So, I have been thinking a lot about what people have been saying about a buff to Missiles and Torpedos, and how homing weapons should actually home. I was also thinking about most games and simulators, and they usually require you to have the target in your forward firing arc before you can get a missile lock, so, I propose the Munitions Guidance Computer:

Modification

Munitions Guidance Computer

0 Points

To acquire a target lock, the target must be in your primary firing arc.

You may perform (Missile) or (Torpedo) attacks that require a target lock on enemies even if they are outside your firing arc.

What do you think? Too complicated?

You may perform (Missile) or (Torpedo) attacks that require a target lock on enemies even if they are outside your firing arc.

Makes Nera pointless, since she pays for this ability already.

Besides, what good does it do to be able to shoot outside your arc, if you can only TL something inside your arc?

You may perform (Missile) or (Torpedo) attacks that require a target lock on enemies even if they are outside your firing arc.

Makes Nera pointless, since she pays for this ability already.

Besides, what good does it do to be able to shoot outside your arc, if you can only TL something inside your arc?

Nope, you can TL anything within range.

TLs out to range 5, in arc. Fire out of arc at normal range for weapon.

You may perform (Missile) or (Torpedo) attacks that require a target lock on enemies even if they are outside your firing arc.

Makes Nera pointless, since she pays for this ability already.

Besides, what good does it do to be able to shoot outside your arc, if you can only TL something inside your arc?

Nope, you can TL anything within range.

Guidance computer? 2 points When a (missile or torpedo) card instructs you to discard a target lock token, do not discard the target lock token.

do not discard the target lock token.

That's what homing missiles do now. If a 5 point missile that does that isn't popular, I'm not sure how popular a 6 point torpedo that effectively does the same thing will be. Yes you get another bonus from ptorps but I don't think that's enough to make them worth 6 points.

Guidance computer? 2 points When a (missile or torpedo) card instructs you to discard a target lock token, do not discard the target lock token.

Guidance Computer (mod)

? points

If a TL is spent to allow a secondary weapon attack, allow dice rerolls as if the TL was spent as per normal rules. Same for Focus and modifying eye results ('fixes' Blaster turret as well.)

Good point, the cost of warheads being prohibitive is really the only negative anymore.

Deploying them isn't the problem. It's the cost and disposability, compared to cannons.

Ordinance fix (FAQ rule change)

All cannon upgrades gain the (focus) requirement as well as spending a focus token. HLC instead requires spending a TL.

There, munitions are finally worth it.

For guidance computer you can read some of the text on the card already. "When attack... [missile] secondary... may change... [hit] result... your primary... 3".

Personally I think it will say, "when attacking with a [missile] or [torpedo] secondary weapon you may change all [focus] results to [hit] results. You can only equip this card if your primary weapons value is less than "3"".

Here's the issue with Ord IMO anyway.

The damage it does on avg isn't worth the price in both squad points as well as opportunity cost action wise. So a fix would have to address that basic issue. There's been some ideas that can do it but none that FFG has seemed to be interested in.

For example, a new Ord dice that like the dice in Armada have double hits, or hit + crit on a face could do it. That would increase the avg damage to something that is worth the points and actions.

Or another would be extending ord out to range 5, it wouldn't help the avg damage, but being able to hit from that rage would be IMO anyway worth the points.

Keeping the TL doesn't help enough, sure a TL+Focus is going to make ord fairly potent, but that's still two turns for the sake of 1 extra dice. Simply reducing the cost could do it, but I'd think you'd have to put a 3 point deduction in place before they're worth it.

I think meddling with the basics of ordnance, like the rules, damage and points costs, would run afoul of two things that the designers cannot do:

- Huge ships become too vulnerable to a single torpedo/missile run.

- It would require changing a value on a card, and the policy is clearly that this is not done.

So the problem is approached by tacking on more upgrades. Some make acquiring TLs easier. Some work particularly well with ordnance. New missiles giving new effects in terms of damage. It doesn't look like they're fixing one single identifiable problem, but rather giving gentle nudges to making the missiles and torpedoes more attractive.

but rather giving gentle nudges to making the missiles and torpedoes more attractive.

And that does bring up the question. Is it bad that Ord isn't used that much? These threads come up fairly often, but is the game really worse off if Ord is never used much?

You may perform (Missile) or (Torpedo) attacks that require a target lock on enemies even if they are outside your firing arc.

Makes Nera pointless, since she pays for this ability already.Besides, what good does it do to be able to shoot outside your arc, if you can only TL something inside your arc?

She already is pointless loading her up with torps just leaves an expensive hole when she's vaped never having fired the ordnance.

The ship has long since sailed on this, but if I were in charge I would look into giving munitions fixed or very slightly variable damage. Torpedos would have few to-hit dice, but do a lot of fixed damage. While missiles would roll a lot of to-hit dice, but do a smaller amount of fixed damage. This makes munitions far more reliable and separates accuracy from damage, making them different from all other weapon types.

The ship has long since sailed on this, but if I were in charge I would look into giving munitions fixed or very slightly variable damage. Torpedos would have few to-hit dice, but do a lot of fixed damage. While missiles would roll a lot of to-hit dice, but do a smaller amount of fixed damage. This makes munitions far more reliable and separates accuracy from damage, making them different from all other weapon types.

I think that's actually a pretty decent idea. +1

Prockets, Adv. Homing torps, Ion and flachette missiles/torps. Plasma Torps. cluster missiles.

Ordnance is fine, it's just some missiles and torpedoes are more worth it than others.

TLs out to range 5, in arc. Fire out of arc at normal range for weapon.

the range 5 ruler is horrible, don't push us to use it outside of epic.

I like the idea OP!

The name and effect seem flavorful and nice. You select your ship to have a guidance computer specific for Ordnance, which would make sense if you, as a pilot of a missile platform, are planning to use missiles. The downsides and upsides seem to weight each other such that it isn't really a buff, but more a re-purposing of already existing technology, making a 0 pt cost reasonable.

This would certainly help Ordnance vs things like arc dodgers, or let you actually make plays with Ordnance instead of being forced to line up a shot.

Nera can do it already, sure, but B Wings really aren't great torpedo platforms, too costly and fragile I think. Z95 might appreciate it though!

I like the idea OP!

The name and effect seem flavorful and nice. You select your ship to have a guidance computer specific for Ordnance, which would make sense if you, as a pilot of a missile platform, are planning to use missiles. The downsides and upsides seem to weight each other such that it isn't really a buff, but more a re-purposing of already existing technology, making a 0 pt cost reasonable.

This would certainly help Ordnance vs things like arc dodgers, or let you actually make plays with Ordnance instead of being forced to line up a shot.

Nera can do it already, sure, but B Wings really aren't great torpedo platforms, too costly and fragile I think. Z95 might appreciate it though!

Thanks!

It also gives a buff to teamwork ships like Dutch or Colonel Jendon, as they can pass the target lock. It also might really help on bombers or other specific missile platforms.

I am glad you like the idea!

Torpedo dice: one double crit

2 single crit sides

One focus

Three blanks

These hit less but can cause a lot of crits

Missile Dice: one double hit

3 single hits

Two focus

One blank

Hit more often, no crits

Just a thought.

For example, a new Ord dice that like the dice in Armada have double hits, or hit + crit on a face could do it. That would increase the avg damage to something that is worth the points and actions.

- It would require changing a value on a card, and the policy is clearly that this is not done.

The ship has long since sailed on this, but if I were in charge I would look into giving munitions fixed or very slightly variable damage. Torpedos would have few to-hit dice, but do a lot of fixed damage. While missiles would roll a lot of to-hit dice, but do a smaller amount of fixed damage. This makes munitions far more reliable and separates accuracy from damage, making them different from all other weapon types.

It's kind of disappointing that they didn't change the dice for torps/missiles, the new core set would have been the perfect opportunity for something like:

1 blank

1 focus

4 crit

2 crit

Now, it does make some effects over-useful (Protons and Adv Protons mostly), but considering how many dice are being rolled it's still better.

Do you want a real missile and Torpedo Buff?

Quite easy, and we would need only 1 or 2 types of missiles and the same with torpedoes:

First of all, TL action can be made up to range 5 against small and large ships, and on all huge ships in the game field.

Second: Missiles and Torpedoes range is 3-5, Although torpedoes can be used only agains huge ships (all but flechette torpedoes, which are designed to attack small ships)

Third: Fixed damage. if a missile impacts, all dices are cancelled and the defensor gets 3 damage for example. With Torpedoes, maybe 5?

Four: All small and large ships get 1 defense dice against missiles, to represent that they are seeing the missile coming.

I invite all of you to make a test game and tell me the results. This way the TL action would be more useful, and missiles would be also more used and tactics would change (For example, if a ship has you locked, you would rush towards it to the enemy to reach range 2)