FIMBULVETR
UNITY
RINGWORLD SHIPS
(FR1.3) SHIELD MAIDER DREADNOUGHT (DN):
Both the remnants of the Home Sector and the Other Sector were surprised when the Last Fleet arrived on Planetbase from the Twin Triangle System. Neither Sector had been to this far off, distant System, yet they still felt a kinship, for all shared a deadly adversary, the Neo-Invaders. The Shield Maiden, though badly damaged, had led the Last Fleet all the way to Planetbase, protecting them throughout the journey.
Using the unique Meshing Technology on Planetbase, the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought was rebuilt, stronger and more powerful than ever. Drone Racks replaced damaged Particle Shotguns while Home Sector Phasers took the place of ravaged Graviton Beams. The Shield Maiden retained part of its original Particle Shotgun array, as well as its three Rotary Shields.
Now, armed with three Particle Shotguns, two Drone Racks, nine Offensive Phasers, four Defensive Phasers, and three Rotary Shields, the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought continues her protection and guidance of those ships around her. Unity has given her a new purpose and renewed hope for a future free of the Neo-Invaders.
DESIGNER NOTES:
The Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought posed several challenges. It was not simply a matter of adding Alpha Sector Weaponry to a Triangulum Ship. Rather, several Triangulum Rules, which in my opinion and experience were not balanced, needed to be corrected.
The Particle Shotgun was the first item to be examined in detail. Scoring 24 points of damage when Overloaded was simply too much, especially for only eight points of energy (total). Therefore, the damage for a Particle Shotgun was scaled down, with the maximum damage when Overloaded now being 18. This is much more comparable to a Photon Torpedo. Arming Costs were then adjusted appropriately to match the newly revised damage totals.
I believe that Francois’ Design Philosophy behind the Particle Shotgun (which he has applied to other Triangulum Empires in the past as well) is that three heavy weapons that score more damage than a normal Alpha Sector heavy weapon is the equivalent of four Alpha Sector heavy weapons. This explains why the Helgardian Heavy Cruiser has three Particle Shotguns (max damage 24 points each, 72 total) while the Federation Heavy Cruiser has four Photon Torpedoes (max damage 16 points each, 64 total).
However, this Design Philosophy does not hold as the scale expands or shrinks. For example, the Fed DN has four Photon Torpedoes (max damage 64 points total) and the Improved Fed DN has six Photon Torpedoes (max damage 96 points total). Comparatively, the Helgardian DN has five Particle Shotguns (max damage (max damage 120 points). Because the Particle Shotgun has a much higher damage rating on an individual basis, it scores much more than even six Photon Torpedoes and much, much more than four Photon Torpedoes.
Consequently, the solution to correcting the Particle Shotgun lies in revising its individual Damage output, not in increasing or decreasing the total number of Particle Shotguns.
The Rotary Shields posed another issue, based on prior playtesting, primarily due to its regenerative properties. It was simply too advantageous to have the Rotary Shields restored fully each turn regardless of how much damage they previously absorbed.
To counter this, Rotary Shields can now only be restored through regular Damage Control. This completely removes the regenerative advantage. Once a Rotary Shield is damaged, it stays damaged, until it is properly repaired.
I also examined the special damage procuedure (GN100.35) for Rotary Shields. I believe this procedure was instituted by Francois because of the Rotary Shields’ regenerative properties. I calculated several combat damage examples, halving the damage and applying half to the rotary shields and half to the shield it was protecting. In the end, I concluded that this half/half system, in combination with regenerating Rotary Shields, was unbalanced. Trying to correct these two issues would have been extremely difficult.
Therefore, the special damage procedure (GN100.35) was deleted. A revision was created that stated Rotary Shields always absorb all damage before the shield it protects. That way, the Rotary Shield almost acts like Specific Reinforcement protecting that particular Shield, a system that we all know works as a tried and true method from the beginning of SFB. If the Rotary Shield is blown away or damaged, it must be restored through Damage Control like any other shield. So both issues, the regenerative advantage and the half/half damage procedure, have been corrected.
Rotary Shields still retain their advantage of being able to be moved to different shields, which I believe is part of the essence that makes up this unique technology.
Graviton Beams have always been a problem during playtesting. With four firing modes (Standard, Burst, Focus, and Overload), the primary issue is the ability for Graviton Beams to fire multiple times per turn. Remember that Graviton Beams are compared against Alpha Sector Phasers for balance. The primary issue is compounded by the other firing modes, each of which multiplies the imbalance of the weapon.
Instead of trying to correct the Graviton Beams, it made more sense to simply replace them with PH-1’s and PH-3’s. This fit neatly with the Fimbulvetr/Planetbase concept of altering existing starship designs to throw the Neo-Invaders off-balance in combat.
I was never a fan of the Combined Sensor/Scanner Rules, mainly due to the fact they did not exist in Francois’ original Mitrax Galaxy. They were only developed for Triangulum. It seemed like an untried, unnecessary, unbalancing piece of technology to me. As a result, the Combined Sensor/Scanner Rules were omitted and replaced with standard Sensor/Scanners.
Having corrected the balance issues with Helgardian Technology and replaced the Graviton Beams with PH-1’s/PH-3’s, it was now possible to look at the Tactical Possibilities of the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought.
The Drones allow the launching of Scatterpacks. Combining this seeking weapon aspect with the powerful, direct-fire Particle Shotguns allows for many new tactics. The result will most likely be something similar to Federation Tactics, since they also have a powerful, direct-fire weapon combined with Drones.
But what makes the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought different is its three Rotary Shields. These three Rotary Shields can be used to make a single shield nearly impenetrable or to bolster the strengths of three different shields. This aspect, combined with Drone/Direct-Fire Tactics, makes the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought unique on the battlefield. However, given the newly revised Rotary Shield Rules, Tactics incorporating Rotary Shields will most likely only be possible to be used once, since the Rotary Shields will suffer damage or be destroyed outright on that first usage.
In conclusion, the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought represents a unique, tactical adversary with revised, balanced Helgardian technology combined with Alpha Sector weaponry. Utilizing Federation Drone Tactics, the key to victory for the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought lies in the successful implementation of its three Rotary Shields. It is also vital for the Unity Ringworld Shield Maiden Dreadnought to maneuver so that it can bring its three rear PH-1’s to bear on the opponent, bolstering its overall Phaser damage output.
PARTICLE SHOTGUNS (PS): These work exactly as described under (EN106.0) except for the following:
⦁ An Underloaded Shot is armed over two turns with one point of energy on the first turn and two points of energy on the second turn
⦁ An Underloaded Shot can score no more than six points of damage. If a roll results in more than six points of damage, adjust the damage down to six points.
⦁ An Underloaded Shot can be held for one point of energy per turn.
⦁ A Standard Shot is armed over two turns with two points of energy on the first turn and two points of energy on the second turn
⦁ A Standard Shot can score no more than nine points of damage. If a roll results in more than nine points of damage, adjust the damage down to nine points.
⦁ A Standard Shot can be held for two points of energy per turn.
⦁ An Overloaded Shot is armed over two turns with two points of energy on the first turn and five points of energy on the second turn
⦁ An Overloaded Shot is limited to Range 8 or less.
⦁ An Overloaded Shot cannot be held.
⦁ A Standard Shot can be upgraded to an Overloaded Shot by paying the appropriate amount on the second turn.
⦁ An Underloaded Shot cannot be upgraded to either a Standard Shot or an Overloaded Shot.
⦁ Use the Revised Particle Shotgun Table noted on the SSD.
DRONES (DRN): These work exactly as described in the Basic Set. Note the Type of Drone Rack.
ROTARY SHIELDS (RSH): These work exactly as described under (GN100.0) except for the following:
⦁ Rotary Shields absorb damage before any Shield it is protecting. Apply damage to the Rotary Shields first and then the regular Shield second.
⦁ The Reinforced Portion of Reinforced Rotary Shields absorbs damage before the Standard Portion of Reinforced Rotary Shields
⦁ Damaged Rotary Shields (either the Reinforced Portion or the Standard Portion) can only be restored through the use of Damage Control. Use the standard Damage Control Procedure for repairing Shields.
⦁ Do not use Rule (GN100.232).
⦁ Do not use Rule (GN100.35).
PHASER-1’s (PH-1): These work exactly as described in the Basic Set.
PHASER-3s (PH-3): These work exactly as described in the Basic Set.
SENSORS/SCANNERS; The Rules under (DN101.0) are not used. Instead, use the standard Sensors (D61.) and Scanners (D6.2) Rules in the Basic Set.
