Message-ID: <0pzkI8W00iWW0A8Bg0@andrew.cmu.edu>
Date: Tue, 15 Sep 1998 20:23:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: Brian D Leet <bl2z+@andrew.cmu.edu>
To: babylon5-wars@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
Subject: [B5W] Playtest
Sender: owner-babylon5-wars@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU
Precedence: bulk
Reply-To: babylon5-wars@CSUA.Berkeley.EDU

Well, I've continued running playtest battles.

Rongoth + Ka'Toc
vs.
Centurion + Vorchan

I used all current 1st ed. rules with the following "upgrades":

New initiative system w/ +5 between classes.

Twin arrays range penalty -2 per hex.

Mag Gun range penalty -1 per 2 hexes.

Crit. Rolls add damage to roll.

My proposed damage changes:

Raking damage from lasers is reduced by armor on each rake.

Lasers do 1 extra d10 damage per 3 complete points by which you are
under the required to hit.  Max of 3* the initial # of d10.

Plasma/Mag weapons do 1 extra d10 damage per 5 complete points by which
you are under the required to hit.  Max of 2* the initial # of d10.

Pulse weapons get one pulse for each portion of 3 points by which you
are under the required to hit.  Max of 7 pulses.


The results indicate that the initiative change (combined with setting
speed while moving) is a massive change.  The range penalty change on
T.A. is a major change.  The proposals I made and the crit. roll change
are moderate by comparison.

I liked all the results, but I would go to a +6 between classes of ships.

Blow by blow account:

Start at range ~45.

Turn 1:
Centurion full OEW at Rongoth, all others full DEW.
Range closes to about 30.
2 B.Lasers.  11 to hit, miss and roll of 1.  Extra 3d10 damage.  7d10+2
nets 33 points.  Matter Cannon misses.  No crit. on the sensor hit.

Turn 2:
Centurion 1 OEW @ ea. Narn.  Vorch. 1 @ Ka'Toc, Ron. 5 @ Cent., Ka., 1 @
Cent.  Range closes further.
The Ka'Toc fires 2 H.Laser & Mag Gun.  Need 12 to hit w/ H.Laser.  One
hits w/ a 12.  Damage is 39.  Mag Gun misses.  The Centurion returns
fire and misses.

Turn 3:
Cent. 10 @ Ron., Vor. 8 @ Ron., Ron. 1 @ Vor., Ka'T. 1 @ Vor.
Vorchan and Centurion split slightly hitting front and back of Rongoth.
Cent. fires a M.C. at Rongoth, hits for 18 damage.
Vorchan fires P.A. w/ 8 to hit.  Roll is 2, extra 1d10 damage.  Damage
is 21 points (after all reductions).
Ka'Toc returns fire w/ Lpc, all miss.

Turn 4:
Cent. 10 @ Ron., All others full Defensive.
Centurion manages to force Rongoth into arc.
One Battle Laser, 17 to hit, 12 rolled, +1d10 damage, 31 damage.  One
Twin array (of four shots) hits for 7 damage.

Turn 5:
Cent. 1 @ ea. Narn, Vor. 8 @ Ron., Ron. 8 @ Vor.,Ka'Toc Def.
Here is where init. gets important.  The Vorchan won and settled behind
the Rongoth.  The Centurion is circling around as is the Ka'Toc on the
opposite side of the map.
Centurion and Vorchan split fire at the front/back of the Rongoth.  5 of
8 Twin arrays hit for a total of 49 damage.  The Rongoth loses a rear
thruster, but no other major effects.
The Rongoth returns fire at the Centurion and gets 2 T.A. hits for 16 points.

Turn 6:
Cent. 10 @ Ka., Vor. 8 @ Ka., Ron. 8 @ Cen., Ka. 8 @ Cen.
The Ka'Toc loses all initiative and the Vorchan and Centurion line up
just behind the Mag Gun arc at range 2-3.  The Rongoth is then able to
get to the side of the Centurion at range 3 (it couldn't get closer
because it has only one main thruster left).

At the side of the Ka'Toc:
Centurion fires a B.Laser, 28 to hit, roll 5, 7d10 extra, 59 damage.
Centurion fires 8 T.A., autohit, a total of 75 damage.
Centurion fires M.C., 6 damage.
Vorchan fires Plasma Accelerator, 24 to hit, roll 11, 2d10 extra, 39 damage.
Vorchan fires 4 T.A., autohit, a total of 36 damage.
The Ka'Toc is destroyed with 6 points of damage to spare (without the
extra damage rules it would have easily survived.)

At the front of the Centurion:
Ka'Tok fires H.Laser, 25 to hit, roll 20, 1d10 extra, 38 damage.
Ka'Tok fires LPC, 20 to hit, roll 7,11, 8 pulses hit.

At the undamaged side of the Centurion:
Rongoth fires 2 H.P.C., 28 to hit, roll 6,6, 14 (!) pulses hit.
Rongoth fires 4 T.A., autohit, total damage 33.
Rongoth fires 1 L.P.C., 24 to hit, roll 13, 4 pulses hit.

The Centurion survives with a single(!!!) block of structure remaining.
(it has only one M.C. left and no B.Lasers, 3 T.A. still.)

Turn 8:
Cent. 1 @ Ron., Vor. 1 @ Ron., Ron. 1 @ Cen., 7 @ Vor.
Rongoth wins initiative, but because it has only one main thruster
available it will not be able to get into the Centurion's damaged side. 
Instead it pursues the Vorchan.

Rongoth fires 6 T.A., 10 to hit, 5 hit, total of 56 damage.
Rongoth fires L.P.C., 9 to hit, roll 4, 2 pulses hit.

Vorchan fires 4 T.A., 11 to hit, 2 hit, total of 17 damage.

Centurion fires 4 T.A., 3 to hit, 1 hit, 14 damage.
Centurion fires M.C., 14 to hit, hits, 13 damage.

The Centurion Twin array hit destroys the Rongoth's remaining main thruster.

The Rongoth surrenders.

Twin arrays still did more damage than all the other weapon types, but
it was a bit more balanced.  Overall I was quite satisfied with the
result.

Brian


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