FIRST AND LAST SECTOR
RABID RABBIT
The First and Last Sectors present not only new empires and SSD’s, but a host of new rules. Many of these stem from Former Genesis Galaxies such as SFB Next, Version 2.0, Second Coming, and SFB X. However, just adding new rules to complicate the game and weight it down is not the intent. Instead, each new rule should add some tactical aspect or option to the game, increasing its tactical depth. Some of the new rules border on roleplaying, moving to expand SFB slightly from a tactical boardgame into something more interactive.
All of these new rules are solely for the First and Last Sectors, although empires in other Genesis Galaxies might stumble across some of these concepts and try to incorporate it into one of their ship designs. Like everything in the Genesis Galaxies, all of these new rules are considered playtest, so there is no need to codify them into the offical rules format (yet).
The concept behind the Rabid Rabbit is simple: A Shuttle functions like a Wild Weasel except that instead of drawing Seeking Weapons to it, the Rabid Rabbit draws Direct Fire attacks to it. To prevent the Rabit Rabbit from being easily destroyed, it is considered to have “specialized temporary armor” increasing its Hits from 6 to 12. So 12 points of Direct Fire damage (and no less) will destroy the Rabid Rabbit. Note that Rabid Rabbits, like Wild Weasels, have an Explosion and Post-Explosion Period where they continue to draw Direct Fire attacks to them. Rabid Rabbits, like Wild Weasels, can also be used in succession, so as to extend the overall coverage length.
One consideration is that the Direct Fire attacks need to measured against the hex the Rabid Rabbit is in, not the hex the target ship is in. So the Range needs to be adjusted accordingly when firing at Rabid Rabbits.
MODIFICATION OF EXISTING TEXT:
* Below we can see that every instance of WW would simply be replaced by RR for the Rabit Rabbit. Instead of seeking weapons, it would say direct fire weapons. Of course, each section needs to be rewritten to make sure it sounds and reads correctly *
(J3.20) GENERAL: At the instant that a WW is launched, all seeking
weapons targeted on the ship begin to follow the WW, not the ship.
Exception: Type-VI drones which have their own lock-ons will
ignore a WW; see (FD5.13).
(J3.201) All seeking weapons launched with that ship (the one that
launched the WW) as a target while an undestroyed and unvoided
WW is on the map will not accept the ship as a target, but instead
follow the WW. There is also an EW benefit; see (J3.23). A destroyed
but unvoided WW will continue to attract newly launched weapons for
some time; see (J3.211).
(J3.202) Wild weasels protect the ship that launched them and no
other. (One exception in a historical scenario of the previous edition
was found to be based on an incorrect translation of source material
and has been deleted.)
(J3.203) The WW can be targeted in its own right; in this case any
seeking weapons would not revert to the protected ship if the weasel
was voided. The WW is considered to be a ship of the size of the ship
it is protecting for targeting purposes not covered elsewhere (e.g.,
cannot be targeted by aegis).
* Below we see that Rabid Rabbits can be destroyed like Wild Weasels, except it takes 12 points of damage to destroy them. It also defines the Explosion and Post Explosion Period for the Rabid Rabbit (which will be identical to the Wild Weasel) *
(J3.21) DESTROYED WW: A wild weasel can be destroyed by one of
the seeking weapons homing in on it or by enemy direct-fire
weapons. It could also be destroyed by other means, including but
not limited to asteroids, planets, or mines. At the instant that the wild
weasel is destroyed, turn the counter upside down and record the
impulse. The wild weasel ceases to move at that point. A wild weasel
is not voided just because it was destroyed. If a wild weasel was
destroyed by death-dragging (G7.54), the hex it was occupying when
the tractoring unit moved is the destruction hex.
(J3.211) EXPLOSION PERIOD: For the remainder of the destruction
impulse, and for the four succeeding impulses, the wild weasel is in
its “explosion period” when its destruction produces an expanding ball
of hot gases. (This is in no way related to an ESG field.) The
explosion period lasts from the point in the Impulse Procedure in
which the shuttle was destroyed until that same point in the Impulse
Procedure four impulses later. Note that this might be from the
Damage During Movement Stage to Damage During Movement
Stage, or from Direct-Fire Weapons Damage Resolution Stage to
Direct-Fire Weapons Damage Resolution Stage, depending on which
stage the weasel was destroyed in.
(J3.2111) During this explosion period, the wild weasel
continues to produce ECM for the launching ship and all seeking
weapons following the WW continue to do so. Any additional
seeking weapons fired at the protected ship will accept the WW
as their target. The ship remains immune to tractoring (J3.452).
(J3.2112) During the explosion period, the WW can be voided
by the actions of the protected ship. Reactivating the fire control
system will not void the WW during the explosion period until the
system is fully active (reactivating it before the WW is destroyed
would void the WW immediately). Note, however, that the
protected ship will require this entire explosion period to
reactivate its fire control systems (D6.633). Firing weapons by
passive fire control during this period voids the WW; see
(D19.21).
(J3.2113) The launching of a seeking weapon by the protected
ship [even by passive fire control (D19.22)] will void the
destroyed WW during the explosion period.
(J3.2114) The launching of another WW by the protected ship
will void the destroyed WW. Weapons tracking the previous WW
will “revert” to the new WW.
(J3.212) POST-EXPLOSION PERIOD: After the explosion period, the
WW counter remains on the map. During this period the WW is
reduced to a pocket of ionized radiation. The post-explosion period
continues until all seeking weapons targeted on the WW have
reached the explosion hex, accepted other targets, or reached the
limit of their endurance.
(J3.2121) Any seeking weapons targeted on the WW will
continue to move toward it (exploding when they arrive) unless
the WW is voided by the protected ship.
(J3.2122) Any seeking weapons fired at the protected ship
during this period will ignore the WW.
(J3.2123) The WW does not generate ECM during this period.
(J3.2124) The WW can be voided during this period, in which
case weapons still targeted on it will switch to their original
target.
(J3.2125) Activating fire control will immediately void the weasel
(on announcement, before it is fully active) during this period, so
the ship might well choose to reactivate the fire control system
during the explosion period. See (J3.2112).
* Below we see the ECM Benefits for the Rabid Rabbit, which are identical to the Wild Weasel. It also defines when the Rabid Rabbit is activated and what penalties there are for firing at the Rabit Rabbit. Recovering a used Rabid Rabbit should nullify the “armor” for balance purposes. *
(J3.23) ECM BENEFITS FROM A WW: If a ship has an unvoided
WW on the map, the ship gains the benefit of six points of ECM
without expending any energy. Any ECM points from other sources
are added to this amount.
(J3.231) The six points of ECM are still within the limits given in
(D6.392), which restricts a ship from receiving no more than six
points of loaned ECM including that from scouts, SWACs, WW, etc.
(J3.232) If the WW is destroyed, the ECM benefit continues through
the explosion period (J3.2111).
(J3.24) ACTIVATION: A WW does not begin functioning until
launched. A WW held in the shuttle bay produces no benefits of any
type. A WW cannot be held on a balcony (J1.534).
(J3.25) PULLED INTO BAY: If pulled inside a ship’s shuttle bay, any
weapons following the WW accept the ship as their target and the
WW is voided. The ship could later use its own WW.
(J3.27) TARGET: Units firing direct-fire weapons at a WW receive
the EW penalty for firing at small targets (E1.7) because the firing
unit’s computers believe the shuttle is a full-size ship and are more
likely to miss the small target. The six points of ECM (J3.23) do not
protect the WW itself.
* Below we see the effects of Voiding a Wild Weasel, which also applies to the Rabid Rabbit. In particular, the ship launching the Rabid Rabbit should be under severe Direct Fire Penalty. The deactivation of the Fire Control System should be enough to fulfill this, but additional rules may be necessary. *
(J3.4) VOIDING A WILD WEASEL
(J3.40) GENERAL: Violating the restrictions of (J3.13) “voids” the
WW immediately. In addition to the restrictions of (J3.13), several
activities could result in “voiding” the WW. If the WW is “voided,” all
weapons following it return to following the original target and the
ECM benefits are lost. The voided WW can later be recovered by rule
(J3.22) if it is not destroyed first.
(J3.401) Activation of the ship’s fire control system voids a wild
weasel immediately, except in the case of the explosion period
(J3.2112), even though the system is not fully active until four
impulses later. Many of the items listed below (such as operating an
SFG) are impossible without a lock-on, which is the result of active
fire control; thus, it is really the active fire control scanners which
produce the voiding effect.
(J3.402) A destroyed wild weasel can be voided; see (J3.21).
(J3.403) In the event a WW is voided, any action taken simultaneously (in the same step) with the voiding act is treated as if the WW
is voided. (If a ship protected by a WW fires DF weapons and is, on
the same step, struck by DF weapons, it does not have the ECM
benefit of the WW.) In addition, see also:
(C2.42) Maneuver rate when under WW restrictions,
(D6.65) Activating fire control,
(D7.61) Voiding by marine boarding parties, and
(G24.16) Using scout systems
for additional ways to void a WW.
(J3.404) Planets might shield a unit committing a voiding action from
voiding its WW; see (P2.3224).
(J3.41) SEEKING WEAPONS: The launching of a seeking weapon
by the same ship during the same Launch Phase (Cadet’s Game) as
the launching of a WW, or while a WW is operating, constitutes the
firing of a weapon and voids the WW. This includes ballistic weapons
and seeking shuttles. Non-seeking shuttles do not void the WW.
(J3.42) RANGE: If the launching ship is more than 35 hexes from its
WW, the WW is void.
(J3.43) ELECTRONIC WARFARE: A ship that has launched a WW
can use ECM but not ECCM while the WW is operating. As ECCM
can only be used with active fire control (D6.622), a ship protected by
a WW cannot use ECCM.
(J3.431) ECM cannot be lent to a WW by the ship protected by the
WW. The WW could receive lent ECM from other units. Any such
lending would be conducted under the rules for lending ECM to ships,
not to shuttles.
(J3.432) The WW could not receive ECM from an EW fighter.
(J3.433) The WW does receive ECM from natural sources.
(J3.434) An ECM drone protecting the ship launching the WW will
follow the WW, but will provide no ECM to it. A ship protected by a
WW cannot become the “protectee” of a new ECM drone. See
(FD9.17).
(J3.435) EW lent to a ship (except by an ECM drone) which launches
a WW can continue but does not protect that ship (D6.3144).
(J3.44) MINES: A ship can drop mines from its shuttle bay without
voiding its WW. If it uses a transporter to place mines, see (J3.453).
A ship cannot detect or sweep mines without voiding the WW.STAR FLEET BATTLES SHUTTLECRAFT AND FIGHTERS — J
CAPTAIN’S MASTER RULEBOOK — Copyright © 2004, 2010, 2012 Amarillo Design Bureau, Inc. Page 311
(J3.45) PROHIBITED SYSTEMS: The ship cannot take certain
actions or use certain systems.
(J3.451) A ship protected by a WW cannot lay, maintain, or reinforce
webs without voiding that WW.
(J3.452) A ship protected by a WW cannot be tractored (until the end
of the explosion period). Pre-existing tractors prevent a WW from
being launched. The ship launching the wild weasel must release any
of its own tractors before launching the WW (G7.333), or the WW is
voided immediately without distracting any weapons or providing any
ECM. There is an exception for docked ships; see (C13.947). The
ship can use negative tractor without voiding the WW. If, after the
explosion period but while seeking weapons are still tracking the
destroyed weasel, the ship is tractored and dragged at any speed,
the weasel would still not be voided because the protected ship itself
has not taken any voiding action. Exceptions: Docked units (C13.947)
and tractored bases (G7.90).
(J3.453) Operating a transporter voids a WW.
(J3.454) Launching a probe (weapon or information) voids a wild
weasel.
TACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE RABID RABBIT
Rabid Rabbits are used to Discourage, Evade, Delay, or Disrupt Direct-Fire attacks. Some examples include:
* Against a Fed closing in with Overloaded Photons to optimum range. The Rabid Rabbit can throw off the timing and range of that assault.
* Against a Hydran closing in with Overloaded Fusions to optimum range. The Rabid Rabbit can throw off the timing and range of that assault.
* Against an ISC Eschelon Fleet using PPD’s against you.
* Against a Plasma ship that is about to Bolt due to range.
* Against incoming Fighters armed with Direct Fire weapons.
* Against a Base or Starbase firing PH-4’s at you.
Rabid Rabbits can be mixed with Wild Weasels to good effect. Rabid Rabbits may not completely nullify a Direct Fire attack, but they can reduce the amount of Direct Fire Damage sustained overall (example: an attack that would have scored 90 total damage might be reduced to 66 total damage). Like Wild Weasels, Rabid Rabbits can be utilized for their ECM benefit.
Starships employing a Rabid Rabbit are under the same Tactical Disadvantages as a Wild Weasel, so their use should be carefully planned.