Re: Decisive battles and other things

>On 15 Aug 98 at 0:24, Oerjan Ohlson wrote:
>
>> Richard Slattery wrote:
>> 
>> > That wasn't my point. I was saying that once you *start* to get
into
>> > a potentially losing situation you can usually disengage (In the
>> > vector system anyway). Or, on the flipside, once you start to win, 
>> > the other side scarpers.
>> > 
>> > So how to devise a way of forcing a decisive battle under these 
>> > conditions?
>> 
>> Fight somewhere he has to defend - his shipyards, colonies etc....
>> 
>> This solution seems to come up in every more or less serious essay
>> of space combat I've read <shrug>
>> 
>
>A good point (and one I've made back in the mists of time). However,
>unless the attacker only intends to bombard/destroy the
>shipyards/colonies, the defender can retire and counterattack
>halfway through the attackers attempted landing on the planet...
>knowing this, the attacker doesn't commit to the invasion, and still
>has to manage a decisive victory against the defenders fleet before 
>being safely able to do so. This brings up the concept of how long a 
>ship can operate away from supply. A month as standard perhaps?
>
>Also... in campaign games, has anyone tried using a resupply ship to 
>accompany SML armed fleets. I've always thought the FSE a little 
>lacking in out of area offensive operations. They have one battle, 
>fire off all their SML's, and then don't have any for the next 
>system. So.. how much space to the SML's take up in supply ships 
>cargo bays? how much should they cost?
 
Well...
   SML in magazine is 2/3 mass @ 6/9 points.
   SMR is 4/5 mass for 12/15 points, but it looks to me
like 2/3 mass for the salvo at 6/9 points and 2 mass for
the rack at 6 points.
   So I would say: Reloads are 2/3 mass and 6/9 points
(3x mass). The supply vessel carries them in cargo space,
at 1 mass per space (so 1 regular SL missile takes 2 mass
of cargo space) and no cost.
   So for a supply vessel to carry, say, 20 regular and
20 ER SL missiles, it would need 20x2 + 20x3 = 50 mass of
cargo space, and the full cargo would have a mass of 50
and cost 20x6 + 20x9 = 300 points.
 
You'd also need some new rules if you wanted to
resupply under fire. For example (just thinking
aloud here; no flames please--this missile is
very sensitive to heat!):
   A ship with an SMM and with reloads in cargo
could devote one DC party to refilling the magazine
while under fire. The DC party would have to make
its DC roll 3 times: once to unship the missile
(yes, just one!), once to safely manhandle the
missile to the magazine, and once to properly load
it into the magazine. A critical failure on either
of the first two requires a roll to determine
whether the missile explodes (if so, the DC party
is an instant casualty!). A crit on the third roll
would damage the magazine so it cannot be reloaded
until repaired. All rolls are at -1 per point of
acceleration, deceleration, or rotation.
   For inter-ship resupply, you'd have to match
vectors just as for boarding, make one DC roll
to unship the missile, a second roll to safely
take it on board, then the last two as above.
 
Hmmmm.... I don't think I'd bother transshipment
under fire. Too many chances for something to go
wrong.
 
- Sam
 
>or... are reloads considered to be carried on the SML armed ships, 
>taking up far less space in their packed form, but unable to be 
>loaded in the operating magazine until out of combat?
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
>Richard Slattery	      richard@mgkc.demon.co.uk
>Hawaii is a unique state. It is a small state. It is a state that is by
itself. It is a --it is different from the other 49 sta
>tes. Well,
>all states are different, but it's got a particularly unique situation.

>     Dan Quayle, US VP
>~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

________________________________________
Samuel Reynolds
http://www.primenet.com/~reynol
reynol@primenet.com
samuel_reynolds@csgsystems.com