Author Topic: MechWarriorFox's Crazy weapon ideas (be standard or fangame/fic driven)  (Read 3239 times)

MechWarriorFox

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So, I've decided to put my hand into the weapon idea ring.

So, disclaimer, this is my first time doing this and I am going to make mistakes. So don't metaphorically murder me because I got something wrong. Any and all stats aren't final.

Now to begin, I've got an idea to start things out:
________________________________________________________________
Quote from: Auto Gauss Rife
Auto Gauss Rifle: the gauss version of the autocannon, this might sound similar to the HAG family of weapons but instead of firing a cluster of munitions, it fires a stream more akin to the autocannon. Due to this, they straddle the line between autocannon and gauss rifles, not having the sheer power and range of the gauss rifle while having only a good portion of the flexibility of the autocannon. It is something akin to someone going mad scientist on both gauss rifles and autocannons.

AGR-2: Long-range sniper weapon that doesn't require an entire 'mech to be built around it. It can reach further than an AC-2 with a bit more damage but requires more crits and more tonnage as part of the package.
AGR-5: The Mario of the weapon family, a bit heavier and larger (in crits) than its autocannon cousin, it has the range of an AC-2 with slightly improved 'oomph'.
AGR-10: The brawler of the weapon family, it is useful at short-medium to short-range but it is fairly hefty.
AGR-20: The head capper of the family and the shortest range weapon of the family. It has more range than it's AC counterpart but is more massive and larger (in crits) as well.

Hptm. Streiger

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General, there is nothing wrong with an automatic gun using magnetic coils instead of propellant to spit out bullets.

However, my main issue with your proposal: the so-called flexibility of autocannons comes for the price of terrible optional rules or IMHO even worse optional ammunition.

Its not a coincidence that the latest heated debate, over autocannons, was force cooled by the mods.

GaussRifle also means DHS, So for example when your AGR 5 should weigh 9tons and does 7 damage for 2 heat it's a plain replacement for the UAC5 and because of DHS most would still simply take the ERPPC.
To say it more painful, with the current rulesets there is no place for other weapons. However, I think most players would gladly accept improved performance for their Autocannons for the price of more heat (something that doesn't hurt because of dhs)


« Last Edit: 15 January 2020, 04:58:49 by Hptm. Streiger »

MechWarriorFox

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General, there is nothing wrong with an automatic gun using magnetic coils instead of propellant to spit out bullets.

However, my main issue with your proposal: the so-called flexibility of autocannons comes for the price of terrible optional rules or IMHO even worse optional ammunition.

Its not a coincidence that the latest heated debate, over autocannons, was force cooled by the mods.

GaussRifle also means DHS, So for example when your AGR 5 should weigh 9tons and does 7 damage for 2 heat it's a plain replacement for the UAC5 and because of DHS most would still simply take the ERPPC.
To say it more painful, with the current rulesets there is no place for other weapons. However, I think most players would gladly accept improved performance for their Autocannons for the price of more heat (something that doesn't hurt because of dhs)
Thanks, it's mostly for some fanfics that I've been cooking up over the years, particularly a Battletech/Mass Effect fic that I've been playing with over a period of ... [goes check old posts at other forums]... almost a decade...

I was thinking of adding more heat at the end of the day. So instead of 2 heat, I was thinking 3 or 4 heat at the minimum. I was thinking of adding Battletech-ified Mass Effect Mass Accelerators as part of the first post but I thought I should have begun with 'pure Battletech' instead.

Hptm. Streiger

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Mass effect use some kind of carousel guns-> the unholy child of a cyclotron and a magnetic accelerator.

In BT terms a heavy snub bombast projection gauss rifle.

You would have a bullet with poor ballistic coefficient but very high velocity (PPC speed, no that's not speed of light) That's the snub
Your carousel would need some time to spin, that's the bombast

You would need to keep the bullet cool unless you use a non ferromagnetic bullet that you need to magnetize before, anyhow extra heat.

So you have a not irrelevant spec of matter (unlike the protons or ions of the PPC) accelerated to extreme speeds, so recoil will be heavy.



MechWarriorFox

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Mass effect use some kind of carousel guns-> the unholy child of a cyclotron and a magnetic accelerator.

In BT terms a heavy snub bombast projection gauss rifle.

You would have a bullet with poor ballistic coefficient but very high velocity (PPC speed, no that's not speed of light) That's the snub
Your carousel would need some time to spin, that's the bombast

You would need to keep the bullet cool unless you use a non ferromagnetic bullet that you need to magnetize before, anyhow extra heat.

So you have a not irrelevant spec of matter (unlike the protons or ions of the PPC) accelerated to extreme speeds, so recoil will be heavy.
Mass Effect 'Mass Accelerators' are simply railguns that 'shave' an ammo block, given the lore (aka the Codex). Also, all the art for the various gauss weapons has them fire essentially Long-Rods, not melons as described in the books. Then again, it wouldn't be the first time that art and writing not talking to each other...

Still, this is where the ideas get worked on though, may I remind you. ;)

I'll keep playing with the ideas here and there which will show up in time...

MechWarriorFox

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Another idea (or two) that came to me recently, this time it pertains to the Thunderbolt missile.

In essence, the idea behind them is to make the Thunderbolt family of missiles less as a 'flashy' weapon for the arenas and more of a battlefield weapon.

One idea is the development of alternate ammunition, like how SRMs and LRMs got infernos, thunders, and whatnot. Thunderbolts gain the LRM munition types but magnified for their size.

Another idea is to essentially turn the Thunderbolt family into essentially SRMs in terms of launchers. These would be based on the Thunderbolt-5 (and only the Thunderbolt-5) missile and come in 2, 4, and 6 launcher mounts. The biggest downside, however, is that the launchers are heavy (thinking something 1.5 times of a regular Thunderbolt-5 launcher for the /2 launcher) and that there aren't that many shots per ton compared to their original counterparts (for example, a Thunderbolt-5/2 would have only 6 shots instead of the usual 12, the /4 would have 3, and the /6 would have 2). The biggest upside is that AMS is slightly less effective against them due to multiple targets a salvo.

MechWarriorFox

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Crossposting from the RWS thread:

Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Standard MG Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (MG)
Mass: .25 Ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 1 Unit/attack
Ammo/Ton: 50 shots (IS)/100 shots (Clan)
Range: 2
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 1d6 for damage.

Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Heavy MG Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (HMG)
Mass: .5 Ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 1 Unit/attack
Ammo/Ton: 25 shots
Range: 2
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 2d6 for damage.

__________________________________________
Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Laser (IS) Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (IS Laser)
Mass: 1.5 Ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 3 Units/attack
Range: 3
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 2d6 for damage.

__________________________________________
Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Laser (Clan) Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (Clan Laser)
Mass: 1 Ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 1 Units/attack
Range: 3
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 2d6 for damage.

__________________________________________
Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Gyrojet Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (Gyro)
Mass: .25 Ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 1 Unit/attack
Ammo/Ton: 25 shots
Range: 2
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 1d6 for damage. Add +1 roll modifier to roll.

__________________________________________
Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Grenade Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (GL)
Mass: .5 Ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 1 Unit/attack
Ammo/Ton: 20 shots
Range: 1
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 3d6 for damage. Add +2 to anti-infantry rolls.

__________________________________________
Quote from: Anti-Infantry System (Micro Rocket Variant)

Anti-Infantry System (MR)
Mass: 1 Ton
Slots: 2
Heat: 3 Unit/attack
Ammo/Ton: 10 shot
Range: 4
Rules: Can only target infantry and battle armor and can target up to 3 infantry units within range. Roll 1d6 for damage. Add +2 to anti-infantry rolls and -1 to accuracy rolls.

__________________________________________
Quote from: Anti-Infantry System Rules

Tabletop Rules:
Anti-Infantry System (AIS) are anti-infantry and anti-battle armor weapons only. They won't fire on any other target.

Upon use, choose 3 infantry units within range of the AIS. Roll the required number of dice and apply damage. All AIS weapons will get a -1 penalty when firing upon infantry/battle armor in the same hex as the unit.
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Battletech/Mechwarrior (video game) Rules:
Anti-Infantry System units are mounted in the same slot as the Anti-Missile System and function similarly as AMS when it comes to use. AIS gets less accurate when fighting infantry within 30 meters and are subject to Line of Sight.

« Last Edit: 05 February 2020, 17:40:03 by MechWarriorFox »

MechWarriorFox

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Another weapon idea would be a 'plasmoid weapon', which are more akin to Star Wars blasters... but far faster and far more powerful than what Star Wars blasters are shown to be capable of. This is thanks to a better understanding of 'spheromaks' in general. A 'spheromak' is essentially a sphere of plasma that generates is own magnetic field.

It can be potent as a weapon system and trying to stop it via magnetic fields would only cause explosions/instant plasma creation at the point of contact via a poorly understood process called 'magnetic reconnection' (so a true 'spheromak' plasma weapon hitting a Star Wars lightsaber would turn the wielder of the lightsaber into a nice pink mist while the gunman isn't turned into mist) which happens all the time in space with Earth's magnetosphere, so the only way to defend against it would be armor and/or not getting hit.

In Battletech terms, it is something akin to plasma weapon but does both physical damage and heat. They're something akin to Improved Heavy Lasers with slightly less capacitor explosive power (since it doesn't have to deal with an FEL in addition to a plasma generator) that can be turned into infantry weapons (currently). How much better or worse they would be is still up to debate though...

As an infantry small arms type weapon, it would be essentially a slightly heavier (10-25% at the time of conception) laser rifle of the same type. So, a simple rifle type 'spheromak' weapon could weigh up to 6.25kg compared to a generic laser rifle's 5kg while something akin to the Mauser 960/Mauser 1200/Mauser IIC would weigh in somewhere between 13.5 to 15kg per weapon using the 25% increase factor. The support variants come in two types: 'repeaters' (aka machine guns) and 'cannon' (basically the equivalent of a support pulse laser). Keeping in line with the above examples, 'repeaters' can range from 8.75 (light) to 55kg ('support') depending on type while the 'cannon' variants can range from 50 ('semi-portable') to 375kg/0.375 tons ('heavy') in mass.

For vehicles and Battlemechs, it is less concrete. I was thinking of giving 'repeaters' and 'small cannon' variants 1D6 heat in addition to their damage output while 'medium' and 'large' cannon variants getting 2D6 heat in addition to their damage output.

Is this viable?

MechWarriorFox

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Hm, here is some preliminary work on the 'Spheromark' weapons:

Quote from: Prototype Pulse Repeater (MG variant of the Spheromark Weapon)
Name: Prototype Pulse Repeater
Mass: 2 ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 4/Burst
Damage: 2/Burst
Range: 3
Rules: Roll 1D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 1-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. The original prototypes (which this weapon represents) were the first 'plasma' weapons that mankind had created... but were rife with problems. They were massive, heavy weapons for their respective classes that generated a lot of heat for the user.

Quote from: Prototype Light Pulse Cannon (Small Pulse Laser variant of the Spheromark Weapon)
Name: Prototype Light Pulse Cannon
Mass: 4 tons
Slots: 2
Heat: 6/Burst
Damage: 6/Burst
Range: 5
Rules: Roll 1D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 2-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. The original prototypes (which this weapon represents) were the first 'plasma' weapons that mankind had created... but were rife with problems. They were massive, heavy weapons for their respective classes that generated a lot of heat for the user.
Quote from: Prototype Medium Pulse Cannon (Medium Pulse Laser variant of the Spheromark Weapon)
Name: Prototype Medium Pulse Cannon
Mass: 6 tons
Slots: 3
Heat: 12/Burst
Damage: 8/Burst
Range: 9
Rules: Roll 2D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 3-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. The original prototypes (which this weapon represents) were the first 'plasma' weapons that mankind had created... but were rife with problems. They were massive, heavy weapons for their respective classes that generated a lot of heat for the user.

Quote from: Prototype Large Pulse Cannon (Large Pulse Laser variant of the Spheromark Weapon)
Name: Prototype Large Pulse Cannon
Mass: 8 tons
Slots: 4
Heat: 20/Burst
Damage: 14/Burst
Range: 15
Rules: Roll 2D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 4-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. The original prototypes (which this weapon represents) were the first 'plasma' weapons that mankind had created... but were rife with problems. They were massive, heavy weapons for their respective classes that generated a lot of heat for the user.
If you want a sound effect to put to these weapons, think Terminator plasma weapons and you'll be fine. ;)

Would this work for 'prototyping'?
« Last Edit: 23 March 2020, 00:30:53 by MechWarriorFox »

Red Pins

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Hmm.  Maybe.

Regarding some others, i, too, came up with repeating Gauss rifles (using a second capacitor bank, similar rules to an Ulta AC). 
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

MechWarriorFox

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Hmm.  Maybe.

Regarding some others, i, too, came up with repeating Gauss rifles (using a second capacitor bank, similar rules to an Ulta AC).
Can I see it because it might be something that could inspire me to fully create the weapon...

Red Pins

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Sure.  Give me credit if you want to use it somewhere.  I've got a folder of Unique Technology from my AU if you want it, too.

Anti-Personnel Gauss Repeater
   With intelligence discovering dezClan Jade Falcon had designed a new weapon system, New Clan Scientists and Technicians were eager to receive details of the Anti-Personnel Gauss weapon.  Seeing the potential benefit to Gauss weapons, Technicians immediately followed the example of dezClan Hells Horses and began experimenting with adding extra capacitors to increase its damage potential.

Game Rules
   The AP Gauss Repeater does not jam or explode, and fires a stream of 5 smaller-caliber shells, like the Hell’s Horses HAG it is derived from.  Roll on the ‘5’ column of the Cluster Hits table to determine the number of shells that hit the target, and roll for each on the appropriate Hit Location Chart.
Quote
              Heat     Dam        Range      Ammo     Wt        Space                    Tech
Weapon          Std(Aero)      Std (Aero)       Min/Sht/Med/Lng (Aero)     (ton)    (tons)   M  E  CV  SV  F SC DS Rating
AP Gauss-R         2                  2/Round               1/3/7/10 (Short)        8     1       2   1    1     1   1   1   1       F

Quote
Naval Gauss Repeaters
   Assimilating the intelligence concerning dezClan Hell’s Horses new Hyper-Assault Gauss weapon, Technicians immediately saw the potential benefit to the fleet.  Without a new weapon system for almost a hundred years, the Navy relied almost exclusively on the weapons technology of the Terran Hegemony.
   Despite the availability of mass and space for an improved Gauss weapon, naval officers cautioned against firing increased numbers of poorly-aimed projectiles.  Acknowledging their concerns, Technicians chose to limit capacitor increases to powering a second shot, similar to the Ultra-series of Autocannons.

Game Rules
   Naval Repeaters do not jam, and have the option to fire a single round or double rate.  Firing a second round generates twice the heat of a single round, and uses a second round of ammunition.  Naval Repeaters roll on the ‘2’ column of the Cluster Hits Table to determine the number of rounds to hit the target.

                   Heat     Capital        Range      Ammo     Wt        Space        Tech
Weapon               Std(Aero)   Dam (Aero)   Min/Sht/Med/Lng (Aero)     (ton)    (tons)    JS    WS   SS   MS       Rating
Light N-G (R)        9/Shot         15              N/A (Extreme)       5        5,600    1-C   1-C   1-C   1        E
Medium N-G (R) 15/Shot         25              N/A (Extreme)      5/2      6,600    1-C   1-C   1-C   1        E
Heavy N-G (R)   18/Shot         30              N/A (Extreme)       2        8,100    1-C   1-C   1-C   1        E

Quote
Improved Autocannon (I-AC)
   Despite the heat efficiency of Autocannons, advances in heatsinks and energy weapons have diminished their presence on the battlefield.   Looking for weapons systems adaptable to modern warfare, the Civil Government has successfully combined the 21st century Metalstorm system with the modern Autocannon, providing compact, heat efficient weapons capable of flexibility unmatched by current designs.
   I-ACs take advantage of several centuries of development in ballistic weapons to provide cutting edge weight-to-damage ratios; the Metalstorm concept, used in large caliber grenade launchers before being abandoned by 2050, takes advantage of these developments to provide a rate of fire similar to Rotary Autocannons.

Game Rules
   I-ACs are useless after firing their pre-loaded ammo until the barrel is exchanged, but offer an increased rate of fire at a growing cost in accuracy.  I-AC/2 and /5s fire Bursts of six rounds per Turn, I-AC/10s fire Bursts of four, and I-AC/20s Bursts of two.

              Heat     Dam              Range     Ammo    Wt        Space          Tech
Weapon          Std(Aero)      Std (Aero)       M/S/M/L (Aero)    (barrel)  (tons)   M  E  CV  SV  F  SC  DS Rating
I-AC/2                 0*(0*)              2(2)            4/6/12/18 (Long)      45          3       1   2    1     1    1   1     1      F
I-AC/5                 0*(0*)              5(5)         3/5/10/15 (Medium)    20          4       1   3    1     2    1   1     1      F
I-AC/10                1(1)              10(10)        0/4/8/12 (Medium)     10          6       1   4    1     4    1   1     1      F
I-AC/20                3(3)              20(20)           0/3/6/9 (Short)          5          7       2    -    1     8    1   1     1      F
* - See Notes

Notes:
•   I-ACs are able to use special- and mixed ammo, in any order and any type except Caseless.  Players must record the type of ammo in order of firing.
•   I-ACs may fire single rounds or in Bursts.  Players must specify the number of rounds to be fired before the weapon is fired.
•   Heat is cumulative with each shell fired.  I-AC/2s and /5s do not generate heat for single shots; for each multiple of 2 rounds fired, one heat is generated.
•   Damage is allocated by shell, in order of rounds fired, following the rules for specialty ammo.
•   I-ACs roll on the Cluster Hits table to determine the number of rounds that hit the target.
•   I-ACs may fire a single round or Bursts.  When firing a single Burst, I-ACs do not receive a to-hit penalty and roll on the Cluster Hits table normally.
•   I-ACs may fire up to four Bursts in a single Turn, but players must make a to-hit roll for each Burst with a cumulative to-hit penalty.  Each Burst after the first requires its own to-hit roll (with a cumulative +2 to-hit penalty) and Cluster Hit table roll.
Ex.  An I-AC/2 needs a 3 to hit.  Because the to-hit number is low, the owner decides to risk the maximum number of Bursts in an attempt to kill his target.  The first Burst, without a to-hit penalty, requires a 3 (3+0), which the Player makes easily.  Rolling on the Cluster Hits table, he sees five have hit the target.  Checking the list of ammunition, he sees that all are standard rounds, and rolls hit locations for all five before proceeding.
The second Burst suffers from the first cumulative penalty, requiring a 5 (3+0+2).  Rolling on the Cluster Hits table, he finds that five more standard rounds have hit the target, and rolls hit locations for all five before proceeding.
The third Burst requires a 7 (3+0+2+2), which he makes narrowly.  Checking against the Cluster Hits table he finds 3 rounds hit the target and rolls locations for all three.
The fourth Burst brings him to his first specialty ammunition, a six-round Burst of Precision ammo.  (Note the added mass of the specialty ammo has no effect on the I-AC/2.)  The ammunition provides a –2 to-hit modifier, giving him a to-hit number of 7 (3+0+2+2+2-2) for the second time.  If the fourth Burst had been standard ammo, it would have been a 9 (3+0+2+2+2).
•   If a Burst contains mixed ammunition types each round must be individually rolled in the order of firing and a hit location determined before going on to the next Burst.

And the list of tech;

Quote
PG 182 Unique Technology, 34 pages;
  New Unit Types
    Heavy- and Assault Components (H-AC)
    Permanent AirMechs
    FighterShips
    Extra-Light ‘Mechs
    Portable Turrets
  New Construction Equipment
    Hardpoints
    Limb Extensions
    Armor Rescue Pods
  New Weapons
    Extended-Range TAG
    Cassette Missile System
    AP Gauss Repeater
    Naval Gauss Repeater
    Arrow V Artillery Missile
    Thunderbolt-TOW Missile
    Improved-Autocannons
  New Equipment
    Armor Skirts
    Point C3 System
    Enhanced-Jump Core
...Visit the Legacy Cluster...
The New Clans:Volume One
Clan Devil Wasp * Clan Carnoraptor * Clan Frost Ape * Clan Surf Dragon * Clan Tundra Leopard
Work-in-progress; The Blake Threat File
Now with MORE GROGNARD!  ...I think I'm done.  I've played long enough to earn a pension, fer cryin' out loud!  IlClan and out in <REDACTED>!
TRO: 3176 Hegemony Refits - the 30-day wonder

MechWarriorFox

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Sure.  Give me credit if you want to use it somewhere.  I've got a folder of Unique Technology from my AU if you want it, too.

Anti-Personnel Gauss Repeater
   With intelligence discovering dezClan Jade Falcon had designed a new weapon system, New Clan Scientists and Technicians were eager to receive details of the Anti-Personnel Gauss weapon.  Seeing the potential benefit to Gauss weapons, Technicians immediately followed the example of dezClan Hells Horses and began experimenting with adding extra capacitors to increase its damage potential.

Game Rules
   The AP Gauss Repeater does not jam or explode, and fires a stream of 5 smaller-caliber shells, like the Hell’s Horses HAG it is derived from.  Roll on the ‘5’ column of the Cluster Hits table to determine the number of shells that hit the target, and roll for each on the appropriate Hit Location Chart.
And the list of tech;
That is interesting... I'll probably look into it to improve my own in the future.

idea weenie

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Cryogenic disposable core lasers, or putting a lot of effort into a single shot at a time

Heat: 0 (the lasing core and support systems are pre-cooled and consume themselves when firing)
Damage 20
Range: 5/10/15
Tons: 4
Crits: 2
Shots/ton: 15

Disadvantage:
For heat-tracking units: take the number of heat points the mounting platform has after the heat sink phase, and remove twice that value in shots of ammo (they melted/deformed).  This does not affect your ending heat value

For non-heat-tracking units: lose 10% of current ammo at the end of the turn (FRU) due to heat dissipating into lasing core storage and melting/deforming the lasing rods.

If mounting unit is hit by heat-causing attacks, it loses a number of shots equal to the number of heat points delivered.  This includes walking through hexes that are on fire.

Source   ;D

MechWarriorFox

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Cryogenic disposable core lasers, or putting a lot of effort into a single shot at a time

Heat: 0 (the lasing core and support systems are pre-cooled and consume themselves when firing)
Damage 20
Range: 5/10/15
Tons: 4
Crits: 2
Shots/ton: 15

Disadvantage:
For heat-tracking units: take the number of heat points the mounting platform has after the heat sink phase, and remove twice that value in shots of ammo (they melted/deformed).  This does not affect your ending heat value

For non-heat-tracking units: lose 10% of current ammo at the end of the turn (FRU) due to heat dissipating into lasing core storage and melting/deforming the lasing rods.

If mounting unit is hit by heat-causing attacks, it loses a number of shots equal to the number of heat points delivered.  This includes walking through hexes that are on fire.

Source   ;D
Interesting... but not really going to be a thing...

MechWarriorFox

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Hm, here is some preliminary work on the 'Spheromark' weapons:
  If you want a sound effect to put to these weapons, think Terminator plasma weapons and you'll be fine. ;)

Would this work for 'prototyping'?

Quote from: Pulse Plasma Burst Repeater (Mass Production Type)
Name: Pulse Plasma Burst Repeater (Mass Production Type)
Mass: 1 ton
Slots: 1
Heat: 3/Burst
Damage: 2/Burst
Range: 3
Rules: Roll 1D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 1-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. The Pulse Plasma Repeater is the mass production variant of the Prototype Pulse Repeaters and has most of its failings fixed. The only failing is the heat, however, due to the requirements imposed in utilizing Spherorak weaponry.
Quote from: Light Pulse Plasma Burst Cannon (Mass Production Type)
Name: Light Pulse Plasma Burst Cannon (Mass Production Type)
Mass: 2 tons
Slots: 2
Heat: 5/Burst
Damage: 6/Burst
Range: 5
Rules: Roll 1D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 2-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. This is the mass production version of the light pulse cannon prototype, while vastly improved over the prototypes, the lightest of the pulse plasma cannons still create a lot of heat for the user and are still somewhat bulky.
Quote from: Medium Pulse Plasma Burst Cannon (Mass Production Type)
Name: Medium Pulse Plasma Burst Cannon (Mass Production Type)
Mass: 4 tons
Slots: 3
Heat: 10/Burst
Damage: 8/Burst
Range: 9
Rules: Roll 2D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 3-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. This is the mass production version of the medium pulse cannon prototype, while vastly improved over the prototypes, the midrange of the pulse plasma cannons still create a lot of heat for the user and are still somewhat bulky.
Quote from: Heavy Pulse Plasma Burst Cannon (Mass Production Type)
Name: Heavy Pulse Plasma Burst Cannon (Mass Production Type)
Mass: 6 tons
Slots: 4
Heat: 16/Burst
Damage: 14/Burst
Range: 15
Rules: Roll 2D6 for Heat (against those that track heat) or Additional Damage (against those that don't track heat) depending on the target. Upon a critical hit with the weapon, roll as you would for a gauss rifle or heavy laser and if destroyed, use a 4-ton ammo explosion.
Notes: Originally only seen as a scientific curiosity, the Spheromark wasn't used as a weapon until the advent of modern fusion reactors. This is the mass production version of the heavy pulse cannon prototype, while vastly improved over the prototypes, the heaviest of the pulse plasma cannons still create a lot of heat for the user and are still somewhat bulky.
Continuing on this line of thought...

Although, I do have ideas for Capital and Sub-capital ER, heavy, pulse, and ER Pulse lasers...

« Last Edit: 19 January 2021, 04:09:37 by MechWarriorFox »

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Gauss Artillery
Essentially this is to remove the large and bulky propellant bundles and use electricity to fire the round.  Gauss artillery needs Power Amplifiers, and can store 2 tons of ammo per critical slot.  Gauss artillery produces half the heat of its regular version (FRU), produces no smoke cloud when it fires, but can be detected by MAD systems when it fires.  (Not sure if it should also get a range increase)



Bracing/Emplacement mounts:
Designed to attach to and upgrade projectile weapons (i.e. Autocannons and Gauss), these modifications cause the weapon to take up twice as much mass and critical hit space, but get 50% greater range.  Heat, damage, and shot per ton are unchanged.  This cannot be used with missiles as they provide their own propellant (vs the cannon providing all the propellant), and energy weapons lasers get no benefit from reduced recoil.  Targeting Computer mass is based on the higher mass, rather than original mass.

As a comparison, here is a regular Autocannon and an Emplacement Autocannon:
Weapon name                         Heat   Damage   Ranges          Mass   Crits
Autocannon-10   3   10(0) 5/10/15  12    7
Autocannon-10, Emplacement   3   10(0) 8/15/23  24  14
An Inner Sphere Targeting Computer for the regular AC/10 would mass 3 tons, while the Targeting Computer needed for the Emplacement AC/10 would mass 6 tons.



Alternate Clan Heavy lasers
Needing their second-line Inner Sphere Mechs to have decent weapons, the Scientist and Technician castes were ordered to figure a way to modify existing Inner Sphere lasers to be better capable using Clan technology, while keeping their existing Mass and size.  This was to allow a 1:1 swap to remove the inferior Inner Sphere weaponry and replace them with Clan technology.  The higher heat was accepted as Clan systems use Double Heat Sinks, and bondsmen taken from Inner Sphere forces have been able to adapt to the weapons with minimal training.

Net change: Take original 3025-era Small, Medium, and Large Lasers, double the heat production, and increase the damage by 50% (FRU).  No change in range, mass, or size.  These weapons can only be maintained by technicians trained in Clan technology, but can be refitted onto a Mech by technicians with only 3025-era training.  There is no bonus or penalty to-hit from these weapons.

These weapons are often targets of Objective Raids by Inner Sphere forces as the weapons can be easily refit onto an older Mech.  When the weapons eventually break they are traded to Wolf Dragoons or other units with Clan-trained technicians in exchange for Star League grade weaponry.



Missile allocation system
Instead of needing to carry different ammo systems for a variety of LRM systems of the same Mech, this allows all LRM systems to feed from the same ammunition locations.  It grabs ammo in 5-missile groups, then feeds those groups into the proper ammo format that the requesting LRM system needs.  So an Assault Mech with a pair of LRM-20 and a single LRM-5 can all use the same source of ammo, where the LRM-5 is used to test if an enemy has AMS, and if not the LRM-20s are fired at that target.  Instead of needing a separate ammo bay for the LRM-5, all the LRM ammo is available to the mounting mech.  For example this allows only needing 1 ton of mine-clearing ammo, instead of needing mine-clearing ammo in both LRM-5 and LRM-20 sizes.
(I would also want SRM ammo to be 120 missiles per ton)



Missile launcher re-do
Missile launchers are essentially a control system and a set of tubes, and this attempts to show that larger launchers should be more efficient than smaller launchers.  The control system is the minimum mass for an independent aiming/missile feed coordination, while the mass per tube reflects the individual systems that scale linearly per missile.
Heat: 1 per control system, 1 per missile 'unit' (1 unit = 2 SRM tubes, or 5 LRM tubes)
Tons: 1 tons per control system, 1 per SRM-2, 2 per LRM-5 (not sure for MRM or RL)

New launcher heat & Mass:
LRM-5 - 2 & 3
LRM-10 - 3 & 5
LRM-15 - 4 & 7
LRM-20 - 5 & 9
SRM-2 - 2 & 2
SRM-4 - 3 & 3
SRM-6 - 4 & 4

With this change larger launchers are more efficient for heat and tonnage on a per-missile basis.  However smaller launchers offer the advantage that if one small launcher is destroyed, the others can keep on firing, and you have better control over the heat output.

MechWarriorFox

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Gauss Artillery
Essentially this is to remove the large and bulky propellant bundles and use electricity to fire the round.  Gauss artillery needs Power Amplifiers, and can store 2 tons of ammo per critical slot.  Gauss artillery produces half the heat of its regular version (FRU), produces no smoke cloud when it fires, but can be detected by MAD systems when it fires.  (Not sure if it should also get a range increase)
Eh, due to how artillery works, it would probably get the arty to drop faster than reach further away...
Quote
Bracing/Emplacement mounts:
Designed to attach to and upgrade projectile weapons (i.e. Autocannons and Gauss), these modifications cause the weapon to take up twice as much mass and critical hit space, but get 50% greater range.  Heat, damage, and shot per ton are unchanged.  This cannot be used with missiles as they provide their own propellant (vs the cannon providing all the propellant), and energy weapons lasers get no benefit from reduced recoil.  Targeting Computer mass is based on the higher mass, rather than original mass.

As a comparison, here is a regular Autocannon and an Emplacement Autocannon:
Weapon name                         Heat   Damage   Ranges          Mass   Crits
Autocannon-10   3   10(0) 5/10/15  12    7
Autocannon-10, Emplacement   3   10(0) 8/15/23  24  14
An Inner Sphere Targeting Computer for the regular AC/10 would mass 3 tons, while the Targeting Computer needed for the Emplacement AC/10 would mass 6 tons.
That would only be really used by static turrets. :\
Quote
Alternate Clan Heavy lasers
Needing their second-line Inner Sphere Mechs to have decent weapons, the Scientist and Technician castes were ordered to figure a way to modify existing Inner Sphere lasers to be better capable using Clan technology, while keeping their existing Mass and size.  This was to allow a 1:1 swap to remove the inferior Inner Sphere weaponry and replace them with Clan technology.  The higher heat was accepted as Clan systems use Double Heat Sinks, and bondsmen taken from Inner Sphere forces have been able to adapt to the weapons with minimal training.

Net change: Take original 3025-era Small, Medium, and Large Lasers, double the heat production, and increase the damage by 50% (FRU).  No change in range, mass, or size.  These weapons can only be maintained by technicians trained in Clan technology, but can be refitted onto a Mech by technicians with only 3025-era training.  There is no bonus or penalty to-hit from these weapons.

These weapons are often targets of Objective Raids by Inner Sphere forces as the weapons can be easily refit onto an older Mech.  When the weapons eventually break they are traded to Wolf Dragoons or other units with Clan-trained technicians in exchange for Star League grade weaponry.
That's... pretty powerful.
Quote
Missile allocation system
Instead of needing to carry different ammo systems for a variety of LRM systems of the same Mech, this allows all LRM systems to feed from the same ammunition locations.  It grabs ammo in 5-missile groups, then feeds those groups into the proper ammo format that the requesting LRM system needs.  So an Assault Mech with a pair of LRM-20 and a single LRM-5 can all use the same source of ammo, where the LRM-5 is used to test if an enemy has AMS, and if not the LRM-20s are fired at that target.  Instead of needing a separate ammo bay for the LRM-5, all the LRM ammo is available to the mounting mech.  For example this allows only needing 1 ton of mine-clearing ammo, instead of needing mine-clearing ammo in both LRM-5 and LRM-20 sizes.
(I would also want SRM ammo to be 120 missiles per ton)



Missile launcher re-do
Missile launchers are essentially a control system and a set of tubes, and this attempts to show that larger launchers should be more efficient than smaller launchers.  The control system is the minimum mass for an independent aiming/missile feed coordination, while the mass per tube reflects the individual systems that scale linearly per missile.
Heat: 1 per control system, 1 per missile 'unit' (1 unit = 2 SRM tubes, or 5 LRM tubes)
Tons: 1 tons per control system, 1 per SRM-2, 2 per LRM-5 (not sure for MRM or RL)

New launcher heat & Mass:
LRM-5 - 2 & 3
LRM-10 - 3 & 5
LRM-15 - 4 & 7
LRM-20 - 5 & 9
SRM-2 - 2 & 2
SRM-4 - 3 & 3
SRM-6 - 4 & 4

With this change larger launchers are more efficient for heat and tonnage on a per-missile basis.  However smaller launchers offer the advantage that if one small launcher is destroyed, the others can keep on firing, and you have better control over the heat output.
Interesting... but that might be sacrificing certain holy cows in Battletech...

The thing with this thread is to keep things within the realm of Battletech and not sacrifice certain holy cows in the system...

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Eh, due to how artillery works, it would probably get the arty to drop faster than reach further away

What do you mean 'drop faster'?  If a round has a muzzle velocity of ~600m/s, does it matter if that round was accelerated by chemical combustion or magnetics?

That would only be really used by static turrets.  :\

Hence the name 'Emplacement'.  It is to help prevent someone grabbing a Pike or other AC/2 armed craft, sitting outside the range of a building, then shelling it until the building is destroyed.  The regular AC/2 mounted on a vehicle has a max range of 24 hexes, while an Emplacement AC/5 has a max range of 27 hexes.

That's... pretty powerful.

It is going from 3025 era tech to clantech, but has no Pulse or Extended Range advantages.  On tabletop the advantage is 50% greater damage, but the weapon is doing +100% more heat (easily handled by Double Heat Sinks, but not by SHS).  The maintenance/replacement seemed to make sense, though the need for extra cooling and power might mean some techs need retraining, while the Mech will likely need more coolant/power to the weapon.  Think of these weapons like upgrading a graphics card on a computer.  You don't need to know all the details of what goes on inside the graphics card, just plug it in the same location and hook it up with more of the same cables.  The technician that is trouble-shooting the graphics card is the one that needs extra knowledge.

Interesting... but that might be sacrificing certain holy cows in Battletech...

The thing with this thread is to keep things within the realm of Battletech and not sacrifice certain holy cows in the system...

Drat.


Space Station Linkages
Space stations were dreamed about as being cities in space, then as you expanded to the solar system the manufacturing limits began to kick in.

A space station has a station-keeping drive, which is capable of accelerating it at up to .01G.  If that is a single space station though.  If the whole structure is made up of smaller stations, then you divide that max acceleration by the number of sub-stations, and that is its new acceleration limit.  Linkages designed to b hooked together once and never disassembled take up 2% of the station's mass.  Linkages designed to be attached and detached take up 5% as they have to be accessible and detachable after the station is assembled (potentially for jumping the station components to another star system).  This requires more massive systems, vs a single-use linkage that just gets welded in place to form a solid bond.



Now if you want super-tech:
Intelligent Lightning Projector
Your technicians thought it was a fancy PPC when they installed it, but were able to test it on the firing range to make sure the datalinks, power supply, and cooling worked.  It did.  But when you got into combat, that is when you noticed the fundamental difference in it.  Shots that could have missed your target would turn and still hit it!  Eventually you figured out that this weapon could redirect itself towards selected targets, within a certain degree of off-axis aiming.

Your technicians swear it is watching them, and your senior pilots wonder if the people that built it will come back.  Some people comment that it looked like it was designed to fit together as part of a larger array, potentially the size of a capital ship mount.  Maintenance people find working on it quite easy, as they are able to just remove burnt out components and replace them, though they think the burnt components look 'altered'.  Testing the equipment shows standard results, but all the circuit boards seem fixed n place whenever it is opened.  The damage ones are easy to remove and replace a new one, but existing boards seem welded to the main motherboard.  Even ones that were installed less than half an hour earlier.

Game rules:
Treat it like a PPC in terms of heat, ranges, tons, and crits.  Damage is special.
When firing this weapon, roll 2d6.  If you meet or exceed the target number, you hit with full damage.  If you miss, reduce the points of damage by the amount of points needed to hit the target.  So if the TN is 9 and you roll a 6, then you only do 7 pts of damage instead of a PPC's full 10 pts [damage + 2d6 roll - target number, but max of full damage].

Due to its internal aiming system, it cannot benefit from Targeting Computers.

MechWarriorFox

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What do you mean 'drop faster'?  If a round has a muzzle velocity of ~600m/s, does it matter if that round was accelerated by chemical combustion or magnetics?
No matter what, the arty-round is going to be going faster if you slap it into an EM motive system, meaning a very shallow ballistic arc and short time-on-target.
Quote
Hence the name 'Emplacement'.  It is to help prevent someone grabbing a Pike or other AC/2 armed craft, sitting outside the range of a building, then shelling it until the building is destroyed.  The regular AC/2 mounted on a vehicle has a max range of 24 hexes, while an Emplacement AC/5 has a max range of 27 hexes.
That sounds rather interesting, makes nuking or infiltrating Castle Brians more reasonable...
Quote
It is going from 3025 era tech to clantech, but has no Pulse or Extended Range advantages.  On tabletop the advantage is 50% greater damage, but the weapon is doing +100% more heat (easily handled by Double Heat Sinks, but not by SHS).  The maintenance/replacement seemed to make sense, though the need for extra cooling and power might mean some techs need retraining, while the Mech will likely need more coolant/power to the weapon.  Think of these weapons like upgrading a graphics card on a computer.  You don't need to know all the details of what goes on inside the graphics card, just plug it in the same location and hook it up with more of the same cables.  The technician that is trouble-shooting the graphics card is the one that needs extra knowledge.
It isn't as easy as that, I'm afraid. The Heavy Lasers actually utilize some sort of plasma technology to get their oomph, which makes it particularly nasty in all sorts of ways.
Quote
Drat.


Space Station Linkages
Space stations were dreamed about as being cities in space, then as you expanded to the solar system the manufacturing limits began to kick in.

A space station has a station-keeping drive, which is capable of accelerating it at up to .01G.  If that is a single space station though.  If the whole structure is made up of smaller stations, then you divide that max acceleration by the number of sub-stations, and that is its new acceleration limit.  Linkages designed to b hooked together once and never disassembled take up 2% of the station's mass.  Linkages designed to be attached and detached take up 5% as they have to be accessible and detachable after the station is assembled (potentially for jumping the station components to another star system).  This requires more massive systems, vs a single-use linkage that just gets welded in place to form a solid bond.
That is... odd and interesting.
Quote
Now if you want super-tech:
Intelligent Lightning Projector
Your technicians thought it was a fancy PPC when they installed it, but were able to test it on the firing range to make sure the datalinks, power supply, and cooling worked.  It did.  But when you got into combat, that is when you noticed the fundamental difference in it.  Shots that could have missed your target would turn and still hit it!  Eventually you figured out that this weapon could redirect itself towards selected targets, within a certain degree of off-axis aiming.

Your technicians swear it is watching them, and your senior pilots wonder if the people that built it will come back.  Some people comment that it looked like it was designed to fit together as part of a larger array, potentially the size of a capital ship mount.  Maintenance people find working on it quite easy, as they are able to just remove burnt out components and replace them, though they think the burnt components look 'altered'.  Testing the equipment shows standard results, but all the circuit boards seem fixed n place whenever it is opened.  The damage ones are easy to remove and replace a new one, but existing boards seem welded to the main motherboard.  Even ones that were installed less than half an hour earlier.

Game rules:
Treat it like a PPC in terms of heat, ranges, tons, and crits.  Damage is special.
When firing this weapon, roll 2d6.  If you meet or exceed the target number, you hit with full damage.  If you miss, reduce the points of damage by the amount of points needed to hit the target.  So if the TN is 9 and you roll a 6, then you only do 7 pts of damage instead of a PPC's full 10 pts [damage + 2d6 roll - target number, but max of full damage].

Due to its internal aiming system, it cannot benefit from Targeting Computers.
... this sounds pretty powerful and doesn't have much in terms of downsides which is a sacred cow in BT.
« Last Edit: 22 January 2021, 02:06:24 by MechWarriorFox »

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No matter what, the arty-round is going to be going faster if you slap it into an EM motive system, meaning a very shallow ballistic arc and short time-on-target.

That is why I specified that the muzzle velocity was identical.  If both rounds are leaving the barrel at identical speeds, and have identical aerodynamics, then their flight time would be the same.  A Gauss round doesn't have to always be fired at hypersonic speed.  Reduce the energy in the capacitors, adjust the timing as needed, and you can vary the muzzle velocity.

It isn't as easy as that, I'm afraid. The Heavy Lasers actually utilize some sort of plasma technology to get their oomph, which makes it particularly nasty in all sorts of ways.

That is for the original Heavy Lasers, this is for alternate weapons ideas.  These don't get better range or accuracy boosts, they just fit into the same place as regular Inner Sphere lasers, get much hotter and do a bit more damage.  Allows the Clans to make better use of lower-tech Inner Sphere Mechs for second-line and solahma units, so Warriors don't have to wait behind the lines.  Inner Sphere techs just have to remove the old lasers and replace with the new ones, while Clan techs trouble-shoot the internals.  This way you can put captured Inner Sphere technicians to work immediately, further reducing waste (better to use Inner Sphere techs as Technician caste, than as Laborer caste).

That is... odd and interesting....

It allows for larger space stations, but the structural limitations mean that as the stations get bigger they also get clumsier.  It also means it is better to construct a single 2.5 MTon station, than trying to hook together twenty-five 100-kton jump stations.

this sounds pretty powerful and doesn't have much in terms of downsides which is a sacred cow in BT.

"Crazy" weapon idea.  Also note that it was found, not manufactured.  This is for when you want the players to debate whether to use the weapon, or keeping it unpowered so nobody notices it (such as the Steltek).

Edit:
MTL-#
Multi-torpedo Launcher, capable of firing either short or long range torpedoes.  Essentially the torpedo variant of the MML.

Game Rules:
Fires short or long range torpedoes, with the same range and damage profiles as the SRM and LRM used for MML.

Design Rules:
Uses the same heat, tonnage, criticals, costs, and ammunition per ton as the original MML systems.



KF Field amplifier booster
At the same time as larger Dropships were being developed in an attempt to reduce the number of Docking Collars being needed, several designs were discovered to be too large and wound up needing more than their regular share of work from the KF core to be properly encompassed.  As a result, one person had an idea of a KF add-on that enhanced the Dropship collars to handle the larger Dropships being deployed.

However as technology marched on, better Dropship designs allowed them to integrate the KF systems better into their structure, and this technology was no longer necessary.

Game effect:
On Docking Collars modified with this technology, you can ignore the effect of the Large Dropship Disadvantage.  Dropships modified with this technology lose that Disadvantage.  In eras where this technology was lost, vessels with this upgrade count as having the Difficult to Maintain Disadvantage.

Design rules:
Docking Collars with this upgrade mass an additional 1000 tons.  Dropships with this upgrade have to allocate 1200 tons, to reflect that the equipment has to provide a better KF field without affecting the KF field of the mounting Jumpship or Warship.  This upgrade does not affect the number of Docking Collars for purposes of KF core construction costs.



Dropship Launch Bay:
Designed to carry a Dropship or Dropshuttle internally and launch it within a few minutes of receiving the order (compared to other versions that treat a DS as cargo) the DLB is designed to include maintenance/repair equipment along with basic living quarters for the minimum crew for that DS.  A DLB is designed to fit a certain tonnage and configuration of a DS, and only has half capacity when storing a DS of a different configuration (Aerodyne vs Spheroid).

Game Rules:
A DLB launching a DS only needs 1 minute for every 1000 tons the DS masses, FRU.  To land a DS in a DLB, it takes 1 minute for every 500 tons the DS masses.  If you attempt to use a DS of the wrong configuration for the selected DLB, the landing DS is treated as massing 2* higher for duration needed to launch or land, and space occupied.  If a DS of the wrong configuration is stored in a DLB, all repair/maintenance rolls are made at a 1-pt penalty.

A Bay can only be in one of the following states each turn:
Damaged or Destroyed - cannot be used to recover or launch DS, or transfer them internally
Empty - Can be used to receive a DS (either by landing if this DLB is the external connection, or from another internal DLB if the DS being received will fit)
Transferring out - A DLB is sending the DS inside it to another DLB, or the DLB is launching a DS into space
Receiving - a DLB is receiving a DS from another DLB (this is also used when recovering a landing DS)
Storing - A DLB has a DS inside it, and that DS is not going anywhere (commonly used when performing maintenance)

Since a DS can only be transferred to an empty DLB, this means that even if you have a series of 1-kton DS that you want to launch, they can only be launched every other turn.  For example, using DS #1 through 8, and DLB A through H (where DS #1 starts in DLB A, #2 in DLB B, aso):
Turn X: DS #1 launches from DLB_A
Turn X+1: DS #2 is moved from DLB_B into empty DLB_A
Turn X+2: DS #2 launches from DLB_A, DS #3 is moved from DLB_C into empty DLB_B
Turn X+3: DS #3 is moved from DLB_B into empty DLB_A, DS #4 is moved into empty DLB_C
Turn X+4: DS #3 launches from DLB_A, DS #4 is moved from DLB_C into DLB_B, DS #5 moves from DLB_E to DLB_D
etc

Design Rules:
As the vessels are carried internally, they do not affect to the KF core price (compared to a Docking Collar).

Select the configuration (aerodyne or Spheroid) and the max mass that is planned to be carried.  The DLB requires additional equipment massing 50% of the capacity.  So a DLB that is to launch a 5000 ton Dropshuttle would need 5000 tons of mass to handle the Dropshuttle, plus an additional 2500 tons for the launch/recovery/servicing equipment, for a total mass of 7500 tons.  If ARTS (or similar technology that is proportional to the mass of the bay) is added, the mass is based on the total bay mass, not just the additional equipment.  So if the 7500-ton bay was modified to have ARTS capability, the final mass would be 9375 tons (7500 * 1.25).

Similarly, if an aerodyne Dropship or Dropshuttle wanted to land in that bay, technically you could only land an aerodyne that massed up to 2500 tons in that bay.  Landing would take 10 minutes, and launching would take 5 minutes (the Aerodyne is treated as massing 5000 tons since it is the wrong configuration for the DLB).

Each DLB either requires its own Door, or connected to another DLB that has door access.  In order for a DS to pass from one DLB to another, the destination DLB must be empty and the DS being moved must be able to fit into that other bay.  So a 2000 ton Aerodyne DS can be moved into a DLB that is designed for Aerodynes and has 2500 ton capacity, but not one that is designed for Aerodynes and has 1500 tons, or into a DLB designed Spheroid DS and has 3900 ton capacity.  A common trick is to arrange all the DLB into two columns, splitting Aerodyne into one and Spheroid into the other.  Each of those columns are then arranged in order of decreasing tonnage capacity.  From there, Split the columns into smaller columns, assigning a door to each column.


HPG pulse Receiver Chamber
Normally seen on planets at the local HPG station and designed to receive HPG pulses that are high-EMP effects, this is the effort of compacting such a structure down enough to fit into a Warship.  With this, if the HPG pulse arrives inside the Chamber, then it cannot be detected by other vessels.  The primary use of this chamber was to coordinate squadrons of stealth ships, where one squadron would accelerate, and while accelerating would send their position, acceleration, and sensor data to the second squadron.  After the first squadron ceased acceleration, the second squadron would accelerate, sending their position, acceleration, and sensor data back to the first squadron.  In this manner, the two squadrons were able to keep in contact even while conducting operations on the far sides of a star system.

A similar system was used in Castle Brian setups, where a stealth squadron would arrive in-system, and if their mission called for it could transmit to the Castle Brian's Receiver Chamber their current position and situation (the stealth squadrons were provided with up-to-date maps of Castle Brian locations, and could easily calculate the destination coordinates when in the same star system).  If the Castle Brian had an HPG it could then respond to the stealth squadron, making sure not to give the stealth squadron's position away.  There were often HPGs in Castle Brians set up where they would automatically respond to the stealth squadrons, without notifying the Castle Brian CO that the HPG pulse was for a local stealth squadron vs merely passing on a secret message.

There was a proposal to equip special command CASPAR drones with this system to allow the squadrons to be controlled/guided via near-real-time analysis from planetary SDS centers, but it was not implemented before the Amaris Coup.

Game Rules:
If the HPG pulse is declared to be arriving within the mounting unit's working HPG receiver chamber, then no other unit will detect the pulse.  Detection of the mounting ship's engines, sensors, and weapons are covered under existing rules.  Vessel cannot be accelerating when it receives the pulse, otherwise the pulse does not arrive in the correct location, and can be detected as normal, plus will affect the receiving ship as though 'hit' twice by an HPG Pulse (since the Pulse is occurring inside the ship, and not protected by the receiver chamber)

Design Rules:
Can be mounted on Dropships, Warships, Space Stations, Mobile Structures, Buildings, Castle Brian, and other similar large structures.  Masses ten thousand tons.
« Last Edit: 26 February 2021, 18:38:46 by idea weenie »