Re: Beam Batteries (long)

Date sent:  12-OCT-1996 09:39:53 

>	 Balancing Beam Batteries--

>	 I think I've found a way to mathematically test to see if
batteries
>are balanced. 

Big snip.

>	 Theoretically, any mass 3 weapon is balanced if it does 9d6
over its
>total range at six inch intervals and any mass 4 beam weapon is
balanced if
>it does 12d6 over its total range at six inch intervals. I'm still
working
>on a mass 6 "Capital ship disruptor."

Give me a weapon that does 9d6 out to only 6" any day. Provided the
carrying vessel is fast enough to get into range, and the beams have
'arcness'. The maneuver advantage is always with the aggressor. The
guy with the longer range has two problems. First, he can't hope to
go 'Knife Fighting' with a ship armed like that. At close ranges,
the shorter ranged weapons have MUCH more firepower. Second, to gain
advantage for the longer ranged weapons, you must, on occasion, turn
away from the aggressor, so you can't fire at him at all for some of
the time.

Simply put, I find the ability to roll lots of dice in one burst far
more advantageous than the ability to plink away at long range. It also
helps keep a logical progression in die gain over range. eg;

4d6,3d6,2d6,1d6 (my disruptors)

makes more sense than.

3d6,3d6,2d6,1d6 (your disruptors)

So it makes them a little more playable.

>	 The pulse bat comes from a long-term attempt to figure out a
way to
>replicate those cool rapid fire phasers they have mounted on the
Defiant in
>DS9. The pulse battery gets three short-range 1d6 pulses each turn.

I use AA, and keep the 'burnout' rule, as the Defiant's performance
does seem to be temperamental at best (some days it's invincible, others
it just falls apart round your ears). And the Defiant doesn't get damage
control teams (but gets to fit 75% systems rather than 50%).

>	 Lastly, if you consider the C-bat's unique ability to operate
as a
>PDAF as being worth a d6 of raw damage then the standard C-bat is also
>balanced along this scheme.

I figured this too. I'd like to make the C bats statisticly more
powerful
than A so that C,B or A becomes a choice, not a compromise.

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