Re: IJN/UNSC technology -- HBW Stats

My comments below are based upon the assumption that FT dice are using 
the standard FT beam resolution, not the mechanism some HBW systems used

of d6 and counting the straight pip count for total damage.

On Monday, March 4, 2002, at 08:29 AM, David Reeves wrote:

> HBW
> power: 1 Energy Point (EP)/HBW level  (HBW2 = 2 EP)
> range: 12"/HBW level  (HBW3 = 36")
>        -1 EP/range bracket > 1  (>12" <=24" = -1 EP, >24" <=36"
= -2 EP)
> FT dice: 2 dice/EP  (HBW3 = 6 dice upto 12", 4 dice upto 24", 2 dice 
> upto 36")
> recharge: 1 EP/turn
> mass: 2x equivalent beam?  (needs more test)
> cost: 2x equivalent beam?  (needs more test)

Since the usual thing with cost on many of the weapon systems is to 
multiple cost by the mass since the mass is already being double that 
probably takes care of the extra cost too.   I'd be tempted to drop the 
cost but I'm unsure how to price weapons that recharge like this, 
especially since it isn't a straight recharge across all size variants 
of the system (ie. HBW3 takes 3 turns, while the HBW1 takes essentially 
1/none).  The PBL are all inactive for one turn after firing regardless 
of the size.

> unlike our previous ideas, I dropped the recharge capacitor of earlier

> versions.  it was en extra component and complication to track.  
> essentially, the HB is twice as powerful as a normal FT beam weapon.

As you mentioned below it's twice as powerful on the first shot.  But 
with the recharge rate this weapon is potentially weaker than the normal

FT beam weapon (especially for the larger systems).

> one caveat: when I test the above, I test with the FT B5 rules that I 
> have written over the past year and tested.  I have made a more
radical 
> departure from the base FT rules.  for example, all weapons have some

> sort of recharge rate (versus fire every turn).  so, YMMV with the
HBW 
> above -- specifically, your first shot has an advantage in doing all 
> its damage up front versus a normal beam weapon.  however, you get 
> pounded by every-turn beams while you wait for the HBW to recharge.

I don't see any advantage this system should have over normal beam 
weapons.  Since the mass is twice normal we need to compare it to two 
normal beam system of the same size classification.  Two B3 are going to

average the same results as one HBW3 on the first shot as they both fire

the same number of dice initially.  However, after the first turn of 
fire the HBW3 (for example) will require 3 turns to fully powered again 
while the B3's can continue firing away.

Kevin Walker
Horizon Concepts, Inc.
Macintosh & Windows Development
Miniature Painting & Sculpting
sage@chartermi.net