Starship questions?

[Phantom]

I think you might be running into a problem that I did when I first tried the construction rules. Namely that certain size ships hav a -1 modifer on certain systems. Take the Defiant-class (it was the one I first reversed engineered.) When you take into account that as a Heavy Escort it gets -1 for all its weapons...Which I think, if you will check, brings the Defiant to exactly 0 space left over. These rules are kind of hard to find, they are in fine print under the various system charts.

[Don Mappin]

This wouldn’t surprise me. When the ships were created they were done down to the point and were legal. I heard that some stuff was altered in layout, possibly without adjusting points. So, that, by association, would through a few of the ships off. I personally have not had a moment to reverse engineer these ships and double-check their points since I got the book.

With that said, yes—a number of people forget the cost bonuses associated with a system for being an explorer or a heavy vessel, for example. That could account for some cost differentials.

So, presuming the points are off on a ship:
1. You can simply ignore the difference and rack it up to Narrator fiat (like we’re going to storm your house and make sure your ships are accurate to the point?)
2. Correct/tweak the ships to put them in line, perhaps by taking a single flaw or cutting back just a tad on 1-2 systems.
3. Call me/Decipher idiots, organize a boycott, or start up some errata on the topic.
4. Any combination of the above.

I apologize for the mistake if any of the ships are, in fact, off.

[Sea Tyger]

Don, any answer from Matt on the Design Defect (impulse or warp system) time increment for subracting -2 structure?

[Chris Landmark]

Sea Tyger, Phantom:
No, I am not forgetting the discounts that various ship types get on components. In my Intrepid Class example, I incorporated the -1 cost to warp engines from being a "light" ship, and the -2 cost to shields for being an "explorer", and I did the same on all the other ships. Except for the Herbert Class, since I just noticed the "Support/Auxilliary classification vessles may purchase cargo units at a ratio of 10:1 point of space" bit, which would bring it into the legal camp. I rechecked my numbers for both the Defiant and 2273 Connie, and both came up over the allowable limit (though somehow the Connie cost 1 less space this time around). Though if you're giving the Defiant -1 to all weapons, Phantom, I can see where you'd come out different from me, as the "heavy" vessel only gets discounts on beam weapons.

Don:
If a few things got changed at the layout stage, that would be an explanation I hadn't thought of. And it would be perfectly understandable, too.

If anyone else wants to reverse-engineer some of the NG starships and see if I'm right on this, please let me know the results. I'm not terribly concerned that they don't calculate out exactly. I just want to be sure that I'm doing the ship construction stuff right. If these ships actually do fall within the space allotments for their sizes, then I obviously am spending too much space somewhere, and I'd like to figure out where it is. If on the other hand I am doing everything right and all these ships are exceeding the allowable space by a couple points, then I'm not going to worry about my designs spilling one or two points over if I feel they need it.

-Chris Landmark
(off to organize a boycott of Don Moppin...)

[MightyCthulhu]

I think this has been covered before, but I can't find the thread.

The systems damage track has 1 column for propulsion, but the ships have a reliability rating for both Impulse and Warp systems.

Does each system get it's own damage track or are the reliability ratings combined somehow?

update:
I found the answer, you take the worst of the 2 ratings.

Its on page 139 of the Narrator's Guide under Propulsion Systems.

[MightyCthulhu]

Don,
In general what happens when a maneuver roll is failed?

I particular, if a ship Tactical Officer is trying to target another ships system (say warp drive) and fails the roll (by less than 10 point penalty for targeting a system) is the shot a clean miss or should I give him a "regular" hit?

[Arknight]

It at least would make sense to me, if the shot is called and would have hit with less than the penalty for said shot, to have the shot turn into a "normal" hit.

After all, isn't that what happened in ST:Search for Spock with the Bird of Prey shooting at the Grissom? :-)

Tom

[Antonsb214]

I think the weapons officer was trying (unsuccessfully) to make his foul-up look good.

I would just let it be a normal hit.

[DHoliday64]

Does anyone know where the NG source books for ships can be purchased or attained?

[PGoodman13]

The Starships book hasn't been released yet. Some ships are written up as examples in the Narrator's Guide, however.

[MightyCthulhu]

Don,
are you out there?

[PGoodman13]

Don has a wife, a child, a day job, and several freelance writing contracts that I'm sure take precedence over monitoring every thread on this board. It is my studied opinion, having had most of the same circumstances in my life in the past (I'm a freelancer, too), that you might cut him some slack.

[MightyCthulhu]

Originally posted by PGoodman13
Don has a wife, a child, a day job, and several freelance writing contracts that I'm sure take precedence over monitoring every thread on this board. It is my studied opinion, having had most of the same circumstances in my life in the past (I'm a freelancer, too), that you might cut him some slack.

I'm not giving him a hard time, just woindering if he is still watching this thread. No I don't expect him to watch every thread, but given the author and title of this one I did think he might stop by once a week or so...