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Post by khurasanminiatures on Aug 5, 2010 16:36:18 GMT -5
Hi, new here. In the not too distant future (next Sunday AD), I'll be releasing some ship models to add a new dimension to my science fiction background (currently I have some 15mm ground forces).
My first ship model, a Terran Federal Heavy Cruiser, is being CADed now and should be available in a month or so. I am going to be focusing on CB ad the rules to support the range and have even had a few chats with Mr. Dreadnought himself about a supplement for my universe.
Ok, now down to the nitty gritty -- what specs should my ships have?
The first faction to get a ship will be the federals (human transplanetary govt based on a sci fi background you all may be familiar with, involving boldly going and seeking out). Like their land forces, the federal space forces are very balanced and flexible, with a good combination of offensive and defensive capability, ditto speed and protection. Other races will have more personality, like my reptilian aliens, the Garn, will have huge, brutal ships, strongly defended and with very powerful boarding capability, also strong close range ability but they won't be that fast and won't have good long range combat ability.
With this in mind, I'd be very receptive to ideas on what the federal heavy cruisers stats should be like -- what does a CB light battle unit need to take all comers and give a good accounting of itself?
Thanks!
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Post by warchariot on Aug 5, 2010 22:51:57 GMT -5
You really should start with the tech levels and figure from there. assign a similar set of numbers for each race, but put them in different techs. It sounds like the Garn are Conv weapons, armor, and marines. Be careful, because the 10+ range on the hvy conv weapons are the rail brothers and the mag cannon, may let them shoot from some range. Missiles are great stand-off weapons and the lasers are in between, kind of. You may want the humans to have shields as a defense instead of the armor. Also, what about fighters? Are thinking this would be a different race's main weapon? these go great with missiles as a long range attack.
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Post by khurasanminiatures on Aug 10, 2010 6:56:25 GMT -5
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cletus
Lieutenant JG
Posts: 13
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Post by cletus on Aug 10, 2010 18:34:43 GMT -5
Those are nice. I especially like the look of the DPLS.
Does anyone know if the Fox miniatures line of fighters is 1/1500? I know I would like it if they turned out to be the same or a similar scale, as I'd like to add some different fighters to represent different races.
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Post by robertthedamned on Aug 11, 2010 10:20:43 GMT -5
That's great news that you're moving into doing spaceships too. I've been thinking about doing 15mm sci-fi ground stuff for ages but I will certainly be interested in keeping an eye on your new lines now. As others have said work on your tech levels first. I've been messing arround with the ship creator and have been using 15 as my total tech level. Its limiting enough that you can't be good at more than a couple of techs but gives enough to do fairly balanced fleets too. My fleets that are based on boldly going and seeking out are using 5/0/0/5/3/2 as their tech levels (which I know is technically against the only one level 5 tech), obviously your Terran Federals will have to be differant as they have fighter tech. Here's a couple of SSDs from that fleet: AmbassadorAkiraPersonally I don't think you can go to wrong with designing ships in CB. Obviously you can do stupid things like buying 5 Fire controls and only having one weapon system but so long as you're fairly sensible you can't go much wrong.
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Post by TheDreadnought on Aug 11, 2010 13:35:32 GMT -5
I know we'd talked some about this briefly. . . but it's been a while and a crazy while at that.
How extensive do you plan on making this line? Are you going to have enough different factions or classes of ship that you might see an eventual fleet book being released for, or do you just want some CB stats from the core rules for them.
CB stats are easy and could be done practically overnight and are something we could do either way.
But if you are planning a rich story background and details on factions, and have some specific ideas about how you want starship combat to work, a fleet book may be a possibility once the whole line (or at least a good foundation) is out.
Fleet book would contain designs for all the minis of course, plus some fluff and custom rules for the setting. Late 2011 would be about the earliest release date for it at this point. . . but like I said if you decide you want to pursue it, we can always stat up the ships with the core rules until it comes out.
On the other hand, if you're just looking to give people some official rules to use to play with your ships, Colonial Battlefleet core rules might be the way to go since your players would only have to buy one book to be up and running vs. the core rules + a fleet book.
Let me know what you're thinking. Thanks!
Harry
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Post by khurasanminiatures on Sept 9, 2010 8:20:08 GMT -5
Thanks Harry, sorry it's been a while since your reply but I went on vacation and have been playing catchup ever since, fulfilling orders.
I would love to see an expansion book just for my universe ultimately, but to start I think a brief PDF with the ship stats I initially produce would be fine. My biggest challenge is time. If I have to take the reins and learn the rules then devise the stats, it probably won't get done! I spend virtually all of my free time (and that's no exaggeration) packing orders, bagging miniatures and dealing with vendors and site updates/news spreading.
I actually have the first "print" of a ship, the federal Battle class cruiser, in hand but need to clean the print lines off of it and haven't done so yet -- because I can't spare the time!
So in other words, any help that could be provided in dreaming up stats would be greatly helpful in moving it forward, and that would mean I'll make more ships! I can provide the general concepts of the races, like for instance the federals being your basic sci-fi humans from a progressive culture whose ships have the ideal balance of offensive and defensive capability with mobility to match, and the alien races having ships that reflect their personality as well. My Garn for instance evolved from tyrannosauroids and are basically like TOS Gorn, with a bit of judge dredd Kleggs sprinkled in for good measure.
The Battle class cruiser has three centerline turrets, phaser bacbanks along the leading edge, and missile bays on the port and starboard side. On either side is also a bay for the ships boat, which will be a dpls.
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Post by khurasanminiatures on Sept 9, 2010 8:33:12 GMT -5
Bacbanks = banks -- turns out a smartphone is anything but!
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Post by robertthedamned on Sept 9, 2010 16:42:40 GMT -5
I'd be up for helping write stats, though I've still got to get a handle on the rules too ;D Of course a picture preview of your new ship would probably help anyone who's trying to come up with rules for it.
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Post by TheDreadnought on Sept 9, 2010 17:29:08 GMT -5
Yeah, pictures of the ships would be helpful. Then coming up with the stats if you're not looking for custom rules would be a matter of a few minutes.
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Post by warchariot on Sept 9, 2010 18:10:02 GMT -5
Yeah, pictures of the ships would be helpful. Then coming up with the stats if you're not looking for custom rules would be a matter of a few minutes. A few minutes! What was I doing wrong??? ;D
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Post by khurasanminiatures on Nov 5, 2010 17:33:03 GMT -5
Yeah, pictures of the ships would be helpful. Then coming up with the stats if you're not looking for custom rules would be a matter of a few minutes. Again it's been a while! I was waiting for the opposing forces ships to be designed, but that looks like it's happening now, so let me post the picture of the battle class cruiser in the next few days. Thanks.
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Post by valthonis on Nov 5, 2010 18:56:20 GMT -5
I'll be very happy to help with designs as well! Ships are looking very nice thus far!
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Post by khurasanminiatures on Nov 7, 2010 10:57:27 GMT -5
Thanks, I assume you mean the DPLS light spacecraft, which I am also going to have in fleet scale as it serves as the strike craft on the carriers (not a fighter, more a ship killer). Here's the Federal "Battle" Class Cruiser, so-called because the ships are named after battles in terran history. This is the basic ship, like the Enterprise in the Star Trek universe, an all round ship. As a cruiser it is designed for patrol and exploration like the Enterprise, but it also capable of combat missions and can fight most enemy ships below battleship rating on equal terms. In the front are mounted a series of phaser banks. On top are three turrets for heavy cannon. Finally, along the sides are missile bays. The large doors on either side are for the DPLS which serve as ship's boats. Normall one DPLS is in regular use and the other is kept in the shuttle hold as a reserve craft in case of loss or damage to the active-use DPLS. The Garn merchant/warship has been designed too, and I will post pictures as soon as the design is verified as mine (aka, I pay for it!). Thanks for any ideas on ship design. I will be releasing this, the Garn ship, and the battlecruiser of the Pelagic dominate all together and would like stats for the three of them to come in a shake a bake add-on sheet for CBF so that people can just paint up the ships sit down and have fun with them.
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Post by warchariot on Nov 7, 2010 11:19:47 GMT -5
Very Nice Ship! I can see this as part of a BSG fleet also. The guns on top could be rail guns and the missile bays and large side doors make possible as a transport or missile cruiser. It looks like it could fill many roles.
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Post by robertthedamned on Nov 7, 2010 12:00:43 GMT -5
OK I'm buying those when they're released! An awesome model. Here is my attempt at stats, she came out as a battle cruiser but the mini looks like its big enough to deserve to be one. Made her an RDF ship rather than battle line as that seemed more appropriate given the 'patrol/explorer' type rather than a full on combat ship. I've given her strike fighters, though these arn't ideal, carried gunships are something that are still missing from the rules.
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Post by warchariot on Nov 7, 2010 12:47:20 GMT -5
I would still put heavy guns on by reducing the fighters.
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Post by fastgit on Nov 7, 2010 15:15:20 GMT -5
I would still put heavy guns on by reducing the fighters. I agree... Either way, however, it's a great looking ship! I'd love to see some of the other designs.
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Post by warchariot on Nov 7, 2010 15:42:34 GMT -5
Yea, looks great, can't wait to see some others.
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Post by robertthedamned on Nov 7, 2010 21:33:59 GMT -5
I would still put heavy guns on by reducing the fighters. So something more like this? Yeah I was thinking that actually, the heavy phasers give some fire-power but mag cannons are more fun ;D The hull can be downsized a little that way too, saves on unneeded tonnage.
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