Re: Fighter CAP and Screens in FT

>Hi, I am new to this mailing list and apologise if I may be suggesting
>somthing that has already been discussed and thrown in the bin.

Hey, being new nada problem. Throw out the ideas and stuff. If it's
been covered before you'll get some kind of response indicating so.
If it hasn't, then you started a new discussion.  :-)

>  Additional Comments:
>
>  Specifically Babylon 5 games. Having watched battle scenes in B5 many
>  times, I think that fighters are helping screen ships against PPG
>  fire from other vessels, this seems to be happening in Voice in the
>  Wilderness and Severed Dreams.
>  In our games a CAP group may be used in this role as follows:
>  The CAP group must not be in a Dogfight or be used to fire against
>  enemy fighters.
>  Roll 1d6, if the roll is less than or equal to the group strength
>  the CAP group acts as one shield. This may be combined with PDF/
>
>  interceptor screening but still only a maximum of 3 shielding
>  per ship.

In my B5 rules (which need a little upgrading; or total dismissal when
Jon T's B5 starship combat system comes out with the r-p game) use *DAFs
in pairs to simulate screening. I've found that doing to level 3 in this
kind of screening to be hideously effective in reducing enemy fire to
almost nothing. Doesn't give the *bang* effects that we see. So I'm
advocating
only a limit of 2 levels of screening.

As for fighters also screening, I'm not sure about this. In VitW they
don't screen or block shots that I recall; they go after the alien
dudes.
In SD they aren't *blocking* any shots there, either (okay, that we
see).
Yeah, they are referred to as a 'fighter screen', but I don't think it
means the same as you are tryign to emmulate here. The Clarkestown fired
some pulse cannons (okay, they went wide, anyway) and a heavy laser
(which
hit; by coincidence took a fighter with it). I think the 'screening' the
fighters were doing here was keeping the Clarkestown at a distance,
preventing
it from closing too closely. Also, they would be tying up some of the
Clarkestown's guns to defend itself against the Aggie fighters. If the
fighters
were 'reeled in' then the Clarkestown would be able to concentrate it's
full
assortment of weaponry on the Aggie.

Also, the Aggie fighters would also deter Clarkestown fighters from
coming in.
So with this in mind I'd say fighters wouldn't be able to go into an
'intercept' mode; only *DAFs (I used pairs of them to keep them from
being
*too* effective). *May*be other batteries, depending on how you view
what
they represent.

I do like your CAP idea, though, for dealing with enemy fighters. A rule
like that would have been useful in my last B5 PBeM game (and yes, gang,
one of these days I *will* put together that summary/write-up of the
scenario)

Mk
------------------------------------------------------------------------
-
"Ya know...this was supposed to be my weekend off. But nooo-o-o-ooo. You
got me draggin' yo' heavy ass...through the burnin' desert, wich yer
dreadlocks stickin' out the back of my parachute. You gotta come down
here with an attitude, actin' all big and bad...AND WHAT THE HELL IS
THAT
SMELL?!? RAAAR!!! I coulda been in a barbecue!! But I ain't mad...is
alright.
It's alllright..."