Star Wars Roleplay: Chaos

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Approved Starship B-wing Assault Starfighter

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OUT OF CHARACTER INFORMATION
  • Intent: To recreate an Iconic starfighter for the modern era.
  • Image Source: B-wing Starfighter | Wookieepedia Article - Originally from the New Essential Guide to Vehicles and Vessels.
  • Canon Link: Not Applicable.
  • Permissions: Not Applicable.
  • Primary Source: Repurposed Canon Articles, Star Wars: Squadrons.
PRODUCTION INFORMATION
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
  • Classification: Heavy Assault Starfighter.
  • Length: 17 Metres.
  • Width: 3 Metres.
  • Height: 2.5 Metres.
  • Armament: Very High Rating.
    • [3] Heavy Ion Cannons [Fixed Forward; Adjustable Emitters.]
      • Firing Modes: Single Cannon, Double Cannon, Tri-Cannon.
    • [4] Heavy Laser Cannons [Fixed Forward; Adjustable Emitter.]
      • Firing Modes: Single Cannon, Double Cannon, Quad Cannon.
      • Alternate Firing Modes:
        • Stutter-fire - Low-powered Bolts followed by Fully-powered Bolts.
        • Overcharged - Slow-firing Bolts with a Slightly Higher Damage Output.
        • Pulse-fire - Three-bolt Bursts, with a marginal Cooling Phase in between Firing Cycles.
    • [1] Twin Autoblaster Cannon [Rapid-fire Capable, Chin-mounted; Fixed Forward.]
    • [2] Laser-guided Bombs [Target-lock Required, Chin-mounted; Fixed Forward, Single-Use Only.]
    • [2] Flexible Warhead Launchers.
      • Payload Capacity: Eight Variable Warheads.
      • Firing Modes: Quick-lock Missile Launch, Standard Missile Launch, Multi-Missile Launch.
  • Defences: Average Rating.
    • Standard Armour and Hull Plating.
      • Composite Construction: Overlaid Materials Reinforce the Spaceframe without Compromising Space-worthiness.
      • Overhauled AR-08 Ablative Plating: Resists Thermal Abrasion during Atmospheric Re-Entry; and Marginally Reduces Hull Damage during Combat - Micro-Meteors and Astro-Navigational Hazards (Activates only when Particle Shields Fail.)
    • Standard Deflector Shield (Ray, Particle and Concussion Barriers; Overlaid.)
      • Auxillary Settings: Standard / Tactical Shield, or Assault Shield [Double Front.]
    • Inclusive Ionic Shielding.
      • Capable of Resisting a Wide Variety of EMP and Ionic Attacks, but Can be Overloaded by Device Quantity and Potency.
    • Standard Maneuvering and Thrust-Vectoring Suite
    • Inclusive EWAR Suite - Electronic Countermeasures, Chaff, Flare Launchers, Sensor Jammers, Targeting Jammers, Etc.
  • Squadron Count: Average Rating.
    • Twelve Starfighters per Squadron.
  • Maneuverability Rating: 45 DPF - Low Rating.
  • Speed Rating: Low Rating.
  • MGLT: 95 MGLT
  • Maximum Atmospheric Speed: 950 Km/H
  • Hyperdrive: Equipped.
    • Primary Hyperdrive: Class 1.
    • Secondary Hyperdrive: Class 8.
  • Engine Unit(s): Starfighter - Class Ion Engines, with Integrated Repulsorlift Generator(s.)
  • Primary Power Plant: Starfighter-Class Compact Fusion Reactor.
  • Secondary Power Plant: Solar Ionization Conversion Module(s) with Retractable Agrinium Collection Arrays.
  • Passengers:
    • None.
  • Crew Complement (Optimal): One Pilot, Integrated Droid Brain and/or One Astromech Droid.
  • Crew Complement (Skeletal): Integrated Droid Brain.
  • Escape Craft: One Escape Pod / Detachable Cockpit Module.
  • Cargo Capacity: 80 Kilograms - Survival and Maintenance Equipment.
  • Consumables: One Week.
STANDARD FEATURES
  • Standard Sensor and Targeting Systems.
  • Standard Avionics Package and Navigation System.
    • Precision MicroJump Computer.
  • Standard Life Support System, with Inertial Compensation System.
    • Automatic Polarizing Canopy (Integrated Resistance to Blinding Lights; Synthetic or Natural.)
  • Standard Damage and Hazard Control Systems.
  • Standard Anti-Ion Emission Tracker (Anti-Hyperspace Tracking.)
  • Standard Tractor Beam Shroud; Anti-Tractor Beam - Activated System.
  • Standard Communication Systems, with Encrypted Military Keys.
  • Standard Shift and Relativistic Shielding.
  • Standard Integrated VTOL System.
  • Standard Landing Configuration and Retractable Struts.
  • Standard S-Foils - Attack and Locked Positions.
ADVANCED SYSTEMS
  • State of the Art Internal Systems:
    • Integrated Droid Brain, with Decentralized Artificial Intelligence Capabilities (Advanced Automaton, and Slaved Systems, Etc.)
    • Holographic Terminal Interface(s.)
    • Antisepsis Field, with Hermetic Cockpit Seals; Vacuum-capable.
    • Advanced Power Allocation System; Primary Modes: Engines, Weapons, or Shields.
  • State of the Art External Systems:
  • State of the Art Countermeasures:
    • Advanced Counter-Slicing Protocols and Equipment, with Quadruple Bio-hexacrypted Systems.
    • Advanced Biometric Equipment, Terminal Access and Military Encryption Protocols.
    • Internalized Shield Generators, and Emitters.
    • Internalized Fusion Reactor.
    • Anti-Ordnance EM Probe(s) - Long-range Missile Interceptor.
    • Missile Deactivators, and Sensor Inverters; Short-range Missile Interceptors and Jammers.
      • Sensor Invertors - The Module, when activated, emits a pulse of Electromagnetic energy that Interferes with a Conventional Warhead's Seeking System. If affected, the Warhead's homing signal could be inverted, allowing the Projectile to be returned to sender.
    • Animated Metal Sealant, with Automated Repair Remote.
    • Seeker Nanomissile Warheads; Rear-firing Missile Interceptors - Requires Missile Target-lock to Properly Intercept Incoming Warheads.
    • Squadron Mask; Disables Starfighter's Transponder via Dedicated Jamming Module, Requires Additional Starfighters to Increase Potency during a Dogfight.
STRENGTHS
  • Highly Automated, with Animated Metal Sealant, Automated Repair Droids, and Minor Regenerative Properties.
  • Comprehensive Countermeasure, Sensor and Targeting Suite.
  • Small Forward and Rear Attack Profile - Lower Probability of Scoring Hits.
  • Performance Enhancements:
    • Shielded and Aerodynamic - Marginal Increase(s) in Speed and Maneuverability in Atmospheric Conditions.
    • Advanced Power Coupling(s) - Capable of Shunting additional Power to Shields, Weapons, or Engines for Marginal Performance Increases.
  • Squadron Mask - Disables Starfighter's Transponder via Dedicated Jamming Module; Best Used in Dogfights due to Pilot Confusion.
  • SLAM System; Temporary Speed Boost at the Cost of Disabled Armament.
  • Sensor Inverter; Short-ranged Missile Redirector via Microburst EM Pulse - Works best with Conventional Warheads.
  • Dedicated "Blockade Buster" Fighter; Powerful Alpha-strike Capabilities coupled with a Powerful Armament.
  • Gyroscopic Cockpit Module - Capable of Spinning the Fighter to Aid Operational Maneuverability.
WEAKNESSES
  • Heavy Automaton and Slaved Systems; Combat Performance is Significantly Hindered if Disabled by EMP attacks or excess Ionization.
  • Limited EMP and Ion Resistance(s); Sustained Damage is Dependant on Attacking Device(s) Potency / Scale and Proximity.
  • Fixed Forward Weapon Placements; Consistent Reorientation for Target Acquisition.
  • Repulsorlift Jammers; Proximity Dependent as Jammers are Less Effective at a Distance.
  • Advanced Power Couplings - Notable Dips in Operational Performance when Power's Allocated away from Major System(s.)
    • Shunted to Engines: Weapons and Shielding are Weaker.
    • Shunted to Weapons: Speed is Reduced and Shielding is Weaker.
    • Shunted to Shields: Speed is Reduced and Weapons are Weaker.
  • Large Dorsal and Ventral Attack Profile - Higher Probability of Scoring Hits.
  • Squadron Mask - Disables Starfighter's Transponder via Dedicated Jamming Module; Ineffective at Range.
    • Conventional Sensors are Not Effected and the Starfighter / Squadron can still be Targeted.
    • Requires a "Cooldown" After Each Use.
  • SLAM System; Reroutes Power from Weapons to Engines - Temporarily Disables Armament.
  • Assault Shield - Double Front; When Utilized, Port, Starboard and Aft Shielding is Weaker than the Bow / Fore Vector.
  • Sensor Inverter; Works best with Conventional Warheads; Higher Chance of Failure in more Advanced Warheads.
  • Gyroscopic Rotation - If Damaged, the Module Locks and the B-wing Cannot Rotate.
  • Slower model Starfighter with Ponderous Maneuverability [Wide Turns.]
  • Alpha Strikes; Consecutive Usage can Fry the Firing Circuitry - Wholly Disabling the Fighter's Armament - Firing Cycling Recommended.
DESCRIPTION
The REC-AS01 B-wing Assault Starfighter was in many ways, a loving recreation of the ancient and infamous starfighter that originally bore the appellation of the B-wing Starfighter. Initially designed by a now long forgotten Mon Calamari engineer, the B-wing Starfighter was an incredible addition to the Rebellion’s arsenal. At the time of it’s introduction, the Starfighter was one of the most heavily armed variants available in the known universe. Which made the craft incredibly dangerous to the Imperial Navy - especially since it’s boasted armament was more powerful than some system’s patrol craft, or even small-scale corvettes. With such firepower ferried into battle by a single Starfighter - one could imagine that the Starship well-earned the expansion on it’s colloquial epithet. Blockade Buster.

In addition to the expansive armament, what made the B-wing truly unique was the gyroscopic cockpit module - that always kept the proverbial nerve cluster of the starship level with an artificial horizon. This meant that the cockpit would remain stationary as the rest of the Starfighter could fully rotate around the piloted module - which allowed the Pilot to better concentrate on staying on target, whilst the main body of their craft was capable of evading incoming fire. Such a system also minimized the G-Stresses experienced by other Pilots as they performed evasive maneuvers, or wide-angled turns.

However, should the craft be damaged and the gyroscopic system fail in any capacity - it would lock the Starfighter into a singular position, making it harder on the Pilot’s body to perform the same evasive turns, or reorientation maneuvers.

While there was much about the B-wing that went unsaid, the REC-AS01 B-wing Assault Starfighter was designed to carry forth that ancient Starfighter’s legacy - and like many of the faithful recreations made by Republic Engineering - enhance it with modern age technologies. One of the key flaws of the old B-wing Starfighter was its inability to be accompanied by an Astromech Droid - meaning that a Pilot would be truly alone within the confines of their own craft. The Coruscanti Shipwright believed that their Clients shouldn’t miss out on the company of an artificial being. Thus, in using their mastery of robotics, wove the technical artifice of an Astromech droid into the framework of the B-wing - giving the Pilots the functionality that was formerly denied to their spiritual predecessors.

Along with a host of structural and internal systems being upgraded and enhanced, the AS01 B-wing was outfitted with a unique system - one that would automatically redirect power from every system into the weapons. It was called the Alpha Strike protocol, which supposedly held enough power to vapourize a small mountain. However, such power came at a cost - as much of the Starfighter’s functionality would be swept aside in favour of enhancing it’s weapon systems. This meant that the Pilot would be endangering themselves in the heat of combat, as they wouldn’t be able to perform the dazzling evasive maneuvers that were a signature staple of the Fighter’s exotic design. In addition to this, consistent use of the Alpha Strike functionality would rapidly burn out a majority of the Starfighter’s circuitry - as the integrated heat dissipation properties wouldn’t work properly.

Despite those operational, and semi-situational drawbacks, the Republic Engineering Corporation was more than pleased with their newest Assault Starfighter. With the Conceptual phases complete and the Design being pushed off into Production, the REC-AS01 B-wing Assault Starfighter would soon find itself soaring across the solar tides - and utterly devastating whatever targets had the unfortunate pleasure of being caught within its sights.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
AMCO AMCO - This submission is ready to be tossed into the starships section.

Submission Modification Summary:
  • Updated to present factory standards.
  • Replaced image and source.
  • Updated formatting, and rewrote the Strengths, weaknesses, advanced and standard features, and defences.
  • Added all the squadron goodies to further flesh out the already existing comprehensive countermeasure suite.
  • Changed submission title.
 
Firstly before we get into it, i love the look of this app, but there certainly are some areas of concern for this quite powerful fighter.

I personally believe that these defenses such as: redundant armor plating, and especially with the assault shield,(which are meant to provide a LOT of protection for small durations,) the Cap Drain etc constitute a considerably higher armour rating than Average. It should be High, if not V High. Not to mention you have an additional advanced defensive system later in the AR-08.
Defences: Average Rating.
  • Standard Reinforced, and Ablative Armour and Hull Plating.
    • Redundant Armour Plating.
  • Standard Deflector Shield (Ray, Particle and Concussion Barriers; Overlaid.)
    • Redundant Shield Emitters and Secondary Deflector Generator.
    • Auxiliary Settings: Standard / Tactical Shield, Assault Shield [Double Front.]
  • Reinforced Ionic Shielding.
  • Standard Emergency Thrusters (Chemical Propellent-based and Retro-Thrusters.)
  • Advanced EWAR, Electronic Countermeasures, Chaff, Flare Launchers, Sensor Jammers, Targeting Jammers, Etc.

I think these as well as the MGLT ratings etc should be listed in standard features or advanced features sections rather than in a section whose primary focus is to balance the highs and lows of the app.
  • Engine Unit(s): Starfighter - Class Ion Engines, with Integrated Repulsorlift Generator(s.)
  • Primary Power Plant: Starfighter-Class Compact Fusion Reactor.
  • Secondary Power Plant: Solar Ionization Conversion Module(s) with Retractable Agrinium Collection Arrays.
  • Passengers:
    • None.
  • Crew Complement (Optimal): One Pilot, Integrated Droid Brain and/or One Astromech Droid.
  • Crew Complement (Skeletal): Integrated Droid Brain.
  • Escape Craft: One Escape Pod / Detachable Cockpit Module.
  • Cargo Capacity: 80 Kilograms - Survival and Maintenance Equipment.
  • Consumables: One Week.

Not sure if this really applies as a weakness considering some of the rather extensive EMP resistances the ship has employed.
  • Limited EMP and Ion Resistance; Proximity and Device Potency Dependent.
 
Felix Aquila Felix Aquila

I personally believe that these defenses such as: redundant armor plating, and especially with the assault shield,(which are meant to provide a LOT of protection for small durations,) the Cap Drain etc constitute a considerably higher armour rating than Average. It should be High, if not V High. Not to mention you have an additional advanced defensive system later in the AR-08.

That is your opinion, and you're more than welcome to it. But, as you'll no doubt see in the submissions I'll be linking below, it's a standard outfitting for all of my starfighters. So, if I did change the rating, it'd be really awkward to explain why a previous generation B-wing is more heavily armoured than the assault variant that's supposed to be considerably more specialized, lol.

Examples:
And, as with anything on Chaos, damage is determined by the writer calling their hits. I've seen plenty of my submissions, despite their exhaustive list of countermeasures and defences, get taken out in single hits or chewed up in background narration to satisfy someone's power fantasy. It's happened with low rated weapons, it's happened with extreme rated ones - regardless of what's been listed.

We've seen it happen on screen with starfighter combat too. X-wing's were shielded and heavily armoured in comparison to their TIE fighter counterparts, but score one good hit? And boom. That "average" defence rating means nothing. Especially when the power of a laser cannon's been progressively getting all the more powerful here on Chaos, and sometimes ignores the very fundamental nature of how things work in the SW mythos... all to justify calling hits, lol.

So, while I appreciate your input, I'm going to be keeping the rating as is - simply for the sake of consistency.

I think these as well as the MGLT ratings etc should be listed in standard features or advanced features sections rather than in a section whose primary focus is to balance the highs and lows of the app.

Again, that's your opinion and you're welcome to it, but as I've been making submissions like this for years - it's not something I'm going to be changing on a whim for a single judge. As stated by the various factory admins, we are allowed to add to the submission, but we are not allowed to take away in any capacity. Therefore, in the section of the submission talking about technical specifications, I'll list the technical specifications, lol.

Thank you for sharing your input, however.

Not sure if this really applies as a weakness considering some of the rather extensive EMP resistances the ship has employed.

As with my other submissions, this weakness is a safeguard to help others determine how to call their hits. If a capital ship shoots at this fighter with an ion cannon, even a near-miss, it'll overload the systems and disable the fighter until the residual ionization is dispersed. If it hasn't been destroyed by the large-scale weapon, that is. But, if someone shoots an emp slug at the starfighter, it's probably not going to have the desired effect because of the scaling factor that's in play.

So, like my other submissions, I'll be keeping that weakness.
 
Republic Engineering Republic Engineering | Felix Aquila Felix Aquila

Let me preface with this,

The factory will not base judgments on precedents or the approval of prior submissions.

That being stated. you are correct, everything on this site is based on other writers calling their hits. But we as a staff are here to facilitate and moderate what is going into the hands of the writers to allow for a balanced and fun environment. That is why the Factory is here, to allow for creativity without having Death Stars wipe out the board every other day.

Secondly, you are more than allowed to add onto the template any fields that you think are necessary, and you haven't removed any of the fields that would otherwise be there. I would like to mention that Felix is a judge in training, and has not necessarily seen any members make use of this rule before.

As for the submission,

Can you please flesh out and explain what you mean more clearly, it is a little vague and can be misinterpreted.
Limited EMP and Ion Resistance; Proximity and Device Potency Dependent.
 
Matthew Locke Matthew Locke - I appreciate the refresh, but as a long-time user and former Factory Judge, I know how this game goes. An opinion was stated that I do not agree with, and I wished to keep my submission consistent with the others that've been approved. All so I don't have to go through this cycle again to ensure that all of my submissions match and are scaled appropriately.

As to the quoted weakness? I mentioned this in my previous reply, but it all depends on what's being thrown at it. There's far too many ways to overload a system with Ionic energy and EMP weaponry. The example given was but one of a thousand, where a capital ship's ion cannons are much stronger than a stafighter's and would have a more profound effect on the target in question than an EMP round fired from a rifle or pistol.

While vague and can be misinterpreted, as many things in SW and on Chaos are, that weakness is meant to be a guideline to help the person using this submission to determine how effective an attack made with EMP/Ion weaponry is.

Personally, I'd rather not waste my time in listing out in exacting and exhausting detail how well this starfighter - and indeed many others - could defend themselves from the thousand-fold ways one could overload their systems. I don't think it's a far thing to ask for either when such detail would ultimately get ignored for the sake of the narrative.
 
Republic Engineering Republic Engineering

I understand and appreciate your time that you have spent as a judge, and as you should well know it is in each judge's discretion to judge a submission and they might not align with some others in terms of view on any part of a submission. You do have every right to want to keep a submission the way it is.

With this, I understand your want to not have to list out every possible defense that a certain thing can defend against if there are thousands of possibilities. Just some clarification was needed on the matter which you have provided sufficiently.

I will preface this, by stating that this submission can be reported if it is misused, not stating that you would, just something I feel I should note.

APPROVED.
 
Republic Engineering Republic Engineering

Thank you for your patience. Please see the review below.


1) Defences

Defences: Average Rating.
  • Standard Reinforced, and Ablative Armour and Hull Plating.
    • Redundant Armour Plating.
  • Standard Deflector Shield (Ray, Particle and Concussion Barriers; Overlaid.)
    • Redundant Shield Emitters and Secondary Deflector Generator.
    • Auxiliary Settings: Standard / Tactical Shield, Assault Shield [Double Front.]
  • ReinforcedIonic Shielding.
  • Standard Emergency Thrusters (Chemical Propellent-based and Retro-Thrusters.)
  • Advanced EWAR, Electronic Countermeasures, Chaff, Flare Launchers, Sensor Jammers, Targeting Jammers, Etc.


I think that there is a misunderstanding here, as far as factory ratings go, average is the basic version of a product without any added frills or thrills. A stock deflector shield would be what we mean when we describe an average defence.



With that in mind, the defences that you are describing here are not average, the redundancies and the use of words such as reinforced, ablative and advanced are a level above what is seen as standard or average. This is further borne out if we look at the basic stock B-wing model (wookie) we see that it has only 2 defensive components, the Zr-41 shield generator[SUP] [/SUP]and what is described as powerful ECM packages. If that is taken as average then the sheer level of defences you have built into this fighter are not average but are clearly a rating above this.



As such, I am going to hold to the initial review of this submission, the rating will need to be adjusted to match the described defences, or the defences will need to be scaled down to match the rating.



2) Previous submissions



As you pointed out, you are a former judge so you should know that the factory does not operate on precedent as was pointed out to you by the RPJ reviewing the submission. However, thank you for pointing out the possible submissions which have potential issues in them, I will double-check them to make sure there are no inconsistencies there too.



3) Strengths and Weaknesses



Advanced Power Coupling(s) - Capable of Shunting additional Power to Shields, Weapons, or Engines.


This shunting of power isn't reflected in the ratings of the ship. How does the movement of power between the systems affect the rating as they're put down? The way it's currently writing it appears that the systems can be boosted during roleplay without suffering any consequences to other categories. While I understand this isn't what you intended, please make sure to reflect this ability in the ratings.



Squadron Mask - Temporary and Advanced Sensor jammer; Ineffective at Range - Requires a "Cooldown" After Each Use.


Can you go into more detail about the effectiveness of the Sensor Jammers here? How capable are they? Will they block all sensors for a period or will they just fuzz up the sensor readings making it harder to get a lock on the B-wing? If we look at the wookie article it says it is "a type of device capable of blocking or fooling sensors." To me, this reads like a stealth system and according to the Factory Rules on Restricted Materials



Particularly rare or powerful special features may necessitate using a lower level of production (cloaking technology, personal cloaking devices, gemcutters, crystal grav traps, moon dust, equivalent stealth or anti stealth technologies), or rare canon technologies (Hyperwave Inertial Momentum Sustainers, etc) and their equivalents will only be permitted at Semi-Unique production.



If you could clarify the capabilities of the jammer in lieu of this.



SLAM System; Temporary Speed Boost.


As with the Advanced Power Couplings the SLAM isn't represented in the ratings of the submission. It is generally taken that the activation of a SLAM system will increase the speed of the ship at the cost of manoeuvrability. Is this the case here? If so please show the adjustment in the ratings.



Sensor Inverter; Short-ranged Missile Redirector - Works best with Conventional Warheads.


The link you provided takes us to the sensor jammers not the redirectors which you link in the submission.



Automated and Slaved Systems; Utterly Crippled if Disabled.


How exactly would these systems be disabled? The ship contains a decentralized AI which would prevent it from being easily disabled by attack.



Limited EMP and Ion Resistance; Proximity and Device Potency Dependent.


As the previous judge mentioned, this weakness isn't exactly clear. Please flesh it out to better explain what you mean here, especially given the reinforced ionic shielding the ship possesses. While I understand that you mean it as a catch-all, giving the example of a capital ships ion cannon hitting the ship, I'd point out that a capital ships ion cannon is of sufficient power to disable most fighters regardless of their ionic protections. Further more, a vague weakness is often prone to misinterpretation and confusion.



Limited Warhead Interception Capability - External Escort Reliance.


This isn't actually a weakness, since the fighter actually has more interception capability than most fighters. Starfighters aren't generally equipped with point defence or other anti-missile systems, and this b-wing has missile deactivators which most fighters do not have.



Furthermore please do not try to use your history as a creator or a previous factory judge to browbeat the members of the factory team. As you are aware each judge is different and will approach submissions in a different way. While I'm sure it wasn't your intent, your tone in your interactions with the members of the factory team came across as standoffish and hostile. As you are aware these are volunteers giving up their free time so that you and the other writers on the site are able to enjoy the factory and ensure that submissions are both balanced and polished. Please be sure to treat them with the respect and politeness you would wish to be treated with in their shoes.



Please tag me back once you have gone through the notes outlined above.
 
John Locke John Locke

Alright, so - let's go through this section by section.

I think that there is a misunderstanding here, as far as factory ratings go, average is the basic version of a product without any added frills or thrills. A stock deflector shield would be what we mean when we describe an average defence.

With that in mind, the defences that you are describing here are not average, the redundancies and the use of words such as reinforced, ablative and advanced are a level above what is seen as standard or average. This is further borne out if we look at the basic stock B-wing model (wookie) we see that it has only 2 defensive components, the Zr-41 shield generator and what is described as powerful ECM packages. If that is taken as average then the sheer level of defences you have built into this fighter are not average but are clearly a rating above this.

As such, I am going to hold to the initial review of this submission, the rating will need to be adjusted to match the described defences, or the defences will need to be scaled down to match the rating.

I don't think there's been a misunderstanding on my part in regards to what's considered average. For the defences, I've listed out everything that's expected to be on a starfighter in any science fiction universe - hull plating, armour plating, shields, evasive thrusters, countermeasures, etc. To me, every single one of those aspects combines to create the unified vision of what should be an average rating. As a whole, it seems like a lot - I will admit that - but in reality? That's what comes, and should come standard with any Starfighter in a science fiction setting.

These strike craft are supposed to be nimble, and capable of defending themselves from a myriad of dangers found on the spatial battlefield. To that end, things like reinforced armour and hull plating aren't uncommon. Some starfighters have a different material composing the hull, and something else for the armour - like the Y-wing in legends, as that has Titanium-reinforced Alusteel. Both of these linked materials are known for their strength and durability... but as we've seen in the films, all of that matters little when an enemy pilot lands a good shot. They're either blown up in a single laser blast, or shot to pieces in two. Couple that with Chaos' power creep? Well, anything less than what I've listed wouldn't make the grade for an average rating, tbh.

Ablative, on the other hand, is something that should be standard on all starfighters but goes widely unmentioned in this fandom - as Star Wars seems to forget that atmospheric translation's a thing. But, that's another issue entirely, lol. Having ablative armour plating is to ensure that the Starfighter doesn't melt as it's entering a planet's atmosphere. The thermal / heat shielding does little to actually defend the Starfighter, as conventional laser cannons - as mentioned earlier - tend to vaporize or destroy their targets on contact. In actuality, the ablative hull / armour plating does more to safeguard the structural integrity of the starfighter from atmospheric translations, and the pilot too - as they'd likely overheat or pass out from heat exhaustion - rather than play out how ablative armour's treated on screen as it is in Star Trek: Enterprise.

(They basically treat it like a pseudo-shield, if you by chance are unfamiliar with the series.)

To the point about the B-wing - I would disagree that only the Canon model should be used as a standard for judging. The Legends variant states that it has multiple generators, rather than a single one as the Canon version lists. In addition, the Legends variant states that the B-wing plays host to a Titanium alloy - which doesn't get mentioned at all in the Canon variant. That's not even going into the various subsystems, jammers, ECM packages and the like that are either shared - or not - between both variants. So, I don't think it's a fair metric to state that there's only two defensive components that can be utilized in this submission.

By that standard, nothing ever produced on Chaos should be better than it's Canon counterpart.

When it comes to the advanced countermeasures? Sure, you could argue the point of it constituting a higher than average rating, but I would vehemently disagree - as each of these countermeasures are situational, and would likely fail when pitted against the countless modules and systems made by submitters here in the Factory. There's only so much power that these countermeasures offer - many of which would fail during a lengthy engagement. There's only so much Chaff canisters or Flares that a starfighter could theoretically hold before other systems were affected. The same goes for the potency of the various jamming systems, as a Starfighter's not likely to have enough power to jam the sensors or targeting systems of a gunboat or larger vessel.

But a similarly-sized starfighter? There's potential to play havoc with their systems and make it so that their weapons don't one-shot the Pilot of this starfighter. Having a wide spread of countermeasures, in my mind, is advanced - rather than in terms of functionality. If they were anything beyond conventional, they would require their own submission to be processed through the Factory. Something that I view as a waste of my time, since many component submissions add little intrinsic value to what's already been created through the Canon, be it Legends or NuCanon. That's also where I factor in the setting of this Site. Chaos is stated to be 830 IC years after the movies. Therefore, everything that's being cited from Wookieepedia is well over 800+ years old, and if it's listed - it's likely been overhauled to "modern standards" where the systems can function and operate as they should, but paying respect to the setting without breaking the supposed balance that the Factory seeks to uphold.

They'll likely always play second fiddle to fanon creations, even if there's no mechanical difference.

So, what I'm willing to do - is erase the mention of the redundant armour plating. As per our DM conversation, there were some perspectives that I may or may not have taken into account and having it listed might've been the cause, at least one of many, for the bout of confusion. To remove anything more, in my mind, would result in a lowered rating as we'd be taking away what's considered the essentials for any science fiction starfighter. in any mythos.

This shunting of power isn't reflected in the ratings of the ship. How does the movement of power between the systems affect the rating as they're put down? The way it's currently writing it appears that the systems can be boosted during roleplay without suffering any consequences to other categories. While I understand this isn't what you intended, please make sure to reflect this ability in the ratings.

I don't think that the shunted power needs to be represented in the ratings, especially when the differences would be marginal at best. A slightly more powerful laser canon doesn't make it worthy of a high rating, especially when that holds little bearing on how that damage's translated in Roleplay. Someone will either dodge the hit, or say that their shields dissipated the blast. The same goes for the engines, as you'd likely get more performance out of them - but not enough to make them worthy of a better rating. A B-wing shouldn't be able to go as fast as an X-wing because someone shifts a bit of power towards the engines. Like the other systems before, the same goes for the shields too - but as there's not definitive metric to accurately determine how much damage a deflector shield can take before collapsing? That's a theoretical boon, coupled by poor performances elsewhere.

What I can, and should do - instead - is to make that more clear in the strengths and weaknesses section; as "Power Couplings - Notable Dips in Operational Performance when Power's Allocated away from Major System(s)" evidently isn't enough to make that clear.

Can you go into more detail about the effectiveness of the Sensor Jammers here? How capable are they? Will they block all sensors for a period or will they just fuzz up the sensor readings making it harder to get a lock on the B-wing? If we look at the wookie article it says it is "a type of device capable of blocking or fooling sensors." To me, this reads like a stealth system and according to the Factory Rules on Restricted Materials

Particularly rare or powerful special features may necessitate using a lower level of production (cloaking technology, personal cloaking devices, gemcutters, crystal grav traps, moon dust, equivalent stealth or anti stealth technologies), or rare canon technologies (Hyperwave Inertial Momentum Sustainers, etc) and their equivalents will only be permitted at Semi-Unique production.

If you could clarify the capabilities of the jammer in lieu of this.

No offence, but if that's how that reads to you, any conventional sensor or target jamming system should be marked as a stealth system. As mentioned in our DM conversation, this was something that came about because of an unwritten rule that the Factory's now enforcing in regards to what sites can be linked in our submissions. The argument to justify this stance was because of game mechanics.... which fails to hold any weight when things from SWTOR, KOTOR, and various other SW games can be added - simply because they aren't on Wikipedia, or Wookieepedia for some reason.

As to the Squadron Mask itself, while introduced in SW: Squadrons - it's far from a rare or powerful feature. It's literally a system that scrambles the ID or Transponder coding of a Starfighter, making it easier to mess with their opponents. Something that could be done by any astromech droid in Legends or Canon by "going dark" as it were. It does nothing to baffle the engines, nor does it mess with the power signatures and the like. As every starfighter has layered sensor suites - the Squadron Mask is literally one of the worst stealth methods by any metric. But, the reason why I like it, and it's good on starfighters in a dogfight?

Because a pilot can't realistically cycle through every single one of their sensor systems while in a dogfight. There's too much happening, and far too fast for anyone person to keep track of. So, when this system's activated and several starfighters suddenly "vanish" from a pilot's scopes... it's perfect to setup ambushes or break away from a dogfight. When I'm talking about ambushes, however, I'm not talking about hiding in some asteroid field waiting for the enemy to strike, I mean when someone maneuvers their starfighter in such a way that their enemy's focus is entirely on them - rather than their ally.

So, if that unwritten rule is abolished - I'd be more than happy to properly link every system that was introduced in the canon of SW: Squadrons. Be it through their own wiki, or snapshots taken from the actual website describing these systems.

As with the Advanced Power Couplings the SLAM isn't represented in the ratings of the submission. It is generally taken that the activation of a SLAM system will increase the speed of the ship at the cost of manoeuvrability. Is this the case here? If so please show the adjustment in the ratings.

If it's generally taken that the activation of a SLAM system will increase speed at the cost of maneuverability, then I'm afraid to say that the general conception is wrong. By the Legends article on SubLight Acceleration Motors, this temporary boost comes from taking power away from the weapons - all so that slower starfighters can boost away from danger. There's no mention of the system taking away from a starfighter's maneuverability, but when going faster than combat speed - there's likely various things that a pilot should consider when this system is activated.

I don't think their internal compensators would be able to tackle the strain even the most simply maneuvers would have on their body when the SLAM's active. But, that's not a weakness in the starfighter - more a weakness in the organic structure of the Pilot.

As with the advanced power couplings, that too is something that doesn't need to be represented in the ratings.

This starfighter, even with the SLAM system active, will never go faster than a starfighter that has the average rating - ala an X-wing.

The link you provided takes us to the sensor jammers not the redirectors which you link in the submission.

Again, the unwritten and enforced rule is at play here. The Sensor Invertor is essentially a sophisticated micro-EMP burst that messes with the tracking systems of incoming warheads - which fools the systems into chasing down the enemy, rather than chasing after the starfighter it was originally intended to destroy. As such a thing exists in SW Canon, thanks to Squadrons, but doesn't have a Wookieepedia entry - well, I went with the next best thing.

So, like the Squadron mask, if abolished - I'd be more than happy to properly link these systems with their Squadrons counterparts to better explain their capabilities.

How exactly would these systems be disabled? The ship contains a decentralized AI which would prevent it from being easily disabled by attack.

I'd disagree, as if an EMP / Ion attack is powerful enough to breach the resistances in play - ala the Capital ship's ion cannon, EmpIon mines, Defender ion mines, or even a collection of standard ion mines - it'd utterly cripple the starfighter, leaving it dead in the water as a lot of the systems wouldn't be able to function, or would be blown out. Couple this with the lack of an astromech droid, and the automated remote - that'd also likely be disabled - this starfighter and their pilot are now sitting ducks until they can recover - through shunting the excess ionization out of their starfighter, repairing the damage themselves, or being recovered by their nearby allies - if any.

As the previous judge mentioned, this weakness isn't exactly clear. Please flesh it out to better explain what you mean here, especially given the reinforced ionic shielding the ship possesses. While I understand that you mean it as a catch-all, giving the example of a capital ships ion cannon hitting the ship, I'd point out that a capital ships ion cannon is of sufficient power to disable most fighters regardless of their ionic protections. Further more, a vague weakness is often prone to misinterpretation and confusion.

If an ion cannon shot from a capital ship struck a starfighter, it'd destroy it. That's highly ionized plasma or particles from a capital ship, versus a one-man strike craft. There's nothing short of god-modding that can save a pilot and their starfighter if they were shot down by a Capital ship's ion cannon, lol. The example I stated, both to your judges and to you via our DM discussion was a near-miss - meaning that the highly-ionized and ambient energy radiating from a capital ship's ion cannon overloaded the system's on a starfighter - prompting them to reboot, etc.

So, as the issue with the wording in that weakness has blown up considerably more than it should've - I'll rephrase the weakness without using the bloated version you've given me. "Limited EMP and Ion Resistance(s); Sustained Damage is Dependant on Attacking Device(s) Potency / Scale and Proximity."

Is that a suitable replacement that clears up any future confusion?

This isn't actually a weakness, since the fighter actually has more interception capability than most fighters. Starfighters aren't generally equipped with point defence or other anti-missile systems, and this b-wing has missile deactivators which most fighters do not have.

Before SW: Squadrons came out, I would agree with you, but with that NuCanon game brought into play - well there are a few new anti-missile systems at play here. Especially when coupled with the various jammers and the like. But, as it's a non-issue - I'll remove the weakness.

Addendum:

As per our DM conversation, I've elected to make some changes to how things are written and explained. So, to make sure there's a changelog - I'm editing this post to include what's been "fixed."

Submission Changelog:
  • Removed Redundancies in the Armament Section, and Added a Link to the Stutter-fire Wookieepedia article.
  • Fleshed out the Defences Section to state what's what, rather than offering a condensed version.
  • Fleshed out the Special Features Section with additional descriptors to assist in detailing the capabilities of this Starfighter.
    • Waiting for the Go-ahead to link items from SW: Squadrons as they're currently restricted by an unwritten Ruling.
  • Fleshed out the Strengths Section with additional descriptors to better clarify the capabilities of the Starfighter.
  • Fleshed out the Weaknesses Section with additional weaknesses and descriptors to better clarify the drawbacks of the Starfighter.
 
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Republic Engineering Republic Engineering

1) Defences

While you may be of the opinion that this mix of capabilities should constitute the average defences in any sci-fi universe this doesn't hold true for the Star Wars universe in particular. Many of the aspects that you have mentioned, such as evasive thrusters, are not common and when they are included on a fighter they're generally worthy of special mention. I agree that there are sci-fi settings where it might well be the case where all of these are included in a fighter craft as average, possible the Starfury from Babylon 5, however, this is explicitly not the case in Star Wars. The X-wing, lacks armour plating, evasive thrusters, countermeasures and even effective ECM. The A-wing, while it does have ECM lacks the other aspects which you have listed as average in your opinion. This establishes our baseline as set down as canon, those aspects you see as average. It also helps us to establish the spirit of Star Wars which the rules refer to.
You've mentioned the Chaos power creep, which is a fact, however, the majority of submissions tend to use canon submission. The materials and capabilities used in a submission do as you say, create versatility which isn't bad in and of itself. My concern however comes when the descriptions that you've used make it seem like the submissions has more capability than the rating would generally allow. Average means precisely that, the everyday, the ability to play havoc with other fighters systems would be available in a ship that has a more than average capability.
Looking through your re-written defences the armour and shield sections look just fine to me. The text of the Ionic and Ewar sections also looks fine, but again the word "comprehensive" to me seems to indicate a capability beyond the average. If you could remove or replace the word then I think we'd be fine.

2) Power Couplings

Thank you for adding the change to the power couplings, your intention is much clearer now.

3) Squadron Mask

The factory will currently continue to one accept Wookiepedia as canon, as such, I understand what you wish to show with the Sensor Mask, and I would suggest including a few lines of a write up to that effect in the submission. My issue with the linked page is specifically its ability to "block" sensors as described in the wookiepedia article. That ability is what makes it read as a stealth system, as blocking sensors is the very definition of a stealth system. Hence my asking you to clarify the capabilities of the jammers within the submission.

4) Sensor Invertor

This reads very much like a game mechanic, which it is, I'm not exactly sure how this would actually work since an EMP would fry the tracking systems rather than redirect them.

5) Ionization of Automated Systems

So in effect what you're saying is the effects of ion energy on the fighter is the same as any other piece of electronics. I don't see how this is a specific weakness but it's always a good reminder to people.

The rewrite of your weakness will suffice, thank you for adjusting it.

Please read through my notes and get back to me when you're ready.
 
The X-wing, lacks armour plating, evasive thrusters, countermeasures and even effective ECM.

I'm sorry to say that the X-wing's got mention of armour plating in both the Canon and Legends wookiepedia entries - be it an armoured cockpit, or a direct mention of titanium armour, respectively. While a cursory glance indicates that only the Hull is detailed on the sidebar, with the definition of Hull in hand - it would indicate that the X-wing shares the same titanium material inside and out. Or, that the cockpit's reinforced / armoured - in comparison to the rest of the starfighter.

As for evasive thrusters? They've been with the X-wing since the Heir to the Empire was penned, however until SW: Squadrons came out - they've been infrequently referenced due to creative differences, or what have you. They've just gone by another name; Etheric Rudders. I figured that it'd be more recognizable to those that aren't familiar with the spirit of Star Wars to label them as Evasive or Maneuvering Thrusters. Since that's an issue, I'll happily revert them and include the link to avoid any future confusion.

EDIT: After having posted this, I found an article and picture of maneuvering jets being installed on an X-wing.

For ECM / Countermeasures? The X-wing comes outfitted with a sensor jammer that was designed to mess with the tracking systems of seeker warheads and TIE fighters. EDIT: With the inclusion of maneuvering jets, who knows what else has gone unlinked to the primary X-wing article - meaning that there's a possibility that there's more than what's linked here.

That's not even folding in the new information regarding the Starfighter's default loadout from NuCanon sources, ala Squadrons.

The A-wing, while it does have ECM lacks the other aspects which you have listed as average in your opinion.

I would disagree that the A-wing doesn't have the other aspects I've mentioned, as both the Canon and Legends variants share many similarities. The first is that the Starfighter's armoured, as both variants detail Lightweight durasteel plates covering a titanium alloy frame. While the Legends variant doesn't really mention the armour outside of the informational sidebar, the canon variant goes into a bit more detail.

When it comes to evasive and/or maneuvering thrusters? Well, there's mention of thrust-vectoring and thrust control jets in the Legends version of the J-77 Event Horizon Engines, which are the engines outfitted to the A-wing. While there isn't any mention of these systems in the Canon variant of the engines, they're found on the Canon entry for the A-wing instead.

From there? The A-wing's equipped with Chaff or Flare launchers, alongside the ECM you've no doubt reference. Hell, the A-wing even has ablative shielding, or heat shielding - if you'd prefer.

This establishes our baseline as set down as canon, those aspects you see as average. It also helps us to establish the spirit of Star Wars which the rules refer to.

With the provided links and screencaps, I'm afraid to say that the baseline you've presented isn't exactly correct, nor am I really breaching of the spirit of Star Wars - since everything's there. At best? I'm cherry-picking from multiple Canon and Legends iterations of popular starfighters and condensing their systems into a "standardized defence package." So, I feel that in removing the capabilities of messing with other starfighters, I'm going against what's been established in Canon and Legends, respectively.

Average means precisely that, the everyday, the ability to play havoc with other fighters systems would be available in a ship that has a more than average capability.

To further expand on the point that I hope has been conveyed, there's a few Canon and Legends starfighters that have the ability to mess with others of their kind baked into their design, many of which have been showcased in large numbers on screen. Just to showcase a small fraction, I'll link several starfighters that're affiliated with the Rebel Alliance - as I fear it'd grow beyond a handful if I went through every starfighter used by every faction in the Star Wars Mythos.
I'd also argue that it's very possible that those starfighters that don't have their countermeasures listed, do exist in-universe. To me, it makes no sense as to why some would have the systems installed, and others wouldn't - especially if they were designed to be combat vessels. Forgoing them for the rule of cool of creative misunderstandings? That's something I can believe. Not every author or creative mind in Star Wars considers such things when making fancy looking ships, lol.

The text of the Ionic and Ewar sections also looks fine, but again the word "comprehensive" to me seems to indicate a capability beyond the average. If you could remove or replace the word then I think we'd be fine.

I'd disagree that it indicates a capability beyond the average. The definition of comprehensive indicates a large scope, or covering much. Which when the listed systems are taken into account - the chaff, the flares, and the sensor and targeting jammers - they cover a large scope of possible attacks, but not all of them.

In addition, their effectiveness is average as well - which means that if a starfighter has a more powerful system in play? (Which most Factory-approved submissions are, as they're basically "Canon" articles - but better) These countermeasures wouldn't perform as intended. The sensor and targetting jammers would be brushed aside or treated as ineffective. The chaff and flares? Well, a starfighter can only carry so many - and if someone keeps conjuring them up to avoid taking damage, I'm certain reports would be involved...

But, the starfighter wouldn't be the issue - rather the person using it.

The factory will currently continue to one accept Wookiepedia as canon

I assume you meant only here instead of one, but even then - that should be officialised as a rule - rather than be something that's unwritten and acknowledged by a portion of your staff. When the only thing we've got states that all submissions must conform to the general idea of Star Wars, it makes me scratch my head as to why the Factory's now stating that aspects of Star Wars canon are inadmissible.

My issue with the linked page is specifically its ability to "block" sensors as described in the wookiepedia article. That ability is what makes it read as a stealth system, as blocking sensors is the very definition of a stealth system. Hence my asking you to clarify the capabilities of the jammers within the submission.

Sadly, as directly linking the system is not permitted - I have no other option but to use the Sensor Jammer article. While it states that Sensor jammers are devices capable of fooling or blocking sensors, but that's something not shared by every jammer. It even expands on their capabilities in the following sentences. So, to allay any would-be concerns - that have the potential of arising in the future, or are capable of cropping up - if you'd prefer, I've already added the following verbiage to this submission:

781b89904a5ddcf99bb3bed560c1fb46.png

As I've already got some edits to make, I'll further reinforce this descriptor in the strengths and weaknesses.

This reads very much like a game mechanic, which it is, I'm not exactly sure how this would actually work since an EMP would fry the tracking systems rather than redirect them.

Electromagnetic pulses aren't just for frying systems, lol. While incorrectly represented in popular culture, EMP's are reportedly capable of more. The most interesting of which is Electromagnetic forming, but I digress.

So, while it reads and looks like a game mechanic, there's a plausible - at least to me - explanation to make the translation to a roleplaying game with little issue. The SW: Squadrons countermeasure page states that the Sensor Invertor's a short-range scrambler, which when the canon article for scrambler's included... doesn't help us much as it states that a scrambler's simply a device that disrupts an attack, or a device that can hide a ship's signature from enemy sensors. As you can see, both articles aren't the best to go off of - but with the wording of the Canon article, we've got a small breakthrough. It disrupts an attack.

Naturally, we get into the territory of conjecture, but circling back to the Wikipedia article regarding EMP's - there's a section titled "Switching Pulses" or "Switching Action" which details the process of an electrical circuit and the sharp changes in the flow of electricity. As the Sensor Invertor from Squadrons details a burst of electromagnetic energy at close-range, there's a few connections and hypothetical answers that can be made. It's possible that a relay or system within the seeking warhead could be switched from "Seek" to "Return," when struck by this radiating pulse. Thus resulting in the intended and listed capabilities of the countermeasure. Or, at least one of many iterations of explanatory technobabble.

As I've already baked in a weakness regarding conventional warheads, I'll be adding in these descriptors and even fleshing out the possibility of failure.

Submission Changelog:
 
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