Re: Weapon of the Week

In message <200102081919.UAA29732@d1o903.telia.com>
	  "Oerjan Ohlson" <oerjan.ohlson@telia.com> wrote:

> Charles Taylor  wrote:
> 
> >Antimatter Salvo Missile (AM-SM)
> > 
> >Ok, I'll kick off:
> > 
> >As Noam comments, this is a slightly over-complex SM / Plasma 
> >Bolt hybrid, I'd suggest removing the damage drop-off effect, and
> >treating these as Plasma Bolts with a power equal to the number 
> >of missiles that survive the PDS (all ships within 6 mu of the salvo
> >are 'threatened' and thus can use PDS - however, if they can do 
> >this to an AM-SM, then why not to a normal SM?)
> >
> >Damage is reduced by screens/shrouds in the same way as 
> >Plasma Bolts.
> >
> >Right, crude cost comparison:
> > 
> > Salvo Missile - launcher is 3 MASS, ER salvos are 3 MASS each
> > 1 use per Salvo
> > Range is 24 mu
> > 
> > Plasma Bolt Launcher (PBL) - MASS is 5 times Class
> > 1 use per 2 turns
> > Range is 30 mu
> > 
> > both have COST = 3x MASS, so we can just compare on MASS
> > 
> > So, compare effects of defences:
> 
> Note: The AM-SM description says that point defence can reduce the
> AM-SM effectiveness, but does not specify in which way.

Well I assumed (dangerous) they were treated as other salvo missiles.
> 
> > Defence		SM		PBL
> > PDS 	1 beam die	1 in 6
> > Pulsar-PDS	1 beam die	1 beam die
> 
> The rule is rather ambigous, isn't it... FB2 p.36 says: "Phalon
pulsers
> fired in PDS mode roll as for normal point defence systems against
> plasma bolts.", and since normal point defence systems get "1 in 6"
> against PBs that's all the Pulsers get as well.

Good point - and I agree for consistency reasons - I did wonder about
that - but, as you say, its a bit ambiguous.
> 
> >Class 1		5 or 6+reroll	no effect
> > K-1 	5 or 6		no effect
> > Scattergun	1d6		1 beam die
> > Fighters	1 beam die*	1 in 6
> 
> Fighter hit normal SMs on 5 or 6+reroll. Why give them a full beam die
> against SM-AM?
My mistake - should _check_ rules before posting!
> 
> > Screens		same effect on both
> > 
> >In general AM-SMs are more affected by defences than PBLs 
> >average effects are as follows:
> > 
> > Defence	SM		PBL		Difference
> > PDS 	.8		.1667		0.2083
> > Pulsar-PDS	.8		.8		1
> > Class 1	.8		0		0
> > K-1 	.6667		0		0
> > Scattergun	3.5		.6667		0.1905 
> > Fighters	.8		.1667		.2083
> > Average					0.27 (approx)
> 
> Clarification: the "difference" column gives the ratio between the PBL
> and SM columns. (0.8-0.8 isn't 1, but 0.8/0.8 is :-/ )

Unfortunately my vocabulary chip seized up and I could remember the word
'ratio' :-)
> 
> Using the correct Pulser/PB interaction, the "average ratio" is
approx.
> 0.14. Or, if you bake the Pulser-PDS into the other PDSs (since
> they're identical) you get 0.12 :-/
> 
> >So defences are about 3 3/4 times more effective against AM-
> >SMs than against PBLs.
> 
> 3 3/4 is the inverse	of 0.27. However, as described above 0.27 itself
> is somewhat debatable.
> 
> >1 SML + 2 AM-Salvos is 9 MASS
> >this is equivalent to 2 shots of a PBL-6, but with the increased
> >effectiveness of the defences.
> >However, the 2 shots _can_ be on consecutive turns, unlike the 
> >PBL also, the system is more vulnerable to thresholds - as there 
> >are two systems to damage - either of which will KO the system.
> > 
> >A PBL-6 is MASS 30, for comparison.
> >reduce the range to 24 mu, and the MASS should reduce to about 19
> >(based on Oerjan's range vs. cost calculations).
> 
> Yes.
> 
> Robertson, Brendan wrote:
> 
> >With SML salvoes, we're not limited to making them 6 actual 
> >missiles to be shot down.  At Mass 19 for a single salvo, I'd rather
> >take a Wavegun. 
> 
> Charles was talking about 2 salvoes for 19 Mass though, not a single
> one. Still, 8 Mass ammo for one salvo does seem a bit excessive :-/

Err.. sorry, I was talking about 2 salvos for 9 MASS - the 19 MASS was
a hypothetical reduced range PBL-6 (q.v.) - at least, thats what I think
I was saying!
> 
> >How about simplifying the mechanics down.
> > 
> >3 mass AM-SM (AMSaM) salvo = 2 die Plasmabolt, 24" range.
> >Defence resolution is resolved as normal against the Plasmabolt.
> 
> Much cleaner mechanics, yes.
> 
> >PSB: Area detonation is harder to target, as the missiles aren't
> >using terminal manoeuvres for a hull contact detonation.
> > 
> >This becomes slightly more efficient while the ammo holds out &
> >reduces new rule mechanics to be learned & still fits within the 
> >standard magazine spaces.
> 
> The magazine vulnerability is a disadvantage compared to a PBL-2, but
> I've very rarely lost a 2-salvo magazine before running out of ammo.
> SMLs with 3-salvo or bigger magazines are far more like to be knocked
> out before expending all the ammo. OTOH, the ability to launch two
> salvoes on consecutive turns is a big advantage compared to the PBL-2.
> 
> The question to be asked here is: given the choice between 3 normal SM
> salvoes and 2 AM-SM salvoes, which would you choose?
> 
> Also - though this is a PSB question only - a PB can be targetted by
> PDSs even though it doesn't "close for the kill" the way normal
> missiles do, due to its high energy signature. What is it that makes
> the AM-SM possible for the PDSs to shoot at?

I think we were hoping no-one would ask that :-)

Another question - although IIRC no one has mentioned it yet, what
happents if a ship looses a SML-Magazine to a threshold when there are
_Antimatter_ SMs in it? The chance of an 'accident' is rather higher
than for normal SMs? :-)
> 
> Later,
> 
> Oerjan Ohlson
> oerjan.ohlson@telia.com
> 
> "Life is like a sewer.
>   What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."