Sandcasters & Hull Repairs

Now that I've thought about it, 1 RB isn't a sufficient approach to
things for a sandcaster or for a masking screen.

What should a sand penalize or affect? My answer is:
1. Std Beams
2. Pulse torps (energy packets)
3. Sensors (Sand acts almost like ECM) or maybe FC
4. Needle Beams
5. Cloaking devices (plowing through sand or ending up in it would not
be good)

What should probably be unaffected:
MT missiles (they are big and have good guidance)
Wave Guns
Reflex Fields
Mines

What might be affected:
SMs (they are small and have poor guidance)

So, how best to represent the effects? PTs roll dice, so do needle
beams and standard beams. So maybe a -1 on the die roll would be
adequate. I'd apply the same -1 to the SM rolls.

And the more I think about it, the more I'm convinced this is not an
area of effect weapon. It can act as a screen for a ship, or to block
incoming fire by firing alont a predicted firepath from a hostile
enemy (using casters). How do you sand 1000km in 3 dimensions? You
don't. Area weapons are neat, but space is just too damn big.

===================== So a rehash, liberally stealing ideas from list
contributors===================

Disposable PDS:
Same effect as a conventional PDS. No idea what the symbol should be.
As the name indicates, when a shot of PDS is fired, it is used up.
(Perhaps DPDS for Disposable PDS).
Mass: 1.0
Cost: 2
Shots: 2

<Since fractional accounting is generally frowned upon....>

Sandcaster:
A sandcaster is a defensive weapon used to accelerate cannisters of
particulate matter (sand) out into space where the cannister explodes
and the sand expands to inhibit incoming fire. The sand either
deflects a
particle stream or disperses it, and does the same types of things
with lasers or other energy beams or energy torpedos. It also acts to
interfere with the targetting of SMs.
Symbol: a small circle or hexagon (so you can show arcs
around it) with an upward facing triangular sand spray...).
Effect: Treat it as a screen that lasts from the time it is fired
until the end of the turn. Like PDS, Sandcasters do not require an FC
but
they are consequently limited to a 6" range.
Use: When it comes time for the ship to activate, it may specify
itself
or any other ship as being defended by its sandcasters (in arc of
course!).
The Sandcaster is fired at the target ship and the target ship gains a
screen level (max effective screen level of 2) for the rest of the
turn.
Note, this system interferes with actual screens, so the effect is
non-cumulative.
A single shot may only defend a ship of 50 or less mass. To put a 1
level screen
cover on a 250 mass SDN would take 5 sandcaster shots (massing a total
of 5
and costing a total of 10 not counting the launcher).

Mass:
3-arc	2 + 1 per shot
6-arc 3 + 1 per shot
Cost:
3-arc 4 + 2 per shot
6-arc 6 + 2 per shot

Masking Screen:
A masking screen is a defence employable by non-manouvring ships. A
masking screen puts out a screen of particles (in the source system,
it was water vapour, but it could be sand). It is a one shot weapon.
It puts out a cloud around the launching ship which interferes with
incoming weapons. It can only be used by non-manoevring ships by
virtue of
 its method of employment. It is triggered after orders are written,
but before movement is executed(after missile launch).
The Masking screen cloud (use cotton batten if
you want - works for smokescreens in infantry games!) is placed around
the target ship. (Or a counter could be placed, if that is
preferable).
The only manoevre the ship can execute in order for it to gain the
defensive benefits of the masking screen is a roll.
The symbol should be a square box filled with fuzz
(speckles) and either a track of smaller boxes below or one of these
larger boxes for each masking screen.
Effect: Treat it as a screen that lasts from the time it is fired
until the end of the turn. Up to two charges may be expended at once
to provide level-2 screens.

Mass:
1 per 50 mass of ship to be defended (round up).
Cost:
2 per mass.
Shots: As many as are bought, up to two can be used at a time.
Note, this system interferes with actual screens, so the effect is
non-cumulative.
To put 1 level screening around a 250 Mass SDN would take a 5 mass, 10
point screen.
And of course, that expires at the end of the round, or is ineffective
if the
SDN manoevres.

This ought to make Sandcasters and Masking Screens not too gross (ie
you wouldn't install
them on your DNs) but give freighters a brief respite. And the limited
PDS should help too.

And as for regnerating hull - I wasn't thinking of ST like shields.
Just simple hull patching with DamCon parties. No need for oddball
rules (grin), just say "you can fix a hull box like any other .... if
you want to, never more than 50% repair of damage". I don't want the
hull to grow back, just be fixable by Stokers with Laser Torches.

Thomas Barclay
Software UberMensch
xwave solutions
(613) 831-2018 x 3008