From: str@qdot.qld.gov.au (Shaun Travers) Description: WarpWar Fighters Revisited As promised, I have revised my Warpwar fighter rules and put them into a logical and coherent format. -shaun 1.0 FIGHTERS I always thought fighters would make a nice addition to WarpWar. I miss the idea of carriers that are always in most SF games. Fighters are small craft carried by another ship. Smaller than system ships but larger than missiles, they contain elements of both. Fighters are denoted by the letter F. Fighters cost 1BP to build and cost nothing to store on a ship. However a ship can never carry more fighters than originally designed for. 1.1 Launching/Retrieving There are two non-compatible options for launching/retrieving fighters. Both are presented here but only one should be used in a game. One is similar to missiles, the other is similar to system ships. IMO, I prefer the systemship method. 1.1.1 Common Rules Fighters require a launch tube to launch or be retrieved. Up to two fighters may use a launch tube in any combat turn. Launch tubes are denoted by an L and cost 1BP. The same fighter cannot launch and be retrieved in the same turn. However one fighter may be launched while another is retrieved though the same launch tube. Any fighters left behind after all other friendly ships with Launch tubes have left/been destroyed will be destroyed after 3 combat turns (life support is limited). Fighters can never be left in a system alone. They must be stored on a ship at the end of a turn. The 'Systemship Shuffle' phase may be used for this. 1.1.2 Missile Method It costs one Drive point to power an L. Beams and Shields cannot be used while launching or retrieving fighters. Missiles may be used. Fighters may be used on the turn during their launch and on the turn of retrieval. 1.1.3 Systemship method Fighters are launched and retrieved exactly per the systemships rule. The carrying ship must select D=0 S=0 to launch/retrieve fighters. Missiles cannot be used. Beams may be used. A Launch Tube is required per two fighters but does not need power. Fighter Carriers are as vulnerable as systemship carriers with this option. 1.2 Fighter Attacks Fighters always use the Attack order and my select any Drive number greater than 0 (just like missiles). Optional: Allow fighters to select the Attack or Dodge order. This should only be used with the systemship method. Fighters do 1 points of damage. 1.3 Firing at Fighters: A ship/fighter may fire a fighter or fire missiles at fighters. Any hit destroys a fighter. Normally a ship can only fire its Beam at one other target ship. There are two methods to alleviate this: Build multiple Beams or allow multiple firing on fighters. 1.3.1 Multiple Beams A ship can be built with more than one Beam. Each Beam may optionally fire at different targets (fighter or ship). This means a ship may select more than one target. To build an extra Beam costs 1BP. There is nothing to stop the Beams combining fire. This rule simply makes it possible to defend against fighters at a slight cost. Examples W7 B=3 B=2 S=4 PD=10 Cost is 25, not 24. This ship may fire 3 at one target and 2 at another, or 5 at a single target. S21 B=1 B=1 B=1 S=2 PD=7 Cost is 14, not 12. This ship may fire 1 at three different targets OR 2 at one target and 1 at another OR 3 at one target. 1.3.2 Multiple Firing Allow a Beam to split its fire if all but one of its targets are fighters. This is similar to the Multiple Beam option, however extra targets must be fighters and no cost is involved *OR*, remove the 'but one' from the previous sentence and allow split fire ONLY if ALL targets are fighters. 1.4 Other Fighter Types This rule is optional and I probably would never use it but ideas are cheap. 1.4.1 Anti-Fighter Fighters Anti-fighter fighters (FA) are specifically designed to destroy other fighters. They can never target other ships. FAs may only select the attack order but may select TWO Drive numbers (against the same fighter). The greater chance to hit is offset by the greater chance of being destroyed themselves. FAs cost 1 BP. Maybe normal fighters should select two Drive numbers? Playtesting. Playtesting. Playtesting. The only way to find out. 1.4.2 Missile Fighters Missile Fighters (FM) only armament is one missile. This missile may be fired at any target. Once the missile is fired the fighter must return to a ship to reload. Reloading does not take very long. A fighter may be retrieved on a turn, and be launched with a loaded missile the next turn. Missile fighters use the same drive rating as the missile for targeting purposes. FMs cost 1BP. Missile Fighters are primarily used to get as many missiles in action during a combat round.