Re: Star System Attack

Sprayform wrote:
> 
> Just a question to gamers/astophiles (I think thats the term ! And I
don't
> mean the green stuff!!)
> When in Sci-fi (or FT) you jump into a system , it always appears that
you
> are beyond the outermost planet. Hence the 'defenders' have time to
muster a
> defence and come out to meet you (Cut the last jump close as the KV
did in a
> MT senario and you shorten the muster).
> What I want to know is why is it always on the solar plane? I would
have
> thought that jumping in over the poles of star would mean you could be
'in
> system'. The solar wind (Correct me please) is concentrated along the
plane
> so polar jumps would be safer (same with debris)? What gravitationally
would
> the difference be ? (fast spiral as opposed to a drag orbit?)
> On a gravity space-time distortion map I would have assumed no
distinction
> between planear and polar
> Jon(T.C.) How the hell are we assuming H-space works anyway RE FT II ?
> Sprayforming Developments Ltd.	[production tools]
>					     made in
>					[prototype  times]
>   'The future is now'
I had always thought that it works a little like B5 H-space, in that if
you open a hole into H-space, any ships with you can enter also. If it
isn't like that, but more like Traveller's system, where every ship
jumps into H-space by itself, and has a +or- 10% time and distance to
where and when it breaksout, so attacking fleets come in spread out over
a lot of space. This has significant effects on the strategy of system
invasions. It makes things like Battle Riders and Carriers MUCH more
important, because they are a large force transitting into a system
simultaneously, in one spot. If on the other hand, the ships FTL drive
can be slaved to each other, this is a tremondous advantage to the
attacker, who can jump into the system at any point, while the defender
must garrison all the important points of the system.