Weapons modules

Ian Bowley pointed out a number of problems with the weapons module
design, none of which prevent it from being used effectively, they
just impose tactical limitations on the ship.

It is designed for a patrol ship or a fleet battleship, where the object
is disable an enemy ship before he gets close.  If all 4 weapons mounts
are loaded with Shou Rocket batteries, you could destroy a Beholder
ship at a range of 3 hexes in one volley.  You'd probably lose the weapons
mounts to misfires, but the ability to take out a Tyrant ship at greater
than 1 hex is _important_.

Unlike an Elven Man O'War, a ship equiped this way _can_ land, as I said
in the article, the modules can be dismounted (in Wildspace) and stored
on the deck or in the hold.

The _big_ problem with this ship is that it can't pursue into an atmosphere
or a gravity well.  It becomes the equivalent of a deep sea ship.  It
takes about 1 turn for the modules to be stored, and ship can't change
course and most of the crew is busy during this time.

There is a difference in naval theory for a ship operating away from a
base and one operating in and out of the atmosphere.  A ship whose
task is to defend a base can load up on marines and close to ram and
board, for a number of reasons:
1)  Air supply
2)  Even if the ship is wrecked as a result, the base can send rescue
ships.
3)  Better healing and repair facilities are available close to base
4)  Bases can't maneuver to maintain distance, so you _have_ to take
enemy ships out quicker.

One of the reason why I thought Medium Ballistae would be a good weapon
to put on the ship that the range was pretty high for something which
could do hull point damage.  I just couldn't see a Catapult getting
a good vertical traverse designed for it either.  Because it can
do Hull Point damage, it can take out in one shot enemy flitters.
If you have to roll the ship to fire on everything, your crew has to be
very good to time the shot right.  If they can track an enemy with their
weapon, the task is a _lot_ easier, and going against fast flitters that
can be _very_ important.

As Ian pointed out, the connection between the weapon's modules and the
ship is a potential weak point.  Therefore, conservative designers
reassured the Captains of the modified ships that the weapons could be
quickly jettisoned if needed.  The connection is deliberately weaker
than the main support on the ship they connect to.  The connection will
break long before the ship is damaged.

The weapons modules are great for modifying ships for a particular mission.
It doubles their fire power, gives them defenses against small ships,
and gives a 6 large weapon forward volley and a 5 large weapon rear volley.
In wildspace, the encounters are often very mismatched, and one side
will _not_ want to engage, or will want to engage on the best terms.

In fleet actions, not having to turn your ship to fire your weapons is a
great advantage.  Large numbers of ships with these weapon could fly in
close formation, maybe only moving at SR 1 or 2, and smash through looser
formations.

If you have a ship that is superior to your opponent in artillery, you
will want to maintain the range.  That may mean presenting your stern
to an opponent, even an opponent who'd prefer to disengage entirely,
so that he doesn't have the option of boarding or casting spells at you.
So a ship that can fire all or her weapons forward and most to the rear
is tacticly very useful.

On the maneuverability question, you will probably lose some maneuverability
when you install these weapons modules.  If you give the modules their
own rigging so that they can operate independantly in a pinch, you need
a few more crew on the modules, but you maintain your maneuverability rating.


One of the major problems with an artillery based ship is that a ship with
SR of 6 or higher and a good Maneuver rating can close from beyond
artillery range to ram before you can fire.  Weapons which can track and
fire independant of a ship's movement can do opportunity fire on closing
ships, but it is a major tactical problem.  And you don't even need a
particularly potent Helmsman to get to SR 6.

+1 SR for a successful Spelljammer NWP check, +1-2 from increase rating
spell, +1 from the Astromundi potion of Increase Rating.  Have an
increase Maneuverability spell as well, and that slow Whale suddenly
does a Blunt Ram for 90 Hullpoint/ 10 * 7 SR for _63_ Hullpoints of
damage!  A full volley of 4 Shou Rocket Batteries, assuming they all hit,
is only 20d3, or 40 Hull Points. (Ignoring possible criticals).

The faster the ships are, the better the payoff in favor of a ram based
ship, in terms of Hull Point damage.  The closing time is shorter with
a shorter artillery engagement time, and the impact is much greater.  With
faster ships, you can only guarantee one volley of heavy weapons, if your
opponent's intent is to close,  and that assumes you spot him in time to
turn the ship so your heavy weapons can fire.

With outrigger weapons mounts with large firing fields you can put extremely
dangerous weapons that would be too risky to mount on the deck.  They are
vulnerable to a shearing attack, so the crew of the weapon's mounts had
better have good morale because they are on the most exposed part of the
ship.

If you can't afford to lose trained crew to boarding actions all the time,
or you can't pack a large crew onboard, you have no choice but to go
for artillery.  In my opinion, as ships get faster and more maneuverable,
the edge goes to ram and boarding based ships.  If your tactics and missions
call for keeping your distance you don't lose much by making your ship
a better stand off fighter at the expense of vulnerability close in.

I can easily see a Naval strategist, who belongs to a nation which prides
itself on its artillery, would not want to switch to rams, and so would
look for any innovations  which would keep the fleets focus on artillery
as the way to win naval battles.


There are a couple of other ways of dealing with the weapons' mounts
vulnerability to shearing.  Design a ship which has an incredibly strong
spar instead of the breakaway supports, have it braced by ropes, and
have Permanent Illusions of weapons modules on its ends.  When an enemy
approaches to do a shearing ram, it will hit something a lot stronger than
it expects!

Alternately, the weapon's module crew could be trained to bail out and
swing on ropes to get to the main hull, firing and jettisoning the module
into the oncoming ship.  Remember the Shou Rocket Battery ammo?  This
tactic could easily be discovered accidently as a ship which sheared off
a weapons module accidently set off the ammo on the module.

Thinking about it, if you were the Captain of a ship facing a ship equipped
with weapons modules, would _you_ do a shearing attack on a platform with
Rockets, Greek Fire Projectors, or exploding shot?


The basic tactical equation that I'm using is as follows,
1)  The more mobile of the two sides gets to choose the type of engagement,
and even whether there is an engagement, between artillery duel, ram and
board, or pursuit.
2)  If you can't afford the mages or the Major helms to be superior in
movement, you better have incentive for your opponent to avoid a missile
engagement.  An Elven Man O'War, for example, is not going to be able to
find an approach angle where it can fire on you without you being able to
fire on it.  If you have any vulnerable points, an Elven ship will patiently
maneuver, maneuver and maneuver, maybe making twenty passes on that one
vulnerable side where it will have the largest artillery advantage.
3)  In those circumstances where you are facing larger numbers, but not
dramaticly greater speed, the rear firing weapons _might_ disable your
opponents enabling you to get away, or defeat them in detail.
4)  In those circumstances where you have _all_ the advantages, you can then
choose the method of engagement that will cost the fewest lives or fewest
magical one-shot devices, (depending on which you have more in stock of. :)
A patrol ship with a large forward firing battery is not going to be
worried much about a Tradesman with one rear facing heavy weapon thinking
he can win a running fight.  If you only have two or three forward facing
weapons, he might think he has a chance, but against _6_?

Another advantage of loading up on weapons, especially ones which cover
a large area:
Kobold Arrows and Fire Flitters.

Michael Sandy