Track that target SA

[Hindsight]

Until all the ships you can kill are dead, and as a slow ship, you have zero chances of catching your target, and locking on a bore, so your enemy can lead you around the table. That doesn't sound like much fun to me.

 

[Silvereye]

No, but it sounds like what could happen 'in reality'. You wouldn't expect the small ship to hold position and let itself be destroyed so as not to spoil the fun.

It's the hiding of initiative sinks that's the un-fun bit.

Boresight is a great mechanic and a worthy part of the game. It just needs a way of being decoupled from Initiative, which is where all the Boresight issues spring from. Hopefully the special action may go some way to sort that.

(I play EA and Narn fleets amongst others, and I'm happy with boresights as they stand. I've even managed to get Hyperions and Omegas to fire both fore and aft boresights in the same turn on a few occasions.)

 

[l33tpenguin]

This opinion might vary if there had been hordes of ini-sinking vessels in play, but with a game set up like this it seems quite balanced.

In a balanced game there is nothing wrong with boresight, it is a good mechanic to represent a technological difference. Even when one side has more ships it isn't too bad. You just have to blast the little stuff first. When it gets hairpulling is when some one is doing something like hiding sinks behind an astroid field that let his big stuff sit right in front of you and pound you, with immunity from your main weapons.

Thats my biggest problem with the init system as it stands. Somehow, magically, big lumbering ships with heavy guns suddenly become super agile while you have lots of small little ships to sink with.

In my opinion, bore sight weapons on big slow ships are designed to hammer into the hulls of other big slow ships. Its the only possible use for them. But when one player gets a couple big ships and loads up on init sinks, suddenly his big slow ships are able to out manuver yours. this does not make sense

 

[skavendan]

If that where the case though surly the ship would have secondary weapons to channel the power into rather than the B arc to fend off smaller ships.

 

[l33tpenguin]

If that where the case though surly the ship would have secondary weapons to channel the power into rather than the B arc to fend off smaller ships.

In theory, thats what escort ships are for. With certain exceptions, I like seeing fleets that work as a unit. Unfortunatly, the way turn based movement works in ACtA means it is difficult to screen ships before they get to your heavy hitters.

 

[skavendan]

If that where the case though surly the ship would have secondary weapons to channel the power into rather than the B arc to fend off smaller ships.

In theory, thats what escort ships are for. With certain exceptions, I like seeing fleets that work as a unit. Unfortunatly, the way turn based movement works in ACtA means it is difficult to screen ships before they get to your heavy hitters.

Technically my fleet doesn't have a escort and given the hole speed ranges 4" to 9" it's hard to move as a formation. Due to some seriously bad designs.

 

[l33tpenguin]

If that where the case though surly the ship would have secondary weapons to channel the power into rather than the B arc to fend off smaller ships.

In theory, thats what escort ships are for. With certain exceptions, I like seeing fleets that work as a unit. Unfortunatly, the way turn based movement works in ACtA means it is difficult to screen ships before they get to your heavy hitters.

Technically my fleet doesn't have a escort and given the hole speed ranges 4" to 9" it's hard to move as a formation. Due to some seriously bad designs.

Like I said, 'in theory' :?

 

[crichelle]

How about this for TTT:

CQ check difficulty: 8

This special action can only be done if the ship performing this action successfully boresited a target last turn with either a front arc or rear arc boresite weapon. If the crew quality check is passed, this ship's movement will be postponed until directly after the previously boresited ship's move. Regardless of the crew quality check this vessel may only fire on the ship previously targeted. Subtract -1 from the CQ target if the vessel being targeted is lumbering. Add +1 if the ship being targeted is agile.


This version of TTT makes sense to me, sense once you targeted a major warship with your heavy guns, you would be hesitant to lose that target. Movement would still be important, since if they could out manouver you, you would still lose your lock-on. There would be no need to adjust AD on the weapon and you don't run into any issues about firing a weapon out of phase. Finally the CQ check should make it just hard enough that trying to jack small fast ships with big lumbering ones will be a waste of time.

 

[Da Boss]

Please include SM with Agile and I would add Adrift to Lumbering (fore reasons noted before)

 

[katadder]

How about this for TTT:

CQ check difficulty: 8

This special action can only be done if the ship performing this action successfully boresited a target last turn with either a front arc or rear arc boresite weapon. If the crew quality check is passed, this ship's movement will be postponed until directly after the previously boresited ship's move. Regardless of the crew quality check this vessel may only fire on the ship previously targeted. Subtract -1 from the CQ target if the vessel being targeted is lumbering. Add +1 if the ship being targeted is agile.


This version of TTT makes sense to me, sense once you targeted a major warship with your heavy guns, you would be hesitant to lose that target. Movement would still be important, since if they could out manouver you, you would still lose your lock-on. There would be no need to adjust AD on the weapon and you don't run into any issues about firing a weapon out of phase. Finally the CQ check should make it just hard enough that trying to jack small fast ships with big lumbering ones will be a waste of time.

I am totally against any sort of thing that allows you to move or turn after your target even if you are supposed to move before.
with the front arc thing at least you can turn the wrong direction and your target can do his best to get out of arc or start heading the opposite way anyway.
this gives too much flexibility in chasing your target and more so than some of the foreward arc lumbering ships. if a Sharlin turns the wrong way fighting a WS it may get the target that turn but then it will have problems tracking back round the following one.

 

[Foxmeister]

I am totally against any sort of thing that allows you to move or turn after your target even if you are supposed to move before.
with the front arc thing at least you can turn the wrong direction and your target can do his best to get out of arc or start heading the opposite way anyway.

My proposal (posted elsewhere) was quite similar except that it required an opposed crew quality check which I think at least partially mitigates against your issue with these types of solution because the targets attempt to get out arc is essentially their part of the opposed CQ roll. However, I can see what you are on about vis-a-vis flexibility.

Regards,

Dave

 

[l33tpenguin]

I am totally against any sort of thing that allows you to move or turn after your target even if you are supposed to move before.
with the front arc thing at least you can turn the wrong direction and your target can do his best to get out of arc or start heading the opposite way anyway.
this gives too much flexibility in chasing your target and more so than some of the foreward arc lumbering ships. if a Sharlin turns the wrong way fighting a WS it may get the target that turn but then it will have problems tracking back round the following one.

Thats what an opposed CQ is for. It is one crew pitting themselves against another. Think of it in more realistic terms. Ships are moving at the same time. Its not a you go I go in real life. A ship isn't going to make a broad turn, hoping that they turned the right direction, when tracking a target. They are going to turn with the target as it moves.

This is the current version I use:

Bring Weapons to Bear
CQ: Opposed
Requirements: Ship capable of making at least 1 turn.

This special action declares that the crew of one ship is following the course of a specific ship in order to bring their weapons to bear on their target. When this special action is declared, the attacker designates the target ship and an opposed check is rolled. If the attacking ship wins, the player declares the firing arc and the ship performing the special action is moved, using all but 1 if its turn. The firing arc is which ever weapon arc the player wishes to bring to bear on the target ship and the target ship is any opposing ship that has not yet been moved. The movement phase proceeds as normal until the target ship is moved. At the end of the target ship’s movement, the ship that declared the Bring to Bear special action uses its last turn to attempt to bring the target ship into the designated fire arc. The player must commit to the turn whether or not it is possible to bring the target ship into the designated arc. If unable to bring the target into the designated arc, the ship must be turned its full turn in the direction of the target ship.

The target ship still can get out of the possible fire arc, it KNOWS its being targetted, if it is fast enough. The CQ implies that it is the skill of one crew against the skill of the other. If successful, the ship performing it MUST make the turn. This can be exploited by the target ship, turning the ship in the direction of their choosing.

Also, it can be used by any ship (that can turn) to bring any weapons to bear on a target. It would solve a lot of the init sinking issues since you could pick your targets. In real combat, ships don't fly around aimlessly hoping to get shots. They target an opponent and engage them.