RE: [FT] Fighter customization

Tom, I also had worked out a fighter customization formula.  Mine had
mostly
just common items involved, I liked some of your extra options, such as
Mecha Clamps.  Here is the formula I have been using, its goal was to
make
sure that if you built the specialized fighter types listed in the rule
books, they would come out to the same cost.  The one difference though
is
that some types such as Interceptors, can still attack ships, they are
just
extremely bad at it.
Cost is per fighter, not Squadron:

Base Cost = 1

Speed	Cost			Endurance    Cost      
==========		    ===============
12	    0				 3		 0
24	   +1				6	       +1
36	   +2				9	       +2

Dogfight Bonus	  Cost		   AntiShip Bonus   Cost
=================	    ==================
-2			   -2			     -2 	      -2
-1			   -1			     -1 	      -1
0			   0			     0		      0
+1			  +2			   +1		   +3
+2			  +4			   +2		   +6

Armor Level	  Cost
================
none		       0
as Screen lv1	   +2
as Screen lv2	   +4

Torps = +3
Enhanced Sensors = +2
Cargo Space = +1 per space (plus 1 mass per space)

Add these modifiers to the base of 1, if the total is less than 1, then
the
cost is 1 (ie minimum value of 1).
Comments?  Does this seem balanced?

-Mark

> -----Original Message-----
> From: Tom.McCarthy [SMTP:TomMcCarthy@xwavesolutions.com]
> Sent: Wednesday, June 14, 2000 1:28 PM
> To:	'gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU'
> Subject:	[FT] Fighter customization
> 
> For genre purposes, I've been playing with characteristics that would
> create
> very good or very bad fighters.  I've not playtested them for balance;
> it's
> all gut feel at this point.
> 
> Characteristics either increase or decrease the cost of the squadron,
but
> squadron costs can't drop below 0 (and you've still got to pay MASS
and
> points for that fighter bay).
> 
> Standard fighters cost 18 points for a flight of 6.
> 
> Fast - +50% distance on move and secondary move (+6 pts / flight)
> Slow - -20% distance on move and secondary move (-3 pts / flight)
> Very Slow - -50% distance on move and secondary move (-6 pts / flight)
> Escort only - On any turn, must be escorting a friendly ship.  May
only
> hop
> 12" from one ship to another. (-12 pts / flight)
> Moves as ship - Group maintains a heading & velocity like a ship with
> thrust
> 18, but burns 1 combat endurance factor (CEF) each time it exerts
thrust 6
> or greater (-9 pts /flight)
> Agile - +50% distance on secondary move (+3 / flight)
> Poor sensors / awkward - -50% distance on secondary move (-3 pts /
flight)
> Clumsy - No secondary move (-9 pts / flight)
> Long range - +50% CEFs (+6 pts / flight)
> Short range - -50% CEFs (-6 pts / flight)
> Defensive flying - May trade dogfight kills 1 for 1 to cancel up to
half
> (rounded down) the enemy dogfight kills (+6 pts /flight)
> Dogfight bonus - +1 to dogfight rolls (Limit 2); rerolls only on a
natural
> 6
> (+9 pts / flight)
> Dogfight penalty - -1 to dogfight rolls (-3 pts / flight)
> Horrible dogfighters - Kill one enemy fighter or missile on a 6, no
> rerolls
> (-6 pts / flight)
> Strike bonus - +1 to all attack rolls against ships (limit 2); rerolls
> only
> on a natural 6 (+12 pts / flight)
> Strike penalty - -1 to all attack rolls against ships (-3 pts /
flight)
> Horrible strike weapons - Do one damage to ships on a 6, no rerolls
(-6
> pts
> / flight)
> No strike weaponry - Cannot damage ships (-9 pts / flight)
> Anti-ship torpedoes - Fighters exchange fighter weaponry for one shot
> anti-ship weaponry which hits on a 4+ and does D6 damage, ignores
screens
> (+24 pts / flight)
> Fighter weaponry which ignores screens (+6 pts / flight)
> Needle weapons - Fighters exchange fighter weaponry for needle beams
(+12
> pts / flight)
> Ace in group - +1 bonus to morale rolls, +1 die or 1 directed attack /
> needle attack (+6 pts / flight)
> Turkey group - -1 penalty to morale, bug out after 2 failed checks, -1
> dogfight penalty (-6 pts / flight)
> Assault capable - Can fight a boarding action with one crew factor per
> fighter (limit 2) (+3 pts / flight)
> Heavy or Stealthy - Better survivability as per rulebook for heavy
> (ignores
> 4's on standard PDS, half damage from scatterguns, etc.) (+12 pts /
> flight)
> Tailgunner - +50% more dice for dogfights and strikes (+50% to total
cost)
> Fearless - Pass all morale tests (+18 pts / flight)
> Brave Leader - +1 bonus to all morale checks (+3 pts / flight)
> Cowards - +1 penalty to all morale checks; bug out after 2 failures
(-3
> pts
> / flight)
> All around fire - 360 attack arcs (+3 pts / flight, or +0 if all
fighters
> in
> genre have it)
> Mecha clamp - At the end of an attack, may attach to hull of target
and
> continue to attack without being subject to further PDS attacks. 
Attacks
> may be as normal, or needle attacks.	All fighters lost if ship
explodes
> due
> to core explosion, fighters suffer weak PDS-like effects if ship shot
at
> (lose one for each 1 rolled by attacker).
> 
> Example
> 
> Anime mecha - Very slow, agile, dogfighting bonus, mecha clamp, all
around
> fire, assault capable (36 pts / flight)
> Good dogfighters who lack the acceleration to outmaneouvre fixed wing
> fighters in open space, mechs have the ability to attach themselves to
the
> hull of the enemy for a sustained attack or to tear open the hull and
go
> inside.  It's not unusual to see these groups have an ace in the group
(42
> pts total)