Some questions on Spaceships

[Ulzgoroth]

Originally Posted by David Johnston2

So...how does the pilot shoot his guns?

Either they use them one at a time, making the presence of 4 major batteries fairly pointless and negating the explicitly-noted power issues of the design, or they operate on some kind of houserules contrary to the text of Spaceships. I'm pretty sure, as I said, that the second is what the author of that ship intended.

Originally Posted by FeiLin

Ok, so I reread the relevant parts, and this makes no sense to me. So, they are explosive, just not represented by the ex modifier when they actually hit something? Instead they get +4 TH and can deal MoS (max x10) hits (presumably only to the target).

Also, why the lack of variety of missiles? Afaik the only choice I have is barrel size and "nuke, super or neither" (disregarding warp, which seems not to behave like missiles). What if I want ion missiles that stun ships, more penetration, or different range? Maybe even different speeds depending on ammo. I could, of course, just go in and add/change it, but then I'd have to open the can of worms of adjusting costs, etc, which I'd rather wait with.

Missiles are not explosive. Things they hit are likely to explode, to a degree, in the same way that things hit by a meteor do. But the missile is no more an explosive device than the meteor is.

Little variety is in large part because Spaceships, and Spaceships missiles in particular, draw a lot on reality and not very much on Star Wars. An 'ion missile' has no real referents.

Originally Posted by FeiLin

Again for this issue: balance. I'm on the verge of just ruling that identical beam/gun weapons can fire even if separate batteries, if they're fixed, same facing and same target. But maybe that makes

I highly recommend not worrying about preserving balance. There really isn't balance to preserve.

Originally Posted by FeiLin

Also, would you treat this as a higher RoF or make separate attack rolls, and (if separate attacks) would you Dodge only once and let MoS surplus cover more than one attack or Dodge once per attack?

I hate using RoF in Spaceships passionately...and even I would use multiple linked fixed guns as one attack with combined RoF.

Originally Posted by Rupert

Consistency with the rest of the rules would make such a grouping work like any others - they are all lumped together in one attack, with a rate of fire equal to the total RoF of all the guns added together. See SS, p.57-58 "Rate of Fire".

I don't see any reason why multiple major batteries can't be grouped together like this. Then again, I'm cool with ships being designed with some or all of a medium (or smaller) battery's guns being placed into a turret and all being fired together. Naturally such a set-up would prohibit those guns from engaging separate targets.

Because, as people keep pointing out, the rules are very very explicit that you can fire "All identical fixed mount weapons in the same battery". Not in the same hull section.

Originally Posted by Stormcrow

I think the idea of fixed mounts changed between the Basic Set and Spaceships. In the Basic Set, you aim the weapon by aiming the vehicle, rolling the lower of your Gunner skill and your vehicle control skill. In Spaceships, there's no sign of using Piloting to aim a fixed-mount weapon: you just roll Gunner or Artillery, and "superior focusing or stabilization systems give fixed mounts better range and fire control (a +2 to hit)." There's also no indication that multiple fixed mounts can't fire at different targets; over the course of a space combat turn surely the ship can reorient itself enough to aim at multiple targets facing the same hull section.

There's not really any relation. Spaceships 'fixed mounts' on a realistic ship almost certainly aren't actually fixed and aimed only by maneuvering the entire vessel - they just have a limited aiming capability rather than the broad traversal of turrets. Remember, Spaceships ranges mean you're generally attacking targets that are mostly or entirely impossible to discern with the naked eye, using aimed fire assisted by fire control computers. (See the box on SS p66.)