Another Version of Cloaking

 I have some rules for cloaking that are somewhat different than those 
 being discussed.  In converting ships from Starfleet Wars to FT, one of

 the races has an 'Invisibility Screen' but I was never happy with how
it 
 played.  In order to get the effect I wanted, I came up with the
following 
 rules which fall kinda in-between the other cloaks.
 
 Basically when cloaked, the presence of the ship is known and its
position 
 is known (to some extent) but that is it. Information beyond the
presence 
 of the ship is unknown (size, class, etc).  It could be a destroyer or
it 
 could be a dreadnought but there is no way to tell.  The cloaking
effects 
 the fire control of the opposing ships so cloaked ships are fired on as
if 
 they were 2 times the actual distance away (14" actual distance, combat

 resolved as if the distance was 28")
 
 The cloaked ship can see out and can fire, but at a reduced level. 
Since 
 the general rational for cloaking is that it takes lots of power, I
could 
 not have them fire as normal so only beam weapons can fired when
cloaked 
 but they fire as a beam battery one size smaller (A-batts fire as a
B-batt 
 with 2d6 to 12" and 1d6 to 24").  
 
 This results in the cloaked ship having the ability to fire at targets
out 
 to 24" with an A-batt but its opponents can only target it out to 18"
with 
 an A-batt.  Thus the cloaked ship has a 6" band of immunity, if it can 
 stay there.  On the other hand, at a range of 6" or less, the cloaked
ship 
 only gets 2d6 to attack with its reduced A-batt, but the opponent now
gets 
 3d6.
 
 In the end I think it can make some interesting scenarios where one
side 
 has several cloaked ships of unknown sizes.  Are they all destroyers
and 
 the they are trying to bluff?	Or are they all capital ships just
waiting 
 for you to close so they can de-cloak and open fire with all their 
 weapons?  I am planning a future PBeM game based on this.  It also has 
 some interesting campaign implications when the presence of ships are 
 known, but not their size or type.
 
 Dean
 <dean.gundberg@bcbsnd.com>
 
 Starfleet Wars to FT Conversion Page
 <http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~seidl/starfleet/>