Re: Missiles and Submunition ideas

> Here's the catch... if you take damage and a missile bay was 
> hit (ie. one of the marked damage boxes), the missile has a 50% 
> chance of exploding.	If it does, roll for damage normally.
> If more missiles are hit by this damage, roll to see if they
> blow up, etc...  Could lead to a spectacular chain reaction ;)

I think it would be easier to keep track of if the missiles
were in a defined magazine.  I was going to object to missiles
exploding in storage because I hate it when Holywood has an
atomic bomb being triggered by shock.  However, with all the
volatiles involved, a magazine explosion should be pretty
impressive.  Early model magazines I can see having a lot of
problems.  While I could see any loss of the magazine resulting
in a total loss of the magazine, if they have the magazine set
up so that it channels and vents any explosion out of the ship
that should alleviate the problem.  So an ordinary threshold
check that damages the magazine usually can't be repaired.
Maybe it should do damage equal to the number of threshold
levels already lost.

> Pete

Are you using 1 Mass of Cargo Space can contain 2 Mass of
replacement missiles?  Going as high as 3 Mass seemed
unbalancing.

I suppose a lot of the volatilty of missile fuel depends on
what sort of fuel you use.  If the missiles engines are
fusion powered then a purely fuel explosion wouldn't be
very impressive.  If you are using hyperglogic (sp?) fuels,
fuels which ignite upon mixing, a couple of cracked tanks
results in burnt Battlestar.

Since noone talks about chain reactions for normal engine
threshold checks the assumption seems to be that the fuel
for at least some drive systems won't cause a chain reaction.

I'd really feel sorry for merchant vessels carrying missile
resupply.  One point of damage could blow a 100 Mass ship
apart!	One point of damage could correspond to 2 Mass of
Cargo, or two+ missiles.  Of course, missiles transported
by merchant ships aren't carried fully fueled and armed...

I'd at least allow Damage Control Parties some chance of
preventing a chain reaction, if they have read the handbook,
"When the Blast Door is your Friend."

Michael Sandy
Portland, Or