Star Army

Star ArmyⓇ is a landmark of forum roleplaying. Opened in 2002, Star Army is like an internet clubhouse for people who love roleplaying, art, and worldbuilding. Anyone 18 or older may join for free. New members are welcome! Use the "Register" button below.

Note: This is a play-by-post RPG site. If you're looking for the tabletop miniatures wargame "5150: Star Army" instead, see Two Hour Wargames.

  • If you were supposed to get an email from the forum but didn't (e.g. to verify your account for registration), email Wes at [email protected] or talk to me on Discord for help. Sometimes the server hits our limit of emails we can send per hour.
  • Get in our Discord chat! Discord.gg/stararmy
  • 📅 October and November 2024 are YE 46.8 in the RP.

Shields: The Novel Application

Jimmy

Lover of Purple
Inactive Member
Hey everyone.

We all know basically what shields are in this setting, your average shield is a bubble-shaped, always turned on damage buffer between you and the squid.

But is it possible that we can have other types of shields? Perhaps reactionary shields that only activate for a few seconds then shut down? Or shields that only face the front of a tank?

I ask this because I've yet to see a shield type that isn't all encompassing. Sure some of them may be form-fitting rather than bubbles, but they all seem to fill the same basic function. I'm not out the revamp the whole setting, but just have some ideas for more unconventional use of shields for different units and wanted to know if these ideas were okay without starting a category five in the NTSE forum.

Thanks for replying!
 
Yamatai's got multiple shield systems that aren't typical: forearm, "solid-state" energy shields on power armor; energy barriers that blink on and off (as you suggest); its CFS systems, which don't absorb as much as redirect.
 
Before the Combined Field System, Yamataian ships used to have three shield systems - a main round one, a "spike" at the front, and a dome-style ground defense shield.
 
Good referances all. Finding one-off equipment hidden inside unit articles requires more digging than I'm used to. Replied in order of postage.

Moonman. The flicker shield is a good idea, but not quite what I was after. Wouldn't it be a bit hard to fit those into the current rules? Maybe that's why they choose to drop it.


Doshii Jun. The Mindy's forearm shields were sorta close to one of the things I had in mind, I couldn't find the "solid-state" energy shields you mentioned but will dig deeper soon. I also found an old unapproved Mindy model that looks like it might need some love.


Kai. The Iroma shields seemed based more around reducing the VANDRs detection profile than pure defense, it's also never mentioned if it's effective against the mark one eyeball. It's secondary Barrier Guard system is interesting though.


Ira. The defense screen is still pretty much a bubble shield, only taking homage from the Shield Ship of Homeworld 2. While a praiseworthy idea of maximising resources it's still pretty much a bubble shield, although the timing of those flickers must be a very impressive thing to calculate.


Wes. Ground defense shield in space?


Another question. Similar to the Iroma's VANDR II, is it possible to make directional shields more powerful than bubbles? Are there any hard and fast rules for these, or is it a case by case basis?
 
Note that the Mindy II's forearm shields kind of cheat on the way shielding in the setting is presented rulewise. They're much more like temporary energy-made versions of the Daisy's zesuaium elliptical shield than anything else.

When the DR system got tweaked, they just poorly translated.
 
As I have stated in before, Gartagen ships travel in packs. They naturally network their ships together so that a CORE can monitor and tend to them as needed. The flicker ability it tied into the ship's firing computer giving it that ability. Granted the power of the shield is not at the level of Yamatai, eventually I see it becoming stronger.
 
Ironically enough I been working on some shielding ideas for Azoreans in a creature called Iptor (Iptores for plural) (I am not finished to check back in a few weeks ^^). Though looking at this thread, I realize my ideas probably pale in comparision.
 
I was thinking of like a deployable nano-wall as a shielding alternative. It would do the same thing mechanics wise, just a different alternative.
 
RPG-D RPGfix
Back
Top