Changes from v. 1.1 are in italics
While "Star Cruiser" (SC) board game introduced space combat to the 2300AD universe, the rules did not lend themselves to replaying large-scale fleet engagements of the Kafer War. Since they were written as an add-on to the role playing rules, each ship's damage had to be tracked using a fairly intricate control sheet to determine its impact on the player characters on board. While this was not a problem when only a couple of ships on each side were engaged, the sheer amount of paperwork made replaying larger battles an extremely lengthy and tedious undertaking.
The Star Cruiser Lite (SCL), very loosely based on GZG's Full Thrust (FT) miniature rules, is intended to bridge that gap and provide a set of rules which would permit each player to easily control a large number of ships and finish a large battle in one sitting. This is a complete set of rules, although ownership of Full Thrust/More Thrust and 2300AD/Star Cruiser is recommended. It may be played either on a table top (consider all distances to be inches) or on a hex grid (all distances in hexes), preferably a large one.
Beam Batteries: Each SCL beam battery represents SC beam weapons firing into the same sector capable of inflicting 4 points of damage. Each battery may fire into one or more 90-degree sectors, Forward (F), Port (P), Starboard (S), Aft (A). For example, 4 LL-98 lasers = 1 Beam battery. Each beam battery can fire once per turn. For each shot, roll a 1d6. 1, 2,3: no damage; 4, 5, 6: 1 point of damage; 7 and higher: 2 points of damage. An unmodified roll of 1 is always a miss.
Optional Rule: According to an SC optional rule (introduced in Invasion module), armor protection is degraded if the firing weapon does more than 1 point of damage. A x2 laser would reduce each armor saving roll by 1, a x3 weapon by 2. To reflect this rule in SCL terms, each ship shall have an Armor Penetration modifier. Rules for calculating the modifier are contained in the Bismark conversion example, and the rules for its use in Combat Resolution section.
Detonation Missiles: Each SCL missile represents 4 SC missiles. To determine the amount of damage inflicted by the missile, add up the damage points of the missiles' warheads. For example, 4 Ritage-2 missiles, each with a 10x2 detonation laser warhead, can inflict 10x2x4=80 points of damage. Therefore, each SCL Ritage-2 rolls 2d6 to hit. The number rolled represents the amount of hit points inflicted.
| Missile strength | Dice rolled |
| 30-59 | 1d6 |
| 60-99 | 2d6 |
| 100-139 | 3d6 |
| 140- | 4d6 |
Missiles armed with lasers instead of detonation warheads roll to hit as beam batteries. All missiles move using the same rules as other spacecraft and may be engaged by beam weapons, submunitions and other missiles during appropriate fire phases. Missiles have limited endurance (see below) but may be recovered by their launching ships and relaunched after one turn delay.
Submunitions: Add the total damage points of all submunitions a ship carries. Divide the amount by 40, rounding fractions up to the nearest whole number. This is a number of submunition shots each ship carries. Each shot does 1d6 points of damage. Submunitions have 360 degree arc of fire. No ship may fire more than one submunition per turn.
Example: A flight of 4 Martel fighters (represented in the game by a single fighter model/counter) carries a total of 24 3x1 submunitions, with 72 damage points. 72/40=1.8, rounded off to 2. Each Martel unit therefore has two submunition shots, each doing 1d6 worth of damage.
Communicators: Communicators are required for missile control. Each communicator may control 1 missile at a time. A ship with at least 1 communicator may also control 1 drone for free. For SC to SCL conversion purposes, 4 SC remote stations are equivalent to 1 SCL communicator (round all fractions up). Communicators may control missiles out to (Sensor Rating + CQ + 10) hexes/inches from controlling ship.
Divide the number of the ship's damage points by 4. The resulting figure is the number of SCL hit points. If a counter represents more than one ship, use the total hit points for all ships represented by the counter.
Feel free to use either the turn sequence from Star Cruiser or Full Thrust. I favor the following turn sequence, however, which works best with a vector or pseudo-vector movement system:
1) Damage Control Phase. Each ship attempts to repair damage per rules described in Damage section.
2) Movement Phase. Move ships and missiles sequentially, beginning with the slowest and ending with the fastest. (if using vector movement, fastest being the ship with the highest speed at the end of last turn, not with the highest movement/thrust rating.) Optional rule: add/subtract the ship's crew quality rating for the purpose of determining initiative only.
3) Detection and Fire Phase. Following detection procedure, resolve all beam weapon attacks, applying damage simultaneously. Then resolve all submunition and detonation missile attacks.
4) System Check Phase. Perform system checks on ships requiring them (see Damage section).
Depending on your preference, you may:
1) Use standard Star Cruiser movement rules, in which ships pay 1 MP for every hex moved and every 60 degree turn.
2) Use Full Thrust movement rules, using SC movement value as thrust.
Fighters, missiles and drones are launched at the beginning of movement phase and may initially face in any direction desired by the owning player. A ship may declare it is at Full Stop at the beginning of Movement Phase, in which case any ship attempting to detect it subtracts 2 from detection range.
Sensor Conversion: Every sensor (excluding back-up ones) with strength of 1-4 has a rating of -1. Strength 5-9: 0. 10+: +1. Add up the individual active and passive sensor ratings, subtracting 1 if the ship has either passive or active sensors only, not both, to obtain the final sensor modifier for the ship.
Signature Conversion: Add Radiated (use the lower value if two are present), Lateral Reflected, and Radial Reflected signatures, divide the sum by 3, round off to the nearest whole number. If the result is 0-3, modifier is -1. 4-6 : +0. 7-9: +1; 10+: +2. In addition, if the target ship's aft quadrant is facing toward the detecting ship's, add 2 to its signature rating.
Detection Procedure: detection range is the sum of detecting ship's CQ, detecting ship's Sensor Modifier, detected ship's Signature Modifier + 2. Minimum detection range is 1 hex.
No ship may be engaged if it is beyond the firing ship's detection range. A ship may fire beam weapons and launch missiles at targets detected by other ships, fighters, drones, etc., but suffers a -1 to hit modifier. To use remote targeting data, either the detecting ship or the firing ship must be within detection radius x 2 of the other.
To-hit Modifier Conversion and Explanation
Crew quality (CQ): The Crew Quality number is a to-hit modifier. A ship with CQ of +2 adds 2 to each of the dice rolled to determine damage.
Weapons targeting modifiers: Add up all weapons' own to-hit modifiers (incl. the "dbl" weapons, which have a +1 to hit modifier) and divide the sum by the total number of laser/particle beam weapons on board. This number becomes a to-hit modifier.
Fire Control modifier: Use SC Targeting Computer value.
Profile: Add SC Radial and Lateral Profiles. Divide the result by 3, round off to the nearest whole number. This number becomes a to-hit modifier.
Range: Subtract 1 for every hex between firing ship and target.
How to Use To-Hit Modifiers
When firing beam weapons add Range modifier; Firing ship's CQ x 2, Fire Control, Weapon Targeting; and target ship's Profile modifier. The resulting number is the cumulative to-hit modifier which is subtracted from each die rolled, both for beam battery fire, submunitions and detonation laser warheads.
Detonation missiles and submunitions use the same modifiers as beam weapons, except for Weapon Targeting modifier. Missiles and submunitions are subject to Point Defense described below. To calculate Range modifier, measure the distance between the missile and target.
Point Defense Against Missiles: Beam batteries may be assigned to point defense against missiles. A ship may not use its batteries in point-defense role to protect another ship. Beam batteries assigned to point defense may not fire at other ships in the same turn. Each missile subtracts a modifier equal to the target ship's crew quality x 2, plus weapons targetting modifier, plus fire control modifier, plus missile profile (-3 for all missiles and submunitions), minus armor penetration modifier x 2. This modifier is subtracted from each damage die rolled for the missile/submunition.
Damage
Each ship's control sheet has 4 rows of damage points. Every time a ship suffers hits from enemy weapons the owning player marks those hits on the ship's control sheet beginning with the first row of damage points. After each of those rows is filled the ship must conduct a systems check to determine which systems are still operational. The owning player must roll for each missile (including missiles currently in flight and controlled by the checking ship), beam battery, and submunition shot. After the first row is filled, a 1d6 roll of 1-5 means the system survives; a 6 means it is destroyed. After the second row is filled, each system must roll a 1-3 to survive; 4, 5, 6, means it is destroyed. After the third row is filled, systems survive only on a roll of 1; they are destroyed on 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. The only system check die roll modifier is the Crew Quality value (as is, not multiplied by two as per to-hit modifier rules).
After the first row of damage points is filled, the ship loses half of its armor rating. After the second row of damage points is filled, armor is reduced to 0 and movement ratings are reduced to 1/2 of their original value. After the third row is filled, movement rating is reduced to 1/4 of original value (minimum of 1). The ship is destroyed after all four rows are filled.
Damage Control: Each 4 SC damage control parties represent 1 SCL damage control party. At the beginning of each turn, assign each damage control party to a destroyed system. A system can be assigned more than one damage control party. A system is repaired on a modified d6 roll of 6, with Crew Quality being the only die roll modifier. Hull hits may be repaired, but the ship may not recover hull hits from rows already completely filled in.
Armor and Screens
SC to SCL Conversion: Use the armor values given in SC. If a ship has screens with strength of 4-7, add 1 to its armor rating. If it has screens with strength of 8+, add 2 to its armor rating.
Armor Saving Roll: Armor protects against a hit if the owning player rolls less or equal to the ship's armor rating on a d10. Regardless of the armor value, an armor roll of 10 is always a hit. The owning player must add the firing ship's/missile's armor penetration modifier to the armor saving roll.
Scale
Most ship models/counters represent one ship (1:1). However, some smaller ships' counters represent two actual ships (1:2) and fighter counters each represent 4 actual fighters (1:4)
Long-Range Beam Battery Fire
It stands to reason that higher-powered beam weapons should enjoy a range advantage over lower-powered ones. To reflect higher-energy weapons' longer effective ranges, Range Modifier definition should read:
Subtract 1 from each to-hit roll for each (1+n) hexes between firing ship and target, n being the ship's Armor Piercing modifier. This rule should not be applied to heavy detonation laser warheads.
Missile Hand-Off
Any ship equipped with communicators may control missiles launched from another ship, provided both ships belong to the same nation and at least is within detection range of the other.
Massed Missile Fire
Instead of controlling one missile flight, each communicator can control unlimited amount of missiles, provided they are launched simultaneously, move in unison and engage one and the same target. This rule makes for much faster and more violent games where the ship which detects, launches, and hits first is almost guaranteed to win.
Unlimited Submunition ROF
A submunition-armed ship may fire all submunitions in a single turn at one or more targets.
Vector Movement System for Dummies (VMSD)
It works like this: Treat SC movement value as thrust. If the ship's speed at the beginning (determined after acceleration/deceleration phase) of turn is less than its thrust rating, it may make two 60-degree course changes at any point in its movement. If the ship's speed is less than twice its thrust rating, it may make one 60-degree course change. If it is more than twice its thrust rating, it must move in a straight line, but may move by a number of hexes equal to movement value divided by two laterally to either side, but without changing facing. If the ship makes no speed or course changes during a turn, it may change its facing to any desired. (However, it must keep moving along its original direction of flight).
"Quasi-Naval" Movement
Ships no longer pay movement points for turns. Instead, if a ship moves up to and including half of its movement allowance, it may make two 60-degree turns during its movement ( no more than 1 turn per hex moved). If it moves more than half of its movement allowance, it may make only one 60-degree turn.
Flexible Fighter Flights
Instead of grouping fighters into flights of four, they may be deployed in smaller formations. To do that, decrease their hit points, number of batteries and missiles/submunitions accordingly (i.e., if using a two-craft fighter flight, divide hit points, number of batteries, etc., by two, rounding all fractions down). All other characteristics (speed, sensors, signatures, etc.) remain the same.
CQ-Affected Movement
If CQ is -3, reduce MA by 1/2. -2: -1/4; -1, 0, +1: no change. +2: +1/4; +3: ++1/2. Round all fractions to the nearest whole number. Movement Allowance may not be reduced to less than 1.
Command and Control Rules
These rules are intended to introduce squadron and fleet commanders into SCL.
All commanders are rated for their tactical proficiency and have a rating of 1, 2, or 3, with 3 being the best. Each squadron/division (2-4 ships, depending on scenario, although each Human battleship and battlecruiser can be considered a squadron in its own right) has a number of activation chits equal to the tactical rating of its commander. All of the chits for both sides are placed in one cup. At the beginning of turn randomly (i.e., without looking) draw one chit from the cup--the squadron it represents may now execute its actions for this turn. After all its actions are completed, draw another chit and move/fire the ships of that squadron, including all fighters and missiles belonging to these ships. Ships of one squadron/division must be within 6 hexes of one another. Turn is completed when all squadrons were activated at least once, not when all activation chits are used up. Once the chit is drawn, it may not be put back into a cup until the beginning of next turn.
In practical terms it means that squadrons with better commanders will be able to occasionally activate more than once during a turn, although not always and not consistently so. Those extra activations, however, will often mean the difference between winning and losing.
For really big scenarios (more than 3 divisions on each side) use the following Fleet Commander rule. Each Fleet Commander, in addition to commanding own ship/division may, instead of drawing a chit, activate any one of his divisions/squadrons after the previous formation ended its activation. A formation may be thus activated even if it has no activation chits remaining in the cup. The formation counts as having been activated (for purposes of tracking when to end the turn) but does not need to have any of its activation chits removed from the cup. The formation must be In Contact with Fleet Commander's ship to be activated in this manner, either directly or through other ships. Each Fleet Commander may perform this action number of times equal to his tactical rating each turn.
Rating commanders: This is truly subjective, but I think anyone described as a "genius" gets a rating of 3 (Borodin and Rochemont, for example), while everyone else who appears to have good leadership skills (Lutke, Parker, etc) gets a 2. Commanders with average or worse proficiency (DuBoise, Bertrand) get only a 1. Kafer commanders apparently do not improve under fire and are rated in similar manner. The only Kafer commander to date to warrant a 3 is Triumphant Destiny.
The original goal of this project was a rules system which combined the best features of the two game systems concerned, Full Thrust's ease and speed of play and Star Cruiser's intricate sensor and detection rules. Ideally, the player should spend more time on running the battle than on to-hit and damage allocation rolls, something which can get pretty tedious especially when larger ships are involved. A volley of 4 SIM-14 missiles requires 40 to-hit rolls alone, not counting armor and damage allocation rolls. Using these rules, you'll need to roll 1-3 dice for point defenses (depending on target ship), 1 die for damage, and 1-6 rolls for armor, a total of no more than 10-12 rolls.
Probably the biggest departure from Star Cruiser is the introduction of ranged beam weapons fire and pseudo-vector movement systems. With ships able to detect and hit each other out to 10 hexes/inches or beyond (depending on actual ships involved), stealth now becomes of paramount importance. Stealthy ships with superior sensor enjoy more of an advantage in combat than they do in Star Cruiser where all combat (except for missiles) takes place at ranges no more than one hex. By the same token, the biggest departure from Full Thrust are the fairly detailed rules for detection, and crew quality, areas of Full Thrust thus far underdeveloped.
One of the problems with stutterwarp drive used in Star Cruiser is that a movement allowance superiority margin of even 1 confers a virtual immunity to attack. While a high turn of speed is desirable in combat, in Star Cruiser speed is by far the most important combat characteristic which, in my view, unbalances the game. If your ship can outrun enemy's ships, fighters and missiles, there is nothing he can do to harm you unless you make a grievous tactical mistake. It's not the case here. With a vector movement system, long range detection and fire, faster ships still enjoy quite an advantage but now they must be a little more circumspect in how they use it. While it violates one of 2300AD canons, it does make, in my view, for a better game.
However, my greatest pet peeve regarding games in general is their treatment of troop quality, or lack thereof. In my view, there are very few rules systems which emphasize it enough. When using these rules, you will quickly discover that no characteristic dominates the battle more than crew quality. Better crewed ships will detect and hit at longer ranges while being less susceptible to being detected, hit and damaged themselves.
This rules set should also appeal to all SC fighter fans out there. These small craft benefit greatly from detection and fire resolution rules thanks to their low observability and profile, which will often give them the ability to strike larger ships while remaining immune to return fire. By contrast with Full Thrust, fighters are no longer fragile craft of limited endurance but fully fledged battle units in their own right, capable of taking on and defeating the most powerful warships.
Bismarck BC
Scale: 1:1 (Each Bismark model/counter represents 1 ship)
Movement/Thrust: 6
Hit Points: 150/4 = 37.5 rounded off to 38. Damage point rows, from top to bottom, are 10, 10, 9, 9
Weapons: Since each Beam Battery represents Star Cruiser energy weapons capable of inflicting 4 points of damage, the arrangement of Bismark's weapons can be best expressed as
3 Beam Batteries FS
3 Beam Batteries AP
The 48 missiles Bismark can carry, also using a 4-1 ratio, become
12 SR-10 missiles
Having only 2 remote stations, Bismark is entitled to only 1 SCL communicator.
Fire Control modifier: +2
Weapon Targeting modifier: The Bismark has 6 -2 weapons and 4 +1 weapons. (-12+4)/10/2= -.4 = 0
Armor Penetration modifier: The Bismark has 6 x3 weapons and 4 x2 weapons. (6*3 + 4*2)/10=2.6 Subtract 1 and round off to the nearest whole number, giving a modifier of +2.
Sensor Modifier: The Bismark has a 10 (+1) active and a 6 (0) passive sensor. Final rating: +1
Signature: (4+7+8)/3=6.33 Signature rating: 0
Profile modifier: (2+2)/3=1.33: +1
Armor: 6+1(Screen modifier)=7
Damage Control teams: 6 SC damage teams divided by 4 yield 1.5 rounded off to 2 SCL damage control teams.
All the ships listed below have been converted into Star Cruiser Lite. They are all "official" designs from Star Cruiser, except where noted otherwise. I'll include conversions for ships from Ships of the French Arm and "unofficial" player-designed ships later, but you are welcome to do conversions yourself--everything you need is on this page. With the recent release of the Full Thrust Fleet Book containing new ship construction rules, it may be possible to create a variant taking into consideration the peculiarities of 2300AD ship design--but that is a project for a later date.
Semi-Official Designs from various 2300AD-related magazines (Challenge, etc.)
Ships of the French Arm and Kafer Sourcebook
Conversions (by Keith Plymale)
Mike J.
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Wargame Rules and Variants
http://www.oocities.org/pmj6/