 December 29, 2011 - 8:09pm | Again found this on the old list serv archive written by Kveldulf Gravity Assist - A maneuver in which a ship swings in close to a planet (ie. an adjacent hex), then whips around it using the planet's gravitational pull to accellerate the craft. Note that at no time does the ship enter the atmosphere. As per the KH Tactical Manual, the ship will change facing by 1 hex in the direction of the planet; when making a gravity assist, no MR can be used to alter this course change until the turn after the gravity assist is completed. To perform the maneuver, a planet or moon must be a minimum of 5,000 km in diameter. If the pilot successfully executes the maneuver, the ship's speed increases by 1 hex / turn per 10,000 km of the planet's diameter (rounded to nearest 10,000 km). If the pilot fails the skill roll, see the complications table below for possible consequences. Aerobrake - Similar to a gravity assist in that the pilot steers the vessel into a planet's close orbit (ie. a hex adjacent to the planet). However, instead of making a tight turn above the planet's atmosphere and whipping around the planet, the ship or probe actually dips into and skims the atmosphere, using the friction / drag thus created to reduce the craft's speed. To perform the maneuver, a planet or moon must be a minimum of 5,000 km in diameter. Successful execution of the maneuver reduces a ship's speed by 1 hex / turn per 10,000 km of the planet's diameter (rounded to nearest 10,000 km). As per the KH Tactical Manual, the ship will change facing by 1 hex in the direction of the planet; when aerobraking, no MR can be used to alter this course change until the turn after the aerobrake is completed. Examples: Earth has a diameter of about 12,000 km. A successful aerobraking maneuver would reduce a ship's speed by 1. Jupiter is approximately 120,000 km in diameter. A successful aerobrake could reduce a ship's speed by up to 12 hexes / turn (pilot's choice). If the pilot fails their skill roll, see the complications table below for possible consequences. Aerobrake / Gravity Assist Complications Table (roll d100, adding the % amount by which the pilot failed their skill roll) 0-70 Minor Complication 71-95 Major Complication 96-100 Critical Complication Minor Equipment Damage* Hull Damage (1d10)* Major Equipment Damage* Hull Damage (2d10)* Critical Equipment Damage* Hull Damage (5d10)* Forced Landing** Forced Landing** Crash / Burn Up in Atmosphere *Equipment & Hull Damage requires a successful DCR roll to repair; create your own to torture your players ; ) **If the ship involved is too big to land on a planet (HS 6+), treat a Forced Landing as a crash result. Sensor Evasion: Sensor evasion is a sophisticated term for "hiding". It is a maneuver used when an area of space is cluttered with objects that can mask or hide a ship's sensor signature among or behind which a ship can hide. Such locations include asteroid or planetoid fields, areas full of debris or "space junk", unusual radiation fields and other such phenomena as well as small moons or planetoids (1000 km diameter or smaller). If a pilot makes a successful Sensor Evasion roll, the ship has successfully attached itself to a large fragment of rock / debris / etc or hidden itself in a sensor-obscuring field / plasma cloud / whatever. Until a pursuing ship makes a successful sensor roll to reacquire the hidden ship, its counter is removed from the map and a blank counter placed in the hex instead. If the hidden ship moves or powers up its engines, it immediately reveals itself to all ships in the area and can be engaged as normal. I might not be a dralasite, vrusk or yazirian but I do play one in Star Frontiers! |
