Re: Battlepod Swarm from Hell...

> 
> From: JAMES BUTLER <JAMESBUTLER@worldnet.att.net>
> > Subject: Full Thrust
> 
> [MUNCH]
<BURP> 
> 1)  Use a campaign setting.  These little battlepods from Hell may be 
> able to kill ships, but they won't be able to do anything else.  Their

> endurance time will be nil, their ability to land troops will be nil,
a host
> of mediating factors will come into play to sevrely punish somebody
who uses
> the above gang tactics....

	Right. using "battle pods" like this is not that far from using 
hordes and hordes of fighters. n a single battle, you might succeed with

these pods, but in the second one, your enemy will have them, too... Or 
you'll notice you're fast running out of capable pod pilots! Training a 
crew of three hundred for a ship is easier on the long term than
training 
three hundred fighter (or pod) pilots. After all, the only one who has
to 
think in similar terms as a fighter pilot on a bigger ship is the 
captain, and he doesn't even have to carry the actions out by himself! 
Everyone else will just have to be trained to do a little piece of the
total.

> 2)  An idea that might work; use fighters.  Since these battlepods
will 

I agree on this bit totally.
> 
> 3) Use the Nova Cannon or the Wave Gun to set up a "cone of death"
that 
> the pods can't get through.  Especially if you're on a somewhat
restricted

This is definitely a "gamey" tactic, except where the restricted combat 
area can be justified: Asteroid belt or similar. Otherwise, using the 
edges of an infinite gameboard (=space) against your opponent is a 
classical example of munchkinism. But then again, unless the background 
can adequatly explain them, so are the battle pods...

> I feel that the best idea though is 1).  That's the reason why the
oceans 
> have carriers and cruisers on them, not a whole bunch of hydrofoils
armed with
> SSMs.  A Swarm of battlepods, while a viable game tactic, seems to go
against
> the "spirit" of the game system.  
> 
> Hope this helps,
>      Jerry Han - Network Engineering - UUNET Canada, Toronto, ON,
Canada

Just my two cents worth.. No wait, we're floating the Finnish Mark... So

now it's only cent and a half... Better grab it quick before it
disappears!

/GNiko