STAR FLEET BATTLES | PLAYTEST RULE (DN100.2) |
New playtest rule for Star Fleet Battles
Copyright © 2001 Amarillo Design Bureau
Do not forward or repost without ADB permission.
TRIANGULUM GALAXY POWER ARMOR
(DN100.2) POWER ARMOR
(DN100.21) COST: A PA costs 3 points of Basic Point Value to buy as
Commander's Options. The Economic Point Value is 1.5. See also (DN100.32).
(DN100.211) CAPACITY: A Size Class 1 unit can have up to 12 PA normally,
a Size Class 2 unit can have up to 6 PA normally, a Size Class 3 unit can have
up to 4 PA normally and a Size Class 4 unit can have up to 2 PA normally. Size
Class 5 units cannot have PAs normally. These PA are in addition to the unit's
regular boarding parties. These PA must be purchased with Commander's Option
points; they are not automatically on any unit unless specifically listed as
such in its ship description.
(DN100.212) TROOP TRANSPORTS: A Troop Transport ship (including a
Commando ship) or Ground Assault PF (or any unit with "barracks") can
replace up to half of its boarding parties with PAs at a cost of three BPV per
PA. These PAs replace regular boarding parties and the cost includes the
"trade-in" value of the replaced boarding party.
(DN100.22) CAPABILITIES: If on a ship or planet a PA is treated as a
regular boarding party with some special abilities: The offensive potential
(D15.87) of a PA is two and it requires three points of damage to destroy. After
receiving two points of damage a PA is considered crippled, its offensive
potential drops to one and any Pack (see DN100.3) carried by it at that point is
destroyed. A PA struck by an ADD round (E5.0) is destroyed as if it were drone.
A PA struck by a Shield Cracker (E16.0) is destroyed by the power surge created.
(DN100.221) OPERATION IN SPACE: A PA can operate independently in space.
(DN100.2211) A PA is treated as a shuttle [moving in the Order of
Precedence (C1.313) at the same step as shuttles on Impulse #32] except that it
has a maximum speed of one and it cannot use a booster pack. They have a turn
mode of Zero, and are not required to move directly ahead as the first move
after launch unlike other launched units.
(DN100.2212) Damage scored on a PA in a boarding action and damage scored
in a space action is interchangeable and cumulative.
(DN100.2213) PAs are capable of landing or taking off from planets/moons
as shuttles, but a given PA can only accomplish either (or both) task one time
during a given scenario.
(DN100.2214) PAs in space are detected at Tactical Intelligence Level A
(the same level as drones) unless using Hidden Deployment (D20.0). PAs cannot
themselves gather intelligence under (D17.0), but might be used to capture
information.
(DN100.222) ARMAMENT: A PA is armed with a proton pulse emitter-1A (360°);
See (EN100.161). It can be fired once per turn with the normal quarter turn
(eight impulses) delay between turns (E1.50). A PA cannot use its proton pulse
emitter-1A or any Pack while onboard a ship or on a planetary surface (including
moons and asteroids). Exception: A Heavy Ground Pack (DN100.34) can be used on a
planet or moon. A PA cannot use its proton pulse emitter-1A or any Pack within
four impulses of launching from a ship or taking off from a surface (whether a
planet, moon, or asteroid) or being moved by a transporter. Exceptions: A Ground
Pack (DN100.34) and an ECM Pack (DN100.36) can be used immediately.
(DN100.223) DOGFIGHT: A PA can only be engaged in a dogfight (J7.0) with
another PA. Not even a fighter or shuttle moving speed one, or a sublight
shuttle or fighter, can engage a PA in a dogfight.
(DN100.224) TRANSPORT: PAs can be carried by a shuttle or use a
transporter as a boarding party, counting as one boarding party for such
operations.
(DN100.2241) A PA can be transported into (or recovered from) space by a
friendly transporter. A non-friendly transporter without the permission of the
PA player cannot transport a PA.
(DN100.2242) A PA in space can be displaced (G18.0) as any other unit
(whether a non-Andromedan PA by the non-Andromedan unit rules, or an Andromedan
PA by the Andromedan unit rules).
(DN100.2243) PAs in space cannot "crash aboard" ships as
shuttles can. They can attempt to board ships moving at an Effective Speed
(C2.412) of one or zero through their docking points (C13.9). Such boarding
attempts are made in the Final Activity Phase of the turn the PA entered the
unit's hex. PAs attempting to board a ship are immune from having any weapons
fire directed at them (including tractor attempts) so long as they are
attempting to or have boarded the ship. They are still subject to taking
casualties under (D7.21) while trying to board, or while aboard an enemy ship.
Note that each damage point allocated to them under such conditions destroys one
PA unit, it does not require three damage points under (D7.21). Note that PAs
can claim the status of attempting to board so long as the unit they are trying
to board does not exceed an Effective Speed of one during subsequent turns.
(DN100.225) HET: An uncrippled PA can HET once per turn to brake a
tractor link as if it where a fighter (G7.55). It does not require movement
points to accomplish this. A PA will be "death-dragged" as a fighter
by any unit moving faster than speed two, and a crippled PA will be death
dragged by any unit at any speed (G7.54).
(DN100.226) LAUNCHING FROM/LANDING ABOARD: A PA can be launched from a
ship through its shuttle bay.
(DN100.2261) Up to six PA can be launched in a single impulse from a
single bay, or up to three can be launched every two impulses, or one on one
Impulse and five the next in any combination of up to six every two impulses.
This includes landing, thus two PAs could land on one Impulse while four more
took off.
(DN100.2262) The launching or landing of even a single PA counts under
(J1.50) as the launching of a shuttle for the purposes of determining when a
shuttle could be launched from or landed into that bay (or a mine laid from that
bay).
(DN100.227) SIZE CLASS: A PA is considered to be Size Class 7.
(DN100.228) SMALL TARGET: PAs are treated as drones for purposes of
(FD1.5). PAs use a different range modifier for small targets than that listed
in (E1.7) as follows:
At ranges 0 to 5 there is no penalty when firing at a PA.
At ranges 6 to 10 the PA benefits from two points of natural ECM.
At ranges 11 to 20 a PA benefits from four points of natural ECM.
At ranges greater then 20 a PA benefits from six points of natural ECM.
In addition, PAs can benefit from Passive Fire Control (D19.0) and operate under
all applicable (D19.0) rules including but not limited to (D19.26) and (D19.31).
(DN100.229) TERRAIN INTERACTION: For interactions with all terrain types
except asteroids, and Radiation Zones treat a PA as a fighter.
(DN100.2291) If a PA in an asteroid hex it receives six points of natural
ECM due to its ability to hide behind asteroids. If there is more than one hex
of asteroids between the PA and the firing unit, the PA receives the six points
plus one point for each additional hex of asteroids (P3.33).
(DN100.2292) If another PA in the same hex attacks a PA in an asteroid
hex, there is no ECM benefit to either side for the asteroid hex.
(DN100.2293) PAs are too small to carry enough shielding to protect their
electronics and/or their operator. Unlike shuttles and fighters, they cannot
operate in a Radiation zone (P15.0) [including those created by an Ion Storm
(P14.0) or a Neutron Star (P15.5)]. Note that special scenario rules may provide
for radiation conditions in which a PA could survive exposure for some specific
period of time.
(DN100.23) REPAIR: PA armor cannot be repaired during a scenario, it is
automatically repaired between scenarios of a campaign as part of the (G17.132)
repairs, except that it does not count against the total. A Legendary Engineer
(G22.4), Legendary Marine Major (G22.5), Legendary Ground Forces Officer
(G22.9), or a Legendary Captain acting in the role of one of the above (G22.22)
can repair one point of PA armor per turn. The Legendary Officer must be present
with (in the same location as) the PA unit and perform no other action on a turn
he repairs PA armor. The unit being repaired must be a boarding party designated
as a PA unit which has taken one or two points of damage, the above listed
Legendary Officers cannot raise a PA unit from the "dead", but see
(DN100.231).
(DN100.231) The actual "boarding party" (a single individual in
this case) can be healed by the normal rules (G9.23) and (G22.611). Note that
"dead" PA boarding parties healed by a Legendary Doctor during a
scenario will not have their armor, but will be a single individual with no
combat capability (unless combined with four other such individuals, in which
case all of them are then treated as a single boarding party). If a Legendary
Doctor is present with other Legendary officers, the Doctor could
"heal" a PA pilot who could then operate a PA repaired by other
Legendary officers (DN100.23).
(DN100.232) Note that PAs can only be repaired between rounds of a
campaign if they are on the ship/planet etc. PA units that were destroyed when
the shuttle they were on was blown up in space (or were themselves destroyed
while in space), or that were left behind on an enemy ship (or carried off by an
enemy ship) or planet, cannot be repaired and are lost.
(DN100.24) HIT-AND-RUN: A PA is treated like a commando (D15.84) for
purposes of hit-and-runs if undamaged prior to the attempt. Damaged PAs, even a
PA with a single damage point, cannot be sent on hit-and-run raids.
If the result of the hit-and-run includes the destruction of the boarding party
roll a die: A result of 1-3 indicates the PA receives one point of damage and
returns,
A result of 4-5 indicates the PA received two points of damage and returns,
A result of 6 indicates the PA is destroyed.
(DN100.25) OTHER RULES: A PA is treated as a regular boarding party for
all other purposes e.g., requires one transporter action to move (G8.3), two can
be carried by a shuttle into a combat situation (J2.211), has an offensive
potential of one point (D15.87), are all killed if the barracks box they are in
is destroyed (G28.33), etc., except as defined below.
(DN100.251) Ships with Poor Crews (G21.141) cannot purchase PA status for
any of their boarding parties, including any additional boarding parties
purchased above its starting level. Ships with Outstanding Crews (G21.142) gain
no additional benefit in the purchase of PA status, i.e., they may spend
Commander's Option points in the same manner as a non-Outstanding Crew ship.
(DN100.252) PA provides no protection from attack by Transporter
Artillery (E20.0) except that each such unit requires three points of damage to
be destroyed (DN100.22).
(DN100.253) RECORDS: It should be obvious that records will need to be
kept on damage sustained by any one PA boarding party. Each ship able to carry
PA will have a box system to record damage to the PAs carried on board. Such
records are, for simplicity's sake, always open to review by all sides in any
given scenario.
(DN100.2531) One solution is to use the counters from Module M, with each
PA represented by a single counter. When a given PA is damaged, its counter
number can be recorded.
(DN100.2532) Another means of keeping record keeping down is to require
that the resolution of damage to PAs be done on the basis of eliminating whole
counters, e.g., five damage points kills one PA and damages a second. A second
volley of five damage points eliminates the damaged PA, kills another PA, and
puts a point of damage on a third. Obviously this method favors the non-PA
player as it reduces the PA side's firepower faster than if that side were
allowed to cripple all its PAs to resolve damage before any are destroyed.
(DN100.254) PA units are destroyed by damage to the ship they are on
exactly as non-PA-boarding parties are (D7.21), e.g., if the ship has taken its
50th damage point, one PA boarding party is destroyed. If the ship has PA and
non-PA boarding parties, the owning player may choose which is lost (and will
obviously choose the non-PA boarding party).
(DN100.255) PA boarding parties cannot be affected by non-violent marine
combat (D6.46). They can use (D6.46) against opposing forces not in BA or PA
armor.
(DN100.256) PAs can be used for minesweeping. They cannot combine to
sweep a single mine, nor can they sweep a mine with their proton pulse
emitter-1A (the fire control is not that precise). The PA sweeps a mine by
actually contacting the mine and disarming it. Use the procedure for a
minesweeping shuttle (M8.32). A ship must guide the PA to the mine, including a
PF, that has a lock-on to the mine. The PA cannot itself detect a mine (its fire
control system is a lot less effective than even that of a shuttle).
(DN100.257) PAs are not fighters, and do not benefit from any of the
rules of fighters not specified above, e.g., they are not a "fighter
squadron" eligible to receive lent EW from their "carrier", nor
can one PA lend EW from its Pack (DN100.323) to other PAs in its
"squadron", they cannot use Chaff (D13.0), etc.
(DN100.258) Some other units might operate a PA.
(DN100.2581) A Legendary Captain, Legendary Ground Forces Officer,
Legendary Marine Major, or Legendary Ace fighter pilot can operate a PA, but if
they do so they lose all of their other Legendary Abilities. This might result
from one of the above (or a Legendary Engineer) repairing a destroyed PA and
then operating it. Note that a Legendary Ace cannot repair a PA.
(DN100.2582) A Prime Team could be completely equipped with PAs, perhaps
as part of a mission to insert into a planet of a hostile power. The Prime team
members operate in all ways as PAs, but cannot function as a Prime team until
they abandon the PAs. Note that a scenario may call for such a team to return to
a site and take off from a planetary surface in PA armor.
(DN100.259) PA armor can only disengage aboard a ship or other unit
capable of disengagement. While nominally capable of sublight disengagement, the
life-support systems of PA armor could not possibly sustain the pilot long
enough to reach any base. Some special scenario rules may provide for PA units
to disengage by sublight and subsequently land on a nearby planet (which cannot
be more than 100 hexes from the PA's current location) for a subsequent
scenario.
(DN100.3) PACKS FOR PAs
(DN100.31) CARRIAGE: A PA can carry up to one space of Packs.
(DN100.32) PACKS: There are six types of Packs that can be carried by a
PA, the Pack carried by each PA must be recorded at the start of the scenario
and cannot be changed during the scenario. Any Packs can be chosen, and are
included in the PA cost (DN100.21). Packs are destroyed when a PA receives two
points of damage.
(DN100.321) GROUND PACK: Size: 0.5. A PA can carry only one Ground Pack.
If the PA is on a planet, not a ship, the Ground Pack adds one to the PA's
offensive potential.
(DN100.322) PROTON PULSE EMITTER-1A PACK: Size: 1. Operates like a proton
pulse emitter-1A (360°) (EN100.161) but can only be fired once.
(DN100.3221) The proton pulse emitter-1A pack can be recharged by having
.25 points of energy applied to it. The application of this energy requires that
the PA unit be aboard the ship taking no other action for one turn. It can be
recharged by any power source owned by the player controlling the PA unit (or
his allies), e.g., inside any ship or base.
(DN100.323) ECM PACK: Size: 0.5. An ECM Pack adds two points of ECM to a
PA. The ECM pack must be charged with a half-point of power from any source on
the owning ship. Once charged, it is able to perform its function with no
further energy cost for 100 turns, after which it will need to be recharged. ECM
packs are able to do this because the size of the unit they are generating the
ECM for is very small, which increases the EW effect. If more than 100 turns has
elapsed, the pack may be recharged at any power source owned by the player
controlling the PA unit (or his allies), e.g., inside any ship or base, but this
will require the PA unit to take no other actions for one turn.
(DN100.324) TRANSPORTER PACK: Size: 0.5. A Transporter Pack can be used
by the carrying PA to transport itself once. The maximum range is three hexes.
If used for a hit-and-run the PA is not returned after the attempt, it remains
on the target ship. The Transporter pack must be charged with 1/5th of a point
of power from any source on the owning ship. It can be recharged at any power
source owned by the player controlling the PA unit (or his allies), e.g., inside
any ship or base, but this will require the PA unit to take no other actions for
one turn.
(DN100.325) MINI-MINE PACK: Size: 1. A Mini-Mine Pack can drop one
Mini-Mine. This mine can only be dropped by a PA that is acting independently in
space. Use the standard procedure for activation. It is legal to use a
transporter to move a PA into space, have it drop its mine, and then use another
transporter to beam the PA back aboard (or someplace else) causing the mine to
become active.
(DN100.32511) MINI-MINE: A Mini-Mine is treated like a T-bomb (M3.0) but
with an explosion strength of five, an explosion and detection range of zero
(only in the hex of the Mini-Mine), and it can only be deployed by a PA. It
cannot be dropped from a shuttle hatch, minerack, minelaying shuttle, or be
independently transported into space.
(DN100.32512) A given unit may have a number of mini-mines equal to twice
the total number of PAs it has. These cost no additional BPV, but note that if
all PAs equipped with mini-mine packs are destroyed the remaining mini-mines
will not be able to be laid by any means during a given scenario.
(DN100.32513) To reload a PA with a mini-mine requires that the PA be
aboard a ship operated by its owning race or an ally with such a mine available.
The PA can take no action for one turn while the mine is loaded.
(DN100.326) STILETTO MISSILE PACK: Size: 0.5. A Stiletto Missile Pack can
launch one Stiletto Missile.
(DN100.3261) STILETTO MISSILE: A Stiletto Missile is treated like a Spear
Missile (see FN103.2) but with these statistics: Size: 0.25, speed: 24, damage:
1, warhead: 6, endurance: 8 hexes, tracking arc: FA. A Stiletto Missile is
self-guided and cannot receive any EW.
(DN100.3262) To reload a PA with a stiletto missile requires that the PA
be aboard a ship operated by its owning race or an ally with such a missile
available. The PA can take no action for one turn while the missile is loaded.
(DN100.3263) A given unit may have a number of Stilettos equal to twice
the total number of PAs it has. These cost no additional BPV, but note that if
all PAs equipped with Stiletto packs are destroyed the remaining stilettos will
not be able to be launched by any means during a given scenario.
(DN100.327) INTERUPTION: A PA in the process of being reloaded is very
vulnerable to damage from simple hand phasers.
(DN100.3271) A PA in the process of being reloaded can abandon the
reloading process at any point in the reload turn. If it does so, the reload
energy (if any) is lost, any mine or missile being reloaded is ruined and must
be discarded. Players controlling PAs might take such action due to the ship
they are on being boarded by enemy action, or the player may simply decide he
needs to launch that particular PA into space (or onto an enemy unit, or down to
a planet, etc.) immediately.
(DN100.3272) If a PA on a ship being boarded by an enemy does not abandon
its reloading, it cannot take part in the subsequent boarding action at the end
of the turn, but can be given up as a casualty to resolve one (1) casualty
point.
(DN100.3273) The reload facilities for PAs for purposes of (D16.0) are
located with the Barracks on ships which have barracks, and are otherwise
located in the largest block of hull boxes on the ship. If a ship has two equal
blocks of hull boxes, the owning player may select the block. These reload
facilities can never "chain react" (D12.0).
(DN100.33) RESTRICTION: A PA cannot use a pack in the same impulse that
it uses its proton pulse emitter-1A or any other Pack. Exception: ECM packs are
always active and do not affect the use of other packs by that PA.
(DN100.4) ORDER OF THE ULTIMATE TRUTH LIMITATION
(DN100.41) LIMITATION: PAs operated by the Order of Ultimate Truth (OUT)
cannot operate in space and can only carry a Ground Pack (DN100.321).
Copyright © 2001 Amarillo Design Bureau, All Rights Reserved | Last updated 8 August 2001 |