INDEX

ASSUMPTIONS AND DEFINITIONS

Time

Decimal time. Only three units of time are used, hours, days and weeks.

1 day =10 hours

1 week = 10 days

One hour is the time taken for one turn of starship combat.

Orders are written out for ships for one week at a time.

COMMENTS

This is the part I am most unhappy with, I would be happier with days as the minimum time period but one of the others wanted much faster responses.

ORDERS

All orders must be written on the standard order sheets provided. Orders written on other media are void.
Orders are written for each starship or fleet for one week at a time. The unit is committed to following these orders.
Only units that have orders specifying them as Reserve Units may be used as reinforcements. These ships may not carry out other orders except as guardships.
Exception: If the homeworld is threatened any unit may be recalled for its defence. This supersedes and voids all previous orders until the end of the week.

FIRST FLEETS

Each Commander begins the game with 5000 points
All ships are fully armed and fuelled when purchased. Cargo holds are empty.
Commanders should note that it is advisable to have at least a few merchant ships in their selections.

DIPLOMACY AND ALLIANCES

Alliance between commanders is not forbidden.

PRODUCTION POINTS

Production points are an arbitrary measure of economic production. They may be traded, sold, given, found and stolen.
Each planet produces a given number of Production Points equal to 50 times the planet’s Value.

Volume and Mass

Each production point is considered to occupy one Cargo Space as defined in More Thrust. One MASS of hold space can contain 50 CS, so that a ship with a hold of MASS 4 could transport 200 Production Points.
A ship holds may defined in terms of MASS or Cargo Spaces. When transporting ordnance MASS is a more convenient measure.

Damage to Cargo

A damaged merchant ship loses a percentage of its cargo equal to the percentage of damage points lost.
For example: a merchant with 10 damage boxes that loses 4 of them has 40% of its cargo destroyed.

Mining Planetoid Belts

Planetoid belts are an easily available source of mineral wealth but to exploit them requires an Orbital Mining Platform. This must be constructed at a shipyard and then transported to the belt. When a belt becomes worked out or for strategic reasons the OMP may be moved to another belt.
If less than a week is spent mining the amount produced is reduced accordingly.

Trade

Trading involves shipping Production Points to and from one or more of the non-player planets or by exchanging them with other commanders.
Profits or losses can be registered according to the table below. Roll after selling the goods, not before, to determine your profits (or loss). If two Commanders are trading they both roll separately on the table.
The newly acquired trade goods are assumed to occupy the normal volume (1 CS per PP).

TRAVEL

TRAVEL TIME

Travel time is in hours while everything else is measured in days.

Notes

1. Moving to and from jump point.
2. Streamlined ships only.
3. Time to transfer cargo to a space station is subsumed into the time required by in-system manoeuvring.
4. Can be done in deep space if a tanker is with the fleet.
5. For merchants and warships travelling normally. They can cut this
   short at the risk of loss or damage. See Hasty Jumps.

FT
L TRAVEL

Procedure

Distances are measured from point to point. Should the straight line cross any obstacle the trip is impossible. Planetary systems do not represent such an obstacle. Each square, or part of a square crossed, no matter how small, increases the distance by one parsec. Starships can only travel between planetary systems and wormholes.
A ship jumps between systems. It cannot jump within a system. Unless a ship is at least 40 inches from the surface of a planet it must roll on the Hasty Jump table to determine its fate.

Speed and Range

All ships capable of FTL travel move at the rate of one parsec per hour.
The maximum distance a ship can jump is 10 parsecs and a ship normally carries sufficient fuel for two such jumps, giving a strike radius of 10 parsecs and a ferry range of 20 parsecs.

Emerging From Jump

A ship will emerge at a distance between 30 and 300 inches from the planet.
The Commander must specify in his orders where the ship will emerge, at what distance and on what bearing from the planet. If he does not the ship will emerge 30 inches from the planet on a bearing of 6.
Any emergence to jump is subject to deviation. The ship arrives 1d6 from the target point. If a six is rolled roll again. Determine the direction of deviation normally..

Slaving FTL Drives

All of the ships in a fleet may slave their FTL drives together ensuing that they retain their formation on emerging from jump. As their share the same jump the usual proximity effects do not apply to these ships.
One roll is made to determine the success of the jump for the whole fleet and they share a common fate.

Recharging FTL Drives

Merchants and warships travelling normally must recharge their FTL drives after each jump. This takes one day but can be cut short at the risk of damaging the ship or even destroying it.

Hasty Jumps

If you spend less than one day recharging your FTL drives roll 1D6 and consult the table below:

Fuel

A ship has tankage for a number of fuel units equal to 25% its mass (round up). A ship consumes a number of fuel units equal to one twentieth of this (or 0.5% of it’s MASS) for each parsec of movement. Both of these figures are trebled for tugs and tenders.
The fuel use per parsec figure is included only out of interest, for simplicity ships should only be refuelled when they run dry.

REFUELLING SHIPS

Normally just assume that refuelling a fleet takes one day. However if more detail is required the number of ships a tanker can refuel simultaneously depends on its size and the time taken depends on the size of the ship being refuelled.
Refuelling is just as dangerous as rearming a ship. See the rearming section for details.

COMMENTS

I think logistics are very important, “The ball and chain of armoured warfare” I think general Guderian described it as. Since the age of sail this has been equally true for naval warfare.
I liked the idea of fuel refineries but was shouted down because of complexity.

COMBAT

STARSHIP COMBAT

Ramming

Normally ramming follows the procedure as described in the Full Thrust rules but if a Commander is fighting in defence of his home system then he is not required to check whether his ship will ram. Success is automatic. He just has to determine if the ramming manoeuvre itself succeeds.

Overlapping Screens

A modular facility or supership may have multiple screens active. Each module receives protection from each immediately adjacent module’s screens in addition to its own, though no more than three levels of protection is effective. Docked ships may not add to this because it requires very careful configuration though they do receive protection from the stations’ screens.

Scanning

The number of scanning rolls a ship may perform is limited by the number of fire-control units it possesses.
Starports are assumed to have equivalent of superior sensors with a number of fire-control units equal to half of it’s Value (round down, minimum one).
Spaceports are assumed to have equivalent of enhanced sensors with a number of fire-control units equal too half of it’s Value (round down, minimum one).

Crack Ships

If a ship survives a battle roll 1d6. If the roll is less than the number of battles the ship has survived then it becomes a crack ship.

Effects of a Crack Ship

• Bonus to repair rolls. Systems are repaired on a roll of 1 or 2.
• Increased chance of succeeding in Hasty jumps. –1 to roll.
• +1 to ramming attempts.
• +1 to sensor rolls.
• –1 when using ECM (a bonus).
• +1 on die rolls for boarding combat, whether defensively or offensively.
• +1 on Diplomacy rolls if one or more ships are crack.

Orphan Fighters

Fighters which are orphaned because of the loss of their carrier may be accommodated in the bays of other friendly carriers. They may not be used to make good losses in other fighter squadrons during combat but may be freely reassigned between battles.
Should there not be sufficient berths for all of the orphaned fighter a carrier may recover up to twice the normal number of fighters but this prevents normal operations, the carrier may not launch fighters. Crews may be recovered and the fighters jettisoned. Out of combat surplus fighters may be struck down and stored in any available hold space or port (see Transporting Systems).

GROUND ATTACKS

Starships in orbit around a planet are assumed to be in a suitable orbit to attack their target. Any number of ships may participate in the attack without mutual interference.

Point Targets

Only ground based ports are worthy of individual attack. They are attacked normally as if they were a ship.

INVASION

When you invade a neutral system roll on the Invasion Table below.

Indigenous forces will fight only to defend their homeworld if attacked.
The indigenous forces will act to defend their planet. When their fleet has lost 50% of its total original damage point it breaks and the planet surrenders.
Each planet possesses a fleet of ships equal in value to the planets Wealth. For example a planet with a Value of 6 will possess 600 Production Points worth of ships.
Indigenous fleets are constructed using only the basic ‘book’ designs.

Corruption

A successful Espionage roll and a payment equal to half the value of a ship (non-refundable) will ensue that a specific defending ship will stay out of the fight. If you win its captain becomes the new president of the planet. If you lose the commander is executed and his ship rejoins the defenders.

Fate of Indigenous Ships

Indigenous ships that survive the invasion remain to guard their homeworld.

ESPIONAGE AND COUNTERINTELLIGENCE

At the start of the game each Commander has five spies and one master spy. The initial number of spies may not be exceeded but if spies are lost replacements may be purchased for 250 Production Points or 500 Production Points for a spy and master spy respectively.
Each week a Commander may roll for each spy to determine the result of his latest espionage attempt.
The results are always determined in the order they are listed in below and each Commander determines success at the same time. So your spies may be captured by an opponent’s successful counter espionage attempt before they can send you any information.
A spy has a 10% chance of accomplishing his mission and a master spy a 15% chance. Spies may work together, multiple spies may participate in one mission, the probability of success is equal to the sum of that for individual agents. The probability of success may be improved by spending Production Points. Each 10 Production Points spent raises the chance of success by 1%. The chance of success may only be doubled by this method.
Should the subject of the intelligence roll be a merchant, that is a non-military or non-scientific subject then the chance of success is doubled to reflect poor security.

ESPIONAGE MISSIONS

Counter Espionage

The targeted opponent loses a spy, master spies are the last to be lost.

Disinformation

This is determined secretly, you fake a normal Inquiry or Industrial Espionage report.

Inquiry

This reveals any information that can be agreed upon by all of the Commanders.

Sabotage

1. A known and named ship may be sabotaged so that next time she faces combat 1D3 of her systems fail.
2. All construction at a given planet or ship yard are delayed for 1D6 days.
3. Production from a given planet is halved for this turn.

Industrial Espionage

Your agent attempts to steal the secret of an opponent’s technology.

Agitation

You cause dissent among a planet’s population causing trouble for its overlord.

Corruption

See under Invasion.

COMMENTS

I think espionage is important and interesting but I doubt if it is handled well enough here.

PLANETS

PORTS

Any inhabited planet has some kind of landing field for streamlined ships. Semi-streamlined ships are not used. All merchants must be streamlined in order to land at any planet.
Unstreamlined ships cannot land.

DEFENCES

A port may mount weapons for its own defence. The weapons are bought at the normal cost with the normal arc of fire limitations.
If there is no port weapons may still be bough but fortifications must be built to house them. The cost is 5 points per space of weapons to be fitted. Should a port be built later there is no discount from existing defences.
Ground based installations may support a number of fighter squadrons or missile silos. The maximum number of each is equal to the planet’s Value However these systems, and any replacements or reloads must be purchased in the normal manner.

Ground Based Fighters

A Starport or Spaceport is required to support the fighter squadrons.
Climbing out of the gravity well costs the fighters one turn of combat endurance. Landing and rearming each take another turn.
Although additional fighters may be stored on a planet they can not be readied in time to replace lost fighters.

Ground Based Missiles

A Starport or Spaceport is required to provide fire control for these missiles.
Climbing out of the gravity well costs the missiles one turn of endurance.

CONSTRUCTION

SHIP CONSTRUCTION

Ships may only be constructed at shipyards or starports. Shipyards may construct any ship or orbital facility while starports may only construct streamlined ships and shipyards.

• One Starport is the equivalent of one shipyard but additional slipways may be bought at a cost of 100 points each, each slipway is the equivalent of one shipyard. So a Starport with three additional slipways is the equivalent of four shipyards and may thus construct capital ships. The maximum number of slipways a planet can support is equal to its Value, so a Starport on a value 1 planet may not be expanded further while a Starport on a value 5 planet may have up to 4 additional slipways giving a total of five slipways.
• One shipyard (or equivalent) may construct escort sized (small) ships. Two shipyards are required to construct cruiser (medium) sized ships and four are required to construct capital (large) ships. Shipyards and Starports may not combine their efforts, three shipyards and a Starport may not combine to build a capital ship.
• Fighters and Interface Craft may constructed at the normal cost at any world with any port facility, whether ground based or orbital.
• Ships are constructed at the rate of one damage point per day.
• To build a ship requires a number of Production Points equal to its cost. These Production Points must either be produced by the planet around which the shipyard orbits or transported there. The total number of Production Points required must be assembled before the project can begin. Should events intervene the construction is stalled until more points are assembled.

COMMENTS

I really like the way shipyards work even if the numbers need adjusting.
I would be happier with only shipyards allowed to construct ships. With a starport being necessary to construct a shipyard.
I have tried to limit the number of facilities capable of constructing ships. This makes shipyards more valuable and a much more tempting target.

Fitting Out

The various components of a ship are completed in the following order: hull, manoeuvre drive, FTL drive, weapons, screens, electronics, point defences, small craft and missile loading, fuelling. Within each group the largest systems are fitted first.
A ship can be moved at any time after completion of the hull, and can move itself after completion of its drives. This will interfere with construction, any movement of the ship adds a minimum of two days to construction time plus any time spent away from a shipyard. Short journeys to test newly fitted drives and system
s are a normal part of the construction pr
ocess but they are subsumed into the construction time.

REPAIRS

Damaged starships may be repaired at any Space Station or shipyard. ships may be repaired at starports or spaceports.
Repairs do not interfere with construction work.
Exception: points allocated to ship construction may be diverted to make repairs upon other ships, delaying production but expediting repair.

Repair Limitations and Costs

• Damaged systems may be restored too full working order at half their initial cost.
• Destroyed systems, those on which the damage control roll failed, must be replaced by paying twice the cost of a new system.
• Hull Points may be restored by paying one Production Point per point of damage. Each point of damage takes one day to repair.

Repair Facilities

• Shipyards may repair any damage to any ship and replace lost systems at cost.
• Starports may repair any damage to streamlined ships and replace lost systems at cost.
• Spaceports may repair any damage to streamlined ships and replace lost systems at cost.
• Repair ships may repair damaged drive and weapon systems and repair hull damage. They cannot repair destroyed systems. The repair ship must be stationary while performing any kind of repairs.
• Space stations may repair any damage to any ship and replace lost systems at cost.

COMMENTS

The repair ship came about after reading about the American navies fleet train in WW II.

Replacing Destroyed Systems

Destroyed systems may be replaced by any facility capable of doing so. If the facility is capable only of repairs then it may not replace such systems.
If weapon systems are to be transported then assume that they occupy half of their normal mass or 25 CS per mass. So an ‘A’ battery, mass 3 occupies 1½ mass or 75 CS as cargo.
Systems transported as cargo may not be used for any purpose until installed by a correctly equipped facility.

Repair Ships

Ships may be fitted with a Repair Facility. This costs 50 points and has a MASS of 10. This may be fitted in any ship large enough to carry it. In a merchant hull it may be carried in hold space, reducing the space available accordingly. This is a permanent fitting.

REFITS AND UPGRADES

It is possible but expensive to upgrade old ships. Existing systems may be removed and replaced but this can only be performed at a facility capable of building the ship. Refitting a ship is more expensive than building it. Existing systems must be removed to allow space for the additions. The cost of each new system is doubled to reflect the additional work required in fitting it. A warship may not be refitted to use a Nova-cannon. This is a spinal mount and requires the ship to be built around it. A ships hull may not be altered in size or streamlining.
Drive systems may also be upgraded for twice the cost. No refund is available for the removed systems. The time taken to refit a ship is equal to the mass of the systems added or removed (whichever is greater). For drive systems use 20% of the ships total mass to calculate time. Refits require a dockyard capacity sufficient to hold the ship. So an escort requires one yard, a cruiser two and a capital ship four. This does displace new constructions.

Cost and time are based on the cost and mass of the new systems fitted.

Upgrading Fighter Squadrons

Fighter squadrons may be upgraded, the old fighters removed and stored, used for planetary defence or used as replacements on other ships.
The costs of new fighter squadrons are listed below. These costs are used only for new squadrons for existing carriers. New built carriers must pay a higher cost listed in the design tables which includes the facilities built into the ship.

PRIZES

Captured warships may be refitted for your own use with the one-time payment of 10% of their cost. The refit takes one week and can only be accomplished at a facility capable of building that ship though it will not interfere with construction.
You may not make use of any systems you do not understand but captured systems will give a bonus to your own research in that area. See Research and Development for details.
Exception: No such refits are required for merchant ships, they may be put to use immediately.

Scrapping Ships

Ships or orbital facilities may be scrapped at Starports or Shipyards (depending on streamlining restraints). Scrapping a ship takes 5 days per size class; for example 5 days for an escort or 15 days for a capital ship.
Scrapping a ship releases Production Points equal to 25% of its original value.

FACILITY CONSTRUCTION

Orbital facilities are constructed using the cost modifiers and limitations of ships. One shipyard may build any facility.
Surface facilities require only Production Points and one week to build. Only one port may be constructed per planet.

Facility Descriptions