Re: [GZG] John's Shipbuilding

[Ground Zero Games <jon@xxxxxxx>]

> On 1/18/06, Samuel Penn <sam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >  On Wednesday 18 January 2006 19:54, Brian B wrote:
> >  > On 1/18/06, Grant A. Ladue <ladue@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> >  > >    I agree, whether a *race* would surrender or abandon it's ships is
> >  > > more of a campaign or setting issue.  I think that the issue of whether
> >  > > it's *possible* to surrender ships in battle is something we can talk
> >  > > about in general game terms.
> >  > >    What I'm getting at here is that the major problem for surrendering
> >  > > your damaged/sinking ship in modern times (WWI -> ) seems to be
> >  > > communicating that surrender to the other side.
> >  >
> >  > A universally accepted pattern of strobe lights or  "surrender beacon"
> >  > transmitters, similar to distress beacons?
> >
> >  And then you come across a race that considers your distress beacons
> >  an attack against their spirit Elders, so they target all your 
> > escape pods...
>
> Sure, if you want to be a jerk about it, I suppose you could come up
> with a similar objection to ANYTHING that could be suggested as a
> signal of surrender.


I think that was the point....  ;-)
If you're dealing with a hostile first-contact situation, the two 
forces don't share any frame of reference at all; in this case, 
surrender would (IMHO) be most unlikely - as someone has already 
pointed out, you wouldn't even be sure the other side would have 
compatible life-support for prisoners, even assuming they didn't just 
use them to stock the galley stores.....
On t'other hand (oops, sorry, suddenly went all Northern there for a 
moment), if the battle is between two human forces who both subscribe 
to interstellar conventions and codes, there wouldn't be such a 
problem.

Glad to see this has stimulated so much active list traffic, even if 
the Gropos must be getting a little bored by now....!  :-)

Jon (GZG)

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