User blog comment:Captain rudder guy Kevin1/The appearance of shields and their implications on role play and the ROE./@comment-13740085-20160830021457

I believe shields can be allowed so long as there's trade-offs.

For instance, in the operation of my Impeller Drive, the reactors create two bands of compressed space in which the local force of gravity reaches 500k times Earths gravity (see picture to the side). The rapid increase in Gravity is strong enough to "turn photons into pretzels", as I put it in the tech section of the USNiE page. In effect, the impeller drive, while a propulsion system, also creates two impenetrable shields above and below the vessel, so if the situation requires, the ship can roll over to interpose the impeller bands to the enemy.

However, the bands do not cover the sides, bow, or stern of the ship. Just as enemy weapons can't penetrate the bands, friendly weapons can't either. As well, due to the extreme local gravity of the bands, sensors cannot get accurate readings when the bands are interposed between them and the enemy, so weapons cannot be fired with any sort of confidence, let alone get readings on the enemy and your allies. Also, interposing the bands to one enemy to the side can open the door to an enemy the bands blocked you from seeing above or below you.