gets released, schedules are just a plan, not an actuality.

LBH