Preface
So the RP's been going on for a few years now, and we've had ups and downs with basically everything, including the fleet and space combat system. At first there were no limits, and we had me building five Valiance-esque ships (yes, that was a thing), fleets summoned out of thin air, meaningless naval engagements considering ships could be replaced with a snap or annihilated by some super ship. As time went on and the scope and scale of the RP came down a bit and things became more organized, we all decided that this was getting ridiculous. I think I was the one who first started the RP Fleets group (maybe we should revist that place and remodel it to fit in with the current RP?) and had us post all of our fleets there so that everyone else could provide feedback and ensure that no one got too crazy. As time went on more and more rules were created, until we come to the system we have now, with the 80 ship cap and, what, three fleets per faction? It sort of works, but at the same time, there are some problems with it. Some are personal, some are technical, and there's a very detailed description of my arguments against that system elsewhere (some of my main gripes include ships not being as meaningful when lost in a massive crowd, and the system devolving to the point where naval battles are won by whoever can come into the battle last). So my solution is an entirely new system that gives each faction a single unified fleet that can be composed of whatever ships its leaders desire (with a few exceptions). How will this work? How will it be implemented? Read on to find out.
Terminology
Squadron: a task force consisting of ten ships or fewer.
Flotilla: a task force consisting of eleven to twenty ships.
Strike Force: a task force consisting of twenty-one to thirty ships.
Battlegroup: a task force consisting of thirty-one to fifty ships.
Fleet: a task force consisting of more than fifty-one ships.
The Hard Ship Cap
Factions start with a base of 60 ships; factions leaders may decide fleet composition. For every sector a faction controls, excluding the capital sector, that faction may add 5 ships to its fleet. If a faction loses sectors but does not lose ships, that faction may keep its ships, even if doing so causes that faction to exceed the ship limit. However, in this situation, no further ships may be constructed.
Task Forces
Commander I: Allows one to command up to a squadron's worth of ships.
Commander II: allows one to command up to a flotilla's worth of ships.
Commander III: allows one to command up to a strike force's worth of ships.
Commander IV: allows one to command up a battlegroup's worth of ships.
In order for one to command more than a battlegroup, he or she must have Commander IV or the equivalent perk and receive authorization from the leader of the faction.
Defense
Low Security: orbital defenses may consist of two Golan I defense platforms.
Medium Security: orbital defenses consist of two Golan II defense platforms.
High Security: orbital defenses consist of two Golan III defense platforms; one GTS weapon.
Fleet Movement
A slight modification to the current Fall of Empires system. If a system is attacked, reinforcements from the defending faction will arrive depending on their distance from the action:
One sector: two turns to arrive.
Two sectors: four turns to arrive.
Three sectors: six turns to arrive.
Mobilization
If nearby reinforcements are not on alert, a further turn is required for fleet mobilization. Defenses such as platforms in the system may respond immediately, while any ships not on alert must take a mobilization turn before joining the fight.
Errata
Independents are not affected by fleet limits, but they must not only have a reasonable amount of ships (in most cases, nothing more than a flotilla), as well as the perks required to command such ships.
Changelog
Version 0.3
Removal of Commander V perk
Clarification regarding fleet movement system
Version 0.2
Removal of limit system
Removal of ship terminology
Overhaul of defense system
Removal of unnecessary text
Version 0.1
Alpha release
