About Starship Data Firing Arc Designations
Expanded ARC Rules and Diagrams
This page is still in the very early stages of being
written, although considerable work has been accomplished....
-Mark
Research Help; Lee,
This write-up is provided to expand on the FASA ARC RULES to better support the unordinary weapons that may exist in the star trek world. Theres also original fasa text that has been revised to help expand on what FASA is explaining about there arc rules, since I'm not limited to a number of pages for a book to be sold ;)
Lee introduced alot of confusion to me when dealing with this write up. I was trying hard to figure out where he was coming from and I think I got it now. Part of my orginial views where in error and they will be corrected through out the site once this write-up is complete.
My work on the Miranda Write-up led to using new varous types of arcs. I came up with
the "weapon fire arc" rule/diagram to solve a problem with the Miranda's unique
weapon rack. <more> I discovered that the two FASA gray scaled images could be
combined into one image. <more> The feedback was minor but the end result was that
the new colored diagram was in error, so I kept modifing it. Simutantouly Lee was examine
all this business about the fire arcs and has introduced some alternative
diagrams....<more>, this might not be needed text.... all depends if its
explained clear enough below.
FASA REFERENCES
Firing Arcs
FIRING ARC DIAGRAM - This is the standard game FIRING ARC, be it
FASA's or a custom design.
The Ship Data Tables give the Firing Arcs for each of a vessel's weapons. Each weapon,
whether it is a beam weapon or a missile weapon, has a field of fire determined by its
placement on the ship. Four fields of fire are designated, but the placement of some
weapons allows them to bear on more than one field; one or more arcs may be given.
The four fields are f (forward), p (port), s (starboard), and a (aft); combinations
are designated by a slash (/), such as f/p, which means that the weapon can fire
into the forward and port arcs of the vessel. Thus, if the weapon is mounted on the front
of the ship, its Firing Arc will be f; if it can also fire to the starboard (right), its
Firing Arc will be listed as f/s. (If you have trouble remembering the directions referred
to by the terms port and starboard, try remembering that port and left have the same
number of letters.)
<example image>
How to speak the arcs (or type)
THE FOUR MAIN FIELDS
f FORWARD
p PORT
s STARBOARD
a AFT
TYPICAL COMBINATIONS
f/p FORWARD PORT
f/s FORWARD STARBOARD
NEW Weapon Firing Arc Rules
WEAPONS ARC DIAGRAM - This is a diagram that temporarily modifies the standard
FASA FIRING ARC DIAGRAM when a special weapon is used.
Depending on the vessel and the weapons capabilities, special arcs may be given.
Allows for custom weapon arcs on a pership bases, without altering construction methods.
Although the STCS Manual doesn't explain too much about why arcs are the way they are, or
how the Starship Stats would look like in a diagram when dealing with a particular weapon.
I chose to do some research and devised a partially new type of arc field, the
"WEAPON ARC" for the write-up on the Miranda's unique weapon system. The new
diagram adds a FASA-like alteration to the rules without totally rewriting the fasa firing
arc rules. The choice for naming such a diagram came directly from FASA's constant
referral of single emitters as 'Weapons'. Special Note: These new rules allow the
construction of ships more precisely that have been difficult or impossible to do before.
Such as a lot of the Jackill's vessels and other similar vessels online.
they also represent the weapon stats in the same terms<add explanation>.
<example image>
CUSTOM ??????
1f/a,1f/a single row of hexs,
4p,4s weapon fires a limited port or starboard arc only
2f,2a 1f and 1a at a time
How to speak the arcs (or type)
Starship Data Firing Arc Designations - Explanation Expanded - These are FASA's
indicators used on the Starship Data Sheets.
STARSHIP DATA DIAGRAM - This is a NEW diagram that is based on FASA's starship
stats firing arc call designations such as f/p.
FASA's firing arcs have always varied in some of the Starship Combat games and they always
seem to be difficult to understand or except unless you reverse engineer the mechanics
behind it. Once you stomach all the info, one tends to settle for FASA's Standard FIRING
ARCs. The original rules make for an easy and quick pase game. Although the STCS Manual
doesn't explain too much about why arcs are the way they are, or provide how the Starship
Stats would look like in a diagram when dealing with a particular weapon. I decided to
convert FASA's Ship Data Designations into a diagram to properly show how the new arc
rules effect the use of the weapons.
<example image>
How to speak the arcs (or type)
CUSTOM COMBINATIONS
a/p/s AFT PORT STARBOARD
CUSTOM ?????not a combination????
f,a FORWARD & AFT
f/p, a/s FORWARD PORT & AFT STARBOARD
p,s PORT & STARBOARD
END