Re: [FT] New Weapon from Bryon Ash

Bryan Ash wrote:

 >>Generation Bolts.
 >>This weapon system increases in power each time it is not used. The
 >>increase is binomial, ie it will increase x2 each round it is held.

What stops me from saying "I've been charging my GBs for 20 turns before
my 
ships enter the gaming area"? (20 turns of charging means that my
opening 
shots inflict 524,288 points of damage per hit. A bit of an overkill
maybe, 
but it should take care of even Stiltman's biggest ships <g>)

 >>The starting DP of a system is 1 DP. If a generation bolt retained in
 >>a system is challenged by a critical check, then a d6 roll is
required
 >>of above or equal to the current number or rounds it has been held.

What exactly does "challenged by a critical check" mean? Is it "makes a 
threshold check (no matter if it fails or not)", or "fails a threshold 
check", or something else?

"above or equal to the current number" means that you're safe even if
you 
have 1 charge in the launcher. Not sure if this is intentional?

 >>If the owner fails this roll, then the system causes damage to the
owner's
 >>ship equal to the current stored DP - this can be enough to totally
 >>vaporise the owners' vessel. If sucessful then the system will simply
 >>safely discharge the stored energy to the vacuume of space - not
 >>applying any DP to anything around it.
 >>
 >> The basic system and ranges is as per P-Torp.  As are Arcs.
 >
 >[Charles] Does this include MASS and point cost?

I wonder this too?

 >>Generation bolt systems can have vents fitted to the system. Each
vent
 >>system consists of 3 vents and must be fitted or repaired at a
shipyard.
 >>A maximum of two vent systems can be fitted to any Generation Bolt
 >>System. Vents allows the d6 vs vaporise roll :) to be modified by +1
per
 >>vent currently on the ship.

+1 per vent currently on the *ship*, or on the *weapon*? (I assume Bryan

means the latter - it doesn't seem to make sense that a vent fitted to
one 
weapon should be able to vent a different weapon mount...)

As Laserlight pointed out, having this many vents available means that
it 
is a very safe system indeed unless you've built up a big charge (at
least 
8 turns, if you have a full set of vents) before you fire the system - 
especially since, if I understood the following section correctly, you
only 
"use up" 1 vent no matter how many vents you actually used to modify the

die roll?

 >>Each critical that the Generation bolt system fails; and assuming a
safe
 >>discharge of the stored energies (or application of these energies to
 >>the hull and a badly damaged ship still present in the game), 1 vent
is
 >>removed from the number of vents present; due to the failure of the
 >>system.  The vent cannot be repaired by the Damage Control Party and
can
 >>only be reinstalled at a shipyard.  Useful to know for campaigns.
 >>
 >>Each vent system (3 vents) costs an additional +1 mass to the basic 1
 >>arc Generation bolt system and an additional +1 mass to any
additional
 >>arcs (max of +2 arcs).
 >>
 >>The Generation Bolt System can be used as PDS fire by selectivly
 >>discharging a focussed energy wave at a target within its arc; during
 >>anti-fighter/missile attacks.  Treat as PDS fire at an amount equal
to
 >>the number of turns generated.  Ie, generated for 4 turns,  1 x2 x2
x2
 >>=8 DP vs anti-ship Damage, but used as PDS fire = 4 rolls vs one
 >>target.
 >>
 >>If used as PDS the system will not be recharged in time for the
 >>anti-ship phase of the combat.
 >>
 >>The generation bolt is armour piercing (rules as per P-torp).
 >>
 >>Screens are able to deflect some of the damage from this bolt. Each
 >>level of Screen allows for 1 dice to be rolled in an attempt to
reduce
 >>the damage.	Target = 6. 1 Success:	 Reduce Damage by 1/4 (Round up)
 >>2 Success:	Reduce Damage by 1/2 (Round up)
 >>3 Success:	Reduce Damage by 3/4 (Round up)
 >>		      (level 2 screen = 2 rolls - target 6 on a d6)

Um... how can you ever get *3* successes when you're not allowed to have

more than *2* active screens and you can only score at best one success
per 
screen?

1 screen reduces the damage by on average 1/24 - well, actually even
less 
due to the rounding of low-powered bolts. Call it an average
survivability 
boost of 4%... somehow the above mechanic looks like lots of work for a 
very small effect.

2 screens reduces the damage by on average 1/12 (minus rounding of 
single-point bolts) - an average survivability boost of 9%. Again lots
of 
work for little protection, but at least enough to notice this time.

 >>Phalon vapour shrouds :-
 >>Roll of 4-5	Half damage, Roll of 6 Reduce Damage by 3/4.

A survivability boost of over 40%. Why do the vapour shrouds not count
as 
level-2 screens against *this* weapon, when they count as level-2
screens 
against all *other* weapons?

 >>If a critical applies damage to your own ship; then screens on your
 >>vessel have a nasty habit of containing the blast.  Roll 1d6 per
level
 >>of screen on your vessel.  Unwanted rolls = 6. 1 success:	 
Increase
 >>Damage by 1/4 (Round up) 2 success:	    Increase Damage by 1/2
(Round
 >>up) 3 success:      Increase Damage by 3/4 (Round up)
 >>
 >>Obviously, any ship with a Generation Bolt System is dicing with
death
 >>if they decide to also include screens.

Only if it forgot to buy vents, since the above vent mechanics will
prevent 
the system from exploding unless it has been charged for 8 or more
turns. 
Also, once again I'd like to point out that you can't get 3 successes
since 
you can't have 3 active screens.

Does the lack of mention of vapour shrouds here mean that they do not 
contain the blast at all? (If so, once again why don't they count as 
level-2 screens?)

 >>Internal damage caused by a failed Generation system can cause
multiple
 >>critical checks if it causes more hull box layers to be removed. 
Most
 >>Generation Bolt Systems out there are vented in an attempt to prevent
an
 >>'vaporisation' of the ship it is installed in.
 >>
 >>A Generation Bolt System will double (or generate an initial 1 DP) in
 >>strength during the start of the round.
 >>
 >>If you wish to just fire off the bolt at empty space in order to
prevent
 >>a possible damage the next round due to failed systems - there is
 >>nothing to prevent this from happening.  You cannot select to fire
some
 >>of the bolt and retain some of the energy from this bolt.  A bolt
must
 >>be all be fired or all be retained.
 >>
 >>The symbol of a Generation Bolt System is a triangle with a G inside
it.
 >>Venting systems are a row or small circles either side of the
triangle.
 >>- 3 circles for each of 3 vents per vent system.  Fill in these
circles
 >>if the vent system is not present,  Fill in one of the circles after
 >>each time a Generation Bolt System fails a critical check but after
the
 >>additional d6 discharge roll is made.  Filled in circles are counted
as
 >>being not present.
 >>
 >> Up to 3 arcs may be present on a generation bolt system.
 >>
 >>Generation bolts only are effective after 3+ rounds.

So you can only fire it at best every 3rd turn? In that case I'd get to 
fire it on average 2-3 times per battle... 'course, if my pre-loaded GBs

hit with their first shot I win the battle immediately.

 >>Round Held:	    1	2    3	  4    5     6	   7	 8	9
 >>DP value:	      1   2    4    8	16   32   64  128  256
 >>Critical d6	       1+ 2+  3+  4+  5+  6+	7+   8+   9+
 >>Damage - 1/4    0   1    3	 6    12   24	48   96  192
 >>Damage - 1/2    0   1    2	 4    8    16	 32   64  128
 >>Damage - 3/4    0   0    1	 2    4     8	  16   32   64
 >>Damage + 1/4   2   3    5   10   20	 40   80   160	320
 >>Damage + 1/2   2   3    6   12   24	 48   96   192	384
 >>Damage + 3/4   2   4    7   14   28	 56   112  224 448
 >>
 >>So, to recap, if you use these - don't use screens :)

I see no reason not to. The only time there's any danger of blowing up
is 
if I take a threshold check before I fire my first, overcharged shot -
and 
the screens help preventing that early threshold check.

Regards,

Oerjan
oerjan.ohlson@telia.com

"Life is like a sewer.
  What you get out of it, depends on what you put into it."