Difference between revisions of "Ruins of Alien Suns: Weapons of Mass Destruction"
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Despite the popular depiction of spaceships as being weapons of mass destruction unto themselves, the reality is somewhat different: most hulls are no designed for re-entry, so atmospheric ablation typically results in somewhere between 5% and 10% of the original mass of the ship actually impacting land. Most warship missiles are designed to detonate at a range of less than ten meters in order to maximize saturation, so warheads are necessarily sub "tactical yield" things to maximize ability to close range and negate PD solutions. Common lasers and plasma weapons are constrained by reactor output and thermoregulation, so "glassing" a planet, that is to transform the entire surface of a planet into a glassy homogenate barren of life or water is a labor of literal years, if not decades, akin to ''terraforming''. Torpedoes, the most destructive weapons created before the arms race of the 2750s, are slow armored pods that use bomb-pumped grasers to knife through ships- a combination of factors that make them useless for despoiling planets or doing little more than perforating especially large habitats jacketed in sufficient quantities of rock or ice. | Despite the popular depiction of spaceships as being weapons of mass destruction unto themselves, the reality is somewhat different: most hulls are no designed for re-entry, so atmospheric ablation typically results in somewhere between 5% and 10% of the original mass of the ship actually impacting land. Most warship missiles are designed to detonate at a range of less than ten meters in order to maximize saturation, so warheads are necessarily sub "tactical yield" things to maximize ability to close range and negate PD solutions. Common lasers and plasma weapons are constrained by reactor output and thermoregulation, so "glassing" a planet, that is to transform the entire surface of a planet into a glassy homogenate barren of life or water is a labor of literal years, if not decades, akin to ''terraforming''. Torpedoes, the most destructive weapons created before the arms race of the 2750s, are slow armored pods that use bomb-pumped grasers to knife through ships- a combination of factors that make them useless for despoiling planets or doing little more than perforating especially large habitats jacketed in sufficient quantities of rock or ice. | ||
| − | Among shipborne weapons only it is only the mighty autocannon, firing nuclear payload shells that | + | Among shipborne weapons only it is only the mighty autocannon, firing nuclear payload shells that achieve criticality by squashing against their targets at supersonic speeds, that comes close to being a genuine weapon of mass destruction. Even then, the results of massed autocannon fire can be dozens of low yield tactical nuclear detonations per minute at best. |
Warship weapons are simply not made for such purposes, but to drive off other warships, support conventional forces, silence air defenses and hold territory. To annihilate planets, one must think bigger. | Warship weapons are simply not made for such purposes, but to drive off other warships, support conventional forces, silence air defenses and hold territory. To annihilate planets, one must think bigger. | ||
| − | == | + | == Initial Assets == |
| + | Player states are assumed to begin with a limited arsenal of unconventional weapons, some of which could be considered WMDs. The options are as follows: | ||
| + | * <u>Non-Proliferation State:</u> No WMD Arsenal | ||
| + | * <u>Breakout Only:</u> No WMD Arsenal, can spend Prestige to build new WMDs as per the Breakout Section (see below) | ||
| + | * <u>Tactical Only:</u> Possesses 'tactical yield' weapons that can reliably affect large combat zones or clusters of warships | ||
| + | * <u>Strategic Deterrence:</u> Possesses a combination of tactical and strategic yield weapons inside short-range vehicles for in-system engagements | ||
| + | * <u>First Strike Capable:</u> Possesses all possible WMD types, with long-range vehicles capable of being ferried by warships or transiting jump points themselves | ||
Revision as of 07:07, 21 April 2021
Weapons of Mass Destruction
Or: Why your ship can't kill a planet all by its lonesome.
Despite the popular depiction of spaceships as being weapons of mass destruction unto themselves, the reality is somewhat different: most hulls are no designed for re-entry, so atmospheric ablation typically results in somewhere between 5% and 10% of the original mass of the ship actually impacting land. Most warship missiles are designed to detonate at a range of less than ten meters in order to maximize saturation, so warheads are necessarily sub "tactical yield" things to maximize ability to close range and negate PD solutions. Common lasers and plasma weapons are constrained by reactor output and thermoregulation, so "glassing" a planet, that is to transform the entire surface of a planet into a glassy homogenate barren of life or water is a labor of literal years, if not decades, akin to terraforming. Torpedoes, the most destructive weapons created before the arms race of the 2750s, are slow armored pods that use bomb-pumped grasers to knife through ships- a combination of factors that make them useless for despoiling planets or doing little more than perforating especially large habitats jacketed in sufficient quantities of rock or ice.
Among shipborne weapons only it is only the mighty autocannon, firing nuclear payload shells that achieve criticality by squashing against their targets at supersonic speeds, that comes close to being a genuine weapon of mass destruction. Even then, the results of massed autocannon fire can be dozens of low yield tactical nuclear detonations per minute at best.
Warship weapons are simply not made for such purposes, but to drive off other warships, support conventional forces, silence air defenses and hold territory. To annihilate planets, one must think bigger.
Initial Assets
Player states are assumed to begin with a limited arsenal of unconventional weapons, some of which could be considered WMDs. The options are as follows:
- Non-Proliferation State: No WMD Arsenal
- Breakout Only: No WMD Arsenal, can spend Prestige to build new WMDs as per the Breakout Section (see below)
- Tactical Only: Possesses 'tactical yield' weapons that can reliably affect large combat zones or clusters of warships
- Strategic Deterrence: Possesses a combination of tactical and strategic yield weapons inside short-range vehicles for in-system engagements
- First Strike Capable: Possesses all possible WMD types, with long-range vehicles capable of being ferried by warships or transiting jump points themselves