RE: Sa'Vasku balancing (made ya flinch)

I would prefer a solution that
  (A) Has no (or VERY little) bookkeeping
  (B) Does not change existing rules
  (C) Does not break existing designs
  (D) Is simple.

With respect, your solution below is very complicated and adds a lot of
bookkeeping. First you add another turn phase. You must record how many
dice
are moved to the second phase (is this before or after rolling? I assume
that is if before rolling, to save argurments about which result is
delayed). But you don't do this if the target is both at long range and
movement is allocated (utilized). Then damage is written down to reduce
dice
in the second fire phase. So, 5 new rules (and 2-5 sub-rules), 3 extra
instances of bookkeeping and a new turn phase.

I feel that the SV are already one of the most complicated fleets to run
(having to keep track of power allocation). I think your solution just
adds
to this. But try it out and let us know how it worked out (I suggest you
try
it using 8+ ships per player (1xSla'Tha'Rosh, 2xShyy'Tha'Var,
2xVar'Kiir'Sha, and 3xFo'Sath'Aan). Be sure to try your solution with
both
concentrated fire and with divided fire from the larger constructs. I
think
that you will find that your solution is overly complicated and severly
handicaps the smaller SV ships.

I still believe that the situation can be resolved by 2 new rules:
  (1) SV constructs of 91+ mass must have at least 1 screen node.
  (2) SV constructs with one or more screen node must power one of them
unless using FTL..

-----
Brian Bell
bkb@beol.net
http://members.xoom.com/rlyehable/ft/	  
-----

> -----Original Message-----
> From: John Card II [SMTP:wantny@email.msn.com]
> Sent: Friday, July 21, 2000 2:36 AM
> To:	gzg-l@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
> Subject:	Sa'Vasku balancing (made ya flinch)
> 
> Hey everybody,
> 
> Ideas have appeared half formed in my mind that might help to balance
the
> Sa'Vasku, and might instead make everything more complex than
playable.
> 
[snip]

> A) Fire from a single stinger node will use a split damage resolution,
1/2
> of the dice (rounded up) when initiative calls for it, 1/2 at the end
of
> the
> turn after other ships have resolved damage.
> A1) This means increased record keeping.
> A2) Maybe the ratio should be different. Every third die waits, or
every
> fourth.
> 
> B) At "long" ranges, at least one point of energy must be allocated to
the
> M
> pool (some of which is used for "micromaneuvers") to keep stinger
nodes on
> target. This energy point may be used for acceleration or maneuvers as
> normal. If at least one M point is not allocated, the 2nd half damage
> resolution will be skipped.
> B1) If multiple stinger nodes are available, then at long ranges,
energy
> can
> be split between nodes for more effective fire, and to be able to skip
the
> 2nd half damage.
> B2) Maybe at least one point of thrust needs to be generated instead
of
> one
> point in the M pool.
> B3) Maybe this applies only to ships over a certain mass; eg ships
with a
> PP
> cost of greater than 1 for 1 thrust.
> B4) Exactly where "long" ranges start is unclear to me. 10"? 12"? 18"?
> 30"?
> 
> C) Any hull damage done to the firing ship subtracts from the energy
in
> the
> second damage resolution phase. On a 1 for 1 basis, one point of
damage
> will
> subtract one point of energy allocated to every stinger node in the
2nd
> phase.
> C1) Maybe this should only apply to damage done from natural 6's or
other
> penetrating damage (eg big KV guns)?
> C2) Maybe the ratio should be higher, 1-3 points subtracts one energy,
4-6
> subtracts 2, etc?
> C3) Maybe instead of this mechanism, an additional threshold check is
> required for beams which are "on target" to remain on target for the
2nd
> half resolution. (i.e. if a threshold check is passed for a stinger
node
> that might do 2nd half damage, a second threshold check must be passed
for
> that node to keep the energy focused and continue firing.)
> 
> D) If a firing stinger node is destroyed during the turn before the
2nd
> half
> damage phase, the 2nd half damage is not applied.
> D1) If a different, unfired stinger node is available in arc, maybe
the
> 2nd
> half fire can be shifted to the different node. Or maybe not.
> 
> E) If a power generator is lost during the turn, the SV ship must
> immediately subtract the generated energy from any combination of
pools
> (rebalance the energy). This may mean there is not enough energy for a
2nd
> half firing. (Someone else in an earlier message suggested that power
> should
> be rebalanced during the turn.)
> 
[snip]

> Any feedback before I go and try this out? Will this address the
> situations
> where the SV are apparently undercosted/over powerful? What are those
> situations?
> 
> --
> jcii
>