Re: [FT] Vector vs. cinematic; air vs. naval

>> >I figure I am just
>> >missing the rules somewhere. Therefore I will tackle what I see to
be the
>> >big problem - beam batteries. I believe that there needs to be
system of
>> >anti-beam defense.
>>
>> Ummm...there are: screens (level-1 and level-2). These reduce the
>effectiveness
>> of beams fairly well.
>
>Yes, but there exists no way for escort vessels to provide some measure
of
>beam defense for their charges.

Nope, you're right, there doesn't. And actually, I think that's fine and
as it should be. If you want to draw on contemporary analogies of wet
navy-ness, there existed no way for escorts to stop inbound shelling of
gun rounds on their charges, either (I think it can be kinda sorta done
now, but I'm not all familiar with the interactive details of
interception
capabilities of our Navy; most of my knowledge comes from either my
brother
who is in the Navy, or from a Harpoon game I played 7 years ago, in
which
the scenario was to take place in the near future...er, in 1999,
actually!
the americans were shelling the Russian ships with their big-@$$ guns on
the battleships, and we were using our SAMs to try and deflect the paths
of the shells - but this is getting a little escoteric and drifting off
topic :).

If you want to draw on 'established' science fiction analogies, there
has
been no demonstration (short of physically interposing ships) of a
capability
to stop beam fire (be it lasers, blasters, phasers, etc) from one ship
to
another. So, I'm happy with the beam rules as they stand. :)

Mk
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
I'm not giving in to security under pressure,
I'm not missing out on the promise of adventure,
I'm not giving up on implausible dreams -
Experience to extremes...experience to extremes....
					   Rush - "The Enemy Within"