Topic: Star Blazers Universe SAE ships
I've been a longtime fan of Star Blazers, and when I found Starmada I knew it would be a perfect setting to play Starmdad in. First off, the represent how easily ships (Other than "Hero Ships") tend to blow up in the series, all ships have an inherent +1 weapons modifier (with the exception of the Early Earth Defense Force and the Bolar), and non-hero ships (with a few exceptions) have only a 1 in their shields rating.
And a note on Hero Ships, they are within SU confines while assuming a shield rating of 1, but leap beyond them when their shields are increased to 5.
Also, there is a new ability: SMITE. It gives the ships which have it a boost in SUs and points which is equal to a hyperdrive (on top of any hyperdrive the ship might already have). It works like this: an arc of G and a a range of 1. When used, it can target as many or as few ships as the SMITEing player desires. The SMITEer rolls two dice, and the total becomes his "SMITE point total." Then he can allocte his SMITE points amoung any targets he chose as follows: 1 SMITE point will transport 3 fighters, 1 size of a minefield (4 SMITE points to move a size 4 minefield, note that the "target" must be the center of the minefield.), 2 gunboats, or 1 hull of a ship (6 SMITE points to move a hull 6 ship). To move a target it must be completely moved, not partially, but all of the SMITE points do not have to be allocated at the same time (while SMITEing or being SMITEd ships cannot move). A SMITE buildup may be stopped at any time. Once there are sufficient SMITE points to move something, it is transported up to 20 hexes (retaining the same facing) in any direction during the end phase of the turn if the ship SMITEing it is not destroyed by then.
Finally, the ramming rules I developed are in play, as are all other options: When two opposing ships end up in the same hex, they are not automatically seperated. Instead, both players must decide whether they want to attempt to ram the enemy ship. If both players agree, than ramming happens instantly. If one player does not want to ram, but the other one does, the one who wants to ram must roll a 4 or higher for the attempt to suceed. Also, two ships in adjacent hexes could try to ram, but both players would have to agree and a die roll would have to be made for this to happen.
There are two types of ramming: Suicide and Partial. In Suicide Ramming, twice the current hull rating of each ship is subtracted from the hull rating of the other, likely resulting in the destruction of both vessels. In Partial Ramming, one half (rounded up) of the current hull rating of each ship is subtracted from the hull rating of the other, and both ships may transfer as many marines as they want to the other ship.
If two players disagree as to which type of ramming they want to attempt, a coin flip is required to determine which happens. Note that if a player tried to avoid ramming, but failed, they have no say in what type of ramming occurs.
