[FT] Sensors

One of the things about Sensors is that you want the Sensor not to be
sure
how much is actually there, and the Target not to be sure how much has
actually been seen.  It occurred to me that one way to accomplish this
is
to take a set of index cards and mark one side with a Signature rating. 
On
the other side of each card, write in what the sensor can see.

I'm thinking about the mechanics of how the sensor gets its report
rather
than exactly how the sensor levels and ECM measures interact, so let's
say
you've got a sensor rating as follows:
0 = identify deployed fighters and missiles
1 = detect deployed fighters and missiles, identify escorts 
2 = detect escorts, identify cruisers (apparent mass 51-100)
3 = detect cruisers, identify BC-BDNs
4 = detect BC-BDNs, identify SDNs and above
5 = detect SDNs and above
(obviously you can make this more detailed depending on how you want to
handle sensor ratings, stealth, ECM and so forth, but i don't want to
type
all that).

For your squadron (2 BB, 2 DD, 1 weasel set for CH) you'd write on the
back
of these cards:
[5] no signal
[4] 2 bogies
[3] 2 BBs, 1 bogey
[2] 2 BBs, 1 weasel imitating CH, 2 bogeys
[1] 2 BBs, 1 weasel imitating CH, 2 DDs
[0] 2 BBs, 1 weasel imitating CH, 2 DDs

So when your opponent wants to make a sensor attempt, you hand him the
stack and look away.  He goes to the right card (based on whatever
criterion you want--range, sensor ability, dice, etc) , looks on the
back,
and puts the cards back in order.  You don't know what he's seen; he
doesn't know whether there are other ships that he hasn't seen.

You can use modifiers (eg "Under Thrust, +2 to signature; Area ECM, -1
signature"), but you can't easily use modifiers that don't apply equally
to
all ships in the squadron (for instance, if you want Thrust 6 to add +6
signature for a BB but only +2 for a DD).

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