I can see your point about dogfighting, but...
This particular handwave - if I may be pardoned the pun - is neccessary if we intend to have people piloting these ships on their ramming runs. Without it, hitting another ship that isn't cooperating is like trying to shoot a bullet out of the air.
The degree of futzing around to be done before the final grapple will vary according to the power of the weapons, the emphasis the combatants placed on defense in their design phase, and of course the mood of the author. This can get you anything from a WWII dogfight like in classic space opera, to Hellenic age 'board or lose', to exchanging broadsides yardarm to yardarm, to crossing the t from the edge of the horizon like in WWI.
It's perfect. It adds options, rather than taking them away.
Ja, -n
===============================================
"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"
This particular handwave - if I may be pardoned the pun - is neccessary if we intend to have people piloting these ships on their ramming runs. Without it, hitting another ship that isn't cooperating is like trying to shoot a bullet out of the air.
The degree of futzing around to be done before the final grapple will vary according to the power of the weapons, the emphasis the combatants placed on defense in their design phase, and of course the mood of the author. This can get you anything from a WWII dogfight like in classic space opera, to Hellenic age 'board or lose', to exchanging broadsides yardarm to yardarm, to crossing the t from the edge of the horizon like in WWI.
It's perfect. It adds options, rather than taking them away.
Ja, -n
===============================================
"Puripuri puripuri... Bang!"