RE: FT III alternative rules

On Sat, 30 Nov 1996, JP & Val Fiset wrote:

> However, what is the significance of the relation between
> mass of ship and the ability of its weapon to cover arcs?

None as such, really. What is important is that a manouvrable ship can 
turn to bring single-arc weapons to bear much faster than a clumsy one; 
and it is quite easy to lose some or all weapons covering one side of a 
ship to treshold checks. (Nothing is more frustrating than having your 
Superdreadnought picked apart by a light cruiser glued to its port side 
after losing the entire port broadside to the first treshold check :( I 
started using 'roll' manouvers after that battle...)

Of course you _can_ build thrust 8 Superdreadnoughts... <g>

With the 'roll' manouver a three-arc weapon is worth a bit less (in 
mass and/or cost) than two single-arc weapons (IMO, of course), both 
because of increased vulnerability to treshold checks and because the 
three-arc weapon can't engage more than one target at a time. Without a 
'roll', the three-arc weapon gets a bit better than two single-arc 
weapons due to the difficulties to get your strongest broadside to bear.

Regards,

Oerjan Ohlson

"Father, what is wrong?"
"My shoes are too tight. But it does not matter, because
 I have forgotten how to dance."
- Londo Mollari