RE: Heavy Beams - 3rd Attempt

>When a BPS fails a threshold check, it looses its charge. The ship
takes
>damage equal to 1/2 of the stored charge (round up). The BPS can now
only
>store 1/2 of its original capacity until repaired. A 2nd threshold
failure
>(if unrepaired) or a successful needle attack destroys the BPS and
releases
>its charge. The charge, again, does damage equal to 1/2 the stored
charge
>(round up).

I actually find your method LESS simple than it stands now. Maybe I'm
not
getting it right.

>BPS appear to be a means of getting a cheaper P-Torp (or a more
powerful
>P-Torp depending on how you look at it). It having two icons on the SDD
>makes it more vulnerable to threshold checks. But the large size would
>probably limit it to larger ships anyway (delaying the threshold
check).

I found that the uncertainty of charging and the two icon threshold
makes
up for the slightly increased efficiency.

>One other thing, how is the hit probability made? Same a P-Torp?
>If you were saying that it was an automatic hit and only the damage is
>reduced by range, I feel that this is too powerful. If you want that,
then
>use a Wave Gun.

No, It's not an automatic hit except at ranges less than 6 MU, and after
that the likelyhood that you'll still be in arc of the proper BE is
significantly reduced.

One roll does both to-hit AND damage. Roll low: you miss; roll high: hit
and do that much damage (reduced by range).

For example: at 13" roll 1 die:
1-2 gives no damage - a miss
3-6 gives 1-4 points respectively - a hit

The P-Torp does far greater damage at range, but sacrifices "close in
accuracy."

Schoon