Tech sloshing

IKV Avenger · Post by **IKV Avenger** » Tue Aug 18, 2020 11:58 am

Many years ago someone on the SFB main forum proposed a Klingon D7 variant that fired photon torpedoes out of it's boom section and aft hull section like TMP Klingons did. Similar to the modified D7 in one of the very early Captain's Log stories that came out after the movie. Probably a thinly veiled way to insert it into SFB? At any rate, that member's proposal wasn't well received. I chimed in that it would be far more likely that the Klingons would fire a plasma F out of the boom and rear aft rather than photons, at least from an SFB perspective. Some considerations; Even with captured equipment and reverse engineering it would be hard to maintain 'foreign' equipment on fleet ships. This was mentioned in one of the CL's also as a reason it is generally not done on a mass scale. This has a certain amount of validity to it. So a Klingon ship using Federation tech really isn't all that likely. Doable on a small scale perhaps. However, the Klingons and Romulans had a treaty and a transfer of equipment i.e. the Klinks sold them older ships full of tech the Roms didn't have previously. It is well within the scope of reason that the Roms would have shared plasma tech, at least on a limited basis as well as the spare parts necessary as part of the treaty and equipment swap. I could see the cloaking device being kept secret from the Klinks, and it would have interfered with their drone tactics anyway. But a Klingon ship using plasma as a secondary HW is not unreasonable, at least on a smaller scale.

One of the comments was that 'tech-sloshing' just isn't done anymore. Not really a reasonable comment however. It's been done since the beginning of the game and has continued since.

Federation has plasma tech as well as gatling phasers.

At least 6 empires use Disruptors.

Five of those use drones.

Federation uses drones

.

ISC, Gorn and Roms uses plasma

.

Peladine uses plasma and drones

.

Tholians, who should be using Particle Cannons somehow were able to reverse engineer and create a supply chain for both Disruptors and Photon Torpedoes. In a culture that, by canon, weren't very tech savvy until the 312th arrived. Which begs the question, why didn't they retain the Particle Cannon after the 312th arrived? That is the weapon their tactics were built upon to begin with. Yes, I know the Particle Cannon wasn't invented in the game as of the time the Tholians introduction. But perhaps a new weapon system should have been developed at that time instead of tech-sloshing disruptors (which again, should not have been able to be reverse engineered by the Tholians) and even Photon Torpedoes when given to them.

Pirates can use practically everyone's tech (which is why the Orions are completely broken and don't make any sense*).

*How could pirates maintain ships more powerful than the empires they operate inside? How would they have the resources/materials/engineering to use practically anyone's tech when supposedly well funded empires can't manage it?

Feds using plasma is explained as it's a limited basis (despite a lot of different classes of ships using it) as well as an alliance between the Gorn and Feds that allows for resupply of necessary parts. Makes sense. But then so would the Klingons and Romulans in my above example. At least until their supply lines are cut. But that makes for an interesting series of scenarios. But I can't see the Feds having gatling phasers while the Lyrans and Klinks, who border the Hydrans can't seem to manage it.

So my point is that tech sloshing is in the game and is a part of the game and that's fine and it works. As long as there is a reasonable explanation as to the how and why it would be able to work. Fed and Klink plasma...yes. Fed gatling phasers...not so much unless we're going to say that Fed engineering and resources allowed reverse engineering and the eventual supply chain of resources necessary? Okay, it's plausible. But I think I would have preferred the Hydrans remain the sole users of gatling phasers. And I think Feds without drones is a better plan. They have the ASW system as detailed in my HR section on the board instead. As for fighters, they would have low-powered photons instead of drones i.e. light photon torpedoes like the Republic or Aurora.