BFG:R Nova Cannon

[afterimagedan]

IN and Tau? Do orks count?

[AndrewChristlieb]

My only problem with the new torp rule is that they still have ac waves. If they're going to say a 6 str torp salvo needs to be represented by a 3 str because people are complaining about a graze by one edge causes the whole salvo to attack. However ac waves are still hugh blocks that if grazing a ships base the entire wave attacks. Not that this would be a problem except that with large waves (16 or more) this allows the rear most ac upwars of 10+cm "extra" move.

[Plaxor]

The Nova Cannon Lock On rules are changed to as follows, "Vessels firing Nova Cannon which are on Lock On special orders roll an additional die for scatter distance and choose one die not to count before measuring scatter distance."

This should help make LO not so drastic with NCs, and also giving the small boost to the weapon we were looking for.

Ordnance waves should be changed to only one marker per type within a wave, with a  D6 to represent the number of that type within the wave. So a wave of 4 fighters would be a  single fighter marker with a D6 next to it, a wave of 2 bombers and 2 fighters would be one bomber and one fighter marker with 2D6 of different colours placed next to it etc.

I hope this helps, I am currently working on v1.2 of the core rules, which should fix these issues, as well as be a more usable system. Unfortunately I won't have most fleets done until around the new year, but I hope to work through the rules into an 'Alpha' playtest version by then. I started a blog for my progress; http://strategicconclave.blogspot.com/

[AndrewChristlieb]

Ac rule sounds good as for the novas I'm not so sure lo would have a big effect, must make some rolls after work. It might be better worded if the player has the option to reroll but the new roll stands even if worse.

[Admiral_d_Artagnan]

Proposed change to NC on LO is too weak. Better to just improve the NC and then limit it as the fluff dictates. LO should be on the scatter dice.

[Plaxor]

Re-rolling scatter proves to play a bit too powerful, although it does make some sense. Proposed makes it when you 'miss' you don't miss as bad, which makes sense for LO, however mechanics are a bit weird.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Sorry I ment reroll the distance of scatter, not the scatter die itself. The wording on your rule sounds a bit.. rough?

[Admiral_d_Artagnan]

Re-rolling scatter proves to play a bit too powerful, although it does make some sense. Proposed makes it when you 'miss' you don't miss as bad, which makes sense for LO, however mechanics are a bit weird.

Which is why NCs should be limited. You can't really make it any less powerful. Using LO on the scatter roll is a different mechanic from the typical LO where one has a chance to hit again. As long as the weapon is limited, it shouldn't be able to do a lot of damage every turn. 1 in 500 or 1 in 750 will limit it effectively.

How about this: In the rules I made, a miss where the center hole still scatters onto the base only does D3 damage. This helps balance things. Maybe this can be incorporated in the LO rules as well if people think LO on NC is too powerful if D6 is retained as damage. Meaning on LOs, a missed NC rerolls scatter dice and on a hit would only cause D3 damage at most. Personally, I still prefer D6 but it would be a good compromise.

[lastspartacus]

I used to agree that Novas should be limited, and it even matches fluff, but my secret passion has always been to match another part of fluff: the part that says novas have always been lesser used than torps because torps are more tactically reliable and fit the fleet tactics.  Hard to do in game though, when the alternate of the torp volley can cripple a cruiser in one hit and reach anywhere on the board.

But I can still dream.

One idea, in the vastness of space, would be to simply be roll a d6, miss 1-2, one hit 2-5, direct hit 6, or some such.
Scatter and blasts hitting multiple ships be damned.

Another limiter would be RO to reload the huge thing, never understood why it wasn't RO in the first place.

[AndrewChristlieb]

+1 to reload, you know its required to ro in rogue trader. Some people have said this may be a bit much tho as almost every capitol ship in the IN fleet would have to use ro to fire their prow weapons. As a side note iirc there used to be some rules for alternate warheads, similar to the alternate torpedoes. Do you have any plans to include these? I can't seem to find the exact rules right now tho might have been a bfg mag or warp storm something like that...

[lastspartacus]

Also, in the fluff, when the cruiser is crippled by a nova, it is regarded as a resounding success, giving the impression that novas don't often succeed like that.  So we just need to know that novas can potentially cripple a cruiser at extreme range.
Thus, make it d6 lance hits on direct hit, d3 or one on indirect, 30cm minimum range.  No RO order needed.  No points increase even needed

[AndrewChristlieb]

If your going to suggest lance shots why not say 6 lance shots instead of D6. Adding the extra roll is unnecessary and the standard mechanics for lock on could be used. (Roll 6 lances on a direct hit, 3 on a glancing hit, novas on lock on may reroll misses as normal)

[lastspartacus]

Because you would get roughly the same results with a straight 6 lance shots. 1d6 or 2d3 on a direct hit on target vessel, d3 on any scatter.  The goal is to make it no more appealing than a torpedo salvo.

[AndrewChristlieb]

Idk the nova is more expensive, fairly inaccurate, and you really only get one or two shots in most games. It seems that it should have something to make it as desirable as torpedoes.

[lastspartacus]

My proposition assumes that novas would cost nothing extra than torpedoes.  1d6 lance shots on direct hit, 1 lance shot on template hit.  Problem solved.