Re: Space tactics

> House Rule Jump Points:  
> Jump engines do not work within the gravity well of a star, defining 
> gravity well steep enoug to interfere (for simplicity's sake) as the 
> outer orbit slot, whether it's occupied by a planet or not.  This is 
> necessary for any sort of sensible universe, otherwise you can FTL 
> right into planetary orbit.  

Nah, too liberal.  Let's tighten it down.  Jerry Pournelle, in one of
his
collections, wrote an explanation of what they did for Mote in God's Eye
(as a preface to the introductory space battle which they cut out of the
book).	He postulates "tramlines" between stars.  The stars must be
relatively close and the number of jump points per star are limited. 
Which
stars connect?	I haven't worked out anything in particular, but to give
everyone something to argue with:
  
  Mass*Luminosity(star A) + Mass*Luminosity (star B) / AB distance
squared
> a constant.
  
I'd do it so big, bright stars (blue giants) have say 20 jump points
(assuming other stars are close by); G stars might have 2-3; M dwarfs
wouldn't have any unless they were very close to the other star.  

Alternately, we could just assign a value to each star type MKGFABO, say
a
Fibonacci sequence 1 2 3 5 8 13 21.  
If Star(a) value * Star (b) value > distance squared, a link exists.  So
a
K and an A star within 4 parsecs would link (haven't tried this but I
think
lightyears is too short for this to generate enough links.  Alternately,
keep lightyears and increase the star values).

I'd also make jump points vary in their distance from their star
according
to the luminosities (or temperature)  involved.  An O star linked to a M
will have its point way on out there, while the M star's point will be
right close by.  Links for a G star would usually be at least as far out
as
Mars, more likely out past Jupiter. (note that a one gee continous
thrust,
if I recall correctly, moves you 1/2 AU per day, from a standstill).

Now, how do we keep defenders from building battlestations at the jump
point and slaughtering attackers without a fight?  Well, the jump point
varies with the fluctuations of the stars involved, and while you can
know
from second to second what your own star is doing, you can't tell about
the
other star unless you are monitoring the other side.  Further, by
detonating nukes or antimatter bombs, you can shift the jump point
slightly.  Not very far, but far enough to move the point away from the
battlestations.