[OFFICIAL] new ideas!

OK everyone, I promised that from time to time we'd be posting some
playtest ideas to this list to get some reactions, so here goes:

Please note before we start: all the ideas here are _very_ provisional -
they are points for discussion, not finished rules! Some of this MAY end
up
in FTIII (and probably in the Fleet Book first), but nothing is set in
stone at this stage. I am actively seeking feedback, but the final
decision
as to what we use will be made from a mixture of testers' responses,
discussions here and my own preferences.

NEW DESIGN/CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM:
I'm not giving rules and numbers here, because they haven't been written
yet :).
This is simply the rough outline of the new system:

1) We intend to do away with the artificial distinctions between
Escorts,
Cruisers and Capitals, and have a single "sliding scale" of ship designs
from smallest to largest; this will also mean that Superships cease to
need
special rules - you can build something as big as you like under the
basic
system. (Still figuring on how to best do the damage track and threshold
points - have been watching the last few days' discussions with
interest...)

2) Under the new system, you will have more MASS per ship to play with
in
the design (probably = to total mass rather than 50%), but out of this
you
will have to use mass for drives and other bits that are currently
assumed
to be part of the "other 50%" of the ship mass. The thrust rating will
depend on the % of the ship that you devote to the drives - preliminary
ideas are for 5% ship mass per thrust factor. FTL drive will use 10% of
ship mass. This means you can build a ship with very high thrust if you
wish, at the cost of having very little weapons space - or a very "slow"
one bristling with guns.....
(OK, I know this will change the ship designs considerably, but then so
will a simple change like making A batts cost 4 mass....)

3) Battery mass will be C = 1 (including all-round fire - it is in a
small
turret); B = 2, plus 1 per additional fire arc over first; A = 4 plus 2
per
additional fire arc over first. The numbers may not be perfect (as I'm
sure
all the armchair mathematicians will soon tell me:)) but I think they'll
go
a long way to fixing the age-old problem.

4) Rear-arc fire MAY be allowed (for weapons that bear there), but ONLY
in
a turn in which the ship uses no thrust from its main drive... should
change tactics a little and possibly help to avoid the "plughole" effect
of
all ships circling madly in the centre of the table!

5) Fighter movement may stay basically as per FTII, but with greatly
increased fighter move distances (24" or 36"?) and making the revised
turn
sequence from MT a standard basic rule (ie: fighters move after order
writing, but before ships move, so you have to anticipate the enemy's
move). 

6) Instead of four equal 90 degree fire arcs, we may change to fore/aft
arcs of 60 degrees each and side arcs of 120 degrees - this brings the
arcs
in line with the 12 course directions, and makes fire arcs easy to judge
from a hexagonal model base (1 base side = 60 degrees, 2 = 120). Do you
think this will make a great deal of difference to the game, other than
(perhaps) making broadside mounts a little more acctractive?

So, there are some ideas - think them over and let me know the reactions
-
either to the list or direct email (at this stage, please don't send
loads
of alternative rules - I'd appreciate just reaction to the above, so I
can
gauge feelings on it.)

Many thanks!

Jon T. (GZG).