Borg Adaptation

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Considering that according to the Next Generation tech manual, a starship's shields are essentially a series of nested graviton fields, methinks this is already accounted for.

Which then means that adapting to projectile weapons would be even easier for Borg drones.

Phasers are probably set for various combat environments by whichever tactical/security specialist is handing them out to the away team.

[Fugazi Grrl]

I've been re-watching them, as a matter of fact, though I've been watching a lot of Voyager episodes with the Borg lately.

Dude, beyond the whole me-being-a-girl thing, you're a braver man than I am ! Or, perhaps I should say "braver being" - since we're discussing adventuring in the 24th century.

Probably what they'd say on DS9, where Odo says "extremities where I can see them" instead of "hands above your head".

Why am I saying you are so brave ? You actually admitted to watching a Voyager episode !

I love the analogy - the Borg are, indeed, space-zombies. With a little bit of Frankenstein's Monster thrown in.

[Dan Gurden]

I don't think Borg shielding can protect against Armed Combat weapons (like a Bat'leth) based on Worf using a Klingon knife to chop a Borg's arm off, after the drone had already adapted its shielding to match Worf's remodulated phaser-fire.

So, maybe attacking a Borg with a battle-axe is a more reliable way of fighting them than trying to carry about a big remodulating unit.

OK, so while we are all in agreement that going hand-to-hand is a good way to damage the Borg, you have to think of them like zombies... There are a lot of them, and when you go hand-to-hand they are most likely to outnumber you... Never a good plan in melee. Once you are toe-to-toe you are in range of the nano-probes tubes (zombie bite) and are seriously risking getting infected which just turns you into one of them, only quicker.

Sure you might take one or two down with you before you join their ranks, but you would pronbaly do more carrying a phaser on overload/suicide bomber AND aviod replenishing their ranks with your own eternal torment...

I hadn't realised that the zombie analogy wasn't that well known...

[Fugazi Grrl]

I just never thought of the zombi analogy - and I should have as we have a thriving Buffy the Vampire Slayer game running. Lots of Zombies there (esp. since the company released a game built completely around Zombies).

How about non-energy ranged weapons ?

What could Colonel Jack O'Neill do to a Borg with his P90 ? Or even something like a crossbow. Slow re-loading there though. As a matter of fact what kind of damage could a Goa'uld Staff Weapon do to the Borg... and could a Zat'nika'tel knock out a Borg on two shots, and kill on 3 ?

The Legacy's chief engineer would probably come up with some device similar to a blunderbuss that would throw particles that would react to a Borg's shielding and become super-heated, or even explode on contact with Borg shielding.

As someone who started her career on an Orion pirate ship, then worked as a mechanic on Qo'noS so she was already in her late 30s when she joined Starfleet; she tends to have a penachant for "MacGyver on Steroids" type bricolage.

But, always handled quite logically (she is half-Vulcan )

[The Tatterdemalion King]

I'm of the opinion that you should never be able to completely destroy a drone, short of total energy conversion. Even a drone blasted apart would eject nanoprobes into the atmosphere; if they manage to self-repair after being cooked, they could become a free-floating viral menace, infecting either biological or technological targets within the ship.

Like zombies, the Borg are implacable and apocalyptic.

[Dan Gurden]

I'm of the opinion that you should never be able to completely destroy a drone, short of total energy conversion. Even a drone blasted apart would eject nanoprobes into the atmosphere; if they manage to self-repair after being cooked, they could become a free-floating viral menace, infecting either biological or technological targets within the ship.

Like zombies, the Borg are implacable and apocalyptic.

Oh thats just REALLY evil. I hadn't thought of that, but its damn well going in the playbook should I ever use the Borg...

[Doug Taylor]

You guys are eeeevillll.

Fortunately for my players, they should be encountering the Borg deep underground, not aboard their ship.

As far as melee goes, it's probably true that normally one wouldn't want to use those tactics. But if a group of good fighters keep themselves back to back in a small area (where the Borg can't get to them), I think it's possible to hold them off. The problem is they don't really feel pain (or have negative modifiers as they're injured), so they just keep coming at you...

[Nuclear Fridge]

Oh boy. A scary version of the Black Knight scene in Monty Python & the Holy Grail!

Eight of Fifteen: Gressorial extremities have been disconnected. Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated... As soon as this drone can drag itself over to you...

[The Tatterdemalion King]

Now I want to collate all my notes for the "Horrible Borg Survival Horror" episode.

[Fugazi Grrl]

I had a thought that the TR-116 Projectile Rifle might be of good use against the Borg -

TR-116 Projectile Rifle
Specifications: 61 cm long, 1.4L in volume; 1.3kg mass
Description: The TR-116 rifle is a hand-held rifle-type weapon, a projectile weapon developed by Starfleet Security for use in dampening fields or radiogenic environments where conventional energy weapons would be useless. The rifle fires a chemically propelled tritanium bullet. A working prototype of the weapon was developed, but Starfleet opted not to produce the weapon after the advent of the regenerative phaser. The TR-116 could be operated by both right and left-handed shooters.
Damage: 3d6+4
Duration / Energy: 15 - 20 shots, depending on the size of clip used.
Range: 10/50/100/200/ +50 meters

Exographic Targeting Sensor
Specifications: A headband-type design 3cm wide by 0.25mm thick; fitted with a lens 5.08cm in diameter.
Description: An exographic targeting sensor is a head-mounted sensor capable of visually penetrating almost any surface allowing its user to literally see through walls. Its range can be adjusted to allow the user to see up to only a certain point.
Rules: It takes one action to acquire a specific target and achieve a target lock. The lock last until the target moves behind an object and obstructs the line of sight. While tracking remains active, the shooter gains a +2 bonus to his Projectile Weapons attack tests. The targeting sensor also reduces all penalties for firing a weapon in darkness, or near-darkness by 1/2.
Duration / Energy: The targeting module is fitted with a battery containing 30 power charges. And 1 charge is expended per round of continuous use.
Range: Equal to that of the weapon

The listing for the weapon on Memory Alpha - http://en.memory-alpha.org/wiki/TR-116_rifle

[The Tatterdemalion King]

...Until the Borg assimilate it.

[Dan Gurden]

...Until the Borg assimilate it.

Are you perhaps suggesting that the borg woukd analyse the device ad develop a way of delivering a nanoprobe infused bullet, breaking apart on impack and really giong to town with the assimilation.

Probably best to avoid putting that micro transporter barrel add-on then, cause if they got that as well then its all over. Borg cubes arrive and the crews and vessels just spontaniously become borg...

(another one for the evil playbook... I suspect it'll need to be a haloween special and a Q-based episode. haha, thats it. Found the plot for the episode title that I didn't know what to do with; 'Q-ube' - That was always a Q and a borg episode... But otherwise, what to do next? Now we know.

[Fugazi Grrl]

Q-ubed ! I loooove that !

I envoy the people sitting down at your gaming table for a Hallowe'en special !

Try this one. I told you our Engineer was into High Intensity Tinkering !

Starfleet “Thundergun” Anti-shielding Weapon
Specifications: 74cm in length. 1.6L, volume. 2.1kg mass
Description: A large rifle-like weapon designed along a similar
principal to the Type-II Phaser Rifle, but built to fire cartridges, or
shells, containing small, jagged bits of shrapnel-type shot.
Rules: Used with Projectile Weapons (Shotgun) skills, or with a
specialty with the use of the Thundergun. The weapon takes
one action to pump, and then it can fire two rounds before
having to be pumped again. The shot fired by the Tundergun is
made of bits of tritanium coated with a stable clancium oxide
compound that detonates on contact with forcefields
including Borg shielding.
Damage: 2d6+3 (3d6+3 at PB) – shot detonates on contact
with forcefields and shielding, rendering the shielding
useless for 5d6 rounds.
Duration / Energy: Each Thundergun holds a load of 24
shells, expending one each time it is fired.
Range: 3 / 15 / 45 / 90 +15