"Babylon 5: Pax Stellarum" Topic

My latest gametesting AAR:

link

Nice, thanks for sharing. Definitely looking forward to the day you want to share your rules. Sounds like you've done a great mix of ACTA/Gothic/Starmada + others + your own ideas!

If you need any help with proof reading (before going public) let me know!

-Tim

Looks very interesting.

Yes, thank you for sharing. I look forward to seeing more of your rules. Will give me an excuse to dust off my little used B5 fleets.

@Tim White,

Indeed I borrowed a lot of concepts I enjoyed on several rulesets, and adapted them for my own taste. Those you mentioned and others. :)

My own ideas filled the (many) gaps I found in them, and by gaps I mean rules I never really enjoyed.

Most of all, I was looking for granularity. I think I got that. My rulest enables me to not only design ships, but also a virtualy infinite number of weapons, fighters and troops.

I'd probably be interested in (free) proof reading, actually. Mainly because I'm not a native english speaker, and it is likely that some concepts may not turn out so clear to those reading my words as they sound to me, the writter.

We can discuss this further. Would you please drop me a line on my blog?

@matgc83

I sent you a PM over on SCN.

-Tim

matgc83. I have read your AAR and I don't know your ruleset, but it appears to me that your tractor beams are way too powerful and unbalancing for the game. Again, I don't know the complete rules.

In one turn everyone fires, however, it appears that the Sharlins get to perform a tractor beam action and if successful, swing the target ship in any direction you desire with the target ship still facing in its original direction (second action?)and when you have swung the target ship far enough that its weakest shields are facing your Sharlin, then the Sharlin fires (third action?)… all in one turn?

Please clarify as it appears that there is no way for the Sharlins to lose. All that they need to do is rush in, tractor beam a target, swing it to its weakest shields and blow it away or cripple it. Who would want to play any other race that doesn't have tractor beams?

Again, I do not know the rules and am just speculating from the information in the AAR.

Force

Force of Nature

In my ruleset all ship's sides have the same Shields Rating.

The advantage of moving an enemy ship with your tractor beam is that you can move the enemy so that he is not bearing its weapons at you anymore, forcing it to maneuver again on the next turn.

Also, you can force it into an asteroid field, or to collide with a planet, etc.

Tractor beams have limited range, and if you keep your distance, you're somewhat safe.

But then again, its still being playtested. :)

matgc83.

Again, your tractor beams are way too powerful even if you "can move the enemy so that he is not bearing its weapons at you anymore". In other words, I get to shoot you because I have you in my tractor beam and you can't for the turn.

And if you allow them to be moved at will into whatever you want, ateroid field, planet etc… that is pretty much an instant kill don't you think? Who need weapons at that point.

Simply accelerate as fast as the Sharlins can go that they can get into tractor beam range and once "locked" with the beam, drag them any where you want, with them not being able to return fire at all. Not fun.

One last question, if both players (or more) have Sharlins, and they both tractor beam each other, then what happens? Who gets to move who?

Your game devolves into who has more tractor beams on their side. Which I doubt was your intention.

My past experience with SFB Gorn on Gorn actions where both sides had tractor beams (High speed entry to get into tractor beam range while over charging plasma torpedoes, then tractor beam an enemy ship and hit them with the overcharged plasma torpedoes – typical Gorn tactic) was nothing but boring as all of the ships involved tractor beamed each other and then blew each other to pieces, which ended the game in a draw.

I'm just suggesting that the tractor beam rules need to be reviewed and cleaned up a bit

Just trying to help, nothing more.

Force

Actually the mechanic has been used by other rule sets and I have never seen a complaint by players. It's a close range weapon and you have to be in its arc. Plus, it can only move a ship a certain number of hexes in other sets. Not sure here.

My question would be what does this set offer that other ones already out there don't? Space ship games have a very large choice of options. Something new can be a good thing IF it presents something new or interesting. The comment about basic rules being 70% luck and 30% tactical skill reduced my interest level a lot. I did like your ships. Pretty cool!

Thanks,

John

@Force of Nature,

A ship can only lock tractor beam on a target with less hull points, so that prevents 2 ships from locking at each other.

In playtesting, the tractor beam doesn't operate as powerfully as it appears to you. In fact, this AAR was the first time tractor beams performed a role on the game. :P

Pushing a locked enemy into an asteroid field is likely to damage it, but its hardy an instant kill, except for small ships. Shields can sustain a good amount of asteroid damage.

But pushing a locked target into collision with a planet is indeed fatal. I'll check further if this can create too much imbalance. I don't think so, though. There is 1 or 2 planets/moons on the board at any time, so the chance is there, to make it fun, but its not easy to accomplish.

To give you an idea, most weapons have range spanning from 15" to 30". The most advanced tractor has got range 5"…

@John Leahy,

As the basic rules cover the basic forward movement and pivot, as well as how weapons operate, its pretty much teaching you just to move/maneuver to have a target within range and arc, and then shoot at it.

That being, its in the same place where most games are concerning basic rules.

With my average knowledge of other systems (Starmada, Firestorm Armada, Full Thrust, ACTA, BFG, Colonial Battlefleet, etc.), basic movement and shooting rules revolve around getting the better rolls.

But I exagerated my words there to make a point, which is that advanced rules add much more depth to the game.

Even with basic rules, its not actually 70%/30%, since die rolls follow a somewhat constant average.

From the moment the game begins, and you start moving toward this or that enemy, you're basically deciding where you're going to concentrate your fire at.

So, even simple actions as those involve tactical choices. What I meant with my words is that I'm looking for something that goes beyond that commonplace tactics, towards something that requires a little more thought, without turning into a chess game, though. :)

Hi, actually with Starmada that is not correct. Better weapon systems do more damage and have longer ranges, better hulls, etc. The dice are only a part of the equation not the sum.

I'm curious to see what you come up with.

Thanks,

John

@John Leahy,

Oh, that I know, and on Pax Stellarum its also true.

In fact more true. The basic rules have a range of more than 10 different types of weapons, with widely varied characteristics that make them work very, if not completely, differently.

Each of them can be totally tinkered with with the design rules.

But I'm aiming to go much farther than that as of tactical options. :)