In answer to your questions:
1. What happens to some poor schmo light-years away when you miss with a
laser, or other beam weapon?
Because of dispersion, nothing. The headlights of car don't effectively light
my path beyond a certain distance, because of dispersion. Lasers and particle
beams are more coherent light sources, but still, the beam will broaden and
lose its power with distance. After travelling a few light-years, the effect
of the beam will be negligible.
2. What about fleet tactics in MegaTraveller?
a. What about Trillion Credit Squadron/High Guard?
Of course, this is Old Trav, isn't it? Here, certainly, battles look like
an Irish Knockdown. There are three ranges, Short, Long, and Too Damn Long.
Fighters are ineffectual, and the guy with biggest rocks wins. Tactics are
very abstract, and the battle is really between ship designs.
b. What about MegaTrav?
Now we're talking. Although I have never gotten around to doing it, it
shoudn't take too much imagination to see one of these battles. Now, we can
actually have formations of ships, encirclement maneuvers, etc. Important to
keep in mind that we don't have firing arcs and such, as in Starfleet
Battles, but that makes MT more realistic, not less. Now, a person with
inferior ship designs can win due to superior tactics. Here is an example
of my tactical ideas.
First, each side will probably have a reserve force, consisting of those
vessels each player does not wish to expose to battle. Tankers, transports,
and carriers will usually be in the reserve. In addition, additional forces
that the player does not wish to expose to battle at this time may be in
the reserve. Heavily damaged vessels are often transferred to the reserve, to
prevent their destruction.
Second, some screen forces may be deployed to protect the reserve from any
breakthrough enemy forces. The screen forces will probably consist primarily
of destroyers and smaller fry, plus one or two larger ships. The screen
forces may be deployed slightly ahead of the reserve forces, to intercept
breakthrough enemy vessels before they can come within weapons range of the
reserve forces.
Third, each side may have a ready reserve, forces which are out of the
weapons range of vessels in the enemy's line of battle, but which can be
readily transferred from the ready reserve to the player's own line of battle.
Opinions differ as to which vessels should stay in the ready reserve. I would
place my capital ships in the ready reserve initially, to prevent them from
receiving excess damage early in the battle. It is possible to have the same
force perform both the screen and ready reserve roles, if necessary.
Fourth, each side has a line of battle. These are the ships within weapons
range of each other. The most important issue a player must answer is, which
vessels to place in one's line of battle at which time. Placing all one's
capital ships in the LOB initially may cause them take excessive damage early
in the battle. Populating one's LOB with only fighters means that your forces
cannot effectively damage the enemy (as fighters can usually only cause minor
damage to capital ships), and permit enemy forces to breakthrough your LOB,
exposing your ready reserve to weapons fire (in effect, suddenly transferring
all the forces in your ready reserve to your LOB).
Fifth, each side may have breakthrough forces. These forces are designed to
penetrate your enemy's line of battle, breaking through to his rear areas.
The breakthrough forces may then engage the ready reserve, the screen forces,
or the reserve forces. This latter usually causes the greatest damage, and
some ships are designed explicitly to fulfill this role in a battle. It is
also possible to avoid the enemy's main forces, and attack the enemy's flanks
or rear. Forces dispatched to play this role are still called breakthrough
forces, and are the primary reason to have a screen force separate from one's
ready reserve forces.
On a very abstract level, one's forces would be deployed like so:
may be one force
!
.-------- ---------.
Reserve Screen Ready Line of Enemy Line Breakthrough
Forces Forces Reserve Battle of Battle Forces -->
(optional) (optional) (optional) (optional)
The placement of titles is not intended to convey a sense of scale, and
represents the order in which the forces appear only.
In practice, their may be one or more of each of the above forces on a side
at a time.
On the issue of what vessels to place in the line of battle initially, I would
deploy a limited number of capital ships plus a substantial number of escort
and fighter craft, holding my main force of capital ships and cruisers in the
ready reserve. If the enemy responds with his capital ships, the escorts and
fighters will cause such damage as they can, while my capital ships remain
undamaged. Therefore, when I at a later time do comit my capital ships to my
line of battle, they will have the advantage over the enemy's vessels. On the
other hand, if the enemy refuses to place his main force in the line of
battle, I will commit a limited number of heavy ships plus a much larger
number of smaller fry to attempt to break through the enemy's line of battle
and attack his ready reserve, thus accomplishing the same goal.
The actual manner of deployment of the individual forces is up to the player.
It is in this area that the question of formations arises, a matter I have
too little practical experience to speak on.
Lewis Taylor Goss