TACTICAL SPACE COMBAT RULES ETT <- Re aCe ec eed bie Cm aeSTAR BLAZERS FLEET BATTLE SYSTEMI TACTICAL SPACE COMBAT RULES MODULE I The Gamilon and White Comet Wars 2199-2201 Written By: Keith A. Johannsen Warship Display Forms Designed by: Arthur Braune Additional artwork by Bill Gudmundson, Hideaki Suenaga, and Nobuaki Okamoto Cover Art by: Mark Nagata Rule Book Layout and Design: James Wappel Copyright 1997: Voyager Entertainment, Inc. and Musashi Enterprises, Inc. Al Rights Reserved. STAR BLAZERS is a registored trademark of Voyager Entertainment, Inc. and used with permission.AUTHOR'S PREFACE ‘As far as the many followers of the STAR BLAZERS animated series are concemed, a tactical simulation game has ong been overdue, ‘The game rules contained within these covers represents two years of research, translation and play testing to produce a game system that is fun, fast, and as true to the television and movie series as the game system wil alow. ‘This frst module of the STAR BLAZERS FLEET BATTLE SYSTEM should be regarded as the tactical primer to which addtional game modules, optional rules, improved weapon systems, special mini games, and several campaign game ‘modules wil be added. ‘The game is designed to be playad on several levels of complexiy, depending on the skils and preferences of the players. Long time folowers of the STAR BLAZERS series will undoubtedly notice several features of the game system that may ditfer trom their memories of the animated shows. ‘As with all game designs, a fow liberties had to be taken in order to produce a balanced game. (One area that will bring instant comment is the destructive power of the Wave Motion Guns and other special weapons, Initial playtasting revealed that the abundance of these weapons in the Earth Defense Fleet created such a drastic imbalance that they had to be modified. By the same token, several of the Gamilon and Comet ships had to be improved in ‘order to alow them to be etfective units as por their chip classifications. Allin al, the Wave Motion Guns will probably be fred more times in just one maderately sized game than in one of the entire animated series. Play testers remarked that using this game rule system required them to change their entire mind set as regards to ‘organizing and commanding a large fleet level operation. The game stresses the specific and special missions of each class of hip, as wall as the cooperation and coordination ofall units in the floet in order to achieve victory. ‘This may be a new approach for many gamers who are Used to Games organized round single ship combat, but the very nature of the STAR BLAZERS programs stresses large fleets and massive destruction. Players will have to invest some time leaming the systom before come of the more eubtle rule features can be ‘employed to their maximum etfect. ‘As playtesters learned the rules system, a variety of innovative tactical approaches and skils became apparent. itis ‘obvious that the tactical handbooks of the STAR BLAZERS FLEET BATTLE SYSTEM will be written by the players themselves. "eave this game in your capable hands. eth A. Johannsen ‘August 6, 1997RULE CLARIFICATIONS ‘Some of the most frequently asked questions regarding the rules are answered below RECHARGE CYCLES: |, J AND K ENERGY CANNON BATTERIES ‘Only light ships which have the special recharge icon for I, J and K batteries need to observe the recharge rules. Heavy ships with |, J and K batteries need not be concemed about recharge cycles. SD AND MDS BATTERY RANGES ‘These batteries defend their own ship at zero hex range only. But, when the vessel is part of a command group, these batteries may be used to help defend other ships in that group. They may then use the short, medium, and long range percentage chance to hit fring tables on the weapon statistic table. MDS MISSILE SALVOES MOS batteros come in two vatities: a single four missle ealvo and double four missle ealvo. These batteries receive one dio roll per salvo fired, not per missile fred. Ths is an exception from the anti-ship missiles, which are rolled per each individual missile of a salvo. A ship with a double four missie salvo may fire both of them in the same tum, provided they are fred at the same target.INTRODUCTION STAR BLAZERS FLEET BATTLE SYSTEM is a miniatures tabletop game of space warfare set in the YAMATO. This game represents a recreation of the battles and ‘weapon systems that are seen in the popular Japanese animation sarias SPACE BATTLESHIP YAMATO, or STAR BLAZERS in the United States. The authors intent is to construct a rules system whieh correctly porttaye the atmosphere of tha serias, as wall 2 providing a fun and balanced game GAME EQUIPMENT To play STAR BLAZERS FLEET BATTLE SYSTEM, ‘you will need the rules, dice, a hexgrid mapsheet, the STAR BLAZERS F.B.S. miniatures, the sets of counters provided in, the rulebook, and the Warship display forme. This game is meant to be played with the miniature spaceships produced by Musashi Enterprises, Inc. and Voyager Entertainment, Inc. Details about these miniatures can be found at the end of this rulebook. The miniature ship models for SBFBS were designed for use with one inch sized hexes in orcer to provide mare movement and maneuver area for enhanced game play. The soale of the miriatures was olected so that a sutfient number of ships could be used in a game to glvé the feel of larger scale operations. Warship, batecraft and regulatory counters are provided in the rulebook. Purchasers of the rules may photocopy these sheets to provide the counters necessary for game play, but this, Pormission is grantad only for your own porsonal use. The counter pages should be photocopied, glued to cardboard or mating board, and then carefuly cut and trimmed, Players should keep at least one copy of each counter page in Corder to be able to make additonal copies for future needs. Dice come with a variety of sides and different types of ice are used in this game. Polyhedral dice are available at the book and hobby stores that are Tikely to cary this game, but you may need to ack for them. The standard convention for Identiying dice Is to use shorthand as follows: Number of dice, 2 capitol D, and the number of faces on the dice. A D4 would bbe one dio with four sides, a 208 would be two dice each with, 8x Sides, A D100 is a special case. Two dice, one marked 00, 410, 20, 90, 40, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90 (tens) and one marked 0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 (digits) are rolled. 50 and 5 are 55, 20, and 3 are 23, and so on, representing a roll of 00 and + (01), ‘and 00 and 0, which is usualy 100 unless the game rules siate Ctherwiee. This game uses D4, DS, D8, 010 and D12. D100. are not used. A standard set of dice consists of one each D4, 6, D8, D10, D12, and a specially marked D10 to make a D100. We recommend that players use a hexgrid map with a ‘one inch or 1.5 inch hex size, The STAR BLAZER Star Mats produced by Geo-Hex have a 1.5 inch hex size, and are printed With a multi-color star field, These mats measure four feet by six feet, and are highly recommended, WARSHIP ABBREVIATIONS. EARTH DEFENCE FORCE SBB_ Space Battleship SBCV Space Batlecarrer SBC Space Batlecruiser SCG-P Space Patrol Cruiser SOD Space Destroyer SFFG Space Frigate SCG Space Cniser STDD Space Torpedo Destroyer COSF Coupling Device Sectional Freighter GAMILON EMPIRE FCO Fleet Command Cruiser SACV Space Attack Carrier HSSCV High Speed Space Carrier SBCV Space Battle Carrior SCCV Space Command Carrer HSCSG_High Speed Strike Cruiser SOOM Space Destroyer (missile) HSSDD High Speed Space Destroyer SC Smite Cratt PAV Pawo Assault Vessel HMT Heavy Military Transport HSLMT High Speed Light Miltary Transport ST Space Tanker SMWS__ Space Mine Warfare Ship SF Space Fortress WHITE COMET EMPIRE SD Space Dreadnaught SOGAM Space Attack Missile Cruiser SAQV Space Attack Carror HSSACV High Speed Space Attack Carier $88 Sub Space Submarine SALS Space Assault Landing ShipBATTLECRAFT AND SUPPORT CRAFT ABBREVIATIONS: EARTH DEFENCE FORCE (E- Earth Forces} BT Cosmo Space Fighter Black Tiger (ype 1) CZ Cosmo Zero Multirole Space Fighter (ype 52) SF Seamless Fighter CTF Cosmo Space Superiorty Fighter Tiger CTAB Cosmo Tiger II Attack Bomber (also: Stike Fighter) CTE Cosmo Tiger I Electra (Torpedo Attack Bomber) C3 Cosmo Jaguar (Torpedo Strike Fighter) CF Cosme Faleon (type 100) AA Astro Ascender Miltary Shuttle AK Astro Kingfisher (type 14) AC Astro Commando (jet propelled APC) OBS Orbital Battie Satelite ‘ASMS — Ant-Stealth Mine system GAMILON EMPIRE {G- Gamiton] SFD Space Strike Fightor Destructor (OMF-2) SFA Space Superiority Fighter Arrowlet (OMF-3) ‘ABV Multipurpose Attack Bomber Viper (OMAB-85) ‘ABR Space Torpedo Attack Bomber Ramhead (OMT-97) DBS —_Quick-Descent Dive Bomber Stiker (DMB-87) HB Heavy Attack Bomber (DH8-98) P Long Range Strategic Recon Cratt Prowler (DMA-97) SOM Standard Orbital Mine SC Shutle: Charioteer SAC Submersible Attack Craft RRS Reflex Reflector Satelite CIS. Communicatione and Interoopt Satalite EMCM Encapsulated Magnetic Cluster Mine SM Stealth mine WHITE COMET EMPIRE [C- Cometine) Ell Space Superiority Fighter Eetaa Il IFP Space Intercaption Fightor Paranoia ‘SFT Multi Purpose Space Fighter Tempest (T-2) SF Space Strike Fighter Scorpion ‘SR Space Leng Range Recon (Scorpion variant) S Shute: Stider HAF Heavy Space Assault Fighter HavocTABLE OF CONTENTS: INTRODUCTION. CHAPTER 1: HISTORY OF THE GAMILON AND WHITE COMET WARS. CHAPTER 2: UNDERSTANDING THE WARSHIP DISPLAY FORMS (WDF) CHAPTER 3: PRE-MOVEMENT ACTIONS Special Power Accumulation, Allocating Ship Power Rating Factors, Allocating Ship Weapon Systems on the Warship Display, Assigning Battlecraft and Support Craft Missions for the upcoming tum, Formation and Disbanding of Command Groups. CHAPTER 4: MOVEMENT AND MANEUVER ACTIONS Initiative Die Roll, Space Terrain and Space Debris, Battiestation and Space Fortress Movement, Warship Movement, Barrier Mine and Satellite Movement, Battlecraft and Support Craft Movement. CHAPTER 5: COMBAT Ship Based Missile and Torpedo Launch Declarations, Battlecraft and Support Craft Weapons Deciarations, Battlecraft vs. Support Craft Combat, Base and Ship Defense System Fire vs Battlecraft, Incoming Missiles, ‘Torpedoes and Mines, Battlecratt Attack Combat Resolution, Ship based Missile and Torpedo Hit Resolution, Direct Combat Fire Step, Special Weapons Fire, Barrier Mine Attack Resolution, Tactical Warp Reemergence, Ramming Movement, Boarding Combat, Critical Hit Resolution, Recovery and Repair, Morale Determination CHAPTER 6: ADDITIONAL RULES ‘Seamless Fighter Missions, Secondary Radar Systems, Battlecraft and Support Craft ACHS Operations, Use of Crew Members for Boarding Combat, Warship Bombing Capability, Smite Craft Solf-Destruction Device, Giant Missiles, Warship Munition Supply, Warship Cargo Capacity, Warship Point Costs, Additional Systems Purchase Tables, System Upgrade Purchase Tables, Simplified Battiecraft and Support Craft Combat Flules CHAPTER 7: SCENARIOS CHAPTER 8: GAME CREDITS AND DESIGNER'S NOTES WARSHIP DISPLAY FORMS. COUNTER SHEETSHISTORY OF THE GAMILON AND WHITE COMET WARS: 2199-2201 In the year 2199, the planet Earth is threatened with lextnction by the space fleets of Gamion, a stellar empire led by Emperor Dessiok. The Gamilon Empire's Home world located in the Grealor Magollanic Coud is boing destroyed by continuous Volcanic activity and Desslok has targeted Earth as the new home for his people. The Gamilon space fleets have conquered a vast portion of space and have had litle trouble in destroying the relatively primitve space forces that the Earth has gathered for is final dotense. Before occupying Earth, the Gamions have decided to destroy the human race by saturating the plant with specially, prepared radiation bombs trom their base on Pluto ‘The Earth's population is forced to move into Underground cities while it awaits the radiation to reach them, The human race and all other life will be extinguished in a about one years time. ‘AS hope dwindles for Earth's survival, a message arrives from Queen Starsha of the planet Iscandar, 148,000 light years away. Offering help in the form of a machine called the Cosmo DNA which can remove all the deadly radiation threatening the Earth ‘The Earth quickly forms the STAR FORCE to make the trip to Iscandar aboard the YAMATO, a space warship rebuilt from the wreckage of a World War Il Japanoso batleship, Suddenly, Emperor Dessiok’s strategy Is thrown into disarray. Dessiok had thought it was only necessary to sit and wait for the destruction of the Earth. ‘The appearance of the Star Force, and its continued penetration into Gamilon teritory, defeating one Gamilon force after another with the help of its powerful Wave Motion Gun consumes Dessiok wih rage. Gamilon fleet units were brought in from every comer of the Empire, as well as the best commanders. Despite every ctf, the Star Force fought its way into gamilon space, following 4 course transmitted by Queen Starsha. Unknown to the Star Force, Planet Iscandar and the Gamiton homeworld are sister planets located in the Senza star system of the Greater Magellanic Cloud, ‘The Star Force then decides to resolve the coniict by bringing the fight to Gamion itself. the resulting battle, fought against a fanatic enemy defending his homeworld, ended in tho destruction of the Gamilon mlltary machine, and the Gamilon cities. Emperor Desslok and the remains of his flet evacuate Gamilon as is voleanic core explodes after repeated hits from the YAMATO's weapons. Earth racovers and rebuilds quickly ater the return of ‘he Star Force and the activation of the Cosmo DNA device. A high priorty isthe building of a Deep Space Fleet, capable of