Re: Fleet Book Rules Q

> Heavy Fighters vs. Class-1-Beams-as-PDS
> ---------------------------------------
> The behavior of Class 1 beams used as PDS firing at Heavy Fighters
("4's
> have no effects") is undefined.  Since Class 1 beams vs fighters
normally
> only hit on a 5&6 anyway - doing 1 kill on success - "ignoring 4's" is
a
> NOP as written.
> 
> We SWAG'd a rule that the Class 1 "PDS" against Heavy Fighters only
hit on
> a roll of 6 - which properly 'degrades' the effectiveness in a manner
> similar to those suffered by the regular PDS, but I would like an
official
> ruling on this :).

No, it doesn't.  It degrades their performance by 50% (from a 33.3%
chance of 1 kill to a 16.7% chance of one kill).  Vs. Fighters or PDSs,
Heavy moves it from a 50% chance of at least one kill (and an average of
2/3 kill per roll before rerolls) to a 33.3% chance of at least one
kill.  Pardon the imprecise mathematical analysis--I know we've got some
weenies who are going to spreadsheet this out to the nth degree.  I
ignore Heavy fighters vs. C-Beams.

But the PSB: C-beams are anti-ship weapons with limited ROF and rate of
traverse compared to a proper PDS.  This is represented by an inability
to kill more than one fighter.	However, when a C-beam catches a
fighter, it is DEAD, DEAD, DEAD.  Armor effective against a PDS laser
cluster is worthless vs. an anti-ship Particle beam.  

Modern Comparison: Like a modern 76mm gun on naval vessels.  They have a
theoretical anti-aircraft role, and might indeed hit a low-flying
aircraft.  Not good odds of hitting, but better than nothing.  But when
it does, the aircraft in question disintegrates like a vase hit with a
ball peen hammer.

John M. Atkinson