Re: [FT] Hardened Systems

>[snip ideas on hardened systems]
>>

[snip part of Jon's response]

>the cost-effectiveness. To avoid fractional Mass factors on odd-Mass
>systems, I'd suggest always rounding UP the amount needed for hardening
to
>the nearest whole number.

I think the Hardened systems sound good - I expect that certain people
would be eager to harden their firecons - Would it be reasonable to
assume
any system can be armored?  or should there be any restrictions?

>  >>
>>I have to say that that is a very good idea, what about having
sections
of the
>>ship that had there own armor and screens, along with hardining?
>>-Stephen
>
>I'm much less happy about this idea - I think it would introduce FAR
too
>much complication for no real benefit in game terms. Some starship
games
>have individual protection levels for individual systems and/or ship
>sections, but this starts getting into needing extra rolls for damage
>location and all sorts of other complications that I really don't think
FT
>games need.
>
>Jon (GZG)

It seems the real downside to this is that FT loses it's graceful
elegance
if you start mucking with internal sectioning - i.e. anything that
starts
to necessitate or resemble hit-location rolls.

OTOH, 'External' sectioning could have merit.  What I mean by this is
things like directional shields or armor that have their effect _before_
the damage in marked on the hull boxes and threshold checks taken.

For example:
 lvl-1 screens take 5% mass and give all-round protection.  What if, for
the same 5% mass I could have a lvl-2 screen that only covered 3 arcs?
designate on the SSD which arcs a given screen generator covers and
threshold checks work easily - in fact the damage system is undisturbed.
But suddenly my own defensive maneuvering becomes a more important
factor -
I don't want to allow you a shot at my unscreened aft.	Or maybe
directional armor?

My point is that I can see fun and challenging tactics coming from
things
like that, without overly complicating the game.  It takes no more
effort
to look at which arc fire is coming in from that which arc a target is
in.
Just don't try to make final damage allocation be any more specific than
hull boxes in rows, with thresholds taken at the end of each row.

Jared Noble