Re: [FT] WotW #11 Stealth Systems

In message <07a2799a4a.Charles@cableol.co.uk>
	  Charles Taylor <charles.taylor@cableol.co.uk> wrote:

> Well, as WotW has attracted no further comment, I'm following Noam's
> suggestion:
> 
> WotW #11 is Stealth Systems - this _could_ include the old cloaking
> device :-)
> 
> So here are the candidates:
> 
> ###################
> 1) Blind Field [Aaron Teske] (Spacefleet conversion page)
>			      
> The blind field is a suite of powerful ECM equipment coupled with
chaff,
> flares  and a few PSB items that is designed to protect a volume of
> space. Unfortunately there were several drawbacks that prevented its
use
> on capital ships, but for smaller escorts it is a viable system.
> 
> The blind field effectively doubles the distance between any two ships
> (or the ship and a missile) as far as targeting and firing is
concerned.
> 
> i.e., Ship A (with Blind Field) is 8mu away from Ship B, but if B
fires
> on A it would be as though the ships were 16mu away. the field works
> both ways: B is also considered to be 16mu away should A wish to fire
> upon it.
> 
> A blind field takes up 3 MASS or 30% of the MASS of the ship,
whichever
> is greater, and costs 4 points per MASS of the field. The radius of
the
> blind field on the board is the ninth root of the MASS of the system:
> note you need to escort a vessel (per fighter rules) to grant this
> protection to another ship. Blind fields cannot be combined with other
> types of shields or screens.
>
Hmm.. this is actually similar the Noam's Stealth Generator, but more
effective, affecting the ship using it as much as the attackers, and
having a (very small) area effect.
As the area effect is negligible, treat it as the stealth equivalent of
a Phalon vapour shroud.
> 
> 2) Cloaking Shroud Gland [Charles Stanley Taylor] (via e-mail)
> 
> For simplicity, this is identical to the More Thrust cloaking device,
> but using a PSB suitable for Phalons (based on the Vapour Shroud
Gland).
> 
> 
> 3) Jammer (Minbari) [Sean Penn's B5 Conversion] (Sam's website)
> 
[snip description]

I think I'd prefer the (simpler) EFSB version, if we could give it a
cost (Hmm.. effectively halves the chance of an attack succeeding - so
doubles the effective number of hull/armour boxes - so cost = cost of
hull and armour on ship, average hull is 30%, cost 2 each, so total cost
approx. = 1.3 x MASS of hull, say MASS is 10% of hull, cost is 10 x MASS
?).
Alternatively, the Mimbari Jammer in B5Wars doubles the effective ranges
for attackers, so we could class it as a level-3 stealth system (ok, the
documented Stealth System only goes to level-2). This would have the
advantage of using a combined mechanic for a number of similar systems.

> 
> 4) Stealth System [Noam Izenberg] (NIFT-Midbar Skunkworks)
>									
> Mass as screen, Cost 3x screen (9 pts/mass)
> Stealth Level 1 is 1/4 reduction in opposing range bands.Level 2 is
1/3
> reduction. Stealth systems follow threshold checks as any other
system.
> 
> PSB – active ECM system like the Minbari stealth system in the B5
universe.
>
For the Mimbari Jammer (q.v.), add Stealth Level-3, reduces attackers
range bands by 1/2, MASS is 15% of hull, COST is 9x MASS (these numbers
are sheer guesswork ATM) (or just call it Stealth-2).
> 
> 5) Stealth Hull
> 
[snip description]
I think the Stealth System and Stealth Hull should probably be treated
as almost the same system, with the same MASS and COST. As an option,
they may be affected by Thresholds differently: Stealth _System_
thresholds normally, having a Stealth System Icons for every 5% of hull
mass used in the system.
Stealth _Hulls_ do not make thresholds, they automatically lose 1 level
after the 2nd row of hull boxes is lost, and the 2nd level after the
third row is lost.

Combining Aerodynamic Streamlining with stealth. I'd say that a level of
streamlining can be upgraded to the equivalent level of Stealth with no
increase in MASS used, but the cost increases to 6 x the MASS.
> 
[snip i-Cloak]

Charles