Effects of Crippling on Weapon Strength

[sayreg]

I'm pretty new to BFG, and have a simple question about how the crippled status affects ships.
Basically: Where is weapon strength halved, on the stats sheet? Or, during an attack?

Ex 1. A ship with a port and starboard lance of 3, both can fire in a front arc. Each is halved from being crippled to 1.5, rounded up to 2. So then a forward attack would be strength 4?
or
Ex2. A ship with a port and starboard lance of 3, both can fire in a front arc. Total strength of the front arc is 6, then halved from crippled to a strength of 3 during an attack forward?

Which is correct?

Also, how are launch bays crippled? Is the total capacity of the ship crippled, or is each independently listed bay crippled separately.

[horizon]

Example one. You halve per weapon slot. Same applies to launch bays.

[sayreg]

Cool, thanks for the info!

[Bozeman]

I disagree.  Check 2010 update FAQ, page 5, central column, the paragraph beginning bolt text CRIPPLED CAPITAL SHIPS.

For example, a Styx heavy cruiser that is both braced and crippled has a total launch bay strength of 2, or 6/2 =3, then 3/2 =1.5 (rounding up) =2.

A Styx cruiser has a port and starboard Launch Bay of 3, for a total of 6.  If your example #1 is correct, this would be 3 halved to 1.5 each, then rounded up to 2 each for a total of 4.  The 2010 update seems to indicate that you add them together, then halve them.  You would then halve them again if on BFI, as per the above case.

[Seahawk]

How about escort squadrons?

Example: A squadron of four Aconite Frigates. If they were braced, would it be:

1. 5/2 = 2.5, round up to 3, times 4 ships, equals FP12
or
2. 5x4 = 20, divided by 2 equals FP10.

[Xca|iber]

The way my group plays, we generally add up everything for a given action, then apply halving/rounding as necessary. The only exceptions we use are:

1) Capital Ship Squadrons, where we do it ship-by-ship then add it up (because cap squadrons tend to get complicated with different damage values and crippled statuses, etc) and

2) Firing weapons at different targets, so if a unit is firing a dorsal battery one way, and a port/st'bd battery a different way, we resolve each one separately. I don't know if it's come up, but we might have applied this principle to launch bays as well (so a crippled Styx would either be able to treat each bay as Str 3/2 = 1.5 -> 2, but wouldn't be able to combine them, or combine the two sets of bays to launch a Str 6/2 = 3 wave), however there isn't any explicit rules allowance for doing it that way.

[horizon]

I disagree.  Check 2010 update FAQ, page 5, central column, the paragraph beginning bolt text CRIPPLED CAPITAL SHIPS.

For example, a Styx heavy cruiser that is both braced and crippled has a total launch bay strength of 2, or 6/2 =3, then 3/2 =1.5 (rounding up) =2.

A Styx cruiser has a port and starboard Launch Bay of 3, for a total of 6.  If your example #1 is correct, this would be 3 halved to 1.5 each, then rounded up to 2 each for a total of 4.  The 2010 update seems to indicate that you add them together, then halve them.  You would then halve them again if on BFI, as per the above case.

Frell,
you are correct on this one. Forgot that bit. I was still thinking in the original rules as we still play.


@ Seahawk:
Per squadron total. But if, for example, in a squadron of five Swords two are firing abeam and three prow on then those are calculated separately.
Also if you decide to split fire you calculate on that.

[Seahawk]

Ahh, I see the FAQ screws over escort squadrons on page 3.

Curious effect though: If four Firestorm frigates all shoot at one ship, they'll have 2 lances and 4 WB. If they all shoot at separate ships, they get 4 lances and 4 WB.