Re: [FT] Savasku Pods (long)

G'day guys,

Shawn said (and David said pretty much the same thing):
 >We found that the mass cost progression
 >efectively balances them.

Don't forget that the SV have to buy massive power generators to get
that 
range too. Though admittedly they can divert the energy into movement 
instead, something the humans can't.

OK using the 9" range bands for the SV you could have an SV megaship
that 
looked like the following (hopefully my math holds up through this)

TMF: 60 
NPV:1997	
Biomass: 67
Main Drive
FTL
Power Generators: 448 (4x112)
Stingers: 4
Spicules: 1
Cortex Node:4

So this gives range-power table of
Range  PP per D6    Dice
0-9		1	    448
9-18	       2	   224
18-27	      4 	  112
27-36	      8 	    56
36-45	     16 	   28
45-54	     32 	   14
54-63	     64 	    7
63-72	    128 	   3
72-81	    256 	   1

In comparison a similar human ship could be
TMF: 587		
NPV: 2197
Hull: 67
Main Drive: 1
FTL
Class 7 (1-arc)
Class 6 (1-arc)
2xClass 5 (1-arc)
20xClass 4 (1-arc)
6xClass 3 (1-arc)
50xClass 2 (3-arc)
15xClass 1 (6-arc)
PDS
4xFC

And its range-power table is
Range	     Dice
0-12	      236
12-24	     141
24-36	      61
36-48	      31
48-60	       7
60-72	       3
72-84	       1

OK this doesn't have the same capability for speed as the SV ship, but 
seeings as you have equal range you don't need to chase, just sit in
place 
and spin should do it. So all up you have roughly the same weapons 
capability (so long as you can stay out of 9"), same hull, but the human

does cost about 10% more.

If we pick up on the suggestion about restricting the mass which can be 
used up in power generators to 30 % then you get the following SV and
human 
ships:

SV:
TMF: 660
NPV: 1993
Biomass: 200
Carapace: 119
Main Drive
FTL
Power Generators:198 (2x50,2x49)
Stingers: 4
Spicules: 1
Cortex Node: 2

Range-power table becomes
Range PP per D6  Dice
0-9	     1		  198
9-18	    2		  99
18-27	   4		 49
27-36	   8		 24
36-45	   16		12
45-54	   32		 6
54-63	   64		 3
63-72	  128		1

Human:
TMF: 600
NPV: 2090
Hull: 210
Armour: 14
Main Drive 1
FTL
Class 6 (1-arc)
2xClass 5 (1-arc)
5xClass 4 (1-arc)
8xClass 3 (1-arc)
60xClass 2 (3-arc)
25xClass 1 (6-arc)
PDS
4xFC

Range-power table becomes
Range  Dice
0-12	  205
12-24	  104
24-36	   28
36-48	   12
48-60	    4
60-72	     1

So this time round the human only costs 5% more, but it also only has
70% 
of the damage soak capability, so not a perfect solution probably.

So there's obviously some discrepancy and whether luck would compensate
or 
not is up for debate (e.g. SV can lose stuff quick as only 4 stingers
and 
once power generators start going down they crumple pretty fast and will

find it much harder to repair and fight simultaneously).

Just out of interest for the same 2000 pts you could by about 45
frigates 
armed with 4 class 1s or 2 MT missiles or an extended range SMR each...
or 
a carrier with 28 squadrons of fast fighters.

A problem with "mega-SV" probably still exists, but I reckon its not so 
much of an issue even if you only step from 12" to 9" range bands, then 
again I haven't tried the ships above out in a game so maybe I'd have a 
different story to tell then (will try it out soon hopefully).

Cheers