Re: New Armor

>Has Anyone given any thought to my idea to enable ships to buy armor by
the
>box?  Basically you buy damage boxes and place them in their rows so
that no
>row is greater than the one below it.
>
>Structural Armor:
>	 Mass:	 1
>	 Cost:	 2
>	 Place an additional damage box in the rows.  No row can have
more
>damage boxes than the one below it.  These boxes increase the amount of
>damage that a ship can take overall and may increase the amount of
damage
>absorbed before a threshold check is conducted.
>
>	 I'd apreciate your thoughts,
>		 Phil P.

I use the following. It is different in that it provides more protection

(to smaller ships) and "armor points" only protect one arc of fire. 

Updated 1.11.97

Ablative Armor Rules
by Brian Bell

Ablative Armor Rules (non-standard)
Tons: 1
Cost: 5
Provides: points of protection in a single arc.
  4 for Escorts
  3 for Cruisers
  2 for Capitals
  1 for Superships
 Ablative Armor is a a sandwich design comprised of layers of aligned 
crystal sheets interlaced with a superconducting lattice. This design is

effective against both kinetic and energy attacks. The aligned crystal 
spreads the kinetic energy laterally throughout the armor plate. The 
superconducting lattice spreads energy attacks throughout the armor
plate 
burning off the crystal. In both cases, damage to the underlying hull is

avoided or reduced.
On larger ships armor provides less protection per ton. This is because 
it becomes thinner as it is spread over a larger surface area.
 Armor is purchased as other systems. For every ton of armor purchased 
Escorts get 4 armor points. Cruisers get 3 armor points. Capitals get 2 
armor points. And Superships get 1 armor point. These armor points must 
be applied to a specific firing arc. When the ship recieves damage to an

armored firing arc, the damage is removed from the armor points first. 
Place armor points around the edge ship diagram seperating them by the 
arc they cover. Armor points tons are purchased just like other systems 
and apply agianst the tons that systems can use.
 Armor is not subject to Threshold rolls. A needle attacks ignore armor 
(the armor itself may not be attacked by a needle gun/missile). Screens 
levels greater than 1 and/or a reflex field may not be used on armored 
ships (Not enough access points to generate that strength of shield). 
Ships that carry the Wave Gun or Spinal Mount Nova Cannon may not armor 
the Forward section of the ship.
 Total number of armor points may not exceed 4 times the number of rows 
of damage points a ship has in a given arc. Example: An escort may have 
upto 8 armor points in any one arc (max 32 total armor points). A
Crusier 
could place upto 12 in any one arc (max 48 total armor points). A
Capital 
could place upto 16 in a specific arc (max 64 total armor points). Armor

points may be divided throughout the ship. (i.e. if you only by 1 ton,
it 
does not all have to all go into one arc).
 Armor is not as cost effective as screens, on larger ships, but
provides 
protection for smaller ships.

Brian Bell
pdga6560@compuserve.com
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/pdga6560/fthome.html
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