Re: [GZG] Screens versus Advanced Screens in Cross Dimensions?

-----Original Message-----
>From: Hugh Fisher <laranzu@ozemail.com.au>
>I see no problem with declaring that advanced screens don't exist
>in the GZGverse. I put them into FT:CD because I wanted to make
>a variant good for mixing genres, and for example in Blake's Seven
>and Star Trek (looks over shoulder for copyright lawyers) "screens"
>also work on torpedo like weapons.

Yeah, I agree.	It always seemed to me like a bit of a gap in the
systems in the game that nobody had a shield that could protect against
solid projectiles.  However, the canon says that the GZGverse only has
screens for energy weapons, so unless the UNSC has managed to
crash-build advanced screens that work against K-guns in response to the
Kra'Vak threat, it makes some sense that these wouldn't be integrated
back into the main storyline.  (I don't use the GZGverse storyline
anyway, I like to write my own...)

>My belief is that advanced systems should be more than just a linear
>increase in cost, otherwise you end up with "tech levels" and every
>fleet just using the best stuff.

Yeah, although I tend to enjoy inferring that different starfaring
powers have invested in different technologies simply by observing how
their ships turn out.  For instance, from the NAC you can infer that
they've invested their R&D in the drive and screen technologies to move
their SDNs at thrust-4 and to screen them, while the NSL has preferred
to put their money in the structural engineering necessary to give them
stronger hulls and armor, and the Kra'Vak have hyper-optimized their
drives to make up for the fact that almost all their weapons are
spinal-mounted.  Other things like cloaking technologies, specializing
and/or swing-role capabilities for fighters (to say nothing of how the
nation in question handles them in their fighter doctrines), and even
advanced screens are other obvious areas where you can infer a nation's
technology level and where they've put their research based on the ships
they build.

>>On the flip side, throwing a level 2 advanced screen plus a couple 
>>or three layers of armor so that it takes a class 5 or 6 K-gun hit 
>>before a K'V shot even damages the hull on a normal hit seems pretty 
>>wicked.  I suppose their sheer potential for flat out ruining K-guns 
>>is pretty evil.

>I'd suggest that if you do decide to allow advanced screens in GZG,
>add the advanced screen level to the double damage die. So against
>a level 2 advanced screen K1 and K2 never double, but still inflict
>some damage; and the big K6 is still a nasty hit but only doubles
>on 1,2, or 3 instead of 1 to 5.

>Then again, two levels of advanced screen plus a couple of layers of
>armour is going to be 20% or more of your total mass in itself.
>Someone that dedicated to defence maybe deserves to be largely
>immune :-)

Actually, after I simmer down from my initial "that's evil!" reaction I
find myself thinking that advanced screens probably ought to _both_
reduce the initial damage _and_ the chance for extra.  My gut instinct
is that advanced screens should reduce the damage of K-guns at a similar
level to how regular screens reduce beams.  If you do both, a K-6 does 7
points of damage on average, versus 9 if you use either reduction in
isolation and 11 if there's no defense at all.	Both seems a lot fairer
for the sheer cost that the advanced screens require.  Yeah, it means
that K-1s and K-2s would be completely harmless and K-3s would average
less than two points of damage a hit... oh noes, the munchkins who load
up on K-3s because they have the best damage-to-weight ratio might have
to actually get bigger guns, and the Kra'Vak's "best equipment across
the board in the game" actually have some small answer to them now. 
(Read:	yeah, I think I'll just run with this in my own games.)

The only other question I have is, should advanced screens be slightly
better than regular screens against beams?  Take away the reroll dice,
maybe?

E/Stilt Man
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