The Metal Men

A Faction for Iron Stars

Nearly 46 light years away faintly shines the star 18 Scorpii, one of many unremarkable stars lying within the constellation Scorpius as seen from Earth.  However, 18 Scorpii is of great significance in the history of Mankind, for circling it is a small planet, a world once blue and green and brown like Earth.   This world no longer resembles Earth, though, because it has long been the home of a race of beings, older and more advanced than humanity.  In the long process of civilization, of exploration, expansion, conquest and struggle, this world, named Zontar by its inhabitants, has been scarred and gouged and reshaped, ultimately molded to the form desired by its inhabitants.
   
These inhabitants, whom we shall refer to as Zontarians because their name for themselves is unpronounceable by humankind, were once organic beings like Man, although resembling Man not in the slightest.  They were greatly elongated creatures, vaguely resembling a free-standing coat rack crossed with a bowling pin.  Nevertheless, they had
great intelligence, and set themselves to mastering their world with a feverish intensity. 

After eons of struggle, they created a high culture, propelled to greatness by the discovery of their incredible power source, Turgidium.  In brief, Turgidium is a synthetic crystalline solid, which undergoes a destructive self-catalysis upon formation, converting its own mass completely into energy in the form of an expanding spherical wave of kinetic force.  Contained and focused by cells of solid diamond, this force can be used to propel electrical turbines, providing nigh-limitless power.
   
As their intellectual prowess continued to develop, the brightest minds of Zontar turned their attentions to the problem of death.  With their great sophistication in the medical and mechanical arts, the Zontarian scientists conceived of building a kind of shell, a synthetic body which would never grow old, which could be effortlessly repaired, and which would protect the vital brains of the Zontarians far better than their natural forms.  After long research and many failures, the first of these metal shells was used to house the mind of the greatest Zontarian scientist.  In his turgidium-powered artificial shell, the scientist had strength and vigor superior to that of any natural Zontarian.  To assist his inquiries into the universe, he could now affix instruments and tools directly to his senses and limbs.  The development of the metal bodies ushered in a new era of research and
productivity.

Alas, these metal forms were also the downfall of the race.  At first metal bodies were limited only to the most meritorious of Zontarians, great scientists and accomplished leaders.  But as the wealth and power of Zontarian society grew under the rule of these benevolent immortals, more and more citizens began to desire similar immortality.  The standards for conversion became lower and lower, and fewer natural Zontarians remained to procreate future generations.  At last, the pool of organic Zontarians was too small, and the fleshly survivors were little more than inbred degenerates.  The remaining immortals, ageless and undying save through extreme trauma, were cut off from the desires and demands of the flesh, and eventually lost the capacity for emotion.
   
Coldly, bloodlessly, the scientists of Zontar predicted that their entire system would eventually be depleted of the chemicals required to manufacture turgidium.  Laying their plans, they designed mighty space arks, capable of carrying their entire population across the stars.  Loaded with all the materials they would need to rebuild Zontarian society, these arks set sail upon their journeys to distant stars, each heading in a different direction.  One of them was headed directly for a small, yellow G-type star...
   
Arriving in the Solar System, the crew of the Zontarian space ark immediately set to making close observations of the various worlds.  Swiftly they spied the sweet plum that is Earth, but also noted Mars.  Detecting an advanced species there, they decided upon a stealthy approach.  Preparing for the possibility of conflict, they invested the moons of the large gas giant, Jupiter, and built up their forces.  The great space ark set down upon the monstrous moon, Ganymede, a moon larger than the worlds of Mercury and Pluto.  Here they began to construct an immense subterranean complex, a veritable city bored from the rock. 

Along with a smaller mining installation established upon the chemical-rich moon of Io, they had the resources they needed to begin building a fleet of interplanetary warships, patterned off vessels with which they had once fought amongst themselves in the distant past.
   
However, as this construction project proceeded, years passed in the inner system.  The Martians launched their ill-fated expedition to Earth, and the surviving Earthmen learned from the technology of their would-be conquerors.  Now the Zontarians, lurking in the outer dark, face a potential war on two fronts.

***

I have always liked the sci-fi pulps, and after picking up Iron Stars, I knew I wanted to create a race of alien invaders for the game.  Thus, the Zontarians.  The basic idea of a race that has transplanted its entire population into cyborg bodies came from the Captain Volmar stories of Clark Ashton Smith.  Turgidium is a notion I came up with a long time ago, as an attempt to imagine a power source that could drive a clockwork device at high levels of efficiency for another science fantasy project.  The name Zontar comes from the fertile and twisted mind of my office-mate.  What I've tried to do is come up with a semi-coherent back story explaining their presence and goals in the Solar System, and a set of rules for describing their vessels in Iron Stars.

How to build a Zontarian Space Flyer

1.      All Zontarian ships must mount Gyroscopic Stabilizers.  A combination of refined engineering, ship dynamics, and the durability of the metal bodied crew mean that Zontarian vessels are very maneuverable.

2.    Zontarian Size Classifications are as follows:

1                   Escort
2                  Corvette
3                  Destroyer
4-8        Frigate
9-12        Light Cruiser
13-15        Cruiser
16-24        Battle Cruiser
25-35                 Battleship

Escorts are small gunboats, intended to protect larger vessels from being swarmed by smaller ships.  They are frequently up-armored and often have reduced speed.

Corvettes are small, multi-role ships.  Some can be heavy escorts, but they are also the favored size for torpedo boats or minelayers.  Corvettes are frequently up-armored.

Other vessels tend to have a balanced weapons load, the names just indicating size.  For larger vessels, Zontarians tend to either leave the base armor and speed values alone, or decrease armor and increase speed.

3.    Zontarians have three major weapon technologies. 

For heavier weapons, they favor their Vibromagnetic Destructor Cannon, beam weapons which focus an oscillating magnetic ray upon the target, shaking iron-based materials to dust.  Treat these as Lightning Projectors.  Nearly all Zontarian ships use this for their primary weapon, and most will use it for their secondaries as well. 

The second weapon technology used by Zontarians are the Pin Rays, a spin-off from their Turgidium power source technology.  By compressing a Turgidium crystal in a narrow-aperture diamond cell, they produce a thin cutting beam, capable of knifing through steel at close range.  All Zontarian light guns are Pin Rays, and some Zontarian vessels mount Secondary Pin Ray batteries.  Pin Rays are identical in effect to ordinary weapons as described in the rules.

The third major Zontarian weapon technology involves their torpedoes.  Zontarians have perfected a method of installing the brain of a small Zontarian creature, about as intelligent as a rat, as a guidance system for their torpedoes.  This makes Zontarian torpedoes more accurate at long range.  Therefore, all Zontarian torpedos must be d12 torpedoes.  Very Small and Small ships can only mount x1 torpedoes, Medium ships can mount up to x2, and only Large and Very Large ships can mount x3 torpedoes.

Additionally, Zontarian ships may mount Mines, some use Keel Bombards, but Zontarians do not use Rockets of any kind.

Medium and larger Zontarian vessels may mount a Babbage Engine.

Class-naming conventions are after terran moths, owing to the first reported sightings of Zontarian vessels.  They are flying-wing spacecraft, shaped like sickles with shallow curves, rounded tips, and a thicker mid-body, thus resembling certain species of moths.  The actual Zontarian names are, of course, unpronounceable by humans, and unknown to mankind at this time.  The Zontarians themselves are only known as Metal Men, based on crew recovered from Zontarian debris in the first skirmishes with Terran forces.  While Zontarians are conversant with the major Terran languages, they are as yet unwilling to communicate, and are themselves incapable of feeling pain, fear, or any other emotion that could elicit such communication involuntarily.

Typical Zontarian Vessels

Fireworm-Class Escort - 10 pts: O
VS, HP 1, AV 1, TR 6, S 1d6x1, L 3d4x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer
Hull 1-2, Armor 3-4, Thrust 5-13, Secondary 14-15, Light Guns 16-20

Fireworms are intended to guard the larger classes of Zontarian vessels, which tend to have rather small light gun batteries.

Pug-Class Minelayer (Corvette) - 8 pts, HVP 2: QO
VS, HP 2, AV 0, TR 8, L 3d4x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer, 6 Mine Factors
Hull 1-5, Thrust 6-16, Light Guns 17-20

Pugs are a key part of Zontarian strategy, which revolves around laying mines to control space.  They are designed to get in, drop their mines, and get out.  An up-armored variant exists which drops two of its light guns in favor of extra plating.

Dagger-Class Torpedo Corvette - 10 pts, HVP 2: QO
VS, HP 2, AV 1, TR 8, L 2d4x1, T 4d12x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer
Hull 1-4, Armor 5, Thrust 6-16, Light Guns 17-20

Daggers are intended to soften-up medium to large vessels in the opening moves of a battle.

Tortrix-Class Destroyer - 12 pts, HVP 2: OQO
VS, HP3, AV 0, TR 0, P 1d8x1 Lightning Projectors, S 2d6x1, L 4d4x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer
Hull 1-5, Thrust 6-13, Primary 14, Secondary 15-16, Light Guns 17-20

The Tortrix lends respectable firepower to small ship engagements, and also sees use as a reconaissance vessel.

Bee-Hawk-Class Frigate - 21 pts, HVP 2: OOQOOO
S, HP6, AV 1, TR 7, P 1d8x1 Lightning Projectors, S 3d6x1, L 4d4x1, T 4d12x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer, Keel Bombard
Hull 1-8, Armor 9, Thrust 10-14, Primary 15, Secondary 16-17, Light Guns 18-20

The Bee-Hawks are hunters, designed to maul heavier ships with their powerful Coaxial Vibromagnetic Destructor Cannon.

Gypsy-Class Light Cruiser - 53 pts, HVP 2: OOOOOQOOOOOO
M, HP 12, AV 2, TR 7, P 1d8x2 Lightning Projectors, S 4d6x1 Lightning Projectors, L 10d4x1, T 4d12x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer
Hull 1-10, Armor 11, Thrust 12-14, Primary -*, Secondary 15-16, Light Guns 17-20
*This is what I got using the ISSB Excel sheet.  I think it really should be at least 1 slot on the damage track at 14, pushing Hull, Armor, and Thrust down 1 spot each.

The Gypsy light cruiser is designed to lend a little heavy support to light ships, and with its speed serves well as a raider.

Hawk-Class Cruiser - 62 pts, HVP 2: OOOQOOOQOOOQOOO
M, HP 15, AV 2, TR 6, P 1d10x2 Lightning Projectors, S 6d6x1 Lightning Projectors, L 10d4x1, T 4d12x2, Gyroscopic Stabilizer, 4 Mine Factors
Hull 1-11, Armor 12, Thrust 13-14, Primary -, Secondary 15-16, Light Guns 17-20

The Hawk cruisers are jacks-of-all-trades, with a diverse array of guns, torpedoes, and mines.

Tiger-Class Battlecruiser - 84 pts, HVP 2: OOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOO
L, HP 21, AV 2, TR 6, P 2d10x2 Lightning Projectors, S 6d8x1 Lightning Projectors, L 8d4x1, T 4d12x2, Gyroscopic Stabilizer, Babbage Engine
Hull 1-12, Armor 13, Thrust 14-15, Primary 16, Secondary 17-18, Light Guns 19-20

The Tiger Battlecruiser is a swift vessel with a decent punch at long and medium ranges, although its light armor means it doesn't stand up well in a close-range brawl.

Death's Head-Class Battleship - 209 pts, HVP 3: OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOQOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
VL, HP 35, AV 4, TR 4, P 3d12x2 Lightning Projectors, S 6d8x1 Lightning Projectors, L 8d4x1, Gyroscopic Stabilizer, Babbage Engine
Hull 1-14, Armor 15, Thrust 16, Primary 17, Secondary 18, Light Guns 19-20

The largest capital ship in the Zontarian arsenal, the Death's Head is another long-range duelist, designed to pick apart other capital ships with its armor-ignoring Vibromagnetic Destructor Cannon Turrets.

**Please note that I haven't actually had a chance to playtest any of these ships yet, and they may very well completely suck in practice.  But hey, the evil aliens are supposed to lose!</t>