Re: FB Ship Construction

kaladom asked:

> I have a question for the Shipwrights on the list:
> 1) What's the best way to estimate how many fire-cons are appropriate
> for a vessel? By raw mass? By mass of weapons? By # of weapons
> systems?

By number of targets you'll want to fire at in a single turn (including
extra FCs for things like Needle beams if you use them, or Pulse Torps
if you use the old FC rules for them).

> 2) What's the best way to estimate how many PDS are appropriate for a
> vessel? mass?

Enemy fondness of fighters and missiles, and the ship's own speed.
Thrust-2 ships are very easy to hit with missiles in both movement
systems.

> 3) What is the best ratio of armour/hull/screens?

Depends on your speed, but if the enemy relies mainly on beams level-2
screens + 10% armour + Weak hull is a pretty save bet. If he uses too
many missiles, Pulse Torps or other nasties that ignore the screens,
use level-1 or no screens and an Average or even Strong hull instead.

> 4) Beams: What mix of 3/2/1s? For example, I think DDs with 3s are
> great - lots of punch. But most DDs use 2s. Am I missing something?

The number of dice you get for each Mass of weapon, I think :-/ Compare
one C3-3 battery with the 3 C2-3s you get for the same Mass, and look
at the number of dice they throw in each range band. 

> 5) Comment on any design differences between vector and cinematic 
> and any design commonalities (how to design ships that work well in
> either).

Commonalities: Hulls and passive defences.
Differences: Long-range single-arc weapons work a lot better in Vector
than in Cinematic.

> 6) Are there any systems to avoid like the plague (as poorly
> balanced)? (Other than the obvious potentially unbalanced WG, NC, and
> RF).

Cloak and Reflex Field.

Regards,

Oerjan Ohlson
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."
- Hen3ry