Re: [FT] Sol SDN-X (2nd proposal)

Steve wrote:

>Fighters would make sense but the model doesn't seem to allow them. 
>The forward section is smaller than fighter carrying sections on 
>other ships and there aren't any obvious launch/recovery bays. 

I agree.  Fighters don't fit on this one.  Not a bad thing, since it
helps
to distinguish it from everybody else's SDNs that all carry fighters.  

I do think that missiles are called for on this one.  Those
cross-hatched
panels on the forward hull look very much like vertical launch tubes,
and
the "outrigger" tube mounts could carry "torpedoes" (MT missiles).  The
larger missiles could even comprise a mix of standard and "EMP"
warheads,
in order to give the ship a non-lethal capability.  For that matter,
some
of the other weapons mounts could represent some form of non-lethal
weapon
along the lines of the various "ion guns" that have been suggested
elsewhere (weapons that cause threshold checks without necessarily
causing
hull damage).  This seems like it might be in keeping with UN
peacekeeping
doctrine... ("Don't blow 'em away if you can just turn out the lights
and
get 'em to quit").

The ship does need some sort of robust anti-fighter defense, however, if
we
assume that it operates as the core of a small task force.  Maybe "area
effect" warheads for the missiles?  

I'm not entirely opposed the Wave Gun idea for that reason, as long as
it
doesn't break the FB design balance.  If it is used, there should be
some
sort of limit to using other weapons on the same turn as the Wave Gun -
if
it is utilizing the outboard beam batteries.  By the same token it
should
probably be inoperable if any of the outboard batteries are destroyed...
Hmmm... Maybe this is getting too complicated.	Any thoughts?

Rob