Re: Fighters

I think that it would be simpler to change fighters, rather than PDS.
Fighters still do too much damage when attacking, and killing them
faster
would still have the survivors doing too much damage.

My favoured method of balancing fighters is, again, to give each fighter
a
PDS rather than a half-B1. Takes out 1 fighter on 4,5; 2 on 6. Vs real
ships, it does 1pt on a 6. Rerolls as per existing PDS mechanics - I
don't
think they reroll vs ships but do vs fighters - my books are with a
friend. (I think Eric described this as 'neutering fighters' when I
proposed it over the weekend. I think it just brings them in line with
their primary direct opposition, namely PDS systems.)

That said, however, I also think that one of the major problems with
fighters is that they're the only system that you can't kill while still
outside it's engagement range. With PDS & fighter systems having the
same
range, and the rule about only being able to use PDS on fighters
actually
attacking you, fighters cannot be targetted before they're actually
attacking you. (or, with ADFC, attacking SOMEONE in your squadron. My
point holds, though)

Every other weapon system (ie those that require mounting on an actual
ship, no matter how small) can be shot at outside it's engagement range,
if you've got a weapon that can reach. Fighters are invulnerable until
they're on top of you, an advantage that I don't think is represented in
their cost.

For Ex: 500pts of light forces (DD, FF, etc) vs one 500pt capital ship.
(battlecruiser size, for that pt cost, I think). Light forces aren't
likely to have space for much beyond B2; the cap ship is going to smoke
a
couple with B3 or bigger before most of the weaponry in the light forces
are even within range. The cap ship might get cut up, but it's going to
take a LOT of the little stuff with it.

Ex2: 500pt cap ship as above, vs 500pt fighters w/ irritating 'soap
bubble' carrier. Guess what? As a number of other people have pointed
out,
we've got one dead, dead cap ship. As Alan & others make clear, the
carrier player will probably suffer fairly trivial losses in fighters,
and
only in fighters.

I'm starting to repeat myself and other people here, though...

Brian - yh728@victoria.tc.ca -
- http://wind.prohosting.com/~warbard/games.html -