This is a very interesting twist to your IHW games.  I thought that IHW, and Starcluster were two separate games, and that the mechanics could intertwine, but combining the two looks cool.  Or maybe I am completely wrong?  

BTW...love IHW Dragons...and not to throw this off topic, but I thought you mentioned a kind of Zombie like IHW game, that you were producing with Kyle?  If I am mistaken, I apologize, but if I am not, then when do you expect that out?

Quote from: Venosha;279121This is a very interesting twist to your IHW games.  I thought that IHW, and Starcluster were two separate games, and that the mechanics could intertwine, but combining the two looks cool.  Or maybe I am completely wrong?  

No, you are correct. StarCluster is a different game line from IHW. IHW is military, and I am applying the IHW mechanics to the StarCluster setting.

QuoteBTW...love IHW Dragons...and not to throw this off topic, but I thought you mentioned a kind of Zombie like IHW game, that you were producing with Kyle?  If I am mistaken, I apologize, but if I am not, then when do you expect that out?

Kyle and I are writing IHW: Scum of the Earth, which is a Napoleonic Army game. The Scum of the Earth is what Wellington called his troops.

-clash

Sorry, Clash... I can't realistically use hours as a proper unit of measurement in conversation for any trip that will require one or more rest cycles to complete.... short of using it for an exact measurement.

For the purposes of discussion, a 110 hour journey generally translates to 'days' of travel, even 'four and a half days' for some folks.

Though I trust your co-writer's math is better than my decades old memory, at least I wasn't hugely off...

Quote from: Spike;279131Sorry, Clash... I can't realistically use hours as a proper unit of measurement in conversation for any trip that will require one or more rest cycles to complete.... short of using it for an exact measurement.

For the purposes of discussion, a 110 hour journey generally translates to 'days' of travel, even 'four and a half days' for some folks.

Though I trust your co-writer's math is better than my decades old memory, at least I wasn't hugely off...

Hi Spike!

Actually, what I originally said was "tens of hours." At higher accelerations and/or shorter distances you can certainly get down to under a day.  Flights between something like the Jovian moons  would be very short.

-clash

Well, certainly travel between moons of the same planetary body would be short transits.  Hell, we could do that thirty odd (fourty?) years ago, even escaping the gravity well as part of the process.

Now, I know earlier you were saying some thing about how people don't go to war because they like the status quo (actually you said they didn't WANT to be part of a galactic Empire... which oddly enough probably sums up the opinion of 90% of all the various human civilizations in all of history that were conquered.... sadly, their opinion of the matter is somewhat moot by default.).  but it only takes one agressive power with the will to try to really toss everything into the wringer... and by extension make everything and everyone else a bit more unsettled (and thus: dynamic!)... I mean: its your setting and all, so this is all just conjecture on my part.

But given the limits you've stated I could see a power attempting this:

Finding a system with a weak (or weaker than average) jump point defense fleet (overall system defense is less important), possibly due to complacency or artifically created by pirate activities elsewhere in the system...  

Inflitrate q-ships into system weeks and months before the main push. Disguised as official diplomatic and trade vessels, as independent freighters and so forth, they have holds full of fighter craft, hidden (and inactive until necessary...) torpedo launchers and whatever other weapons are used that can be mounted externally once the fight has started... even if less efficent than traditional mounts.

The 'fleet' consists of massive, heavily armored, jump capable 'fortresses' predominantly. As big as possible (jump limits or simply engineering limits), designed to sustain withering bombardments for significant periods, and supporting entire flights of fighter craft, possibly even larger combat vessels (limits of jump capabilities), destroyers and so forth, which may not actually be jump capable themselves in the name of more combat efficency on landing.

These vessels are launched... spammed really... into system more or less at the same time. Obviously they won't land simultaniously, or even necessarily close too it, but combined with the Q-ships already in system, and the fact that it takes days to respond properly (with, obviously, the launch window timed to coincide with the longest response time (that is the core habitable worlds being as far from the solitary jump point you've postulated... along with any ships in orbit there...), making it more likely that second and third Seige-Ships have landed, the Q-Ships (who's signal is obviously the arrival of same...) and original Seige-ship holding )blockading) the jump point awaiting reinforcements.

The Follow-on fleet, launched in the mathematic window suggested by overlapping margin of errors may have combat vessels (battleships and more traditional carriers) arriving in close proximatity, but after, the first seige vessels, and includes support craft, infantry carriers, and so forth.

Depending on factors, it may be possible that the previous infiltration of the system will include machinery to be assembled in the wilds of the system to build a crude by servicable shipyard to crank out combat vessels for the purpose of both piracy (to draw away defense fleets) and reinforcement (arriving days after the first vessel, for example, to face existing defense boats that have presumably begun arriving).

Even if the first seige-ship (and, presumptively the bulk of the q-ships), there isn't time to properly reinforce from follow-on vessels, breaking the defenses.

This is purely military planning here, the idea of sabotage and 'terrorist acts' against the military forces at the jump gate would be usefull as well. A single 'mishap' that has a civilian vessel 'accidentally' plow into the heart of the defense fleet even days before the first landing would seriously disrupt the abilty of the defenders to rally.


My question isn't so much why you haven't written stuff like that into the setting but why its never happened in the recent history at all? Succeed or fail the seige of System X would be a major, and expected occurance to people looking back into history.  Peace seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

Quote from: Spike;279324My question isn't so much why you haven't written stuff like that into the setting but why its never happened in the recent history at all? Succeed or fail the seige of System X would be a major, and expected occurance to people looking back into history.  Peace seems to be the exception rather than the rule.

But it has happened. Sometimes initially successfully, too. It has just never been successful over the long term, as in beyond one or two systems. I said this before, Spike: "UP TO THIS POINT, there have been no *successful* attempts to create an extra-stellar star Empire. The alliances have been successful in dealing with any such attempt. That does *not* mean that the next one won't be successful! This also does *not* mean that there aren't other aggressions, wars, and troubles. Utopias are boring."

-clash

I finished up my In Harm's Way 1805 campaign early Saturday, and my players voted to begin playtesting In Harm's Way: StarCluster. We created characters - one human male, one VaHu female, one uplifted crocodile, one human (female) shaped robot, and one designed bioroid, with wings and a vicious natural attack. We'll have one more to go, as one player was sick and couldn't make it. They were all SpecOps characters, about 30 years old. The Human and the Crock were officers, the rest were non-coms.

Tonight I finished up my Armor section. I'm very pleased with the results! Military armor has to be a lot more sophisticated than that available to the public. I created a bunch of different base models, with optional optics, other sensors, Comm channels, programs, and skins that can be mixed and matched as needed. Base suits vary as to environmental sealing, power pack and taps, program slots, optic channels, Comm Channel slots, Armor material and damage reduction, amount of Power Boost, and other variables.

Now I have to create some military weapons...

Here is an illo and description of the Scout Armor base armor type. There are eight other base armor types.




-clash

Motivated by the "incompetent" thread, I've decided do make point-buy of INT, LUCK, PSI, and Social Class totally optional, and add additional optional rules for randomly rolling these stats. This will be in-line in the text, rather than in the back with the other optional rules, which some people never get to - at least I get many questions about things that are covered with the optional rules. I'll put notes on randomly generating physical stats in the back.

-clash

I can't see the Illos. Spike be a sad pika now.

Don't worry none, Clash. I backed off a bit this thread because I was afraid I was getting too strident (or appearing strident, or I dunno... striding.... I be the thread walker?).

I think one thing that could be considered regarding the role of social class is that its quite common to see it weighted/scaled alongside other attributes equally, when the perception at the table is often that it is not.  Thus you have the idea that one MUST be stupid or unlucky to be rich, yadda yadda.

I think that one option not taken nearly often enough is a reduced scale for that particular 'attribute'.  Half, or double value for points spent... its still a sacrifice, but not as much of one.   Logically speaking, it might be easier for a 'noble' to skate by on his family wealth/connections/titles, thus not forcing him to work as hard to get ahead, while not actually having to be a dunderhead.

Personally, the entire incompetent thread seemed a bit loaded from the start to me.

Quote from: Spike;280875I can't see the Illos. Spike be a sad pika now.

Links for my spiky yellow friend:

Scout Armor
Scout Armor writeup

QuoteDon't worry none, Clash. I backed off a bit this thread because I was afraid I was getting too strident (or appearing strident, or I dunno... striding.... I be the thread walker?).

I think one thing that could be considered regarding the role of social class is that its quite common to see it weighted/scaled alongside other attributes equally, when the perception at the table is often that it is not.  Thus you have the idea that one MUST be stupid or unlucky to be rich, yadda yadda.

I think that one option not taken nearly often enough is a reduced scale for that particular 'attribute'.  Half, or double value for points spent... its still a sacrifice, but not as much of one.   Logically speaking, it might be easier for a 'noble' to skate by on his family wealth/connections/titles, thus not forcing him to work as hard to get ahead, while not actually having to be a dunderhead.

Personally, the entire incompetent thread seemed a bit loaded from the start to me.

No problem. Apropos of Pundit's comments about IHW, the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic era had a system of Influence, whereby "it might be easier for a 'noble' to skate by on his family wealth/connections/titles, thus not forcing him to work as hard to get ahead" - literally. IHW reflects that by giving (in effect) bonus points to the rich and noble British characters to get promoted. You don't have a level playing field. In the American and French navies of the period, the situation is different. Only the very rich had any pull in the American Navy, while the French - being all about egalite - had none. This is reflected in their character backgrounds. American characters get Influence only at the highest levels of wealth, and only a moderate amount, while the French characters get no Influence. Thus if you are playing British characters, Social Standing - and thus Influence - gives you a BIG leg up. Players WANT it.

-clash

The links! They do nothing!

Bah. I'll have to log in at home and check.

There goes a perfectly good evening spent curled up around an out of date game book wasting time.

For the curious: Phoenix Command/Living Steel has been occupying my mind much of late. I am tempted to fill out my collection a bit more from ye olde internets when I've got a little scratch.

I love that armor. Wish it was more colorful (as in not black..not necessarily brightly hued, a good camo would be good.)

Quote from: Silverlion;281004I love that armor. Wish it was more colorful (as in not black..not necessarily brightly hued, a good camo would be good.)

Hi Tim!

Thanks! Unfortunately, black is the SaVaHuTa service color, and cammo is applied with swappable skins. I wanted to show the armor itself, how it was articulated, so I painted it without a skin. I should probably show the same armor with a skin applied, to show how it would look.

The look of the face mask was derived from archaic Greek and Etruscan statues. The three lenses above the eyes are optical inputs.

-clash

Its weird that I could see the spaceship floorplan but not the armor stuff.

Its a bit messy, hard to see the lines when its all in black like that.  Looks interesting beyond that. I can see some attention was paid to joints, which is a nice turn.