Table of Contents (TOC)

Bases
Unused Hull Size
Crew Quality
Revised Ship Cost Modifer Chart
Unplotted Movement
Vector Movement
Secondary Batteries
Damage to Engine Ratings
Special Weapons
Mines

Bases Return to TOC

Bases may be built just like ships, but don't move and have an automatic Engine rating of Zero. Bases may never be designated as "Agile" (obviously). Bases do not take Engine critical hits and instead take Reactor critical hits when an Engine critical is rolled. Bases are always "slow" targets when fired at, but do not get the "slow" modifier when someone is scanning for them (attackers usually know where to look for the base).

Bases get an additional -25% to their basic cost (before TL modifiers are applied), making them less expensive.

Bases really, really need to use my house rule below for allowing special weapons to fire into other arcs besides the front. Either that or they should never have specials at all, just lots of primaries, secondaries, and especially fighters!

Unused Hull Size Return to TOC

Ship designers may choose not to use all the Hull Size they have to mount weapons. This would often be done to make civilian ships or when creating a specific ship from an existing universe that is underarmed for its size. This rule gives designers a cost benefit from not using all the available hull size, but there is a penalty.

Hull Boxes that are not used to mount primaries, secondaries, special weapons or fighter bays/boarding craft bays cost only 0.25 point per box. A size 16 ship that only uses 4 boxes for weapons (say 8 secondaries, 1 special weapon, and two fighter bays) would have a basic cost of only 7 (4 points for the four hull boxes used for weapons and 3 points for the 12 remaining hull boxes.

Such hull boxes do not count for the total of Damage Control Parties a ship has, however. Our example ship above would only have one Damage Control Party for the whole ship, not the four it would have if full price had been paid for those extra 12 hull boxes.

Crew Quality Return to TOC

Some ships are crewed by beings of special quality, either superior or inferior to the general run of crews. Players may purchase ships as Elite or Green crewed when setting up their forces.

Ships with Elite Crews get a +/-1 modifier in their favor on Combat and Scanning die rolls. This modifier is added to Combat rolls (increasing the chance of hitting and doing damage, including the to-hit roll for Mass Drivers) and subtracted from Scanning die rolls (increasing the chance of detecting something). For Green Crews this is reversed, -1 from Combat rolls and +1 to Scanning rolls.

Ships with Elite Crews add 50% to their Final Total Cost (before adding in any Tech Level modifiers). Ships with Green Crews subtract 25% from their Final Total Cost (before adding in any Tech Level modifiers).

These modifiers apply to missiles and fighters launched from the ship, and to boarding party combat as well.

Revised Ship Design Cost Modifier chart Return to TOC

Total Ship Cost = Hull size (in boxes) X all modifiers below. Remember that unused Hull boxes count as only 0.25 a hull box when determining ship cost.

+20% per shield level +30% per Hull toughness over 3 -30% if Hull toughness = 2 +50% per 2 engine points over 2 +20% if agile -25% if a base

After the Total Ship Cost is calculated Tech Level and Crew Quality modifiers are applied to get the final cost: -25% if TL 3 +50% if TL 5 +100% if TL 6 -25% if Green Crew +50% if Elite Crew

Unplotted movement Return to TOC

If players wish to avoid having to plot movement for their ships, they may use this system. At the start of each turn, the players roll a die for initiative. The player rolling the highest has the initiative and may either make the first move or make their opponent make the first move. Players with an Elite flagship add +1 to the initiative roll, and players with a Green flagship subtract -1 from the initiative die roll.

In each movement subphase (First fighter/missile movement, ship movement, second fighter/missile movement) the player who has to move first picks one of his ships, squadron of ships moving together, or stack of fighters or missiles moving together and moves it as he chooses within the rules. Then the other player picks one of his ships, squadron of ships moving together, or stack of fighters or missiles moving together and moves it as he chooses within the rules. Players alternate in this fashion until one player has moved all his units that he can move in that subphase, and then the other player completes moving all his units as he desires within the rules.

This system works especially well with the vector movement system below and with the Mine rules.

Vector movement Return to TOC

If fleet designers desire, they may state that the ships of their fleet use this movement system, which attempts to more closely simulate Newtonian movement through space. A ship's vector (the direction and distance of its motion) is represented by the ship's current location and the location of the ship's Intended Movement marker.

Each ship or squadron moving together has an "Intended Movement" (IM) marker associated with it. Sufficient markers must be made available for all ships, squadrons and fighter groups. The marker is used to show the vector of the ship(s). This marker is always placed at the point where the ship(s) would move to if it didn't change its vector in the next Plot Movement Phase. So a ship moving 10" per turn on a current course of 90 degrees would have its IM Marker 10" away on bearing of 90 degrees.

During the Plot Movement Phase, each ship or squadron moving together may change the location of their IM Marker by a distance of up to their current Engine rating. The distance and direction of this change of placement is called the "burn." They may change the location in any direction. When ships are moved, the model is placed at the new position of the IM Marker, and the IM Marker is moved the same distance the ship model was moved, in the same direction the model moved on the table to get to the position of the IM Marker. In other words, move the ship model to the endpoint of the burn, and then place the IM Marker for that ship as distant from the ship's new position as the ship's original position, in line with the ships' starting position and it’s new position. If a ship does not make a burn, it moves to the current position of the IM Marker, and the IM Marker is placed that same distance forward in the same direction as the ship just moved.

When a ship makes a burn the model for that ship must be placed in the new position with its bow facing along the direction of the burn (i.e., with the stern of the ship facing towards where the IM Marker =used= to be). Note that this facing may not be and does not have to be in the direction of the ship's vector, either before or after the burn. Ships that do not make a burn may be placed at their new position facing in any direction the owner chooses. Ships designated as "agile" may also be placed in any facing desired, even if they did make a burn in the current turn.

Missiles and fighters belonging to ships that use this movement system must use it as well. When launched, missiles and fighters are given an initial IM Marker that is placed at the location of the launching ship's current IM Marker. Missiles and fighters get to make two burns per game turn, each up to 3xTL inches. One burn is made in each fighter and missile movement phase. Missiles still only last for one game turn.

Ships that are "running silent" may not make a burn of more than 1".

Secondary Batteries Return to TOC

Ships of battlecruiser size or larger (Hull Size of 7 or bigger) may only fire 1/2 of their secondaries at any one target. They are not required to fire 1/2 of their secondaries at any target, but they cannot bring more than 1/2 to bear on any one target.

Ships may split up their secondary batteries to fire on as many targets as they wish (within range). They cannot fire on any given target more than once unless they first allocate enough secondaries to fire a 6-1 attack on that target. Other secondaries can then be fired on that target up to the limit available against that target, but attacks must be made at 6-1 odds as much as possible. A ship with 80 secondaries could bring 40 of them to bear against a single target. If that target had a DF of 3, the firing ship could get two 6-1 attacks, using up 36 of the available secondaries, and the remaining 4 secondaries could get a 1-1 attack.

Damage to Engine Rating Return to TOC

As the rules are currently written, ships do not take any damage to Engines except for Critical Hits. This is unrealistic. This rule makes ships slow down as they take damage.

Ships take damage to their Engine rating as their Hull boxes are hit. To determine when Engine rating points are lost, take the number of Hull Boxes the ship has, and divide that by the number of Engine points. Round the result to the nearest whole number. The ship loses one Engine rating every time that many Hull Boxes are destroyed.

Example: A ship with 9 Hull and an Engine rating of 4 loses one Engine rating every (9 Hull/4 Engine=2.25 rounded down to 2) 2 Hull Boxes lost. So the ship would lose one Engine at the second Hull box hit, the second Engine at the 4th Hull box hit, the third Engine at the 6th Hull box hit, and the last Engine at the 8th Hull box hit. Note that this means some ships could end up "dead in space" and unable to change their speed or vector, just as if they'd taken an Engine Critical Hit.

New Rules for Special Weapons Return to TOC

Additional arcs for special weapons

Special weapons may be set to fire into any arc, not just the forward arc. If so, the weapon will have that arc recorded on the ship display at the bottom in the special weapons listing.

Multiple types of special weapons on one ship

Ships may have more than one kind of special weapon, or more than one size of the same special weapon. Such weapons are recorded along the bottom of the ship display in a format that will show the weapon's type, power, and firing arcs. When a ship has taken enough weapons damage to knock out a special weapon, the owning player randomly rolls to determine which special weapon has been knocked out.

The format for recording special weapons is: NxTypeP(A) where:

N is the number of that type and power of weapon firing into that arc Type is the type of weapon (Plasma, Mass Driver, Missile) P is the power of the weapon as a multiple of the normal strength (this is for superweapons) (A) is the firing arc(s) of these weapons: (F) for Forward, (A) for Aft, (P) for Port, and (S) for Starboard

Example: A ship with two regular Plasma Cannons firing Forward, one double-strength Missile Battery firing Forward, one double-strength Missile Battery firing Aft, and two regular Missile Batteries (one port and one Starboard) would record them as follows:

2xPlasma (F), 1xMissile2(F), 1xMissile2(A), 1xMissile(P), 1xMissile(S)

Remember that superweapons still only count as one weapon when it comes to determining which special weapon was knocked out by damage. So the example ship above has dedicated 8 hull spaces to special weapons, but only has 6 weapons when rolling to determine which one has been knocked out.

Increased Range for Superweapons

Every extra hull box used to make a superweapon increases that superweapon's range by 2". Missiles add the 2" onto each move. For plasma cannons the 2" increase is added on to each range bracket. So a triple-strength plasma cannon has a short range (3xTL damage) out to 10", a normal range (2xTL damage) of 16", a long range (1xTL damage) of 22", and an Extreme range (1/2xTL) of 28".

Mines Return to TOC

Mines are a new type of special weapon used in some universes as area denial weapons. Usually mines will be laid before a battle, as emplacing mines during a battle was difficult with all the shooting going on. Think of mines as stationary missiles that wait for the enemy to come to them.

Each hull box that a ship assigned to mines becomes a Mine Rack box and carries 10 "patterns" of mines. Each pattern is composed of 6 mines and is represented by a counter measuring 1" square. Multiple patterns may be laid in the same location. A Mine Rack may lay one pattern of mines per turn and may lay that pattern on either side of the ship or astern, at the end of the ship's movement. Once mines are laid they may not move or be moved. For simplicity all mines are openly deployed and both sides know where they are and how many of them there are at any location.

Mines are treated just like missiles with an attack range of 0" (they must be in contact with the target). For every Mine counter that a ship touches during movement, roll a die and if the target ship's speed that turn is equal or greater than the die roll the mine pattern attacks. A pattern of mines may only make one attack. Fighters may only trigger attack by one pattern of mines, no matter the fighter's speed or how many mines they touch during movement. If a ship should trigger several patterns of mines their attack is added together and resolved as one big attack. Mine patterns that attack a unit are moved along with that ship so that their attack can be resolved during the Fire phase of that game turn. Ships that are "running silent" add +3 to the mine trigger die roll, but if any mine pattern touching a "running silent" ship should happen to trigger despite the +3 die roll modifier, all mine patterns touching that ship roll for triggering without the +3, and those mine patterns that already rolled are included in this and re-roll again for triggering without the +3 modifier (Moral: sneaking across minefields, even while "running silent", is best done very slowly). Note that ships "running silent" do not have lock-ons and may not fire, even at mines attacking them. If a ship should stop "running silent" while in contact with mines, those mine immediately re-roll for triggering.

Mines have IFF (Identification Friend or Foe) circuits and usually do not attack ships belonging to the side that originally laid the mines. However, IFF is not foolproof and should not be relied upon. Roll a die for every mine pattern touching a "friendly" ship; on a roll of 6 that mine pattern then rolls again for triggering as normal against that ship. Ships on the same side as the one owning the mines, but not of the same nationality (an allied ship) draw triggering rolls from "friendly" mines on a roll of 5 or 6. Ships "running silent" are not using their IFF transponders and so treat all mines as "unfriendly."

Mines attack with a strength of one-half their Tech Level (TL/2 rounded up) per mine and defend with a hull strength of 1 for the whole pattern no matter how many mines are in it. Mines attacking a ship may be fired at by secondary batteries before the mines explode. Such fire is resolved just like shooting at attacking missiles.

Mines may be placed on the tabletop by the side acting as the "defender" in a scenario or as the players decide to allow. Mines may be purchased to be placed during the setup of a scenario at a cost of 1 point per pattern of mines (this may seem high, but it includes the time of the ships needed to emplace the mines and the maintenance the mines require).

Minesweeping

Mines may be cleared by firing on them. Only secondary batteries may be used to clear mines. First a lock-on must be achieved to the mine patterns. Roll for lock-on as normal, but the mines get the -3 modifier for "running silent" and the -1 modifier for "slow ships" and the -1 modifier for small size, so you need to roll a 6 for lock-on, unless you have TL modifiers vs. the mines or minesweeping gear. If a lock-on is achieved the mines are fired on as if they were missiles but with a -2 modifier on the die roll for their small size. Only one die is rolled on the Combat table and the result is the number of mines destroyed. Any mines in a pattern fired on but not destroyed immediately attack the ship that fired on their pattern.

Fighter may clear mines only by flying through them and defending themselves against any mines that trigger against the fighters. Fighters make poor minesweepers.

Some ships carry special minesweeping gear. This is a type of special weapon and is treated as such. A ship with any minesweeping gear ignores the -3 "running silent" modifier when rolling for lock-ons to mines (this only works on mines) and each box of minesweeping gear adds 8 to their secondary strength for purposes of shooting at mines only.

Sample minesweeper/minelayer
Hull Size: 4
Defense: 3(4)
Primaries: none
Secondaries: 8(+8 vs mines)
Fighter bays: none
Special weapons: 1xMine Rack, 1xMinesweeper
Engines: 2
Point cost: 5