WCRPG Combat Demo

Okay, so what happened back at Concordia is a separate combat action. There are six combatants, the three Jalkehi (Blackeye 1-3), Concordia, Maverick and Shadow. The order of battle winds up as Blackeye3, Blackeye1, Blackeye2, Concordia, Maverick and Shadow.

Blackeye3 is first. Since Jalkehis aren't torpedo-equipped (go check the stats - I swear up and down that the Grikaths simply hadn't gotten there yet), he and his colleagues will all gang up on Maverick. The range roll comes out a comfortable 1, so Blackeye3 just rips lose with full guns against Maverick's EHD...of natural 00. The rolls come up as 32, 91, 62, 21 and 49; the 91 is a critical miss against Blackeye1. The HD Check comes up as 66, so only normal damage from a laser - 18 points - occurs. Blackeye1 is reduced to 132 SHP. Blackeye3 stands-by on his second action.

Blackeye1 rolls 12 for range against Maverick, so he afterburns to range 6 and begins establishing ImRec lock. He's still not in gun range, so he readies an Immelman.

Blackeye2 targets Maverick and gets range 11, so he afterburns to range 5, in range of his Lasers. Blackeye2 cuts lose with the lasers on EHD 00 - results are 08, 51, 58 and 40, all misses.

Concordia now gets its turn, targeting Blackeye3. The range roll comes up as 1; Concordia moves for good measure to Range Zero and cuts lose with its seven AMGs on an EHD of 30. The results are 41, 19, 00, 74, 09, 11 and 77; that's three hits plus one critical hit for double damage, 1500 damage total - enough to give Blackeye3 138% Core Damage and destroy him outright. Vaporkitty.......

Maverick's up next. He targets Blackeye1 and rolls for range, which comes up as 6. He simply moves into gun range (3) and fires off his guns. Blackeye1 attempts his Immelman - a result of 62 on a DC of 25, so that fails and Maverick can use an EHD of 69. The attack results are 95 and 39, one hit and one critical miss against Shadow. Maverick checks the EHD of 32 against Shadow and rolls an 89, so only normal damage occurs; both Shadow and Blackeye1 take 45 points of damage. This knocks Blackeye1's SHP down to 87 and Shadow's SHP down to 15.

Shadow makes her move last, targeting Blackeye1. Her range roll comes up as 3, so she moved into gun range (3) and fires off her guns; the EHD is 58. The results are 87 and 00; the double zero is a critical hit, good enough for five hits at double damage. Blackeye1 takes 450 points of damage, enough to give him 24% Core Damage. His ITS comes up as 94 and the Cat is scratched.

End of the round: Blackeye2 gets his lasers back for the next round, Maverick and Shadow gets one Mass Driver back, and Concordia recharges all seven of its AMGs. Shadow regains no SHP; she has a Defenses Score of zero.

So on to Round Two:

----

Blackeye2, the last Cat standing, is up first. He rolls 2d10 for range against Maverick and gets a 10, so he afterburns to close the range to 4, close enough for full guns. He has an EHD of natural 00 against Maverick, but what the hell, right? Results are 88, 13, 77, 63 and 40, a clean miss all around.

Concordia's up next; she targets Blackeye2, the last Cat standing, and rolls a range of 6. She closes to range 5 and fires off her Antimatter Guns at an EHD of 25. The results come up as 05, 42, 98, 63, 99, 64 and 53...one hit and two critical misses. Concordia checks EHD on Maverick and the result is normal damage, for all the more good it does - 300 points of damage are applied to Blackeye2, while 600 are applied to Maverick. That's enough for 18% Core damage to Blackeye2; the ITS check comes up as 03, so he explodes in a big fiery ball that's visible from space......which is probably what you'd expect, given that he was in space at the time. The 600 points give Maverick 40% Core Damage, enough even with the mighty Heart of the Tiger's non-zero Internal Systems score to knock the DC down to natural 00...and comes up 19. Time for Taps, or at least it would be if that was anybody besides the Coward of K'Tithrak Mang...

With no-one left to shoot at, Shadow lands on Concordia's deck. She probably still doesn't survive long enough to retire...

...and that's it. The first WCRPG Combat Demo is in the bag. Comments? Complaints? Wild, profanity-laced rants?
 
Just a curious note.

On what basis were those actions by Killroy and Primetime (the ones refered to as obvious mistakes) based on. If the priority target is the Fralthra, why all the targeting failures?

Also, I like the tweaks you mentioned. Ejection reflex save and a fatigue check as opposed to the previous methods sound more kin to the series and the ruggedness of spacecraft in this era. Critical misses sounds like the norm already unless it needs a rezoning of #s, though 90 - 99 still seems ok to me.

A reflex save for ejecting sounds like a more fair character survivability mechanic. It could very well be interpreted that the need to eject produces an, "Oh $hit!" moment in a pilot's consciousness. Does he/she react in time? Reflex would definitely influence this action. Perhaps a damage threashold for a massive damage attack that generates such catastrophic damage that there is no time to eject. Instant kills (read as: overkill) do happen...let's say...in case a Ferret got between a kitty capship and a PTC blast. More "normal" damage level kills might allow a pilot a free reflex action to chance an ejection, assuming the ejection system isn't already damaged/destroyed.
 
On what basis were those actions by Killroy and Primetime (the ones refered to as obvious mistakes) based on. If the priority target is the Fralthra, why all the targeting failures?

It's the notion that if you were flying a ship in WC2 and were attempting a torpedo lock, and if you changed targets while you were doing that, you lost the lock automatically. I suppose I could work in some kind of "reflexive shot" mechanic, something that lets you shoot at a craft that isn't your current target. Not sure I like that idea...

As for why I have them performing those actions......ehhhhhh, chalk it up to not having read the combat rules for a while. Otherwise they probably would've jinked from the get-go.

Targeting failures...well, we've got two different mechanics going on here. The first is the targeting of the Fralthra in whole as a target; that occurs automatically. The torpedo lock-on procedure also occurs automatically. What was going on is that these guys were trying to refine their shots to cause damage to a specific sub-system (in this case Guns), which requires a Targeting Skill Check. if they'd gotten off their shots and those shots had hit, they would've caused damage - but with Guns targeted, it would've caused systems damage specifically to the Fralthra's guns first. Targeting a combatant is a free action, targeting a sub-system requires a Check.

Also, I like the tweaks you mentioned. Ejection reflex save and a fatigue check as opposed to the previous methods sound more kin to the series and the ruggedness of spacecraft in this era. Critical misses sounds like the norm already unless it needs a rezoning of #s, though 90 - 99 still seems ok to me.

A reflex save for ejecting sounds like a more fair character survivability mechanic. It could very well be interpreted that the need to eject produces an, "Oh $hit!" moment in a pilot's consciousness. Does he/she react in time? Reflex would definitely influence this action. Perhaps a damage threashold for a massive damage attack that generates such catastrophic damage that there is no time to eject. Instant kills (read as: overkill) do happen...let's say...in case a Ferret got between a kitty capship and a PTC blast. More "normal" damage level kills might allow a pilot a free reflex action to chance an ejection, assuming the ejection system isn't already damaged/destroyed.

Critical miss threshholds are based on Skill scores; every ten points in a Skill raises the threshold by one point. The thresholds are okay; I'm just not entirely sure I like the effects. It may turn out okay with the other tweaks, though.

How about if the damage inflicted raises the Core Damage level to 100% or more; that could be the "massive damage" situation that prevents reflexive ejection. If the structural fatigue Check indicates the ship's breakup, a Reflex Save can be made to eject; damage to the Ejection system reduces the save DC. Succeed and you ride the crazy chair; fail and you're vapor. - I get the impression that's what you suggested; I like it, I'll make the necessary tweaks.
 
It's the notion that if you were flying a ship in WC2 and were attempting a torpedo lock, and if you changed targets while you were doing that, you lost the lock automatically. I suppose I could work in some kind of "reflexive shot" mechanic, something that lets you shoot at a craft that isn't your current target. Not sure I like that idea...

In the D&D games we called it a, "attack-of-oppourtunity." Or something similar, that was 16 years ago. The idea that if you were attacking something that had an attacking face pointed in defense that there was a mutual exchange of attack and defense. In this example, a Sartha attacking a turreted Broadsword upon one of the turret's fire arcs. The Broadsword's gunners can fire at the attacking craft just as easily as the Sartha can fire upon them. Hmm...maybe a seperate initiative check for the gun crew aboard a bomber. If I recall the turret powerplant aboard the Sabre and Broadsword is independent of the forward weapon capacitor. Of course the gunner can only fire at one target per turn, having expent energy to fire. Just a thought or two.

Targeting failures...well, we've got two different mechanics going on here. The first is the targeting of the Fralthra in whole as a target; that occurs automatically. The torpedo lock-on procedure also occurs automatically. What was going on is that these guys were trying to refine their shots to cause damage to a specific sub-system (in this case Guns), which requires a Targeting Skill Check. if they'd gotten off their shots and those shots had hit, they would've caused damage - but with Guns targeted, it would've caused systems damage specifically to the Fralthra's guns first. Targeting a combatant is a free action, targeting a sub-system requires a Check.

Thank you for the clarification.

How about if the damage inflicted raises the Core Damage level to 100% or more; that could be the "massive damage" situation that prevents reflexive ejection. If the structural fatigue Check indicates the ship's breakup, a Reflex Save can be made to eject; damage to the Ejection system reduces the save DC. Succeed and you ride the crazy chair; fail and you're vapor. - I get the impression that's what you suggested; I like it, I'll make the necessary tweaks.

Nailed it exactly! Greater then 100% core damage suffered implied a hit so bad there was likely an instant reactor detonation. I.E. Pilot is matter splatter unless he was prepared before the hit, sort of like bracing for impact. If he knows he's going to die and preps an ejection "action" prior to the massive hit he gets his Check. How that'll apply directly is in your mechanics already I believe.

Otherwise this is coming along nicely. I want to look at a few details myself and re-run this scenario a few times. See how good...or bad a mission can fly.

Keep up the great work Capi!
 
Running it again today. We'll see how it goes.

EDIT: Things are going a little better this time around; we've got a Cat who's really hanging in there (despite the loss of blood...). Lost one of the Broadswords but the pilot was able to eject. The other one failed their Ballistics Check, otherwise there'd be a torp out there...
 
<sigh />. Done; decided not to do the Jalkehi encounter back at Concordia. Outcome wound up mostly the same, though it occurs to me that it didn't have to; I could've fired off Primetime's torpedoes in a salvo like you'd see in WC3. Tweaks helped; made the whole thing a lot more interesting anyway.

I'll get this one up when I can.
 
Here, let's confuse everybody and put up my coded notes...

======NAV 2======
Initiative Check Complete
OOB: Blackeye3 (BE3), Kilroy (KLR), Maverick (MAV), Blackeye4 (BE4), Fralthra (FRL), Primetime (PRT), Blackeye1 (BE1), Shadow (SHD), Ape-Ripper (A-R), Blackeye2 (BE2)

-RD 1-
BE3: tKLR, r10 - ab to r3 - be3 NEU KLR: mkm 10, ehd 43 /74/89/ miss.
KLR: tFRL, r15 - begin torp lock. begin jinking. ready guns.
MAV: tBE4, r09 - ab to r0 - mav MAS be4: mkm 34, ehd 43 /47/08/ 5hit =225 DMG. 23% Core Damage, DC77/12/intact, flaw=54/engine overheat/14 sys dmg= 100%Radar, 100%Comms, 25% Shield, 25% Gun, 25%Ordnance, 25%Engine 25% LSS be4 55/75 hp. - dmc78, no joy.
BE4: tPRT, r09 -lss check DC 95/96/LSS malf. be4 ab - engine Check DC 95/70/ - to r02. Be4 NEU PRT - DC 95/18/ok, mkm 10 ehd 33 /33/92/ 1 hit, 1 CRIT MISS on FRL (no dmg) - PRT 150 SHP
FRL: tPRT, r16 - standsby.
PRT: tFRL, r16 - begin torp lock. begin jinking. ready guns.
BE1: tSHD, r10 - ab to r3. be1 NEU SHD: mkm 10, ehd 10 /31/22/miss.
SHD: tA-R, r12 - ab to r3. SHD MAS A-R: MKM 28, EHD 07 /59/98/CRIT miss KLR - 44/20/2xDMG = 90. KLR 90 SHP.
A-R: tKLR, r13 - ab to r6. A-R DF KLR: BAL 22, EHD 28 /05/1HIT. KLR 0 SHP 100 AHP.
BE2: tKLR, r07 - ab to r0. BE2 NEU KLR - KLR OT MAS BE2 mkm 37 ehd 24 /83/70/99/CRIT miss MAV 02 /23/1xdmg = MAV 15 SHP. BE2 mkm 10 ehd 36 /97/56/CRIT miss BE3 24/02/2 hit=60DMG - BE3 25 AHP.
BE1-4 +2 NEU, MAV/SHD/KLR +1 MAS, MAV/KLR +15 SHP, PRT/Be3 +5 SHP, Be4 dc95/14/ = +5 SHP

-RD 2-
BE3: tKLR, r02 - move to r0. be3 NEU KLR: mkm 10, EHD 36 /84/35/ miss
KLR: tFRL, r08 - move to r10. continue torp lock. begin jinking. ready guns.
MAV: tBE4, r03 - hail SHD ord Attack BE3, SHD/WSV 27/95 okay . MAV MAS BE4: mkm 34 ehd40 /26/ 2hit=90 be4 - 37% Core, STI63 /45/ intact. flaw=63, blown stabilizer. 8 sys dmg dmc67/nojoy - 25% shield, 25% gun, 25% Ordnance, eject +2=+30 Core DMG, Comms+1=10% Core DMG, 47/75 hp
BE4: tPRT, r01 - move to r0 DC95/02 -5EngineDMG. be4 NEU PRT - PRT OT MAS BE4 - mkm 28 EHD 10 /87/31/28/miss - dmc70/70/ok mkm 10 ehd 25 /97/14/ CRIT miss (FRL no DMG) + 1 hit, PRT = 125 SHP. BE4 STI23 /07/ intact
FRL: tPRT, r15 - begins jinking.
PRT: tFRL, r15 - continues lock. begins jinking. ready guns.
BE1: tSHD, r05 - move to r03. Be1 NEU SHD: mkm10, ehd10 /11/28/miss.
SHD: tBE3, r05 - move to r02. SHD MAS BE3: mkm28 ehd30 /06/ 4hit - Be3 25% Core - STI75 /78/ BE3 DESTROYED.
A-R: tKLR, r11 - TRL13 SHD/25/fail. ready hard brake.
BE2: tKLR, r05 - move to r03. be2 NEU KLR - KLR OT mkm37 ehd21 /69/miss - mkm10 ehd33 /15/73/ 1hit=30, KLR 85AHP
BE1-2,4 +2NEU, MAV/SHD/KLR/PRT +1 MAS, MAV/KLR +15 SHP PRT +5 SHP, BE4 DC70/18/=+5 SHP

-RD3-
KLR: tFRL, r04 - torp locked. move to R2. KLR TORP FRL: bal37 ehd74 /87/nolaunch.
MAV: tBE4, r02 - hail SHD ord Attack BE2, SHD/WSV27/64/okay. MAV MAS BE4: mkm34 ehd41 /93/ CRIT miss - PRT ehd69/66/ 2hit-90 PRT=40SHP.
BE4: tPRT, r02 - move to r02/DMC99/69/ok. BE4 NEU PRT /DMC70/87/MALF.
FRL: tPRT, r07 - move to r06. FRL AMG PRT mkm35 ehd32 /58/18/65/29/ 2hit=600 PRT. PRT 32% Core STI68/70/ PRT DESTROYED - RSV37 /22/ ejects okay. HP = 59/32.
BE1: tSHD, r03 - move to r01. BE1 NEU SHD mkm10 ehd11 /78/41/miss
SHD: tBE2, r10 - ab to r01. SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd31 /75/miss
A-R: tKLR, r14 - TRL13 SHD/71/fail. ready hard brake.
BE2: tKLR, r05 - move to r03. BE2 NEU KLR mkm10 ehd46 /47/02/2hit=60, KLR40 AHP.
BE1-BE2 +2NEU, MAV/SHD/KLR +1MAS, FRL +4AMG, MAV/KLR +15SHP, BE4 DC70/94/shield MALF.

-RD4-
KLR: tFRL, r1/02 - torp locked. move to r0. KLR TORP FRL: bal37 ehd76 /32/torp away - INIT /15/ +11 = 26.
TRP: tFRL, r=/00. TORP DETONATES. FRL 4500AHP.
MAV: tBE4, r1/05 - move to r02. MAV MAS BE4: mkm34 ehd41 /41/ 1hit=45, 83%Core/DC17 STL /43/ BE4 DESTROYED.
FRL: tKLR, rR/02 - move to r01. FRL AMG KLR: mkm35 ehd33 /95/27/83/10/ 2hit=600 + 1 CRITmiss BE1 ehd12 /49/=300dmg. KLR 41%Core/59STL /23/okay. flaw/79/=fire control malf -10MKM/BAL. 54 instances of system damage - enough / KLR DESTROYED, KILLED due to sys damage. CONFED MISSION FAIL. BE1 35%Core/65STL /82/ BE1 DESTROYED.
SHD: tBE2, r1/04 - move to r01. SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd31 /41/ miss.
A-R: tMAV, r2/15 - TRL13 MAV/62/fail. ready hard brake.
BE2: tMAV, r2/17 - TRL05 MAV/06/fail. ready immelman.
MAV/SHD +1MAS, FRL +4AMG

-RD5-
MAV: tA-R, r2/09 - move to r12. readies immelman.
FRL: tSHD, r2/09 - move to r08. FRL AMG SHD mkm35 ehd00 /11/47/83/84/miss.
SHD: tBE2, r1/06 - move to r03. SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd29 /21/ 2hit=90 BE2=0AHP
A-R: tMAV, rR/12 - TRL13 MAV/89/fail. ready hard brake.
BE2: tMAV, r2/12 - ab to r05. BE2 DF MAV - MAV evm59/79/fail - bal 05 ehd00 /14/miss.
MAV/SHD +1MAS, FRL +4 AMG, Be2 +5SHP

-RD6-
MAV: tA-R, r1/05 - move to r02. MAV MAS A-R -A-R evm57 /23/succeed - mkm34 ehd00 /28/33/miss.
FRL: tSHD, r1/04 - move to r03. FRL AMG SHD mkm35 ehd00 /01/53/69/95/ CRITmiss A-R ehd00 /69/ 1hit=300 35%core=65STL /28/ok. flaw=/88/weps shortout - +37%Core 21sys dmc25/81/nojoy = 100%Guns, 25%Ordnance, 75%Radar, 50%Comms, 50%Engines, Eject +2=30%Core ==> A-R DESTROYED.
SHD: tBE2, r1/06 - move to 03. SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd 29 /05/ 5hits=225DMG. BE2 36%Core/SIC64 /14/okay. flaw=/97/dealer's choice. cockpit smashed RSV36 to avoid insta-death /05/lucky bastard. 22 sysdmg = 50% Shield, 25% Guns, 50% Ordnance, 50% Radar, Comms +1=10%Core, 100%Engine, Eject+2=30%Core, hp 31.
BE2: tMAV, r2/11 - standsby.
MAV/SHD +1MAS, FRL +4 AMG Be2 dmc70/90/MALF.

-RD7-
MAV: tBE2, r2/10 - ab to r01, mav MAS BE2 mkm34 ehd42 /61/miss.
FRL: tSHD, r1/06 - move to r05, FRL AMG SHD mkm35 ehd00 /58/57/47/61/miss.
SHD: tBE2, r1/03 - move to r0, SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd 32 /07/ 5hits=225 DMG. 112%Core=BE2 DESTROYED.
MAV/SHD WITHDRAW.
 
You know what might make this a little more balanced? Take out the Fralthra...

BTW, I am willing to explain what's going on with my notes...one of the biggest inconsistencies is what I called the structural integrity check. You'd think I'd've called it SIC, but it's usually STI and even STL in one instance. Die rolls are between slashes; it's kinda hard to tell where they are on occasion.

Questions on specific incidents I'll explain. Not going to go through everything...
 
Took some effort but I actually understand those notes. Now I need to restudy the combat actions and try out another engagement. I think my most difficult task will be calculating EVM and CVM tables. That chart was abit intimidating but I'm assuming these are in the rules pages that I haven't gotten to yet.

Pity the torps do so little damage. By the numbers it'll take 4 hits to kill one. In the games it took 2 hits so I wasn't sure about the damage figures. Blair and Shadow definitely did well against the Sartha but it looks like the high initiative roll may have contributed to KIL and PRT's deaths as well as the AMGs. Is it possible to salvo torpedo launches like in WC3 & 4? If the broadswords could launch two torps per launch that would kill a Fralthra in a single attack run, assuming impact.
 
Took some effort but I actually understand those notes.

Oh, good.

Now I need to restudy the combat actions and try out another engagement. I think my most difficult task will be calculating EVM and CVM tables. That chart was abit intimidating but I'm assuming these are in the rules pages that I haven't gotten to yet.

All of that stuff's in Chapter 9.3 (specifically the part about CVM-vs-EVM to set up EHD); keep in mind that's a chapter I haven't proofread yet and (as has been demonstrated - twice, now - I need to make a few tweaks). The notion, though, is that a character's stats won't change while they're on a mission and as GM you know what the mission entails, so you can set that all up in session pre-planning (like I did).

Quick note if you're planning on running a scenario yourself - regarding critical thresholds, they're another thing determined by Skill score. They start off at 00 for critical hits and 90-99 for critical misses; it's an increase by 1 increment for every ten points in the Skill score for each end of the scale. So for example, Maverick has a Marksmanship score of 34 (20 in the Skill proper plus 12 from the Tactical Discipline); that raises the thresholds by three points - he gets critical hits on 00-03 and critical misses on 93-99. Another example, Blackeye has Marksmanship of 10 (5 from the Skill, 5 from the Discipline), so his thresholds are 00-01 for critical hits and 91-99 for critical misses. Not sure if that's been entirely clear up to this point or not.

Pity the torps do so little damage. By the numbers it'll take 4 hits to kill one. In the games it took 2 hits so I wasn't sure about the damage figures.

You can look it up in WCPedia - a Mark IV Torpedo does 200 cm worth of damage and a Fralthra has armor of 700 fore/600 aft (650 average). The numbers are right as listed; so it should've taken four torpedo hits to kill one in WC2.

Makes me wonder which set of figures is off...

Are they supposed to be Lances instead? If that were the case, you'd have to wonder why Confed torpedo strength went down as the war went on...

Is it possible to salvo torpedo launches like in WC3 & 4? If the broadswords could launch two torps per launch that would kill a Fralthra in a single attack run, assuming impact.

Not at the moment; another tweak that needs to be made - I had that same thought; if Primetime could've launched all four torps at once...
 
I saw a potential problem last night...I'm going to mix up the scenario just a little bit and run it again.

EDIT: I've pretty much confirmed the problem I was talking about without having to re-run the scenario again. Here's what it is: Once you get past the WC2-era ships, the weapons aren't doing enough damage.

Here's how I know this: if you go with the current set of rules, a Lead Sled's guns will do 528 points of damage, assuming six attack rolls successful enough to cause each gun to fire at its maximum refire rate; these are optimal conditions - a perfect attack run. A Darket has 1300 HP of damage potential; you'd have to have three such attacks in a row before you'd start inflicting Core Damage. Now, a round of play corresponds to six seconds of real time - so what that says is that if you hammer on a Darket with a Thunderbolt, it'll be eighteen seconds at least before it pops. That does not jive with WC3 at all.

Corrective action: I'm thinking maybe I can pull something with the ITTS. A lot of the vehicle accessories need tweaks to actually make them somewhat useful. Right now the ITTS just reduces the range penalty to HD.

Of course, both the Fralthra and the Broadswords have ITTS installed, which means re-running the scenario once I've put any tweaks into effect...
 
Alright. I've got a couple of tweaks I want to test out, so I'm going to run this again today and see what happens.
 
Oof. A successful test of the engine, no doubt, but damn were the results bloody...

Tweaks - I was playing with two new tweaks. The first involved a change to the ITTS module; when I designed the game, I set the refire rates at about 1/4 where they should be, the notion being that the rest of those shots were going to miss in any event. True or no, it did let me set a rule where an ITTS-equipped craft could roll 1d5 after hitting a target and multiplying the number of hits by the result. This has the effect of emulating a higher hit rate (something ITTS does) and increases a weapon's damage potential (helping to solve the problem I had with later craft; practically all of them are equipped with ITTS and in effect their damage potential goes up significantly).

The second was a change to the effect of critical misses. A critical miss with ordnance would jam the hardpoint, rendering the weapon unusable. A critical miss with a gun would do the same thing, but also apply 1/2 damage (rounded up) to the armor of the craft that attempted to fire it. The end result was no friendly kills (a bit more realistic, in my mind). I might need to come up with a new mechanic to emulate the possibility of friendly fire incidents; I figured I'd get y'all's opinion on how the third runthrough went before I did anything else there, though.

Salvo rules are in place. I'm thinking I need to ditch the rule that says that heavy ordnance must be fired within optimal range; end result of that was, again, there being no time for the Fralthra to mount a defense against the torps but still being able to shoot down the bomber right away. I may also need to impose a limit on who can be targeted by Antimatter Guns, or at least limit their firing rate against fighters.

Anyway, here are the coded notes. Things did not go well for the Confeds.

======NAV 2======
OOB: KLR PRT BE2 MAV BE1 BE3 A-R SHD BE4 FRL

-RD1-
KLR: tFRL/r2-14 begin Torp lock, begin jinking, ready guns
PRT: tFRL/r2-09 begin Torp lock, begin jinking, ready guns
BE2: tMAV/r2-02 move r0, BE2 NEU MAV mkm 10 ehd 02 /88/21/ miss
MAV: tBE1/r2-12 ab to r3, MAV MAS BE1 mkm 34 ehd 40 /73/31/ 1hit=45 dmg. BE1 5 SHP
BE1: tSHD/r2-13 ready immelman, standby
BE3: tSHD/r2-12 ready immelman, standby
A-R: tSHD/r2-03 move to r1, A-R NEU SHD mkm 32 ehd 24 /29/45/ miss
SHD: tBE4/r2-10 ab to r1, SHD MAS BE4 mkm 28 ehd 31 /60/05/ 5 hit=225 dmg. 23%Core/SI-DC=77 /94/ BE4 KILLED.
FRL: tKLR/rR-14 standby.
BE2/A-R +2GUN, MAV/SHD +1 GUN, BE1 +8 SHP

-RD2-
KLR: tFRL/r2-12 continue torp lock, begin jinking, ready guns
PRT: tFRL/r1-02 move to r4, begin jinking.
BE2: tMAV/r5-02 move to r0. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd 02 /93/06/ CRITMISS=15dmg. BE2 SHP=50/AHP=20/-1 Gun.
MAV: tBE1/r2-11 ab to r2. MAV MAS BE1 -evm25 /98/fail - mkm34 ehd 41 /59/ miss.
BE1: tSHD/r2-04 move to r2. BE1 NEU SHD mkm10 ehd 11 /37/06/ 1hit=30dmg. SHD 30 SHP.
BE3: tSHD/r2-08 ab to r1. BE3 NEU SHD mkm10 ehd 12 /01/44/ 2crithit=120dmg. 5%Core/SI-DC=95/01/OK. FLAW=68/BLOWN STABILIZER, -1INIT. 25%LSS, 84HP = SHADOW

KILLED
A-R: tKLR/r2-04 move to r2. A-R NEU KLR - KLR MAS A-R mkm37 ehd02 /52/54/90/ miss - mkm32 ehd46 /47/59/miss
FRL: tPRT/rR-04 move to r3, FRL AMG PRT mkm 35 ehd 45 /42/23/07/18/ 4hit*ITTS/3/=12hit=3600 dmg. 252%Core - PRIMETIME KILLED.
MAV/BE2/KLR +1GUN, FRL +4GUN, BE1 +8SHP

-RD3-
KLR: tFRL/r2-14 torps locked. begin jinking, standby.
BE2: tMAV/r1-05 move to r3. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd00 /90/miss.
MAV: tBE1/r2-02 move to r0. MAV MAS BE1 mkm34 ehd43 /20/3hit=135 dmg. 13%Core/SI-DC=87/39/OK. FLAW=39/03/RADAR MALF (-25 TARGET HD). 7sys=/50% Ordnance/50%

Comms/25% Shields/Eject +1 (10%Core)/25% Engine.
BE1: tKLR/r2-08 ab to r1 dmc98/46/ok. BE1 NEU KLR mkm10 ehd35 /19/25/2hit=60 dmg. KLR 120 SHP. BE1: SI-DC77/89/ BE1 KILLED.
BE3: tKLR/r2-16 trl07 MAV /58/ nojoy. standby.
A-R: tKLR/r5-03 move to r1, A-R NEU KLR mkm37 ehd47 /33/20/4hit=120 dmg. KLR 0SHP/140 AHP.
FRL: tKLR/rR-12. begin jinking, standby.
BE2/MAV/KLR +1GUN, BE1/A-R +2 GUN, KLR +22 SHP, BE1 dmc98 /39/+8 SHP.

-RD4-
KLR: tFRL/r2-12 torps locked. begin jinking, ready guns.
BE2: tMAV/r1-09 ab to r2. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd00 /45/ miss.
MAV: tBE3/r2-05 move to r02. MAV MAS BE3 mkm34 ehd41 /26/2 hit=90 dmg. BE3SHP/AHP=0.
BE3: tKLR/r2-03 move to r01. BE3 NEU KLR -KLR MAS BE3 mkm37 ehd23 /98/41/ CRITMISS=23dmg. klr ahp=117/-1gun - mkm10 ehd35 /37/84/miss.
A-R: tKLR/r1-07 ab to r0. A-R NEU KLR mkm37 ehd48 /34/80/1 hit=30 dmg. klr=109 AHP.
FRL: tKLR/rR-12. begin jinking, standby.
MAV/KIL/BE2 +1 GUN, BE3 +2GUN, BE3 +8SHP, KLR +22 SHP.

-RD5-
KLR: tFRL/r2-12 torps locked. begin jinking, ready guns.
BE2: tMAV/r2-12 ab to r5. BE2 DF MAV bal05 ehd00 /14/miss.
MAV: tBE3/r5-04 move to r1. MAV MAS BE3 mkm34 ehd42 /72/miss.
BE3: tKLR/r5-05 move to r3. BE3 DF KLR -KLR MAS BE3 mkm37 ehd21 /87/miss - mkm10 ehd33 /69/65/miss.
A-R: tKLR/r1-04 move to r2. A-R NEU KLR mkm37 ehd46 /91/96/CRITMISS=15 DMG. A-R 20 AHP/-1GUN.
FRL: tKLR/rR-12 begin jinking, standby.
MAV/KLR/A-R +1GUN, BE3 +2GUN, BE3 +8 SHP, KLR +22 SHP.

-RD6-
KLR: tFRL/r2-09. torps locked. begin jinking, move to r11.
BE2: tMAV/r2-11. trl07 MAV /67/fail. ready immelman.
MAV: tBE3/r1-03. move to r0. MAV MAS BE3 mkm34 ehd43 /89/miss.
BE3: tKLR/r1-01. move to r0. BE3 NEU KLR mkm10 ehd36 /47/03/2hit=60. KLR 93AHP.
A-R: tKLR/r1-09. ab to r02. A-R DF KLR bal22 ehd46 /62/miss.
FRL: tKLR/rR-11. begin jinking. standby.
MAV/KLR +1GUN, BE3 +2GUN, BE3+8SHP, KLR +22 SHP

-RD7-
KLR: tFRL/r1-03. torps locked. move to r02. KLR TORP FRL bal37 ehd64 /12/67/17/19/(3) TORPS AWAY - init=26, 24, 21
TORP: tFRL/rR-02. move to r0. TORP DETONATES/FRL=4500 AHP
TORP: tFRL/rR-02. move to r0. TORP DETONATES/FRL=2500 AHP
BE2: tTORP/r2-13. standby.
TORP: tFRL/rR-02. move to r0. TORP DETONATES/FRL=500 AHP
MAV: tBE3/r1-10. begin jinking.
BE3: tKLR/r5-05. move to r3. BE3 NEU KLR mkm10 ehd43 /48/28/1hit=30 dmg. KLR 85 AHP.
A-R: tKLR/r2-09. ab to r2. A-R NEU KLR mkm37 ehd56 /19/4hit=120 dmg. 2%Core/SI-DC=98/24/OK. FLAW=26/CONSOLE SPARKS. sys=25% Ordnance/71HP - KILROY KILLED.

CONFED MISSION FAILURE.
FRL: tMAV/r2-12. standby.
MAV +1gun, be3 +2gun, be3 +8 SHP.

-RD8-
BE2: tMAV/r2-05. move to r3. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd00 /87/miss.
MAV: tBE3/r2-01. move to r0. MAV MAS BE3 mkm34 ehd43 /87/42/1hit=45 dmg. 2%Core/SI-DC98/40/ok. flaw/88/WEAPONS SHORT OUT+13%CORE+GUN/ORDNANCE MALF. 44HP,

FSV-DC=04 /59/unconscious...
A-R: tMAV/r2-01. move to r0. A-R NEU MAV mkm37 ehd14 /16/miss.
FRL: tMAV/r2-15. standby.
MAV/AR/BE2 +1GUN

-RD9-
BE2: tMAV/r5-05. move to r2. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd00 /92/CRITMISS=15 dmg. 5AHP/NO WEAPONS
MAV: tA-R/r5-02. move to r0. MAV MAS A-R mkm34 ehd21 /98/CRITMISS=23 DMG. 32AHP/-1GUN
A-R: tMAV/rR-00. A-R NEU MAV mkm37 ehd14 /03/4hit=120DMG. 4%Core/SI-DC96 /89/ok. flaw=42/ENGINE OVERHEAT. sys=25% Radar, 25%Engine
FRL: tMAV/r2-08. move to r7. FRL AMG MAV mkm35 ehd00 /64/84/43/06/miss.
MAV/A-R +1GUN, FRL +4GUN, MAV +20shp

-RD10-
BE2: tMAV/r1-02. ram MAV -MAV MAS BE2 mkm34 ehd53 /20/3hit=135dmg. 13%Core/SI-DC87/25/ok. flaw/98/cockpit smashed RSV36 to avoid insta-death /87/blown out.

BLACKEYE2 KILLED - vep00 hd21 /00/...sunuvabitch. 6d10=32,*10=320dmg. 54%Core/SI-DC=46/92/fail, eject RSVDC37 /18/ MAVERICK EJECTED.
CONFED FORCES DESTROYED.
 
Made one last set of tweaks to the rules involving Antimatter Guns and Flak Cannons; basically the impetus was to give a capship a real reason to employ their Flak Cannons. The tweaks involved a Size Class differential penalty to EHD when firing Antimatter Guns and an EHD bonus to Flak. Flak also has become a designated "rapid fire" weapon, which means that if it hits at least once a 2d10 roll is made to see how many more additional hits were scored (to the final maximum refire rate). I went ahead and added this changes to a number of fighter-scale weaponry as well (such as Stormfire Guns).

Anyway, I ran the demo again with these tweaks in place and the Confeds finally completed their mission, though technically the Fralthra killed itself (which it might not have done had it not already taken the fourth torpedo hit).

Here are the coded notes:

======NAV 2======
OOB: BE4 BE2 MAV SHD BE3 BE1 KLR A-R PRT FRL

-RD1-
BE4 tMAV/r2-00: trl7 MAV /54/ nojoy. BE4 NEU MAV MKM10 EHD02 /83/60/miss.
BE2 tMAV/r2-05: move to r3. BE2 NEU MAV MKM10 EHD00 /89/19/miss.
MAV tBE3/r2-13: hail SHD, attack BE1 - SHD WSV27 /99/ok. readies IMMELMAN
SHD tBE1/r2-07: ab to r0. SHD MAS BE1 mkm28 ehd32 /67/22/2 hit=90 dmg. BE1 0SHP/0AHP, 0%Core.
BE3 tKLR/r2-03: move to r1. BE3 DF KLR bal05 ehd 45 /67/miss.
BE1 tKLR/r2-04: move to r2. BE1 DF KLR bal05 ehd 44 /22/1hit=130dmg. KLR 50SHP
KLR tFRL/r2-08: begin torp lock. move to r10. begin jinking.
A-R tPRT/r2-05: move to r3. A-R NEU PRT mkm32 ehd69 /52/36/2hit=60 dmg. PRT 120 SHP.
PRT tFRL/r2-14: begin torp lock. begin jinking. ready guns.
FRL tKLR/rR-10: standby.
BE2/BE4/A-R +2gun, SHD +1 GUN, BE1 +8 SHP, PRT +9 SHP, KLR +22 SHP

-RD2-
BE4 tMAV/r5-02: move to r0. BE4 NEU MAV - MAV VEP59 /52/IMMELMAN - mkm10 ehd00 /52/19/miss.
BE2 tMAV/r5-04: move to r2. BE2 NEU MAV MKM10 EHD00 /80/85/miss.
MAV tBE3/r2-04: move to r1. MAV MAS BE3 mkm34 ehd42 /66/35/1hit=45. BE3 5 SHP.
SHD tBE1/r1-09: ab to r0. SHD MAS BE1 mkm28 ehd32 /14/3 hit=135. 21%Core/DC79 /57/ok. flaw=40/RADAR MALF (-25 HD). 12sys=25% Shield, 25% Gun, 75% Ordnance,

75% Radar (MALF), 25% Engine, 50% LSS, 24 HP to Non-Vital Body (51/75, 1W). fsv11 /47/Unconscious...
BE3 tKLR/r5-05: move to r3. BE3 NEU KLR mkm10 ehd33 /7/98/1hit=30 dmg+1CRITMISS. 15dmg be3=25 AHP/1GUN. KLR 42 SHP.
KLR tFRL/r1-03: continue torp lock. move to r5. begin jinking
A-R tPRT/r5-04: move to r2. A-R DF PRT -PRT MAS A-R mkm28 ehd00 /0/75/72/5CRITHIT=450. 60%Core/DC40 /75/A-R KILLED.
PRT tFRL/r2-13: continue torp lock. begin jinking. ready guns.
FRL tKLR/rR-05: move to r4. FRL FLAK KLR mkm35 ehd54 /75/72/80/72/32/28/23/94/6hit+1CRITMISS, rapidfire+6=12 hit=120 dmg. KLR 62 AHP.
BE2/BE4 +2GUN, MAV/SHD/PRT/BE3 +1GUN, frl +6FLAK, PRT +9 SHP, KLR +22 SHP, BE3 +8 SHP

-RD3-
BE4 tMAV/r1-03: move to r1. BE4 NEU MAV MKM10 EHD01 /27/03/miss.
BE2 tMAV/r1-03: move to r1. BE2 NEU MAV MKM10 EHD01 /41/12/miss.
MAV tBE3/r5-03: move to r0. MAV MAS BE3 MKM34 EHD43 /41/1hit=45. 2%Core/DC98 /15/ok. flaw=55/ENGINE OVERHEAT. 1sys=25%Shield
SHD tBE3/r2-06: move to r3. SHD mas BE3 mkm28 ehd29 /91/miss.
BE3 tKLR/r1-01: move to r0. BE3 NEU KLR mkm10 ehd36 /51/miss.
KLR tFRL/r1-07: torp LOCKED. move to r5. KLR TORP FRL bal37 ehd71 /93/92/83/88/1CRITMISS-JAMMED TORP, no launch.
PRT tFRL/r2-09: torp LOCKED. move to r7. PRT TORP FRL bal28 ehd62 /88/21/99/45/1CRITMISS-JAMMED TORP, 2 AWAY. INIT=25, 23.
TRP tFTL/rR-07: (25) move to r1, standby.
TRP tFTL/rR-07: (23) move to r1, standby.
FRL tTRP/rR-07: FRL AMG/2 TRP(25) mkm35 ehd06 /43/59/miss. FRL AMG/2 TRP(23) mkm35 ehd06 /0/86/1crihit=600 AHP. 500%Core=TORP DESTROYED. (EHD13/r0)
BE3/BE4 +2GUN, FRL +2FLAK, MAV/SHD/PRT +1GUN, PRT +9 SHP, KLR +22 SHP, BE3 DMC98 /57/ +8SHP

-RD4-
BE4 tTRP/r2-06: ab to r0. BE4 RAM TRP VEP41 ehd25 /52/failed.
TRP tFRL/r1-01: move to r0. TORP DETONATES. FRL AHP=4500
BE2 tMAV/r1-03: move to r1. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 EHD01 /81/06/miss.
MAV tBE3/r1-00: hail sHD, attack BE2. SHD WSV27 /15/negatory ace. MAV MAS BE3 mkm34 ehd43 /01/5CRITHIT=450dmg. 75%Core/DC25 /72/BE3 KILLED
SHD tBE4/r2-10: ab to r3. SHD MAS BE4 mkm28 ehd29 /06/5hit=225 dmg. 23%Core/DC77 /18/ok. flaw=35/3/RADAR MALF (-25 DC). 14sys=50% Shield, 25% Gun, 25% Radar

(Malf), 100% Comms, 50% Engine, Eject+2 (30%Core), hp 55/75 1w (-1DC), 25%LSS fsv15/39/Unconscious...
KLR tFRL/r1-02: move to r0. KLR TORP FRL bal37 ehd76 /79/52/29/2 AWAY. INIT=18, 23
TRP tFRL/rR-00: TORP DETONATES. FRL AHP=2500
TRP tFRL/rR-00: TORP DETONATES. FRL AHP=500
PRT tFRL/r1-01: move to r0 PRT TORP FRL bal28 ehd62 /00/CRITHIT, TORP AWAY. INIT=18
TRP tFRL/rR-00: TORP DETONATES. 65% Core/DC35 /15/ok. flaw=30/5% sHIELD PERMANENT. 30%Shield, 25%Gun, 75%Ordnance, 25%Radar, 25%Comms, 75%Engine, 50%LSS, 32

crew dead, Captain 23dmg, Doctor 22dmg.
FRL tKLR/rR-00: radar dmc99 /15/ok comms dmc99 /83/ok lss dmc85 /49/ok. FRL AMG KLR -dmc99 /88/ok- mkm35 ehd24 /45/06/99/51/1hit=300, 1CRITMISS. KLR

14%Core/DC86 /45/ok. flaw=06/NOTHING. 19sys=resultant 130 hpdmg /KLR KILLED. FRL 71%Core/DC29 /59/ FRL DESTROYED. CONFED MISSION SUCCESS.
MAV/SHD/PRT +1GUN, BE2 +2GUN, PRT +9 SHP.

-RD5-
BE2 tMAV/f1-04: move to r2. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd00 /77/93/CRITMISS, BE2 20 AHP/-1 GUN.
MAV tBE2/rR-02: move to r0. MAV MAS BE2 mkm34 ehd43 /36/1hit=45. be2 5SHP.
SHD tBE2/r2-04: move to r1. SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd32 /50/miss.
PRT tBE2/r2-09: move to r7. PRT IFF BE2 bal28 ehd12 /58/miss, targets BE2.
BE2/MAV/SHD +1GUN, PRT +9 SHP, BE2 +8 SHP

-RD6-
BE2 tMAV/r1-08: ab to r1. BE2 NEU MAV mkm10 ehd01 /46/miss.
MAV tBE2/rR-01: move to r0. MAV MAS BE2 mkm34 ehd43 /64/miss.
SHD tBE2/r5-01: move to r0. SHD MAS BE2 mkm28 ehd32 /17/3 hit=135. 17%Core/DC83 /45/ok. flaw=41/SENSOR MALF (-25 HD). 10 sys=resultant/BE2 KILLED.

======NAV 3======
OOB: BE2 PRT BE1 BE3 CRD SHD MAV

-RD 1-
BE2 tPRT/r2-09: ab to r3. BE2 FUL PRT mkm10 ehd53 /48/91/94/57/47/PARHIT+LASHIT+2CRITMISS=61 DMG. BE2 102AHP/-2 LAS. PRT 119 SHP.
PRT tBE1/r2-00: PRT MAS BE1 mkm28 ehd46 /20/6/91/7hit=315dmg. 4%Core/DC96 /34/ok. flaw=87/WEP CAPACITOR SHORT, NO WEPS, +/34/% CORE DAMAGE. 4sys=25% Gun
Eject+1(+10%Core), 25%LSS, 66/75 HP, 1W (-1DC). FSV24 /53/Unconscious...
BE3 tSHD/r2-00: trl07 SHD /79/fail. BE3 FUL SHD mkm10 ehd09 /22/08/25/16/03/2 lashit=36dmg. SHD 24 SHP.
CRD tBE2/r2-10: standsby.
SHD tBE2/r2-12: begin jinking. standsby.
MAV tBE2/r2-15: trl SHD, attack BE3. SHD wsv27 /29/ok. standsby.
PRT +1GUN, BE2 +3GUN, BE3 +5 GUN, SHD +4 SHP, PRT +9 SHP

-RD2-
BE2 tPRT/r1-04: move to r2. BE2 FUL PRT mkm10 ehd54 /06/56/83/PARHIT=43dmg. PRT 85 SHP.
PRT tBE3/r2-09: move to r7. PRT IFF BE3 bal28 ehd39 /06/hit=170 dmg. BE3 100 AHP.
BE3 tSHD/r5-02: move to r0. BE3 FUL SHD mkm10 ehd00 /56/83/99/92/37/2CRITMISS=18DMG. 82 AHP/-2LAS.
CRD tBE2/r1-01: CRD FLAK BE2 mkm25 ehd30 /83/32/21/37/ 1hit+rapidfire/12/=13hit=130dmg. BE2 20 SHP. CRD AMG BE2 mkm25 ehd14

/40/83/03/90/74/54/04/2hit=600DMG. 49%Core/DC51 /74/BE2 DESTROYED.
SHD tBE3/rR-00: SHD MAS BE3 mkm28 ehd58 /54/04/6hit=270 dmg. 18%Core/DC82 /14/ok. flaw=12/NOTHING. 14sys=resultant/BE3 KILLED. CONFED MISSION COMPLETE.
MAV tBE3/r2-10: standsby.

I'm thinking if I do the scenario again I should probably pick a different set of combat methods. Do something like Tac Ops, perhaps.
 
Actually, looking back at that, the fourth hit should've killed off the cruiser outright and Kilroy should've survived; the fourth torpedo hit was a critical hit and so it should've done double damage...
 
This morning I've started in on the first Orsini mission from the WC3 novel. It's looking like I need to make more tweaks; Hobbes has hammered on his target hard and the damn thing still hasn't popped. I think the problem is that though I scaled up the HP of craft from the later era, I never scaled up the weaponry to match. That could be a major required tweak; three weeks to my deadline, that's a hell of a thing to find out...
 
I noticed that. Trying to script out Orsini 2 with the transport escort and those Dralthi and Darket are hard nuts to crack. A quick work around might be to take the mathematical scale of established damage protocols from the WC2 era, factor the relative scale up of HP damage relative to the increase in HP that the ships now fall under, and take that same amount to multiply gun/missile damage. It should, in theory, average out. Formulas is more your ballewick so I'll standby for weaponry updates.
 
I suppose I wasn't the one who scaled up the HP; I was following the scale-up that happened over the course of the games.
Couldn't imagine trying to hammer on one of those Broadsword Behemoths with the way defenses are set up now...

A times ten damage factor should do the trick; how to apply it is another matter. My initial instinct is to add it to Weapons Stations, but that will affect every craft in the game...

Go ahead and try it again with a times 10 upscale to the damage and let me know how it works out. Anything else you've observed?
 
Is it possible to scale fighter weaponry the same way we scale, engines as an example, into classes. Possibly reflecting the evolution in energy technologies both Confed and the Empire. Might only need 3 to 4 different levels, or is that too much extra work?
 
I considered putting weapons into Classes early on in the conversion from SFRPG; I think I decided not to because there were so many different forms of the various weapons already. Adding a set of five classes would've added a LOT of text to the game.

There is a proviso in Chapter 7.2.2 that allows military capital ships to upscale their weaponry; I could extend this privilege to military vehicles commissioned after a certain date (say 2668 or so). It would still require me to go back through all the vehicles from WC3 onward, adjust their weapons stats, cost and SI. It would be time consuming but I do have overnights coming up so I might be able to get it all done before the deadline.

I am thinking times ten would be sufficient. We need to do two more scenarios: the climactic Maverick/Seether dogfight from WC4 and some kind of typical scenario from Arena. The hypothesis is that a times ten upscale will cover everything from WC3 onward but I want to be sure.
 
Back
Top