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Post by Punkrabbitt on Nov 19, 2016 16:45:30 GMT -9
Hopefully shep or okumarts can weigh in on this, as they seem most active and knowledgeable about all things Star Trek. Anyone else is welcome and encouraged to join in as well. Yesterday we were playtesting my Starfleet FiveCore rules, and my buddy Bashytubits was of the opinion that pahsers are short-range, very powerful weapons while photon torpedoes are long-range weapons (not quite so powerful) that will include a blast area even if they miss. I am of the opposite opinion, I always thought phasers were longer range than the photon torpedoes, and the latter usually destroyed their target if they hit. Which way should it be? My ego is not involved here, I just want to make sure I am treating the weapons in the proper way. Thank you for any and all feedback!
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shep
Eternal Member
Red Alert! Shields up! LENS FLARE!!!
Posts: 1,260
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Post by shep on Nov 19, 2016 18:01:58 GMT -9
If you take Star Trek Online as a source, phasers have a longer range than photon torpedoes, and you will usually have to shoot down an enemy's shields first before you can fire a torpedo with full effect. However, depending on the targeted ship's size, one torpedo might not be enough to destroy it. In my opinion, standard photon torpedoes will have no noteworthy blast radius, considering that a torpedo shell is about the size of a coffin (cf. Wrath of Khan or The Undiscovered Country) and is shot at ships several hundred meters long... There is canon evidence that photon torpedoes can go astray and drift off without exploding (cf. that TNG episodes where the Enterprise crew turns back to primeval versions of their respective species). As for Romulan plasma torpedoes, their first appearance in the TOS episode Balance of Terror indicates that they are in general of limited range, but so powerful (damaging an instalation 1 mile below ground), that in my opinion they should be allocated a certain blast radius. This all is of course just my opinion. I could, however, check the rules books from FASA and Far Trek.
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Post by okumarts on Nov 19, 2016 19:44:30 GMT -9
I have always seen phasers as a faster, wearing down a ship's shields and the torpedoes are devastating, but limited in use (must reload, only one direction of fire (no arc)). In the Retro Rockets rules Phasers are shorter range (12 inches) and Torpedos are 15 inches. Phasers can hit targets in an arc, but torpedoes go along a line of hexes (I'm dropping the hex map in the final rules so I will have to figure out a different way to do that). Phasers do regular damage and torpedoes do double damage. I am of the school of thought that torpedoes are deadly.
In Where No Man Has Gone Before RPG ship Constitution class ships have 6 phaser banks (Weapon Rating (WR) 20) and 2 Torpedo Banks (WR 25). Shields on Constitution Class Ships are rated at 18. Klingon disruptors are WR 30 and Klingon torpedoes are 25.
I will have to have a closer look at Far Trek.
In Starfleet Battles I think the Phasers can fire up to something like 75 hexes and Photons only go 15, but do lots of damage.
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Post by Punkrabbitt on Nov 19, 2016 20:16:15 GMT -9
Thank you, guys. FiveCore is a lot simpler than worrying about how many shields you have up, it is built into the basic shooting rules. But you both seem to be of the opinion that phasers shoot further but torpedoes do more damage.
I wasn't so far off after all :-)
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shep
Eternal Member
Red Alert! Shields up! LENS FLARE!!!
Posts: 1,260
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Post by shep on Nov 19, 2016 23:20:39 GMT -9
Had a look at FASA and Far Trek...
FASA seem to use no range limits, however, the phasers get a +3 (close) to +1 (far) damage bonus depending on the distance to the enemy. You have to allocate a certain number of power points to the phasers (up to a maximum depending on the phaser type) which are then added to the range bonus to calculate the damage the phasers deal. Torpedoes do a fixed amount of damage but take only 1 power to arm. Either damage reduces the shield hit and finally damages the hull as soon as the shield falls to 0.
Far Trek uses weapon ratings (WR). Interestingly, the various phaser types have an equal or higher WR (+2 to +4) than photon torpedoes (+2). Romulan heavy plasma torpedoes sport a +6 WR. Your enemy's shields reduce the WR of the weapon you fire, you then add the remaining bonus to a 3d6 roll and look up the result of your attack on the following chart: 3 to 9 = no effect; 10 to 14 = graze; 15 to 17 = direct hit; 18+ = critical hit
Depending on the result of your roll, you either reduce the enemy's shields or roll on the Saystem Damage Chart to see which system of the ship got hit and perhaps destroyed. Bottom line: Far Trek uses a more cineastic approach... ^^
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