Document: 142.03 Date: 19 Oktober 1990
Subject: Alternate starship combat rules (second draft)
Copies sent to: Clay Bush- Quadrant One Editor
Joe Fugate- TD Editor
David Riddell- Corridor SA
Scott Olson- Amiga data coordinator (disk)
From: Roger Myhre
Odvar Solbergsvei 136
0973 Oslo 9
Norway
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SUMMARY
Variant starships combat rules. Fighters got more chance to knock out a
BB if they are in large numbers. Ships or fighters with armor-120 can
be now be penetrated by weapons smaller than factor-T.
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This is the second draft of the starship combat rules I have generated.
Those who have my first draft will notice some changes, but the changes
is mainly additions to the rules I originally made. The damage
resolution is drastically changed, but the principle is the same. I
felt that some small cosmetic changes was necessary to get the rules to
work somewhat more smoothly.
In general these rules are intended to make smaller craft able to
battle a larger craft. What the use is a SDB if it can't make a dent in
an invading force? Without this ability SDB's are reduced to pirate and
smuggling control.
With this document you should have gotten:
- - Blank damage record form for own use.
- - Filled out damage record form of the Heavy Escort listed in
this document.
The to hit task.
The to hit task is not changed it work good enough as it is. For
those who hate to roll for each battery may optionally roll once for
all bearing batteries of one weapon type. Subtract the difficulty value
to hit from the roll and multiply the remainder with 10%. This
indicates how many batteries hit.
If a roll was 12 regardless of DM's it is counted as a hit with 10% of
the batteries hit. This condition can exist when the attacker can only
hit on 13+ on 2D, excluding all DM's
Example:The hit task is difficult, 11+. The attacker rolls 15.
(15-11)*10%=40% of the batteries hit.
When applying the 40% to the number of firing batteries, round up.
The to penetrate task.
Penetration: These tasks are not changed, but if you are using the
above mentioned rule of combining the the batteries of one weapon into
one task. The defender may then combine all the defensive batteries,
which can bear, against the attack. When you are using this rule find
the ratio of offensive vs defensive batteries and consult the following
table.
Off/Def
4:1 gives DM+3 The DM's given here is added directly
3:1 gives DM+2 to the attackers task roll. Ratios
2:1 gives DM+1 which exceeds 4:1 or 1:4 is treated as
1:1 gives DM 0 4:1 or 1:4 respectively.
1:2 gives DM-1
1:3 gives DM-2
1:4 gives DM-3
To find out how many weapons penetrated, use the same procedure as in
the hit task. This procedure can also be used against screens, but the
ratio DM from the table above is not included.
If a roll of 12 on 2D regardless of DM's it is counted as a
penetration, with 10% of the weapons penetrating defenses. This
condition exists when penetration is only possible with a roll of 13+
on 2D, excluding all DM's
1. Damage:
In the construction rules you calculate hitpoints to the different
components in a starship, but they are not used in the combat rules. In
this set of rules we are going to use hitpoints, but not the hitpoints
calculated from the rules in Referee's Manual.
The weapons does damage equal to their UCP value. Thus a factor-A
weapon does 10 points of damage. Nuclear or anti-matter weapons does 4
and five times that in damage respectively.
Damage points to the different components can be found in the tables in
section 8.
With this document you should have gotten a blank damage record form,
to record the damage capacity on your crafts. This form is free to copy
for your own use. If you have not gotten this form, write to me and I
will send you some copies.
Hull: Each time a interior hit is scored one third of the hit damage is
given to the hull (drop fractions). Armor is reduced with one for each
critical hit or for each exceptional hit. If the weapon scoring that
hit was a UCP-1 weapon the hull take the effect on 5+ on 1D instead of
the interior. With UCP-2 weapons one hit is given to the hull on a roll
of 3+ on 1D, if this roll fails both hits goes to internal hits table.
Power: Damage in the old system was counted in tens of percent. In this
system it is changed a bit. The damage is divided into hitpoints per
10% of operating powerplant
For each 10% loss of power, reduce agility with two, until it drops to
zero.
When 50% of power is lost, spinal mount cannot fire.
When 60% are lost, the ship may either chose to use maneuver drive or
energy weapons in a combat round turn, but not both.
When 70% are lost, screens are are inoperative, except sandcasters.
Maneuver is reduced to zero.
When 80% are lost, grav plates and inertial compensators is powerless.
No weapons may fire.
When 90% are lost, life support fails to work properly.
Maneuver: In the old system a hit reduced the maneuver with 1, 2 or 3.
In this system the maneuver drive may hang in a bit longer. Hitpoints
are given per maneuver gee.
Jump: As maneuver.
Computer: Weapons with UCP of 1-4 gives Computer-1, UCP 5-9 Computer-2,
UCP A+ Computer-3. If the computer is a fib model, radiation hits is
ignored. On exceptional success the computer factor is reduced with one
additional point.
Crew: As computer.
Sensors: As computer hits.
Weapons: As computer hits. If there is only one battery, reduce the UCP
of the battery with the appropriate number.
Screens: As weapon hits.
Critical hits is per the standard rules. But at least one critical hit
is received if the armor factor is large enough to nullify the critical
hit.
2. Radiation hits:
When a weapon which does radiation damage scores a hit, 25% of the
hitpoints is diverged to the radiation hit table. A factor-9 nuclear
missilebay does 9 points in radiation damage ((9*4)*.25). This damage
value equals the UCP damage value of unmodified weapon. So a factor-9
radiation hit against the crew kills 2 crew segments.
3. Armor penetration procedure.
In the standard rules, there is no hope that a low UCP weapon can
penetrate or do any type of damage to a well armored craft. In this
variant there is a slight chance that fighters and SDB's can make a
dent in the armor, and possibly a scratch inside a BB.
To penetrate armor:
Routine, OFF=Weapon UCP DM, DEF=Armor DM, Confrontation.
Referee: On a natural 12 not including DM's, a penetration is
automatic. Weapon DM is UCP/3 (drop fraction) and armor DM is (armor
value-40)/5 (drop fraction). If the current armor value to the
defending craft is below 40 it will be +1 DM in attackers favor for
each 5 step below 40. Meson guns does not roll this task. If they have
managed to penetrate the configuration, they just pass through the
armor and explode inside.
Meson gun hits does not damage the hull, because its shot explodes
inside the craft.
4 Damage tables 2D:
Surface Interior Radiation
1 No effect No effect No effect
2 Weapon Screen Weapon
3 Fuel Sensor Weapon
4 Maneuver Computer Crew
5 Weapon Power plant Computer
6 Maneuver Crew Sensor
7 Weapon Power plant Crew
8 Weapon Crew Computer
9 Fuel Sensor Weapon
10 Weapon Jump Weapon
11 Interior Fuel leak Sensor
12 Interior Critical Crew
13 Critical Critical Critical
DM's:
UCP 1-4 DM-1
UCP 5-9 no DM
UCP A+ DM+1
+1 if nuclear, anti-matter weapon or spinal mount.
- -1 if active black globe.
As by the standard rules the spinal mounts get one additional roll for
each UCP factor above 9. The number of rolls are also reduced by one
per every third armor point above 40, but at least one roll is allowed.
This does not affect meson guns.
Blackglobes: The blackglobes absorbs a percentage of the damage value
of the weapon according to its flicker rate. I.e. a blackglobe on 40%
flicker absorbs 40% of the hitpoints before they take effect.
Blackglobe overload is by the standard rules. Per the standard rules so
gives each 10% flicker rate 6 levels of armor, thus making it possible
to have more than 120 armor points.
5. Exceptional success:
That is achieved when a success+4 is rolled including DM's on the hit
roll. This means that the weapon does 1 point more damage, and the
armor factor is reduced with one point.
6. Effects on Hull inoperative:
When the hull inoperative level is reached, the craft is not dead yet.
But the end is imminent. So the effects on hull inoperative is
follows:
- -The craft is restricted to 1G maneuver.
- -Hull is breached.
- -Agility drops to 0.
- -Atmosphere entry is prohibited.
- -Spinal mount may not be fired.
- -Heading changes is severely limited due to stress.
- -Fighters or other crafts may not be retrieved. Although they may be
launched.
- -Rapid Launch Facilities are inoperative, crafts have to be launched
without them.
- -Fuel leak
- -Entering jumpspace prohibited.
- -All hits are increased with one point of damage.
Example: If a crew hit kills 2 sections normally, it would kill 3
sections now. This effect is cumulative with the exceptional hit rule.
Hull hits are excepted from increase of damage by the hull inop
condition.
7. Fuel leak:
Clay Bush "Scott Olson (and others before him) have pointed to "Fuel
Tanks Shattered" result as being an effective kill. Its frequency
affects both combat and post battle repair and salvage. Should it be
made less likely? Tied to hull damage?"
In my first document on these rules I included fuel tanks shattered,
and they got quite frequent rolled on the table. So when Clay wrote and
pointed this out I decided to change it. In this set of rules the fuel
is lost in segments of days. Jump fuel is also included, if there is
some present in the tanks. How many days worth of jumpfuel calculated
in powerplant fuel there is on a ship depends on jump distance and
powerplant fuel usage.
In fuel leak, there is lost one day worth of fuel per turn. In 1D+1
turns. If the hull inoperative is reached. It leaks 2D days worth of
fuel per turn in 1D+2 turns and then the fuel loss is halved from there
until empty.
8. Damage point tables:
Hull:
Displacement ton Inop level Destroyed
- 50 1 3
55 - 95 5 13
100 - 900 10 25
1000 - 9000 15 38
10000 - 90000 20 50
100000 - 900000 25 63
1000000+ 30 75
Maneuver: Inop level
Displacement ton Hitpoints per gee
- 95 1
100 - 900 3
1000 - 9000 5
10000 - 90000 7
100000 - 900000 9
1000000+ 11
To find the destroyed value multiply the total inop value with 2.
If the craft has Electronic circuit protection multiply each maneuver
gee hitpoint value with 1.5, round fractions up.
Jump drive: Inop level
Displacement ton Hitpoints per parsec
100 - 900 3
1000 - 9000 5
10000 - 90000 7
100000 - 900000 9
1000000+ 11
To find destroyed value and including electronic circuit protection
value do as in table above.
Powerplant:
Inop hitpoints from Inop level
the UCP format Hitpoints per 10% level
- 9 1
10 - 99 2
100 - 999 3
1000 - 9999 4
10000 - 99999 5
100000 - 999999 6
1000000+ 7
To find destroyed or and including electronic circuit protection value.
Do as stated in maneuver hit table.
Computer:One box per computer model number.
Crew: One box per crew segment. There is only 334 boxes, so if
you need more, you have to use partial checking of the
boxes. Just like in the equipment forms in Traveller
Digest.
Weapons: One box per battery. If there is only one battery of
that weapon, one box per UCP level.
Screens: One box per UCP level of screen.
Armor: One box per armor point.
Sensors: One box per sensor.
9. Filling out a damage record form:
To this I will use the example craft listed below. There should be a
copy of a readily filled out form of this craft with this document. A
good idea would be having the UCP stats of the craft on the front side
of the form, and having the damage record form on the other side. And
covering that with some transparent film, so that it can be re-used,
without wearing the form out too soon.
ID: Liikargi Heavy Escort, Type EH, TL 15, Mcr 13,951
Hull: 18000/45000 Displacement=20000, Configuration=1SL,
Armor=70G, Unloaded=516,268tons, Loaded=548,246tons
Power: 1472/1962 Fusion=265,000Mw, Duration=30/90
Loco: 1080/1440 Jump=3, 1350/1800 Maneuver=2, Top=1000Kph,
Cruise=750Kph, NOE=190Kph, Agility=0
Commo: Laser*4=System, Meson*2=System
Sensors: Act EMS*3=FO, Pas EMS*3=Interstellar, EMS jammer*3=FO
Densiometer*3=1Km/HPD, Neutrino*3=10Kw
ActObjScan=Routine, ActObjPin=Routine
PasObjScan=Routine, PasObjPin=Routine
PasEngScan=Simple, PasEngPin=Routine
Off: Missiles=xA0, Mesongun=09x, Fusiongun=x09
Batt 10 2 2
Bear 10 2 2
Def: DefDM=7, Mesonscreen=7, Nucleardamper=7
Repulsor=x9x, Sandcaster=xx9
Batt 3 3
Bear 3 3
Control: Computer=mod9/fib*3, Panel=Hololinked*4132, Special=LHD*10,
Environment=Basic Env, Basic LS, Ext LS, Grav Plates,
Inertial compensators
Accomm: Crew=268 (20*9), Bridge=13, Engineer=19, Maintenance=26,
Gunnery=51, Flight=18, Troops=20, Command=24, Stewards=5,
Frozen watch=90a, Medic=2
Small Staterooms=26, Bunks=152, Lowberth=90, Sickbays=4b
Subcrafts=100ton*2, 20ton*4
Other: Cargo=17000Kl, Fuel=149399Kl, EMM, Electronic circuit
protection, Fuelscoops, FuelPurPlant(12Hrs), Missiles=100
rounds divided on 10 batteries totalling 10000 Missiles,
Objsize=Large, EMlevel=Moderate
Comments:a) The frozen watch crew can replace 10 lost crew segments,
this makes the craft able to withstand great crew loss.
b) The sickbays are made of one large stateroom each.
The crew sleeps in bunks while the officers and the medics
sleeps in small staterooms. This was done to increase the
cargo space on the craft. However the crew got rather large
lounge area in the aft and in the middle of the craft.
This craft is often used as the flagship in an escort fleet.
Its great size and armament makes it a formidable opponent.
Armor :The craft got 70 armor points, so we cross of the remaining
50 armor boxes.
Hull :Being a 20 000 displacement ton craft it got 20 inoperative
boxes. So we cross off the remaining boxes. On the
destroyed box rows we cross off all but 50 boxes.
Maneuver :Checking in the table above at 20 000 displacement tonnage
each maneuver gee row is going to have 7 boxes. The craft
got electronic circuit protection, so we multiply 7 with
1.5 and gets 10.5 which rounds to 11. On maneuver 1 and 2
we cross of all boxes but 11. on the remaining 4 rows we
cross off all the boxes. To get the destroyed value we
multiply 7 with 2 for the number of maneuver gee, and then
multiply that number with 2 to get the final number which
is 42.
Jump :Same procedure here as maneuver drive.
Powerplant :The powerplant got 1472 damage points before inop level is
reached. This value includes electronic circuit protection,
so we have to divide this number on 1.5. Then we get 981.
On the table above this indicates that the powerplant got 3
damage points per 10% step. The procedure is then just as
in maneuver drive and jump drive above.
Weapons :Here we just fills in the type of weapon and the number of
batteries and factor for each weapon. We cross off all
boxes but one box for each battery. If you only have one
battery of a single weapon, leave one box per UCP value
unchecked. If you got more batteries that boxes of one
type, you have to let one box represent more that one
battery.
Screens :We note down which screen that row of boxes represent, and
leaves one box unchecked per UCP factor of the weapon. For
the Mesonscreen and Nucleardamper this is 7 boxes each.
Computer :Here there is one box per computer model number. Just
check off the excess boxes.
Sensors :Just as computer
Crew :The craft got 20 crew segments, so we cross off all boxes
but 20.
Fuel :Here one box represents one day of fuel usage. This also
includes jumpfuel. To include the jumpfuel we have to
convert it to powerplant fuel, and find out how long the
powerplant can run on this fuel. To do this we must find
out how much of the fuel tankage is jumpfuel. We do this by
looking up in the referee's manual. Here we find that a
craft of this size with jump 3 has 800 jump units.
Multiplying 800 with 13.5 we find the size of the
jumpdrive. Multiplying this with 5 and we find the amount
of fuel which is 54000Kl. This leaves 95399Kl to powerplant
fuel. Dividing this on 30 we finds that the powerplant use
3180Kl fuel per day. By dividing 54000 on 3180 we find that
the jumpfuel can be used as powerplant fuel for 17 days.
The total fuel days is then 47 days. Before a ship is
entering battle, the referee should determine if there are
jumpfuel onboard or not. There might also be less fuel than
the standard 30 days, due to previous usage or loss.
10. Optional sensor rules:
Make all sensor tasks one level less difficult if the target is in the
adjacent hex.
Make active sensor tasks one level more difficult:
- If target is within a gas giant.
- When attempted through a hex where a nuclear missile exploded.
- If target uses jamming.
Neutrino detections:
- If target's EMLevel is fain, give DM -1 to neutrino scans.
- If target's EMLevel is strong, give DM +1 to neutrino scans.
Densiometer detection:
- If target is small, give DM -1 to densiometer scans.
- If target is large, give DM +1 to densiometer scans.
- Increase detection task difficulty by one level if detection is
attempted through a planet or moon with size 5+ or though a
planetoid belt.
11. Fighter squadrons.
A fighter squadron consist of 8 to 10 crafts. The fighters in a given
squadron may be of different designs, but they must have the same
agility.I have found it cumbersome to roll on the hit location table
when a fighter squadron is hit. So this rule simplifies this greatly.I
decided to lend a rule from FASA's Leviathan (with modifications). Add
up all the hull inop values of the crafts in the squadron, and note it
down on a piece of paper. Then add up the hull destroyed number and
note this down behind the first number. The first number then reflects
how much damage the squadron can take before it is inoperative, while
the other number tell when it will be killed. The squadron takes full
weapon UCP hit. Hits by nuclear or anti-matter rounds subtract 25% from
the total damage. Hull is not damaged by radiation. When the battle is
over, distribute the hits randomly among crafts in the squadron.
12. Firing arcs.
Originally there is no firing arc defined by the rules, except for the
limit of weapons who can bear at a single target. I would like to
introduce a simple rule to change this a bit.Spinal mounts may only
fire in the hex side arc of the crafts direction of travel. Spinal
mounts may not fire at fighters.If all bearing batteries fires at a
target in one hex side arc, none of the other batteries of this weapon
may not fire at any other target in the same arc.
13. Boarding, the quick and dirty way.
In small scale space combat, boarding can be performed on pre-drawn
deck plans. But in large scale space combat this will be cumbersome.
The entire boarding may be resolved in one task.
To capture a ship by boarding:
Difficult,Off=tactics,qualityDM,DEF=tactics,QualityDM,RatioDM,confronta
tion
Referee: If the ship troops have been killed on the defending craft,
50% of the remaining crew may then work as ship troops, but the
difficulty is then reduced to Routine.
Troop qualityDM Die Off/Def RatioDM
Recruit 0 1 4:1 DM-3
Regular 1 2-3 3:1 DM-2
Veteran 2 4-5 2:1 DM-1
Elite 3 6 1:1 DM 0
1:2 DM+1
1:3 DM+2
1:4 DM+3
If the troop quality of a ship is not known, roll a die on the above
table. If there is more than one ship who is boarding a defender, use
the average troop quality DM, round to the closest whole number.
If the capture of the craft was successful, roll once on critical hit
table. This reflects internal damage taken in the combat. Reroll if
ship vaporize is the result, but if that is rolled again, the result is
not ignored. If ship vaporize is the end result, all ship troops
participating in the boarding is lost. Crafts in same or the adjacent
hex roll once on the exterior table with weapon UCP strength equal
displacement/100 for same hex. Displacement/1000 for adjacent hex. The
result will be at least one. The displacement is of the exploding ship.
There is no extra roll on the hit table for UCP levels beyond 9.
Troop loss table.
Attackers successlevel Off loss Defloss
Extreme failure 80% 20%, 1 crew segment
Failure 60% 40%, 3 crew segments
Success 40% 60%, 5 crewsegments
Extreme success 20% 80%, 1D+7 crew segments
If the result is failure for the attacker, he may try again next round,
if he wish. Troops from more than one attacking ship may participate in
the boarding. If PC's participate in this type of combat, they will
have to roll a survival task.
To survive a quick and dirty combat:
Difficulty,Skill,Stat,Hazard
Referee: The difficulty depends on attackers task roll.
Attackers success Difficulty Hazard
Extreme Failure Formidable Fateful,Hazardous
Failure Difficult Hazardous
Success Routine Fateful
Extreme Success Simple
This table is used unmodified if the PC's are the attackers, If they
are the defenders you have to turn it up side down. If the attacking
NPC had a success on his task, the survival task roll difficulty for
the PC's would then be Difficult. The PC may choose any combat skill he
wish, and a stat that can be used with that skill.
Example: Tactics, Int or Laser weapons, Dex.
14. Remote fire guidance.
In some occasions a craft may loose all its sensors. This will make the
craft effectively blind. But there is possible to get guidance from a
second craft. A ship who has detected the enemy may radio the other
ship(s) about the positions of enemy and friendly crafts. If this is
done, give the blind firing unit a DM-1.This tactic can be used in
ambush, where one ship in the fleet acts as a picket. It constantly
tells where the enemy ships are until a desired fire solution is
reached, where the attackers fires simultaneously. This type of tactic
is useful in belts and gas giants, where the waiting ships hides while
the picket searches for targets. This type of tactic is typical for
todays wet navy.
Last words.
I hope you readers like these rules. I have tried to make the rules
simple and understandable as possible. If you have any questions or
suggestions to changes, I would like to hear them. It costs nothing but
a stamp.