IKV Avenger's House Rules Thread

[IKV Avenger]

General: Suicide Shuttles

We do a different version of the SS. A standard-canon SS can hold up to 9 points of warp power. That's a lot of power for a tiny shuttle to just 'hold'. 9 points can move a Starship 90,000km or power all four disruptors with a point to spare. Compare this to a GW era battery that is probably the size of a shuttle, yet can only hold 1 point of power. So it simply didn't make a lot of sense.

So our HR SS is a normal admin shuttle that has had a T-bomb loaded into it and had it jacked to the sensors so it can sense the target and detonate. It will do the 10 points of damage a normal T-bomb would yield at R0. It does not cost anything accept time i.e. three turns for a ships DC to load it up and hook it up. No energy cost.

The T-bomb is from the ships stores or can be purchased as part of C.O..

[IKV Avenger]

General: Wild Weasel

WW do not cost any power in EA. There is no reason that it should as it is simple electronics hooked into the sensors to project 'noise' to confuse seeking weapons. The power the shuttle normally generates would be sufficient to power such equipment.

[IKV Avenger]

ISC: Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine

ISC ships have the option of using the PPC (Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine - courtesy of a member on SFBOC) in place of a plasma torpedo, particularly in the smaller ships using plasma G and F. It still has the PPD as normal.

A PPC is basically 'half' of a PPD. This makes the ISC more of a PPD/PPC race than just another BP race.

Rule set for the PCC;

(EJD11.8) Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine

The Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine is a light PPD. It is a conjectural weapon for mounting in place of a G-plasma on SC4 ships, to allow true ISC behaviour in small echelons and low-BPV battles where a PPD-equipped ship would not be available.

(EJD11.81) General: The Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine is treated in all respects as a PPD except as described herein.

(EJD11.82) SSD: Each 'PPC' box on the SSD represents one Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine.
(EJD11.821) The PPC is destroyed on 'Drone' hits; it is considered worse than an HHC and better than a PA panel.
(EJD11.822) The PPC costs 8 points to repair. A PPD cannot be hastily repaired as a PPC.

(EJD11.83) Arming: A PPC is armed to standard (4 pulse) levels by applying 2 points of power from any source on two successive turns. An armed PPC can be held for 1 point of power.
(EJD11.831) A PPC can be overloaded with one or two extra points of power, providing one extra pulse per point. It can likewise be underloaded by applying less power (to a minimum of 1 point of power per turn). The same restrictions apply as for a PPD. An overloaded PPC cannot be held.

(EJD11.84) Firing: A PPC fires like a PPD and acquires a wavelock in the same way. To determine whether a pulse has hit, roll one die and consult the PPC table (EJD11.85).
(EJD11.841) An overloaded PPC has a maximum true range of 8 hexes.

(EJD11.85) Plasmatic Pulsar Carbine Table

Range Hit (1d6) Damage Splash Alt
0-2 no - - -
3-6 5 4 1+2+1 2+2
7-12 4 3 1+1+1 2+1
13-18 3 2 1+1+0 1+1
19-25 2 1 0+1+0 1+0


(EJD11.86) Deployment After Y170, a PPC may be mounted in place of a type-G Plasma Torpedo, having a 120° arc. A ship so modified gains the P designator, or C if it is a Leader version. The ship's BPV increases by 2 per PPC.
For example, a DDL would mount 2 PPCs FA in place of both G-torps, becoming a DDC. A DDG (DDP), FFL (FFC) or HDD (HDP) would mount 1 PPC FA.
(EJD11.861) A PPC may be mounted in place of two adjacent type-F plasma torpedoes (not the ISC rear F torps). There is no change in BPV.
\iFor example, a CVE or F-AL might mount one FA in place of both plasma-F.}
(EJD11.862) A PPC cannot be mounted on SC5 units other than ground bases (BPV 12). [A Defsat might mount one (BPV 25) but I doubt it. That's an issue I shall leave to the Steves]
(EJD11.863) A PPC cannot be placed in an Orion wing mount or WYN side mount.
(EJD11.864) A PPC counts as half a PPD for (E11.17) fleet limit purposes.

A statistical analysis for the curious, comparing a PPD with a PPC. This chart shows average damage at various ranges.
Assume no EW shift (PPC suffers more with EW) and a normal 4-pulse load, all pulses that hit hitting at the same range:



So it's about as power-efficient as a PPD on average, but better at shorter ranges, as befits an SC4 weapon. The best tactic is probably to overload, as it's more efficient and more flexible than a PPD at OL ranges, having a smaller 'myopic'* range.
Another thing to note is that the splash effect is exaggerated compared to a PPD.

[IKV Avenger]

House keeping costs:

Using a CA sized vessel as an example, currently 1 point of power is needed to power minimum shields or 36 boxes. And another point to power full shields which is in the area of 144 boxes. So 1 point will give you 36 boxes but one more point will give you another 100+ boxes. We don't see it as a necessary function of the game. In 29 years of playing the game I've never used, nor seen minimum shields used. So shields are simply 1 point for full, this frees up 1 point.

Same with life support and fire control. A point each!?! That is just unnecessary as well. So again, in our FTF games 'ships functions' cost a point on a CA sized vessel. That point is enough to run life support, scanners, fire control, the coffee maker and whatever else needs powering. That frees up an additional point, so basically its 2 points total for HK on a CA sized ship. Two points is substantial and quite useful. Combine this with something like the WGS and you've got quite a bit of extra power to do additional things/tactics in the game. Makes the game quicker and allows for more options that normally would be quite rare.

[IKV Avenger]

Orion Pirates:

We have the Orion pirates. But they are not canon by any means. First, they don't double their engines. That's pretty stupid. I find it hard to believe that the Orions can do something that every other major military can't also do. And even if they haven't put the $ into developing it, how many Orion ships have been crippled or captured to be studied? Lots of them. Plus, Orions are going up against lightly shielded freighter with almost no weapons so they wouldn't need to double their engines anyway. Nor would they need it to escape as it doesn't make the ship go faster.

Secondly, they were never meant to go up against war ships. They should run from them like they were on fire. Canon pirates can double the engines and charge in with military grade weapons locked and loaded. Poppycock. Militaries would safe guard their weaponry and various systems so that every pirate isn't running around with photons and drones and cloaking devices etc. Having an actual military grade heavy weapon would/should be a rarity. And those would be the enforcer type ships, not the average raider. And if a shipment of drones or photons or cloaking devices did get waylaid you can be the responding military would form a man-hunt to find them. A pirate should mainly have ph-3 armament with some ph-2's for a longer range punch. And as for a HW, something quite simple and generic like a 'blaster' which does fine against a freighter but not much of a threat to an Empire's cruisers (or even destroyers or frigates). Even with mostly ph-3's and a ph-2 (perhaps 2xph-2) and some 'blaster' weapons (that don't OL) they'd be quite capable against a number of freighters as they are better shielded and that armament is more than sufficient for their intended target.

Might miff the Orion players that like to go against the other ships with engines doubled, weapons cocked-n-locked and the cloak ready to go. But not at all realistic even for this game.

[IKV Avenger]

Seltorian: Modification to the Particle Cannon:

Capacitor has no holding cost.

Firing delay between shots is reduced to 8-impulses.

This has been play-tested and has demonstrated that the improvement was beneficial without being OP.

Combined shot: The PC can be fired as a combined shot i.e. one OL and one standard shot combined. The cost is a full capacitor of 5 points. Maximum range of 8. May be fired at R0.

This HR is undergoing PT at this time. Initial impressions are that it is not OP and puts it somewhat on the same footing at a partially OL'd photon or OL Ion Cannon. Same lousy range breaks but allows for a somewhat better alpha strike.

"This HR is undergoing PT at this time. Initial impressions are that it is not OP and puts it somewhat on the same footing at a partially OL'd photon or OL Ion Cannon. Same lousy range breaks but allows for a somewhat better alpha strike."

The following was the result of play-testing;

Completed two games today using the Seltorian DD vs. the Klingon F5C. The Seltorian gave up 6 PV which could have been compensated using C.O. such as an increased amount of T.B.

The Seltorian lost in each game. Feed back was gained after each game. The combined shot was used in each game, once in the first and twice in the second. It did not proved to be OP in either game and the range break was what really hurt the Selt whether the shot was standard, OL or combined. The second combined shot (which was the first shot of the second game) was a double miss. So that is a lot of power for nothing, but that goes for any HW that isn't the best hitter i.e. photon. So overall, the combined shot does help the Selt without making it OP.

The downfall in both games was drones. However, my son was playing the Klingon and he's our resident Kzinti player so he knows what he'd doing with drones. I had to get close, too close to have a decent hope of hitting with my initial alpha. I may need to adopt some different tactics such as using some long rang standard shots to soften up some shields. In the 9-15 bracket it is an okay weapon as it is 50% for 3 damage. In this regards it is somewhat comparable, though still inferior, to the disruptor. But a few softening turns may help.

So overall feedback is the combine shot is a reasonable modification and we will incorporate it as a standard HR.