Part 01: Project Inspiration

Day of the Juggernaut
A Star Frontiers Knight Hawks scenario

by William Tracy
Dragon Magazine, #91, pg. 74

In the weeks following the famed Battle for Volturnus (detailed in the module SF2, Starspawn of Volturnus), the Sathar made no threatening moves against the Frontier. The atmosphere in the UPF was tense for weeks, but gradually calm returned and military forces were taken off their heightened alert status. Just as the races of the UPF were feeling safe again, the Sathar initiated a new attack.

While an assault scout from Scree Fron was on patrol on the outer edge of that star system, the scout came under attack from a gigantic ship that had just exited the Void nearby. The scout was able to send out a distress call before being destroyed, and it reported that the huge ship was heading for the inhabited world of Hakosoar.

Whether by pure good fortune or with the knowledge of the Sathar (who may have seen this as a test of their fighting vessel), a recently reorganized Strike Force NOVA was present at Hakosoar. Instantly, the force admiral ordered his fleet to defend the planet at all costs, and the fight was joined.

Unknown to the UPF, the gigantic ship was an experimental Sathar war machine, a prototype completely automated and commanded by onboard computer systems and robots. Its mission was to reach Hakosoar and orbit the planet three times, bombarding the major cities with space-to-ground missiles. Though of horrifying size, the war machine was the only one of its kind. The Sathar built only one Juggernaut, since the cost was enormous, but they were willing to consider building other robot ships if this one proved itself against the Federation's best.

Sathar Forces

SAV Juggernaut (robot warship)

HP 480 ADF 1 MR 1 DCR 300

Weapons: DC, LB (x8), PB (x2), EB (x4), T (space-to-ground missiles) (x16), RB (x20)

Defenses: RH, ES, PS, SS, ICM (x24)

The Juggernaut carried a new type of robotic short-range fighter, known to the Federation as the Scorpion (hull size 2). The fighters were programmed for launch the moment a UPFS vessel came within 100,000 km (10 hexes) of the Juggernaut.

20 Scorpions

HP 10 ADF 3 MR 3 DCR 29

Weapons: LB

Defenses: RH
 

UPFS forces (Strike Force NOVA)

UPFS Admiral Clinton (battleship)

HP 120 ADF 2 MR 2 DCR 200

Weapons: DC, LB (x3), PB, EB (x2), S (x4), T (x8), RB (x10)

Defenses: RH, ES, PS, SS, ICM (x12)
 

UPFS Zamra and Grak (heavy cruisers)

HP 80 ADF 2 MR 1 DCR 120

Weapons: LB (x2), PB, EB, DC, S (x2), T (x4), RB (x8)

Defenses: RH, ES, PS, SS, ICM (x8)
 

UPFS Courage and Glory (light cruisers)

HP 70 ADF 3 MR 2 DCR 70

Weapons: DC, LB, EB, PB, RB (x6), T (x4)

Defenses: RH, ES, SS, ICM (x8)
 

UPFS Shimmer, Zz'Nakk, Z'Gata, and Driadia (frigates)

HP 40 ADF 4 MR 3 DCR 70

Weapons: LC, RB (x4), LB, T (x2)

Defenses: RH, MS (x2), ICM (x4)
 

UPFS Scimitar, Dagger, Rapier, Lancet, and Razor (assault scouts)

HP 15 ADF 5 MR 4 DCR 50

Weapons: AR (x4), LB

Defenses: RH
 

Scenario set-up

A planet counter should be placed in hex 2819, in the center of the Knight Hawks space map; this is the planet Hakosoar. Note that Hakosoar has five natural satellites, but for the purposes of this scenario they need not be placed on the mapboard.

The Juggernaut, with all fighters aboard it, will enter the game map from either of the "shorter" sides of the rectangular map. Initially, it will have a speed of 5 hexes/turn, and will be decelerating so that it may enter orbit around Hakosoar. Once a spacecraft has reached a speed of 1 hex/turn and moves into a hex adjacent to Hakosoar (without heading directly into the planet), it may take up orbit around that world at a constant speed of 1 hex/turn.

The UPFS player may place his starships anywhere on the game map; the ships may start up to 5 hexes/turn, facing in any direction. The UPFS player automatically knows in which direction the Juggernaut is approaching and may arrange his forces accordingly.
 

Tactics and victory conditions

The Juggernaut will head immediately for Hakosaor, and will (initially, at least) let its Scorpions take care of the UPFS ships. It will not fire any of its space-to-ground missiles until it reaches the planet, then will fire 1 missile per turn at the planet as its orbits the world, bombarding the major residential and industrial centers. The ship may, of course, fire any of its weapons systems at attacking UPFS ships while bombarding the planet.

Once it finishes firing all of its missiles, the Juggernaut will attempt to flee. If it leaves the mapboard, regardless of how many UPFS ships are chasing it, it is assumed to have escaped and made it into the Void without further damage. If the Juggernaut is destroyed or leaves the map at any time, the Scorpions will self-destruct and will not attempt to be picked up by their parent ship.

If the UPFS ships destroy the Juggernaut before it reaches Hakosoar to begin its bombardment, the Federation wins the battle. If the Juggernaut is able to orbit the planet but fires fewer than six missiles before it is destroyed, the Federation wins a marginal victory. If the UPFS ships cannot stop the Juggernaut from bombing the planet, but destroy the war machine before it can leave the map, the game is a draw. If the Juggernaut can escape from the mapsheet, the Sathar have won.

Part 02: Campaign Background

Operation:Dreadnought Bill Passes by Narrow Majority

---Morgaine's World, Prenglar
f.y. 5/33/70

The Council of Worlds finally approved the bill that allows for larger than Class:20 military craft. The bill wasn't being taken too seriously at first, that is until the recent appearance of what the UPF dubbed as the "Juggernaut", a massive Sathar vessel that dwarfed small space stations in sheer mass. This opened the eyes of many UPF strategists and they realized that the possibility of more (or worse yet, larger) craft of such magnitude would spell certain doom for the Frontier.

Immediately following the passage of this bill, military contracters drafted blueprints for such craft as a class:24 craft dubbed "Strike Cruiser", a class:30 hull dubbed as a "Stike Carrier" that can carry up to 24 fighter craft or 6 assault scouts in its massive bay, all the way up to one enormous class:50 craft that will simply be known as a "Frontier Cruiser".

News of passage brought smiles to WarTech executives, following a recently awarded extension of their Battleship contract which now translates to even more of their craft that will be called on as support to such larger craft, hinting that the construction of as many as five more battleships may be contracted within the next year or two. And little doubt exists that their offices in the Gran Quivera shipyard will host some of the initial dreadnought constructions as well. Needless to say, shares of WarTech stock should be enjoying more healthy gains in the near future. Pan Galactic is another happy company, an increase in carriers means an increase in their star fighter production. They are also in the final reviewing stages for a new updated frigate design, no doubt a wide array of smaller capital ships will be required to serve as escort duty for the larger ships on their way.

But Streel executives aren't frowning. Their new shipyard in Cassidine is scheduled to pump out a completely revamped Heavy Cruiser design with modern features that will blow away the original leftovers from the first Sathar War. CEO Hilo Headow (ym) was quoted as saying "We're confident that once all this gets underway, our new cruisers will become the mainstay capital ship of UPF fleets. Add to that, they cost less and we can produce them quicker than our competition's battleships. There's a certain advantage to being number two: it lets the competition know that there's something uncomfortable up their backsides, and when it's all said and done they still have to look behind them to see what it is." Spacefleet is considering the purchase of no fewer than three of the new craft, assuming the prototype lives up to Streel's marketing promises.

Many rallies staged by the Frontier Peace Organization expressing their outrage cropped up during the time this bill was up for consideration, and most of them continue to rage today. Some of them turned violent as supporters from the Anti-Satharian League gathered nearby for retaliating demonstrations. ASL leader J. Harrington Farnsworth (hm) was quoted saying "We're all very happy about the passage of Operation: Dreadnought. It's about time the UPF stepped up their efforts." With regards to the FPO, he simply said "When those fools are done hugging their trees, I hope for their sake a strangler chute drops down on them before a worm blasts them in the back. It's always nicer to die thinking that you were right." FPO leaders were unavailable for comment.

An ammendment for the possibility of larger civilian freight haulers and liners is now up for consideration.

Part 03: Why a Dreadnought?

One word: Carriers.

The standard assault carrier carries 12 fighters at the most. Tactically a fighter can maneuver and accelerate enough to access nearly any target on the battlefield, and if organized as a group effort they can quickly dispatch a capital ship. However they're easily destroyed and require frequent rearming should they survive. So why not have another 12 fighters on stand-by?

Offensively, 12 assault rocket armed fighters can be launched to contend with capital ships while an additional 12 pod laser armed fighters can be dispatched to take care of enemy fighters without sacraficing the heavy weapons of the first unit. Nothing is worse than wasting a rocket on another fighter that could have been used to take out a destroyer.

The dreadnought carrier offers multiple configurations for accomodating such squadrons.

Part 04: Who has Dreadnoughts?

The Sathar first introduced such a craft, a robotic cruiser/carrier combination dubbed by the UPF as "the Juggernaut". If the sathar have more of these monstrosities, and in varying configurations, they stand to hold a better hand against the UPF in an invasion. Imagine a full on carrier of the same size, dropping out of the void along with a contingent of destroyers, and launching multiple squadrons of fighters to take out UPF warships while the destroyers make their way effortlessly to their targets.

It behooves the UPF to have equivilent sized carriers that can ferry variable numbers of standard, light, and heavy fighters to face such an onslaught. Hence the formation of the Operation: Dreadnought bill.

Part 05: Dreadnought Construction

Currently the only two shipyards capable of producing dreadnought sized vessels are the orbital Class:I Spaceship Construction Centers in Triad (Cassidine) and Gran Quivera (Prenglar). Even so, these two centers would be hard pressed to accomodate the construction of something larger than a battleship without some serious expansion work on the centers themselves. 

To this end, War Tech has pledged to begin construction of a third Class:I center in Hargut (Gruna Garu). While the Triad and Gran Quivera centers will be capable of expanding and building long before the Hargut center is up and running, the third center was chosen from past Sathar entry point history: to date they have yet to enter the Frontier from the Yazirian worlds. Add to that with WarTech holding a majority of warship contracts, they'll be able to produce them at a lesser cost locally. Which only means the UPF fleets can begin enjoying larger numbers of fighters, assault scouts, frigates, and destroyers in short order.

Part 06: Specifications

Here are a few tables for creating Dreadnoughts in Star Frontiers.

 

MR: ½ relates to making one 60º facing change every other combat turn

 

HS	Leng/Diam	#drives & type	ADF/MR	Hull Cost Modifier
51	3300/525	2G	½ / ½	5
52	3400/550	2G	½ / ½	5
53	3500/575	3G	½ / ½	5
54	3600/600	3G	½ / ½	5
55	3800/625	4G	½ / ½	5
56	4000/650	4G	½ / 1/3	6
57	4200/675	5G	½ / 1/3	6
58	4400/700	6G	½ / 1/3	6
59	4600/725	7G	½ / 1/3	6
60	4800/800	8G	½ / 1/3	6

Anything over HS:60 becomes impractical for biological operation as the ADF would be restricted to 1/3, insufficient artificial gravity for long term crew survival

____________________________________________________________________

Dreadnought Drive Tables

 

Table 1: Atomic Drives

Hull Size	Engine Size	Cost(SCC:1)	Fuel Pellet Capacity	Trips Between Overhauls	Program Level/FP
21-25	D	1,000,000	15	20	6(256)
26-40	E	1,500,000	25	30	6(512)
41-50	F	3,000,000	40	50	6(1024)

Hull Size	Engine Size	Cost (SCC:1)	Fuel Pellet Capacity	Trips Between Overhauls	Program Level/FP
51-60	G	4,500,000	60	75	6(2048)

Table 2: Ion Drives

Hull Size	Engine Size	Cost(SCC:1)	Program Level/FP
21-25	D	300,000	6(96)
26-40	E	600,000	6(192)
41-50	F	1,000,000	6(384)

No Ion Drives available in the G rating, as the ADF would be ¼ which would be insufficient for long term crew survival 

The Alarm, Damage Control, and Maintenance programs will all be at LVL:6 at double the function points. Likewise, any supplemental software will also need to be doubled, such as Commerce, Communication, Industry, and Transportation (for the ship's cargo manifest logs, intercoms, hydroponics/machine shops, and elevators respectively) at LVL:2 instead of LVL:1