Space War

Design My UCSV.

This Campaign follows the actions of your own space squadron over a series of games, in between which different Craft may be designed in order to defeat the enemy strategies. Players are limited to a maximum of 16 Craft, 100 M€ (cost), with a 3 Design Limit.

IMPORTANT: No die roll may be improved to better than a five out of six (i.e. 2+ maximum).

CAMPAIGN SEQUENCE
At campaign start only	Design up to 3 Craft using Modules list.
Each game	Each side randomly selects one Technology Card.
	Choose numbers of Vessels up to 100 M€ from your Designs. If a crew have Medals you must keep track of which Craft they are on.
	Deploy units as hidden markers on tabletop.
	Play game until one player wiped out or gives up.
After each game	Award Medals.
	Option to create a new design but if so must scrap an old one.

Craft are of two types:

· Fighters - Small Craft carried into action by larger vessels. If using Fighters remember you must have at least one Vessel with a Shuttle Bay to carry them.

· Vessels - Larger Craft.

You may never have more than 3 Designs. Between games you may scrap one Design and replace it with a new one!

Deployment.

Each side starts with their Craft as markers that are only revealed when the enemy moves to within scouting distance of them.

See Scenarios.

DESIGNING CRAFT

Craft are made up from the following modules:

MODULES	Craft	Notes
Armour	(Both)	Redundant systems and modern alloys can reduce effects of Hits.
Electronics	(Both)	Enemy Missile batteries throw to hit one worse on dice.
Engine	(Both)	More engines equal more speed. Craft must have at least one engine.
Lasers	(Both)	Long range weapons. Limited arc of fire.
Missiles	(Both)	Close in systems. May fire in any direction.
Nuclear Warhead	(Both)	Can be exploded.
Expendable munitions	(Fighter only)	One volley of six shots against a single Craft then mark as “Expended”. May not shoot again until returning to a Shuttle Bay. Limited arc of fire.
Self-Repair	(Vessel only)	May repair a Damaged section of own Vessel.
Shuttle Bay	(Vessel only)	May repair damage on Fighters and reload their Expendable Munitions
Thrusters	(Vessel only)	Makes Vessels more manoeuvrable.
Tractor	(Vessel only)	Captures Fighters.

Cost goes up dramatically depending on the size of the Craft. A normal game allows for 100 M€ per player. Large Fighters are cost prohibitive.

COST (M€)		Vessel	Fighter
	#Modules	Value M€	Value M€
oo	2	4	8
ooo	3	9	27
oooo	4	16	64
ooooo	5	25	125
ooo ooo	6	36	216
oooo ooo	7	49	343
oooo oooo	8	64	512
ooooo oooo	9	81	729
ooooo ooooo	10	100	1,000

Turn Sequence.

Each side follows the following sequence until one side gives up or all their vessels are destroyed.

Sequence
S1	Make Armour saves	Convert hits to Damage.
S2	Results of Damage	Throw to see results of Damage.
S3	Opt to give up.	You are not allowed to “give up” unless you have lost at least 5 Vessels.
S4	Launch / retrieve Fighters	Friendly Fighters adjacent to Vessel may be returned to Shuttle bay or launched from it.
S5	Tractor Beam	Adjacent Enemy Fighter trapped next to Vessel may be pulled inside its Shuttle Bay and Captured!
S6	Explode Nuclear devices	Boom! Carrying Craft is Destroyed. A craft in contact takes 2d6 Hits. All other craft within 3” take d6 Hits.
S7	Move Vessels	Move Craft.
S8	Ramming	Attempt to crash into an enemy Craft (option to explode nukes allowed here).
S9	Shoot	Put Hits on enemy Craft.
S10	Repairs	Fix your own vessels and Fighters.
S11	Re-arm Expendables	Fighters in Shuttle Bays may reload Expendable munitions modules.
S12	Scouting	Reveal enemy counters as ships.

S1 - Make Armour saves.

Effects of Hits are calculated at the start of the players turn. The target Crafts Armour must be beaten in order for the Hit to Damage a Module:

Protection
Amount of Armour	To damage one Module
None	Automatic
1	2+
2	3+
3	4+
4	5+
5+	6+

S2 - Results of Damage:

Damage is randomly allocated against surviving Modules. Damaged Modules become useless unless repaired. Modules with expended munitions, empty shuttle bays, etc., are still Modules for this.

Exception: see S9- rear shots.

Destroyed: A Craft with all its Modules Damaged is considered Destroyed and is removed from play. Any Medals held by that Craft are lost.

S3 - Opt to give up.<

Giving up may allow you to deprive the enemy of a total victory or save experienced crews (i.e. those with Medals or expecting to get them!)

You are not allowed to “give up” unless you have lost at least 5 Vessels or have only one Vessel left. If you only started with one Craft you may not give up.

S4 - Launch / retrieve Fighters

Friendly Fighters adjacent to Vessel may be returned to Shuttle bay or launched from it.

Shuttle Bay: Fighters in a Bay may not attack or be attacked. If all of a Vessels Shuttle Bays are Damaged all carried Fighters are Destroyed immediately. Any number of Fighters can be safely aboard as long as at least one Shuttle Bay remains undamaged.

Note: See S5 – Tractor Beams and capture.

Note: See S10 – Fighter Repairs.

S5 – Tractor Beam.

Tractor Beams work against a Fighter within 3”. Each Tractor module may try to capture a Fighter on a 5,6. A captured Fighter can do nothing at all until the enemy Tractor beam is operating on it and counts as un-powered for targeting purposes.

In the next S4 Launch / Retrieve Fighters phase, an enemy Fighter may be pulled aboard the Vessels Shuttle Bay (if there is one!) and made Prisoner. If you have no Shuttle Bay then you must use the tractor on it again successfully or the Fighter returns to normal.

You may use Tractors to recover your own damaged fighters!

Prisoner: After the game a captured Fighter may be used above the normal 3 Design limit but only that particular unique Craft. Keep track of it separately. If destroyed then cannot use again.

S6 - Explode Nuclear device (Nuke)

The Craft carrying the Nuke is Destroyed completely. Any Craft in contact takes 2d6 Hits. All other craft within a 3” radius take d6 Hits.

S7 - Movement

		Turns
Vessel	Engines (E)	Enables turns before movement Movement is 6” for one Engine. Movement is 12” for two Engines. Movement is 18” for three or more Engines.
Vessel	Thrusters (T)	Enables turns after movement.
Fighter	Engines (E)	Enables turns before and after movement. Movement is 9” for one Engine. Movement is 18” for two or more Engines.

S8 - Ramming.

This is where one Craft moves into contact with another craft. No Vessel may contact a Powered enemy Craft.

Both involved Craft takes one Hit for each Module in size of the rammer’s original number of Modules.

Instead of the above, a rammer may instead opt to explode a Nuclear device carried on board upon contact with the enemy Craft. This in effect uses the Craft as a missile! Remember you cannot contact a Powered enemy Craft you cannot explode a Nuke in contact but only adjacent to it. See S6.

S9 -  Shoot.

A shot requires a score as below to become a hit:

SHOTS				Range
Un-powered	Vessel	Fighter
Powered		Vessel	Fighter
Expendables (x6)	5,6	6	6	6”
Lasers	4,5,6	5,6	6	12”
Lasers fired by Ace	3,4,5,6	4,5,6	5,6	12”
Missiles	3,4,5,6	4,5,6	5,6	6”
Missiles v. Electronics	4,5,6	5,6	6	6”
Missiles v. 2 or more Electronics	5,6,	6	-	6”

A Vessel with at least one operating Thruster or Engine module is powered else is Un-powered.

Missiles: Missile Batteries can fire in any direction due to their intelligent guidance systems. As noted in the chart, a target Vessel with one or more Electronics Module is harder to hit.

Lasers and Expendables have arcs of fire to be the front 90° to the front (i.e. 45° each side of straight ahead. Vessels may be rearranged to fire their weapons into another 90° arc but this must be specified in its Design.

S10 - Repairs.

Vessel Repairs: For each Self Repair Module operating throw a die. Each 5,6 allows the repair of one damaged Module on that Vessel. If you have several SR modules throw for them all at once and allocate any fixes as preferred.

Fighter Repairs: Each Shuttle Bay module may dice. Each 5,6 fixes a damaged module on a Fighter being held aboard.

S11 - Re-arm Expendables.

Fighters in Shuttle Bays may reload Expendable munitions modules.

S12 - Spotting.

· Each Craft should be indicted by a face-down counter. Fighters inside a Vessel need not be placed but which Vessel they are in must be noted.

· Turn enemy counters face up if your Craft or counters are within 24” of them during the Spotting phase.

· You may not fire at a face down enemy counter.

Technological Advances (optional)

Representing superior orders or short-term technological advances, one is randomly selected AFTER designing your Craft. They only influence the next game. Reveal them the first time you want their bonuses. They are best represented written on cards dealt to the players.

Advance	Effect
Longer Scouting distances.	+6” on scouting distances.
Superior Lasers	+1 to shots with Lasers.
Superior Expendables	Throws 9 rather than 6 Shots.
Better Armour	Count as having one extra Armour.
Better Missiles	+1 to shots with missiles.
EMP enhanced nukes	Widens radius of Nuclear blast to 5”.
Subterfuge	Cancel one enemy card when they play it!
Traitor	Enemy player must reveal the composition of his or her force before deployment!
Great Leap Forward	Play and randomly select 2 other cards!
Task – Corporation	Destroy the enemy franchise to gain the Corporation Medal.
Task – Saboteur	Get one of your craft to contact the enemy Space Station.

Medals (optional)

These are awarded to crews surviving the action. They need not have been the crew who did the act. Obviously, if you have no Vessels left then there are no crews left to get Medals!

These rules require a little paperwork, but may be represented with a printed medal stuck to the Craft’s card. A crew awarded Medals may be transferred between Craft before a game as required but which Craft they are on must be specified. They cannot transfer between Craft during the game and are lost if their Craft is destroyed. Medals cannot be damaged like a Module, but often count as them during the game!

MEDALS	During the game your squadron:	Bonus
Ace	Destroys five or more enemy Craft.	Better when firing Lasers.
Valour	Destroys every enemy Craft!	Wingman!
Star	Destroys a Craft of the largest enemy Design.	Count as having extra Armour.
Corporation	Achieve the Corporation Task.	Count as having extra Armour.
Saboteur	Achieve the Saboteur Task.	Counts as an extra Self-Repair.
Tek	Capture an enemy Fighter.	Counts as an extra Electronics.
Bravery	Forcing the enemy to give up while they have Craft remaining!	Just for show!

For example, an enemy squadron flees after losing 6 craft, including their largest vessel (their flagship). You will have one Ace, One Star and one Bravery Medal to parcel out to your squadron.

Wingman - As long as a surviving Fighter crew has a Valour Medal, and there are at least two Fighters left, all the Fighters count one extra Armour.

* Note that accidentally destroying a Franchise when not carrying the Corporation Technology Card will cause every crew in your squadron to be stripped of one Medal (of your own choice – start with those Bravery Medals!)

After an action the Squadron leader (you) allocate any new Medals to surviving crews. An individual crew cannot get two of same Medal.

Civilian Transport and Space Stations are not military so do not count as a Craft when calculating for the Medal of Valour or Star medals!

Scenarios.

Suggestion: Design your squadron BEFORE deciding on the scenario!

Scenario Roll	PLAY
1	Squadron Action
2	Squadron Action
3	Cultural Terrorists
4	Convoy Action
5	Machine Wars I
6	Machine Wars 2

Note scenario #6 requires more than 2 players so does not appear on this chart.

Damaged vessels are repaired between actions. Crews with Medals need to be kept track of especially where crews are transferred to new Designs.

Note that a captured crew with Medals may be held and exchanged for prisoners held by the enemy. This is the norm for military squadrons. Some evil types do not take prisoners. There is no need to track prisoners without Medals.

Planets (or moons or asteroids): are represented by spheres about 3” across. They have gravity wells that block movement and weapons fire through them. You will usually have one 6” in from the centre of your table edge.

Space Station: a type of un-powered Vessel randomly deployed 6” from the planet on its side nearer the enemy. It begins with 12 Modules of hotels, gymnasiums, hospitals, restaurants, etc. If destroyed strip a Medal from each Craft in the defending Squadron (after adding Medals for this game.) The shamed squadron leader (you!) must choose the Medals lost.

1.0 Squadron Action.

As their asteroid properties make a close approach, competing forces engage each other. The reasons may be corporate, private or political.

Each player starts on opposite ends of the tables narrower sides, with one planet/ asteroid/ moon 6” in from its centre, and a Space Station randomly deployed 6” from the planet on its side nearer the enemy.

Start your squadron within 6” of your planet.

2.0 Cultural Terrorists (CT’s).

Squadron leaders (you) are usually blooded in action against CT’s before being allowed more important battles. CT’s are bandit units that raid Corporation assets. You should try a test game against these.

Each player starts on opposite ends of the tables narrower sides. The defending squadron deploys within 6” of a planet 6” in from its sides centre. Place a Space Station randomly deployed 6” from the planet on the side nearer the enemy.

CT’s arrive on turn one entering from the table-side farthest from the defenders planet. They have:

· 5 Fighters (Fighter: E+L; value 9)

· 5 Bombers (Fighter: E+EM; value 9)

· 1 Carrier (Vessel: E+E+SB; value 9).

Optional: allow the CT’s to choose 11 craft from among their 3 designs.

You lose if the local franchise (the Space Station) is destroyed or your squadron protecting it flees or is destroyed. If your squadron flees then the Space Station is assumed destroyed. Start your squadron within 6” of your planet. Defend the Space Station.

3.0 Convoy Escort.

A squadron must guard transport craft through an attack by an enemy squadron. The attackers claim the vessels are carrying contraband; the escorts claim they are innocent civilian doctors, nurses and orphans.

Randomly decide which squadron (player) is the escort and which is the attacker.

The convoy craft are:

· 3 Transports (Vessel: E+E+A+A).

The escorting squadron must get at least two out of three civilian Transports to exit from within 6” of the centre of the enemy squadrons table edge in order to win. The attacker wins by destroying all three Transports.

In addition to any other Medals:

· If the Escort wins they may award themselves one Corporation Medal.

· If the Attacker wins they may award themselves one Saboteur Medal.

Disaster: If the escorts flee or are destroyed and at least one of the transports has all its Engines destroyed, then that transport is captured by the attackers. The escorts must strip a Medal from each of their Craft involved in the action.

Note: the Corporation and Saboteur task cards will be irrelevant in this scenario. The Transports do not count against the squadrons 3 Design limit or towards the squadron’s value.

4.0 Machine Wars.

Several types of enemies encountered have used vessels without human crews. Entire squadrons of these are often met, sent by Corporations who want no one questioning their orders. Only more experiences squadron leaders are sent against them. Squadrons of UCSV (Unmanned Combat Space Vehicles) often protect sensitive corporation establishments.

This can be a variant of the other scenarios but:

· Obey all the usual force limits but allow them 120 M€ to choose from. Machine forces are mass produced and mindless. They have no need of crew quarters so more can be put into weapons.

· Machine forces never receive Medals.

· If all a machine squadrons Vessels are Destroyed, all its Fighters are immediately removed. The Fighters require the command and control elements only available from large Vessels, so self-destruct to prevent capture. Any carrying Nukes explode them.

5.0 Machine Wars II.

A Vessel of indeterminate type encroaches your space-ways. No corporation admits to its construction. It must be destroyed. It has been encountered before and is apparently of machine intelligence, constantly repairing any damage to itself.

· Engines x 2

· Self-Repair x 4

· Armour x 2

· Lasers x 2

· Thrusters

· Tractor

Each player starts on opposite ends of the table’s narrower sides, the squadron with one planet/ asteroid/ moon 6” in from its centre, the machine from the opposite table edge. Human Craft may start as markers that are only revealed when the enemy moves to within scouting distance of them.

Start your squadron within 6” of your planet. Defend the Space Station and destroy or drive off the invader.

6.0 Wall of Battle – fleet actions.

Alliances even within the one planet are often fragile at best. Sometimes several forces gather and major actions occur. You may be allied with a player one game and a bitter enemy the next.

Several squadrons may take part in a huge fleet action, each represented by a player. This allows four or six player games with equal numbers of squadrons on each side. Each player is limited by his or her usual design limits and values. After designing Vessels, randomly dice to see whose on which side!

You may not target friendly allied Craft, and can only explode a nuke within blast radius of an enemy Craft, but if accidentally the nuke happens to blow up a crack allied Craft, what a shame!

Each individual player (squadron) can give up after suffering 5 lost Craft or being reduced to one Craft. If giving up immediately remove all his or her surviving Craft (they will have fled or scuttled their Craft). Giving up might reduce the enemy’s gaining of Medals!

Order of play – Randomly decide he order of play for the entire game at the start. Optionally decide it at the start of each complete turn using Squadron Cards!

Medals: The Medal of Valour goes to those destroying “every enemy craft”. In fleet actions it is awarded for destroying every enemy craft of a single squadron. Likewise the Star Medal is given for destroying “the largest Craft” in each enemy squadron. So it is possible for a single squadron to gain more than one of a particular Medal.

Notes / Extras / Options:

· Incompetent players should be allowed 120 M€ and experts only 90 M€ in their games.

· It is a good idea to give up rather than fight on from a losing position. This might prevent the enemy chalking up more kills!

· It’s logical to Design a Craft for a specific heroic crew, in order to make best use of their abilities (Medals). Likewise concentrating on killing good enemy crews is commonplace.

· The McKing Sushi Hut® is a franchised operation running space hotels, restaurants, zero-g sports facilities, etc. They are a common target for Cultural Terrorists and, occasionally, for people wanting to take over the franchise for that area. These bribe senior commanders who give squadron leaders (like you) orders to remove that facility.

o Note that accidentally destroying any Franchise (friendly or enemy) when not carrying the Corporation Technology Card will cause every crew in your Fleet to be stripped of a randomly chosen Medal…

· Add to S9 - Rear shots (Optional): When firing Lasers or Missiles from the rear 90° of an enemy, the firer may specify that any Hits be against Engines rather than throwing randomly for the damaged area.