Suicide Shuttles

[terryoc]

Yep, in rule (4F5c).

[Kang]

Ah! Thanks!

[Mike]

cross post

[Hod K'el]

Yes...4F5c. Duh!

And Terry, they do not go pop if they are launched from a ship going 16+1 or faster. They will if you tractor them and drag them at that speed, but then the enemy vessel has still used power, which is what I said.

Y'all have a nice day now, y'hear?

[pauls]

One use or abuse of SS not so far mentioned.

They make very effective loss leaders against Bases. as SS actualy move faster than bases. In a recent game My gorns moved from range 24 to range 16 on a base launching SS of various sizes every impulse. By the end of the turn I had a large heap of SS all stacked in the hex with my ships. In two turns the base would have had all those to deal with as well as my plasma.

It didn't occur as the Hydran fleet came out to play and much carnage ensued followed by the base dying to plasma without the SS making an impact. it might have been the armoured drones (SS) that convinced the Hydran to come out and play of course rather than hunking around the base to give my plasma lots of gatling loving?

[Hod K'el]

Which also means that the Station Commander can pump one point of power into each of his shuttles and target your shuttles and launch long before your shuttles reach the station. I think the odds would get better for the station, but I also think he is in trouble no matter how you look at this. [He better have some very good gunners on those Hellbores!]

[OGOPTIMUS]

Which also means that the Station Commander can pump one point of power into each of his shuttles and target your shuttles and launch long before your shuttles reach the station. I think the odds would get better for the station, but I also think he is in trouble no matter how you look at this. [He better have some very good gunners on those Hellbores!]

Shouldn't you use two points per shuttle to get the full 6 points of damage?

Or are you just trying to weaken them so they can be killed with either long range or few close range phaser shots?

[Hod K'el]

I have a six point shuttle that has a three point warhead in it. My calculations say this is enough to take out another shuttle...and the only reason I have athree point warhead is because the rules say I have to put power into it to launch it.

You may have put forth a good question in your post. Why do I have to put any power into a seeking shuttle if I am seeking another shuttle? If they crash into each other, they are both dead anyway.

[OGOPTIMUS]

I have a six point shuttle that has a three point warhead in it. My calculations say this is enough to take out another shuttle...and the only reason I have athree point warhead is because the rules say I have to put power into it to launch it.

A shuttle is destroyed by 6 damage points. So don't you need to cause all 6 damage points? Or am I being thick-headed and forgetting something?

You may have put forth a good question in your post. Why do I have to put any power into a seeking shuttle if I am seeking another shuttle? If they crash into each other, they are both dead anyway.

That is an interesting dynamic. Though I don't know why the suicide shuttle would home in on the new shuttle that you launched. And you need something to blow up the one coming in.

Perhaps I'm missing a wrinkle in the rules here. It's been a while and I don't have my rulebook right here at work, so I can't review the seeking weapons section. I do remember a "seeking weapon seeking another seeing weapon entering the same hex and both are removed" type rule though.

I guess it's been moot before since drones and even the smallest plasmas cause more damage then any other seeking weapon has in damage points.

[Scoutdad]

I have a six point shuttle that has a three point warhead in it. My calculations say this is enough to take out another shuttle...and the only reason I have athree point warhead is because the rules say I have to put power into it to launch it.

No... you have a 3 point warhead that oes three points of damageto the incoming suicide shuttle. Thereby leaving it damaged, but still able to continue towards it's target.

The damage to the incoming suicide shuttle would be caused more from the proximity explosion of the shuttles warhead than from a direct impact.

[mjwest]

You are talking past each other.

Let's take a look at the rule in question, (4F5c):
"The impact of any drone or plasma torpedo on another drone will destroy that drone. Seeking weapons will damage (and possibly destroy) any suicide shuttles or suicide freighters. ... Suicide shuttles cannot target drones."

So, for the base to kill the incoming suicide shuttles, it will have to do 6 (or more) points of damage to each. So, a suicide shuttle with a 3 point warhead will not do it. Tony and the giant robot got it right. (I just wanted to make sure the rule was specifically referenced.)

[DirkSJ]

I have a six point shuttle that has a three point warhead in it. My calculations say this is enough to take out another shuttle...and the only reason I have athree point warhead is because the rules say I have to put power into it to launch it.

No... you have a 3 point warhead that oes three points of damageto the incoming suicide shuttle. Thereby leaving it damaged, but still able to continue towards it's target.

The damage to the incoming suicide shuttle would be caused more from the proximity explosion of the shuttles warhead than from a direct impact.

The rule to check Hod K'el is 4F5c. Drones/plasma auto annihilate a drone but it specifically calls out that shuttles simply take damage and may or may not explode. Also it notes that you can't target a drone with a SS.

So you would want to launch it with 2 points of power (6 strength warhead) to kill another shuttle.

[Scoutdad]

... Tony and the giant robot ...

Sounds like a 1970's live-action kids show that could have been created by Sid and Marty Krofft.

It probably would have aired right after H.R. Puf'nStuf and just before Electra-Woman and Dyna-Girl.

[djdood]

I thought "Tony and the Giant Robot" was a spin-off from "Space Academy", like "Jason of Star Command"? Was this the one with the big futuristic RV and the chimp?

[Scoutdad]

I thought "Tony and the Giant Robot" was a spin-off from "Space Academy", like "Jason of Star Command"? Was this the one with the big futuristic RV and the chimp?

I'm guessing that would make me the chimp???