Firestorm: Armada Unofficial Campaign Rules. By Brian Schumacher a.k.a. DarkExcalibur42

Transcription

1 Firestorm: Armada Unofficial Campaign Rules By Brian Schumacher a.k.a. DarkExcalibur42

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3 3 Table of Contents How To Use This Manual.. pg. 5 Setting Up a Game. pg. 5 Points of Interest pg. 7 Terrain Features. pg. 7 Way Stations.. pg. 10 Strategic Facilities.. pg. 10 Constructing Strategic Facilities pg. 16 Modes of Production pg. 17 Production Points & Shipyards.. pg. 17 Repair Facilities & Repairing with Shipyards... pg. 17 Overtime Production & Consequences (Module). pg. 18 Applying Refits (Module). pg. 19 Diplomatic Favor & Embassies (Module)... pg. 20 Casualties & Diplomatic Debt... pg. 20 Purchasing Favor... pg. 21 Supply (Module)... pg. 21 Fleet Supplies pg. 22 Supply Convoys. pg. 23 Sample Convoys pg. 24 Fleet Construction. pg Point Leeway Rule. pg. 25 Minimum Fleet Compositions... pg. 25 Non-Standard Fleet Penalties. pg. 26 Support Ships. pg. 26 The Campaign Round pg. 29 Movement on the Campaign Map. pg. 30 On Patrol / Intercept Movements.. pg. 30 Transporting Ships & Installations without FSDs. pg. 30 Discount for Ships with No FSD or Slow FSD (Module) pg. 31 Corvettes pg. 31

4 4 Wing Logistics... pg. 32 Wing Reallocation. pg. 32 Resolving Battles... pg. 33 Battle Map Set-Up. pg. 33 Maximum Combat Duration.. pg. 33 Emergency Repairs pg. 33 Crew Recovery.. pg. 34 Wing Recovery.. pg. 34 Strategic Attacks pg. 34 Blockade pg. 35 Orbital Bombardment pg. 35 Planetary Invasion. pg. 35 Planetary Occupation. pg. 36 Strategic Bombing (Module) pg. 36 Battle Stars / Experience System (Module).. pg. 37 Escape Pods, Battle Stars, & CP/AP Recovery. pg. 38 Modified Escape Pod Rolls (Module)... pg. 38 Naval Intelligence (Module). pg. 38 Listening Posts... pg. 39 Capturing Enemy Vessels.. pg. 39 Strategic Advantage Points / SAPs pg. 40 Ultra Intelligence... pg. 40 Installation Statistics.. pg. 42 Planet/Ship Trackers.. pg. 46 Sample Campaign Map.. pg. 49 Glossary. pg. 50

5 5 How to Use This Manual When I started making these rules, I knew that there would be a lot of division between players upon exactly how complicated and how detailed they wanted rules to be for a campaign-type scenario. With that in mind, I ve designed these rules very modularly. What I mean by that is a lot of the more detail-oriented rules are selfcontained enough that they can be removed or ignored completely without unbalancing game-play. These subsets of rules will be denoted with (Module) after their names. Players who dislike one or more Module can simply leave those rules out of their games while still having a balanced system. Disabling Modules doesn t take anything away from the core strategic game play of a campaign, however for those players who are willing to adopt the mechanics it can be very rewarding! My advice is to start out with just a select few modules for your first campaign and work up from there. I put a lot of work into this, so I hope all you on the forums enjoy it! Setting Up a Game In order to set up a game, you first need to have a campaign map. This is probably going to be something you and the other players design, a map you get off the forums, or something you ve been able to convert (the Storm Zone map on pages 6 and 7 of the core rule book isn t too far off). For the purposes of this manual, I will be using a sparsely populated 8.5in x 12in map (included with the Sample Campaign) and discuss the minimum necessary components to play a reasonably sized game. However you decide to set things up, players are restricted to having one Homeworld as losing your Home World is generally considered game over. In larger games, you could play until one side has lost its Home World and all Colony Worlds. At minimum, each player should have 3 battle groups (ranging from 350-points to 1000-points), 2x Supply Depots/Colony Worlds, and 1x Homeworld. The sample campaign described in this book will make use of 1x Homeworld, 2x Colony Worlds, & 2x Supply Depots. Homeworlds in the sample campaign each start with one of each shipyard and 60 Strategic Resource Points to spend across all Settlements as desired.

6 6 At the start of a Campaign all Supply Depots, Colonies, & Homeworlds receive their full FW in Wings at no charge. Supply Depots receive 100pts worth of Installations, Colonies receive 200pts, and Homeworlds receive 300pts. The following are recommendations for game sizes and starting resources, however all variables (Battle Group sizes, # of Battle Groups, # of Supply Depots/Colonies/Homeworlds, # of starting SRP) are completely at the discretion of the players. For three player games, it is recommended that 2 players be allied and the third player be given double the number of Battle Groups, Supply Depots, Colonies, Homeworlds, SRP, and a second set of Shipyards. Small Game A small game consists of 3x 350pt Battle Groups, 1x 500pt Battle Group, 2x Supply Depots, 2x Colonies, & 1x Homeworld per player. Players have 60 Strategic Resource Points to purchase Strategic Facilities and receive 1x of each Shipyard for free. Medium Game A medium game consists of 3x 500pt Battle Groups, 1x 750pt Battle Group, 2x Supply Depots, 2x Colonies, & 1x Homeworld per player. Players have 60 Strategic Resource Points to purchase Strategic Facilities and receive 1x of each Shipyard for free. Large Game A large game consists of 3x 500pt Battle Groups, 1x 750pt Battle Group, 1x 1,000pt Battle Group, 3x Supply Depots, 2x Colonies, & 1x Homeworld per player. Players have 75 Strategic Resource Points to purchase Strategic Facilities and receive 1x of each Shipyard for free. Low-Point Large Game A low-point large game consists of 6x 350pt Battle Groups, 1x 500pt Battle Group, 1x 750pt Battle Group, 6x Supply Depots, 2x Colonies, & 1x Homeworld per player. Players have 120 Strategic Resource Points to purchase Strategic Facilities and receive 1x of each Shipyard for free.

7 7 Massive Game A massive game consists of 4x 500pt Battle Groups, 2x 1,000pt Battle Groups, 4x Supply Depots, 3x Colonies, & 1x Homeworld per player. Players have 120 Strategic Resource Points to purchase Strategic Facilities and receive 1x of each Shipyard for free. Epic Game An epic game consists of 4x 500pt Battle Groups, 3x 750pt Battle Groups, 1x 1,000pt Battle Group, 1x 1,500pt Battle Group, 6x Supply Depots, 4x Colonies, & 1x Homeworld per player. Players have 150 Strategic Resource Points to purchase Strategic Facilities and receive 1x of each Shipyard for free. Points of Interest A Point of Interest is any place on the campaign map (such as a planet, an asteroid, or another Terrain Feature) that can support Strategic Facilities or an Outpost or otherwise affect the game. The term Outpost refers to all tactical installations (Gun Drones, Gun Platforms, Satellites, Space Stations, etc.) present at a specific Point of Interest. Strategic Facilities refers to any of a number of items that affect the campaign map which must be placed on a Point of Interest, but don t impact combat (such as a Shipyard). Points of Interest do not have to have to have Strategic Facilities. Outposts do not have to be placed at the location of a Strategic Facility; facilities can instead be left undefended if desired. Terrain Features The following are a list of things featured on a campaign map that can impact game play. You can use these features to construct your own maps as well. In addition, I included any symbols that were used on the maps included in the core rules with suggested interpretations of how to represent them with these campaign rules.

8 8 Black Hole: Any battles resolved here use the Event Horizon described in the core rules. Corporate Facility: Same as Inhabited system. Gas Giant: A gas giant cannot support either a Colony or Homeworld, only a Supply Depot. Any Mining Operation built here produces an additional +2 Strategic Resources. Battles resolved at this location use the Gravity Well described in the core rules. Inhabited System: This is a Point of Interest that can support a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. When adapting portions of the Storm Zone or Campaign map from the core rules, it is recommended these be most commonly represented with Colony Worlds and occasionally with Homeworlds. o Inhabited System, Capital: When adapting portions of the Storm Zone or Campaign map from the core rules, this should always be represented with a Homeworld. Military Base: This is a Point of Interest that can support a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. When adapting portions of the Storm Zone or Campaign map from the core rules, it is recommended these be most commonly represented with Colony Worlds and a substantial point value of Installations (400pts) which should include an asteroid installation. Military Outpost: This is a Point of Interest that can support a Supply Depot (but not a Colony or Homeworld). These are usually small installations on asteroids or small moons. When adapting portions of the Storm Zone or Campaign map from the core rules,

9 9 it is recommended these be represented with a Supply Depot defended by 200pts of Installations. Navy Docks: This is a Point of Interest that can support a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. When adapting portions of the Storm Zone or Campaign map from the core rules, it is recommended these be represented with Homeworlds that possess a Medium and Heavy Shipyard. Alternatively, it could be represented with a Colony World possessing a Light and Medium Shipyard. Phenomenon: Whenever a fleet attempts a shunt that passes through a phenomenon, roll 1d6. On a result of 1 or 2, the shunt is interrupted and the fleet is placed in the center of the phenomena. When attempting to shunt away from a phenomenon roll 1d6. The attempt fails on a result of 1 and the fleet does not move. For any battles taking place within the area of a phenomenon roll, 2d3 and place that many Distortion Fields in addition to other terrain. Raider Sector: For any battles taking place within Raider Sectors, use the Pirate Raiders scenario rule described in the Space Marauder/Pirate Rules PDF available for download from Spartan Games website. Science Facility: This is a Point of Interest that can support a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. When adapting portions of the Storm Zone or Campaign map from the core rules, it is recommended these be most commonly represented with Colony Worlds with an R&D Strategic Facility.

10 10 Way Station: Way Stations are small artificial outposts in the middle of empty space, often along trade routes or other similarly traveled paths. These should be represented with one large Space Station and as many as two additional squadrons of small installations. Once a Way Station possesses a massive installation, it can support a Supply Depot (but not before). If the massive installation is destroyed, then so is the Supply Depot. Way Stations extend the range of Supply Convoys by one shunt from their location. Wreckage Field: For any battles taking place within the area of a wreckage field, roll 2d3 and place that many Asteroid Fields in addition to other terrain. Way Stations Mentioned previously in the Terrain Features section, Way Stations are subjects which require special consideration. A Way Station is not a Strategic Facility, and oftentimes is not even located on a PoI or other important point. However, Way Stations provide a major strategic benefit and are something that players can create in-game. To create a Way Station, you simply need to deploy a Large Installation to a location you would like to have a Way Station. Once deployed, all Supply Convoys that can travel to the Way Station can increase their effective range to one additional shunt centered on the location of the Way Station. Multiple Way Stations can be arranged in sequence to create Supply Routes which will each provide the same benefit as the previous one, in essence creating a highway for your Supply Convoys to travel across. Strategic Facilities Strategic Facilities are placed on Strategic Locations on the campaign map either at the start of the game or constructed on one during play. A location may support a single Facility. Settlements (Supply Depot, Colony World, Homeworld) are a specific type of Strategic Facility that can be placed to increase. Each PoI may only have one settlement. Construction will be detailed later in this section.

11 11 Homeworld: Your Homeworld is the center of your production capacity and allows for the creation of Colony Worlds if you defend it. This is your highest producer of Supply (see pg. 21). Can support a shipyard of any size. o Regenerates 3 supply levels/turn, supports up to 3 supply convoys. o Generates 3 Strategic Resources per campaign round. o Can build up to 3x Wings per Campaign Round if available FW. o Can support up to 3 additional Strategic Facilities. o The following stats are provided for use with various modules DR: 07 CR: 14 HP: 30 CP: 40 PD: 09 FW: 10 MAR: Strengthened Hull o Cannot be purchased. (Optional, costs 80 SRP) Colony World: Your colonies are home away from home, whole civilizations providing resources towards the war effort. Can support a Medium or Light shipyard. o Regenerates 2 supply levels/turn, supports up to 2 supply convoys. o Generates 2 Strategic Resource per campaign round. o Can support up to 2 additional Strategic Facilities. o Can build up to 2x Wings per Campaign Round if available FW. o The following stats are provided for use with various modules DR: 06 CR: 13 HP: 20 CP: 30 PD: 07 FW: 08 MAR: Strengthened Hull o Costs 40 Strategic Resources. Placing a Colony on a Supply Depot removes the Depot but gives the Colony 15 Strategic Resources.

12 12 Supply Depot: A minor production facility. Affordable way to get resources to the front lines. Can support a Light shipyard. o Regenerates 1 supply level per turn, can support a supply convoy. o Generates 1 Strategic Resource per campaign round o Can build 1 Wing per Campaign Round if available FW. o Can support an additional Strategic Facilities. o The following stats are provided for use with various modules DR: 06 CR: 12 HP: 15 CP: 20 PD: 05 FW: 06 MAR: Strengthened Hull o Costs 20 Strategic Resources. Shipyards: Any amount of a shipyard s Production Points can be redistributed to the production of wings, assuming there are bays available to support them. o Heavy Shipyards can build or repair any Large, Medium, or Small ship. When building light ships, Heavy Shipyards must build two at the same time and both must be completed before launching. Build Rates: 40 PP/round (60PP/round overtime) Repair Rates: 5pts total from any ships (7pts overtime) Costs 30 Strategic Resources. o Medium Shipyards can build or repair any Small or Medium ships. Gunships can only be built at Heavy Shipyards. R&D Cruisers can only be built at R&D Labs. Build Rates: 30 PP/round (50PP/round overtime) Repair Rates: 3pts from Small/Medium ships (5pts overtime) Costs 15 Strategic Resources.

13 13 o Small Shipyards can only build or repair Small Ships. Build Rates: 20 PP/round (40PP/round overtime) Repair Rates: 2pts Small ships (4pts overtime). Costs 10 Strategic Resources. Repair Facility: Repair facilities are stripped-down shipyards. While not having the same production capacities, they are perfectly capable of patching up even the most badly damaged vessels. o Repair Rates: 4pts from any local ships (7pts overtime) o Costs 10 Strategic Resources. Research & Development Laboratory R&D Labs are a pre-requisite facility to building certain types of ships and potentially other items as well (some described in later modules). R&D Labs allow a faction to produce its R&D Cruisers at any of its shipyards. These cannot be constructed without an R&D Lab. R&D Labs are also central to the Strategic Weapons module and a prerequisite to allow Heavy Shipyards to construct Dreadnoughts. o Acts as a Medium Shipyard, but can only construct R&D cruisers. o Costs 15 Strategic Resources. Embassy (Module): This facility houses your Diplomatic Corps and coordinates with any allies your faction may have (Alliance of Kurak / Zenian League). Over time, it accumulates Diplomatic Favor with your Alliance which can be exchanged for reinforcements or other benefits. If you have a single Embassy, it accumulates 15 Diplomatic Favor per round. Two Embassies accumulate 35 DF/round (+20DF/round), and three Embassies accumulate 60 DF/round (+25DF/round). The value of each Embassy increases by 5

14 14 DF/round, so a 4 th would grant an additional +30DF/round. Allied fleets summoned this way follow the shortest route of shunting from off the map and to your Homeworld (or whichever Colony world is closest to the edge of the map if you ve lost your Homeworld) and cannot be commanded until they arrive. o With one embassy, you can exchange DF for a Supply Convoy sent to any one of your worlds. Cost is 20DF plus an additional 5DF for each shunt required to reach its destination. A Supply Convoy takes the shortest route from off the map to its destination without passing through enemy territory. Allied Convoys are defended by one full squadron of corvettes/frigates and one minimum squadron of cruisers of the faction they represent. If the convoy is destroyed either en route or during its return trip, you lose 300DF with the faction you purchased it from (which can put you into negatives). o With two embassies, you can exchange DF equal to the point value of one Small squadron and one Medium squadron of ships from a single allied faction. o With three embassies, you can exchange DF to purchase complete alliance/support fleets or fleets from a core faction. Standard fleetbuilding rules apply. If you later decide to integrate these ships with your own fleets, you must follow the rules for Alliance fleet building or suffer the penalties for non-standard fleets (pg. 26). o Costs 15 Strategic Resources.

15 15 Listening Post (Module): These are espionage centers which eavesdrop on enemy communications within two shunts of their placement. Battles that occur at the location of a Listening Post you control grant you the Espionage MAR. o Listening Posts have an effective range of 3 Shunts. For each Supply Depot within range of one of your Listening Posts, you gain +1d6 to your Naval Intelligence roll. Each Colony World adds +2d6, and each Homeworld adds +3d6. A world only provides bonus dice once no matter how many Listening Posts it is within range of. Each round during the resources step, you make a single Naval Intelligence roll to earn Strategic Advantage Points. This functions identically to Intelligence Recovery rolls for captured ships (detailed on pg. 39). The roll is made at 4+, and each successful roll offers a "Strategic Advantage Point and rolling 6 grants 2 Strategic Advantage Points (SAPs) plus a re-roll. If you would earn 5 SAP from your Intelligence roll, you may instead choose to trade those SAPs for a single Ultra (see pg. 40). o Costs 5 Strategic Resources. Mining Operation (Module): A facility gathering resources vital to the war effort. o Produces +2 Strategic Resource/round (+4/round in overtime). o Costs 10 Strategic Resources Trade Center (Module): A major hub for commerce, this grants +2 to the maximum number of supply convoys that can be supported by this location. Maximum one per location. Does not expend a Strategic Facility slot. o Costs 5 Strategic Resources.

16 16 Constructing Strategic Facilities Strategic Facilities are purchased with Strategic Resource Points, which your Homeworld generates at a rate of 3 points per campaign round, Colony Worlds produce at a rate of 2 point per campaign round, & Supply Depots produce 1 point per campaign round. Strategic Resources are NOT a global currency (except for the SRP s granted at the start of a campaign); they are produced and stored on their world of origin. This means that when Colony Alpha generates its 1 Strategic Resource for the round, it sits on Colony Alpha and it does not go into a pool with the 3 Strategic Resources generated by its Homeworld. Strategic Resources can be transported between worlds by Supply Convoys, which are detailed on pg. 23. In the above-listed descriptions for Strategic Facilities is an included cost in Strategic Resources to build. This cost must be paid from a single world, and the Facility is produced there or a construction/colonization convoy is deployed from that world to the destination world (this counts towards the world s Supply Convoy limit). If the convoy is destroyed in transit, all Strategic Resources spent on it are lost. In addition, the destination for this new Facility must have the room to support it. Unpopulated worlds can only support a single Facility. Settlements do count towards this limit, but grant additional slots. Placing a Supply Depot (+1), Colony (+2), or Homeworld (+3) on a Point of Interest grants additional slots for the placement of Strategic Facilities. A Settlement may be placed on a world with no available slots so long as the number of Facilities does not exceed total available slots afterwards. This makes expansion and colonization of additional worlds vital to maintaining your fleet and diversifying the types of production facilities you have. For example, you could put three shipyards on your Homeworld, but then it would be too costly to run all three of them in overtime at once and you wouldn t be able to have anything else on that planet. Alternatively, you could place an Embassy, Heavy Shipyard, & Repair Facility on that same Homeworld. A Point of Interest may only contain one Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. You may replace a Supply Depot by placing or building a Colony there and receive a 15 SRP refund, but you may not build a Supply Depot on any PoI already occupied by a Colony or Homeworld. Likewise, you cannot build a Colony on a PoI occupied by a Homeworld. Optionally, you may upgrade a Colony to a Homeworld for 50 SRP.

17 17 Modes of Production There are two means of gaining new units in a campaign: Production & Diplomacy. The primary means of gaining new ships will be building your own via shipyards. In addition, Shipyards can also be used to enact repairs on damaged ships or grant Refit bonuses. An alternative means of receiving new squadrons is that of diplomatically requesting them from an allied faction. Both types of production will be detailed in this section. Production Points & Shipyards Light, Medium, & Heavy shipyards have a Production Point/round rating attached to them: 20PP/round for Light, 30PP/round for Medium, & 40PP/round for Heavy. This is how much progress they can make on whatever they are constructing each turn. Production Points CANNOT be saved from one round to the next; however a shipyard that completes a ship may begin construction of a new ship in the same round if it has production capacity still available. It does not cost anything for a shipyard to operate at this level of production, however if the location s supply level is reduced to Rationed or Depleted they suffer penalties. A shipyard operating under Rationed Supply can only work at a maximum of 15PP/round. A shipyard operating under Depleted supplies can still only make 15PP/round of progress, but must also roll 1d6. On a result of 1 or 2, no production progress is made this round due to lack of resources. Repair Facilities & Repairing with Shipyards In addition to constructing new vessels, shipyards have the secondary feature of being able to repair damaged vessels. Repairing a ship is significantly easier than building a new one, no matter how seriously damaged it is. Where it would take 5 to 6 turns to build a new Battleship using a heavy shipyard, it would only take a maximum of 2 turns to repair one fully. A shipyard may either work on producing a new ship or repair a damaged ship, but may not do both in the same turn. Repair Facilities are specialized stations designed exclusively with the intent of rapidly replacing battle-damaged sections of a ship and are staffed by expert personnel.

18 18 While unable to construct new ships, they can repair damaged vessels much more quickly than can a shipyard. Overtime Production & Consequences (Module) Placing a facility into overtime production can dramatically improve its production output, but at the cost of the safety of the facility. Shipyards, Repair Facilities, and Mining Operations all have this feature and all suffer slightly different penalties in the event of failure. When a Mining Operation operates in overtime, it does not reduce supply level as most other facilities do. However, you must roll a d6 each turn the mine runs on overtime. On a 1 or 2, the mine is destroyed. Shipyards have a second rating, and this is the overtime production rating (40PP/round for Light, 50PP/round for Medium, & 60PP/round for Heavy). This is how quickly your shipyards can build if rushed, however this affects the safety of working conditions in your facilities and drains resources at an accelerated rate. To operate a shipyard in overtime, you must first reduce the Supply of the location by one level to represent the increased economic drain caused by such a high level of operation. Second, roll 2d6 for the shipyard. If either result is a 1, no production progress is made this round due to manufacturing errors. If both dice roll 1, a serious accident damages the shipyard and results in 30PP of repairs for a light shipyard, 40PP for a medium, and 50PP for a heavy shipyard. These damages must be repaired before work may continue. If a damaged shipyard is operating under overtime and rolls any 1 s, the entire shipyard is destroyed and any ship under construction is lost. Another way that Shipyards can be damaged is during Orbital Bombardment (see pg. 35). Repair Facilities can also operate in overtime by reducing the local Supply by one level. Repair Facilities operating in overtime roll 2d6. If either result is a 1, no repairs are made this turn. If both dice roll 1, the facility is dealt 6pts of damage. No other facility may repair this damage; the Repair Facility must repair this before it can continue normal operations. If the Repair Facility attempts to repair itself in overtime and rolls any 1 s the facility is destroyed. Shipyards repairing in overtime suffer the same penalties for failure as described above for production.

19 19 Applying Refits (Module) The ability to apply refits is a feature exclusively available to Heavy Shipyards. Refits are small statistical bonuses that can be added to large & massive capital class ships that have attained appropriate veterancy status. This module operates jointly with the Battle Stars / Experience system detailed on pg. 37, and is not recommended to be used without it. A Large or Massive Capital-class ship can receive a refit worth a total of 5pts for every 4 Battle Stars that ship possesses. Refits are statistical increases, and as such they MAY NOT increase any of a ship s statistics beyond the maximum rating given for a ship of the class being refitted. The costs listed are in Production Points, as a Shipyard is required to apply them. Only Terrans, Aquans, & Sorylians can purchase SH refits. Only Dindrenzi, Directorate, & Relthozans can purchase SH* refits. However, Dindrenzi & Directorate ships can only receive cloak upgrades from a Research & Development Laboratory as they are experimental. In place of these bonuses, players may choose to purchase a MAR off the Refit MARs list below for 5pts. A ship s refit may never include more than two MARs. Refit bonuses may be replaced by applying new refits in their place. Refit MAR Options: Bigger Batteries Counter Measures Deck Crews (pre-requisite FW>0) Double Mines Drone Mines (Aquan Only) Energy Transfer (Aquan Only) FSD Boarders (Directorate Only) Launch Tubes Lots of Guns (Sorylian Only) Maneuverable Mine Launchers Point Defense Barrage (Relthoza Only) Protected Systems Reinforced Fore Reinforced Port/Star Scatter Cannon (Fore) (Sorylian Only) Refits for Large Ships Upgrade Cost Total of +3 to DR, 5pts CR, MV, and/or HP +2 PD, +1 SH, or SH* 5pts Refits for Massive Ships Upgrade Cost Total of +2 to DR, 5pts CR, MV, and/or HP +2 PD, +1 SH, or SH* 5pts Sector Shielding (Terran Only) Special Forces Strengthened Hull Superior Design (Dindrenzi Only) Torpedo Spook (Terran Only) Upgraded Torpedoes

20 20 Diplomatic Favor & Embassies (Module) Embassies are a second route by which to acquire additional forces, and this is how allied fleets and alliance mechanics are brought into the campaign game. Rather than each Embassy individually producing ships or benefits like shipyards, they work collectively: the more Embassies you have the more Diplomatic Favor they produce. One Embassy produces 15DF/round; two produce more than double that at 35DF/round (an additional 20DF/round); three produce 60DF/round (+25DF/round). Each additional Embassy produces 5 more Diplomatic Favor than the last one produced. Diplomatic Favor is a global resource, and not stored at any individual world. However, when Diplomatic Favor is earned it must immediately be assigned towards a specific faction and cannot be assigned to the same faction the player is representing. For example, a Terran player earns 60DF this round. This player MUST select an allied faction to declare these points towards, and the three choices are Aquan, Sorylian, or the Alliance of Kurak. Because this player is already fielding a Terran force he/she cannot earn Diplomatic Favor with the Terrans. In this way, should you suddenly find yourself in DF debt with one ally you can begin negotiations with another one rather than pay off the debt. Rather than constructing your own ships, Diplomatic Favor allows you to request aid from an allied faction outside the game map and they respond by sending 2 or more squadrons of ships to your Homeworld (or Colony World of your choice should you not possess a Homeworld). Any fleets requested must fully comply with the standard fleet composition rules given in the core rules for Firestorm: Armada, but may use the minimum fleet composition rules given on pg.25 as well as the 5pt Leeway Rule. Casualties & Diplomatic Debts Allies are like investors: they don t want to commit resources to a failing business. If it appears you are holding a losing position, they will be unlikely to provide additional resources for your battle. This is represented by the game-play mechanic of Diplomatic Debt. Simply put, it s just a negative value of Diplomatic Favor with a specific ally. This can be accomplished numerous ways, but the most common way is by losing allied ships. For each allied ship under your command that is destroyed, you

21 21 suffer a negative value of Diplomatic Favor with that ally equal to ½ the ship s cost rounded up to the nearest 5. For each allied ship under your command that is captured, you suffer a negative value of DF equal to that ship s cost. Purchasing Favor Everything s for sale if you can afford to pay the price! It is possible to increase DF with factions by way of your Supply Convoys. By sending a Supply Convoy to a Campaign Map edge connected to your faction s or an ally s territory you can exchange Supply for Diplomatic Favor at a rate of 10DF per point of Supply sent. Players may also purchase Supply by sending 15DF via Supply Convoy. Rules detailing the operation of a Supply Convoy are detailed on pg. 23. Supply (Module) Supply is a statistic applicable to any Point of Interest by either a facility or an outpost. It is a measure of the location s level of resources, and low supply can have dangerous consequences. While Supply is listed as a Module, it is a highly recommended Module! There are four levels of supply: Surplus, Supplied, Rationed, & Depleted. Surplus offers no statistical advantage, but it gives the location an additional level of supply to wear through before it begins to suffer penalties. Supplied is the default level of resources, and the level which all locations default to when initially constructed or at the start of the game. Supply can be reduced in several ways: it can degrade over time, reduced as the result of a combat, spent to power facilities (such as overtime abilities), transferred to a supply convoy, or reduced by Strategic Bombing. Any Point of Interest that does not include a Supply Depot, Colony World, or Homeworld degrades 1 level of supply every two rounds. Whenever a Point of Interest is the location of a battle, its level of supply is reduced by one step at the end of the campaign round. When a supply convoy is launched, if it is loaded with supplies it reduces the supply level locally by one step. When a location is reduced to Rationed, all installations and some facilities at that location suffer penalties. A shipyard operating under Rationed Supply can only work at

22 22 a maximum of 15PP/round. Repair Facilities & Shipyard repair rates are unaffected. An Embassy operating under Rationed supply status provides 10DF/round less than normal. Installations suffer a penalty to all of their Primary Weapons and Turrets (this does not affect wings). Small installations suffer a -1 penalty to AD, medium installations suffer a -2AD penalty, and large or massive installations suffer a -3AD penalty. This penalty may be ignored, but if a weapon ignoring the penalty rolls 1's or 2's on half or more of it's Attack Dice it is disabled for the remainder of the battle (out of ammo). Below Rationed is Depleted, the minimum level supply can be reduced to. Any location at this level of supply cannot use any ability that requires a reduction of supply level. A Shipyard operating under Depleted supplies can still only make 15PP/round of progress, but must also roll 1d6. On a result of 1 or 2, no production progress is made this round due to lack of resources. When an Outpost is reduced to Depleted, it is in dire straights. Roll 1d6 for each Wing in the outpost. On a 1 or 2 that Wing cannot be launched because it is out of fuel. Small installations suffer a -2 penalty to AD, medium installations suffer a -3AD penalty, and large or massive installations suffer a -4AD penalty. This penalty may be ignored, but if a weapon ignoring the penalty rolls 1's, 2's, or 3's on half or more of its Attack Dice it is disabled for the remainder of the battle (out of ammo). Fleet Supplies Optionally, you can track supply level for fleets as well. A fleet degrades one supply level for each battle that it engages in, and suffers the same penalties as described for installations in the above section. At the start of a campaign round, the supply level of any fleet is brought up to the level of supply of any Supply Depot, Colony World, or Homeworld it is located on. Fleets whose supply level is higher than this do not change. To re-supply a fleet in the field, you may deploy a Supply Convoy to its location. I recommend this variant rule to assist with games where the risk exists for sizable differences in the size of fleets deployed by either player (such as in games with high point value starting fleets).

23 23 Supply Convoys Supply Convoys are the means by which Supplies and Strategic Resources transported on the map. Supply Depots are allowed on Supply Convoy at a time, Colony Worlds are allowed two, and Homeworlds are allowed three. Once a Supply Convoy is deployed, it must follow the shortest route to its destination while still being permitted to go around terrain features. Supply Convoys cannot be deployed without a destination. A Supply Convoy can carry 1 level of Supply, 1 Strategic Resource, 1 Strategic Facility, 1 squadron of small installations, 1 large installation, or 15CP/AP. You may load any of these items onto a Supply Convoy by removing them from the location you are loading from. To load a Strategic Facility, it must be purchased and placed directly onto the Supply Convoy. When the Convoy reaches its target destination, the Strategic Facility is unloaded and placed so long as there is an available slot for it. Loading 15CP/AP is done by spending Supply. Only Supply from Supply Depots, Colony, or Homeworlds can be spent for CP/AP. Supply Convoys can move freely about the campaign map, but are still considered attached to their location of origin in regards to deployment limitations. Supply Convoys need not be fielded as literal point-valued civilian forces. Instead, players need only concern themselves with the Convoy s defenders. A single convoy possesses 60pts worth of small ships & Wings as defense. If multiple convoys are traveling together, you may pool their defenders for a collective defense. You may choose to assign up to one additional squadron of small ships and/or one additional squadron of medium ships to supplement the convoy s defenders. However, these ships can take no other actions this campaign round and cannot participate in any other combats. When intercepted by raiders or attempting to break a Blockade (see pg. 34), set up a battle as normal between your Convoy s defenders and the opponent s forces. If the Convoy s defenders leave the battle or are all destroyed, then the convoy and all its cargo is lost. If the attacker s forces flee the battle or are all destroyed, then the convoy makes it safely to its destination.

24 24 Sample Convoys Following are suggested descriptions for Supply Convoys using the ship statistics available at the time this manual was written if you d desire a more detailed representation of the Supply Convoys in your game. These are not necessary for standard game-play, or even games which include the Supply rules. They re included as a helpful extra for those who might be interested in using them. Single Convoy 200pts Double Convoy 400pts 1x Nostradamus (Medium) 45pts 1x Nostradamus, (Medium) 45pts 2x Mantis (Medium) 60pts 4x Mantis, (Medium) 120pts 2x Refitted Passenger Liners 40pts 4x Refitted Passenger Liners 80pts 3x Frigates 60pts 1x Repair Vessel 35pts 6x Frigates, 1x Wing* 125pts Triple Convoy 300pts Dindrenzi Defense Substitutions 1x Nostradamus (Medium) 45pts Single: 2x Frigates, 2x Wings* 1x Copernicus (Medium) 45pts Double: 5x Frigates 7x Mantis (Medium) 220pts Triple: 8x Frigates, 1x Wing* 6x Refitted Passenger Liners 120pts 9x Frigates 180pts *Wings treat civilian Ships as carriers Fleet Construction This section of the rules primarily applies to assembling fleets during a campaign and has no bearing on set-up. All standard rules pertaining to fleet construction apply to campaign game-play, however while these are easily followed at set-up it is very likely that the course of a campaign could result in numerous situations where a collection of ships is present at a location that does not meet the requirements to form a legal fleet per standard rules. To that end, this manual will present three concepts with which to address

25 25 these concerns: the 5pt Leeway Rule, Minimum Fleet Compositions and Non-Standard Fleet Penalties. 5 Point Leeway Rule The 5pt Leeway Rule is just this: any fleet of 400pts or fewer that is only over a ship class restriction or construction limit by 5pts is still a legal deployable force. That means that if starting fleets are set at 350pts, a 355pt fleet is legitimate. However, a fleet exceeding the construction limit may not contain any Wings. The 5pt Leeway Rule is the only rule in this section also applicable to set-up for new campaign games. Minimum Fleet Compositions Minimum fleet compositions are predetermined bare-bones deployment models that ignore the standard percentage rules for fleet construction to a degree. There are two minimum fleet compositions: the minimum deployable composition and the minimum to deploy a large capital class composition. For either of the minimum compositions, any ships that are added to one of these minimum fleets MUST bring the fleet closer to matching its appropriate percentage limitations as per standard fleet-building rules or risk suffering the penalties for being a Non-Standard Fleet as detailed below. The minimum legal deployable force is one squadron of 2 small ships (excluding escorts) and one squadron of 2 medium ships. Most commonly, this would be 2 frigates and 2 cruisers. No force smaller than this can be ordered to leave a controlled Point of Interest (such as a Homeworld, Colony World, or Supply Depot). Any force smaller than this that is already deployed must either return to the nearest shipyard or follow an existing legal fleet (this will be discussed further in Non-Standard Fleet Penalties). To deploy a large capital class ship, it must be accompanied by at least 4 small ships each (excluding escorts) and one squadron of 2 medium ships. Any large capital class ship that does not have at least this many support ships cannot be deployed. Any already deployed large capital class ship that does not have at least this much support must either return to the nearest shipyard or follow an existing legal fleet (this will be discussed further in Non-Standard Fleet Penalties).

26 26 Ships that cannot be deployed must remain at the shipyard they were constructed at until such time as they can be deployed. They may defend the facility without regard to Non-Standard Fleet Penalties. Non-Standard Fleet Penalties A non-standard fleet is any fleet on the campaign map that is being moved or deployed that does not meet its faction s restrictions for legal fleet construction. This could mean a 500pt fleet that has two extra battleships following it (as per rules described above for capital ships dispossessed of their support fleets following legal fleets), or it could mean 9 frigates travelling with 2 cruisers. If one of these fleets enters combat, it is divided up into as many legal or minimum deployable fleets as possible and each of these fleets will resolve the combat separately. Squadrons that cannot be included in a fleet must be deployed separately or in pairs. Prior to set-up, both players will make a Fleet Tactics roll. The winner of this roll decides which portion of the fleet will deploy first. If half of these ships rounded up are destroyed, then the player may choose to deploy his next force from the edge of the map he started on. This process can be repeated until all of the player s ships have been deployed. If the player chooses not to deploy any additional squadrons, then he need not commit any more of her/his units to the combat this round and the remainder of the fleet may be commanded as normal the next turn. Support Ships Some ships may travel with a fleet to provide support on the Campaign Map, but are not required to participate in combat. These are referred to as Support Ships, and are generally best kept out of battle. This is of course optional, and should players decide to bring their Support Squadrons into combat, they may. However, if it is destroyed in the battle the Support Ship is lost and no longer provides its bonus on the campaign map. All Support Ships are considered medium civilian ships, and all possess the Limited Resources MAR. Civilian ships CANNOT gain Battle Stars. For every 500pts of military ships in a fleet, it may possess a single squadron of up to 4x Support Ships. While Support Squadrons are not intended to engage in combat, if the fleet your Support Squadron is assigned to is destroyed the Support Squadron is lost. When you

27 27 begin a game, each fleet which possesses 0-499pts of ships receives one squadron of 3x Support Ships. Fleets of pts receive one squadron of 4x Support Ships of your choice (no more than 2x Troop Ships). Each fleet of pts receives a second such squadron, and so on. You may build additional Support Ships at your Medium & Heavy Shipyards as you would any other ship. If at any time during the game you fall below the number of Support Squadrons you had at the start of the Campaign, you regain one Support Squadron deployed on your Homeworld. Support Squadrons may not be deployed on the Campaign Map until they are assigned to a fleet. Many Support Ships have FW ratings. If you buy Wings for a Support Squadron, all Wings MUST be the same type and form a SINGLE Flight. This Flight must be paid for in addition to the Support Ships, but may be launched to fight with the Support Squadron s fleet or used as replacements for Wings lost in combat. Hospital Ship Cost: 30pts Stats: Statistically, this is identical to the Repair Vessel Trader ship except it has the Medical Shuttles MAR in place of the Deck Crews MAR. Alliance of Kurak players may choose to spend an additional 5pts to add SH1. Relthoza players may choose to spend an additional 5pts to add a Cloak. Abilities: This ship provides a +2 bonus to all Crew Recovery rolls for its fleet. Mine Layer Cost: 30pts Stats: This uses the statistics for the Repair Vessel Trader ship described in the Enhanced Civilian Ships PDF, but with three exceptions. First, the Deck Crews MAR is replaced with the Minefield MAR. Second, the Fixed Fore weapon was removed and replaced with MN5. Third, it also has the Uncommon Class MAR. Alliance of Kurak players may choose to spend an additional 5pts to add SH1. Relthoza players may choose to spend an additional 5pts to add a Cloak. Abilities: This Support Ship grants your fleet the Minefield MAR.

28 28 Repair Vessel Cost: 30pts Stats: This is the Repair Vessel Trader ship described in the Enhanced Civilian Ships PDF released by Spartan Games. Alliance of Kurak players may choose to spend an additional 5pts to add SH1. Relthoza players may choose to spend an additional 5pts to add a Cloak. Abilities: During the Production Step, each Repair Vessel may remove two points of damage from any single other ship in its fleet. In addition, a Repair Vessel may use its Deck Crews MAR to assist its assigned fleet even if it isn t on the Battle Map. Wings recovered this way still count towards number of wings lost with regard to Wing Recovery (pg. 34). Surveillance Ship Cost: 30pts Stats: This uses the statistics for the Repair Vessel Trader ship described in the Enhanced Civilian Ships PDF, but the Deck Crews MAR is replaced with the Espionage MAR and it also has the Uncommon Class MAR. Abilities: This Support Ship grants your fleet the Espionage MAR. Troop Ship Cost: 40-50pts depending upon model. 40pts if excluded from combat. Stats: In order to acquire stats for a generic Troop Ship (until such time as all core races have their own), use the Zenian League s Ba Kash Yanri-class Troop Ship and replace Pack Hunters with your race s standard Medium ship MAR. Add 5pts to the cost of the ship to grant it either a Cloak or SH1. Players may also choose to use the Xelocian Lanar-class Troop Ship s stats, while replacing Reinforced Fore with their race s standard Medium ship MAR. If this is done, all factions except Terran & Relthoza should remove the SH rating and reduce the cost by 10pts. Terran players should reduce it to SH1 and subtract 5pts, while Relthoza should replace SH2 with SH* and also subtract 5pts from its cost. Abilities: Once per campaign round, you may gain 2 CP/AP to assign to ships in

29 29 your fleet in any way you wish. This may not exceed the CP/AP values of ships they are assigned to. Troop Ships are also integral to the Planetary Invasion action detailed on pg. 35. The Campaign Round The campaign round is divided into five steps: 1. Follow-Up Step: Resolve any events from the previous turn. This is just a catchall phase to account for any of the random effects that could occur during game play (such as Strategic Bombing). 2. Deployment Step: Declare and resolve Fleet movements (shunts), including intercept movements and Supply Convoys, one at a time. Initiative for Fleet movements is determined by a Fleet Tactics roll, just as described in the core rules. Each player takes turns declaring movements for Fleets and Supply Convoys. A player may chose to move two Fleets, or a fleet and a supply convoy, simultaneously. Instead of moving a Fleet, a player may order a Fleet to go On Patrol. Fleets On Patrol may choose to intercept any enemy fleet that moves within range. The opposing fleet completes its movement, and then the fleet On Patrol moves to its location. 3. Combat Step: Resolve combats one at a time and update fleet trackers. The order in which battles are resolved is irrelevant, and completely at the discretion of the players. 4. Production Step: Players use any production abilities of Strategic Facilities (Embassy, Repair Facilities, and Shipyards) available to them. 5. Resources Step: Generate SAP, Supply, and Strategic Resources.

30 30 Movement on the Campaign Map Moving around on the campaign map is done by shunting. Each Fleet or Supply Convoy is allowed one shunt per campaign round. The distance set for shunting is arbitrary, and relative to your own campaign map and its scale. Just pick a distance that everyone agrees on. I recommend that it should take about 1.5 shunts on average to get from one Point of Interest to another. However, having two PoI s being within one shunt of each other is perfectly acceptable. Having more than two PoI s within one shunt s distance of a PoI might be crowded. It all depends on the style of play you d prefer. Included on pg. 49 is a sample campaign map with shunt distance marked on it. On Patrol/Intercept Movements During the Movement Step, a Fleet may declare that it is On Patrol. A fleet that is On Patrol may not make a Shunt movement this round, but it can then choose to immediately move to intercept any fleet that comes within Shunt range and engage them. For intercepting Supply Convoys, you may intercept them at the end-point of any of their shunt actions. Transporting Ships & Installations Ships or Installations that do not have Fold Space Drives cannot travel on the campaign map without Assistance. Any capital ship can carry one model without an FSD through a shunt with it, so long as the model is in base contact. In general, small ships cannot carry other ships through a shunt. Any ship can carry a single attached flight of Wings through a shunt if they are in base to base contact. Corvettes are granted a special ability in this regard, which is described below. Ships with slow FSD s declare their shunt during the Deployment Step of the current campaign round, but do not complete it until the Follow-Up Step of the following round. For the duration of that round, the model cannot use primary weapons or torpedoes. If a ship with a slow FSD has completed a shunt in the Follow-Up Step of a round it cannot perform a shunt until the following round.

31 31 Discount for Models with No FSD or Slow FSD (Module) You may decide to grant a Production Point discount to ships/models that do not possess FSD s or ships with the Slow FSD MAR because they suffer a strategic disadvantage. Because ships with Slow FSD s cannot move about the Campaign Map as quickly as other ships, they may be more easily targeted by enemy forces. Ships without FSD s are basically stationary defenses, and it may be desirable to provide a point value incentive to producing defensive over offensive military forces. The recommended discount for No FSD is 5pts off for small models (like Gun Platforms), 10pts off for medium models, 15pts off for large models (like satellites), and 20pts off for massive models like Leviathans and Asteroid Installations. The Slow FSD discounts are 5pts off medium models, 10pts off large models, and 15pts off massive models. These discounts do not apply to official ships which already have the Slow FSD or No FSD MAR. It is assumed that Spartan has taken these variables into account already. The discounts described are intended for use with the Installation statistics included on pg. 42. Discounts for these MARs have not been taken into account in these instances, although the No FSD MAR is suggested for all Installations in this manual. Another option would be to build standard ships with the No FSD or Slow FSD MARs to use as defense forces. Production Point discounts do not modify the Victory Point value or Point cost of the model; they only affect the production of the model and the speed in which it can be completed by your shipyards. Corvettes Squadrons of Corvettes can perform 2 shunts per campaign round. If their first shunt would put them into combat, then that situation is resolved first and the second shunt may be used after the battle (or during as a means of escape). This allows Corvette squadrons to perform raids on lightly defended or undefended targets (such as supply convoys). Corvettes must still follow all standard rules for fleet composition as outlined in this manual and the core rulebook. However, this special movement rule allows them to detach from their fleet for combat purposes so long as they return to it before the end of the campaign round. Three corvettes can carry one medium ship with them on one of

32 32 their shunts (but not both). This can be done to carry one of your own ships into a battle, but cannot be used during combat. Wing Logistics For simplicity of logistics, Wings can be transferred between ships at any time, so long as all assignments are legal in terms of FW capacity of ships involved and the ships share a common location on the campaign map. If a Wing is in a battle that ends with no surviving carriers, the Wings can be saved if the fleet shunts to an installation with an FW rating on the following turn. If that installation would go over its FW rating by housing the refugee Wings, then the rescued wings cannot be launched. They can only be stored until an allied carrier can collect them or until an allied fleet decides to shunt out with them. If Wings cannot find a place to land, they are lost at the end of the Combat Step of the following turn. This means you could take wings from an installation a distance of two shunts away, but they would be lost at the end of the second Combat Step unless they find a carrier with available FW. Along this same topic, if a fleet is shunting away from an installation it MAY choose to take that installation's fighters with it. This is useful for intercepting enemy fleets, and mirrors the fleet-building rules where you can take Wings from a nearby installation as part of your force. However, after the battle see the above rules for how to handle fighters w/o a place to land. Wing Reallocation During the Follow-Up Step you may choose to rearrange what Carriers are housing your remaining Wings, but you must fill a ship s FW capacity before you can begin placing Wings onto a new carrier. Additionally, at this time you may choose to rearm your Wings. Rearming is an option that allows you to convert Interceptors to Fighters or Fighters to Interceptors. You can also choose to convert Assaulters to Bombers. Any AP that cannot be assigned to a ship (without exceeding that ship s AP rating) are lost. You may convert Bombers to Assaulters, but unless you take AP from a ship or use AP gained from Troop Ships (see Support Squadrons on pg. 28) to fill them the new Assaulters are empty.

33 33 Resolving Battles After the Deployment Step, any location occupied by two or more opposing fleets is involved in combat, & each combat is resolved individually in any order. A force that shunts in & is at least 50% larger than the force it opposes uses Fold Space Entry. This is to represent the superior mobility of a smaller force, but mostly to provide the defenders some relief and keep landslide battles from being too painful to play. Plus, it s a nice way to work scenarios from the core rulebook into campaign play. Battle Map Set-Up & Combat Resolution Setup follows normal rules as set down in the core rule book, but makes use of Campaign Map Terrain as described above. A combat is considered resolved when all of one or both player s ships have been removed from the board (by shunting, by destruction, or by being made Derelict). Once combat is resolved, all Critical Hit effects are automatically repaired. Maximum Combat Duration Any battle that is not resolved within 10 turns ends, & must be resolved next campaign round. The reason is this forces the attacker to press on. If he cannot manage a quick victory, it is possible the defender could shunt reinforcements in during the next campaign round. If you can leave the battle on the table and resume it next campaign round, do so and use the Fold Space Entry rules for any fleets shunting in to assist. If not, use the set-up described for Module 1: Turn Up and Fight as found in the Sample Scenarios section of the core rules (reinforcements still use Fold Space Entry). If both sides approve, the Maximum Combat Duration can be waived or extended at any time. After 10 turns, ships may perform Shunt movements to leave combat even if they have already shunted. This counts as their shunt for the following Campaign Round. Emergency Repairs Ships may perform Emergency Repairs immediately after the resolution of the Combat Step. To do this, they may roll a number of d6 equal to the CP remaining on the

34 34 ship or the amount of damage remaining on the ship, whichever is lower. For every roll of 5 or 6, repair one point of damage. Medium & Large ships cannot repair the final point of damage in this way, and so the maximum they can recover to is 1pt below maximum HP. Small & Massive ships do not share this restriction. Massive ships have all the supplies necessary to be self-sufficient. Small ships are expendable and can be pressed back into battle-readiness with little more than spit and bailing wire. Crew Recovery Ships may also attempt to recover CP/AP lost in battle immediately after the Combat Step has resolved. To do this, each ship may roll 1d6 for each point of CP/AP lost. On each roll of 5 or 6 recover one point of CP/AP. Ships which have performed boarding actions may not attempt to recover any of their AP (even if some were lost before boarding was initiated). Hospital Ships (see Support Squadrons on pg. 26) grant a +2 bonus to this roll (non-stacking), meaning that success is at a 3+ with a Hospital Ship. Wing Recovery When a Wing token is removed from the table, it does not represent total losses for that squadron. A single Wing token represents craft, and when the token is removed that simply means that the wings in that unit are no longer at sufficient strength to affect the outcome of the battle. To me, this means the unit is at 50% combat strength. After a battle resolves, your fleet may collectively recover 1 Wing for every 2 Wings of that type lost and distribute the survivors however you choose among carriers under your control. So, if your Carrier lost 2 Fighters and one Assaulter they would recover 1 Fighter after the battle. If you recover more Wings than you have FW to support them, see Wing Logistics on pg. 24. Strategic Attacks There are several types of Strategic Attacks which can be performed during a Campaign. Orbital Bombardment is the act of fleets actively destroying the surface of a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld through use of their ship s weapons. A Blockade

35 35 is an action which blocks a planet from sending or receiving Supply Convoys. Planetary Invasions are a type of Boarding Action wherein Assault Points are used to capture enemy-held worlds. Each resolves slightly differently than the standard equivalent of these actions, and both will be described in detail here. Blockade To Blockade a world, the blockading fleet must be in orbit of an opponent s world and unopposed (no enemy ships or installations present). Once this position is established, the attacker may declare that he/she is Blockading this world. A world under Blockade cannot send or receive Supply Convoys. Once a Blockade is declared, it can only be broken by removing the Blockading fleet. A Supply Convoy in transit may choose to return to their point of origin if their destination falls under a Blockade. If they do not, then the Convoy s defenders must attempt to defeat the blockading force. If they succeed, the Convoy arrives and delivers its goods. Orbital Bombardment Orbital Bombardment refers to any attack made upon a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. Ships desiring to make an attack against a colony treat it as they would any other target. Attacks against settlements resolve just as any other attack: matching or surpassing the DR deals 1 damage, beating the CR results in a critical hit. On a critical roll a d6. On a 1-5 deal 2 damage and remove 2 CP from the planet. On a 6, deal 2 damage and destroy a Strategic Facility at random. Shipyards, Repair Facilities or R&D Labs that are selected for destruction instead suffer damage as if they had failed an Overtime Production roll. If a damaged Facility is selected at random, it is automatically destroyed. Planetary Invasion Planetary Invasion is the act of Boarding a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld. Only certain ships can perform Planetary Invasions because most vessels don t have the resources to put troops on the ground (most boarding craft are intended for ship-to-ship, not ship-to-surface). Any small ship may perform a Planetary Invasion

36 36 attack, as they are small enough to physically land on the planet s surface. Assaulters are purpose-built landing craft, and as such are allowed to perform Planetary Invasions. Troop Ships, which are detailed in the Support Squadrons section, may also perform Planetary Invasions. Once per Campaign Round, Troop Ships generate 2 CP/AP which may be dispatched as part of a Planetary Invasion. No other ships may perform Planetary Invasions. Planetary Invasions are performed during the Combat Step, and can only be performed against worlds which the invading fleet is Blockading. In this situation, each squadron which is capable of performing a Planetary Invasion may attempt to do so and is resisted first by the PD rating of the Supply Depot/Colony/Homeworld (5 s drive off Assaulters, 6 s destroy them as normal). Each squadron which intends to land Assault Points performs this action first. Once all squadrons are finished landing forces, the attacker rolls as if in a Boarding action with all AP that successfully landed against the CP/AP rating of the Supply Depot/Colony/Homeworld. If any attackers remain, the planet is considered to be Under Siege. While Under Siege, the planet s PD is reduced by ½ and the amount of Supply or Strategic Resources produced by the world is reduced by 1pt. Planetary Occupation When a Supply Depot, Colony, or Homeworld is captured through boarding actions, it becomes an occupied settlement. Occupied settlements do not provide the same benefits as native ones. Occupied Supply Depots, Colonies, & Homeworlds regenerate one fewer levels of supply (0, 1, & 2 respectively), and suffer a -1 penalty to DR, CR, & PD. These penalties are removed if the settlement returns to the control of its original owner. Strategic Bombing This allows players to use Wings to reduce Supply levels on an enemy planet without attacking it directly. For this to work, the attacker must shunt to within range of the target (1cm as described in the Campaign map movement section), then declare all Wings which are to participate in the attack. Likewise, the Defender declares all Wings

37 37 that will be acting in defense. All attacking and all defending Wings roll PD against each other. Destroyed hits resolve first, followed by Driven Off results. Wings receive hits in order: Interceptors first, followed by Fighters, Assaulters, and finally Bombers. After this, the Settlement receives its PD in defense of the attack. All Wings that make it through cumulatively roll their AD, no matter how many this is. Meeting the DR reduces the planet s Supply level by two. Meeting the CR reduces the planet s Supply by four and destroys a Strategic Facility at random as per the Planetary Bombardment rules. Multiples of the Settlement s CR repeats this effect. Battle Stars / Experience System (Module) Battle Stars are a means of tracking individual ship performance and rewarding players for keeping their ships alive through multiple battles. Award a Battle Star to every Medium, Large, or Massive ship that participates in and survives a battle with an opposing fleet that lasts at least 5 rounds or that ends in a draw, a marginal, or a minor victory (as counted in the core rules under Margins of Victory). Ships that participate in a Major Victory receive two Battle Stars. Battle Stars are not awarded to ships in fleets whose point value surpasses their opponent s fleet size by 50% or more (unless a scenario is used to compensate for this difference, such as Fold Space Entry). On the opposite extreme, ships that earn a Battle Star while facing off against a fleet that is 150% or more than their own point value earn a second Battle Star (unless a scenario is used to compensate for this difference, such as Fold Space Entry). A squadron has 1 Tactics Point if it averages 4 Battle Stars per ship, so squadrons of single ships have 1TP for every 4 Battle Stars. A squadron cannot have more than 3TP. When you are purchasing Tactics Points at the beginning of a campaign, grant 4 Battle Stars to each ship in that squadron. Instead of receiving TP, a ship or squadron may instead choose to gain one of the following MARs: Deck Crews, Elite Crew, Experienced Engineers, Pack Hunters. Ships with FW ratings may select a new ability called Ace Pilots for one of its Flights. This Flight cannot consist of more than 1/2 the carrier's FW rating in Wings unless that rating is 4 or less. Wings in this Flight deal 2 damage on 5 s rolled against enemy wings, and so destroy on both 5 s & 6 s. Once a

38 38 Large or Massive Capital-class ship earns 12 Battle Stars it may immediately choose to take Pride of the Fleet in place of a TP if it does not already posses it. Escape Pods, Battle Stars, & CP/AP Recovery When a large or massive capital class ship launches escape pods, each pod can hold a maximum of 1 Battle Star worth of experience up to the number of Battle Stars the ship possessed. So if a ship with 3 Battle Stars were to launch escape pods, it rolls a d6 just as described in the core rules. Each escape pod can take up to two of the ship s Battle Stars, and any additional that cannot be carried are lost. For example, if the ship rolls a 2 it launches 2 escape pods with 1 Battle Star each and the other three Battle Stars are lost. Another example, a 4 is rolled and 4 escape pods are launched. The first three escape pods hold 1 Battle Star, and the third holds none. These Battle Stars can only be given to a ship with no Battle Stars, and no more than 2 can be given this way. Additionally, each rescued escape pod allows you to increase the CP/AP of a ship in the rescuing fleet by 1 during the Resources Step. Modified Escape Pod Rolls (Module) This is a variant rule which expands the use of Escape Pods to all ships. This serves two purposes: first, to allow recovery of CP/AP from destroyed ships; and second, to preserve hard-earned Battle Stars. Medium ships now launch 1d3 Escape Pods upon destruction, and small ships now launch 1d2-1 Escape Pods (Roll a d6. On a 4, 5, or 6 it launches 1 Escape Pod). All rules regarding Battle Stars & CP/AP Recovery previously discussed apply here as well. Naval Intelligence (Module) The Naval Intelligence rules offer a way to represent espionage and recovery of military secrets in an interesting way. Through the use of Listening Posts and the capturing of enemy ships, players have a way to represent the recovery of information that can change the course of a battle. SAPs and Ultras are the mechanic used to represent these features in game.

39 39 Listening Posts Listening posts are inexpensive Strategic Facilities described on pg. 15 that eavesdrop on enemy communications. They provide an expendable but easy way to receive Intelligence Recovery rolls. Once per round during the Resources step, you make a single Naval Intelligence roll with a number of dice determined by the positioning of your Listening Posts. Capturing Enemy Vessels Since victory in a campaign is no longer determined by point value, capturing an enemy ship deserves an alternate benefit. Once an enemy ship is captured, it travels along with your fleet. If your fleet is attacked while still in possession of a captured ship it is placed on the table, but the defender may not use its offensive weapons. Only movement and defenses (Point Defense, Shield, Cloak, & Mines) can be used. Captured vessels can still be used to ram enemy ships. A captured vessel needs to be taken to a Shipyard of appropriate size (Frigates to small or larger, Cruisers to Medium or larger, Battleships to Heavy only) so that it can be deconstructed, searched for valuable intelligence, and so that its surviving crew may be interrogated. Once you bring your prize back to a shipyard, you get to make a roll to see what secret information you can pry from the crew and computers. The roll is made at 4+, and each successful roll offers a "Strategic Advantage Point and rolling 6 grants 2 Strategic Advantage Points (SAPs) plus a re-roll. The number of dice rolled is determined by the ship s class. Intel Scrap Escorts and Corvettes are never privy to Ship Class Recovery Value classified information, and as such offer no roll. Frigate 1d6 1 Destroyer, Hvy Frigates have the smallest crews and hold only 2d6 2 Cruiser, Cruiser the lowest level of security clearance (rolls from Gunship 2d6 3 Frigates may never earn an Ultra Intelligence). R&D Cruiser 3d6 2 Carrier 4d6 3 Medium, Large, & Massive vessels have much Battleship 4d6 4 larger crews with higher security clearances, and Dreadnought 5d6 5 so hold more vital intelligence. Leviathan 8d6 8

40 40 In addition to Intel Recovery rolls, captured ships have a scrap value. This is a number of Strategic Resources or Supply Levels granted to represent the value of materials recovered from the ship. Scrap Value may be received in any combination of Strategic Resources or Supply Level increases to be granted where the ship is scrapped. Tactics Points and Intel Recovery The former owner of the ship may roll 1d6 for each point of TP his captured vessel had. Each success (a roll of 4, 5, or 6) negates one SAP earned by the capturing player, and 6 s negate two and grant a re-roll. Strategic Advantage Points / SAPs Strategic Advantage Points, or SAPs, are a global resource earned from making Intel Recovery rolls. They accumulate from one campaign round to the next, and the player may choose to spend them whenever he/she wishes. When making a Fleet Tactics roll to determine campaign round order, a player may exchange any number of SAPs to grant a bonus on that roll. Declaring SAPs can be done in response to another player s use of them, so if one player uses a SAP his opponent can opt to use SAPs as well. This can then elicit the spending of additional SAPs from the original player to counter. The roll commences when neither player desires to spend more SAP. Ultra Intelligence When a single Intel Recovery roll (including re-rolls from 6's) offers 5 SAP's or more you can instead exchange those 5 SAP's for one Ultra. Ultras are secrets so extraordinary that they can drastically affect the course of a campaign. Ultras can only be spent on a battle if one of your Large Capital-class ships is present. If you intend to spend an Ultra, it is expended at the start of your turn. Here is a list of effects that Ultras can be exchanged for:

41 41 Counter-Intelligence Program: Costs two Ultras. Target player loses one Ultra or negate a single Ultra effect just played. This can be used at anytime from anywhere. Counter-Intelligence Program cannot be used to negate another Counter-Intelligence Program. ECCM Protocols: Your fleet ignores the effects of enemy cloaking technology and the Stealth MAR for the remainder of this battle. Emergency Shutdown Codes: All automated installations (gun drones and platforms) are unable to attack for the remainder of the battle. These installations may still be attacked and destroyed. Industrial Sabotage: One of your agents has managed to infiltrate an enemy shipyard and do some damage. Deal 45pts of damage to a Light shipyard, 60pts to a Medium Shipyard, and 75pts to a Heavy Shipyard. This Ultra may only be spent during the Deployment Step. Point Defense Override Codes: Target ship's Point Defense is reduced to 1 for the remainder of the turn. Political Subversion: Your sources have revealed incriminating information that can be used to discredit your opponent to their Allies. This Ultra may only be spent during the Deployment Step. Reduce an opponent s Diplomatic Favor with the faction of your choice by 200 DF. Revised Target Acquisition: All automated installations (gun drones and platforms) affected by Emergency Shutdown Codes reactivate under your control. If Counter-Intelligence is used to cancel this, the installations are still affected by Emergency Shutdown Codes and cannot attack. Shield Frequency Decryption: Shield values of enemy models are reduced by 2 for the remainder of this battle.

42 42 Installation Statistics To save space on the stat blocks for Satellites, I have listed weapons as P/S/F/A. This is because I ve given them the same AD values in all four arcs. Terran Installations Terran Gun Platform (Small) 20pts DR 3 CR 4 HP 2 MV 4 PD 1 SH 1 Starboard 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 1AD 4 / 0AD Port 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 1AD 4 / 0AD Fore 1 / 3AD 2 / 2AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Squadron Size 2-4; Small Target, No FSD Terran Satellite (Large) 85pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 5 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH 2 FW 1 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 3AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 1; Shield Modulation, Torpedo (any Arc) 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Flechette Defenses, No FSD Aquan Installations Aquan Gun Platform (Small) 20pts DR 3 CR 4 HP 2 MV 4 PD 2 Starboard 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Port 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Fore 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Aft 1 / 1AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 0AD 4 / 0AD Squadron Size 2-4; Small Target, No FSD Aquan Satellite (Large) 80pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 4 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH 2 FW 1 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 3AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 1; No FSD, Linear Drive Torpedo 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Enhancement, Heat Seeking (PW)

43 43 Sorylian Installations Sorylian Gun Platform (Small) 20pts DR 3 CR 4 HP 2 MV 5 PD 2 Starboard 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Port 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Fore 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 0AD Squadron Size 2-4; Small Target, No FSD Sorylian Satellite (Large) 80pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 4 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH 2 FW 1 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 5 AD 3 / 3 AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 1; No FSD, Experienced Torpedo 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Engineers, Lots of Guns Dindrenzi Installations Dindrenzi Gun Platform (Small) 15pts DR 3 CR 5 HP 2 MV 4 PD 2 Gunrack 1 / 1AD 2 / 2AD 3 / 0AD 4 / 0AD Fore (fixed) 1 / 4AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 3AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 2-5; Small Target, No FSD Dindrenzi Satellite (Large) 80pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 4 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH 2 FW 1 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 3AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 1; Secured Bulkheads, Torpedo 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Superior Design, No FSD

44 44 Directorate Installations Directorate Gun Platform (Small) 20pts DR 3 CR 4 HP 2 MV 3 PD 2 Starboard 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 0AD 4 / 0AD Port 1 / 3AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 0AD 4 / 0AD Fore 1 / 3AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 0AD Squadron Size 2-4; Small Target, No FSD Directorate Satellite (Large) 80pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 4 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH 2 FW 1 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 3AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 1; Reinforced Fore, Torpedo 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Biohazard Ammo (PW), No FSD Relthozan Installations Relthozan Gun Platform (Small) 20pts DR 3 CR 4 HP 2 MV 3 PD 2 Starboard 1 / 2AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Port 1 / 2AD 2 / 5AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Fore 1 / 1AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 1AD 4 / 0AD Squadron Size 2-4; Small Target, No FSD Relthozan Satellite (Large) 80pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 4 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH * FW 3 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 7AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 0AD Squadron Size 1; Stealth Systems, Ad Torpedo 1 / 3AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Hoc Bays (+50pts to add +6 FW and gain 6 Wings), No FSD

45 45 Generic Installations Blue Sun Armaments Automated Defender 20pts DR 4 CR 4 HP 2 MV 4 PD 2 Starboard 1 / 1AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Port 1 / 1AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Fore 1 / 1AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Aft 1 / 1AD 2 / 4AD 3 / 2AD 4 / 1AD Squadron Size 2-4; Small Target, No FSD Blue Sun Armaments Multi-Purpose Orbital Facility (Large) 80pts DR 4 CR 6 HP 4 CP 1 AP 3 MV 2 PD 3 SH 2 FW 1 P/S/F/A 1 / 5AD 2 / 5 AD 3 / 3 AD 4 / 2AD Squadron Size 1; Strengthened Hull, Torpedo 1 / 2AD 2 / 3AD 3 / 4AD 4 / 5AD Upgraded Torpedoes, No FSD

46 46 Planet Tracker Name: Owner: Strategic Resources: Supply Depot Colony World Homeworld Supply Level: Surplus Supplied Rationed Depleted HP: Interceptors: Strategic Facilities: CP: Fighters: FW: Bombers: PD: Assaulters: Name: Owner: Strategic Resources: Supply Depot Colony World Homeworld Supply Level: Surplus Supplied Rationed Depleted HP: Interceptors: Strategic Facilities: CP: Fighters: PD: Bombers: FW: Assaulters: Name: Owner: Strategic Resources: Supply Depot Colony World Homeworld Supply Level: Surplus Supplied Rationed Depleted HP: Interceptors: Strategic Facilities: CP: Fighters: PD: Bombers: FW: Assaulters: Name: Owner: Strategic Resources: Supply Depot Colony World Homeworld Supply Level: Surplus Supplied Rationed Depleted HP: Interceptors: Strategic Facilities: CP: Fighters: PD: Bombers: FW: Assaulters:

47 47 Ship Tracker Fleet: Location: Points: Supply: Squadrons: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters:

48 48 Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters: Name: Registry: Squadron: Class: Points: Fleet: HP: Interceptors: Battle Stars: CP: Fighters: Tactics Points: AP: Bombers: Refit Details: FW: Assaulters:

49 49

50 50 Colony Diplomatic Favor Embassy Homeworld Outpost Point of Interest Repair Facility Shipyard Supply Depot Strategic Facility Glossary