[FT] Real big missiles

I designed this system for Adam's ongoing Starblazers Full Thrust ship
designs, one of the Comet Empire ships is a huge ship that can fire two
gargantuan missiles (each the size of a light cruiser), this is an
attempt to come up with rules for designing such a monster.

First, a missile this big is built as a full-sized star-ship, using the
Fleet Book rules. It should have at least one fire control, representing
its on-board guidance, as well as a main drive and hull.

It has a single weapon system, designated a warhead.

It is moved as a normal Full Thrust ship (maybe add rules for
automatically moving monster missiles, rather than having them write
orders, - needs work).

If the target ship is within 6mu, and within its lock-on arc (see
below), it initiates a terminal burn towards the target and detonates.
A standard warhead will only affect the target ship.

(This is because the warhead system is designed as a 'weapon' with a
range of 6 mu and a fire arc).

The MASS and point cost of a warhead are determined by its damage, and
'lock on' arc:

'lock-on' arc	Damage	Damage if reduced by screens (as PBLs)
       1	4D6/MASS	5D6/MASS
       3	2D6/MASS	5D6/2 MASS
       6	1D6/MASS	5D6/4 MASS

The damage is read straight of the die. The points cost is 3 per MASS.

Area Effect Warheads.

These explode, inflicting damage on all targets within 6mu (3 mu in
vector).

They inflict 1D6 per 4 MASS of warhead, reduced by screens is the same
way that PBLs are. They cost 3 points per MASS.

Detonation of a warhead destroys the carrying missile.

Defending against mega-missiles

They're ship-sized targets, shot them down with anti-ship weapons.

Other possibilities:

MIRV mega-missiles - with multiple warheads and 1 fire control per
warhead.

Mega-missiles with other ship systems - like defences, self-defence
weapons (like the 'dreadnought' cruise missile form ST:Voyager), 'crew
factors' that represent self-repair capability, even FTL (for long range
mega missiles - of board artillery support for FT :-) - now how do we do
counter battery fire?)

Special Rules:

The Warhead will make threshold checks, just like other systems, as an
option, (especially for area-effect warheads), if the warhead fails a
check, it detonates, destroying the missile.

Ok, a bit OTT, but at least 1 setting needs it :-)

Charles

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