Re: Space tactics

On 19 Aug 98 at 10:41, maxxon@swob.dna.fi wrote:

> 
> I agree, this is a realistic possibility. But it has one serious
> drawback -- IT'S NOT IN THE RULES. FT mines, especially, are
> notoriously non-costeffective (and velocity plays NO part in mine
> damage, FYI).

This is about the LEAST serious drawback there is.... FT was 
intended to be fiddled around with according to your needs.

> I *DO* think the ships should have 
>  - limited reaction matter
>  - limited max speed to avoid damage from random space debris
>    (tied to hull quality would be a nice touch)
>  - a good sensor lock to fire *anything* (including missiles)
> 
> BUT THEY DON'T. I'm doing this to point out the logical conclusion
> arising from that fact.

So make your own house rules that seem right to you and use them.... 
discuss them here.... you will at least get lots of opinions ;)

> Show me a way, in vanilla (vector) FT, WITHOUT HOUSE RULES, to
> counter a B'n'Z attack (from a freely chosen jump-in point, as per
> vanilla rules again) against a known *immobile* target.

Ok... here we go.
Just for fun... being a slave to the letter of the rules.. you can 
do it this way.
Defender places a large number of asteroids (yay, there are rules for 
them) on the approaches to the immobile target. Asteroids have no 
points cost ;) Make them orbit each other in an complex manner (chaos 
theory dictates that you end up not being able to use predictive 
systems based on their courses to plot a high speed apprach that will 
miss them) Model this by having them all have random speed and 
directions.

Watch the explosions.

Ok.. it was a rules lawyers answer... 

> If you can't do it without a house rule, show me the SPECIFIC house
> rule, not just "...mumble no-one sane would do that mumble it's not
> honorable mumble..."

Do it yourself ;) .. I reiterate, FT rules are not GOSPEL. House 
rules are specifically encouraged.

However, the easiest house rule is to give installations and orbital 
stations far better sensors than a startship can economically or 
accurately mount. This means you can position your own fleet 
effectively to let the attackers blindly rush into a hail of 
perfectly placed SML's.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Richard Slattery	     richard@mgkc.demon.co.uk
A healthy adult male bore consumes each year one and a half times his
own weight in other people's patience. 
     John Updike
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~