On the shield subject, you have a few things to consider.
First off, in the ST franchise, it is clear that shields degrade as they are damaged, and that you have multiple shields. Also, the point that is less clear is if a shield can function after it has been penetrated. I think I've seen both happen in the franchise, although generally once a shield is 'down' that angle is generally wide open to attack.
Another thing that is clear is that, if a shield is stronger than the attack, shields generally do not degrade. Once the attack strength begins to exceed the shield's capacity to shed damage, that's when they begin to degrade. Hence the tactic where an opponent focuses on one shield to bring it down. I'm specifically thinking of the episode Elaine of Troyius, where Sulu kept trying to protect the #4 shield, yet the Klingon, with it's superior maneuverability, stayed focused on bringing the #4 shield down.
So I've suggested this before, and indeed have tested this design in a pen an paper game that I never released (might do that at some point, but with the energy allocation conventions I had going on, I'm thinking it would be better suited to a PC game).
Essentially, you can either have an omnifield (protects from all directions), specific shields (deflects attacks from specific facings), or a blend of the two. ST Canon seems to suggest that there is an omnifield of sorts, as we've seen several instances of shields being completely down, as well as specific facings. Also, it seems to take a few seconds for shields to be raised. So I'll focus on the Omnifield aspect first.
You have a centralized field generator that is rated at "R '' power per phase/second/impulse. This power amount is added to the field strength each phase, up to the maximum strength of the field (determined by some multiplier, say 5xR. So if your R rating is 6, you add 6 points per phase to your shield strength, up to a maximum of 30 strength.
What this does is to introduce a shield generation mechanic, so say if an attack is 6, and the regen is 6, well the shield fully regenerates the next phase. If the attack is say 13, well then it'll take 2 phases to mostly regenerate the shield, and 3 phases to regenerate the 13th point.
Next comes the 'put more power into the forward shields' that we've heard so many times in episodes. How I simulated this in my design was to allow power to be directly channeled into one (or more) facing(s) of my omnifield, which would temporarily increase the strength in that facing, but would disappate/force it's way through the bubble on the next phase. I also did this with a 1 to 1 protection ratio, for simplicity. So if you had a strength 30 omnifield, with 6 points of specific reinforcement that phase, that facing could dissapate 6 damage without affecting the omnifield, with additional points scored against the omnifield.
In my design, omnifields and specific reinforcement fields were separate components. Essentially the omnifield was a central generator, with specific reinforcement arrays placed on the hull. Hence specific reinforcement generators tended to get damaged first, but not all at once (a weapon hit strikes one part of a hull, not the entire hull). So, as one side was damaged, specific reinforcement would degrade with each hit.
My rationale for specific reinforcement was you were 'pushing' a wall of energy against the shield sphere/bubble. Said wall of energy would displace the bubble arc in that location, forcing the 'unbalanced' energy outward, away from the shield bubble, and integrating itself into the bubble in the process. As the shield bubble could only maintain 'y' value due to the bubble neading to be equally balanced in order to maintain integrity, the unbalanced energy disappates into space. BUT, that disappating energy would generate additional protection as it was being disappated. Also, once a bubble hits it's maximum strength, excess energy disappates into space, as the bubble can't sustain the addditional energy.
I also had an armor system in play, somewhat similar to Renegade Legion: Interceptor, but much simplified. Essentially if a weapon hit was less than half of the armor rating, no damage. If the damage was greater than half of the armor rating, that hull section was compromised, providing less protection from the next hit. If it was penetrated, then that armor section was destroyed. Each facing had multiple armor sections. Example: A cruiser might have 6 different armor sections on each facing, so roll a d6 for each weapon hit to determine which armor section is hit by each weapon, then compare the damage against the armor rating in that section.
Anyways, back to the shield thing. If an omnifield was compromised (damage exceeded total omnifield strength), then the omnifield would suffer feedback, degrading maximum capacity by 10% or some such. Also, if the omnifield generator itself was struck, well obviously it would suffer damage/lose efficiency/perhaps be destroyed in the process if enough damage was assessed against it.
This system required a lot of bookkeeping, which is one of the reasons it didn't really catch on with my playtesters. Essentiallly each phase, you'd have to adjust your omnifield strength. Energy allocation could be changed each phase as well (we essentially have a 'real time' version in SFC), with allocation remaining the same until you changed it or your PP output decreased. HOWEVER, with a computer tracking these nuances in the background, this system becomes very workable.
Oh, in my design, if the omnifield was destroyed, well you no longer have a shield bubble, so you can't reinforce it. It didn't help that an omnifield was vulnerable from any facing, but at least it was a smaller target... As for how that would apply in a ST setting, well it all depends on how 'vulnerable' you'd like it to be.
As for my rationale for the 'surface emitters', well in this design, the goal is to keep your omnifield functioning at full efficiency (it protects the whole ship), by providing additional protection over and above the capacity of the omnifield. This also allows for differentiation in design (so you can have more emitters facing forward than aft, for example), to give players a reason to go for the 'weaker' areas. In my design, specific reinforcement emitters were generally rated at 2-3x the omnifield rating (worked out via my ship construction mechanics), so you might have an Omnifield 6, with 18 points of specific reinfocement emitters in the front, and say only 9 points in the rear. Or 12 points of emitters all around if you were of a more balanced mentality. Of course, if you have 6 field generators, this mechanic no longer applies, although it could be used as a baseline for maximum reinforcement. (Feds might allow 3xR max reinforcement strength, over the field generator value, while Klingon shields only allow for 2x strength on the aft generators). Again, this can be a place to differentiate ship/race designs.
Based on the 'later' canon (TNG is pretty clear about the 'sphere' mechanic of the shields in the FX shots), though, I do think a centralized 'baseline' generator makes a lot of sense, with additional reinforcement capability over and above the baseline shield bubble. If shields are just flat out 360 degrees though, then maneuverability plays less of a role, hence why I think there needs to be a differentiation mechanic between the facings.
To translate regen versus fire rate in a ST context, it might take 20-30 seconds (at normal game speed) to fully generate an omnifield, but phasers might recycle every 10 or so seconds... It all comes down to how you want to time your weapon cycles, then dialing in the shield regen accordingly.
As I noted, this design is problematic using pen and paper (a lot of numbers to keep track of), but when the computer is doing the accounting for you, well then it becomes very workable/viable.
So, to summarize:
Either an omnifield or 4-6 separate field generators, or a combination of both. Regenerate R points each phase/partial weapon cycle, to a maximuim amount (say Rx5, although this multiplier could vary by race/ship class/etc.).
Allow specific reinforcement as before, with damage scored against reinforcement first. Perhaps incorporate a 'max reinforcement' value, based on the number of shield emitters available to that facing, or some multiple of the field generator strength for that facing. If the hull is damaged from that facing, reduce (reinforcement) emitters strength by 1 per weapon hit or volley (with multiple weapon strikes perhaps hitting more emitters).
So, as detailed in the paragraph above, Shield Emitters degrade as the hull is damaged. Also, if damage exceeeds/downs a shield, that shield/field generator degrades in maximum strength (due to feedback damage). This could also be done if damage exceeds some threshold - say if damage exceeds 2/3's of total shield strength, then max strength reduced 10%. if penetrated, max strength reduced 20%.
One last thought. On the 'regen per phase' thing. In my design, weapons generally took 2 or more phases to recharge (lasers could fire every phase, but risked overheating). So the shield regen rate/max strength should be factored in against the recycle time of weapons. Essentially, it should take at least 2-3x as long to fully (re)generate a shield than it does to arm/fire a phaser. Otherwise you won't get the 'degrading' effect, and be able to take advantage of weakening shields (other than from feedback as detailed above).
And of course, damage control should be able to repair shields in some fashion. This is one aspect of SFB/SFC that I always liked. This allows for 'hit, run, repair, return' tactics, which makes the game a little more interesting. And also ties in to the Canon material (the Captain delaying things in some fashion while the damage control teams work feverishly to restore some capability).
This could also introduce a 'break point' in technology. I.E. earlier designs do not have/use a true 'omnifield', while later designs have an omnifield generator as well as specific field generators. Essentially one tiered defense in some designs versus two tiered defense in others.
Anyways, that's how I envisioned shields working. The SFB system is essentially powered abative armor, and while it worked, it didn't seem quite 'right' to me. Hence why I am suggesting an alternate approach (to get us a bit 'away' from the shield boxes and developing a 'new' system that isn't the 'same' as ADB's solution).
Topic: Ruleset and other game play Specifics (Read 79425 times)