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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16178
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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 Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 5:17 am Post subject: Formation Rules |
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I've been considering some rules to make starfighter squadrons more of a force in combat against larger ships. The rules I've been considering would come into play with capital ship-scale combat as well, but I want to start small and work my way up.
The idea I'm considering is rules for starfighter formations. There would be three categories: close, standard, and loose. The idea here is that the formation indicates how close the starfighters are to each other.
In Close Formation, the piloting difficulty would go up, and the formation would be more vulnerable to area effect attacks like concussion missiles, but they would be able to overlap their shields to provide a stronger defense. In Loose formation, the formation would be more dispersed and harder to target, but less able to offer support to each other, while Standard Formation would be a more balanced version of the two.
I'm also considering categories for Attack, Escort and Patrol Formations. Attack would give bonuses for coordinating massed strikes, but penalties to avoid incoming attacks. Escort would be the opposite, with less massed strike capability, but more teamwork to defend themselves from other starfighters. Finally, Patrol would provide bonuses to Sensors.
Thoughts? |
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garhkal
Sovereign Protector
Joined: 17 Jul 2005
Posts: 14034
Location: Reynoldsburg, Columbus, Ohio.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 7:01 am Post subject: |
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The combining of skills (command) already works for this, but i can see expanding it with specific squadron formations.
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16178
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 8:02 am Post subject: |
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| garhkal wrote: | | The combining of skills (command) already works for this, but i can see expanding it with specific squadron formations. |
I have this somewhat vague dream of coming up with a comprehensive rules system that would allow characters to run fast-paced space battles, where they don't just command individual starfighters or capital ships, but starfighter wings and/or full formations of capital ships, even surface-deployed troop units. It's all just a vague collection of ideas drifting around in my head at the moment, but I'd love to see it come to fruition. |
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Kemper Boyd
Sub-Lieutenant
Joined: 28 Jun 2008
Posts: 68
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 10:59 am Post subject: |
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| crmcneill wrote: | | I have this somewhat vague dream of coming up with a comprehensive rules system that would allow characters to run fast-paced space battles, where they don't just command individual starfighters or capital ships, but starfighter wings and/or full formations of capital ships, even surface-deployed troop units. It's all just a vague collection of ideas drifting around in my head at the moment, but I'd love to see it come to fruition. |
I like the concept that like characters and vehicles in some games, formations of ships and capital ships can execute diffent sorts of maneuvers. For example, let's say a Star Destroyer is blindsided by a Mon Cal cruiser, and they get hit in the initial salvo of the Mon Cal Cruiser.
The Imperial captain does two maneuvers simultaneously: he launches fighter squadrons 1-4 and his gunners execute a maneuver called Suppressive Fire, which means they set up a flak perimeter to partly block incoming fire from the Mon Cal, and keep the X-wing squadrons of the Mon Cal at an arm's length.
The Mon Cal Cruiser does one maneuver, called Salvo Fire where they concentrate their fire directly on the Star Destroyer. It's not as efficient as their initial attack, since the SD is laying down suppressive fire, but the Mon Cal captain thinks he can hit the Imperial ship and absorb their fire due to the better shields that the Mon Cal has. The X-Wing squadrons of the Mon Cal do two maneuvers: two squadrons do something like "Set up attack vector" which means they maneuver around the suppressive fire of the SD. One squadron performs Interception, which means they get ready to defend against Imperial fighters.
The cruisers keep exchanging fire, eventually the Imperial starts to slack off on the Suppressive Fire and orders half of his available guns to do something called continuous fire to attack the shields of the Mon Cal.
The TIE's and X-Wings duke it out when they meet, and the goal of the Mon Cal captain is to keep X-wings on the other side of the SD to keep the SD from redirecting shield power to their shield which is one the side of the Mon Cal Cruiser.
Got most of it figured out really, I just need mechanics for it  |
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Barrataria
Commander
Joined: 28 Dec 2005
Posts: 295
Location: Republic of California
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 11:41 am Post subject: |
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| crmcneill wrote: | | garhkal wrote: | | The combining of skills (command) already works for this, but i can see expanding it with specific squadron formations. |
I have this somewhat vague dream of coming up with a comprehensive rules system that would allow characters to run fast-paced space battles, where they don't just command individual starfighters or capital ships, but starfighter wings and/or full formations of capital ships, even surface-deployed troop units. It's all just a vague collection of ideas drifting around in my head at the moment, but I'd love to see it come to fruition. |
You mean like this?
http://www.wargamevault.com/product_info.php?products_id=60170&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=4
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CRMcNeill
Director of Engineering
Joined: 05 Apr 2010
Posts: 16178
Location: Redding System, California Sector, on the I-5 Hyperspace Route.
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| Posted: Fri Dec 31, 2010 2:06 pm Post subject: |
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| Barrataria wrote: | | crmcneill wrote: | | I have this somewhat vague dream of coming up with a comprehensive rules system that would allow characters to run fast-paced space battles, where they don't just command individual starfighters or capital ships, but starfighter wings and/or full formations of capital ships, even surface-deployed troop units. It's all just a vague collection of ideas drifting around in my head at the moment, but I'd love to see it come to fruition. |
You mean like this?
http://www.wargamevault.com/product_info.php?products_id=60170&filters=0_0_0&manufacturers_id=4 |
I've never played Traveler, so I can't say for certain. I envision a set of rules that is fast paced, allowing fleet combat to occur at roughly the same pace as starfighter combat, as well as taking advantage of the Command skill and an expanded Tactics skill (perhaps providing bonuses similar to Enhanced Coordination for high Tactics rolls). As I said, it's all a rather nebulous concept at the moment. |
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