(FT) ECM,never leave home without it

I was just reading over the back mails about missiles, and I thought you
might be interested in a idea I had a while ago about ECM vs missiles.

To explain it, I will have to go back to the begining and explian my
reasoning about sensor, ECM, decoys and missiles, so here goes-

ECM & Sensors

In FT, sensor were discribes as having a range of  36MU for passive
sensors,
and 54MU for active sensors. Now, it may just be me, but in every sf
novel
I`ve read, passive sensors usually out range active sensors. Assuming
systems comparable to todays tech, we can see the wobble in another star
using passive sensors (a.la hubble), but how long would a radar pulse
take
to get there and back (this is a retorical question, don`t bother with a
answer). Even on a closer range scale of a battle, you would still have
a
time delay on infomation getting back to you in time for you to react
to.
Therefore, I think passive sensors sould have twice the range of active
sensors*, but be very limited in the infomation they give. My preference
is
for active to have a range of 24MU (standard), and increase by 6MU for
enhanced, 12MU for superior sensors. Beyond that range, the target can
be
detected by passive sensors, but they only give the aprox. size of the
vessels concerned to within 50 mass (i.e.-jean d`arc masses 250-300
mass).
If using ECM, even this isn`t disclosed, all they`ll see is the bogey
marker, with no idea of size at all. Against active sensors, the ECM
would
be rolled against. My idea was for using the masses given for ECM to
represent a class 1 level ECM system, a.la. PBL`s, and the greater the
ECM
level, the harder it would be to penitrate. The ECM would work on the
size
of the ship, in 50 mass increments (i.e. 01 to 50 mass = size 1, 51 to
100
mass = size 2), and would have to be rolled under on a 1d6 to defeate
the
ECM involved. For each atempt at defeating the ECM, you get a -1 to the
roll
(plus an extra -1 with superior sensors, -2 with enhansed). The ECM
would
reduce the size of you ship by -1 for each ECM level you carried, and
each
ECM level would be a separate ECM symbol on the SSD, capable of being
destroyed/disabled by a threshold check.Multipul sensor suits
(i.e.-3xsuperior sensors) would be allowed to enable a ship to identify
more
than one target at once, or for each sensor above the first allocated to
a
target, you gain a -1 on the defeating ECM roll. Any extra sensor suits
must
be the same grade as the primary suit, and have their own damage icon on
the
SSD, making them suseptable to dammage.  This would enable ECM to be a
battlefield weapon that could be used in the game, instead of a
strategic
weapon, whereby you bluff you opponents into reterating without and
combat,
as shown in the rulebooks. It also represents the differences in energy
outputs between a DD, and a SD. The reason I chose a range of 24MU for
active sensors, is that it makes missiles (especially the variable range
HH
type missiles, as I`ll explain later) vulnerable to decoys (as I`ll
explain
later also). For actually knowing where you enemy is, this could be
represented by a grav sensor, that can detect a active drive or screen
out
to a long range (say, 200MU with no details, just theres a ship at xyz
co-ordinates) , and also the hyper pulse of a ship arriving. All sensors
and
ECM/decoys would be disabled if a command bridge threshold check fails.

Area affect/individual ECM

To represent the difference between area affect ECM and individual ECM,
we
can say that with indiviual ECM, if you use your sensor suit, the target
can
tell the bogey that is using sensors (you tell your opponent, he has to
remember). With area effect ECM, the opponent does not know the bogey
using
sensors, just the general direction (one of those 6 bogeys over there).
Also, area effect ECM provides ECM for any bogey within ,say ,10MU (only
an
example, havn`t any decision yet as to what`s ok), as opposed to
individual,
that provides ECM for just the ship mounting it. This also opens up the
posibilities of say a DD protected by a SD`s area ECM, providing sensor
data
for the SD`s missiles, without the SD exposing itself. To allow this,
both
ships must mount ADFC, to represent the computers and rapid data
com.systems
for exchainging the data needed. Also, only works within the ADFC radius
of
6MU.

Summary

Jean D`arc size 6 (270mass), refitted with level 2 individual ECM (4
mass/40
points), effective emitions level 4.

Scouting DD, enhansed sensors x1, roll under 4 on a 1D6 - 2* at a range
of
36MU (active sensors range), to reveal data on target/replace bogey
marker.
Roll under 4 on a 1D6* (no modifiers, out of active sensor range), at a
range of upto 72MU, to replace bogey marker.
*-1 per turn attempted scanning

BIF`s MT/HH variable missile

Range-24MU per turn
Endurance-3 turns
Cost-6
Dammage-4D6 (1/2 armour, 1/2 hull)
Mass- 2 per missile
Engaugement/attack radius-6MU on first turn, 5MU on second turn, 4MU on
third turn**
Notes- Launched from a internal launcher like SML`s (mass-3, cost-9,
1arc
fire/ mass-4, cost-12, 2 arc fire, thinking along the line of HH
broadsides/chaisers for this system), may use secondary movement*** like
fighters in exchange for 1 turn endurance, but the attack radius
reducess to
the next lowest setting, must be decided before launch****, maneuvers
like
fighters.

Missiles vs ECM

If there is only one target, the ECM would gain you nothing against
missiles, whether the enemy has penitrated you ECM or not. But, if your
ECM
is still efective, you could use decoys against the missiles. The decoys
would be a small drone, equipt with a weasel emmiter, that would emmit
the
same sensor returns as the mothership (or any other ship). This could be
represented by instead of 1 bogey marker, there is now 4 bogey markers
(mothership + 3 decoys). If you changed vector as well, the enemy would
left
guessing as to whitch is the target, and have to prenitrate the ECM of
each
in turn to decide. As given above, if the decoys were launched in the
turn
that the missiles would attack, the firer would have to decide how many
missiles attack each target. Then the missile attack is resolved as
normal,
but with those missiles that attacked the decoys would be wasted shots.
Of
course, the decoys would be dead (bang).

Decoys

My decoys would have to be carried aboard a ship (not nesasserally the
ship
using it/ the ship it mimmics), at a mass of 3, a cost of 21*****, and
be
deployed at the start of the movement turn. It moves as a normal ship,
with
a thrust upto 8 (keep it at the same as the mothership it`s mimmicing,
or
the enemy will notice), with the launching ships velocity at the start
of
that turn. If you think the cost is high/low for this system, remember
that
it is efective at diverting MT type missiles that ignore sacrificial
ships/escorts, and it removes mass from offensive systems to defensive
ones
(after all, you are not going to mount just one on your SD, are you?).

*My reasoning being that it takes twice as long for a radar pulse (or
whatever) to travel there and back, as it does for EM emmisions (or
whatever) to just travel back, therefore, if you have the same time to
react
to the infomation under combat conditions, the passives have twice the
effective range for the infomation collected.
**To represent the missiles limited sensors/ECCM, and the shorter
reaction
time for the mothership to update the missiles target systems. Can
attack
any target within range as decided by firer, not just the closest.
***May use all three turns endurance in a single turn, and move 24MU, a
secondary move of 12MU, and a tertiary move of 6MU, then engauge any
target
within 4MU
****When launching, next to the missile symbol, write S for 2 turn
normal
and 1 secondary after both normal moves (i.e.-sprint setting), or SS for
1
turn movement and 2 secondary movements (i.e.-supersprint setting).
*****Mass and cost may be altered (not just the decoys), only a rough
guess
at the moment. Depends on feedback from more enlightend members (Oerjan
Ohlson, waiting for your reply?).

P.S.-These ideas are the first time I`ve put all the different ECM,
sensors,
decoys together in one set of rules, and may need amending in light of
feedback (if they don`t, it`ll be a first). I don`t think I forgot to
include or mention anything or reasoning behind it, but if I did, I`ll
try
to reply to any points raised.

P.P.S.-My spelling is aufull, sorry for any mistakes.

BIF
"yorkshire born, yorkshire bred,
strong in arms, thick in head"