Re: Vertical Damage

On Wed, 02 August 2000, Beth Fulton wrote:

> I don't mind the concept, but they'd have to be mighty RARE weapons,
I'd 
> REALLY hate to have to roll location dice for more than a couple of
hits 
> per turn.

I've been following the vertical damage discussion. The problem I have
with it is that it seems like a game mechanic in search of a
justification. The hull damage tracks in the latest version of FT go
left to right, up then down, simply because that's how they represent
the strength of a ship's hull and it's innate protective capacity. It
doesn't represent Renegade Legion style armour, with it's "drill down"
effect.

I guess what I'm saying is that a "verticle damage" weapon to simulate a
large spinal mount, drill-through-the-ship-with-one-big-hole weapon
might work with the old FT system of many different rows of hull boxes,
but I think it goes outside the scope of the Fleet Book rules when
trying to apply to ships with only 4 rows, maximum. 

If you REALLY want to simulate weapons that punch deep holes without
doing THAT much hull damage, you have to go back and re-think the weapon
system. What is it, and what does it do? Is it a B5 Shadow-style huge
cutting beam? Is it a big rock fired at hyper velocity? Is it a big
pulse of energy fired from a HUGE spinal mount weapon? Consider what
it's supposed to be, and what the damage is supposed to do. Small hole
that goes all the way through the ship? BIG hole that goes all the way
through the ship? What does it do to the hull and what does it do to the
systems in front of it? 

One option: a needle beam like weapon that can target a specific ship
system for a threshold check, but also does hull damage on the way
through.

Another option: a system that does a fair bit of damage, but due to it
being localized maybe on the first 1D6 systems check for thresholds if a
threshold check is called for. 

A third option: come up with a weapon that does HORRIBLE amounts of
damage, like perhaps a class 6 beam weapon, but requires a certain
recharge level. Or fires a big rock that could be avoided.

But personally, I think "vertical damage" goes against the design of the
game system.

Allan Goodall - agoodall@canada.com
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