Aerospace fighters and point-defense?

[Black_Knyght]

I don't know the rules for Aerospace fighters very well, and although I've been told that small lasers/pulse laser (?) can act as a point-defense weapon I thought I'd ask about point-defense and aerospace fighters in general.

What weapons act as point defense on Inner Sphere fighters?

And, are there any other weapons that have special functions/characteristics in-game?

[Col Toda]

For Inner Sphere . AMS , Laser AMS , Small Pulse Lasers , and Machine Guns all can be point defense systems . AMS I think Only can act as point defense systems. The work by reducing the incoming missile volley's damage value by the point defense damage value . For instance someone in a dog fight gets behind your Slayer-16 B with a small pulse laser set on point defense . It gets hit by an LRM/10 that would have  done 6 points of damage to say the Aft armor which has 50 points of Armor and therefore a damage threshold of 5 so it would have been a possible critical result. Instead the volley's damage gets reduced by the damage value of the small pulse laser so the 6 point hit does 3 points instead which is below that 5  threshold number and does not generate a possible critical . I believe their is a fighter armed with 5 laser AMS that is used to escort drop ships that reduces any volley of missiles that passes through its space to hit the drop ship .

[glitterboy2098]

IIRC, AMS works better as point defense than the other options too.

[monbvol]

I assume we're talking rules found in Strat Ops here as Total Warfare is quite different when it comes to point defense, especially against capital missiles.

Flamers can be added to the list.

[Col Toda]

I admit my knowledge of the Aerospace rules is somewhat dated . I know the new rules treat ECM far differently . As for Capital missiles the rules might have also changed . The use of Capital weapons in general is so rare in the game I have played I never had the occasion to look it up .

[dragonkid11]

I assume we're talking rules found in Strat Ops here as Total Warfare is quite different when it comes to point defense, especially against capital missiles.

Flamers can be added to the list.

Wait hold on what.

How can flamer be used as point defense!?

[monbvol]

A concentrated plasma jet can do wonders to melt a missile into uselessness.

Page 96 of Strategic Operations specifically mentions them as an option if you need a reference.

[Hellraiser]

I'm a bit out of touch here.

Is "Anti-Missile Defense" * "Point-Defense" the same thing?

I thought one was blowing up incoming missiles & the other was "Range-1" or "Same Hex" weapons to stop boarding actions & stuff like that.

Maybe I'm mistaking the rules.  Its been a LONG time since I played w/ AT.

I thought there was some overlap where certain weapons could do an AMS function at a lesser degree (Small Lasers) or where AMS could function as an MG (Point Defense), but that it was 2 different things.

Am I completely mistaken with that?

[Minemech]

Regarding how many times AMS can be fired per turn, under the Advanced Point Defense rules (SO p97) it does say "(For this rule, treat Small Craft as Large Craft.)", with only fighters being specifically limited, as per "Fighter AMS may only be used once per turn."

[cray]

I'm a bit out of touch here.

Is "Anti-Missile Defense" * "Point-Defense" the same thing?

Yep.

I thought one was blowing up incoming missiles & the other was "Range-1" or "Same Hex" weapons to stop boarding actions & stuff like that.

Nope. Point defense is a broad term for anti-missile weapons, not just "Anti-Missile Systems."