Re: FT/FB Clarifications

Anthony Leibrick wrote:

>There is just a couple of things in the FB book I'd liked clarified.
>Under the VECTOR system you have half the Main Drive rating available
>for the manoeuvering thrusters and you can still use all the Drive to
alter
>velocity.

> The example about rolling the ship appears to contradict this. It
says that
> a thrust-4 ship that has 2 points available to alter facing (in this
case
> rolling and rotating) would only have 2 thrust factors available to
alter
> velocity.

That's because the example in the  "Rolling Ships" was written for
Cinematic movement, not for Vector. That rule can be used in both
movement systems (which is why it is under the main header "New Fire
Arc Rules" <G>).

Cinematic is the original system (and therefore standard, from the
rules' perspective) while Vector is purely optional. Don't expect the
examples in all optional rules to take all other optional rules into
account, like :-/

>Also the VECTOR system says that you only need one point of the thrust
>factors to rotate a ship to any facing but the example of movement in
the
>paras on Rolling ships and Odd numbered thrust factors imply that it
>costs 1 point for each point of facing change.

> Now is this a mistake 

No.

>or are the above sections actually talking about Cinematic movement.

Yes.

>In the optional rule on Aft-arc fire it says that those weapon systems
with
>360 degree arc may only fire to the rear arc if the ship did not use
it's
>Main drive, presumably as it would be difficult to aquire targets due
to the
>interference from radiation and EM backwash (PSB) but does this also
>apply to PDS and class-1 beams used in that role? If not, why not?

It does not apply to PDS and C1s used in PD mode. Same reason as why
PDAF and ADAF were allowed to fire through the rear arc at all in FT2
while beams were not: game balance.

If you want a PSB explanation, assume that fighters and missiles make
an attack run from the position of their marker to their target ship
and that PD fire takes place at ranges far, far shorter than 1 mu.
Ships, OTOH, are  assumed to be at the position their model (or the
center of the base of their model, to be more exact) is, and long-range
fire control is worse affected tha point-blank ones.

Regards,

Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry