[FT] Matter Transmitter (long)

The Matter Transmitter is a piece of advanced technology often seen in
SF, here are my ideas on some rules to represent Matter Transmitters in
Full Thrust.

For the sake of playability, I'm assuming that the Matter Transmitter is
not an 'instant' transmittion system, and can only accurately transmit
to a location if its exact position and motion within a small timescale
are known, i.e. either the target location has an easily predictable
trajectory (point on dry ground on a planet's surface, point on a ship
or station that is not manoeuvring in any way, point on a friendly
ship that is transmitting its location info to the 'sending' ship). A
location that a Matter Transmitter can accurately transmit to or Receive
from is known as a 'Safe Locus' 

Matter Transmitters come in three grades, which determine their ranges:

Basic Matter Transmitters have a range of 12 mu.
Enhanced Matter Transmitters have a range of 24 mu.
Superior Matter Transmitters have a range of 36 mu.

Additionally, each Matter Transmitter has a class, which is the maximum
MASS of material it can transport in 1 use.

Each Matter Transmitter has a 3-arc wide zone within which it can
transmit or Receive.

Each Matter Transmitter can either transmit or receive only once each
turn.

In Game Terms, a Matter Transmitter can perform a number of actions:

1) Support Ground operations by rapidly transporting personnel and
equipment to or from the surface - this will apply to ground/space
interface games only.
2) Perform boarding actions against enemy spacecraft or installations
that have their drive systems disabled (An installation with functioning
station-keeping thrusters may be able to 'jiggle' its position
sufficiently to prevent the safe use of a Matter Transmitter for this
purpose). Alternatively, boarding troops could be transported _near_ to
the target ship, hopefully close enough for them to reach it and board
using their suit thrusters.
3) Act as a form of salvo missile launcher - the Matter Transmitter
transports a salvo of short-range missiles to the general vicinity of an
enemy target.
4) Act as a form of Plasma Bolt Launcher - the Matter transmitter
transports a mass of plasma from an on-board plasma generator to the
vicinity of an enemy target.
5) Transmit/Receive fighters and other small craft to or from a zone of
operations.
6) Mine-laying.

Matter Transmitter operations are declared during Phase 4) Launch
Ordnance, and resolved during Phases 6) Allocate Ordnance, 7) Point
Defence, and 8) Missile, PBL and Fighter fire.

A class 1 Matter Transmitter may transmit 1 salvo of short-range
missiles, a strength 1 plasma bolt, 1 fighter, or 1 MASS of personnel &
equipment. A class 6 Matter Transmitter could transmit a strength 6
plasma bolt or an entire fighter group of 6 fighters, or a MASS 6 space
craft.

Fighters can only be transmitted from, or received to, their hanger bay.

Each use of a Matter Transmitter requires its own fire control system.

If using options 3), 4) or the latter part of 2), a 'Matter Transmitter
Target' counter is placed where an object is to be transported two, with
a
counter representing what the object is (boarding parties, missile
salvo,
plasma bolt or fighters),  hidden under it.
During Phase 6) the target of the object must be allocated, but the
object is not revealed yet (do _not_ move the counters).
During Phase 7) the target ship(s) allocate point defence fire, the
object are then revealed, and the PDS fire is resolved.
During Phase 8) the object attacks are resolved.

Otherwise, if using option 5), the fighters may be transported to any
location within range and arc, but may not move or attack this turn.

Matter Transmitter MASS, cost, and ancillary components:
========================================================

Basic Matter Transmitter: MASS is 3 times Class, Cost is 5 times MASS
Range is 12 mu.

Enhanced Matter Transmitter: MASS is 3 times Class, Cost is 9 times MASS
Range is 24 mu.

Superior Matter Transmitter: MASS is 3 times Class, Cost is 30 times
MASS, Range is 36 mu.

Short-range missile magazine: MASS is 1 per salvo capacity, cost is 3
times MASS

Plasma Generator: MASS is 1 times Class of generator, Cost is 8 times
MASS - generates a Plasma Blast with a strength up to the class of the
generator 1 every 2 turns (optionally, may generate a half-strength
blast every turn).

Genre-Specific Matter Transmitters:
===================================

*Star-Trek Transporters - IIRC never used as weapons delivery system
(except for mine-laying), but can beam onto a manoeuvring target.
Cannot (at least some of the time) 'beam through shields'.

Use Superior Matter Transmitter, Reduce MASS requirement to 2 times
Class, cost multiples unaltered. Personnel Transporters are Class 1 or
2,
cargo transporters are bigger (depending on ship).

*Space Matrix Instant Transportation Emitter (S.M.I.T.E.) (I think) -
from Space Battleship Yamato/Starblazers, this Gamelon technology will
only
transport fighters and other small craft, but can transport them in
large numbers (whole carrier fighter contingents at once).

In game terms, this is a Superior Matter Transmitter that has a
'reception zone' of 1-arc wide out to 6 mu from the SMITE ship, and a
transmittion zone 3-arcs wide out to 36 mu. It is a class 36 (or more)
Matter Trasmitter, but can only transmit fighters and other small craft
(not more than 3 MASS each) _from_ the transmittion zone _to_ the
reception zone. The transmitted fighters _must_ remain in formation.
SMITE-ed fighters may attack on the turn they are transmitted, but may
not manoeuvre. It may perform no other matter transmitter operations.

SMITE system: MASS: 36, Cost 720?.

Well, what does anyone think?

Charles