Re: Ground-Based Fighters

From: Jeff Lyon <jefflyon@mail.utexas.edu>

> I think I've come up some ideas which will help eliminate most of
these
> problems without creating too many others.

> The first was a conceptual change; I quit trying to translate the
Imperium
> fighter squadrons to FT fighter squadrons on a 1:1 basis.  I'm finding
now
> that equating a single FT fighter squadron to two Imperium fighter
> squadrons is a much closer match in terms of combat effectiveness.

Sounds like a good abstraction for your purposes.

> The next issue was to balance the cost of FT fighter squadrons which
are
> operating independent of a carrier.  There are two ways this could be
handled:

> The first is to purchase a minimal base station for each squadron;
Mass
> 10-11, fragile to weak hull integrity, mass 9 hangar bays, cost: 39-42
> points.  This can be either a ground base or an orbital station.
> The second is a little more elegant in some ways; create a new fighter
> variant called "ground based fighters" or something...

The two are essentially the same, differing only in detail. The former
gives
you a ship or structure to use in accounting for assault on-planet. It's
almost exactly what I did drawing up the New Israel fleet. all my
planet-based fighters cost +38 points per group and take 1 turn to
transit
the atmosphere/ escape the gravity well of the host planet. Extra cost
is
just what you say PSB-wise- tarmac/launchpad, bunker, control, and
escape
boosters for the fighters. 

There was some discussion of ground-based fighters some months ago.
Should
be in the archives.

Noam