"Harpoon in Space"

In message <Pine.LNX.3.91.970326113257.30404A-100000@swob.dna.fi> Mikko
Kurki-Suonio writes:

> If you want to play "Harpoon in Space", just disallow all batteries
above 
> C and stick as many missiles as you can in each boat. Sure, big ships
can 
> still mount more of them (well, they're bigger), but they're too easy 
> targets for the points because of their low thrust. Thus no-one wants
a 
> cap ship anymore, unless they have to use one, i.e. a carrier.

...and don't forget to disallow any speed above, say, 3"/turn, so,
Yes, Virginia, you will be hit by the missile, and No, there is no
worthwhile concept of maneouver.

> Oh, and disallow "C-batts as PDAFs" while you're at it.

Come now, didn't a Royal Navy vessel get a kill on an Exocet missile 
with her 114mm gun? All naval guns are dual-purpose.

...and for that special Harpoon flavour, remember to over-rate all
American technology... Wave that flag.

I've made the Modern Naval comparison with FT before (missiles, say,
could be smaller and more vulnerable to point-defence, so mandating
great waves of missiles to overwhelm the defences) but at the day's
end Big Guns are More Fun. Star Wars has big guns, right? 

All the best war cliches come from WWII, 'cos they made so many war
films. These cliches spill into Star Wars, Star Trek and so forth,
and so into SF.

-- 
David Brewer