Energy Shield Generator 
        A technology originally developed by the Ipsha to defend their colonies from attack, it was later miniaturized and mounted on their starships as well. The shield projects an electrostatic field around the vessel it protects, which deflects charged particles away from the vessel. It is effective against most pulse weapons (which typically fire plasma or accelerated, charged particles), and beam weapons, though has no affect on missiles, energy mines or collisions. The shielding system is not perfectly effective, particularly powerful or accurate pulse fire may penetrate the shield, and beam weapons will usually penetrate, though reduced in force.
        For each working shield generator on a vessel, reduce the effects of pulse fire (and beam fire from fighters) as if the ship had an equivalent number of interceptors in each arc. Additionally each die of beam damage is reduced by one point. However, the same restrictions apply to fire FROM the target ship, since the shield works both ways. If the protected ship is firing against a target which is also protected by interceptors, add their effects in the standard manner. A ship with shield generators must designate in the orders phase weather the shields are up or down, but need not tell other players until fire is actually directed at or from the ship.

Fusion Reactor 
        The primary power source on space stations used by most races which do not have artificial gravity. The reactor is used to power weapon systems and the station's defense grid in the absence of reaction drives. Reactors are not without their vulnerabilities, if one should ever fail a threshold check, immediately roll a second check at the same level. If this second check is made, the reactor is shut down by the crew. The station may no longer fire weapons of any type, but may launch or recover fighters and other craft. If however the second threshold check is failed, the reactor goes critical, destroying the entire station! In fact the detonation is severe enough to cause damage to other ships in the vicinity, exactly as if an energy mine detonated. The reactor may be shut down automatically by writing orders to do so, it may not be reactivated during the game, but does not need to make threshold checks.

Global Fire Control System 
        Large stations built in several nominally independent sections use global fire controls to coordinate fire from all the sections. Typically each section must allocate one of its own fire controls to fire weapons at a target, even if multiple sections are firing on the same target. A single global fire control can be used to allow multiple sections to fire on the same target without having to allocate their own fire controls, regardless of which section the global fire control is actually located in. A second benefit of global fire controls lie in their ability to coordinate interceptor fire. As long as at least one global fire control is operative somewhere on the station (even if it is being used to target a ship), interceptors may protect the appropriate arc of ALL sections of the station, instead of just their own section.

Maneuver Drive 
        A maneuver drive is used on satellites and planetary defense grids. It produces 3 points of thrust which can only be used to rotate the satellite.

Mass Driver 
        Outlawed by all 'civilized' worlds, mass drivers are kinetic energy weapons of immense power, designed to bomb planets by electromagnetically accelerating large masses to high velocities. Useless against ships due to their slow firing times and narrow arcs of fire, they can level entire cities in just a few shots. Mass drivers have no affect on other ships during combat, though they can be fired (and destroyed) during turns the same as any other system. They are included here simply for completeness, though their use (or prevention) may be important in a specific scenario.

Missile System 
        Missile launches must be recorded in the orders for the turn (LM followed by the number of missile salvos). Launching any number of missile salvos requires the use of 1 fire control, which may not be used later in the turn. Each launcher may only fire one salvo each turn until it runs out of salvos. After launch the missiles no longer require any input from the ship's fire control (or the ship itself). They may attack any capital ships identified as enemy at the time of firing. Missiles may not be launched at fighter groups or other missiles.
        Each missile salvo contains a number of individual missiles which move together like a fighter group. Missiles are fired at the end of the ship movement phase, but before fighters, and must move a minimum of 10 MU directly away from the firing vessel in the launcher's arc, before they can engage targets with their remaining movement. If a missile group does not attack a target the turn it is launched, it remains and may make additional maneuvers at the end of the ship movement phase each turn until the group attacks, is destroyed, or runs out of fuel. Missiles must move in a straight line along their heading each turn until they run out of fuel. They may make a single turn at any point in their movement (the number of course points depends on the missile class).
        Missile attacks are resolved exactly as if they were a fighter attack, when the ship they are attacking (or the fighter group attacking them) is declared the active ship. Both fighters and anti-fighter batteries may engage missile groups as if they were fighters. Batteries and screening fighters may chose to fire on a single attacking missile salvo instead of a fighter group. Fighters not on screening duty may move to attack missiles as if they were enemy fighter squadrons. Surviving missile salvos impact the target ship, inflicting a number of die of damage for each missile. This damage and any resulting damage related rolls are resolved at the same point in the turn as fighter damage. Obviously all missiles are destroyed when they attack a ship. Jammers affect missiles the same as attacking fighter groups, missiles which do not successfully attack the jamming ship are destroyed.
        Each missile launcher only holds a number of missiles ready for use in combat. Missile launchers are divided into classes similar to pulse batteries, the particulars of each class are detailed in the following chart. Higher classes of missile launchers fire larger missiles, which have larger warheads and more fuel, increasing both range and damage. However this decreases the missile's acceleration and maneuverability due to the increased weight, and fewer missiles can be fired in a single salvo. The missile icon has ammo circles indicating the number of salvos (same as on the energy mine launcher), cross out the ammo counters as they are used.
 

Class	Thrust	Turn	Missiles/Salvo	Damage	Duration	Attacked as	Salvos/Launcher
1	40	4 points	6	1d6	2 turns	Mimb. Ftr.	3
2	30	3 points	3	2d6	3 turns	EF Ftr.	3
3	20	2 points	2	3d6	4 turns	Narn/Cent Ftr.	3

 

Organic Armor
        Organic armor is the primary defensive system of the oldest races, most notably the Vorlons and Shadows, though hybrid ships belonging to the younger races have also used this technology. Ships constructed with organic armor are able to absorb or repair enormous amounts of damage. Organic armor is not represented by a ship icon, and cannot be destroyed as a system, as it is a part of the ship's hull. For each level of organic armor the ship has, it is protected as if it had a level of interceptors in each arc (which are effective against all fighters, regardless of weapon type). Additionally each level of organic armor reduces damage from sources such as beam weapons, energy mines and missiles by 1 point for each die (however each individual die can never do less than 0 damage). Organic armor is also effective in collisions, ramming fighters inflict only a single point of damage against ships with level 1 organic armor, and none against ships with higher levels. Damage inflicted by ramming capital ships is reduced by 1/6 for each level of organic armor (round up).

Plasma Accelerator 
        The plasma accelerator is a short range, powerful weapon designed by the Centauri to give their smaller ships a sufficient punch to damage larger vessels. The plasma bolt which is fired loses power quickly, and is therefore only effective at very short ranges. The weapon is used exactly the same as a standard beam battery, however subtract one from each die after every 3 MU, instead of the typical 6.

Plasma Scattergun 
        A devastatingly powerful weapon found on the newest Vree saucer ships, the plasma scatter gun fires a rain of plasma covering a wide area of space. The weapon is fired as a pulse-4 battery, with the following modifications. First he weapon fires on all targets, friend or foe, within a 60 degree (one hex side) arc, including fighters. The weapon is not considered an anti-fighter battery (it doesn't target fighters, simply destroying them if they happen to be in its area of effect), and therefore is not fired before fighter attacks. Damage against fighters is resolved using the rules for pulse fire, each point of damage is one fighter in the squadron destroyed. Second the weapon is particularly sensitive to range, as the plasma volley quickly disperses, therefore it loses one die every 6 MU. Interceptors protect against the plasma scattergun as normal, however jammers are completely ineffective, and the weapon may be fired at no penalty even if there are no working fire controls.

Vree Reaction Drive 
        Contrary to most observers' impressions, the Vree saucer ships do not use a gravametric propulsion system. Rather they use a remarkably conventional reaction drive that exhausts through a system of thrust-vectoring slats spaced around the saucer. This gives their ships incredible maneuverability. Each drive icon produces 2 points of maneuver thrust, but no main drive thrust, pushes may be done in any direction. In the orders simply record a push, and the appropriate direction (1-12, with 12=forward).
 
Vortex Collapser 
        The vortex collapser is a weapon developed by the shadows to interfere with the jump points created by the younger races, and even the Vorlons, who use normal jump points. The Vortex collapser fires a charge of energy into an active jump point, destabilizing the vortex and causing the jump point to collapse. Any vessels unfortunate enough to be caught in the vortex at this point will most likely be destroyed. To use the weapon, orders must be given to fire it (use LVC or something similar). At the beginning of the movement phase (same point as when energy mines are placed) it may fire on any jump point within the vessels forward arc and at a distance of 20 MU or less. The jump point will immediately begin to collapse, and any ships entering the vortex this turn, must roll to survive a collapsing jump point as normal. At the end of the turn the jump point dissappears. The feedback caused by disrupting the jump point in this manner affects the ship (or jump gate) in the same maner as if a ship traversing the gate was damaged. The damage inflicted on the ship which created the jump point is 1d6.