Players are allowed to post once every eight hours. If a post is made before the eight hour buffer time has ended, the new post is nulled and the player must repost at the correct time.
Post Content
Posts can be as diverse as a player wants them to be, but every post MUST include the following:
Character Name
Email Address
Location of all Space Forces (Planetary System, Grid Coordinates, Facing)*
Location of all Ground Forces (Planetary System, Grid Coordinates)*
Summary of all Movement and Combat Actions
* If applicable
If a post does not include all of the above information, especially in a battle, it can be nulled in the interests of keeping the flow of battle continuous. Similarly, if the post is not nulled and omits certain information, it will be assumed that the situation of the omited craft/systems is the same as in the last post. Therefore, it is absolutely critical to include the above information to insure the sim runs as smoothly as possible.
Normal Space Movement
Movement in normal space occurs on a grid much like the game Battleship. Ship's speed and turning ability is determined by the class that the vessel falls into.
Fighter Class
Vessels falling into the starfighter class are in this group. Fighter squadrons can move up to three squares per post. Because of the small size of the starfighters and their extreme maneuverability, facings do not affect the performance of Fighter Class craft. Note that on the turn that fighters are launched, they MAY NOT move into another square. Also, for purposes of keeping order, fighters MUST move in groups of no less than six, unless there are less than six fighters on the field in which case they all move together.
Light Class
Vessels 1200 meters or smaller are considered Light Class for all intents and purposes. As such, they can move up to two squares and make one 90 degree turn OR move one square and make two 90 degree turns per post.
Heavy Class
Vessels larger than 1200 meters fall into the Heavy Class. As such, these vessels can move one square and make one turn of 90 degrees per post.
When moving, a vessel or fighter group MAY NOT move diagonally, only vertically or horizontally. To move in a direction, the vessel MUST be facing that direction. No lateral or reverse movement is allowed. Turns can take place before or after the movement, depending on the choice of the player.
Opposing vessels are not permitted to occupy the same square unless they are fighter groups engaged in combat. This prevents confusion about firing arcs and directional facings.
Hyperspace Movement
Hyperspace travel between systems is a relatively simple process. First, and most importantly, the vessel or set of vessels must enter hyperspace either through the system's jumpgates or a jump point created by a larger ship. Once within hyperspace, a ship can traverse the vast distances between stars.
When a vessel or set of vessels enters hyperspace, they must lock onto a beacon or be lost in the tides of hyperspace. To represent this in the game, the player MUST email the sim GM with the target world within twenty-four hours of departure. Failure to do so will result in the loss of the affected vessels with all hands as they dissapear into hyperspace never to be heard from again. If there is not time for doing this, a player can post the destination in their post and it will be considered legal.
To calculate the minimum time for a jump, take the number of sector lines crossed and multiply it by eight, then add eight. When doing this, you cannot jump a sector line by crossing on the diagonal. The total you get is the minimum amount of time the vessel must remain in hyperspace for before exiting at the chosen system. Note that a ship can in fact remain in hyperspace for longer. However, if a ship is in hyperspace for over a week (168 hours), it will suffer a total hull failure due to the stresses placed on it and the ship will implode and all hands will be lost.
Starfighters in Hyperspace
While Capital Ships often carry enough supplies to sustain themselves and their crews for a number of months, Starfighters are equipped to be light and agile in battle. This, of course, means that Starfighters do not carry oxygen and nutritional supplies to sustain themselves longer than a day or two. To represent this, if a Starfighter or group of Starfighters is making a jump through hyperspace and they are not docked, they may not traverse more than one sector line per jump.
Use of Jump Gates
A Jump Gate can be used by any vessel regardless of whether or not they are equipped with a jump engine or not. The Gates act like small portals and can be used to enter hyperspace in the same post as the vessel enters the Jump Gate's square. Jump Gates may never be 'shut down' from a remote location, regardless of who actually controls the planetary system.
Creation of a Jump Point
Jump Points can be created by a vessels equiped with jump engines that are not within a planetary gravity well, marked by the green squares on the tactical map (see the Space Combat Section). That vessel can use the jump point during that post, and any other vessels within the same square can use the jump point up until eight hours after the vessel created the jump point, at which time the jump point closes. Note that only friendly vessels may use one another's jump points. Jump Points can be created on a square with friendly units in it.
When a vessel uses a Jump Point to leave hyperspace, it can be oriented in any direction chosen by that ship's commander.
A vessel must wait three posts between forming a Jump Point in order to allow the Jump Engines to cool and recharge.
A Jump Point my be opened no closer than two squares to a hostile vessel due to the variability of hyperspace locations and the danger of a collision. Vessels from no faction, not even the Minbari Federation, may break this rule.
Communications and Comm Jamming
One of the most important factors in modern warfare is information. Often, this is sent from ship to planet and ship to ship by tachyon communications which are boosted by stations in hyperspace that act as amplifiers. However, vessels can jam the communications of other vessels if they are close enough to do so.
In a battle situation, a communication can be sent from a planet or vessel under attack immediately and will be received relatively quickly, meaning there is no delay between the time the message is sent and received. This message will be condiered to have been sent automatically and does not need to be posted. Note that Starfighters do not carry powerful enough communications equipment to send such a signal.
The range of a vessel's jammers depends on the size of the powerplant being carried onboard. Vessels from the Light Class can jam the communications from a hostile vessel one square away. Vessels from the Heavy Class can jam the communications of a hostile vessel from two squares away. Note that no vessel may jam planetary communications.