Hey :)<br /><br />I was thinking about non-ship defensive platforms that could be used as a cheap and quickly-built substitute for starship weapons platforms. These things could be used to guard mining operations or to bolster a planet's defensive capabilities.<br /><br />So first thing to ask is: Are these things already in 'official' use in the SF universe? I don't recall seeing anything in any past SFMan articles and I don't recall ever having read about them in any of the cannon Knight Hawks material.<br /><br />Next: As a community opinion (assuming we don't already have such things), how do y'all feel about them and should we consider writing an article to govern them?<br /><br />We already have a precedent for them as far as Alpha Dawn is concerned (Sentry Guns; SFMan 05 p17 and Section 28 Rocket Launch Room; Sundown On Starmist Remastered Module p26).<br /><br />In my musings over the last few hours this is what I was imagining:<br /><br />Three different types of Independent Weapons Platforms (IWPs); small, medium and large.<br /><br />Small IWPs would be such things as laser batteries and assault rockets, etc.<br />Medium IWPs would be such things as laser cannons and electron beam batteries, etc.<br />Large IWPs would be such things as disruptor cannons and protron beam batteries, etc.<br /><br />These platforms would be automated, unmanned weapons that are placed in space (in orbit around a planet, a colony on an asteroid or whatever needs protection). They would have their own dedicated power source (atomic most likely), targeting computers, etc. I thought that each IWP could possibly have one defense (maybe reflective hull and armor would not count toward this restriction). This would allow for each platform to have one weapon system and one powered defensive system (though this could be changed to allow for the appropriate number of weapons/defensive systems that ships are allowed according to their hull size I suppose).<br /><br />Size: I figured that hull size should be used as the gauge for size so that it would be easy to reference the appropriate charts in Knight Hawks to see what weapons and defenses would be applicable for which size IWP. I figured hull size 1-4 for small, 5-9 for medium and 10+ for large.<br /><br />I was also thinking that the damage (in hull points) that these things would be capable of absorbing would be less than a similarly-sized ship as the ship has all sorts of extra 'hull' for all the living quarters and whatnot that these platforms would not have. So maybe reduce the amount of actual hull points for these platforms by 50% in comparison to a similarly-sized ship.<br /><br />Cost: So all you would need to calculate the cost would be the targeting computer, weapon system(s) defensive system(s), power generator, detection equipment and the basic hull. <br /><br />Con: Not mobile like a ship so there are some really limited tactical considerations concerning these. They start firing as soon as a target comes into weapon range and keep firing until the target leaves weapon range or is destroyed (or something else happens to affect the targeting system of the IWP; hiding behind a planet or entering a jamming window for example).<br /><br />Pro: Cheap (in comparison to a ship)!
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