Flak Turbolasers

[CRMcNeill]

So, as I discussed here and here, I've finally found a technobabble method by which a turbolaser bolt can be made to fracture on itself at a relatively predictable distance. Short version, the cannon uses an energy choke (possibly gravitic in nature) to fractionally reduce the speed of the leading portion of a turbolaser bolt, which in turn causes the main body of the turbolaser bolt to overrun and disrupt upon itself, eventually fracturing into a cloud/blast of blaster energy that disperses over a wider area. While this is relatively ineffective against capital ships, it would allow turbolasers to be much more effective against starfighters, in much the same way the dual-purpose cannon on modern naval warships can be used in both anti-surface and anti-air targets.

While it relies on similar tech, the flak turbolaser (or alternately, the flak firing mode for turbolasers and ion cannon) is sufficiently different that, IMO, it deserves its own topic. I have also come up with a sufficiently realistic sounding acronym for Flak (which is derived from the real-world German word for "aircraft defense cannon") that I feel I can justify keeping the term. As mentioned in the 2nd of the above links, the acronym is Fractional Lag Accretion Kinetics" (I had originally used Kinesis, but that is apparently a biology term, not a physics one).

At this point, I have some basic ideas as to how this would work stats-wise, but I'm wondering whether it should be a separate weapon system, or if it should be an alternate firing mode available to extant turbolasers and ion cannon.

Thoughts and impressions?
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"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[garhkal]

I'd say separate weapon system myself. BUT precidence for it being both, exists via Battle star galactica, in that many of their flak batteries could be retro fitted with different ammo for cap ship vs cap ship battles..
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Confucious sayeth, don't wash cat while drunk!

[Naaman]

I think the first question to answer is why, if this is more effective against starfighters, would a standard turbo laser even be used in the first place. In the empire, Palpatine has the authority to get whatever he wants essentially for free (or, at the cost of slave labor, to be more precise).

Having drastically reduced range might be justification, but since starfighters essentially engage capital ships at what is effectively point blank range (relative to distances from the capital ship), it seems a bit of a moot point.

Perhaps the trade off could be having a charge up or cool down time between shots?

Maybe the damage could be reduced in exchange for a greater chance of hitting? In other words, maybe the flak round hits oftendue to "spread," but lacks the total intensity of a typical laser blast.

Otherwise, it seems like we are just redifining what a turbo laser is, rather than creating an additional option.

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

[garhkal]

[CRMcNeill]

That makes breakdowns way more common than the source material makes it out to be.

Besides, PCs generally aren't going to be on the operating end of this stuff, they'll be on the receiving end, with the guns breaking down or being taken out of service once the PCs are dead or long gone. I don't really feel like adding yet another potential mishap for GMs to keep track of all to trade -2D Damage for +2D Fire Control on an NPC ship.

And if that doesn't work for you, g, just think about all the fun you'll get to have throwing flak-capable ISDs at your player characters.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Bren]

I like the acronym.

[CRMcNeill]

[CRMcNeill]

I had another thought on this. I had originally planned on representing this by basically just shifting flak-mode turbolasers to a lower scale, but that doesn't really encapsulate the effect described in the source, where a flak-blast takes out multiple starfighters when it detonates amongst them. I'm thinking instead of treating flak-mode turbolasers like normal, but allowing them to function as blast radius weapons, instead. The main limitation to energy weapons having a blast radius in space is that, in the absence of a direct hit on something, there is nothing there to detonate and cause proximity damage. However, in this case, the blast is effectively impacting and detonating on itself, and doing so in a reasonably predictable manner.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[MrNexx]

[CRMcNeill]

My current theory is allowing the secondary weapons on most capital ships (mostly single and dual turbolasers) to fire in this mode, while the larger turbolaser batteries and heavy turbolasers (main guns on heavy cruisers and dreadnoughts) are reserved for anti-ship work.

Your suggestion of going with reduced Scale sounds remarkably like the idea I originally proposed...

I have a bare bones idea for capital ship combat rules that includes allowing PCs to act as starfighter squadron commanders, controlling the entire squadron as a sort of distributed architecture starship that can be flown in a variety of formations depending on the tactical necessity, with the "Attack Formation" being ships in close formation that can be targeted as an entire unit by blast-effect weapons like concussion missiles or flak energy bursts.
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Barbarossa41]

I like it. Maybe they could look like this.


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Alea Jacta Est - Julius Caesar

[CRMcNeill]

The link comes up as Access Denied...
_________________
"No set of rules can cover every situation. It's expected that you will make up new rules to suit the needs of your game." - The Star Wars Roleplaying Game, 2R&E, pg. 69, WEG, 1996.

The CRMcNeill Stat/Rule Index

[Barbarossa41]

Sorry, how do you embed images?

I am a bit of a forum n00b.
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Alea Jacta Est - Julius Caesar