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The Frontier!
It is a region of
densely packed stars, unexplored worlds and the mysteries of deep space. It is a place where the boldest members of the United Races can seek adventure and fortune. Some find fortunes, in trading, mining or plunder. Some find adventure in exploration, colonization or war. Some find only sudden death.
Beings and products from dozens of worlds are gathered at Triad, Gran Quivera and the other great centers of civilization. Away from these thriving capitals are isolated and bleak worlds where pirates skulk or courageous pioneers work to build a new life in the wilderness. It is a time of exciting growth, as more and more planets are discovered and opened up to colonization.
With the spread of civilization comes danger. Pirates inhabit many of the abandoned asteroids and barren planets. Their swift ships ambush the plump targets on major trade routes, and the pirates have no mercy for the innocent victims caught in their ruthless assaults.
The Interstellar Law Enforcement Organization—more commonly known as Star Law—fights a neverending battle to keep order in the space lanes. Pirates and outlaws have learned to fear the deadly effectiveness of the Star Law Rangers and their Spacefleet. Even so, a few ruthless bands have grown so powerful that they operate as independent nations, and have even attacked Star Law ships.
Fear comes from inside and out. Even these mercenary raiders were forgotten when the Sathar came. Traveling in mighty vessels of war, attacking with unbelievable savagery, the worm-like creatures leave only death and destruction in their wake. Political and business differences were put aside as all four races banded together to face their common enemy.
INTERSTELLAR TRAVEL
The independent discovery of the Void engine by all four races allowed for interstellar travel and the development of the subspace radio, Once a starship equipped with Void engines accelerated to a speed of 12 million kilometers per hour (1% of the speed of light), its engines had generated enough power to create drivefields which created a pocket of alternate spacetime in which the ship's relativistic mass remained at zero, allowing it to accelerate to the speed of light and beyond with little expenditure of power. The ship seemed to disappear from normal spacetime, the alternate spacetime in which the ship now existed being called "subpsace," "drivespace,' or. more commonly, "the Void."
Time is very distorted in the Void, with 15 seconds passing in Void for every 20 hours in normal space. If a ship decelerates slightly while in the Void, it will emerge into the "real" universe at some point far distant from where it left the universe. While in the Void, a starship travels at a rate of one light year per day.
The characters who live and work on starships call themselves "Spacers." They include members of all races, united in an elite group that is not bound by the restrictions of a single planet or even a single star. Spacers live with danger, never knowing what peril waits for them at the end of a jump. But they live with mystery and excitement as well. It is said that once a person has tasted the thrill of crossing the Void, charting a world never seen before, or guiding a mighty starship on a trip to the stars, no tiny bit of planet will ever again be called his home.
Frontier Timeline
2000 pf.(Pre-Frontier) Corpse Wars: The twenty-four Human and Yazirian colonies
in the Triad System’s three stars(Faith, Hope and Charity) are overwhelmed by a
massive invasion of cybernetically-enhanced Humans rotting from the inside out
from the effects of antiagathic drugs(Corpses) using the Black Hole of Kel’kar as a
shortcut between Corpse Space and the Triad system, the Corpses initiating a
brutal holocaust wiping out over 70% of the colonies’ population. The survivors stage
the Great Exodus, using newly-developed Void engines to lead a fleet of refugee
spacecraft from the Triad System’s three stars and into space, the Corpses
pursuing the entire time.
515 pf. The Triad refugees fight a final battle with Corpse forces at a desolate
system 594,000 light years from their homeworlds. The Battle Of Dead Star 686
results in the apparent eradication of all Corpse presence.
510 pf. First Vrusk/Dralasite contact occurs when Vrusk traders enter the
Fromeltar system to open new markets.
450 pf. First Vrusk/Human contact achieved via subspace radio between Triad
refugee ships and a Vrusk colony at the rim of the Andromeda Galaxy, 640,000
light years from the Triad system.
400 pf. Vrusk, Dralasites, Humans and Yazirians meet for the first time in the
White Light system, in what is to become known as the Frontier Sector or the
Frontier. The Great Exodus comes to an end, as the Triad refugees begin exploring
and colonizing the Frontier’s worlds. Clarion, in the White Light system, becomes
the Triad refugees’ first colony world, the descendants colonizing Triad in the
Cassidine system later that same year.
399 pf. Theseus system colonized by Humans.
370-4 pf. The Frontier is colonized.
360 pf. Gran Quivera and Gollwin in the Prenglar system both colonized.
356 pf. Rupert's Hole,in the Cassidine system, is colonized.
330 pf. Pan-Galactic Corporation started on Gran Quivera.
320 pf. Dixon's Star system discovered by Humans.
310 pf. Madderly's Star system discovered by Vrusk and Humans.
303-300 pf. Corpse forces strike the Frontier, devastating Laco and Kdikit, forcing
the Frontier worlds to call the first Common Muster, the combined militia and PGC
starships and troops launching a relentless counterattack culminating in the Battle
of Laco, lasting 47 hours and resulting in 70% of the Frontier forces and nearly all of
the Corpse forces being wiped out. The muster is swiftly dismissed.
300 pf. Pale and New Pale discovered in the Truane's Star system, named in honor
of the colony group’s charismatic first leader, Colonel John Henry Truane.
Zuraqquor discovered, enslaved and assimilated by the Human colonists of New
Pale. Amongst the colony’s first leaders is Abraham Streel, founder of a chain of
department stores which is to become the Streel Corporation.
270 pf. Dramune system discovered by Dralasites.
268 pf. Athor system discovered by Yazirians.
261 pf. K'tsa-Kar system discovered by Vrusk.
256 pf. K'aken-Kar ssytem disovered by Vrusk.
255 pf. Gruna Garu system discovered by Yazirians.
252 pf. Timeon system discovered by Humans.
250 pf. The Pan-Galactic language accepted throughout the Frontier as a common
trade tongue.
246 pf. Kizk'-Kar system discovered by Vrusk.
229 pf. Araks system colonized by Yazirians and Humans from Pale and New Pale
fleeing religious persecution from the Truane’s Star government and the Streel
Corporation which has used its economic power to insidiously take control of the
government, the media, the schools and churches system-wide.
225-10 pf. The Age of Adventure. The discovery and exploration of new planets
slows down for the next century while the major races concentrate on mapping the
hazards and boundries of the Frontier. Hundreds of exploration vessels and brave
spacers are lost during this time. Meanwhile, the discovered planets begin to
develop. Thousands of fortunes are made and lost during the Age of Adventure.
124-78 pf. The Greater Morass is mapped.
120-110 pf Laco's War: When the government of Laco refuses to allow Streel to set
up business on their soil, the CEO of Streel, Truane's Star President Jacob Streel,
declares a "war of the righteous to liberate Laco from the forces of Sadam and Her
dark legions," dispatching Streel and Truane's Star warships to invade Laco in
force. Laco's militia, assisted by PGC security forces, the Kdikit Defense Force and
the Clarion Royal Marines, wage a bloody ten-year defense of the Dixon's Star
system against Streel and Truane's Star, the war ending only after a devastating
attack against Pale and New Pale by the combined forces convinces the Streel
board of directors and the Truane's Star government to break off hostilities.
94 pf. Scree Fron system discovered by Yazirians.
61 pf. The Zebulon system is discovered by Professor Alorne Zebulon, the
Frontier's most noted scientist, explorer, and educator. Following the loss of the
exploration ship Serena Dawn, with all hands—including Professor Zebulon—during
the second expidition to the Zebulon system, the Truane’s Star government, now
completely under the thrall of the Streel Corporation, claims the system and closes
off all access to it.
59 pf. Streel announces the complete takeover of all mediacorps on Nexus, the
culmination of an insidious campaign begun with the purchase of commercial spots
two hundred years before. With control of all commecial media and the subspace
computer network(or the SubNet), the Streel family are now positioned to feed their
worldview to the citizens of the Frontier.
The Frontier worlds respond to this by establishing their own mediacorps and
subspace computer networks independent of the SubNet, these independent
computer networks uniting over the next five decades into the Mosaic.
56-40 pf. The White Light Nebulae are mapped.
39-33 pf. The Yreva Nebula is mapped.
32-26 pf. Thirty-two exploration vessels are lost trying to map the Xagyg Dust
Nebulae. Only a small part of the area beyond Fromeltar is ever mapped.
Several hundred more exploration vessels are lost trying to explore the Zebulon
system, to the point where most governments and corporations abandon further
attempts along those lines altogether.
25-2 pf. The Pirate Wars.
25 pf. A remarkably well-equipped and organized pirate fleet under Hatzck Naar—
larger than any of the planetary militias individually—raids the Cassidine and
Prenglar systems, seizing Rupert’s Hole and Triad’s moon of Evergleem in a single
battle. The second Common Muster in nearly three centuries is called, as Streel
and the Truane’s Star government both demand the establishment of a strong,
central interstellar government and military to combat this and other threats.
24 pf. Naar’s fleet ravages the Pale worlds as a diversion, seizing Laco in a
lightning raid, Streel CEO Ezekiel Streel pointing this out as “proof positive that only
a Frontier united under a single directive, under strong, decisive leadership with the
moral superiority to lead, can defeat this threat to our security once and for all.”
24 pf. Later that year, the Frontier forces deals a series of overwhelming,
devastating defeats to Naar’s forces, seizing Laco and Rupert’s Hole in a single
campaign, diverting Naar’s fleet away from his home base on Outer Reach, allowing
forces led by the Lord Commander of the Clarion Royal Marines, Vincent Morgaine,
to launch a massive assault which results in the seizure of Outer Reach and
Darkworld Station by Frontier forces, scattering Naar’s forces throughout the
Frontier.
23 pf. Naar’s attempt to establish a base in the Planrion asteroid belt fails
miserably, the Frontier forces ambushing his remnant fleet, destroying or driving off
most of his ships in a bloody eighteen-hour battle, Naar himself becoming a fugitive.
22 pf. Hatzck Naar's ship, the heavy cruiser King George’s Revenge, is cornered by
Frontier warships off Timeon, Morgaine’s heavy cruiser Oath-Bound hammering the
Revenge into a dead hulk, Naar captured by Morgaine and a Royal Marine boarding
party and ejected into space to slowly boil inside his spacesuit as he falls toward
Timeon.
.
The muster is dismissed, only to be replaced by the Interstellar Law Enforcement
Organization, created when Gran Quivera, Gollwin, Clarion, Triad, Rupert’s Hole
, Fromeltar, Minotaur, Krataar. Hargut, Hakosoar, Kenzah' Kit and Inner Reach,
along with the Cassidine Development Corporation and PGC, donate ships
, manpower, funds and resources into a common effort to combat the growing threat
of piracy throughout the Frontier worlds.
Morgaine is named the Organization’s first commander, granted the rank of admiral
by the Frontier Security Council, formed to oversee the Organization’s activities,
and the Organization is headquarted on Gollwin in the Prenglar system.
21-10 pf. The Xagyg Dust Nebulae is mapped from Fromeltar to K'aken-Kar.
19-8 pf. The Xagyg Dust Nebula, particularlly in and around the Zebulon system
claims thousands of exploration vessels. Exploration of the area ceases
completely.
10 pf. With Streel and the Truane’s Star government continuing to sound the call for
a strong government in the face of continued piracy, the Interstellar Law
Enforcement Organization—now simply known as Star Law—makes significant
inroads against various pirate bands, wiping a dozen of the largest pirate fleets out
completely. Impressed, most of the remaining Frontier worlds begin contributing
resources, personnel and ships to Star Law, securing representation on the
Council.
2 pf. Acting on a tip, and over the objections of both Streel and the Truane’s Star
government, Morgaine personally leads Star Law forces into the Zebulon system
.
In a bloody three-month campaign, the Star Lawmen fight their way through mined
routes, ambushes and a massive pirate fleet in orbit around Volturnus, the Star
Lawmen landing marines on the three largest concentrations of Human life-signs on
Volturnus’ surface at the same time they reduce the enemy forces in planetary
orbit.
.
Morgaine learns that the Human settlements on planet are slave-labor camps,
where captives from throughout the Frontier are brutalized and overworked in the
punishing heat alongside native sentients, the Star Lawmen discovering extensive
orbital facilities orbiting both Volturnus and Anker, along with several half-completed
cruiser and heavy cruiser-class hulls, some conforming to known Frontier ship
classes, others of a decidedly alien design.
No useful information can be extracted from the surviving pirates, their captives or
the hulks concerning the half-completed vessels
.
Content with smashing the largest remaining pirate force operating in Frontier
space, Morgaine and his ships return to Gollwin.
2 pf. The First Sathar War: A massive force of Sathar warships—led by several
gigantic vessels, each five times the size of a heavy cruiser—emerge from the Void
in the Prenglar system, outnumbering both Gran Quivera’s and Gollwin’s planetary
militias, as well as the Star Law Spacefleet forces in system. In spite of this
, Morgaine, personally leading the combined Star Law/militia forces aboard the
Oath-Bound, fight a bloody, 47-hour battle with the Sathar, destroying them utterly,
while suffering 60% casualties, including the destruction of the Oath-Bound with all
hands.
1 pf. In honor of Morgaine’s sacrifice and service to the people of the Frontier, the
people of Gollwin vote to rename their planet Morgaine’s World .
1 f.y. (Federation Year) What had begun as an oversight body for Star Law
becomes an interstellar government, the Frontier Security Council and Star Law
transforming into the center of the United Planetary Federation. Streel and Truane’s
Star reluctantly join, in spite of their criticism of the new UPF being too weak to
adjudicate squabbles amongst itself, let alone lead the Frontier against a second
Sathar invasion.
5 f.y.Interstellar Industries develops the first assault scout-class warship for use by
Star Law's Spacefleet, beating out the Streel-built Hatchet-class corvette. The
assault scout proves to be so successful, Star Law orders several hundred more,
the ship becoming the Spacefleet's most common vessel, while the Streel corvette
becomes the chief ship of the resurgent pirate bands.
5 f.y. PGC unveils the first of Star Law's Morgaine-class battleships.
CDC comissions the first five Oath-Bound-class frigates, these ships quickly
becoming the mainstay of Star Law and the militias
.
Eversafe Enterprises commissions the first four Hargut-class cruisers, while Streel
is given the contract to convert Courageous-class heavy cruisers into Dauntless-
class battle carriers,
Streel is dissatisfied with this, wanting all the Star Law contracts for themselves
,Streel resorting to sabotaging the other corporations' prototypes
.
Caught in the act by Star Law Special Branch, Streel loses the Dauntless project,
gaining nothing out of it, as all plans were published as open-source documents as
per the contract agreements.
14 f.y. The Sundown system is discovered.
17-25 f.y. The Blue Plague sweeps the Frontier. Scientists believe it was brought to
the Sundown system by an alien vessel that crashed on Starmist. Because of
Starmist's light population, the plague was not immediately detected and had a
chance to mutate. It is believed that vermin from the planet became infected and
somehow gained entry to a ship. The ship makes several stops on the Frontier and
the plague spreads rapidly. It is called the Blue Plague because of its earliest
symptoms -- large blue welts that appear about the face and extremities. These
welts leave horrible black scars even if the victim survives the plague.
20 f.y. Four star systems become so infested with the Blue Plague that the Frontier
Security Council, requests all races to recognize a permanent quarantine of these
four star systems. The systems are designated by Greek letters. A spaceship
seen leaving one of these systems is to be destroyed by Star Law before it has a
chance to spread the plague any further.
22 f.y. Hargut, Clarion and Pale suffer massive population losses due to the Blue
Plague. All three planets are temporarily quarantined.
Streel CEO Samson Streel criticizes the UPF’s handling of the epidemic, using
Streel’s control of the Nexus(and several other Frontier) mediacorps to spread the
opinion that the Plague is a punishment from the One True God(the One)for the
Frontier’s tolerance of sin and the “moral inferiors” who spread it. Streel’s belief,
repeated thousands of times by thousands of beings such as him over the next few
years, results in millions more innocent beings being imprisoned, brutalized and
even murdered.
23 f.y. The Medical Services Organization is founded. Funding pours in from most
of the Frontier worlds, except Pale and New Pale.
Gretl Grohn is named as the MSO Chief Surgeon.
24 f.y. Vaccine for the Blue Plague is discovered at the MSO Center on Morgaine's
World, in spite of Streel agents attempting to sabotage the research, Star Law and
the Clarion Royal Marines being instrumental in discovering that the Plague was, in
fact, engineered by Streel’s pharmecuticals division and seeded on Starmist to
begin the epidemic.Incensed, the people of Clarion launch a series of bloody anti
-
Streel demonstrations, butchering hundreds of Streel employees on planet and
throughout the White Light system, before Queen Felicia II orders Streel expelled
from White Light system space, revoking the corporation’s operating authority in
Clarion soil.
Samson Streel makes repeated denials, accusing the Council and the moral
inferiors controlling it, the Frontier’s media and Star Law of persecuting him
, claiming the Streel employees responsible for engineering and releasing the
Plague were in fact Sathar agents.
This doesn’t stop the Frontier Criminal Court from fining Streel 500 trillion credits in
damages and reparations.
Star Law—to its infinite regret—is unable to prove Samson Streel, any member of
the Streel board of directors or even the Truane's Star government had anything to
do with the epidemic.
25 f.y. The Blue Plague is eradicated from inhabited planets in the Frontier. In total,
170 million victims fell to the plague, while another 250 million were murdered by
prejudice and panic resulting from the plague.
26 f.y. Very tough laws and penalties are laid down by both the Frontier Security
Council and the member worlds concerning the intersystem transportation and
handling of flora and fauna. Star Law is given jurisdiction over planetary imports and
exports.
The Frontier Security Council also requires all genetic expirimentation projects
secure the approval of the Council and to have Star Law and MSO oversight at all
times.
27 f.y. The PGC frigate Omicron, missing since the last Corpse War three hundred
years ago, is discovered drifting and powerless in interstellar space between
Dixon’s Starand Araks. The Star Law frigate Oath-Bound is dispatched to
investigate, only to battle both the ship’s cybernetic intelligence...and a force of two
Sathar heavy cruisers and six destroyers, Strike Force NOVA joining the fray
.
The Oath-Bound sends a Marine boarding party onto the Omicron, fighting off a
Zuraqquor-led Sathar boarding party and the ship’s cybernetic brain, succeeding, in
spite of heavy casualties, in seizing control of the ship, using its weapons to help
defeat the Sathar force, after it succeeds in dealing a damaging blow to Strike
Force NOVA, destroying its flagship, the heavy cruiser Stalwart with the loss of all
hands, including Star Law Admiral Clinton.
With the intelligence that the Zuraqquor were leading the Sathar in hand, Star Law
attempts to probe further, only to discover that Streel officials have eradicated all
evidence of the Zuraqquor’s history and civilization prior to human colonization of
New Pale.
30 f.y. Pan-Gal system is discovered by the Pan-Galactic Corporation and
becomes the first mega-corp star system.
31 f.y. New Streel system is discovered by the Streel Corporation.
32 f.y. Devco system is discovered by the Cassidine Development Corporation.
36 f.y. The Second Dramune War is fought.
46 f.y. Solar Major system discovered by WarTech Incorporated.
50 f.y. A rebellion flares up on Corpco in reaction to Streel's repressive measures,
Streel sending in troops and ships to "excise the morally inferior from the body of
the planet," as Streel Security Forces head Joshua Streel bluntly puts it.
The Clarion Royal Marines, along with the Triad Militia, PGC and CDC security
forces and Star Law's Strike Force NOVA—under the command of Star Law
Admiral Alannah Red Cloud—come to the aid of Corpco's oppressed populace
, engaging Streel and Truane's Star forces in a series of bloody battles on Corpco
and throughout the New Streel system, culiminating in the Battle of Ten Fleets, Red
Cloud's forces and the Corpco rebels scoring a decisive victory, but at the cost of
Admiral Red Cloud's life and 60% of the UPF forces, Samson Streel claiming
neither Streel nor the Truane's Star government had any involvement in the events
which took place, the Frontier Security Council nevertheless suspending Streel
Corp's and Truane's Star's membership for five years.
68 f.y. Star Law dispataches the battle carrier Dauntless and the whole of Strike
Group NOVA Bravo to the Tristkar system as rioting between human supremacists
and Vrusk extremists overwhelms the civil authorities on Krataar.
Upon emerging from the Void, the Star Law ships are attacked by ships of the
planetary militia, the Dauntless sustaining heavy damage, as the assault scout
Falchion almost singlehandedly destroys or drives off the militia warships—the
Falchion being destroyed in the process—allowing the rest of the strike group to
reach Krataar orbit
.
The Star Law ships find themselves in the middle of an imminent civil war, which
Kraatar's ruling Commerical Council is powerless to mediate, as even its security
forces have begun taking sides, tensions almost exploding into all-out war upon the
apparent assassination of Trojan Enterprises CEO Jack Legrange by Vrusk
members of the planetary security forces
,
The subequent Star Law investigation exposes Trojan's insidious takeover of the
largest Vrusk merchant house on planet, Vist'Lat, and the implantation of mind
-control devices—outlawed Corpse technology—by personnel at the Trojan-owned
High Peaks Sanitorium into the cranial carpaces of Vrusk executives and security
personnel. The investigation further reveals that Legrange faked his death and is at
the head of a plot to seize power on Krataar, the investigation culminating in the
Battle of Artemis, as Strike Force NOVA and Task Force K’aken’ Kar engage the
starships of the Krataar Liberation Corps, along with several Streel and Truane's
Star warships in a bloody ten-hour battle, during which the frigate Oath-Bound plays
a prominent part by attacking the KLC base on Artemis, preventing the launch of
several missiles which would have unleashed a strain of the Blue Plague—tailored
to wipe out non-Human species—upon the surface of Krataar
.
The Oath-Bound then pursues Legrange’s frigate, the Realization Of Destiny, as it
attempts to follow the surviving Streel and Truane’s Star ships into the Void, the
remaining KLC ships abandoned to their fate.
After a six-hour chase and battle in Tristkar orbit, the Oath-Bound grapples the
Destiny, the Oath-Bound’s marines capturing Legrange, transporting him to Clarion
for trial
.
Star Law is unable to prove any direct link between Streel and Legrange, all the
available evidence leading straight to Legrange, a former Streel Corporation
executive, and a team of rogue operatives recruited personally by him, with just the
slightest implication of Sathar involvement.
To Streel’s dismay, however, the circumstancial evidence is more than enough for
the Commercial Council to revoke the corporation’s operating authority throughout
the Tristkar system, resulting in the loss of nearly half of their interstellar business.
Legrange is convicted of nearly a hundred counts of crimes against sentience and
high treason by the Frontier Criminal Court, and is spaced later that year.
He is unrepentant to the end.
68 f.y. Frontier Expiditionary Force formed at Clarion, with the destroyer Melinda
McCoy designated its flagship.
A joint effort between Star Law and the Royal Marines, the FEF is charged with
scouting for signs of Sathar presence beyond the Frontier's boundaries.
70 f.y. Liberty system discovered by the UPF. Strike Force NOVA and the Frontier
Expitionary Force liberate the planet Snowball and the Mhemne from Sathar
tyranny. Tacticians, politicians, and exobiologists are given a chance to study
Sathar machinery and methods first hand because of the information gathered by
the populace during their occupation. It is feared that many pockets of Sathar
tyranny exist all around the Frontier.
70-75 f.y. The Second Sathar War.
70 f.y. The Sathar seize the Zebulon, Araks, Dixon's Star and Madderly’s Star
systems in a series of lightning assaults, overwhelming and destroying the UPF
forces and the planetary militia forces in those systems. The people of Anker,
Volturnus, Hentz, Laco and Kdikit are swiftly and brutally enslaved.
The Sathar turn Kdikit into a planet-wide military and industrial complex intended as
a permanent advance base for incoming Sathar supply ships and troops.
70 f.y. Strike Force NOVA and the Mhemne Confederation militia are mauled when
Sathar Fleet #4—accompanied by a force of Truane's Star warships—invades the
Liberty system. The combined UPF forces lose 80% of their ships and personnel
while completely annhilating the enemy force.
71 f.y. The UPF mines the sector between White Light and Madderly's Star.
Sathar Fleet #1 is driven from Gruna Garu and pursued as it tries to make its way
to Fromeltar. All militia ships in the sector, including half of Task Force Prenglar,
are engaged in the pursuit.
71 f.y. Joint Reaction Force #1 is formed at Clarion, incorporating Spacefleet and
Royal Marine warships. JRF #1’s commander, Captain Margaurite Dermond
, believes more of the Sathar fleet may attack through the White Light Nebulae.
71 f.y. Sathar Fleet #2 emerges between Timeon and Prenglar, placing itself in front
of Task Force Prenglar. The Battle of Prenglar begins two hours later and results in
Sathar Fleet #2 scattering or destroying the reduced Task Force Prenglar, the Star
Law Admiral, Carrie Nation Bridger, being one of those killed during the battle.
Flush with victory, the Sathar proceed recklessly into the Frontier.
72 f.y. Sathar Fleet #3 attempts to circumnavigate the Great Morass. Two weeks
later it is engaged by gunships and assault scouts from Moonworld. Without any
knowledge of the existence of the Lynchpin system, the Sathar forge ahead, finding
the whole Task Force Liberty waiting in orbit around Moonworld to ambush the
Sathar in a carefully-laid trap, as they emerge from the Void.
This begins the Battle of Moonworld, which ends with ends with the destruction of
three-quarters of Sathar Fleet #3. The remaining Sathar vessels are forced to
retreat.
72 f.y. JRF #1 launches a surprise raid on Kdikit, smashing the Sathar supply line,
stationing themselves at the edge of the system to engage and destroy incoming
Sathar vessels.
72 f.y. The final dregs of Sathar Fleet #1, after slipping into the Xagyg Nebula off
Fromeltar, arrive back at Kdikit and prepare to defend it to the death.
72 f.y. Task Force Prenglar regroups off K'aken-Kar. JRFs #2 and #3 formed at
Triad. Task Force White Light begins forming at Fortress Redoubt from the remains
of the Frontier Expiditionary Force. Commodore Karl Reider assumes command of
Task Force White Light aboard the newly-comissioned battleship Admiral Red
Cloud.
72 f.y. JRFs #1-3, along with Task Forces Cassidine, Liberty, Fromeltar, and
K'aken Kar, secure the Frontier inward from Theseus.
73 f.y. The remains of Sathar Fleet #2 arrive at Kdikit. Despite a desperate shortage
of supplies caused by the Star Law blockade and terrible losses from previous
engagements, the Sathar have completed their construction. Kdikit is now a
formidable fortress. Task Forces Prenglar and White Light prepare to invade Kdikit.
73 f.y. The Battle of the Blockade. A Sathar reinforcement fleet—accompanied by a
Truane's Star heavy cruiser, a Truane’s Star battle carrier, a pair of Streel
Corporation frigates and eight Streel corvettes—is challenged by JRF#1. Half of the
enemy fleet—including all the Streel and Truane's Star ships— escape, the other
half sacrificing themselves to save them, at the cost of half of JRF#1's warships and
personnel.
74 f.y. JRF#1 is greatly increased by reinforcements from Clarion. Dermond’s ships
rendezvous with Task Forces Prenglar and White Light. Battered and weary, they
still insist on joining the siege of Kdikit , gaining notoriety throughout the Frontier.
74 f.y. A peace faction splits the Frontier Security Council. In spite of its being led
by the ambassador from Truane’s Star—Gestas Streel—and the Streel
represenative—Gestas’ twin brother Dismas—their father, Samson Streel, decries
this development, insisting that this is only one more reason why strong leadership
is needed if the Frontier is to survive “the Dark Lady, her Sathar, and the moral
inferiors amongst us who are their servants.”
In a surprising development, the Star Law commander, Admiral Ironside
Brannecken, orders a diplomatic mission sent to Kdikit, stunning the Council
enough for a majority to agree to this.
The Sathar also agree, the Star Law negotiators sent to talk peace meeting with
non-Sathar agents, who Star Law’s Special Branch covertly confirms are Streel
Corporation management personnel...and, they seem to be the ones in charge on
Kdikit, confirming intelligence dearly bought during several of the war's earlier
engagements.
Like the Sathar, the Star Lawmen are buying time for their forces to gather all the
strength they can before striking, the Sathar and their Streel handlers using the
six months the negoiations drag on to strengthen defenses around Kdikit.
75 f.y. Task Force Cassidine joins Task Forces Prenglar and White Light at the edge of the Madderly’s Star system, as Samson Streel grows increasingly suspicious of Brannecken's motives.
At the same time JRF #2 and Task Group White Light Charlie 5 engage Sathar and
Streel forces around Plague World Delta. After heavy fighting, the Star Law forces
drive off the surviving Streel and Sathar ships, deploying Marines to secure the
planet.
To their horror and anger, the Star Lawmen find the planet had been turned into a
Streel slave-labor camp some fifty years before, Delta's inhabitants forced to build
Sathar weapons and warships. as well as a fleet of Streel warships more powerful
than anything currently in the UPF arsenal.
As further investigation and humanitarian efforts take place on Delta, the initial
findings are relayed to the Frontier Security Council.
75 f.y., 30 Septa. Present
The United Planetary Federation(also, the United Frontier or the United Planets) is an alliance of the Frontier Worlds, held together by the Frontier Security Council, the Frontier Courts, the Medical Service Organization and, perhaps most importantly, Star Law.
The governing document of the UPF is the Frontier Security Agreement, containing a series of laws governing the Frontier as a whole. The Agreement is a delicate balance between planetary sovreignty, individual civil rights and liberties,and the safety and security of all the Frontier's citizens. Like Star Law, the Agreement predates the official formation of the United Frontier by two decades, and, for the Federation's entire seventy-five year history, it has worked.
The Frontier Security Council
Orginially formed as an oversight body for Star Law, the Frontier Security Council is the final executive and legislative authority in the Frontier, consisting of one repesenative from each of the Frontier's worlds, one represenative from each of the Frontier's interstellar megacorps, the Star Law Admiral and the MSO Surgeon General.
The Council convenes year-round in Port Loren, on Gran Quivera. In times of peace, the Presidency of the Council rotates between the member worlds and corporations on a two-year basis, the President speaking for the Council in all Frontier-wide matters.
In times of war or other Frontier-wide emergency, the Star Law Admiral assumes the Presidency for the duration of the emergency.
The Frontier Courts
The Frontier Courts adjudicate all Frontier-wide civil and criminal disputes. Meeting in Valentina, on Clarion, the Courts are divided into two branches:
The Frontier Criminal Court: The Frontier Criminal Court deliberates on all criminal matters concerning violations of the Frontier Security Agreement. Their decisions are appealable to the Frontier Security Council.
The Frontier Court of Arbitration: The Frontier Court of Arbitration decides on civil matters between UPF members and acts as a final court of appeal for all other civil matters.
Each of the two courts has one judge from each member world and an ombudsman from each of the member corporations.
The Medical Service Organization
The MSO resulted from the Frontier worlds and corporations pooling their medical resources during the Blue Plague, the MSO evolving from that ad hoc effort, becoming the last word for Frontier medicine.
Utilizing Star Law ranks, the MSO provides medics and medships to that organization during wartime, and the MSO's hospitals can be found on nearly every outpost of civilization in the Frontier.
The MSO is headed by a Surgeon-General.
Star Law
The organization which has been the glue holding Frontier society together, Star Law evolved from the Interstellar Law Enforcement Organization formed by the Frontier worlds and corporations in the aftermath of Hazick Naar's piracies and the Second Common Muster.
Star Law is the Frontier's military and law-enforcement organization, charged with defending the Frontier from all threats foreign and domestic and with the enforcement of the Frontier Security Agreement. It is divided into two main divisions:
The Rangers
The Rangers are Star Law's active division, consisting of the personnel actually enforcing Frontier law and defending the Frontier's citizens.
The Rangers are organized into four branches:
Spacefleet: Star Law’s most visible branch, Spacefleet—more commonly known as the Knight Hawks, in honor of the Triad system’s ancient defenders—patrols the spacelanes, acting as the first line of defense against invaders and pirates, while serving as Star Law's first response to criminal activity on a planetary scale(in conjunction with the Special Branch, below).
Spacefleet's arsenal of warships range from Boomerang fighters to the ponderous Morgaine-class battleships.
The Marines: The Star Law Marines are Star Law's ground forces, consisting mainly of powered-armored infantry troops, with a small number of artillery and cavalry assets.
Stationed mostly aboard the Spacefleet's starships, the Marines are also called out for riots and other domestic disturbances which threaten the security of the Frontier as a whole.
The Exploration Service: The Star Law Exploration Service is charged with exploring all worlds beyond the Frontier.
Special Branch: Special Branch handles all criminal investigations and intelligence gathering within the Frontier.
Support
The Support Division supports Star Law's day-to-day operations. It is divided into four branches:
Administration:The Admin branch handles all of Star Law's payroll, paperwork, personnel and other administrative matters.
Logistics: The Logistics branch handles all of Star Law's supply needs.
Technical Services: The Technical Services Branch handles all of Star Law's engineering and maintainence needs.
Reserach and Development: Star Law R&D handles all of Star Law's research, from coordinating with the MSO on vaccine research to developing and testing new starships for the Spacefleet.
Star Law Rank Structure
All of Star Law's divisions and branches use the following rank system:
Rank | Expirience Points Needed | Pay/Day | Rank Insignia | Command Responsibilities |
Midshipman 1st Class | 50 | 100 | None |
Petty Officer | 75 | 150 | None |
Petty Officer 1st Class | 100 | 250 | Combat Team |
Chief Petty Officer | 125 | 300 | Combat Team |
Master Petty Officer | 150 | 350 | Platoon |
Ensign | 250 | 400 | Small Ship Department Head |
Lieutenant | 275 | 490 | Assault Scout Command |
First Lieutenant | 315 | 520 | Frigate Command |
Commander | 375 | 580 | Destroyer Command |
Captain | 470 | 700 | Cruiser/JRF Command |
Commodore | 550 | 900 | Battleship/Task Force Command |
Rear Admiral | 700 | 1100 | Battleship/Branch Command |
Vice Admiral | 800 | 1250 | Battleship/Division Command |
Admiral | 1000 | 1500 | Battleship/Star Law Command |
Gollwin Academy
Most Star Law personnel, upon enlistement and the completion of a background check and a battery of physical, intellectual and psychological tests, start at the rank of Midshipman 2d Class and begin training at Gollwin Academy, on Morgaine's World.
The Academy is a two-year course of study, the first year being an intensive array of classroom training in both general subjects and the midshipmen's respective chosen branches of service. At the end of the first year, a second set of physical, mental and psychological testing determines which of the second-class midshipmen are promoted to Midshipman 1st Class and assigned to field training.
Field training takes up the whole of the second year, with the second-year midshipmen assigned to active Star Law units in their chosen branch of service.
At the end of the second year, a final set of testing, along with evaluations from the field are factored into the decision on whether or not to graduate individual midshipmen.
Final rank upon graduation is determined by class rank, with the top 1% being commissioned Lieutenants, the top 5% being comissioned Ensigns, the top 10% being commissioned Master Petty Officers, the top 20% being Chief Petty Officers and the remaining graduates being comissioned Petty Officers, as shown by the table below:
D100 Roll | Commission |
01 | Lieutenant(roll d100 again: command awarded on 01-05) |
02-05 | Ensign |
06-10 | Master Petty Officer |
11-20 | Chief Petty Officer |
21-00 | Petty Officer |
Star Law characters, regardless of what rank they are commissioned at, must pay the full XP cost to be promoted to the next higher rank.
Deputization
In times of war or other emergency, the Star Law Admiral and the Frontier Security Council are authorized to deputize planetary militias, corporate security forces and privateers, bringing them into the regular Star Law command structure.
While deputized, militia personnel have Star Law ranks equivalent to their militia ranks and are paid accordingly. Those militia personnel who perform exceptionally well are given permanent commissions in Star Law.
Galactic Standard Time (GST)uses the following measures:
How to Create A Character --Addendum
| Race | STR/STA | DEX/RS | INT/LOG | PER/LDR |
| Mhneme | +0 | +0 | +5 | -5 |
| Zuraqquor(technician) | -10 | +0 | +10 | +0 |
| Zuraqquor(warrior/worker) | +10 | +0 | -10 | +0 |
11. Subtract 16 from the character’s starting age, above, and multiply the result by the character’s INT/LOG score average to determine starting XP.
12. Divide INT score by 2. This is the percentage chance that the character will have psionic potential.
13. If the above roll is successful, then roll d100 three times to determine if the character is telepathic(45% chance), telekinetic(10% chance) or clairvoyant(25% chance). Otherwise, go to 14, below.
14. Roll d100 and add the result to 500. The final result is the number of Credits the character has at the start of the game. The character can spend this money immediately on equipment, or save some of it until later in the game.BEAM WEAPONS skill applies to electrostunners, laser pistols, laser rifles, laser cannon, laser batteries, sonic devastators, sonic disruptors, sonic stunners, electron pistols, electron rifles, heavy electron projectors, proton and electron batteries, and disruptor beam cannon.
GYROJET WEAPONS skill applies to gyrojet pistols, gyrojet rifles, grenade rifles, grenade mortars, rocket launchers, assault rockets, StarHawk missiles, cruise missiles, seeker missiles and torpedos.
MELEE WEAPONS skill applies to axes, brass knuckles, chains, clubs, swords, electric swords, las swords,neutron swords, sonic swords, knives, sonic knives, vibroknives, nightsticks, polearms, shock gloves, spears, stunsticks and whips.
PROJECTILE WEAPONS skill applies to automatic pistols and rifles, bows, muskets, needler pistols and rifles, machine guns, recoilless rifles and massdrivers.
THROWN WEAPONS skill applies to all grenades and thrown axes, knives and spears.Same as KH, save it's a Tech skill, with specialties in Jetcopter and Aircar Piloting as well as Spaceship Piloting, and I've modified the Increase MR subskill thusly:
INCREASE ADF/MR*
Success Rate: 70% +10% per skill level
On a given turn, a pilot has a chance either to accelerate beyond what his Void engines will allow or to maneuver more than what his maneuver jets will allow. This chance is 10% per level of the pilot. If the skill check is successful, the pilot increase his ADF or his MR by 1 for that turn only.
Success Rate: 50% +10% per skill level
On a given turn, the ship's engineer can increase power to the beam weapons, the Void engines or the mag shielding. A success on this roll gives the ship one point of ADF, 10d10 points additional damage to one of the beam weapons systems or an additional -25% to all attacks striking the ship's mag shielding.
A failed roll is the same as rolling a 98-105 on the Advanced Game Damage Table, while a roll of 99-00 results in the disastrous fire result from the Advanced Game Damage Table.
Starships use Void engines to travel both interplanetary and interstellar distances.
Void engines come in two designs:
Nuclear Engines
The first Void engines developed, nuclear engines use an explosive thermonuclear reaction to generate power and thrust. Plutonium pellets are continously accelerated into one another inside the fisson chamber at relativistic speeds-allowing for critical-mass reactions with smaller minimum sub-critical masses-the resulting fission explosion then detonating tritium inside the bomb chamber-lined with x-ray containment mirrors-creating a powerful thermonuclear explosion, energizing thermopiles in the bomb chamber and the exhaust chamber, the blast plasma being directed out of the exhaust chamber to drive the ship through space.
Pion Engines
Developed by the Mhneme during the Second Sathar War, antimatter pion engines generate power and thrust through a matter/antimatter reaction.
A pion engine uses liquid hydrogen fuel, subjected to X-ray bombardement in the bombardement chamber, the resulting liquid antihydrogen fuel being siphoned off and injected into the primary reaction chamber along with the remaining liquid hydrogen fuel, the resulting explosion energizing thermopiles lining the chamber, with the pions generated from the matter/antimatter reaction directed through the exhaust chamber by magnetic coils which compress the pion stream to generate a higher specific impulse than would be possible with the nuclear engine design.
The Drivefield Generator
By the time a ship accelerates to Void speed—3,000 km/s(.01 c) for a nuclear engine design, 1,500 km/s(.005 c) for a pion engine design—its Void engines have generated enough power to engage their drivefield generators. The generators energize lathanide thermopiles embedded into the skin of the ship to create a series of overlapping fields which warp spacetime around a ship at a frequency which creates a pocket continuum where the ship's relativistic mass is reduced to zero, after which any amount of thrust is sufficent to give the ship imaginary mass, allowing for FTL travel.
When the generators come online, the ship disappears in a pulse of heat and radiation-harmless in space, but making for a pretty light show-the alternate spacetime created by the drivefields being called drivespace, subpsace, or more commonly, the Void, hence the name Void engines.
The largest nuclear engines manufactured generate 12,000,000 Standard Energy Units(SEU), while the largest manufactured pion engines generate 18,500,000 SEU. In both cases, 90% of the power generated goes to thrust and the creation of the drivefield, the remaining ten percent going to power the ship's beam weapons, defenses and other systems.
Void Travel
Time-Dialation & the Void
A ship travelling through the Void expiriences an accelerated sense of time, travelling at one light-year per day as measured by observers in the outside Universe, but expiriencing only 15 seconds of elapsed time per light year travelled.
EXAMPLE: The Triad refugees took 1,600 Galactic Standard Years to travel from the Triad system to the White Light system. From their perspective, however, the trip only took a little over six months, with the actual passage through the Void taking three months from their point of view(the other three spent in normal space for servicing, refuelling, resupplying and fighting the Corpses).
Hazards Of Void Travel
Aside from the consequences of misjumping(covered in the Knight Hawks rules), there are other hazards to travelling through the Void.
The drivefield still interacts with normal space, meaning that solid objects of sufficent density(including other drivefields) impacting with the field can disrupt it and destroy the ship completely.
In particular, ships must drop to sublight speeds when passing through nebulae, as the density of the ionized particles is sufficent to disrupt drivefields. Ships in the Void can only cross nebulae along paths relatively clear of interstellar matter.
Also, ships cannot use weapons, subspace radio or radar while in the Void, since solid objects striking the inside of the drivefield will also disrupt it and destroy the ship.
These paths, as well as any known interstellar route, can be successfully mined, the mines in question having proximity fuses which detonate upon detection of the heat and radiation pulse resulting from ships in the Void changing the density of local space-time as their drivefields interact with normal space.
Even if the ship manages to use its cameras and passive sensors to detect the mines in time and drop back into normal space, it is still vunerable to ambush.
Game Mechanics
Void engines come in three sizes:
Size A engines are the minimum size required for HS 1-4 starship designs.
Size A engines take up a space equal to two percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine, with a total cost of two percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine.
Size B engines are the minimum size required for HS 5-14 starship designs.
A size B engines occupies a space equal to four percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine, with a total cost of four percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine.
Size C engines are the minimum size required for HS 14+ starship designs.
A size C engine occupies a space equal to six percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine, with a total cost of six percent of the ship's total volume per point of ADF/MR per engine.
Pion Engines cost twice as much as listed above and have one extra point of ADF for their size.
EXAMPLE: A size A nuclear engine with an ADF/MR of six takes up twelve percent of the ship's total volume and costs twelve percent of the ship's total volume.
Should the designer use pion engines instead, each size A pion engine will cost 24% of the ship's total volume, while the volume each pion engine occupies remains the same.
Instead of ADF 6, however, the size A pion engine discussed above will have an ADF of 7, while its maneuver rating remains 6.
Bigger Engines For Smaller
Two engines can be switched out for a single engine of the next larger size.
EXAMPLE: A HS 4 starship design normally requires two size A engines. The designer can, if he so chooses, substitute a single size B engine for the two size As.
Section I. Generating a Character
Below is an alternate system of character generation for Star Frontiers 2000.
Ability Scores(Point-Buy System)
All characters start out with the following ability score pairs:
45/45, 45/45, 55/55, 65/65
freely assigned to any of the four abilities, and have an additional 400 XP to spend on skills and raising ability scores, as per the table below:
Table 1. Ability Scores | |||||||||
Points | -15 | -10 | -5 | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 |
Ability Score | 30 | 35 | 40 | 45 | 50 | 55 | 60 | 65 | 70 |
Negative point values grant that many bonus XP to be used for abilties or skills.
2. Decide your character's race. Add or subtract the appropriate modifiers as specified by Table 2. Ability
Modifiers.
Table 2. Ability Modifiers(includes Phoenix Dawn Races)
Race | STR/STA | DEX/RS | INT/LOG | PER/LDR |
Dralasite | +5 | -5 | - | - |
Dubelhwy | +20 | -10 | -10 | -10 |
Human | - | - | - | - |
Kroimeeka | -10 | +5 | +5 | - |
Mhneme | -5 | +5 | +5 | -5 |
Vrusk | +5 | - | - | -5 |
Yazirian | -10 | +5 | +5 | - |
Zuraqquor(technican) | -10 | +5 | +5 | - |
Zuraqquor(warrior) | +5 | +5 | -5 | -5 |
3. Fill in your racial special abilities if you have them.
4. You can modify your base pair scores by subtracting points from one ability and adding them to the other
ability in the base pair. No more than ten points per pair can be shifted this way.
5. Divide your character's Reaction Speed score by ten. If the result is a fraction, round it up. The final result is the
character's initiative modifier.
6. Choose your handedness if you're not a Vrusk (Vrusk are ambidextrous) or a Dralasite (although you must
designate a "dominant" limb).
7. Determine your punching score based on Table 3. Punching Scores.
Table 3. Punching Scores
Strength Score | 1-20 | 21-40 | 41-60 | 61-80 | 81-00 |
Points of Damage | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
8. Determine your gender unless you are:
Section II. Skills And Professions
Let's Get Mental
New Rules For Mentalists
Characters must have 70 Intuition or higher to take Mentalist skills, these skills coming from the Telepath, Empath or Clairvoyant PSAs.
Mentalist characters can only take a maximum of two Mentalist PSAs and one outside PSA, learning the skills from the outside PSA at out of profession cost.
Characters who take only one Mentalist PSA and two outside PSAs learn the skills in the chosen PSA at out-of-profession costs.
Other characters can take Mentalists skills without taking a Mentalist PSA, learning the skills at out-of-profession cost and at a maximum skill level of 3.
Mentalist PSAs
Mentalist Primary Skill Areas | ||
Empath | Telepath | Clairvoyant |
Analysis I, Analysis II, Empathy, File | Beam, Confusion, Detection, Fear, Illusion, Link, Paralyze, Shield, Telepathy:Aliens, Telepathy:Animals, Telepathy:Character | Analysis I, Analysis II, Clairaudience, Clairvoyance, Timeread |
Modified Skills
Piloting PSA
Starship Pilot
The four Star Pilot skills have been merged into one skill(Starship Pilot) for purposes of playability. Characters with Starship Pilot skill choose a type of craft(rated by hull size) with which they are familiar, operating all other craft with a -20%(-2 level) unfamiliarity penalty, until he acquires enough XP to buy off that penalty.
EXAMPLE: A character takes Level 3 Starship Pilot(Hull Size 3), specializing in flying his assault torpedo boat.
During the course of an adventure, he finds himself at the helm of a Spacefleet Marauder-class war cruiser, which he will fly as if his Starship Pilot skill level were only 1(-20% or two levels of unfamiliarity), and will continue to do so until he acquires at least 5 XP(2 for level 2, 3 for level 3)to buy off the penalty. He will then have Starship Pilot(HS 4) at Level 3 as well as Starship Pilot(HS 3) at Level 3.
Additional Modified Piloting PSA Skills
The following Star Pilot skills:
Star Pilot : Evasion
(Albin Johnson/Tim Carrier)
Prerequisites: Starship Pilot at level 1
Description: see Knight Hawks. This skill need only be purchased once for use on any starship the pilot has
expertise in flying.
Star Pilot: Increase Accuracy of Forward Firing Weapons
(Albin Johnson/Tim Carrier)
Prerequisites: Starship Pilot at level 1
Description: see Knight Hawks. This skill need only be purchased once for use on any starship the pilot has
expertise in flying.
have now been merged into the new skill:
Vehicular Combat(Starship)
(William S. Signs, based loosely on the True 20 feat of the same name)
Prerequisites: Starship Pilot at level 1
Attribute: ± (10%/skill level+(ADF)%+(MR)%-(HS)%)
Description: This skill allows a combat pilot to evade enemy fire and increase the accuracy of all the weapons on board his ship.
Use of this skill grants a modifier of +(10% per skill level+(Ship's Maneuver Rating)%-(Ship's Hull Size)%)to his gunners'(and his own) To-Hit rolls when his ship attacks, and -(10% per skill level+(Ship's Maneuver Rating)%-(Ship's Hull Size)%)to the opposing ship's crew's own To-Hit rolls.
EXAMPLE: A Puglist-class war cruiser is attacked by a Spacefleet Exalted-class destroyer 1,260 meters(21 hexes) away. The cruiser's pilot has Vehicular Combat(Starship) at Skill Level 4, while the enemy vessel's pilot has a Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill of 2.
The cruiser's captain orders an attack run against the destroyer, bringing all forward main lasers to bear on the Exalted, the Pugilist's pilot jinking, as he comes in at maximum burn.
At the same time, the Exalted's pilot chooses to evade and keep his ship's weapons bearing on the smaller cruiser.
The Pugilist's pilot adds [40%(for Skill 4)+7%(for ADF 7)+6%(for MR 6)-4%(for the cruiser's HS of 4)]+49% to his gunners' to-hit rolls(and his own), while subtracting [20%(for enemy's Skill Level of 2)+5%(for destroyer's ADF 5+5%(for the destroyer's MR of 5)-12%(for the destroyer's Hull Size of 12)]-18% to all to-hit rolls made by his ship's crew, for a net modifier of +31%.
The Exalted's pilot, on the other hand, adds [20%(for Skill Level of 2)+5%(for destroyer's ADF of 5)+5%(for the destroyer's MR of 5)-18%(for the destroyer's Hull Size of 12)] +13% to his crew's to-hit rolls and subtracts [40%(for Skill 4)+7%(for ADF 7)+6%(for MR 6)-4%(for the cruiser's HS of 4)]-42% to his crew's to-hit rolls, for a net modifier of -31% .
Vehicular Combat(Starship) programs(q.v.) add (+10% x program skill level) to the Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill roll.
Starship Pilot: Increase ADF/MR
(William S. Signs)
Prerequisites: Star Pilot 1
Attribute: 10%/skill level
Description: This skill allows a pilot to push either his maneuver jet or his Void engine for one turn. When he declares the use of this skill, the PC playing the pilot must specify whether he is increasing his ship's ADF or MR, successful skill use increasing either by one, while a normal failure results in 50% damage to the affected system and a natural 96-00 immediately either burns out the maneuver jet, resulting in a disastrous fire(q.v.) or destablizing containment on the Void engine(s), resulting in total destruction of the ship, inflicting (HS ×2,000)points of damage to all ships within 1,200 meters.
Gunnery PSA
Enforcer character can choose the Gunnery PSA as well; this enables them to use heavy weapons(missilers, recoilless rifles, grenade rifles and mortars, light laser cannon[formerly heavy lasers], etc.) as well as crew-served and artillery weapons.
All Gunner skills have no prerequisite skill requirement, as they cover a class of weapons entirely separate from hand-held weapons.
All Gunner skill base to-hit chances are:
½ STR or ½ DEX+10%/skill level
same as for all other weapons skills.
Modifiers to the to-hit roll include:
+10% per level of any Targeting programs.
± Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill OR ±(5%×Starship Pilot skill level+(ADF)%+(MR)%-(HS)%) for pilots without Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill.
-30% for Selective Targeting.
+10% per Sharpshooter skill level(see below).
Penalties for range as per AD.
Any applicable aim bonuses.
All other bonuses and penalties from AD/KH, except all cover penalties against air and space attacks.
Critical Hit: Any natural roll of 01-05 is a critical hit, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted below 6%.
Critical Miss: Any natural roll of 96-00 is a critical miss, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted above 95%.
EXAMPLE: To extend the example above, the Spacefleet destroyer opens fire on the Star Forces cruiser with three of its electron batteries, while the cruiser fires all six of its heavy laser cannon into the flank of the destroyer. Both ships have raised their magnetic deflection shielding and have launched two salvos of anti-beam missiles apiece,
The Pugilist's pilot, controlling the main beam weapons, has Gunner: Beam Weapons skill at Level 5, with a Level 6 Targeting program loaded in its gunnery computer's memory, while the three enemy gunners have the same skill at Level 3, 5, and 6, respectively, and their gunnery computers each have a Level 3 Targeting program loaded into its memory.
From the above example, the Pugilist has an additional +31% net modifier, while the Exalted's three gunners will fire with a -31% net penalty to their rolls, for totals of (50%+60%+31%)141% for the Pugilist's pilot and (30%+30%-31%)29%,(50%+30%-31%)49%, and (60%+30%-31%)59% respectively for the three Spacefleet gunners, without taking defenses into account.
The destroyer's mag shielding subtracts 50% from his to-hit chance and two anti-beam missile salvos subtract an additional 50%(25%/salvo) from the roll, for a final adjusted roll of 41%...praying very, very hard, the cruiser's pilot rolls his dice...and rolls 41 exactly, scoring a direct hit with all six main lasers(which share a single to-hit roll since they are all linked together).
The cruiser's mag shielding and anti-beam missile salvos subtract a total of 100% from all three enemy gunners' to-hit rolls, for final adjusted rolls of -71%(which means only a roll of 01-05 will hit), -51% and -41%...praying even harder, all three gunners pick up their dice and roll a 91, a 58...and an 04, the last gunner scoring a direct hit on the cruiser in spite of its defenses.
Normally, a natural roll of 01-05 is a critical hit(q.v.); however, as the gunner's final adjusted skill was below 5%, he only scores a regular hit.
Sharpshooter
(William S. Signs)
Prerequisites: Ranged Weapons or Gunner skill at level 3, skill must be taken separately for each class of weapon.
Attribute: +(5%/Skill Level) to Selective Targeting penalty.
Description: This skill represents a character's ability to precisely target a given spot on a target. The skill reduces the Selective Targeting penalty by 5% per skill level.
EXAMPLE: Normally, the chance to shoot someone between the eyes is a -30% penalty to hit, due to it being an instance of Selective Targeting.
A Level 2 Sharpshooter would reduce that penalty to -20%(+10% for Level 2), while a Level 6 Sharpshooter can shoot his target between the eyes without penalty(+30% for Level 6, which cancels the penalty altogether).
Forward Observer
(from Art Eaton's Alpha Dawn Redux ruleset)
Prerequisites: None
Attribute: +(10%/Skill Level) to the Gunner skill of any gunner he is in communication with for the first turn, +1% each additional turn.
Description: Characters trained in this skill can spot for field artillery and spacecraft in orbit, as well as coordinate air strikes from space and atmospheric fighters and bombers, adding +10% per skill level to the Gunner skill of the gunners he is in communication with, and +1% for each additional turn he is calling down fire.
EXAMPLE: A combat team of Star Forces Marines is pinned down by Landfleet units hiding in ambush and in positions too strong to attack directly. The team leader, with a Forward Observer skill of 2, calls in a request for fire support from an orbiting Morgaine-class destroyer. The destroyer's gunners(average level 5, with a Targeting program level of 5) add 20% to their adjusted to-hit rolls of 100% for the first turn the target is under fire, and 1% for each turn after the first they bombard the target.
Engineering PSA
This PSA includes all Engineer skills and is available to Techex characters as well as Spacers.
Engineer: Increase Power
(William S. Signs)
Prerequisites: Engineer: Alternate Energy, Engineer:Stress Analysis, Power Read, all at level 2.
Attribute: 10%/skill level
Description: This skill allows a starship engineer to push the ship's Void engine(s) for additional power to one selected system.
Successful skill use results in the selected system being boosted by 50% of its normal operating capacity(e.g. a boosted heavy laser cannon does 6,000 points of damage, a boosted ADF 7 Void engine has ADF 10, a boosted mag shield subtracts 100% from the to-hit chances of hostile gunners, etc.)for one turn.
A failed skill roll burns out all electrical power on board ship, and causes a disastrous fire, while a natural 96-00 destroys the ship, inflicting (HS ×2,000)points of damage to all ships within 1,200 kilometers.
Engineer: Hotshotting
(William S. Signs)
Prerequisites: Engineer: Alternate Energy, Engineer:Stress Analysis, Power Read, all at level 2.
Attribute: -5%/skill level
Description: A ship can generate the necessary power to enter the Void much faster than through gradual acceleration to 1% of light speed; however, it would require the annhilation of a mass of hydrogen and anti-hydrogen greater than the Void engines' magnetic and coolant systems can keep up with, almost certainly(95% chance) resulting in destruction of the ship.
A starship engineer can choose to take that risk, using this skill to modify the chance of blowing up the ship by -5% per skill level, to a maxmum of 65% at level 6. If the engineer rolls above the modified chance of destroying the ship, the ship can enter the Void immediately, instead of having to accelerate to 1% of c.
However, all failures of this skill roll(rolling below the modified chance of blowing up the ship)are critical failures, resulting in immediate destruction of the ship, inflicting (HS×2,000) points of damage on any ship within 1,200 meters.
EXAMPLE: A Longknife-class assault torpedo boat must run away, fast, after being set upon by a half dozen Hatchet-class corvettes, which close to 600 meters away. The ship's engineer, possessing the Hotshotting skill at level 2, decides(after a hasty conference with his captain), decides to risk entering the Void now. His chances of blowing up the ship are 85%(95%-10% for skill).
The engineer rolls the dice...and gets a 23.
The ATB goes up, taking all six 'vettes with it.
Section III. Modified Rules
Maximum Damage(Optional)
Instead of rolling dice, referees can elect to have all weapons inflict their maximum damage for ease and speed of play.
EXAMPLE: Lasers inflict 10 points of damage per SEU setting using the maximum damage rules.
Electron Weapons
Electron pistols have the same range and damage as an electrostunner, whereas electron rifles have a stun setting and five blast settings, which inflict 40(4D10 damage)per SEU setting, with a maximum setting of 5.
They otherwise have the same range as the Rafflur M2s from the Zeb's rules.
Electron cannon are described in Knight Hawks 2K and have the same range in atmosphere as for the Rafflur M4 from the Zeb's rules.
Knight Hawks 2000
Science-fiction role-playing invariably involves spaceships, space travel, and almost inevitably, space combat. As a supplement to Star Frontiers 2000, this chapter gives some quick and dirty rules for conducting battles in space, as well as some starship construction rules which are equally straightforward.
SPACE COMBAT, THE QUICK AND DIRTY WAY
SCALE
Space combat uses standard scales of time and distance to regularize play.
Time: Each turn represents six seconds of play, same as all other combat turns
Distance: Should characters use counters and a hexgrid, each hex would then be 60 meters across×60 meters wide×60 meters high. Changing facing by one hexside is the same as making a 60 degree turn.
Units: Each marker or ship model represents one space vehicle, whether it is a missile, drone,
or space craft. (All are referred to as vehicles in these rules.) For purposes of space combat,
planets may occupy any hex on the map, but they do not interfere with play in any way.
PREPARATION FOR PLAY
Before play can begin, a few things need to be prepared.
Playing Surface And Markers: If desired, a hex grid(or several, see below) can be used to position miniatures or counters. Optionally, vector arrows on sheets of regular narrow-ruled paper can be used instead; in this instance, each line on the paper represents 60 meters of distance.
Any type of markers can be used on the playing surface.
Ship Record Sheets: Each ship involved in the battle will need some sort of ship record sheet to keep track of crew skills, systems, damage, etc.
Chips And Pop: Self-explantory.
THE GAME TURN
DETECTION
Each side involved in the combat makes a Sensor Operation skill check, modified by ECM, to detect opposing vessels. A successful detection of one ship by another automatically reveals the position of both ships, and combat can begin between them.
Ships must roll to detect and re-acquire one another at the beginning of every turn, except for ships which have been and taken damage during that turn. These are detected automatically.
The check is modified by the following:
-50% for ECM.
-25% per decoy launched.
-10% per 1,000 kilometers distance if using energy sensors
-20% for Hull Sizes 1-2
-10% for Hull Sizes 3-4
+0% for Hull Sizes 5-8
+10% for Hull Sizes 9-12
+20% for Hull Sizes 13-18
+30% for Hull Sizes 19-20
+50% for Hull Sizes 21+
+10% per point of ADF used that turn.
+5% per point of MR used that turn.
If no ships detect one another, combat cannot take place.
INITIATIVE
Each ship now rolls Initiative, modified by the IM of either the ship's captain or its pilot, dependent on the type of ship. Ships move and fire in order from lowest to highest Initiative.
MOVEMENT
Each ship begins the battle with a given speed and direction, referred to as a vector, through which it travels in space.
Determining a ship's movement through space during combat consists of two distinct elements:
Acceleration: Each ship begins its turn moving at a given number of hexes/meters per turn; if a ship does not accelerate, it will continue moving at that velocity throughout the turn.
If a ship uses acceleration, it can move a number of hexes/meters faster than its beginning speed.
Acceleration(or lack thereof) determines the ship's speed and distance it travels during the course of a turn.
Maneuver Points:Each ship has a listed amount of Maneuver Points, based on the formula (1/((Hull Size/Maneuver Rating))/6)), each maneuver taking ((HS/MR)/6) turns.
The ship may use these maneuver points to:
Evade(½ total Maneuver Points; minimum 1 MP): The ship can take evasive action, based on the pilot's Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill, or ±(5%×Starship Pilot Skill Level+(ADF)%+(MR)%-(HS)%) if the pilot does not possess the Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill.
Evasion involves radical changes in vector throughout the turn.
Change Direction(1 MP per facing change/60 degree turn+1 MP per 600 km/hex up or down): A spacecraft maneuvers in three dimensions, represented in play by facing changes on the main hexgrid and movement up and down on hexgrids assumed to be suspended above and below the playing surface.
The point costs for evasion subsumes point costs for changing direction.
There is no maneuver point cost for lateral distance or speed as these are covered under Acceleration, above.
Keeping Track Of 3D Movement: Three-dimensional movement presents a special challenge to a referee. Even with the use of a single hexgrid, he can only keep track of ships' directions in two dimensions.
The best way to keep track of three dimensional movement would be for the referee to write down the current direction vectors next to each ship on a sheet of paper(or list it on a computer)for each turn, changing the information as the vector information changes, and making the information available to the players, so they can plot their moves.
Alternatively, a referee can construct a playing surface of overlapping hexgrids, one set above the main hexgrid, one set below, similar to the old boardgame Chopper Strike or those 3D chess sets on Star Trek.
Or, if the players are playing online, the referee can make several hexgrids, designating one as the main hexgrid, for maneuvering on the galactic plane, and the others as Hexgrid +1, Hexgrid +2, Hexgrid -1, Hexgrid -2, etc.
Turning Over(1 MP): A ship can turn over on its long axis, so that its engines are pointing in the opposite direction of the direction it is travelling in, allowing the ship to decelerate.
Generally, this maneuver should not be attempted during combat, as it allows any enemy ship in range a shot at your engine's unprotected exhaust venturi.
Grappling(All MPs): A ship can maneuver to grapple another ship or object during combat, as per the Knight Hawks rules.
Laying Mines(1 MP per hex mined): Ships carrying mines may only employ a max ADF of 1 while laying mines and must expend one MP per hex to be mined.
Stretching Out Maneuvers Over Multiple Turns: If a ship has insufficent MPs to perform a given maneuver during its turn, it can perform part of the maneuver each turn, over as many turns as need be.
Performing a multi-turn maneuver prevents the ship from making any other maneuvers.
FIRING
Weapons may be fired at any time during the turn, provided the target is within weapons range. Aship can make a number of attacks equal to the number of weapons it has on board, with linked weapons counting as a single attack.
There are no MPO restrictions; any weapon can be fired at any point during the turn.
Strafing: Should a ship's movement cause it to cross the path of another ship before movement is complete, the moving ship is allowed to attack the other ship in passing. This is called strafing.
Attacks Of Opportunity: Should a ship's movement bring it within weapons range of another ship, that ship can fire on the moving ship at that part of its move which brings it into range.
Point-Blank Range: Should a ship close to less than 180 meters of(within three hexes of) a ship four or more Hull Sizes larger than it(and survive being fired upon in the interim), it is considered to be at point-blank range and can strafe the larger ship without the larger ship being able to fire or use defensive missiles against it in return.
Division Tactics: Three or more ships under the same command are considered to be in a division. A division shares the same to-hit roll(usually that of the lead ship)and combines all damage inflicted into one.
EXAMPLE: Six fighters are assigned to screen three bombers as they make their attack runs against a destroyer 1,200 meters away. A pair of enemy cruisers are 60 meters away on either side of the fighter/bomber formation.
During the two hexes the fighters and bombers must move to reach the destroyer, the destroyer can open fire on the entire formation, as can both cruisers.
Those fighters and bombers who survive the incoming fire and are able to close to less than 180 meters of the destroyer(enter the same hex as the destroyer) are now immune to return fire.
Each division of three fighters will now attack as one unit, while the three bombers attack as one unit.
WEAPONS
The most common weapons in Frontier space are listed below.
Heavy Laser Cannon(HLC): These weapons are the ship-mounted versions of planetary laser cannon. They have a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), fire once per turn and inflict 4,000 points maximum structural damage(400D10 structural points damage).
Medium Laser Cannon(MLC): These smaller cannon are the most common shipboard and vehicle-mounted weapons, with a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing once per turn, and inflicting 800 points(80D10)of maximum structural damage.
Light Laser Cannon(LLC): AD/Zeb's refers to these as heavy lasers. In space, they have a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing five times per turn, inflicting 200 points(20D10)of maximum structural damage per pulse which hits.
Each pulse is a separate to-hit roll.
Medium Laser Battery(MLB): This is a turreted medium laser cannon; the turreted mounting allows it to fire into any arc.
Light Laser Battery(LLB): This is a turreted quad mount of light laser cannon; the turreted mounting allows it to fire into any arc.
Heavy Electron/Proton Cannon(HEC/HPC): A heavy weapon which fires either a beam of protons or a beam of electrons at a target. It has a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing once per turn and inflicting 3,000 points(30D10) of maximum structural damage.
Electron/Proton Cannon(EC/PC): A lighter proton weapon which is mounted aboard fightercraft. It has a range of 1,800,000 kilometers(30,000,000 hexes), firing once per turn, inflicting 200 points(20D10) of maximum structural damage.
Electron/Proton Battery(EB/PB): A turreted proton/electron cannon, able to fire once per turn into any arc.
Massdriver Cannon(MDC): A projectile weapon using a powerful magnetic field to propel solid metallic slugs into space at relativistic velocities(about 20 % of the speed of light). It has a range of 360,000 kilometers(6,000,000 hexes), firing twice per turn and inflicting 600 points(60D10)of maximum structural damage.
Heavy Massdriver Battery(HMDB): A turreted pair of medium-sized massdriver cannon, the heavy massdriver battery can fire into any arc, has a range of 360,000 kilometers(6,000,000 hexes), firing four times per turn and inflicting 400 points(40D10) of maximum structural damage.
Massdriver Battery(MDB): A turreted set of four small massdriver cannon, the massdriver battery can fire into any arc, has a range of 360,000 kilometers(6,000,000 hexes), firing eight times per turn and inflicting 200 points(20D10) of maximum structural damage.
Seeker Missiles(SM): Small guided missiles with a Level 3 robot brain, passive and active sensors, a plasma engine, and a one-kiloton antimatter warhead. These are dropped from hardpoints or internal bays, the onboard robot brain using its Missile Guidance(Level 3) program to seek out enemy targets and its Level 3 Vehicular Combat(Starship) program to evade interceptors(q.v.) .
A seeker missile has an ADF and MR of 30, and its plasma engine has enough fuel for ten turns' of acceleration, after which it automatically detonates.
Alternatively, a seeker can be dropped off and programmed to keep station, waiting until an enemy crosses its path, at which point it accelerates towards it.
A seeker missile does 460 points(46D10)of maximum structural damage, and a ship can launch a number of seekers equal to the amount of missiles on board per turn.
Missile Battery(MB): A missile battery is a four-tubed launcher firing smaller seeking micromissiles(see below) which otherwise act as seeker missiles. It fires at a rate of four salvos per turn, each missile having enough fuel to accelerate at ADF 30 for six turns before detonating.
Each salvo does 400 points(40D10) of maximum structural damage.
Torpedos(TT): A torpedo is twice as large as a regular seeker missile, with a Level 6 robot brain guiding its actions(with Missile Guidance and Vehicular Combat(Starship) programs at Level 6) and a one-megaton antimatter warhead doing 1000 points(100D10) of maximum structural damage. Its plasma engine has enough fuel to accelerate at ADF 30 for twenty turns before automatically detonating.
It otherwise acts like a seeker missile.
Micromissiles(MM): These are the missiles from the missile battery, carried externally and used by fighters and bombers for air-to-air(or space-to-space)combat.
In all respects micromissiles act like missile battery salvos; cost and volume are for four micromissiles.
Laser Pod(LP): The laser pod is a shorter-range medium laser cannon, designed to give fighters much-needed punch. It has the damage of a regular medium laser cannon, but its maximum range is only 225,000 kilometers(375 hexes).
Drone Fighters(DF): These are remotely-piloted fightercraft with a Level 6 robot brain and a full array of Astrogation, Gunnery and Starship Pilot programs, all at Level 6 as well.
Armed with the standard array of fightercraft weapons, drone fighters inflict 400 points(40D10) of maximum structural damage per turn, making up to four attacks per turn.
Multi-Missile Drones(MMD): Seen on destroyer and dreadnaught-class starships, multi-missile drones are robotically-piloted bombers(with the same robot brain and programming as the drone fighter, above) armed with either 230 torpedos or 460 seeker missiles on board.
Assuming it releases its entire payload in one turn, a multi-missile drone can inflict 6900 points(690D10)of maximum structural damage per turn.
Grapples: As per the canon Knight Hawks rules, save there is no minimum hull size requirement. Grapples can only be used once per turn.
Mines(M): Mines are antimatter warheads which can be emplaced in a volume of space by a ship equipped for minelaying. Mines are proximity-fused, with passive sensors which detect magnetic flux, heat and radiation(such as the heat and radiation pulse made when the density of local spacetime is changed by a Void field intersecting it)and detonate.
Each mine does 1000 points(100D10)maximum structural damage per turn, and a ship can lay a number of mines per turn equal to its maximum load, for a maximum of 10 mines per hex.
SHIP's VEHICLES
If a ship is carrying space vehicles, it can launch them as an attack as well.
Starting Speed:Vehicles(and missiles) launched from a ship begin the game with the same speed as the platform which launched them.
Remote Piloting: Missiles and drones launched from a ship can be remotely piloted from the ship. The remote pilot uses his Vehicles: Remote or Gunner: Missiles skill and half of the missile/drone's robot brain's Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill to guide the missile/drone to its target.
DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS
Interceptor Missiles(ICM): Mostly plasma engine and robotic systems, a single interceptor missile does damage through sheer kinetic energy. ICMs are launched in salvos of four missiles, and provide point defense against missiles, drones, fighters, and bombers.
An ICM accelerates at an ADF of 120 per turn(maneuvering at MR 120 per turn as well), with an endurance of one turn before its engine burns out. Each ICM salvo launched subtracts 25% from any incoming missile's chance to hit.
Anti-Beam Missiles(ABM): Similar in structure to an ICM, an anti-beam missile has a warhead of water(which turns to ice vapor in space) and strips of gold foil which blanket an entire hex upon detonating, thus providing a defense against both laser and particle-beam weapons.
ABMs are launched in salvos of four, blanketing four hexes in a line up to sixty hexes(3,600 meters) away from the ship launching them, each salvo subtracting 25% from the chance to hit for each beam weapon which passes through the cloud it creates, the beam's damage being reduced by 25% even if it passes through the cloud successfully.
An ABM has an ADF and MR of 60, with an endurance of one turn, after which it detonates.
Magnetic Deflection Shielding(MS): Magnetic deflection shielding or mag shielding, generates a skin-tight field of magnetic force around starships HS 2 or larger, deflecting beams and missiles away from the ship.
Mag shielding subtracts 50% from a missile or beam weapon's chance to hit, halving the damage of any beam or missile which hits.
SPECIAL SITUATIONS
RAMMING
A tactic generally favored by Sathar(and occasionally UPF) ships who either have no other way to hurt their foes, or simply wish to die with their teeth in their enemies' throats.
A ram is treated as a normal attack with the following exceptions:
Starship Pilot skill is substituted for Gunner skill level in the to-hit equation listed below.
There are no applicable modifiers other than those for Vehicular Combat(Starship), Piloting programs, and ICM salvos(though damage is not reduced on any success against ICMs).
A successful ramming attempt on the part of the ramming ship destroys it utterly(unless the ramming ship is at least four hull sizes larger than its intended target, then it only suffers ½×{[ramming ship's HS+rammed ship's HS]×100} points structural damage and {½×[ramming ship's HS+rammed ship's HS]} rolls on the Starship Damage Table below)and inflicts (ramming ship's HS×2,000) points of structural damage on the ship being rammed.
EXAMPLE: Just because its captain thinks he can, a Spacefleet Leviathan-class dreadnaught rams a small HS 3 merchant vessel. Since the dreadnaught is at least four Hull Sizes larger than its intended victim, it only suffers(½×[(25+3)×100])1,400 points of structural damage, while completely destroying the smaller ship with 50,000(25×2,000) points of damage.
The dreadnaught is reduced to 1,100 structural points in the ramming attempt, forcing it to reduce its ADF and MR to 2 and limp the rest of the way where its needs to go.
Coupled with crew casualties and the 14 damage rolls it must now make, the dreadnaught is now in poor shape to face any further opposition.
BOARDING
Sometimes the object is to capture a ship and crew(more or less)intact, rather than destroying it outright.
Several conditions must be met before a boarding attempt can be made:
The boarding vessel must either grapple or match vectors(course and speed) with the vessel to be boarded.
The boarding vessel must have enough crew to board the ship and operate their vessel at the same time(minimum crew is equal to the ship's Hull Size).
The boarding party must somehow gain entry to the ship they wish to board.
The last condition can be satisfied in a number of ways, ranging from computer hacking to open the airlock door, to cutting through the hull with laser powertorches or using shaped charges to blast their way in.
With the latter two methods, the boarding party must inflict (10%×target vessel's total SP)in a single spot in a single attack to breach the hull at that point.
Also, if the either or both vessels used in the boarding attempt is pressurized, the boarding party must have some sort of airlock in place to equalize pressure between their side and the inside of the targeted vessel.
BOARDING PARTY TACTICS
In general, boarding attempts rely on brute force to effect breaches in the target ship's hull, the boarders generally using maintenance or combat robots to effect the breach and step into it(like canaries in a mine shaft).
Also, as the interiors of starships(especially airlocks and breach heads) are narrow chokepoints easy for the crew to defend and difficult for a boarding party to secure without massive casualties, multiple boarding parties are often employed to disperse the defending crew's energies and more quickly secure the ship's vital areas.
A ship can rally its crew to defend from hostile boarding attempts in a number of turns equal to its Hull Size for military, paramilitary and criminal vessels and a number of turns equal to double its Hull Size for purely civilian vessels.
HIT DETERMINATION AND DAMAGE
HIT DETERMINATION
Base To-Hit: ½ STR or ½ DEX+10%/gunner's skill level
Modifiers:
+10% per level of any Targeting programs.
± Vehicular Combat(Starship) Skill.
-30% for Selective Targeting.
+10% per Sharpshooter skill level.
Any applicable aim bonuses.
All other bonuses and penalties from KH
-25% per ICM/ABM salvo
-50% for mag shielding.
Critical Hit: Any natural roll of 01-05 is a critical hit, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted below 6%.
Critical Miss: Any natural roll of 96-00 is a critical miss, except for those characters whose final to-hit roll has been adjusted above 95%.
NPC CREW SKILLS
Crew skill levels for NPC crews involved in the game fall into the following categories:
NPC CREW SKILLS TABLE
Crew Quality | IM | Skill Levels | ||||
Starship Pilot | Vehicular Combat(Starship) | Astrogation (all skills) | Gunner(all skills) | Engineer(all skills) | ||
Green | 1 | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Trained | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
Expirienced | 3 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
Veteran | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
Elite | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
Ace | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
DAMAGE RESOLUTION
For each hit a ship sustains-or each critical miss on the part of the firing ship-roll 2D10 on the table below:
STARSHIP DAMAGE TABLE(Roll 2D10)
| |
Roll | Result |
1-4 | Normal Structural Point Damage; see below. |
5-6 | Void Engine |
7-8 | Maneuver Jet |
9- 10 | Ordinance Bay |
11-12 | Sensors |
13-14 | Computer |
15-16 | Weapons |
17-18 | Hangar Bay |
19-20 | Fire |
For each critical hit taken, roll 1D10 on the table below:
CRITICAL HIT TABLE(Roll 1D10) | |
Roll | Result |
1-2 | 2×Structure Point Damage |
3-4 | Maneuver Jet destroyed |
5-6 | Void engine destroyed; if only engine, ship automatically destroyed. |
7-8 | Bridge destroyed |
9- 10 | Disastrous Fire |
For each hit or critical hit, 1D10 on the table below:
CREW MEMBER DAMAGE(Roll 1D10) |
|
Roll | Result |
1-2 | Dead |
3-4 | 8D10 damage |
5-6 | 4D10 damage |
7-8 | 2D10 damage |
9-10 | 1D10 damage |
EXPLANATION OF DAMAGE RESULTS
The hit locations indicated on the Damage Tables are explained below:
Structure Point Damage: The ship's structure points are reduced by the amount of damage points sustained.
A ship which has lost ½ of its structural points loses half its ADF and MR and must roll once per turn against its (DCR+engineer's Stress Analysis level)to avoid breaking up.
A ship which has lost two-thirds of its structural points is reduced to an ADF and MR of 1 and must roll six times per turn against its (DCR+engineer's Stress Analysis level)to avoid breaking up.
A ship with zero SP is destroyed.
Void Engine: One of the ship's Void engines is damaged, reducing ADF by 1 until repaired.
Maneuver Jet: The ship's maneuver jet is damaged, reducing MR by 1.
Ordinance/Hangar Bay: One ordinance or hangar bay is hit, detonating all unused ordinance/docked ships in the bay, inflicting as many points of damage as there is ordinance/ships in the bay.
Sensors: A sensor hit indicates that one of the ship's sensors systems (roll randomly) has
been rendered inoperable. No detection may be undertaken with that system until it is repaired.
Once a ship's sensors have all been destroyed, that ship may not acquire any new targets for
weapons fire (it can, however, continue to fire at current targets, as long as they remain within
one-hex range).
Computer: One of the ship's computers has been damaged. If this is the ship's mastercomp, all stations are on local control and suffer a -20% penalty due to lack of central coordination. If it is one of the system computers(piloting, astrogation, engine, weapons, etc.), then that system is inoperative until the computer is repaired.
Weapon: One of the ship's weapons(firing player's choice)has been destroyed. Grapples and defensive systems count as weapons for purposes of this result.
Fire: An electrical fire has broken out aboard ship. The ship loses ½ ADF and all MR , rolling once per turn on the Starship Damage Table until the fire is extinguished.
A second Fire result turns a normal fire into a Disastrous Fire(see below). .107.154
Critical Hits
2× Structure Point Damage: The ship's structure points are reduced by double the amount of damage points sustained. A ship with zero SP is destroyed.
Maneuver Jet Destroyed: The ship loses all MR and can only move in a straight line.
Void Engine Destroyed: The ship loses one Void engine and a number of ADF points equal to (total ADF/total number of Void engines). If the ship loses all its Void engines, or if it only has one, the ship is destroyed, inflicting HS×2,000 points of damage to all ships within 1,200 meters.
Bridge Destroyed: The ship's bridge has been destroyed, resulting in the loss of all command functions and all piloting and astrogation control. The ship cannot maneuver, evade, or make any changes to its current speed, and any gunners onboard cannot take advantage of the pilot's Vehicular Combat(Starship) skill; gunners also suffer a -20% penalty to their to-hit rolls due to the loss of command and control.
Disastrous Fire: A severe electrical fire has broken out on board; the ship loses all power, all ADF, MR and DCR, and must roll once per turn on the Critical Hit Table.
A second Disastrous Fire result or a Void Engine Destroyed result destroys the ship instantly, inflicting HS×2,000 points of damage on all ships within 1,200 meters.
Otherwise, the ship will have to be abandoned in (HS) turns, as the fire either completely guts or completely destroys it.
EXAMPLE OF DAMAGE RESOLUTION
From previous examples, we learned that a Star Forces Pugilist-class war cruiser had found itself in combat with a Spacefleet Exalted-class destroyer.
In the course of the ensuing battle, the cruiser's pilot hit the destroyer squarely with all six of its heavy laser cannon, all of which counted as one hit for game purposes. Using the maximum damage rule(see my SF2K mods), the main beams inflict a total of 24,000 points of structural damage on the destroyer's flank, before factoring in the two anti-beam salvos and mag shielding.
One of the destroyer's proton battery gunners scored a hit on the cruiser in return, inflicting a maximum of 200 points of damage on the cruiser, before reductions from the Star Forces ship's defensive countermeasures.
Damage Reduction: Mag shielding and two anti-beam salvos from each side reduce the damage from the opposing ships' beams to one-quarter normal(50% of 50%), meaning the cruiser actually inflicts 6,000 points of maximum structural damage on the destroyer, and the destroyer inflicts 50 points of damage on the cruiser.
Damage Resolution: Since the proton battery's gunner's final to-hit was modified below 6%, his 04 only counts as a normal hit; he rolls 2D10 once on the Starship Damage Table; the result of that roll being an 11, knocking out a sensor system, in addition to the 50 points of structural damage.
The gunner chooses to knock out the cruiser's subspace radar, meaning it is offline until the Pugilist's crew and damage-control bots can effect repairs(see below).
The cruiser now rolls 1d10 on the Crew Member Damage Table, a result of 4 meaning the sensor operator takes 8D10(or 80 if using the maximum damage rules) of damage.
As the six main beams are linked together and count as a single attack, the Pugilist's pilot now rolls 2D10 once on the Starship Damage Table, scoring a direct hit on one of the destroyer's ordinance bays, the cruiser's pilot choosing to take out the torpedo magazine, detonating all sixty torpedos in the bay(the destroyer not having launched any ordinance), inflicting 60,000 points of damage over and above the 6,000 it has already inflicted.
Since the destroyer only had 1,440 structural points to begin with, either result is more than sufficent to vaporize it. As the cruiser was more than 1,200 meters away at the time, it does not suffer the 24,000 structural points of damage it would have from the destruction of the Exalted if it had been within 1,200 meters of it.
In an actual combat, both ships would have launched more anti-beam missiles to defend themselves, meaning the cruiser would probably have had to close to within less than 180 meters of the destroyer to inflict damage.
REPAIRS
Every third turn, ships which survive combat can effect repairs.
Every ship has a Damage Control Rating(DCR)equal to (HS×10), which represents the base chance of the damage-control robots to repair damage the ship has taken. This base chance is further modified by the Engineer: Damage Control and the Machinery:Repair skills of those on board.
A successful roll repairs one damaged system and (DCR+10% × skill) structural points, while a natural roll of 01-05 repairs all damage.
Failed rolls mean the system and structural damage cannot be repaired this turn, while a natural roll of 96-99 means the system and structural damage cannot be repaired at all, except at an SCC, while a natural roll of 00 destroys the system the crew was attempting to repair, and inflicts (DCR+10% × skill) additional structural points of damage, forcing the ship to roll 1d10 on the Crew Member Damage Table.
See Starship Construction 101 in the Online Ship Generator Project for new starship construction rules.