Component Idea: Fuel Burst Module

[drspendlove]

The Fuel Burst Module would be a set of small ship modules with the following interesting properties:

- Unusually low mass (permits more customization elsewhere at the added risk of cascading damage)
- Increase Navigation almost as much as a Navigation module of the same level.
- Increase Ship Ops as much as a Navigation module increases Electronics.
- Increases Escape Dice by a small number of dice, less than dedicated escape modules.
- Adds +1 to jump costs (+2 at level 4 of the module only)
- Decreases maximum fuel by 10, 12, 14, 15 points.

This item would gain some good dice pools and customization, especially for those trying to avoid/escape from combat at the price of intra- and inter-quadrant travel range, and a risk of cascading damage. The idea behind this is it is effectively supporting a burst of fuel at key moments in travel such as when escaping. Thus some fuel is reserved for this particular purpose. Because the notion of reserved fuel would be irritatingly complex to insert into the game at this juncture, just decreasing max fuel is a reasonable compromise, I believe.

[Cory Trese]

lol how would that be balanced

[drspendlove]

We could work the numbers until it was balanced.

[Brutus Aurelius]

That name gave me an idea for a module that increases Combat Fuel Cost in exchange for upped Speed and Agility in battle

[drspendlove]

Oooh, that's even better. Replace with that!

[Cory Trese]

One of the first questions in the balancing worksheet for new components relates to stacking and scaling.

When we are evaluating new components, putting them through the eval and testing gauntlet, one of the things we must keep in mind is that components are non-bounded elements and the player could, and probably will, stack the crap out of them.

This is a good thing -- it provides more permutations. This is a bad thing -- it means that some components cannot be added to the game because they cannot stay within balance parameters given this rule.

There are some components that are single shot -- Hyperwarp, Engine, Bridge. Those can contain special unique and non-stack non-scale effects.

[drspendlove]

Hmm, good point. I hadn't thought about the stacking.

I wonder if we could still come to a balanced set of components. We could have one that increases Agility, and the other than increases Speed in return for higher fuel costs in combat. But have neither increase ship dice pools at all. The advantage would be engine benefits, the drawbacks would be high fuel costs but also poor "deep space" rolls, (as well as mission rolls for electronics skill.)

We might also be able to have a whole slew of interesting components if a new mechanic for *diminishing returns* were in place for some new gear (not existing). But such a mechanic would be definitely post EA conclusion.

[Cory Trese]

those properties belong to the Engine, however. Possibly an opportunity to fit into the design worksheet using these ideas for a new engine class.