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Thread: Fighters in ST

  1. #1
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    Question Fighters in ST

    Hi all,

    I know the existence of fighters in the Trekverse has already been debated to death... I know some GMs like the idea, others don't

    I intend to use fighters in my game - and fully use the Akira featured in the SOM to that end.

    I would have several question pertaining to fighters so as to give me some material to fully use the idea... Thanks for your help!

    1. I heard the existence of fighters has been "somewhat" established on screen in DS9... Can somebody sum up what info is given, or point me to the corresponding eps? (I haven't seen much of DS9...)

    2. Are there different "canon" fighter classes? I know the existence of the Peregrine, but what is its role? Are there canon bomber fighters, "dog"fighters etc.?

    3. Have you established home rules, in ICON or CODA, for fighters? I was thinking of using CODA rules but forbidding the use of Tier III maneuvers (obviously). What are your approaches?

    4. In your opinion, do fighters swarming around a capital ship prevent the carrier or other capital ships to attack the enemy, for fear they would hit a friendly fighter? Or, with the advanced tactical scanners all ships have, is it simply more difficult to hit the enemy? (ie, increasing the roll difficulty)?

    Many thanks for all your input!!

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  2. #2
    OK KW

    1) I don't remember the exact episode but they showed Federation fighters in the episode where they re-took DS9 from the Dominion.

    2) Alas not to date in regards to the Federation, by size one could argue that the Klingons field a fighter, looks like a 35 meter long BOP. There was a Romulan/Reman fighter shown in Nemesis, but not much information was given, nor was it's capabilities demonstrated.

    3) Not really, but what are the Tier III maneuvers you speak of.

    4) Fighter tactics varies depending on the mission perimeters, some stay with the capitol ships in order to help defend them, others are used to rapidly flank an opponent, some could be used to harass or swarm a target ship so it cannot get a clean shot off, most importantly fighters face other fighters so your ships are not attacked.
    Phoenix...

    "I'm not saying there should be capital punishment for stupidity,
    but maybe we should just remove all the safety lables and let nature take it's course"

    "A Place For Everything & Nothing In It's Place"

  3. #3
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    The Peregrine is actually a courier, not a fighter. The Maquis managed to modify at least one Peregrine to serve as a combat vessel, but its effectiveness would probably not match a purpose-built fighter craft.

    OTOH, the fighters seen on DS9 looked very similar to the Maquis raiders seen in the second-to-last TNG episode with Ro Laren, and the Maquis raiders under former Starfleet Cmdr Cal Hudson in the DS9 two-part episode, The Maquis.
    + &lt;&lt;&lt;&lt;<

    Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teacheth my hands to war, and my fingers to fight. Psalm 144:1

  4. #4
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    Per Rick Sternbach, the Starfleet "fighters" are indeed Peregrine class ships - ex-couriers armed with Type VIII Phasers. The Maquis Raider is not, I repeat not a Peregrine. As reported in Star Trek, the Magazine, the "official" name for the Raider is the Ju'day Class, established in background details from the VGR episode Repression.

    Based on one clear publicity image released by Paramount which shows the crew visible through the window, as well as interior shots which used the Type 15 set piece as a cockpit, the size of the Peregrine Class Light Attack Craft (as I call it in my game) is 12.5m (41') in length, same as the X-Wing from Star Wars.

  5. #5
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    Cool

    Some of you may remember that I GM'd a big battle between a D'Deridex and an Akira with fighters about a year ago using Space Dock.

    The Peregrines were extremely useful for wearing down the Romulan's shields and generally harassing that ship until the Akira class could get in some good quantum torpedo shots. At the end of the battle the D'Deridex was destroyed, but the Akira had taken severe damage from plasma torpedo fire. About 25% of the fighters were lost.

    Pretty much every time the Romulan would fire the Federation would lose one or more fighters, but the massed attacks on the Romulan's flanks wore its shields down quickly.

    In general, think of your fighters as the opportunity to fire lots of torpedoes at once from many directions. In ICON Space Dock, the fighters are hard to hit, but it usually only takes one hit to kill a fighter.

    I'm looking forward to seeing the 'real' Akira stats in the Starships book (coming real soon, honest!). The stats in the SOM are okay, but obviously not complete.
    "The best diplomat I know is a fully activated phaser bank" -Montgomery Scott

  6. #6
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    Thank you very much everybody for your input. I assume I'm quite free to do whatever I want, in fact, since not a lot has been shown on screen

    I think I will make different fighter classes, but restrict their use to particular battles.

    I would like to ask for your input on another matter: How does a fighter launch if the carrier has its shields raised? Is it possible? Must the carrier lower shields to launch fighters?

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  7. #7
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    I believ so but in say
    sfb it isnt as bad as that you have six shield facings and can lower only one to launch if need be

  8. #8
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    Talking And always remember CIWS

    I have used fighter quite alot in my games, which have had their share of major conflicts among the stars. A fighter launching through shields can be handled in many ways depending on how you want to handle it.

    1. Launch them as you would any weapon, just state that they are slowed by breaching the shelds. After all, torpedoes launch through shields easily enough, and phasers do as well.

    2. Have the fighters shields attuned to the shields so that they can pass through with no difficulty.

    3. State that the fighters have an IFF signal that serves to open a shield window that allows passage. But if you do that then an enemy should probably be allowed a called shot to get through as well.

    Just a couple of thoughts.
    Like anyone is actually reading this.

  9. #9
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    Thanks all!

    In my universe I always assumed the phaser fire rotated according to the shield frequency, and the torps were launched according to it too (since their speed is constant at the time of launch), but that cannot be assumed for fighters.

    I'll go with the "open window" tactic. That leaves the carrier potentially vulnerable when a fighter is launched - I like the idea, and that lessens the impact of fighters, which seems to be pretty formidable (I have yet to work out home rules on that aspect).

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  10. #10
    I would totally agree with Owen on the "size" of Starfleet Fighters based on the cockpit size. But the masses insist that they are anywhere from 30+ meters all the way up to 64 meters 1/10 the length of a Galaxy-class. This was said to be for scalling purposes for FX shots on DS9. But since its very unlikely that 30- 50 sixty four meter ships would fit into an Akira-class hanger bay, I rather tend to agree with Owen on this. But consider ALL the posibilities I also concluded that maybe Everybody was right. That is perhaps there are three or four different sized vessels, ranging from a 12.5 meter Light Attack Craft, to a 64.2 meter Heavy Strike fighter. Starfleet might have barrowed the idea from the Klingon Bird of Prey, since they also have similiar design qualities (being thay look the same but are of different sizes).
    "Target all your firepower on the nearest Federation starship!" Yoda, Episode II

  11. #11
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    Borrowed the idea??Kirk STOLE a BoP

  12. #12
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    But the masses insist that they are anywhere from 30+ meters all the way up to 64 meters 1/10 the length of a Galaxy-class.
    Too bad the NG doesn't allow this: IIRC, fighters can only be size 1 or 2. That would mean "heavy fighters" are already into the "light cruiser" class, a bit like the Talon...

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  13. #13
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    My fighters

    I got tired of dealing with the canon stuff and built my own. I have a size 1, Interceptor armed only with a single pulse phaser. And I have a size 2 heavy attack fighter built along the lines of the B5 Thunderbolt. Interceptor has light shields a single pulse phaser and a one man crew. The Heavy has a pulse phaser and micro-torpedo launcher, with slightly heavier shielding.

    And good choice, I tend to use the shield window thing as well.
    Like anyone is actually reading this.

  14. #14
    I would agree with that as 64.2 meters is a bit big for a fighter. I personally think that the fighters should be kept around the 12.5 meter mark as this fits the cockpit seen on DS9. Maybe heavy fighter should be upgraded to Attack Ship, Sort of like a Firespray or Skipray Blastboat from Star Wars. Or a Jem'Hadar "Attack ship". Cardassian Hideki-class "fighters" are 85.78 meters long! That is also well above the maximum size listed for fighters in the NG.
    "Target all your firepower on the nearest Federation starship!" Yoda, Episode II

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