ACES transwarp rules
--------------------
Last updated: Apr 23, 1998
Warning: The transwarp rules are intimidating at first glance.
Please let them sink in, re-read them, then evaluate. When you're
actually playing, you'll only have to glance at the table every once
in a while. Same goes for some of the other new rules... maybe no
unit will even use them in the whole scenario, so take them lightly
at first. Focus on strategies and ship selection to get going.
===== NEW RULES:
Transwarp speed
-- first, consider "warp speed" in the literature to be "transwarp speed"
in the game, but it is a less dramatic transition from one to the other
-- a unit can do anything standard at whatever speed it can go with
the standard rules (31 max, except for plasma torp, fast drone, special
monsters, special terrain, or limited-warp units)
-- i.e., transwarp rules add on to standard rules, not replace them
-- one situation could be considered to be an exception: the first turn
back at standard speed after dropping from transwarp speed costs some
warp energy to control the transition (explained below)
-- impulse and warp movement are still determined completely separately,
then added together (so "max standard speed" in this rule implies "max
standard speed due to warp")
-- the following rules sound complicated alone, so refer to this chart:
speed category lowest speed highest speed required speed generation
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
standard by standard -1 none
reverse rules (<0)
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
standard 0 maximum by none (except: as transwarp
forward (1st standard 1st gear first turn after
gear) rules dropping from transwarp)
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
transwarp max standard 2 times max 1/2 of max standard speed
forward (1st speed + 1 standard (excess used to accelerate
gear) speed or to decelerate)
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
transwarp max 1st-gear 3 times max 1/3 of max standard speed
forward (2nd speed + 1 standard (excess used to accelerate
gear) speed or to decelerate)
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
transwarp max 2nd-gear 6 times max 1/6 of max standard speed
forward (3rd speed + 1 standard (excess used to accelerate
gear) speed* or to decelerate)
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
1X transwarp max 3rd-gear 9 times max 1/9 of max standard speed
forward (4th speed + 1 standard (excess used to accelerate
gear) speed* or to decelerate)
-------------- ------------ ------------- --------------------------
* higher emergengy speeds are possible, this is the safe limit
-- a unit's maximum safe speed is the number of warp engine boxes it
currently has times 6, but 9 instead if a 1X technology unit
-- if warp engine shut down, it is not counted
-- AWR is not counted
-- as long as a unit's speed is greater than maximum standard speed
(considering damage and any standard limitations) (note that references
to 'speed' here do not imply that actual speeds used during the turn
match that speed, because of mid-turn speed changes):
-- the speed on the current turn is equal to that on the previous turn
plus or minus (player's choice) the excess speed generated in this
turn's EA
-- excess speed is any generated above the required speed for the
current gear
-- the current gear is "1st" for all speeds up to (2 times the
unit's maximum standard speed)
-- if in 1st gear and speed is greater than maximum standard
speed, then 1/2 of the unit's maximum standard speed is required
to be generated in order to maintain current speed (round .5 up)
-- the current gear is "2nd" for all speeds up to (3 times the
unit's maximum standard speed) and greater than maximum
1st-gear speed, in which case 1/3 of the unit's maximum standard
speed is required to be generated in order to maintain current
speed (round .5 up)
-- the current gear is "3rd" for all speeds greater than maximum
2nd-gear speed, in which case 1/6 of the unit's maximum standard
speed is required to be generated in order to maintain current
speed (round .5 up)
-- if the unit's speed exceeds its maximum safe speed, it is in
"3rd" gear unsafely
-- if the unit has 1X technology, see 4th gear rule
-- if the unit has 1X technology, it has a "4th" gear:
the current gear is "4th" for all speeds greater than maximum safe
3rd-gear speed (instead of unsafe 3rd gear, the unit will be in
4th gear), in which case 1/9 of the unit's maximum standard
speed is required to be generated in order to maintain current
speed (round .5 up)
-- energy for required speed is not available in EA for any other use
-- note it may take a few turns to speed up to maximum safe speed (or
higher) or to slow back down to standard speeds
-- the acceleration limit of double last 32 impulses' minimum speed (or
+10 or +5) still applies at transwarp speeds
-- a unit may drop one or more warp engines by G12.6 and thus
decelerate more quickly, though dropped warp engine(s) are destroyed
-- only losing warp boxes may decelerate a ship more quickly than
normal gear-changing (only between turns if not using Energy Balance
Due to Damage), and in this case, there's no other penalty
-- Transwarp speed is reduced, as of the beginning of the next turn
and without (further) penalty, to match the loss in warp boxes,
for purposes of maintaining speed, accelerating, or decelerating.
Just scale down by the (warp after)/(warp before) factor and
round to the nearest whole number.
-- note that a unit may cruise along just into transwarp range spending
less energy than slightly slower at a lower gear
-- "deflectors operate (minimum shields, 5 boxes), but standard/full
shields do _not_
-- PA panels operate normally, except that they cannot be used at
reinforced levels (yikes for non-Andros vs. Andros!)
-- shield reinforcement operates normally, but 5 specific shield
reinforcement points max per shield plus 5 general shield
reinforcement points may be used per turn
-- special movement functions (HET, EM, positron flywheel) are impossible
-- the equivalent of PFC restrictions are imposed on the unit...
- effective range double true range, and if no AFC or target is
cloaked, then range effects are cumulative (double whatever effective
range would be at standard speeds)
- cannot use any ECCM
- scouts cannot lend EW to another unit
- cannot guide seeking weapons or scatter packs (reveals the real
reason for ATG drones)
- can only launch seeking weapons at targets > range 5, and they must
acquire their own lock on immediately upon launch
- can only launch a scatter pack once per turn, also only once per 8
impulses across turn boundaries (reveals another purpose of
ballistic targeting)
- maximum true range to target for direct-fire weapons fire is 5
- once the unit slows down to any speed <= max standard speed,
no benefit of AFC (whether or not paid for) is available until 16
impulses later (except by emer decel, then 4 impulses)
- no ECM bonus for transwarp, but standard PFC bonus unaffected, if
otherwise earned
- see D6.62 for systems that cannot be used or are restricted
- note that existing tractor links can be maintained while new ones
cannot be established
-- a tractor link automatically forces a breakdown roll for each unit
(independently unless specified) each game turn, unless any of the
following exemptions qualified for is opted for (each unit opts
separately) (post I32):
- either unit if: combined speed of units is 64 or less
- unit tractored if: effectively disabled (no movement generated)
- either unit if: other unit chooses to cooperate and remains at same
speed (within 10%, round .5 up) AND same direction as towing unit
(slips do not have to match)
-- but don't forget tractor range increases may break the link or
make it more energy-demanding
-- the release of a tractor beam by any means when the combined speed of
the units is more than 64 causes a breakdown roll for each unit
(immediately)
-- a multiple tractor link (to & from each of 2 units, or multiple units
linked in any way with two or more tractor links to or from one unit)
automatically forces a single breakdown roll for all units at once, at
the worst breakdown roll of the group (post I32) (each suffers effects
independently if breakdown occurs)
-- if a unit has suffered a transwarp breakdown, it must roll for another
each turn (post I32) that it moves by its own power at any speed
greater than maximum standard speed, until it is overhauled at a
repair facility (beyond the scope of this scenario)
-- movements are performed in a uniform fashion... for example, a ship
moving at speed 110 would perform 3 movements every impulse (3*32=96),
except 4 movements on the impulses on which speed 14 moves (96+14=110)
-- another notation for speed 110 is thus speed 3TW+14, but this
notation is not required to be used in any way
-- when a unit has more than one movement in an impulse due to transwarp
speed, it uses one at its normal order during movement, then the
remainder after all speed <= 32 units have moved... with a round-robin
approach, in order of normal precedence otherwise, if multiple units
have more than one movement that impulse
-- any firing opportunities lost due to transwarp movement are simply
lost, due to shaky lock-ons
-- each hex entered is still entered for all rules purposes (there's a
point at much more advanced technology levels at which this no longer
applies; in fact, all game actions over distance have a speed, but
many are at such a "rediculous" speed that they seem instantaneous)
-- for literature purposes (does not affect game play), "warp factor" is
cube root of speed
-- for example "warp 5.0" is speed 125
-- it is still unknown at the time of this scenario whether warp 10.0
or higher is unachievable
-- note that movement cost does not factor into maximum safe speed, however,
acceleration/deceleration ability depends very much on movement cost
-- note that an Orion ship could double its engines to accelerate or to
decelerate more quickly at transwarp speed, but at the cost of reducing
its future maximum safe speed because of the warp box damage
-- note that doubling warp engines is more costly than when only standard
speeds are considered
-- a unit cannot travel faster than its maximum standard speed in reverse
-- for mine triggering, asteroid damage, WW voiding, cloaked ship lock-ons,
etc., speeds greater than 32 are treated as speed 32
-- if a cloaked unit is traveling faster than its maximum standard speed,
then treat it as traveling faster than its maximum safe speed, and if
it is traveling faster than its maximum safe speed, then treat it as
traveling faster than its maximum emergency speed, both because
instable interactions between cloak and transwarp occur
-- a unit's maximum emergency speed is based on its maximum safe speed:
max_emergency_speed = (cube_root_not_rounded(max_safe_speed) + 2.0)^3
-- as long as a unit's speed is greater than maximum safe speed and is less
than or equal to its maximum emergency speed:
-- each turn or portion of a turn (but post I32 in any case), roll one die
for each undestroyed warp engine (not undestroyed warp engine box)...
if the result is within the unit's breakdown rating (ignore any HET
bonus) or "6" in any case, then three points of damage are scored: one
on that engine, one randomly by the DAC, then one excess damage box (if
no excess damage box available, then the unit breaks up and explodes)
-- if a unit's speed is greater than its maximum emergency speed, then (post
I32), in addition to any other transwarp speed effects, reduce the speed
to its maximum emergency speed and roll for a breakdown
-- breakdowns and emergency deceleration work the same at transwarp speeds
as they do from standard speeds (ever wonder why the restrictions are so
severe for low amounts of energy involved? -- because the systems are
designed to handle stopping from all possible ship speeds)
-- Turn Mode chart for transwarp speeds:
Turn Mode Spd Spd Spd Spd Spd Spd Spd Spd Spd
Category <=42 <=66 <=82 <=100 <=120 <=142 <=166 <=190 <=216 ...
--------- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ---- ----
AA 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 ...
A 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 ...
B 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 ...
C 6 7 8 9 10 11 13 14 15 ...
D 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 ...
E 7 8 9 11 12 13 14 15 16 ...
F 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 ...
-- shuttles and seeking weapons do not have warp engine boxes, so they
cannot go transwarp
-- note the added importance of PF booster packs
===== QUICK-REFERENCE EXAMPLES:
A quick run-down with two examples (with a ship having enough warp & impulse
for speed 31 standard speed):
Turn 1 speed 36, transwarp 1st gear (warp cost is reqd cost of 1st gear).
Captain chooses constant actual speed 36 all turn. Transwarp interference
in effect all turn.
Turn 2 speed 30, transwarp 1st gear (warp cost is reqd cost of 1st gear + 6
movements of deceleration). Captain chooses constant actual speed 30 all
turn. Because transwarp interference is based on warp engine mode, which
is still transwarp mode, transwarp interference is in effect all turn.
Turn 3 speed 30, standard speed, standard cost. Captain may make mid-turn
speed changes, but is limited by the standard limit of 31 with all actual
speeds on all impulses of the turn. There are 2 conditions that both must
be satisfied to avoid transwarp interference: not have warp engines
operating in transwarp mode this turn, and not have traveled at any
non-standard speed in the previous 16 impulses. These 2 conditions are
met by this ship on impulse 1 this turn.
Turn 1 speed 36, transwarp 1st gear (warp cost is reqd cost of 1st gear).
Captain chooses the following speed plot: speed 40 impulses 01-20, and
speed 28 impulses 21-32. Because transwarp interference is based on warp
engine mode, which is still transwarp mode, transwarp interference is in
effect all turn.
Turn 2 speed 30, transwarp 1st gear (warp cost is reqd cost of 1st gear + 6
movements of deceleration). Captain chooses the following speed plot:
speed 36 impulses 01-20, and speed 20 impulses 21-32. Because transwarp
interference is based on warp engine mode, which is still transwarp mode,
transwarp interference is in effect all turn.
Turn 3 speed 20, standard speed, standard cost. Captain may make mid-turn
speed changes, but is limited by the standard limit of 31 with all actual
speeds on all impulses of the turn. It takes 16 impulses for transwarp
interference to be cleared up from being at any transwarp actual speed, so
as of impulse 05 (note that actual speed was 20 at the end of last turn),
the ship is freed from it.
===== MORE COMPLETE EXAMPLES:
There is some combination of accelerations, over a few turns, in order to
accelerate to very high speed most quickly or efficiently. There are many
other possible combinations of accelerations that will also get the job done,
too, but they just won't be quickest or most efficient.
Cruising along at speed 28 (with a max standard speed due to warp 30, movement
cost 1 ship) costs 28 energy/turn, by standard rules.
Accelerating to speed 40, though, results in a jump to transwarp speed. Think
of doing so as being analogous to changing from running to ice skating. You
expend some energy to get going, but then you gain efficiency in your warp
engines (like cruising along on the ice). It costs 15 energy (half of standard
max speed due to warp) to maintain the current speed, then 1 energy per speed
point above that... or 15 + (40-28=12) = 27 energy to travel at speed 40 due to
warp this turn.
To cruise along at speed 40 from then on requires just 15 energy (half of
standard max speed due to warp) per turn, even more efficient than at standard
speeds.
There are 2 costs of this improved warp efficiency: in order to slow down,
you have to expend energy (turn your skates sideways and shave ice), and most
combat systems are less effective (lock-ons to everything are shaky). That
second one is why everybody always slows down to "combat speeds" (<= 30 due
to warp) in order to have normal SFB combat. Emergency deceleration is
like running into the boards around the rink in order to stop, breaking down
is like smashing into someone... unless you tumble and go sliding.
Continuing to accelerate results in even more efficiency of warp engines...
until the limit of safety is reached, when the severe warp stresses start to
shake the ship apart.
Now, consider a ship with movement cost 1/2, 15 warp boxes, for a
maximum safe speed of 30 due to warp again. The effects discussed above are by
speed points, so this ship can keep right up with that one, at first. Notice
though, that this (presumably smaller) ship's maximum safe speed is 15 * 6
= 90, much slower than the larger ship's maximum safe speed of 30 * 6 = 180.
In order to keep up with the larger ship beyond speed 90, the smaller ship
will start suffering from the stress. The smaller ship can safely only
achieve the upper end of 2nd gear with that much engine power. That's a
consequence of its gear ratio (movement cost) being 1/2 instead of the standard
1. [It may be more "realistic" to allow smaller units a higher top speed
than larger units, but for now, that is not accounted for. A suggestion for
the future is to fix this by multiplying the speed limits by a size factor
(possibly the inverse of the movement cost). The reasoning in this version
of the rules is that warp travel is a distortion of space/time, not really
travel at all, and bigger warp engines simply do this better.]
Another difference between these two ships is that with 10 points of warp
damage due to combat to each, their escape speeds and accelerations
will be different:
movement cost 1, 30-10=20 warp boxes -> max standard speed 20 due to warp
turn 0: speed 0
turn 1: speed 10 (by standard rules)
turn 2: speed 20 (by standard rules)
turn 3: 20 + (1/2 * 20 = 10 speed-pts to maintain, 10 left to accelerate)
= speed 30
turn 4: 30 + (1/2 * 20 = 10 speed-pts to maintain, 10 left to accelerate)
= speed 40
turn 5: 40 + (1/3 * 20 = 7 speed-pts to maintain, 13 left to accelerate)
= speed 53 (in 2nd gear now)
turn 6: 53 + (1/6 * 20 = 3 speed-pts to maintain, 17 left to accelerate)
= speed 70 (in 3rd gear now)
turn 7: 70 + (1/6 * 20 = 3 speed-pts to maintain, 17 left to accelerate)
= speed 87
turn 8: 87 + (1/6 * 20 = 3 speed-pts to maintain, 17 left to accelerate)
= speed 104
turn 9: 104 + (1/6 * 20 = 3 speed-pts to maintain, 17 left to accelerate)
= speed 121 (unsafe! since max safe speed is 20 * 6 = 120, unless
X-tech ship, in which case 4th gear is used)
movement cost 0.5, 15-10=5 warp boxes -> max standard speed 10 due to warp
turn 0: speed 0
turn 1: speed 10 (by standard rules)
turn 2: 10 + (1/2 * 10 = 5 speed-pts to maintain, 5 left to accelerate)
= speed 15
turn 3: 15 + (1/2 * 10 = 5 speed-pts to maintain, 5 left to accelerate)
= speed 20
turn 4: 20 + (1/3 * 10 = 3 speed-pts to maintain, 7 left to accelerate)
= speed 27 (in 2nd gear now)
turn 5: 27 + (1/6 * 10 = 2 speed-pts to maintain, 8 left to accelerate)
= speed 35 (in 3rd gear now)
turn 6: 35 + (1/6 * 10 = 2 speed-pts to maintain, 8 left to accelerate)
= speed 43
turn 7: 43 + (1/6 * 10 = 2 speed-pts to maintain, 8 left to accelerate)
= speed 51
turn 8: 51 + (1/6 * 10 = 2 speed-pts to maintain, 8 left to accelerate)
= speed 59
turn 9: 59 + (1/6 * 10 = 2 speed-pts to maintain, 8 left to accelerate)
= speed 67 (unsafe! since max safe speed is 10 * 6 = 60, unless
X-tech ship, in which case 4th gear is used)
Notice the parallelism turn-by-turn, but also the difference in ability to get
moving (gee, guess what -- that's a definition for warp engine power!). Don't
forget that each turn, the larger ship is getting farther and farther ahead
of the slower one. After 9 turns, it's 10+20+30+40+53+70+87+104 = 414 hexes
vs. 10+15+20+27+35+43+51+59 = 260 hexes, and the smaller ship will max out at a
slower speed. So, you can see that warp boxes damaged in combat directly
impact the ability of the ship to escape, should the need arise. If all
considerations were taken into account (including strategic & economic ones),
I bet that most ships would disengage before taking many (or any) warp box
hits, go somewhere to repair, then come back and contest whever objective was
conceded. The alternative would be to make sure you destroyed the enemy, so
that you could limp home safely.
[That is assuming an equal battle. I considered this a weakness of the game
all along... any "reasonable" scenario according to micro-SFB rules would
never include any economically valuable units or be unbalanced. But, as we
know in human warfare history, unbalanced and economics-based battles are what
determine wars. I chose not to make this scenario even more strategic with
supply trains getting surprised by strong military attacks, with military
units facing military units only in defense of economic units/locations.
I've never played F&E, by the way, if you're wondering.]
OK, assuming all of the above is clear, there's an interesting side effect.
It simulates that annoying effect in the literature... when they jump to
warp (transwarp for us), the ship hesitates, then suddenly zips away.
Suppose you're at speed 16 in a 30-warp, movement cost 1 ship, and you want
to, ah, "strategically advance to another location" (some would say that's
running away). What do you do?
movement cost 1, 30 warp boxes -> max standard speed 30 due to warp
turn 0: speed 16
turn 1: speed 30 (by standard rules)
turn 2: 30 + (1/2 * 30 = 15 speed-pts to maintain, 15 left to accelerate)
= speed 45
movement cost 1, 30 warp boxes -> max standard speed 30 due to warp
turn 0: speed 16
turn 1: 16 + (1/2 * 30 = 15 speed-pts to maintain, 15 left to accelerate)
= speed 31
turn 2: 31 + (1/2 * 30 = 15 speed-pts to maintain, 15 left to accelerate)
= speed 46
The jump to transwarp only bought you one hex of movement each turn, so it
may be better to hang out at speed 30 (or 31 with impulse power) with standard
rules an extra turn, in order to fire and use systems normally for 32 more
impulses, giving up the one extra hex of movement that turn. Someone watching
you would notice the hesitation, your less-than-perfectly-smooth acceleration.
Note also that if you cannot reach the next gear this turn, you cannot use its
better warp efficiency. Example in a 30-warp, movement cost 1 ship:
turn 0: speed 41
turn 1: 41 + (1/3 * 30 = 10 speed-pts to maintain, 20 left to accelerate)
= speed 61 (in 2nd gear now)
ILLEGAL! WRONG!
turn 0: speed 40
turn 1: 40 + (1/3 * 30 = 10 speed-pts to maintain, 20 left to accelerate)
= speed 60 (NOT in 2nd gear now) CANNOT USE 1/3, must use 1/2!
turn 0: speed 40
turn 1: 40 + (1/2 * 30 = 15 speed-pts to maintain, 15 left to accelerate)
= speed 55 (NOT in 2nd gear now)
Just as in the manual-transmission auto, you can shift anytime after the
critical point (when that annoying little light comes on, saying it's OK to
shift now). You don't have to shift up just because you can, but you'll be
wasting energy if you don't.
As to deceleration... all the same ideas apply. The difference is that you're
trying to continue to use the higher gear as long as you can, before being
forced to use a lower one (and it's worse efficiency fraction). If your
speed for the turn drops into the range of the next lower gear, you may not use
the higher gear that you used last turn. If you really need to or want to
use the better efficiency fraction of the higher gear, then your minimum speed
this turn will be the lowest speed of that gear.
The transition from transwarp speed 1st gear to standard speed 1st gear is
special, just like the other way around is special.
When decelerating, the first turn back at standard speed 1st gear may cost
more warp engine energy or less warp engine energy than a normal turn at that
speed, because the transwarp speed 1st gear energy cost still applies. When
it costs more, it's because the ship is decelerating a lot, and the extra
energy is used to stabilize it back into "standard" space/time. When it
costs less, it's because the ship is barely dipping down into standard
speed range, and some of the efficiency of transwarp drive is still utilized.
For the example situation:
* previous turn's speed is 36 (transwarp 1st gear)
* want to drop to speed 24 this turn (standard 1st gear)
* max standard speed due to warp is 30 (undamaged ship with plenty of warp)
Cost is 15 required + 12 deceleration = 27. This is slightly inefficient,
since it would only cost 24 warp movements when not just coming out of
transwarp.
To drop to speed 21, it would cost 15 required + 15 deceleration = 30. This
is more inefficient, since it would only cost 21 warp movements when not just
coming out of transwarp.
To drop to speed 30, it would cost 15 required + 6 deceleration = 21. This
is nicely efficient, since it would cost 30 warp movements when not just
coming out of transwarp.
For subsequent turns at standard speeds, the costs are all normal by standard
rules.
Once this concept sinks in, you'll see that all you really have to do when
playing is refer to the chart during EA to determine which gear (therefore,
efficiency fraction) you qualify for... and even that's not hard to remember...
"1/2", "1/3", then "1/6" at "up to 2 times", "up to 3 times", and "up to 6
times" maximum standard speed due to warp, which represent "1st", "2nd", and
"3rd" gears, respectively. You'll try to use the better gear, realize whether
you can or not, then either use its efficiency fraction or the next-worst one.
> Unit XX seems to have only 4 warp boxes left. How does transwarp handle
> that?
Good question... what to do was not exactly specified, just:
> -- only damage to warp boxes may decelerate a ship more quickly than
> normal gear-changing (only between turns if not using Energy Balance
> Due to Damage), and in this case, there's no other penalty
> -- a unit may drop one or more warp engines by G12.6 and thus
> decelerate more quickly, though dropped warp engine(s) are destroyed
Remember that "max standard speed due to warp" is 30 for most ships, because
they have enough warp boxes to go speed 30. An FT, though, has "max
standard speed due to warp" of 24. Its speeds that define gears are
different (24, 48, 72, 144, instead of 30, 60, 90, 180).
In the same way, a damaged FT with only 4 warp boxes left has "max standard
speed due to warp" of 8 (movement cost is 1/2). His speeds that define gears
are 8, 16, 24, 48.
What happens when warp boxes are damaged or dropped off (referred to in the
quote above) is:
-- Transwarp speed is reduced, as of the beginning of the next turn and without
(further) penalty, to match the loss in warp boxes, for purposes of
maintaining speed, accelerating, or decelerating. Just scale down by the
(warp after)/(warp before) factor and round to the nearest whole number.
So, since CF's turn 2 speed ("average speed"; number of movements in the turn)
was 61, it is treated as if it were 61 * (4/12) = 20 during turn 3 EA, and he's
still at transwarp 2nd gear.
Note that the required cost of maintaining transwarp 2nd gear = (1/3 the cost
of "max standard speed due to warp") = 1/3 * (warp for speed 8) = 1/3 * 4
= 1 1/3.
Just follow the same procedures as always, every speed & cost involved is
simply scaled down.
Before anybody gets any bright ideas, remember that a dropped warp engine
cannot be recovered and re-attached!
Why would any unit ever use transwarp speed, with its limitations?
To move quickly into and out of combat situations, and from location
to location. It would take many, many times the energy to fly from one
homeworld to another at standard speeds, and when you look at an empire as
a whole, the costs of fuel can be very important. The transwarp rules actually
explain why anybody would ever _slow_down_ to standard speeds for combat.
Otherwise, seeking weapons would only be a novelty used to bombard bases,
planets, etc., like suicide freighters are.
I don't expect a whole lot of transwarp combat in this scenario. On the
other hand, I bet someone experiments and figures out a few cool tricks.
We'll be inventing some tactics as we go, here in the transwarp realm. I
hope you enjoy the challenge. Time to throw the textbooks in the lockers
and roll up your sleeves.
Mid-turn speed changes are allowed at all speeds. The procedure during
EA is to figure the cost to purchase that number of movements (speed points),
including gears and their efficient use of warp engines. Then, come up
with a legal speed plot (considering normal acceleration and deceleration
limits that apply at all speeds), independent of how the movement points
were purchased. You might actually end up with 36 movements at transwarp
speed, but plot the following: imp 01-16: speed 24, imp 17-32: speed 48.
You are in transwarp and under its restrictions the entire turn, whatever
speed you're traveling at during any impulse. This does not allow you to
break the standard rules, though... if you're at standard speed for a turn,
you can NOT plot a speed higher than normal legal maximum standard speed
(usually 30 due to warp + 1 due to impulse = 31).
Speed 31 is possible at standard warp+impulse or at transwarp 31.
You cannot tell which power/transwarp gear is generating a speed.
You can deduce that a ship is in transwarp by his speed (higher than 31)
by use of minimum shields, not using impossible functions, etc.
You can "jump" TW gears, if your acceleration allows it; there's no
requirement to utilize 2nd gear between 1st gear and 3rd gear, for example.
You can utilize all warp engine boxes for transwarp movement, even those
above 30 (not allowed at standard speeds).
For example, 24-warp 2/3 movement cost ship is going speed 60 in TW1
on turn 5. On turn 6, it generates 36 warp movement points. It can
spend 5 for TW3 and 31 to accelerate to speed 91. That's why they're
called fast warships.
A ship at transwarp speed gains SimpTacIntel as any other ship. (That
refers to the "ship" column, but don't forget the equivalent of PFC
effects is imposed by transwarp intereference.)
For all normal terrain-like rules purposes, speeds greater than 32 are
treated as speed 32 (mines, web, asteroids, etc.).
