Space Combat
Turn Sequence
- Faction Initiative
- Four subturns
- Faction Resolution
Faction Initiative
As per Combat Sequence.
The Subturn
- All ships move
- All ships perform an action
- All ships generate energy
Position and Movement
Space encounters use a hex grid. Grid hexes are approximately 5,000 km. Objects on the grid have a hex coordinate, an altitude, and (sometimes) a facing. Objects that can accelerate also have motion vectors, one per each hex side plus an altitude vector.
Coordinates and Facing
These rules refer only to relative hex coordinates, so no absolute grid system is required; unmarked hexes will do. Unless otherwise specified, there is no effect for objects being in the same hex, and objects do not block each others' movement.
Measuring Range
Just like Federation Commander.
Motion Vectors
Resolving Motion Vectors
To figure out the actual motion for an object, resolve its motion vectors like so. Keep in mind these steps are in order; varying the order will vary the result!
- Thrust counters at opposite faces cancel each other completely.
- When two thrust counters are exactly two facings apart (so have one facing between them), consolidate them into a single counter on the facing that was between them.
After vectors are resolved, the object will move one hex for each counter, in the direction of the counter. Add up the steps starting from the north face of the hex (regardless of the object's facing), then move the object to the destination hex via the shortest path.
It's important to note the object is only considered to enter hexes along the shortest path to the destination; the intermediate steps the object would have taken according to its vectors don't count as movement.
OPTIONAL RULE: Relativistic Motion
An object with more than 50 thrust counters on a single facing is traveling at a significant percentage the speed of light. Instead of moving it on the board, mark its straight trajectory. On the turn the object makes it pass, it can act as if it were in any of the hexes of its trajectory, even choosing different hexes for different actions during the turn.
OPTIONAL RULE: Altitude
This is a measure of how far away from the plane of the map an object is. Altitude is a simple modifier, measured in grid hexes. Instead of a formal 3D space, this game uses a one-sided simplification where altitude is always positive or zero.
Handle the altitude vector separately from the others. Counters added or consolidated to the six regular vectors don’t influence the altitude vector, and counters added or removed from the altitude vector don’t affect the six regular vectors. A thrust counter can only either add or remove to the altitude vector.
When measuring range, count every point of altitude as an additional hex of distance between two objects. If both objects have altitude, cancel them out and use the difference between their altitudes.
Celestial Objects
Gravitational Fields
There are two hex map symbols, a dot and a line perpendicular to the hex side. The dot denotes the orbit vector. Two dots on one side of the hex means the ship is in orbit as long as its thrust counters matches the dots. The lines indicate gravity - one thrust counter should be added for each green line and one removed for every red line, on the hex facing matching the line. If the dots and lines are matched, a ship that enters orbit will stay there. We may even figure out elliptical orbits if we're lucky. Also the lagrange points have a way to exist now.
Asteroids and Stations
Planets
Coordinates on planets are in the form of (facing, latitude).
Surface Coordinates
As every hex ring on the template indicates 1 point of altitude, each hex ring indicates one point of latitude. The planet has double the number of strategic hexes as it has hexes on its template. Half of them are positive latitude, half are negative latitude. When transitioning from space to the surface, a lander can choose whether its altitude represents negative or positive latitude.
Stars
Stars don't have a surface. Their hexes may have heat values. Look these up on a table using the ship's altitude to find out if the ship receives any points of heat from the star. If these same heat values appear on another template, look them up as if the object were a star. This test occurs every subturn.