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mj12games.com/forum → Posts by RiflemanIII
Post-October. I used the most recent version of drydock, which takes the corrections to seekers and carronade into account.
FIGHTING SHIPS OF THE FRONTIER ALLIANCE
The scale of space means that the words "local" and "superpower" can freely coexist- after all there's plenty of room.
The Paltanea Republic, however, suffered one of the fates that smaller nations have received at the hands of superpowers for some time. The two nearby heavyweights, the Earth Federation and the Balthorian Empire had been looking to open up new fronts for their fighting ever since their conflict began, and the situation had devolved to a costly stalemate all along their conflict zones. The Republic was wedged in-between them, and they were soon given an ultimatum by both sides- declare an allegiance, or be considered a hostile combatant. While they did not capitulate, it became obvious in short order that fighting off both powers would be hopeless after the initial engagements. Those who wanted to continue the fight were forced to retreat with whatever they could salvage to the frontier holdings of the Republic, which were allowed to exist at the pleasure of the two powers who had far more important things to deal with- mainly each other.
Knowing that they were living on borrowed time, the Paltanean Remnant started seeking allies on the frontier who were willing to create an alliance that could defend smaller states and give even the great powers something to think about- and by and large, they found a surprising number of allies who either hated Earth, would prefer to remain under the control of no superpower whatsoever, and other forces who considered interstellar combat against military powers to be such a gosh-darn good time to begin with. This hodge-podge of various fleets is mocked by Earth, but is given more caution by the Empire- after all, what's happening on the frontier is a replay of how their own Empire began...
The following list of factions that make up the Alliance is by no means exhaustive, but is representatives the major players in their military organization.
Paltanea in Exile
While the Paltanean fleet was defeated by the warring powers, they were never able to destroy it as a force in-being, and they managed to slip the noose and remain a fighting force. The fleet was only modest in comparison to the overwhelming forces of Earth and Balthor, as it was a well-trained and organized starfleet that could deal with most problems short of an invading superpower. Their fleet is organised around carrier groups consisting of a fleet carrier and light and medium combat vessels, as well as a handful of weapons standardized across their ship designs.
Variable Laser
Range 4/8/12, 1/3+/2/2 Rpt
-Pulse mode: 3/6/9 4/4+/1/1 Dfs.
The standard energy weapon used as the primary gun battery on smaller ships and secondary on larger vessels. The weapon provides accurate fire as a continuous beam, but also serves as a rapid-fire weapon against close and lighter targets.
Missile tube
Seeker, MA 8, 1/4+/1/4
While the designation has changed and technology has advanced, this weapon has largely remained the same over the long history of the Republic- strap a big warhead to a booster and throw it at a ship owned by someone you don't like.
Antimatter Launcher
Range 4/8/12, 1/4+/2/5 Knt Slw
As the Paltanea fleet was never really able to field battleships, they had to find other solutions for dealing with asteroid strongholds and similar orbital obstructions. The solution was to create a mass driver that fired an anti-matter projectile at anything that needed to explode. While they did eventually turn it into a weapon useful against spacecraft, handling antimatter is a tricky process, and so loading and firing the weapon is held at a restricted rate for reasons of safety.
Hearth-class Destroyer
A prolific warship within the inventory of the fleet in exile, its limited combat utility is balanced by the fact that it is logistically simple, as it doesn't carry any of the powerful but high-maintenance antimatter weapons of larger ships. While maneuverable, its speed is only average compared to some of the light ships fielded by other powers.
Paltanea HEARTH-class Destroyer (110)
Hull: 5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 7-5-3
Weapons: 8-6-3
Shields: 2-2-1
Variable Laser (4-8-12) 1×3+/2/2 (Rpt)
-Pulse mode (3-6-9) 4×4+/1/1 (Dfs)
AC ☐| BD ☐ // (1)
Missile tube (MA 8) 1×4+/1/4
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐| Overthrusters ☐ // (1)Castle-class cruiser
The cruiser-sized combat vessel of the Frontier Alliance, this is the largest vessel in their inventory intended for direct combat against enemy forces. While well-protected and well-armed with lasers, missiles, and an Anti-matter gun, the relatively short range of its most dangerous weapon means it often has to rely on its special equipment to close the gap against equivalent enemy vessels.
Paltanea CASTLE-class Cruiser (280)
Hull: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 5-4-3-2-1
Weapons: 12-10-8-5-3
Shields: 4-4-3-2-1
Antimatter launcher (4-8-12) 1×4+/2/5 (Knt; Slw)
G ☐ // (1)
Variable Laser (4-8-12) 1×3+/2/2 (Rpt)
-Pulse mode (3-6-9) 4×4+/1/1 (Dfs)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)
Missile tube (MA 8) 1×4+/1/4
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐| CE ☐| DF ☐ // (3)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Flares : 6-5-4-3-2-1Home-class Combat Carrier
Due to the tragically enlightening lessons learned about carrier warfare in space during the first battles against the Balthorians (ref Earth Federal Naval Academy education module (12-27H: Analysis and Lessons of the Vega Disaster), dedicated fighter carriers tend to be more heavily armed and defended against direct attacks than their blue-water predecessors. The Home-class is no exception to this, bristling with missiles, Anti-matter guns, and laser batteries while also mounting quick launch equipment that allows it to scramble its fighters as quickly as possible. While smaller than the fleet carriers of larger nations, the Home carries as many fighters. Due to the fact that Paltanea had no true Battleships, they tend to favor larger, harder hitting fighter craft in place of numbers.
The standard mix of groups is 6 heavy/3 assault/3 Bombers.
Paltanea HOME-class Carrier (1105)
Hull: 15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1
Weapons: 13-12-10-9-7-5-4-2
Shields: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Antimatter launcher (4-8-12) 1×4+/2/5 (Knt; Slw)
AC ☐| BD ☐ // (1)
Variable Laser (4-8-12) 1×3+/2/2 (Rpt)
-Pulse mode (3-6-9) 4×4+/1/1 (Dfs)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)
Missile tube (MA 8) 1×4+/1/4
ACE ☐☐☐| BDF ☐☐☐ // (3)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Traits: Carrier (12); Launch Tubes
Flares : 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Marines : 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1Valkyrie Initiative
One of the many abandoned projects pursued by Earth to assert its control over the rest of humanity naturally included a supersoldier program- it seems to be an inevitable law that all large interstellar states will pursue one at some point or another, with largely the same results- unruly masses of superior combat units who rightly question why they should be slaves to others. While the results of the Balthorin program are not known, that data only exists in the so-called "Black Archive", a heavily fortified facility that contains data that can only be seen by the emperor and those given explicit permission by the Emperor, which is a relief to all of their neighbors. After all, if it had been successful, the news would have been trumpeted to the four corners of the galaxy.
The continued existence of the VI was kept a careful secret until their descendants were encountered by the Paltanean fleet after their retreat to the Frontier. They were created as a breed of superior combat soldiers for use as tide-turners- basically held in reserve until the enemy committed their forces, and then used as a deadly counterpunch against vulnerable and vital targets. This still exposed them to massive amounts of danger due to the sensitivity of their missions, and they only performed under protest for a few years before making off with a disturbing number of ships as well as the technology used to create them.
Many centuries afterwards, it was discovered that they had developed into a strong frontier state that had destroyed a number of its immediate adversaries that plied their trade in the dark, like pirate clans and slaver rings, and the fact that Earth might be willing to turn an eye to the destruction of neutral states means they didn't need much motivation to throw in their lot with Paltanea, bringing their strong ships with them.
The most common weapons in their inventory are as follows:
Particle cannon- The primary offensive energy weapon used by VI ships, it is a weapon whose virtues are best realized at shorter ranges. Still, even a long-range hit from this weapon can be potentially troublesome due to the fact that the target vessel is being struck by an accelerated stream of something with a whole lot more mass than a photon. It comes in two varieties- the standard one is the primary armament for capital ships, while there is a lighter one for cruisers.
Particle cannon:
RNG 5/10/15, 1x4+/*/4, Pr1 Sct Rpt
Particle Cannon (light)
RNG 4/8/12, 1x4+/*/3, Sct Rpt
Missile array- These warhead bays are banks of missile launchers used for long-range fire against incoming enemies. These weapons systems can not only launch anti-ship missiles, but also have cells packed with hypervelocity, short-range range rockets for use against fighter pilots who are too willing to test their luck.
Missile array: (MA 8) 2×4+/2/3
-Cluster rocket 2/4/* 3×4+/1/1 Crn, Dfn
Laser battery- A bundle of standard laser weapons that you might find anywhere in the galaxy, used as a rapid-fire weapon against close-range targets. While not particularly impressive or sophisticated, it is still a reliable system.
Laser battery 3/6/9 3×4+/1/1
Huginn-class Gunship
The standard patrol vessel of the VI, this pint-sized terror is armed with laser batteries and a single capital-scale particle cannon, as well as a sophisticated stealth system that denies the enemy the means to strike the vessel at their own long ranges. In larger engagements they are wielded like Napoleonic Cavalry- after the enemy's larger combat vessels have had their defenses and firepower reduced by fire, squadrons of gunships are ordered in to exploit the weakened enemy line vessels.
Valkyrian HUGINN-class Gunship (85)
Hull: 4-3-2-1
Engines: 7-4
Weapons: 5-3
Shields: 2-1
Particle cannon (5-10-15) 1×4+/*/4 (Pr1; Rpt; Sct)
G ☐ // (1)
Laser battery (3-6-9) 3×4+/1/1
AC ☐| BD ☐ // (1)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐| Stealth ☐ // (1)Muninn-class fast cruiser
This ship trades some of the traditional cruiser protection for speed and a blistering array of weapons, which makes sense considering that the historical needs of the VI military are more anti-piracy and raiding than heavy fleet engagements. However, the origin of its design doesn't mean it's useless in standard engagement roles, as it has plenty of missiles to hurl at the unwary and unaccustomed.
Valkyrian Initiative MUNINN-class Cruiser (245)
Hull: 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 6-5-4-3-2
Weapons: 12-10-8-5-3
Shields: 3-3-2-2-1
Particle Cannon-Light (4-8-12) 1×4+/*/3 (Rpt; Sct)
AB ☐| AC ☐| BD ☐ // (2)
Missile array (MA 8) 2×4+/2/3
-Cluster rocket (2-4-*) 3×4+/1/1 (Crn; Dfn)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)
Laser battery (3-6-9) 3×4+/1/1
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)Vedfolnir-class Battleship
While the sorts of combat spacecraft that the VI's enemies could field were relatively limited, the ability of renegades to dig in and fortify any part of space to become an infuriating deathtrap is practically proverbial. While the Paltaneans responded to the problem of asteroid fortresses by developing a weapon that could shoot the asteroid out from under the base, the VI dusted off the plans of the old Yi Sun-Sin-class Battleship and remodeled it with their own technology and weapons, giving ti a hard-hitting heavy combatant. While not as large as the modern battleships fielded by major superpowers, it s a very durable and capable heavy combat vessel, and is also, as noted by Federal Navy Intelligence, "The largest thing ever flown to be given an Afterburner", meaning ti is capable of surprising, but temporary boosts of speed.
Valkyrian VEDFOLNIR-class Battleship (1030)
Hull: 19-18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 3-3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1
Weapons: 18-17-15-13-11-9-8-6-4-2
Shields: 5-5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Particle cannon (5-10-15) 1×4+/*/4 (Pr1; Rpt; Sct)
ABCD ☐☐☐ // (2)
Missile array (MA 8) 2×4+/2/3
-Cluster rocket (2-4-*) 3×4+/1/1 (Crn; Dfn)
AB ☐☐| AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (3)
Laser battery (3-6-9) 3×4+/1/1
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐| CE ☐☐| DF ☐☐ // (4)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Traits: Ionized Hull
Boosters : 2-1
Marines : 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1Nomad Guilds
The nomads are a set marginal people that grouped together as an evolution of the nationless free-traders of the frontier. They eventually coalesced into a set of merchant guilds that traded with Earth, Balthoria, and other factions in the galaxy, and returning to their resource worlds in the off-season. However, the formation of a powerful new alliance combined with the the ever more excessive demands of the galactic superpowers means that they have thrown in their lot with being the commercial brokers between the Alliance ad other, as of yet unaligned frontier entities. They are willing to lend their firepower to the Alliance as well, as it is, after all in their best interest to protect new markets.
While the weapons on their ships used to vary considerably, they have settled on a common scheme in order to effect mutual support.
K-Gun: K-Gun, slugthrower, crowbar- whatever the slang used, this represents a weapon system that uses a powerful accelerator to hurl a super-dense lump of something that the captain hopes will prove to be less dense, and is usually proven right. While its range is theoretically long, the relatively slow projectile means it has troubles at its longer ranges. It can also fire a special beehive round that's effectively a cylinder filled with small kinetic kill munitions, but at much lower velocities due to the stress the accelerators put on the projectile.
Kgun 5/10/15 1×4+/4/2 Dfs
-Frag shell 2/4/* 3×4+/1/1 Crn, Prx
Improved Laser: Not willing to throw away anything still useful, the Nomads have made a cottage industry of improving lasers to higher spec than some other powers were willing to pursue. the result is their primary energy weapon that exhibits longer range, better coherency over distance, and stronger performance against shields.
Improved laser 4/8/12 1×3+/2/2 Pr1
Buzzsaw gun: This multibarrel projectile weapon was originally developed as a trap for boarding by enemy ships. The trading vessel would wait for an enemy pirate ship to move alongside to spitball distance, and then shoot up the unsuspecting ship with unfortunate numbers of high-density projectiles from these weapons. While many criminal opponents have gotten wise to this method of cutting their ships into salvageable chunks, they remain a valuable defensive weapon against small craft.
Buzzsaw Gun 1/2/* 5×4+/1/1 Crn, Dfn
Ox-class Light Battle Hauler
Originally built out of the hull of a light freighter to provide secure transport for sensitive materials, goods, and persons, these ships are now built from the ground up for the same purpose of providing combat ready spacecraft. While relatively small, they are still rugged, dependable fighting vessels.
Nomad OX-class Light Battle Hauler (215)
Hull: 8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 5-4-3-2
Weapons: 9-7-5-3
Shields: 3-3-2-1
Kgun (5-10-15) 1×4+/4/2 (Dfs)
-Frag shell (2-4-*) 3×4+/1/1 (Crn; Prx)
AB ☐ // (1)
Improved laser (4-8-12) 1×3+/2/2 (Pr1)
AB ☐☐ // (1)
Buzzsaw Gun (1-2-*) 5×4+/1/1 (Crn; Dfn)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐| EF ☐ // (3)Elephant-class Heavy battle Hauler
Originally built out of the hulls of superheavy freighters to provide command vessels for larger convoys, the Elephant has proven to be a powerful symbol of how strong the Nomad Guilds have gotten while other powers have been distracted with their own agendas. While not as large or well-protected as the heavy combat vessels of other powers, it's still a powerful deterrent to their enemies, and there's no transport more able to make raiders go home early on account that seeing one is just a bad omen for the rest of the day.
Nomad ELEPHANT-class Battle Hauler (590)
Hull: 16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Weapons: 19-17-15-12-10-8-5-3
Shields: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Kgun (5-10-15) 1×4+/4/2 (Dfs)
-Frag shell (2-4-*) 3×4+/1/1 (Crn; Prx)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)
Improved laser (4-8-12) 1×3+/2/2 (Pr1)
AB ☐☐| AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (3)
Buzzsaw Gun (1-2-*) 5×4+/1/1 (Crn; Dfn)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐| CE ☐☐| DF ☐☐ // (4)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Traits: Cargo (2); Ionized HullMatharian Splinter Fleet
Large, jovial, perpetually concealed in armored encounter suits, and so pervasively upbeat about things that it's suspected that it's an evolutionary survival trait, The Matharians are a people who come from the rim of the galactic core and travel long ways for unknown reasons. While the full scale of their own military forces is not well-known, one of their most curious practices is the propensity of their military starfleets to donate themselves to galactic factions whose objectives tickle their fancy. The actual purposes of these visitations is not yet known and are considered quite suspicious by most parties, as these splinter fleets are never pursued as deserters, defectors, or traitors by their home government.
One of these rather substantial donations and their support equipment recently arrived and placed itself at the disposal of the Alliance. While generally grateful for the help from these benefactors and their military craft, there were some understandable questions. The most notable one was how their government could spare such a strong military force, and the response was:
"Oh, don't worry about us: We've got plenty more like it at home."
The weapons used by the ships donated to the Alliance are as follows:
Accelerator Rifle: It's not entirely known what, exactly, this weapon is accelerating, but it best analysis seems to indicate it is a dense projectile manufactured out of an artificial radioactive element whose emissions interfere with the cohesion of shield systems. There are two varieties of this weapon: The one found on lighter vessels and a heavier version found on larger ships.
Accelerator Rifle 4/8/12 1×4+/4/1 Pr1
Heavy Accelerator Rifle 5/10/15 1×4+/5/1 (Pr2)
Vasr-Halnetz torpedo: The primary long-range warhead weapon of the Matharian fleet, it is not known exactly what the payload is, but analysis so far concludes that it's a cocktail of powerful explosive matter, a number of types of radiation that disagree with the operation of starship systems, and according to one technician, "Just a lot of really nasty junk." The primary drawback is the weapon needs to be primed by the firing ship, and there are two kinds- one for heavier ships, and ones for vessels that can't muster the energy for the heavier kinds.
Vasr-Halnetz Torpedo 6/12/18 1×4+/2/2 Cts Dsr Slw
Light VH Torpedo 5/10/15 1×4+/1/2 Cts Dsr Slw
Gatling blaster: The common secondary armament found on Matharian Starships, this temperamental weapon sprays out plasma bolts at anything that wanders into their range. However, the amount of useful outgoing fire they produce seems to be highly variable- a suitable weapon for a people disposed to thinking things will generally work out in the end.
Gatling blaster 3/6/9 *×4+/1/1 Vlt
Sunrise-class Combat Frigate
The general utility ship of the Matharians, this vessel is generally used for escorting larger craft and similar duties. While its firepower is not especially substantial, is carries boarding troops and mines, meaning it is useful for a variety of military missions, and is moderately protected as well.
Maharian Splinter Fleet SUNRISE-class Combat Frigate (175)
Hull: 6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 6-4-2
Weapons: 6-4-2
Shields: 3-2-1
Light VH Torpedo (5-10-15) 1×4+/1/2 (Cts; Dsr; Slw)
AB ☐ // (1)
Accelerator Rifle (4-8-12) 1×4+/4/1 (Pr1)
AB ☐ // (1)
Gatling blaster (3-6-9) *×4+/1/1 (Vlt)
AC ☐| BD ☐| EF ☐ // (2)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Marines : 5-4-3-2-1
Mines : 6-5-4-3-2-1Ocean-class Combat Cruiser
The standard cruiser of the Matharian forces, this vessel eschews any kind of complicated equipment in favor of bringing guns to the field. It is a reasonably well-armed and defended cruiser-typed vessel, though analysis has shown that the vessel's structure is the result of being optimized for quick construction through fully-automated processes. This has lead to the conclusion that this ship could be constructed at a staggering pace compared to similar-sized vessels, though the need for such swift construction is still a matter of speculation.
Msf OCEAN-class Combat Cruiser (365)
Hull: 12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 4-4-3-2-2-1
Weapons: 11-10-8-6-4-2
Shields: 4-4-3-2-2-1
Heavy Accelerator Rifle (5-10-15) 1×4+/5/1 (Pr2)
ABCD ☐☐ // (1)
Light VH Torpedo (5-10-15) 1×4+/1/2 (Cts; Dsr; Slw)
AB ☐☐☐☐ // (2)
Gatling blaster (3-6-9) *×4+/1/1 (Vlt)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐ // (2)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)Storm-Class torpedo cruiser
An extremely specialized cruiser-sized vessel built for the purpose of hauling the Vasr-Halnetz torpedo into battle, it has removed all other primary armament in favor of fielding as much of this dangerous weapon it can carry. It serves as a dedicated bombardment weapon against starships, stations, and any other problems that their torpedo can solve. It is even equipped with an advanced targeting system to ensure more of its payload lands on target.
Msf STORM-class Torpedo Cruiser (355)
Hull: 12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 4-4-3-2-2-1
Weapons: 11-10-8-6-4-2
Shields: 4-4-3-2-2-1
Vasr-Halnetz torpedo (6-12-18) 1×4+/2/2 (Cts; Dsr; Slw)
AB ☐☐☐ // (2)
Gatling blaster (3-6-9) *×4+/1/1 (Vlt)
AC ☐☐☐| BD ☐☐☐ // (3)
Equipment: Fire Control ☐| Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)Tower-class Command ship
This large command vessel is the only other carrier ship within the Alliance inventory. Well-protected and stocked with weapons, the Matharians direct their fleets from the depths of this warship. While it is not yet known if this is the heaviest combatant that the Matharians can field, it is still a powerful combat vessel in its own right.
The fighter groups fielded by the Matharians tend to be focused on defending the fleet. A standard mix is 4 interceptor/2 assault/2 standard.
Msf TOWER-class Command Ship (1240)
Hull: 18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1-1
Weapons: 14-13-11-10-8-7-5-4-2
Shields: 5-5-4-4-3-3-2-2-1
Heavy Accelerator Rifle (5-10-15) 1×4+/5/1 (Pr2)
ABCD ☐☐☐ // (2)
Vasr-Halnetz torpedo (6-12-18) 1×4+/2/2 (Cts; Dsr; Slw)
G ☐☐☐☐ // (2)
Gatling blaster (3-6-9) *×4+/1/1 (Vlt)
ACE ☐☐☐| BDF ☐☐☐ // (3)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Traits: Carrier (8)
Marines : 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1</r>
You may want to add Mdl to the beam weapons- the reason that FS ships don't carry shields is because beam weapons just cut right through them- and also because non-bomber fighters can't destroy larger capital ships anyways.
Balthorian Empire T-Class "Tribute Battleship"
One of the misconceptions that people often have about empires is that they are monolithic power structures ruled by a single autocrat who is obeyed as though they are a god. In the same way that there hasn't ever been a truly absolute monarchy, this reflects a somewhat limited understanding of the structure of certain types of authoritarian states. The Balthorian Empire is much like the historical empires of Earth's past, being a combination of a powerful central authority grafted onto a collection of subject peoples, client states, and puppet allies which feign autonomy but generally bend to the interests of the Imperial Ministry when the call goes out from Balthorias. One of the consequences of this is that the actual core Imperial Military makes up a minority of the forces available to the Empire, though a very powerful one, and the majority of the ships that fly the imperial banner are what Terran command has designated as "Tribute ships"- vessels provided for the security of the Empire that free up the frontline combat units for battle against the Empire's external enemies.
While this situation had served the Empire well for a long time, there were thoughts about expanding the program. A bloc within the Imperial War Ministry eventually prevailed upon the Emperor to consider allowing them to expand the Tribute program to also include the construction of large, front-line combatant warships. The various sub-units of the Empire had already proven themselves capable at building security ships and long-range patrol vessels, and an expansion of the program to allow their vassals to contribute heavy warships to the navy would mean that the core Imperial Navy wouldn't have to bear most of the losses incurred in fighting the Empire's more dangerous enemies. The War Ministry leaked these plans to the Kyraxians, who practically salivated at the prospect at being allowed to fight in the Empire's major conflicts with more than medium or lighter ships. Eventually, the Emperor agreed to a limited expansion of the Tribute program, allowing the Kyraxians to construct large battlecraft.
While the performance of the ships that the Kyraxians contributed exceeded the expectations of the War Ministry, they made a critical error in assuming that this case would apply to all of the client peoples of the Empire, as this particular ally was a bit of a unique case- The Kyraxians were fanatically loyal warriors who had willingly sworn their total and undying allegiance to the Empire after they had been liberated from a powerful slaver league that had once dominated their region of space. Moreover, there were many Kyraxian soldiers who had served in the Imperial Navy, and so had the frontline combat experience necessary to inform the design of large combat ships for use in space warfare. Eventually, it was decided that the expansion of the tribute program would apply to those client peoples deemed sufficiently loyal by the Imperial Intelligence Ministry, which resulted in two problems- political and tactical.
The political difficulties with the expansion of the tribute program made their appearance almost immediately. While the various client peoples of the Empire were willing to go along with a program that allowed them some autonomy in protecting their own territory without having to constantly ask permission from Balthorias, they were somewhat less enthusiastic about providing vessels whose primary purpose was aiding in the expansion of the Empire. While it was impossible to disobey the Imperial edict, the crews of these vessels were somewhat less than motivated, so ships that performed acceptably in weapon trials would exhibit certain deficiencies in accuracy in offensive warfare. A somewhat less common but more dangerous problem was the fact that while the client states involved in the program were deemed sufficiently loyal, it didn't account for lingering separatist sentiment in Imperial territories which led to sabotage during the construction process- one high-ranking naval minister was killed when one tribute ship presented for inspection suddenly exploded during the course of the visit due to a feeder bomb ingeniously disguised as part of the primary reactor cluster, which was set to explode when all weapons were brought to full power.
The tactical deficiencies were not immediately apparent until the ships were forced to act on their own- during combined operations, their difficulties were masked by the fact that they were often acting in support of Imperial Navy ships, but during the war with Earth, several frontline units were recalled to put down a rebellion, leaving the Tribute Ships to continue the fight, but it was then that the flaws in the program became clear. The requests sent to the various participating governors lacked many crucial specifics, and so many of the tribute ships were what the client peoples' concept of what a space battleship looked like based on what Imperial dreadnoughts were famous for doing and being- so the ships themselves tended to be gun-heavy, sluggish vessels which were woefully undefended against anything that could stay out of their range, making them easy prey for the kind of stand-off tactics that Earth favored, and the crews of tribute vessels lacked the expertise and skill to engage in the warp warfare that the Balthorians were famous for. there was also the fact that client peoples had to start building large combat vessels from first principles, resulting in varied an numerous design inefficiencies. Compounding this was the fact that some large Earth carriers had been converted to Arsenal Ships in order to give them Earth fleets more available immediate firepower to defend themselves against ambushes meant that the tribute battleships found themselves outmatched by the standoff tactics that the Terrans previously favored.
In the end, the cost of supplying these underperforming vessels on the front lines far outweighed any dubious benefits, and the Tribute Battleship program was scrapped, with the exception of the expansion allowed to the Kyraxians. The remaining tribute battleships were reassigned to problem sectors as deterrence against unrest, as it was considered impossible for even the unenthusiastic crews of these vessels to miss hitting a continent on a planet from low orbit, and some ended up being commanded by some of the proponents of the Empire-wide expansion of the program.
As there were many peoples involved in the program, multiple examples are required.
---------------------
Alghaav BOULDER-class Tribute Battleship (360)
-Tech: Engines -1; Weapons -1
Hull: 14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 3-3-3-2-2-1-1
Weapons: 13-12-10-8-6-4-2
Shields: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1
Heavy plasma repeater (5-10-*) 1×5+/3/2 (Crn; Rpt)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐| CE ☐☐| DF ☐☐ // (4)
Mass rifle (3-6-9) 1×5+/1/4 (Pr1)
ABCD2 ☐☐| CDEF2 ☐☐ // (2)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Marines : 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
-------------------
Satarba TRI-KNIFE-class Tribute Battleship (435)
-Tech: Shields -2
Hull: 15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Weapons: 14-13-11-9-7-6-4-2
Shields: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Sunshell cannon (*-8-12) 1×5+/2/3 (Bls; Prx)
AB ☐☐| ACE ☐| BDF ☐ // (2)
Particle projector (3-6-9) 1×5+/*/2 (Dsr; Sct)
AB ☐☐☐| AC ☐☐☐| BD ☐☐☐ // (5)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Marines : 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Mines : 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
----------------
Skraeva PERNICIOUS-class Tribute Battleship (390)
-Tech: Engines -2
Hull: 16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 3-3-3-2-2-2-1-1
Weapons: 7-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Shields: 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Tri-rail cannon (5-10-*) 1×5+/1/5 (Crn; Knt)
ABCD ☐☐ // (1)
Bore torpedo (4-8-12) 1×5+/1/2 (Cts; Rpt)
AC3 ☐☐| BD3 ☐☐ // (2)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐ // (1)
Traits: Ionized Hull</t>
This is just thought exercise from my various homebrew settings. Really, just a bit of fun.
-----------------
Lockheed-Sukhoi Apex-class destroyer.
While it isn't often that an interstellar nation has to throw its entire space combat doctrine into the furnace, this was precisely the situation that Earth found itself in by the end of the 40th century. Earth's various territorial battles had largely been sieges on a grand scale that were often resolved in the same method: Earth would send in a carrier group, the escorts would defeat any planetary or orbital missile batteries, the carrier would send down fighter craft to destroy any terrestrial fortified positions, and the ships would then force a surrender from space. There was no reason to change a thing which had worked for centuries, until Earth ended up picking a fight with their closest galactic neighbor, the Balthorian empire. While the Terran Unity had acquired its territory in a piecemeal fashion through acquiring the allegiance of various human-colonized worlds, the Balthorians had acquired theirs through the conquest of other interstellar powers.
The first battles, in light of this, went as any outsider might predict. The Balthorians used their superior expertise in warp warfare to jump their heavily-armed and protected dreadnoughts directly into gun range of Earth's crucial but vulnerable fleet ships, brush aside the fire of the smaller defenders, and then annihilate the carrier vessel with a blistering array of powerful weaponry. After seeing that close combat would likely dominate future battles, Earth furiously sought a solution, and began work on their first large vessel built entirely for combat with other large space vessels, and there was enormous pressure to do something- and they did something, all right. Presented with an impossible set of specifications, the only company willing to take the contract for the Destroyer Program was Lockheed-Sukhoi, which had some goodwill due to their development of Earth's still-high performance assault fighter craft.
While L-S was able to deliver the requested mobility profile, the gigantic engines required to make this possible made every other aspect of the design suffer. The ship's defensive arrays fell short of those possessed by the Imperial capital vessels it was meant to engage, largely because the types of reactors required for a ship of this type had to be invented in an impossibly short time frame, and carriers did not require nearly as much power as the proposed Destroyer due to the fact that their weaponry was either defensive or missile-based. the result was that the Apex was powered by clusters of smaller reactors which resulted in fiddly power grids that required constant supervision, and even when running smoothly they caused certain irregularities in the ship's weapon compliment which was compounded by other difficulties. To try to salvage the defensive requirements, the designers reinforced the hull as much as the structure could bear.
The ship's main energy armament was the LX-220 Battle Laser. While the weapon could produce impressive firepower, it was an energy hog that was bolted onto an already underdesigned power grid, which meant that the first attempt to fire it at its on-paper fire rate caused a capacitor explosion which blew the weapon right out of its turret ring. The woes faced by its secondary armament, the PG-60 Defense laser, while not spectacular, were still unpredictable and troubling, as sudden power surges and brownouts would result in vast deficiencies or surpluses in volume of fire. While the dangers of the first were obvious, the nuisance of the second became known when the defense guns had to have extensive repairs done on them after any use that might be described as sustained. The only weapons system that didn't suffer from regular or capricious malfunctions was the MM-140 "Thresher" missile launcher, but that was a low-power system which was largely a tune-up of a system already in extensive use, redesigned to accommodate the very dangerous so-called "Grand slam" warhead. As part of the contract, Lockheed-Sukhoi was allowed to introduce a small hangar bay as well, for three squadrons of fighters.
Fortunately for Lockheed-Sukhoi, the appropriations department was as desperate as they were disappointed, so several of this ships were completed and sent into action with mixed results, with successes attributed mainly to the element of surprise that Earth was fielding such a ship, but later discoveries showed that the vast majority of the Empire's large combatants were "tribute ships", which had their own shortcomings in both crew and design, and presented a less imposing challenge than the sleek, monstrous warships which spearheaded the first few months of the war. Still, it would be years until Earth had a ship capable of contending with the Empire's best.
Earth Apex-class Destroyer (860)
Hull: 18-17-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1
Engines: 4-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
Weapons: 15-14-12-10-9-7-5-4-2
Shields: 4-4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1
LX-220 Battle laser (5-10-15) 1×4+/4/2 (Pr1; Slw)
ABCD ☐☐☐ // (2)
MM-140 heavy missile launcher (MA 12) 2×4+/2/2 (Cts; Dsr)
ACE ☐| BDF ☐ // (1)
PG-60 Defense Laser (2-4-6) *×4+/1/1 (Vlt)
AC ☐☐| BD ☐☐| DE ☐☐| EF ☐☐ // (4)
Equipment: Hyperdrive ☐| Overthrusters ☐ // (1)
Traits: Carrier (3); Ionized Hull
Marines : 5-4-3-2-1
Actually, Brigade itself has put out Starmada X stats for all the ships not covered in Starmada X Brigade.
http://www.brigademodels.co.uk/Gaming/Starmada/index.html
Some designs are masterpieces of military functionality, able to slide right into the battlefield like it was meant to be here by the will of heaven.
This thread is not about those. this is where I will place my "Lemon" designs- things which might've been good at one point, but through some trick of fate or incompetence, just never did the trick.
A-23 Ogre.
Like with any military technology, there are some who become so enamored of new developments that the toxic phenomenon known as "more is more" begins to set in at an alarming pace. The case of the A-23 Ogre is a cautionary tale in the history of combat walker design, a morality play on the bitter wages of the sin of excess.
The Ogre began its life as project thunderbolt, a design for a heavy quadrapedal combat machine armed with multiple heavy long-range weapons systems to control battlefield space and act as an anchor for other elements in a combat situation. the project had the misfortune to be handed over to Devasta Inc., which was hungry to make a big splash in defense contracting. They went over the heads of other officers to convince generals who wanted a nice big ribbon to tie on the ends of their careers to accept their modified specification proposals to turn it into the largest battle platform that current power and engineering technologies could allow.
Unfortunately, it was not long into the project that the goal morphed from "deliver a staggering next-generation weapon system" to "deliver something mobile." The original armor scheme for the vehicle proved to be too heavy for even the most powerful microfission reactors to propel at anything more than a centipede's sprint, so it had to be thinned for the machine's pace to approach plodding. The numerous optical and ballistic weapons systems installed caused it to light up on thermal scopes like a spotlight in a basement, so a new cooling system had to be engineered on the spot, one whose requirements were so extensive that it took up all of the remaining usable engineering space of the machine, meaning that other promised features could not be installed.
The only thing that Devasta was able to deliver on was the firepower- armed with two high-intensity combat lasers, many powerful anti-armor missiles, and a high-rate autocannon for close defense, it is likely to be the most well-armed machine on almost any field it manages to make it to.
The Ogre's career on the front line was short-lived. Only a few were purchased by Earth, so it was aggressively marketed to other governments, and most of the ones who were suckered into purchasing the machine soon found out its battlefield difficulties. Its low speed meant that it could not keep up even with the most lugubrious of modern transport vehicles, and its overworked coolant systems hoovered up substantial logistical capacity in the field. Those few units that do retain operational Ogres tend to utilize them as base security, a polite way of saying that they have effectively been reduced to the role of a (barely) mobile turret.
A-23 Ogre (104 pts)
Size: 10 (Assault)
Tech level: 5 (Fission)
Armor value: 6
Signature: 5/14
Movement points: 2
Legs: 4
Weapons:
Battle Laser (Front Torso, Energy): Range 4/8/12 ROF: 1 Damage: D10
Extra Damage
Battle Laser (Front Torso, Energy): Range 4/8/12 ROF: 1 Damage: D10
Extra Damage
Raptor ATGM (Front Torso, Ballistic): Range 5/10/15 ROF: 1 Damage: D10
External Tubes, 5 Launch Tubes, Heat Seeking
Raptor ATGM (Front Torso, Ballistic): Range 5/10/15 ROF: 1 Damage: D10
External Tubes, 5 Launch Tubes, Heat Seeking
Reaper Autocannon (Front Torso, Kinetic): Range 2/4/6 ROF: 3 Damage: D6 Ammo: 10
Other systems:
Thermal Dampeners (L4)
So, any time I do this, I decide to convert the Littorio battleship, because why not, they had a navy too.
Littorio-class battleship (268)
Hull: OOOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOO/OOOOOOOO (Large)
Armor: Side 4+, End 2
Speed: 6/4+/3/2/2-
Cannone da 381(15")/50 M1934: (-1/-3) 8-16-32*, AP 6, 20/14/10/7/5/3/2
Cannone da 152(6")/55 M1936: -2/-2 5-9-18*, AP 2, 11/8/6/4/3/2/1
AA guns -0 7/5/4/3/2/1/1
The results were interesting- it took me way longer to do than other times because the required conversion math seems to have intensified, plus the fact that I had to double-check the results against the formula because the gun stats that were being output seemed mind-boggling until I checked it against what was already in the book to make sure I was doing it right. So I figured out why the data I was getting was so strange compared to other battleship guns- it was the good ol' v-squared, which is a really large part of the formula, and the reason the ITA 15" might look a bit off-kilter is because that gun had a significantly higher muzzle velocity than other battleship guns- most averaged out to 2,500/2,600 fps, and the Italian 15" had a velocity of 2800 FPS even after it was dialed back to preserve barrel life.
So, it was certainly an experience.
Hello folks. I recently picked up Imperial Crusade: Armada, and decided to try my hand at converting its ships to a 'mada gameable form.
So, to start off.
Imperium: The Imperium is a vast interstellar nation that dominates countless star systems populated by trillions of people indoctrinated into the belief that their Empress is a living goddess, and service to her is the only path to salvation. Her desire for control has extended so far that she has her fingers in every last part of the society she rules, ranging from fashion, to religion, right down to the very biology of her subjects. Despite the many devices of oppression, rebellion is widely known to be futile, as the ships and armies of the Empress are everywhere, and always watching for the slightest hint of dissent against their immortal ruler.
Fleets:
The Imperial fleet is comprised of vast numbers of small combat ships supported by massive dreadnoughts and heavy carriers, with not much in between- the only vessel that exists in the gap between imperial destroyers and the powerful Imperial capital ships is a class of light carrier that exists to swarm the battlefield with ever more expendable fighter craft. Due to the vast reserves of material and fanatic, if not entirely well-trained personnel that the Imperial forces possess, Imperium strategic doctrine has no provision for the concept of unacceptable losses. All losses are acceptable, as the Imperium is prepared to absorb any number of defeats so long as the enemy is eventually destroyed.
Ships:
Victory-class Destroyer
If the tyranny of the Imperium were quantifiable through scientific measure, then the Victory-class destroyer would be the basic unit of oppression, as these vessels, at times, seem almost as ubiquitous as hydrogen. Nimble, lightly protected, armed with a basic array of laser cannons combined with a single large plasma gun and combined with the support of a fighter squadron, this vessel is churned out in astounding numbers by Imperial shipyards to act as a shield for the powerful large craft of the Imperial navy. Survival of these ships in battle is applauded, but not expected.
Victory Destroyer (136)
Hull 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 7 6 5 3 2
Shields 2 2 2 1 1
Weapons 1: XY 2: X 3: X 4: X 5: X 6: Y
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE BDF BDF
Y: Plasma cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/1/3
Double Damage
G
Special: Hyperdrive, Overthrusters, Carrier (50)
Fury-class Assault Destroyer
The Fury-class is a modification to the Victory-class, replacing the Plasma Cannon with an Ion weapon so that the ship can come to grips with more heavily-shielded warships in close combat. That these ships will likely suffer extensive attrition has been accounted for in Imperial strategy.
Fury Destroyer (137)
As above, except replace plasma cannon with
Y: Ion cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/3/1
Range-based IMP
G
Honor-class command destroyer.
A concession to the idea that coordinated attacks are usually more effective, the Honor-class is a slightly larger destroyer the extra size going towards the electronics that are required to coordinate the actions of the Empire's destroyer squadrons. That these electronics also include measures to protect Imperial command officers from harm is a nod to the fact that while everyone in the Imperial forces is expendable, there are some persons which are less expendable than others.
Honor Command Destroyer (167)
Hull 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 7 6 5 4 3 2
Shields 2 2 2 1 1 1
Weapons 1: X 2: X 3: X 4: X 5: Y 6:
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE BDF BDF
Y: Plasma cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/1/3
Double Damage
G
Special: Hyperdrive, Overthrusters, Countermeasures, Carrier (50)
(Note: All destroyers were given fighter tech +1 to make things fit)
Crusader-class light carrier.
The Crusader is the only ship that exists between in the gap between the star-blotting mass of Imperial destroyer fleet and the Empire's massive capital ships. The primary purpose of the Victory-class is to support destroyers by providing additional fighter craft to the field. These ships are also better protected and have a larger armament, as officers capable of conducting fighter operations cannot merely be picked up off of the street, unlike the crews of Imperial destroyers.
Crusader-class light carrier (293)
Hull 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 5 5 4 4 3 2 2 1
Shields 3 3 3 2 2 2 1 1
Weapons 1: X 2: X 3: X 4: X 5: X 6: X
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE ACE BDF BDF BDF GHI JLK
Special: Hyperdrive, Carrier (150)
Warlord-class heavy carrier.
While the smallest of the Imperial capital ships, the vessel is equipped with powerful heavy weapons to supplement its primary role of being the heavy carrier of the Imperial navy, as it is one of the ship classes that is generally expected to have a chance at surviving the average imperial victory, ad the fact that the larger vessels of the Imperium tended to be staffed by those who have lived to prove themselves capable as well as loyal. Carrying twice as many fighters as the Crusader-class, the Warlord is an indispensable part of any major Imperial fleet operation.
Warlord Heavy carrier (680)
Hull 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Shields 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1
Weapons 1: X 2: X 3: X 4: X 5: Y 6: Y
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE ACE BDF BDF BDF GHI JLK
Y: Heavy Laser- 6/12/18 1/4+/3/1
GHI GHI GHI
Specials: Hyperdrive, Fire Control, Carrier (300)
Empress-class dreadnought
The Empress class is the one of the Imperium's most powerful ships, and the name of the vessel places certain burdens on its captains to perform up to Imperial commands expectations. While death in battle in the Empress's name is considered to be a moral victory, the Empress's assassins are more than capable of enforcing the second part of "Victory or Death." the fact that a not-insignificant part of the Empress-class's firepower is invested in close-ranger plasma cannons was no doubt intended as a suggestion as to how the captains of such vessels were meant to conduct themselves in battle under the watchful eyes of the Empress's agents.
Empress Dreadnought (699)
Hull 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Shields 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Weapons 1: XZ 2: X 3: X 4: Y 5: Y 6: Z
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE ACE BDF BDF BDF GHI JLK
Y: Heavy Laser- 6/12/18 1/4+/3/1
GHI GHI GHI GHI
Z: Plasma cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/1/3
Double Damage
GHI GHI GHI GHI
Holy Light-Class Battleship
The Holy Light is one of the few classes of ship not deemed immediately expendable, as it is a new, massive class of warship designed specifically for the task of rolling over what few galactic powers are still able to put up meaningful resistance against the awesome might of the Empire. equipped with powerful shields, a withering array of weapons, powerful electronics, and as many fighter craft as three Empress-class dreadnoughts combined, the Holy Light is set to be the Empress's premier instrument of terror.
Holy Light Battleship (1865)
Hull 22 21 20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1
Shields 5 5 5 5 5 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Weapons 1: XZ 2: X 3: X 4: Y 5: Y 6: Z
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE ACE BDF BDF BDF GHI JLK
Y: Heavy Laser- 6/12/18 1/4+/3/1
GHI GHI GHI GHI
Z: Plasma cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/1/3
Double Damage
GHI GHI GHI GHI GHI GHI
Specials: Fire Control, Countermeasures, Hyperdrive, Carrier (750)
Faith-class Shrine ship
The Imperium seeks out people with powerful psychic abilities for service in the various departments of the Imperial government, and the armed forces are no exception. The Imperium has turned part of its considerable resources into weaponizing psychic abilities for use in all theaters of combat, and those efforts have borne fruit in the Imperial shrine ship. Equipped with a host of powerful psychic amplifiers, these vessels allow their gifted crew members to cloud the minds of enemy gunnery and sensor officers, as well as project their hatred of the enemies of the Imperium into energy which sets about doing the very practical work of destroying them.
Faith Shrine Ship (206)
Hull 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 6 5 4 3 2 1
Shields 2 2 2 1 1 1
Weapons 1: X 2: X 3: X 4: X 5: Y 6:
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE BDF BDF
Y: Hate cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/1/3
Ignore Shields, Extra Hull damage
G
Specials: Hyperdrive, Stealth, Carrier (50)
Devotion-class Cathedral ship
The Devotion-class is effectively a shrine ship written very large, with more space for defenses, weapons, as well as the psychically-gifted individuals that power its most baffling defenses and most devastating weapons- the idea that a ship so large would be so difficult to target ha caused certain consternation in what open enemies of the Imperium remain.
Devotion Cathedral ship (1118)
Hull 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Engines 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Shields 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 3 3 2 2 2 2 2 1 1 1 1
Weapons: 1: X 2: X 3: Y 4: Z 5: Z 6
X: Laser Battery- 4/8/12 1/4+/2/1
ACE ACE ACE BDF BDF BDF
Y: Heavy Laser- 6/12/18 1/4+/3/1
GHI GHI
Y: Hate cannon 2/4/6 1/4+/1/3
Ignore Shields, Extra Hull damage
G G G G
Special: Hyperdrive, Stealth, Countermeasures, Carrier (250)</r>
Well, since we've got ourselves a new edition, I thought I'd trot this out. A first-hand account of the 1894 battle of the Yalu river in the Sino-Japanese War by Philo Norton McGiffin, an Annapolis-educated American who served as a naval instructor and administrator for the Qing as well as commander of the Imperial flagship, the Zhen Yuan (WG: Chen Yuen), during the battle.
http://www.navyandmarine.org/ondeck/1894YaluBattle.htm
Well, whatever you decide for aircraft, I'd like there to be a way to back-port them to GFII, because I'll probably be sticking with that one.
True enough. The number of fighters represented by each flight is much less important than the SU and ORAT cost.
Depending on how I view things, I use it to represent either a squadron or just a particularly badass single fighter- once multiple fighter types are supported in Drydock, I plan to give my Ra-Cailum conversion 4 fighter groups- Two Jegan squadrons, one to represent the Re-GZ, and one to represent the Nu-Gundam.
I knew that but probably didn't consider just how good that was. I guess if you combine the higher range mod, with negatives from interceptors the pulse weapons will not hit as often?
Indeed- interceptors can impose a rather hefty hit penalty on pulse and other such weapons. there were also other advantages in the B5W system, such as how the far lower range penalty meant that you didn't need to dedicate as much EW for hitting a target and could dedicate the remainder to defense, and so on.
The laser version of the shot can't be interfered with by interceptor systems or similar defenses.
The idea that Larger ships are more vulnerable to fighters than smaller ships certainly was not the case in WW2. The battleship USS Missouri had many, many more AA guns than any US Destroyers. The larger a ship is, the more A weapons it can mount. I make sure all of my ships have batteries that are good at firing at fighters...
Otherwise your opponant could bring some fighters, and have his ships destroy your escorts and then have the fighters ravage your almost defenseless Big Ships...
And I'm also fairly sure that the weapons-fire control on board space-faring warships is of a somewhat higher quality (with the possible exception of Iron Stars).
I don't see what all the fuss is about, just because you might be able to who is seriously going to have an extreme weapon with a total firepower of 72 attack dice.
Paul
Someone who really, really likes Star Destroyers?
Moving after ships is fine- the complaints that have cropped up over time have mainly been about firing before ships.
Recovery generally costs a non-insignificant amount of MP for most units, plus they only get half of what they have left on their next move- so units that have been knocked over can/will find it hard to move out of the danger zone they ended up in. Plus, airborne units crash if they fail stability.
Alll at once?
Well, isn't that what Starmada is for? 
This does bring up something else- how will weapons degrade from ship damage this time around? In the previous few editions, individual weapons were destroyed from attacks, but individual mounts aren't really tracked anymore. In this one, will entire banks get wrecked? Will damage checks impose additional negative modifiers on the dice columns? Or will there be some new, daring shenanigans involved?
Well, I'm sold, then.
Granted, I'd probably have bought it anyway. I also don't mind the dice buckets- There have been electronic aids for dice rolling since about forever, really.
Going back to the whole fighters thing, are fighters still going to be fairly customizable, at least in ways you can distinguish the tough ones from the throwaways, the attackers from the space superiority, and so on? I ask because this looks like the version of Starmada to run Wing Commander/Freespace/Colony Wars games in all other aspects.
The history of the victors.
Trolls (Earth Elves).
For a long time, the ancient race known as the trolls was though to be extinct, and good riddance. They were, as the stories go, wiped out by the elves, and it is their account of the matter that has survived. According to their official history of that ancient conflict, it was fought before the days that other races came into the world. The trolls were said to be massive, hideous creatures that were little more than beasts, with terrible claws and teeth that could not be permanently slain without burning the bodies in their entirety after the battles were done. However, the elves eventually prevailed over this foe, making the world just a bit safer for themselves and those peoples that emerged from the imagination and works of the gods.
Naturally, the truth is a bit complicated.
The Elves were indeed the first peoples. The high elves were created in the image of the imagination and wisdom of the gods, as creatures of a subtle nature who were to make fine things to further enhance the glory of the world. There were another set of elves, however, to embody the strength and imposing will of the gods, to act as a bastion against those creatures of the chaos that had survived the ordering of creation, and they too, were given a certain gift of craft. These two were meant together to furnish the world with people that would further glorify the ancient gods.
However, one "gift "that was not intended to fall to the high elves was that of pride.
As far as they were concerned, they did not need the protection of these "divine babysitters", and, in secret, plotted to bring down their brother race so that they might have all of the lands of creation to themselves. Their own loftiness caused them to believe they were above such needs, and that the gods were snubbing them by honoring the achievements of the Earth Elves as equally as their own. All that was needed was for one moment, one distraction when they could unleash their plans.
It came when the god who headed the creation of the elves was involved in a struggle against the first god of war, and with his eyes elsewhere, the high elves fell upon the others upon which they shared the created world. they killed many of their brother race in their sleep, or by ambush in dark places, or through some sorcerous means, until no more could be found, scattered to the far corners of the earth where they could not be found, in places that were deemed not yet safe by the gods.
However, the god of elves slew the first god of war, spilling his blood upon creation, from which sprang the race of orcs, which prompted other gods to create their own peoples to properly contain this calamity of creation- thus establishing the state of affairs that would exist to the present after the ordering of creation.
It was just a few years ago, however, that an elven fortress was found destroyed near the borders of their great woods, one that had checked the advance of bandits and orc raiders for generations. Standing within the mustering square was a great sword taller than a man, from which hung a sign in ancient elvish, reading- "We walk thusly, and take large steps."
The "trolls" had returned, and returned with fury.
Overview
The Earth Elves, or "trolls" resemble elves in terms of certain features, such as a general grace of movement, pointy ears, some resemblance to humanity, and the like. However, they stand roughly 8-9 feet tall, with some variation, and uniformly possess an astounding amount of physical strength. their skin tends towards the darker side, and their hair is generally white or black, with little variation between.
They had managed to survive the loss of their struggle by congregating in hidden enclaves where even humans and orcs didn't dare to inhabit due to the hazards, and it was in those places that they have been practicing their craft of weapons and magic- it was through this magic that they were able to find other surviving enclaves and organize, able to secretly send materials and supplies to each other, with the occasional bit of tacit approval from the dwarves. With this, they have been able to organize a force of their own with the ultimate objective of taking a chunk of their ancestral homelands back for themselves.
Soldiers
Auxiliares
The trolls know that they lack manpower, so they are more than willing to take on armed bands and other groups of soldiers from other peoples in order to supplement their own numbers and needs. These are usually either mercenaries looking for new plunder to augment their pensions, or just soldiers who have banded together out of deep-seated grudges against the elves or whoever the trolls happen to be fighting that day.
Auxiliary infantry (40)
Infantry
movement 4
melee atk: 2d6
Defense 2
Wounds 3
Morale: 7+
Veteran
Auxiliary horsemen (158)
Cavalry
movement 7
melee atk: 2d10
Defense 3
Wounds 5
Morale: 5+
Add: Veteran (194) Banner (250) Both (306)
Auxiliary Archers (54)
Infantry
movement 4
melee atk: 2d4
Ranged atk: 3d10/10
Defense 2
Wounds 3
Morale: 7+
Hesitant
Add: Veteran (66)
Auxiliary commander (84)
Personality
movement 4
melee atk: 2d8
Defense 3
Wounds 4
Morale: -
Command: d6
Troll Guardsmen
The closest thing the trolls have to a basic soldier, these well-equipped and hardy warriors are usually found guarding the enclaves and secret roads from raiders, a job they do quite well in their own right due, in part to the fact that few peoples have encountered trolls in recent years.
Troll Guardsmen (87)
Infantry
movement 5
melee atk: 2d10
Defense 3
Wounds 5
Morale: 6+
Add: Veteran (106) Banner (122) Both (150)
Troll stakers
Some trolls soldiers are armed with a peculiar missile weapon, one that seems to resemble a crossbow bot seems to fire long, iron stakes. While some surmise that such weapons were originally used against creatures like the fair folk, a sharp chunk of iron has universal applications when fired at high velocity into the bodies of one's enemies.
Troll stakers (119)
Infantry
movement 5
melee atk: 2d6
Ranged Attack: 2d12/8
Defense 3
Wounds 5
Morale: 6+
Steel Warriors
While the trolls field many troops (Some field forces may consist more of other creatures than trolls themselves), perhaps the most iconic to those hearing about them and facing them in battle are the so-called steel warriors. Clad from head to toe in full suits of mithril plate armor etched lovingly with scenes of battle and history, and armed with huge warhammers and swords, the Steel warriors act as a force of mobile, vigorous battering rams on the field. While their combat style has been described by some as plodding, they require an enormous amount of force or magic to remove from the battlefield, their armor entirely stubborn against all but the heaviest projectiles and weapons- the warrior underneath only marginally less so.
Steel Warriors (201)
Infantry
Movement 5
melee atk: 2d12
Defense 5
Wounds 6
Morale: 5+
Impetuous
Add: Frenzy (349), Irresistible Charge (285), Horror (246)
Troll Warmaster
These armored commanders are the ones most commonly seen directing trolls to battle. They have the utmost trust in these commanders, who have a good aptitude for the arts of command and are selected by battlefield merit.
Troll Warmaster (265)
Personality
movement 5
melee atk: 2d12
Defense 4
Wounds 6
Morale: -
Command: d12
Troll Priest
It is unknown what gods favor the trolls in their struggle, but these battlefield clergy still speak their prayers in ancient elvish, and as survivors can attest, their calls for miracles are still heeded by whatever power governs the hearing of such pleas.
Troll priest (157)
Personality
movement 5
melee atk: 2d8
Defense 3
Wounds 5
Morale: -
Magic: d10
Add: Magic resistance 1 (193)
Mithrispider
The origins of this automaton are quite unknown, but this six-legged, lovingly detailed war machine is constructed out steel and armored with mithril, and driven by unknown means. While its heavy legs have little difficulty crushing and spearing those who come too close, its "mouth", an open spot near the front, is capable of unleashing discharges of wild, raw magical energy at distant opponents. Whether the trolls built this weapon themselves, discovered it while excavating some of their enclaves, or some combination of both is not yet known.
Mithrispider (346)
Artillery
movement 4
melee atk: 3d10
Ranged atk: 3d10/10
Defense 5
Wounds 8
Morale: -</r>
And now a smaller force list, but this force has a different purpose: You call this Archaeology?
The Lunar Expeditionary Army.
It is not often that the gods make their presence as clear as blown-glass, but there are times, most usually in antiquity, when they have stretched forth their hands to their favored peoples and left a mark on the earthly history that cannot be ignored.
The nation of Gerodia once dominated a large part of one of the greater continents of the world, but success in ancient days drew jealousy from others, most likely because it was attained at the expense of others, justly or not. So it was that this ancient nation found itself beset by enemies in all places, and those devils that war eternally against the creation of gods sent forth their own terrors to sack the countryside. Even the cities that formed the center of this country could not last, and the great harvest sowed by the war and reaped by the vultures, the ravens, and the wolves was a grim reminder of the fate that awaited those who hid within the walls once their enemies broke the gates. Seeing no way out, they turned to the one thing that might yet deliver them- prayer. As it usually is in times of calamity, the gods seemed to answer back with their most common reply of silence, but, in time, a message was sent back from the heavens by the goddess of our moon, who offered refuge within her own domain for those survivors of Gerodia, so long as she would be their only goddess, and no other.
The choice between certain demise and religious restriction was hardly a difficult one.
The next day, the invaders stormed each and every last city, mounting the walls and exploring the cities- but the whole of the people of Gerodia, and many of the tomes that possessed their ancient knowledge, seemed to have been whisked away like dust on the spring breeze, with neither hide nor hair to be found. The invaders turned their rage on each other, having only plunder to both console and divide them, for their enemies had escaped under their noses with neither warning nor trail.
It was in this way that the people of Gerodia came to live on the moon itself, in the care of its goddess, Railia. They rebuilt their homes in the new land granted to them by the merciful goddess, and fulfilled their part of the bargain of being her chosen. No temple or shine on the moon was dedicated to anything but the goddess that had saved them. In time, however, their thoughts turned back towards the realm they had left behind, not for any love of territory or borders, but because they had left a number of tomes and treasures of their ancient land behind. in the time of their absence, however, many nations had sprung up on the continents, ones that might jealously guard such ancient relics, not to mention the monsters and bandits that may well have stolen such items in the generations that had passed since the great exodus.
The Gerodians, however, had refined their arts of war as much as their other sciences, and set about recreating their old army with the tools available to them on the moon. The goddess's hounds were tamed as mounts, lunar ore became lunar steel, and the inhabitants of the moon divined a way to create a "bridge" between the moon and the earthly realms- and it was in this way that those who inhabit the moon began to launch expeditions to the earthly realms to recover their lost patrimony, and let woe come upon those who would hinder them.
Units:
Lunar Soldiers
The silvery sheen on their gear aside, the basic soldiers of the Lunar Army would not seem especially out of place in the army of one of the Earthly nations, being well-drilled heavy infantry equipped with decent armor, a tall shield, and a long sword. These formations might also find themselves equipped with long spears and fight as phalanxes in defensive operations, or if a battle against significant cavalry is expected.
Lunar Soldiers: (55)
Infantry
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d8
Defense: 3
Wounds: 3
Morale: 6+
Add: Disciplined (87) banner (77) Both (122)
For Lunar Phalanx, Add: Slow-Moving, Steady, Piercing. (73)
Lunar Bows
According to those who have seen such things, such is the training of the Lunar soldier that all that seems to be required to turn a lunar soldier into a bowman in the field is to remove some of the fittings of his armor, and replace his arms with an astoundingly powerful bow of a make not yet determined. When Sir Joseph Kallarand was asked by visiting friends how strong the bows of those from the moon were, he would merely reach from under the table and take out an old kite shield, of which one of the quarters had been shattered into splinters by one of the errant missiles.
Lunar Bows (73)
Infantry
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d4
Ranged 2d10/10
Defense: 2
Wounds: 3
Morale: 6+
Piercing, Hesitant
Add: Quick-Firing (110) Free-Firing (110) Both(156)
Silver Guard
The elite infantry of the Lunar forces, the Silver Guard seems to be deployed with a great deal of discretion.While they have been observed here and there, they have only rarely been deployed in formation for battle. When they have been ordered to strike, though, it was described as if a river of steel had burst through a dam that had long restrained it. It is likely that those soldiers best able to use the fine arms and armor at the command of these men are chosen for the ranks, for when they strike, it is with the strength of horses in the shape of men.
Silver Guard (194)
Infantry
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d10
Defense: 4
Wounds: 4
Morale: 5+
Veteran, Irresistible charge
Add: Banner (306), Frenzy (335)
Blademasters
Blademasters are Lunar warriors who have consecrated their lives to the art of the sword in service to the goddess. They are an order of armsmen who are not beholden to those who command the Lunar army, but rather are loosely attached to the priesthood. small numbers of them have been spotted waging their own battles against orc raiding parties, bandit holds, and other opponents in order to hone their particular craft. while looked upon with some degree of suspicion by more straight-laced commanders, the battle-sense of the blademasters allow them to coordinate their ferocious attacks in ways that can allow them to break enemy formations in two at crucial moments. Some of the earthly kings have even attempted to hire these adventurers for their own uses.
Blademasters (268)
infantry
Movement: 5
Melee: 3d8
Defense: 3
Wounds: 4
Morale: 6+
Chaotic, Trample
Add: Fearless (329), Banner (379)
Lunar Lancers
After receiving some defeats at the hands of one of the earthly dukes, the lunar forces were not seen again for the next decade. Some were convinced that these battles had convinced the lunar folk to stop seeking their patrimony, but once those ten years had ended, a courier arrived to the duke's manner bearing a message from a lunar commander, reading simply. "I am here once more to do what I must. come at me again, and our lances shall match yours." Knowing not what was meant, he sent out his armsmen as well as mercenary knights to defeat the lunar force.
The defeated survivors came back with extraordinary tales. The battle had commenced simply enough, but the ranks of the enemy opened up to let their own mounted soldiers through. They were as knights, armored riders that attacked from a charging mount and wielding long lances and swords, but the beasts they rode were massive, terrible reptilian hounds the size of the largest horses, with four red eyes and thick, broad scales that were strong as any barding. The most fearsome part of them was the roar the beasts made as they charged home, for it pained the mind as well as the ears. the told of men who were seized by terror before a drop of blood was shed, others who huddled in grief as the sum misfortunes of their whole lives crashed down upon their heads at once, and another who had all the hope and heart of his being carried away on the sound, so he simply drew his dagger and slew himself where he stood. More tales would come in later years, and that some of these riders even preferred to ride beasts that could be only barely restrained from charging forth at any instant of the battle, for their ferocity made them as deadly than their riders.
Lunar Lancers (268)
Cavalry
Movement: 7
Melee: 3d8
Defense: 3
Wounds: 6
Morale: 5+
Horror
Add: Disciplined (424) Banner (424) Both (671)
For Lunatic Lancers, add: Impetuous, Frenzy (402)
Lunar Zealot
The ancient knowledge of the Gerodians encompassed many things. one of the expressions of this are the so-called zealots, soldiers of the Lunar army who sacrifice the whole of their lives to the lunar army by undergoing a range of alchemical and magical treatment to transform them into powerful, monstrous warriors that are placid out of battle but become bloodthirsty terrors within. warriors so transformed stand 8-9 feet tall, their massive frames capable of withstanding incredible punishment. Their lack of survival instinct is offset by the thick suits of armor that they wear, and they wield massive two-handed weapons, usually polearms or hammers. The treatments sometimes cause them to develop unintended, but beneficial features to their role as living war-engines of the lunar army.
Lunar Zealot (255)
Monster (Size 1)
Movement: 5
Melee: 3d12
Defense: 4
Wounds: 8
Morale: -
Impetuous, Frenzy
Add: Regeneration (509)
'"Dragon's head" artillery
While this weapon was first seen as being used to destroy the wall of an ancient vault, its application on the battlefield has been keenly felt by earthly soldiers that have had the misfortune of coming across a detachment of lunar soldiers that have had one of these devices on hand. This magical/mechanical devices is called as such because those who have been struck by the explosive spheres of light launched by this weapon seem to have been utterly incinerated by the sheer heat of the attack.
"Dragon's head" artillery (93)
Artillery
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d4
Ranged: 3d10/12
Defense: 1
Wounds: 4
Morale: -
Piercing
"Crescent"/Sergeant
So called due to the crescent-shaped crest on their pauldrons, these are the most common field commanders of the Lunar Army. Consummate professionals with a good aptitude for commanding men, these sergeants have arms and armor well befitting soldiers of their station and importance in the army, as many stragglers who have attempted to secure themselves a fine ransom have found out at the ends of their lives.
Lunar Sergeant (158)
Personality
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d10
Defense: 3
Wounds: 6
Command: d12
Morale: -
Silver One
The Silver Ones are priests and priestesses of the goddess that accompany the detachments of the Lunar Army to the earthly realms. As each detachment has at least one, it is suspected that they provide more functions to the army than merely slinging magic about the battlefield, which they do with a good degree of competence.
Silver One (115)
Personality
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d6
Defense: 2
Wounds: 4
Morale: -
Magic: d12
Magic resistance 1
"Half"/Captain
So called because of the Half-moon crest on their pauldrons, the Captains of the Lunar forces are only seen when extended battles are required to accomplish a particular expedition's goals. As experienced officers of the lunar army, they are quite capable at both directing their men, and easily moving to where his direction is most needed at any time.
Lunar Captain (285)
Personality
Movement: 4
Melee: 3d8
Defense: 3
Wounds: 6
Command: 2d8
Morale: -
Veteran
"Full"/General
So-called because of the full-moon crests on the pauldrons of their armor, the high commanders of the Lunar are rarely seen, much less so in actual command on the field. Given that the lunar army is built around making forceful expeditions to another world rather than mere nations separated by turf, their ability to command is superb. Among the lunar generals, however, there are tales of Selene the Undying, a Lunar general who has been rewarded for exemplary service with the miraculous power to withstand almost any punishment inflicted upon her- one orcish witness says he fired upon her with a ballista bolt, striking her well and fully as she conversed with an aide in a watchtower. After landing from the great height, she got up, and calmly pulled the bolt from her wound before continuing her conference.
Lunar General (497)
Personality
Movement: 4
Melee: 2d10
Defense: 4
Wounds: 6
Command: 3d10
Morale: -
Magic Resistance 1
Selene the Undying: Add Regeneration (995)</r>
The gunnery and penetration tables are in the supplimentary materials already available on the game´s website.
mj12games.com/forum → Posts by RiflemanIII
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