Re: Fighter groups (designer please read)

At 10:09 PM 2/15/97 +0100, you wrote:
>In message
<Pine.BSI.3.95.970214031122.21174A-100000@buffnet7.buffnet.net>
you wrote:
>
>>   What I would like to see happen overall, in echo of the previous
poster
>> who asked about extending the landing duration timeperiod, is that
each
>> turn be given a reasonable time duration, and that each inch is given
a
>> reasonable distance.
>
>Okay, totally pig-headed reasoning follows. You have been warned!
>
>
>Well, since planet templates are suggested to be 12" across, this
>suggests 1"=1000km (approximately). This seems to give reasonable
>weapon ranges (IMO).
>
>We can use the planet rules to work out the length of turns as
>well. A ship in orbit around an Earth-like planet has an orbital
>period of roughly 12 turns - at an orbital radius of 12,000km
>(measured from the centre of the planet).
>
>This is approximately twice the height of a low Earth orbit,
>which has a period of 90 minutes. Using a^3 = P^2 (Keplar's
>Laws of orbital motion - 'a' is radius, P is period), we get
>an orbital period of about 255 minutes. 255 divided by 12
>turns gives a 21 minute turn.
>
>Of course, since the rules on planets and orbits were probably
>chosen with absolutely no regard to realism, the above is nothing
>more than a very good example of GIGO (Garbage In, Garbage Out).
>Anyone who is interested in using this btw, better check the
>arithmatic, since I'm currently half asleep.
>

I don't have a problem with 21 minute turns.  Reason: if one assumes
that
the turns are 21 minutes, then the laser fire rules indicate that there
are
more than one shots being fired per "beam weapon" mount.  The reasoning
for
allowing more "hits" per beam weapon mount as the ships get closer is
that
the odds of hitting go up with a closer target - thus, the reasoning is
good
enough to indicate that the "range" doesn't change, but the frequency of
hits do (nicely simulated by using more dice for hits as the range
closes).

  Where this might break down is the scattergun rules for mass
projectiles...

Hal