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Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 8:20 pm
by Kirillyos
stubby wrote:
Kirillyos wrote:Is there a designated repository for custom Stat Cards somewhere in the forum?
There was a page on the old wiki for them. I don't think there's one in the new wiki yet.
http://brikwars.wikispaces.com/Stat+Cards
Stat Cards
Maybe we can get a sub-forum for them on the Armory or something? Just a suggestion.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Sun Nov 03, 2013 9:11 pm
by stubby
The wiki's better when it comes to making repositories of things, so you don't have to search through long and frequently derailing threads.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 10:47 pm
by Kirillyos
stubby wrote:The wiki's better when it comes to making repositories of things, so you don't have to search through long and frequently derailing threads.
Ahh, good point.

84. I'm trying to make a thing where a drone operator or robot brain can pilot multiple drones at once (think like the droid control ships from Star Wars), and then destroying the control station would ground all the drones. Would the "Multitasking" ability fit the bill?

Image

85. I'm also trying to come up with a streamlined "missile jammer" effect. Using energy shields doesn't seem to be quite what I'm looking for. If I add radius to a Curse SN effect, does that effect all incoming attacks, or only those fired from within the radius?

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:39 pm
by Silverdream
Instead of making stats for the drone controller, why not make a simplistic rule:

If blows up, droids blow up. Explosions are cooler and more destructive than simple deactivations.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Wed Nov 06, 2013 11:57 pm
by Kirillyos
Silverdream wrote:Instead of making stats for the drone controller, why not make a simplistic rule:

If blows up, droids blow up. Explosions are cooler and more destructive than simple deactivations.
Right after plummeting out of the sky dramatically, of course, trailing long clouds of thick, black smoke as they spiral toward their fiery doom.

So... about the Multitasking - will it work for that, or am I misreading the entry?

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 2:07 am
by Falk
I think he means it more as "they're all independent but when the ship blows, they do too".

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 2:15 am
by stubby
Kirillyos wrote:84. I'm trying to make a thing where a drone operator or robot brain can pilot multiple drones at once (think like the droid control ships from Star Wars), and then destroying the control station would ground all the drones. Would the "Multitasking" ability fit the bill?
I would just make a Spawner with a house rule that all its Spawns die when it dies.

Otherwise, Multitasking is probably fine for this purpose.

The supernatural dice are there to match the effects you have in mind, rather than the other way around. If you want to make a missile jammer then sure, a Curse d10 will give you a 2" radius Curse around whatever you're using as a jamming projector.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 5:24 pm
by Kirillyos
Thanks!

86. Another question: for something like a jet or starfighter, is thrust bought in addition to regular [space]/flight movement or can it just fly around on pure thrust? I'm trying to stat out some fighter-type vehicles, and the rulebook isn't very specific on this point.

87. Do I buy up thrust separately for each jet/starfighter engine?

Either way, it seems cheaper than buying up regular flight.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 8:18 pm
by stubby
Sure. And it is cheaper than regular flight -- as long as the thrusters are already pointed in the direction you want to go. If you need to buy separate thrusters for turning, then it turns out to be less of a bargain.

Yes, you buy up thrust separately for each thruster. So if you've only got two thrusters and the left one gets damaged, you'll be doing a whole lot of turning left.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 10:25 pm
by Kirillyos
stubby wrote:Sure. And it is cheaper than regular flight -- as long as the thrusters are already pointed in the direction you want to go. If you need to buy separate thrusters for turning, then it turns out to be less of a bargain.

Yes, you buy up thrust separately for each thruster. So if you've only got two thrusters and the left one gets damaged, you'll be doing a whole lot of turning left.
Okay, so specific example:

I recently purchased the Swarm Interceptor from LEGO's excellent Galaxy Squad line (great series, I recommend it)
Image

With both modules joined together, the starfighter is appx. 6" long. Structure Level 2 sounds about right for it.

Looking at the propultion chart, it recommends about 24" of move for starfighter interceptors.
Taking the formula: (2CP + Structure Level) per 2" Move, I end up with a cost of (24/2)x(2+2) = 12x4 = 48 CP.

However, glancing down the page, thrust only costs 1CP per 2" Thrust. If I put 24" of thrust on both engines it would only cost me 24 CP (12 per engine). That's half of what I'm paying for regular flight.

88. I assume I can engage both thrusters simultaneously for straight-line flight, and then one or the other for turning?

89. And yes, your comment about losing control if one gets shot off is noted. I am trading stability for a bargain on propulsion, aren't I?

90. So... am I at least in the ballpark here, or did I misread the entry on how thrust works?

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Thu Nov 07, 2013 11:38 pm
by stubby
Well first off, 6" is on the medium-to-large end for a BrikWars vehicle. So this ship might be on the beefy side to be intercepting smaller fighters.

Thrusters work by you putting a fingertip on one or more of them and pushing in the direction they're pointing, so forward motion is easy but turning with any precision is difficult (unless you also have rotational thrusters). That whole section is getting overhauled with better examples and graphics (and removing the majority of the text, hopefully), so it's not super clear right now, I know,.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 2:32 am
by Kirillyos
stubby wrote:Well first off, 6" is on the medium-to-large end for a BrikWars vehicle. So this ship might be on the beefy side to be intercepting smaller fighters.
Eh, the forward launch that splits off is only 3". Besides, the Lego TIE Interceptor is even larger (if you take the wings into account), though that size is mostly from surface elements. Either way, it doesn't really matter if the other fighters are scaled appropriately.

For comparison, the fuselage of the old Naboo Fighter (which I recently rebuilt for old times' sake) actually measures an even larger 7-8" lengthwise (depending on where you call it), from nose to ass aft (if we count the "tail" tine and wings as surface elements), and that's just an old, basic model.

Many of the newer (and more expensive sets) feature even more overcompensatingly long starfighters.

Image

Image

Also, going off the function of their real-life inspiration, the point of interceptor craft is to quickly close the distance and engage enemy bombers (which tend to be quite large) and stop them from delivering their payload, not go figher-to-fighter. Cosequently, fighters, having the upper hand in maneuverability against interceptors, were often used to escort bombers and protect the larger, slower craft against interceptors.
stubby wrote:Thrusters work by you putting a fingertip on one or more of them and pushing in the direction they're pointing, so forward motion is easy but turning with any precision is difficult (unless you also have rotational thrusters).
91. "rotational thrusters"? As in "thrusters sticking out of the sides of the vehicle"?
stubby wrote:That whole section is getting overhauled with better examples and graphics (and removing the majority of the text, hopefully), so it's not super clear right now, I know,.
My apologies if my questions are coming across as dense, but I'm glad the section is getting an overhaul, because I have read it and re-read it numerous times and am still genuinely confused (and I used to launch real rockets as a hobby).

92. Just to make sure I got this right: vehicle movement with thrust as the only propulsion bought is perfectly legitimate?

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Fri Nov 08, 2013 10:37 am
by stubby
Kirillyos wrote:Eh, the forward launch that splits off is only 3". Besides, the Lego TIE Interceptor is even larger (if you take the wings into account), though that size is mostly from surface elements. Either way, it doesn't really matter if the other fighters are scaled appropriately.
Even 3" is pretty big in some games. It depends on the overall scale of the battle of course, but the typical BrikWars vehicle tends towards the single-passenger 4x6-plate size more than anything else.
Kirillyos wrote:Also, going off the function of their real-life inspiration, the point of interceptor craft is to quickly close the distance and engage enemy bombers (which tend to be quite large) and stop them from delivering their payload, not go figher-to-fighter. Cosequently, fighters, having the upper hand in maneuverability against interceptors, were often used to escort bombers and protect the larger, slower craft against interceptors.
Hmm. I may end up changing the role of interceptors in the rulebook to serve as the example craft for rockets, since high velocity and low maneuverability matches this role pretty neatly.
Kirillyos wrote:"rotational thrusters"? As in "thrusters sticking out of the sides of the vehicle"?
That's right.
Kirillyos wrote:
stubby wrote:That whole section is getting overhauled with better examples and graphics (and removing the majority of the text, hopefully), so it's not super clear right now, I know.
My apologies if my questions are coming across as dense, but I'm glad the section is getting an overhaul, because I have read it and re-read it numerous times and am still genuinely confused (and I used to launch real rockets as a hobby).
Yeah that whole section is very first draft. My process is to get the entire system on paper first and shake it down for awhile before locking down a presentation strategy to make it comprehensible. (For other examples, see Field Hazards in Chapter 8 and basically all of Chapter 10). Then I edit out almost all of it and start plugging in graphics and examples.
Kirillyos wrote:Just to make sure I got this right: vehicle movement with thrust as the only propulsion bought is perfectly legitimate?
Absolutely.

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 2:51 am
by Kirillyos
Thank you for clearing this up. And I'm glad to be of help. I've done my own share of game design (mostly in RPGs) and reviewed many a homebrew system made by players and I know there are plenty of concepts that seem to make perfect sense in the head of the designer that when others read it make them go "huh?"

Re: Newbish n00b questions, MkII

Posted: Sat Nov 09, 2013 5:38 pm
by Kirillyos
93. Can a Scout use Pathfinding to disarm a timed or remote-detonated explosive?

94. What would be a good way to stat out remote-detonated explosives? Off the top of my head, I'm thinking pay 1CP for a "trigger" (those walkie-talkie radios from the police sets will come in handy) as a "minifig tool" and then an additional 1CP for each detonator (which may be attached to an explosive before or during combat). Or are these already in the rules somewhere and I just missed them?

I can see lots of potential for mayhem with a Scout sneaking one of these into an enemy's munitions depot and then laughing maniacally as he blows it all up from a distance after sneaking back out.