TOKENS
"Subships" are not placed on the table but instead represented by a token, which is placed anywhere on the board before the normal ships are set up. They may never start closer than 2 x enemy CQ range from enemy.
Numbers and symbols can be noted on the underside of the token.
MOVEMENT
The ship tokens do not have drift markers but simply can move any direction at a distance equal to their thrust. This stops overpowered subships blasting around the map with impunity, makes them more submarine-like, and more importantly, speeds up gameplay.
"BLINDS" or Dummy Tokens
To borrow from Two Fat Lardy games, each subship may have a few "dummy" tokens, based on the Crew Quality. So there is more than 1 token per subship.
CQ6 = 2 tokens
CQ8 = 3 tokens
CQ10 = 4 tokens
CQ12 = 5 tokens
You have 2 choices
(a) "silent hunter" you do not note down which token is the real ship, which means you can replace ANY token (dummy or not) with the actual ship when attacking; but it also means ANY token (dummy or not) has a random chance of being the actual ship.
(b) "they're everywhere" you do note down which token is the ship, which means only that specific token can attack and be attacked.
Cloaking is real - I saw it on TV!
GLOBAL DETECTION
It is assumed that all ships are aware of the presence of subships, due to sensor anomalies etc. But to clearly detect a ship, they must localise the contact.
Roll 1 CQ dice each escort on the table.
If there are more successes than failures, the player can choose one subship token to be revealed.
If it is the subship, it is placed on the table.
If you have not noted which token stands for the subship, there is a random roll to determine if the token was in fact the correct one.
SPECIFIC DETECTION
Make a contested CQ roll for the subship vs any escort in CQ range. If the escort wins it can reveal the token like global detection above. The escort must be moving at under CQ velocity (i.e. CQ 8 = 8" max velocity) in order to roll.
You can use the CQ value of whichever subship you want but it is a subship with that CQ which must be plaed on the table.
LOCALISING THE CONTACT
Once the location of the shubship has been determined, it must still be pinpointed by fire control computers and sensors. An escort in the specific location must win a contested CQ roll in order to allow the subship to be attacked.
EVADING/BREAKING CONTACT
The subship (if it is in range of an escort) must win a contested roll to be replaced with a token.
EVADING DETECTION
Once the token is out of the CQ range of an escort, if your subship passes a CQ roll you can remove any other dummy token from anywhere on the table and place it thrust distance from the subship in order to confuse matters.
DUMMY TOKENS
If a dummy token is revealed to be fake, it is removed. However the subship player can have the token back; he may place it up to thrust range from any of his other subship tokens.
WOLFPACK
You may have more than one subship (1-4 squadron) sharing the same token.
I think EW is the real thing involved here - an inability of the detection/targeting systems to work properly as opposed to being 'cloaked'
ReplyDeleteTbh I have little interest in 'stealth' but I think the ability to use cloaked ships is important as I'd like the game to have range beyond simply hard sci fi.
ReplyDeleteI personally think there is no such thing as stealth in space (I agree - EW would be used to throw off targeting) but I include it for the sake of completeness. Darn Star Trek.