[GZG] More advanced screens

Been thinking about the rules for advanced screens.

#1: advanced screens should subtract 1 per level from
every damage roll instead of ignoring rolls of 6 for
level 1, 5 or 6 for level 2.

Original reason was just copying the existing rules
for screens protecting against Phalon plasma bolts,
which also rolled one or more D6 per bolt. The maths
works out to be an average of -1 per die roll.

First problem is that the amount of damage absorbed
can vary wildly, and it will be much more effective
(from the defenders POV) against small salvos than
large ones. With a lot of dice the damage converges
to average, but with only a few dice it becomes
much more likely for the average damage to be much
more dramatically reduced. (In the worst case, you
roll all sixes for damage and do nothing.)

Second problem is that it is counter to the expected
FT rule mechanics that high rolls are better than
low, eg you wishing to roll 4s rather than 6s. With
any other weapon, even against heavy screens, a
player who rolls lots of 6s feels good about it. I
don't want to break this.

#2: how much mass should they cost?

This I'm still not sure about. You think 5% per level
with x 4 points is too cheap. Mmm, yeah. But I also
think that 10% per level is too expensive.

I just did a quick analysis of what percentage of
mass various FB1 ships devote to 'passive defence',
screens, armour, or extra hull.

NAC ships are mostly 9 to 11% (the Vandenberg heavy
cruiser is the highest). The NSE, as you are well
aware, don't spend more than 5% on any ship. (The
most 'defensive' FSE design turns out to be the San
Miguel destroyer, with a whole 5.8% spent on armour.)

The NSL ships turn out to be 8-12%, not really very
different from the NAC. (The best protected is the
Markgraf cruiser on 12%.) I guess the mechanism of
armour absorbing lots of early hits gives them the
reputation/actual effect of being better.

The ESU have the highest percentage on defence. The
Tibet and Beijing cruisers are 12% and 13%. The
Manchuria and Rostov are 15% and 16% IF you count
the extra hull boxes, which can be considered as a
sort of inferior armour. The Komarov maxes defence
out at 20%!

UNSC ships only have screens at best, like FSE. I
estimate that the advanced hulls are equivalent to
2.5% of armour per row (30% / 4 = 7.5%, 30% / 3
= 10%) so 'gain' another 7.5% by paying extra points.

OK, the best protected ships in FB1 spend only 15%
or 16% of mass on passive defences. And it's OK for
an advanced technology ship to gain another 5% of
'mass' by paying extra points.

Given these, I don't feel comfortable about making
a ship with level 2 advanced screens spend 20% mass
on it.

How about 8.3% per level, mass divided by 12? Points
cost to remain at mass x 4?

	cheers,
	Hugh

_______________________________________________
Gzg-l mailing list
Gzg-l@vermouth.csua.berkeley.edu
http://vermouth.csua.berkeley.edu:1337/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/gzg-l