Re: Even Even More on the Theoretical Ship System

Abbadon the Dark Angel of Morning meandered fecklessly...

Mornings have a dark angel?  No wonder I hate getting up in
the morning!


> Once your schedule stabilizes and the money is flowing in [ ;) ],

Well, I was promoted today, so that helps on the monetary side, but
my work schedule is still going to be wonky.  So the combat system
is a little ways away.


> I'd suggest, if I may, different rolls or manouvers specified for the
> different ram types: blunt/piercing [I saw little different between the
two
> & lumped 'em together; pretty mich aim the ram-equipment at some unarmored
> section of the foe's ship and stomp the gas], and grappling [aim the gear
at
> an opportune section which allows alot of clingy stuff to entangle and
grab,
> and ALSO allow a zone over which the bloodthirsty crew can swarm to engage
> the enemy]. I suppose if folks seperate the crushing rams of ships like
the
> Mantis, this could be yet another entry.

Hmmm.  I do feel that grappling rams should have their own considerations,
though I am not so sure a seperate maneuver is called for.  Perhaps the
grappling ram would be best served by the 3e grappling rules.  I will have
to check those and see.  It might also allow for grappling rams to have
varying strengths and capabilities, something I have wanted to do
since the first incarnation of my ship design system, but never did get
around to.


> [This also reminds me to whine
> about rigging shear-attacks.. add them too!]

Absolutely.  That is already planned.  I thing rigging shears should
be common weapons, especially on smaller ships.  I think they do
a good job of helping to justify smaller fighter-type craft in Spelljammer,
something I am in favor of.


> And on the subject of Boarding, making it its own type of manouver seems
> right to me. A wise jammer would attempt [since this is 3D battle, and not
> flat ocean combat], to position his vessel with the gunwals higher than
the
> foe, to that his crew could drop a short distance to engage, and... [snip]

An excellent point.  Boarding is half the fun of ship combat.  I will
definitely keep this in mind.  I do think some decent rules are in order
to cover the use of grapple lines or poles.  I can't see a ship just
running up side another and letting men jump over.  Even if spelljamming
ships aren't as maneuverable as most sci-fi ships, it would be
incredibly hard for one ship to come along side another and keep
pace and position long enough for men to cross over.

A boarding maneuver, along with rules to cover grappling, are a
good idea.


> I hope this stuff can make it into the new system; the buckles to swash,
the
> more I like it. :)

Yup.  Anything that adds more of a swashbuckler element to the
game is a good thing.

Thanks for the feedback and ideas!


Leroy Van Camp III
malacoda@??????.net
http://www.users.uswest.net/~malacoda/TarkasBrainLabIV.html
ICQ #20039817

"My hamster had five babies last week.  This morning when I
looked in the cage she had ate two of them little babies.

What the heck.  Had a couple myself."

                                  Earl, Red Meat