I'm busy designing a near future campaign to run alongside a role playing one. This is based on a campaign where there is essentially no time to build reinforcements - although can see that would work if each side had a certain number of points to "lay down" per month on a track planned about 6 months ahead. While I'm a bit hazy on some things, what I've come up with so far is the following:
Timescales:
Campaign time is in days, with one strategic turn being a day.
Activation and communications:
Due to the need to send a ship with a hyperdrive to deliver news between stars, fleets and bases must be written standing orders prior to the campaign, covering what is happening and where they are going. These standing orders also cover rules of engagement depending on any state of hostilities.
The orders of a fleet can only be changed by sending a courier ship with news. This is assumed to happen using small ships not represented in game, but orders must be written and dated to come into effect at the point they will reach the target fleet or base, according to the days of travel between stars.
Movement:
Movement between star systems is from “Outer System” to “Outer System”, and takes the number of days required for hyperspace flight between those systems.
Movement in a system is one area per day. Ships from different nations which are hostile to each other (or where one is hostile unknown to the other) have the option to hold a battle if they are in the same area together – both sides must agree to this if in the Outer or Inner system, as space is too big to blockade. However, in other areas (i.e. planets/special system features) only one side needs to want to fight to get the ships onto the star mat.
The exception to this happens if one side challenges the other to make a “Readiness Roll” (see above) – if one side can get +4 on the other side it may engage the other no matter what, or flee any combat.
Movement is by day, as per hidden written orders executed simultaneously.
Where there is an umpire, movement is hidden and you will only know of enemy ship positions if you have a ship or base in the area in question.
Areas in a star system:
Every star system has an Outer System area, and an Inner System area. Within the Inner System area are planets, bases and other special features, each of which have their own area. For a fleet/ship to move to a planet from another planet it will have to move via the Inner System area, taking 2 days (1 day to Inner System, 1 day into the other planet's area).
For example, in Sol the areas might be:
· Outer System
· Inner System
· Venus
· Earth (includes Luna)
· Mars
· Ceres
· Vesta
· Jupiter
· Saturn
· Jupiter
Carriers:
Must specify exactly what mix of craft are carried at start of campaign. Fighters lost during a battle cannot be replaced, unless the carrier has a fleet replenishment ship with it (and then only up to the cargo max for fighters, or transport max for marines – track this for replenishment ship) or if it visits a friendly naval base/station/planet where full replenishment can take place.
Post battle repair:
A ship with repair can do one repair per 10 SU on itself or another ship between battles – given a day per repair. This can be on weapon system, equipment, thrust, hull or defence.
Self repair – ships may self repair all items except hull, at rate of one attempt per day. Roll d6 – on 5 or 6 the system is repaired, if a 1 is rolled it is irreparable and must be done at a base.
A visit to a friendly base or planet can allow any repair, at the rate of one item per day.
One bit that might help above make more sense is a house rule I'm testing out to do with deployment:
Setup
Normal setup:
Ships deploy as per standard rules within 5 hexes of baseline, unless there is a friendly base or planet, in which case may deploy within 5 hexes of that. Bases and planets are placed first, within the third of the map closest to the controlling side, except where there is multiple ownership of a body (i.e. Earth/Mars) where it is placed centrally.
Ships with mines may then place up to half their mine factors, provided these are within 10 hexes of baseline/bases/planets etc.
Starting speed = slowest ship –1 for all in fleet
Fighters – one third of all carrier based fighters can be deployed (round fraction of fighter up)
Ships are deployed in order of hull size, independent fighters last
Ships with stealth may be redeployed once after normal setup complete
SWACS:
Stellar Warning And Control System – takes 5% SU capacity, multiplies DRAT by 1.5. Any ship carrying SWACS is placed last on set up, after ships with stealth are repositioned.
Readiness:
Readiness of a fleet affects how setup is done. Both sides roll a d6 and apply modifiers from the table below:
+1 Per ship in fleet with SWACS, to a maximum of +3
+1 Per 100 points more in the opposing fleet
+2 Per point of difference between “Equipment” technology level for the nations (average if varies)
The difference between the two rolls is then calculated (a roll of 2 and 4 would have a difference of 2, with the winner being +2 readiness and the loser –2 readiness).
The effects of readiness on set up are:
-4 or worse Fully deploy all ships before opponent. 1/6 of fighters deployed. Roll d6 to determine facing of fleet. After deployment, opponent may move ¼ of your ships up to d6 hexes (roll for each ship). Starting speed zero.
-2, -3 Deploy half force before opponent deploys any, then alternate ships. ¼ of fighters launched.
-1 Deploy two ships to opponents one, starting first.
0 Normal deployment.
+1 Deploy within 7 hexes of baseline/friendly bases or planets.
+2, +3 May use delayed deployment. 2/3 of fighters deployed, make one free move (all phases – opponent may respond with fighters using “Combat Interception” rule, during firing phase opponent may fire)
+4 or better May use delayed deployment. Full fighter deployment, make two free moves as above.
Delayed deployment:
Up to one third of ships can be kept off the set up, and while the enemy is told there are off map forces, they need not be told what or how much. The person delaying deployment can specify any edge of the board for them to appear at except the enemy base line, and in what turn this happens. Further, if it is the Port or Starboard edge (from their baseline) they must specify near, middle or far third of the game area. This is written down and sealed prior to other deployment. Deployment is within 5 hexes of baseline, or 2 hexes of port or starboard sides.
A further option is to have a “marker ship” which acts as a focus for them to home on for deployment direct from hyperspace (again this ship is specified in the sealed order). During the end phase of the turn before deployment, a marker is placed in each hex where a ship will deploy (within 2 hexes of the marker ship). The player need not declare which ship is deploying to which marker – they represent hyperspace signatures that their opponent can detect. Orders are written for the ships deploying from hyperspace and their movement will start from any of the hyperspace markers with the same facing as the marker ship – but once a marker is used it is taken off and cannot be used by another ship. Any carrier deploying direct from hyperspace does not have any fighters launched. If the marker ship is destroyed prior to deployment, it fails and the ships must appear 2 turns late at the baseline.
Sorry for the huge post - but would welcome any comments on this