Some random thoughts on Ship Damage

John Crimmins writes:

@:)	    When a Ship takes damage equal to or grather than it's
@:) hull points, it is considered disabled. ... It continues moving at
@:) the same speed and heading that it had when it was disabled (or,
@:) alternatively, continues making the same manuever that it made in
@:) its last turn, over and over.  +2p1, again and again, spiraling
@:) off the board....) until it leaves the board.  If a ship takes
@:) damage equal to double its hull points, it blows up.

  This is good but I think double damage is way too much.  This is
especially true in campaign games where repair and capture is
allowed.  I would suggest something more along the lines of an extra
damage row equal in size to the (former) last damage row.  If that
gets wiped out, the ship is destroyed.

@:)	    As another idea, if a ship takes damage *exactly* equal to
@:) its hull points, it is close enough to functional that it might
@:) actually be jury-rigged back into service.

  Perhaps better would be to have the captain roll a d6 when the ship
becomes disabled.  After that many turns, the ship may attempt to
become functional again and damage control parties may begin bringing
systems on line.  Perhaps on a 6 the ship is permanently disabled.

@:)	    I don't know how this would work out on the gaming table,
@:) but I suspect that it would not make TOO much difference in a
@:) game.  After the first captain successfully fakes his opponent
@:) out, disabled ships would almost certainly take a major pounding
@:) just in case.  Still, the idea appeals to me.  What does everyone
@:) think?

  I like it too (generally) but I think it could have a fairly
important effect.  It would force captains to decide whether to leave
a probably harmless ship alone and concentrate fire on more dangerous
targets, or whether to attack the wounded ships to make sure they
don't get stabbed in the back.	Again, in a campaign situation this
would make a big difference since normally ships would be disabled and
captured later.  Now the captain will have to think a lot harder about
whether the ship is worth more dead or alive.

-joachim