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Official Rulings / Re: I am the new guy
« Last post by Karelian Suomi on Today at 01:04:07 AM »Really lots of useful material!
Here is my blog post :: blackberry contract phones
No. You are the gone spammer (and nothing else).
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No. You are the gone spammer (and nothing else).
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Brood First Contact
« Last post by wilcoxon on May 02, 2016, 04:26:29 PM »I haven't tried the new rules yet (nobody locally plays Silent Death anymore). I might be able to get a game at some point.
However, I think I was in the minority in finding the original brood rules not too bad. The terran player just had to play intelligently (and not have absolutely horrible ships). High DV and the bugs couldn't hit anything (no plusses to hit) and terran weapons had nearly the range (except Z-Beam). The biggest Achilles heal of the brood was using 1d10 for crits (and the brood ships generally being pretty full of nasty crits) - that made it MUCH more likely they would get a lethal crit than a terran ship.
However, I think I was in the minority in finding the original brood rules not too bad. The terran player just had to play intelligently (and not have absolutely horrible ships). High DV and the bugs couldn't hit anything (no plusses to hit) and terran weapons had nearly the range (except Z-Beam). The biggest Achilles heal of the brood was using 1d10 for crits (and the brood ships generally being pretty full of nasty crits) - that made it MUCH more likely they would get a lethal crit than a terran ship.
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Brood First Contact
« Last post by vebepede on May 02, 2016, 04:04:52 PM »I only played two games of the original 1st contact. The second game was around 10 grub ships against equal points of humans. The humans were slaughtered. Hard to get another game after that.
In that game the grub tactic was loop round the terrans deploying drones and using jump pods to get back out of range. Due to high speed and high DV, combined with staying at long range meant the grubs were hard to damage.
The new pilot/gunner skill ranges address some of this problem (I was thinking of ranges 1-4, 4-7, 7-10 for Gamma, Beta, Delta respectively. In campaign games each bug could take a turn out as a chrysalis before emerging as a grub of the next level...
Reading the beta test rules set, and keen to have a go.
One question regarding killing frenzy. It looks like it's a disadvantage to the grub player, so why would the player ever choose to induce their own ships with it?
I'm trying to get my head round the best method of practically handling killing frenzy during the game. Thinking that the killing frenzy ship moves immediately after the ship it's tracking (i.e. it moves similar to a torp chasing the target - this also means the ship doesn't count as a ship that the player is choosing to move.
Looking forward to a playtest. If bugs need further balancing, there's three more ideas.
1. Allow some chance of dodge or point defence against drones - maybe at a penalty
2. As grub ships are living they could be further affected by hard hits - e.g. each 10 points of damage from single hit reduces grub skill by 1 for one turn - will have to try a few variations on this theme to see what works - combo of killing frenzy but reduced skill could be interesting.
3. I already use sliding scale for terran crew, and something similar could be used for grubs
e.g. Gamma bug
Skill 1 - 0 points (to fill ALL pilot and gunner slots)
Skill 2 - 2 points
Skill 3 - 6 points
Skill 4 - 10 points
Will have a think about the betas etc. Meanwhile I think first game will feature gammas only, to see how they fare and how points seem...
In that game the grub tactic was loop round the terrans deploying drones and using jump pods to get back out of range. Due to high speed and high DV, combined with staying at long range meant the grubs were hard to damage.
The new pilot/gunner skill ranges address some of this problem (I was thinking of ranges 1-4, 4-7, 7-10 for Gamma, Beta, Delta respectively. In campaign games each bug could take a turn out as a chrysalis before emerging as a grub of the next level...
Reading the beta test rules set, and keen to have a go.
One question regarding killing frenzy. It looks like it's a disadvantage to the grub player, so why would the player ever choose to induce their own ships with it?
I'm trying to get my head round the best method of practically handling killing frenzy during the game. Thinking that the killing frenzy ship moves immediately after the ship it's tracking (i.e. it moves similar to a torp chasing the target - this also means the ship doesn't count as a ship that the player is choosing to move.
Looking forward to a playtest. If bugs need further balancing, there's three more ideas.
1. Allow some chance of dodge or point defence against drones - maybe at a penalty
2. As grub ships are living they could be further affected by hard hits - e.g. each 10 points of damage from single hit reduces grub skill by 1 for one turn - will have to try a few variations on this theme to see what works - combo of killing frenzy but reduced skill could be interesting.
3. I already use sliding scale for terran crew, and something similar could be used for grubs
e.g. Gamma bug
Skill 1 - 0 points (to fill ALL pilot and gunner slots)
Skill 2 - 2 points
Skill 3 - 6 points
Skill 4 - 10 points
Will have a think about the betas etc. Meanwhile I think first game will feature gammas only, to see how they fare and how points seem...
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Official Rulings / I am the new guy
« Last post by Ken34A409 on May 02, 2016, 03:59:36 PM »Note: content removed by site moderator for violation of TOS (spammer). User banned accordingly and shipped off to scenic Luches prison world otherwise known to the inmates as Muck.
Too bad. So sad.
Too bad. So sad.
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Battle Reports / Re: New campaign just started - set up leading to 1st battle report and beyond...
« Last post by vebepede on May 02, 2016, 11:03:13 AM »Learning from my previous error I holds back 4 ships to get meld laser shots off, with a single night hawk heading out wide. Manage a hit on a spirit rider, but they're pretty good at taking first hit - slowed it down to drive 12. Then come the torps back at me targetiing 2 night hawks and the dagger.
The night hawks evade, but the dagger goes in on an attack run - pulls of a dodge roll against both torps. Conestoga moves to break up my squadron locking onto three ships with missile launcher and chewing up the night hawks with splatter guns.
I'm using the optional rule of moving a full sheet of ships each time, and i'm losing the initiative, which means the spirit riders are all being held back till the end, forcing me to either anticipate the spirit riders final positions or just go head to head against the gunboat. As a best of both I put the night hawks in close and hold the daggers back a bit to at least give the night hawks some protection from the spirit riders.
This works to keep the spirit riders at longer ranger, taking pot shots against the more resilient daggers.
A bloodbath then ensues with two night hawks taken out (one crit and the other hit by a mark 30 torp that rolled 30 damage points, leaving it drifting). My third night hawk managed to get a point blank shot at the rear of the conestoga and take it out with the splatter guns rolling an 8 on the critical hit chart!
Note: I'm still set in my ways from 1st ed. and using a D12 (D8 for gunboats) rather than 2D6/2D4. This means more things blow up - but we prefer the game that way - keep the bell curve probability
The drifting night hawk gets finished off by a spirit rider (I'm still having trouble hitting these with much - failing to get lock on rolls with the missiles).
With 25% losses I need a 9 or less on 2D6 to avoid bottling out, and roll a 10, My opponent with 50% losses also fails to hold his nerve, so officially the game is a draw. I'm pretty happy to lose two night hawks in exchange for opponents flagship conestoga though, so the balance of power has shifted in my favour.
This could be a very short campaign. Another turn of the thumbscrews coming up next week....
The night hawks evade, but the dagger goes in on an attack run - pulls of a dodge roll against both torps. Conestoga moves to break up my squadron locking onto three ships with missile launcher and chewing up the night hawks with splatter guns.
I'm using the optional rule of moving a full sheet of ships each time, and i'm losing the initiative, which means the spirit riders are all being held back till the end, forcing me to either anticipate the spirit riders final positions or just go head to head against the gunboat. As a best of both I put the night hawks in close and hold the daggers back a bit to at least give the night hawks some protection from the spirit riders.
This works to keep the spirit riders at longer ranger, taking pot shots against the more resilient daggers.
A bloodbath then ensues with two night hawks taken out (one crit and the other hit by a mark 30 torp that rolled 30 damage points, leaving it drifting). My third night hawk managed to get a point blank shot at the rear of the conestoga and take it out with the splatter guns rolling an 8 on the critical hit chart!
Note: I'm still set in my ways from 1st ed. and using a D12 (D8 for gunboats) rather than 2D6/2D4. This means more things blow up - but we prefer the game that way - keep the bell curve probability
The drifting night hawk gets finished off by a spirit rider (I'm still having trouble hitting these with much - failing to get lock on rolls with the missiles).
With 25% losses I need a 9 or less on 2D6 to avoid bottling out, and roll a 10, My opponent with 50% losses also fails to hold his nerve, so officially the game is a draw. I'm pretty happy to lose two night hawks in exchange for opponents flagship conestoga though, so the balance of power has shifted in my favour.
This could be a very short campaign. Another turn of the thumbscrews coming up next week....
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Hangar 51 contents
« Last post by vebepede on May 01, 2016, 03:58:19 PM »Yay 
Thanks for confirming where they're hiding. The rpgnow description only mentioned a few ships - didn't want to buy it for a single design!
Duly purchased Dry Dock II pdf.
Metal miniatures will have new lease of life. Time to some maintenance on flight stands...
Thanks for confirming where they're hiding. The rpgnow description only mentioned a few ships - didn't want to buy it for a single design!
Duly purchased Dry Dock II pdf.
Metal miniatures will have new lease of life. Time to some maintenance on flight stands...
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Hangar 51 contents
« Last post by Karelian Suomi on May 01, 2016, 11:08:46 AM »Further investigation and i realise I realise I'm in need of starcraft displays for Mustang, Shrike, nautilus, Delta, Cossack, Sapper & Punisher!!!
I'll keep my Original Revenge, Star Raven and Sentry as they are (as I have no 2nd ed. ships for these!)
The 1st edition Revenge is now the sleek and deadly Samurai, a mainstay of House Tokugawa's Combined Fleet carrier strike groups (you'll meet the Samurai and its smaller yet thoroughly vicious sibling the Hayabusa in More Than Valor). The 1st edition Star Raven is the ferocious Predator class gunboat deployed by House Colos (you'll find the Predator in House Colos). The 1st edition Sentry is now the Colosian Sapper minesweeper/assault ship. That beast is in Operation Drydock Vol. II.
The Mustang, Shrike, Nautilus, Delta II, Cossack, Sapper, and Punisher are all found in Operation Drydock Vol. II.
Trust me, you may want to save up your coppers for the PDFs most especially Operation Drydock Volume II, as you'll get more mileage out of those 1st edition minis than you may realize if you use them in their current Next Millennium guises...
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Hangar 51 contents
« Last post by vebepede on May 01, 2016, 04:29:47 AM »Further investigation and i realise I realise I'm in need of starcraft displays for Mustang, Shrike, nautilus, Delta, Cossack, Sapper & Punisher!!!
I'll keep my Original Revenge, Star Raven and Sentry as they are (as I have no 2nd ed. ships for these!)
I'll keep my Original Revenge, Star Raven and Sentry as they are (as I have no 2nd ed. ships for these!)
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Hangar 51 contents
« Last post by vebepede on April 30, 2016, 05:23:05 PM »More detail than I was expecting! Thanks for that - good to see the model used for a 300 ton ship, instead of pretending to be a 900 ton pahrsii.
Guess i'll have to shell out for FTM now
Guess i'll have to shell out for FTM now
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Silent Death: The Next Millennium / Re: Hangar 51 contents
« Last post by Karelian Suomi on April 30, 2016, 04:55:38 PM »Thanks for the reply. Re-purposing was a good idea. With the great value of the plastic sprue), instead of 8 plastic salmanders and 4 metal ones, I have 8 salmanders and 4 strata
The only challenge is looking at the old dart model and getting used to it now being a stinger - not as easy as i thought after learning the silhouttes - a bit like recognising a spitfire in the sky and then being told it's not a spitfire any more, it's a merlin!
I always felt the 1st ed pharsii (bat) was a bit on the small side for the ship display. Before i buy the FTM, can anyone tell me the tonnage & weapon fit of the bat?
The Bat is a light TPAC weighing in at 300 tons. The Bat has a Drive of 12 and a Damage Reduction of 2. Armament consists of a twin Splattergun system forward controlled by the pilot, 4 Mk. 10 torpedoes, and a twin Splattergun system covering RQL, R, RQR firing arc to the rear controlled by the gunner. The Bat has only the most rudimentary damage control (1-2), a single decoy, and no Point Defense. The Bat was designed as a light escort craft meant mainly for defensive escort of freighters and close in protection of orbital stations.
Oh, almost forgot. The punchline to the design is that the Bat has the largest force screen generators you can cram into a 300 ton aerospace frame, so the Bat has a Defensive Value of 17.
