Alternate Ship Combat Rules for Starships and Spacemen (1st Draft)

Someone recommended I use Starships and Spacemen for War on the Final Frontier. I initially scoffed at this, since I didn't think I wanted a level based system, but after some thought I'm warming up to it. However, I don't really like ship combat. "Balance of Terror" is my favorite TOS episode, and it basically defines how I want space combat to work in anything. The computer game FTL is also a good model. With those things in mind, I designed this. I hope to playtest it tomorrow with my home group.

I'll be adding a link to the google doc in the documents section. When I update this system, I'll be updating the doc, not this page.

This system is designed to give more players something to do during space combat, as well as to replicate the sorts of space battles one sees in the Star Trek films and in games like Star Fleet Battles and Federation commander.

Procedure

Engagements still begin at 300,000 miles away from each other and have the option of moving 30,000 miles per turn.

At the beginning of each round, the Captain - the Command officer on board with the highest rank - of each ship rolls 1d6 and adds their intelligence bonus.  The highest ship moves first.  All action on a ship is considered to happen simultaneously.

Consoles

Each player takes control of one console on the starship.  These consoles are Weapons (Combat), Science (Science), Engineering (Technical), Comms (Contact), and Helm (not associated with any skill, but best suited for Navigators).  Each turn, the player may perform one action at his or her station.  To perform the action, simply roll the skill check associated with it.  

Characters that possess a primary skill in one of the functions of the station but not the skill required for the station level itself are considered 3 levels lower than their actual level.  If this means their level is less than 1, they cannot perform any actions at the console.

Consoles manned by NPCs cannot employ functions beyond the original combat rules; NPCs can fire the ships weapons or move the ship, but do little else.  An exception is made for this below.

Weapons

The player at Weapons console selects which weapons will be fired this round and at what targets.  The player must select either the phaser banks or the photon torpedos, and the ship may only fire a number of photon torpedos at a time based on its class.  Otherwise firing functions as in the original rules.  Ship skill is only used if the console is manned by an NPC, otherwise the player uses their combat skill.  Fire Control characters still have a +2 bonus to using these weapons.

The weapons console may also be used to fire a tractor beam.  This does no damage but holds a ship in place, which is particularly useful against ships that are trying to flee.  To do this spend 5 energy and make a Science test.  If the test is successful, the target is caught in a tractor beam.  Every round thereafter the tractored ship may attempt to break out by bidding a number of EUs.  For each EU they bid, the tractoring ship must match their

Science

The player at the Science console may either attempt to use their phaser frequency to bypass the enemies shields, dealing damage directly to the ship, or target specific systems if the shields are down.

To bypass the enemies shields, make a Technical skill test.  If the roll is successful, all phaser damage this round is dealt directly to the ship.

To target specific systems, make a Science skill test.  This may only be attempted when the enemies shields are offline.  A successful test, when coupled with a successful hit, will neutralize an enemy console until it is repaired by damage control.

Engineering

Characters at the Engineering console may willingly sacrifice EUs in order to power other systems, boost the shields, or perform damage control.

To boost power to other systems, make a Technical skill test.  If successful the player may spend 5 EUs to add another die of damage to the phaser banks (including all phaser shots that connect), or to double the distance moved by the helm.  

To boost power to the shields make a Science skill test.  If successful the player may spend 5 EUs to completely restore them; however, if they are offline the cost is 10 EUs.

To perform damage control make a Technical skill test.  If successful, restore 1d6 EUs to the ship or restore a disabled system.

Comms

The player at the Comms console may jam enemy communications, attempt to contact the enemy, or to attempt to contact starfleet or other allies.

To jam the enemy communications make a Science test.  If successful, the enemy ship cannot use any Comms station functions and cannot perform damage control.

To attempt to contact the enemy make a Contact test.  If successful the player may talk to the enemy captain.  This can be used to taunt enemies and draw them away from ships which you may be protecting.

To attempt to contact an allie make a Contact test.  If successful the player is able to get a subspace message to the nearest allied ship, though their is no guarantee they will be within range to do anything about it.

Helm

The player at the Helm console chooses whether will move this round, perform evasive maneuvers, or attempt a ram.

Moving does not require any kind of skill check.  Simply state whether your moving towards or away from the enemy.

Evasive maneuvers require a Combat skill test.  If successful the next attack made against the ship has a -2 penalty.

Ramming may only be done when within Torpedo range of an enemy ship.  To attempt a ram roll a Combat skill test.  If successful both ships are typically destroyed, though this may not be true for certain “space monsters.”

Captain

The captain is not technically a console but functions much like one.  This position is always held by the highest ranking Command officer on the ship.  The captain may attempt to aid a player at a console or to command an NPC at one.

To aid a player, make a skill test for the same skill that they are using this round.  If successful the player gains a +2 bonus to their skill.

To command an NPC, simply choose the console you wish to use this round and run it as though you were the player at that console.

Remember that player at each console and the captain may only take one of these actions in a round.

Enemy ships are typically treated as though they had a player captain (the Star Master) and the rest of the consoles controlled by NPCs.  Exceptions will be made for certain ships, particularly those the Star Master wishes to serve as a “rival crew.”

Shields

This alternate system uses shields instead of screens.  Unlike beam vs phaser weapons or photon vs ionic torpedos, this is more than a semantic difference.  Shields are essentially a set of temporary armor that exists on top of a ships EUs.  Thus a ship must have its shields go down due to damage before it can take direct EU damage.

For the purpose of conversion, and just as a general rule, most ships have a shield rating equal to 1/4 their EUs (rounded up).

Disrupters

Disrupters are special weapons found on Klingon ships.  They may be fired at Fireball range and deal 1d10 x 5 damage.

Marines

If an enemy’s shields are down, the captain may choose to send over a boarding party, but must lower his or her ship’s shields in order to do so.  These can only be brought back up with a successful Technical skill check made at the engineering console.  This check does not count as the Engineer’s action.  The rest of these rules are abstract and presume a team of NPC enlisted men rather than a PC boarding party.  PC boarding parties may make for an interesting adventure, but running them simultaneously with space combat is a headache I would wish on no Star Master.

Marnies typically are sent to disable certain systems.  For every 3 people a ship is capable of transporting, you may target one system.  To see if their mission is successful, roll on the table below for each team.

Marine Raid Table

d6	Target	Marines
1	Disabled	Return
2	Disabled	Lost
3	Failure	Return
4	Failure	Return
5	Failure	Lost
6	Failure	Lost

If the marines disable the system, that console can no longer be used until it is repaired with damage control.

Marines could hypothetically attempt to gain control of a ship.  The simplest way of doing this is to target the Bridge instead of a system.  Roll on the table above, but add 1 to the die roll for each difference in size between the defending ship and the attacking ship.

New Ships

These ships are designed to more closely resemble the ships of the Star Fleet Universe. PC crews will be assigned to one type at the beginning of the campaign, and unless special circumstances arise they are unlikely to switch.  Command ranks are given for determining the level of an NPC Captain.

Frigate

Smaller ships used for small missions or as escorts.

Crew Complement: 150

Command Rank: Ensign

Nacelle Power Base: 100 EUs (two half nacelles)

Shield Capacity: 25

Teleporter Capacity: 3 at a time

Phaser Banks: 1

Photon Torpedos: 6 Total; 1 at a time

Shuttlecraft: 1

Sick Bay Capacity: 20

War Destroyer

Crew Complement: 200

Command Rank: Lieutenant

Nacelle Power Base: 150 EUs (three half nacelles)

Shield Capacity: 40

Teleporter Capacity: 4 at a time

Phaser Banks: 2

Photon Torpedos: 9; 1 at a time

Shuttlecraft: 2

Sick Bay Capacity: 40

New Light Cruiser

Crew Complement: 250

Command Rank: Commander

Nacelle Power Base: 200 EUs (two nacelles)

Shield Capacity: 50

Teleporter Capacity: 6 at a time

Phaser Banks: 3

Photon Torpedos: 10; 2 at a time

Shuttlecraft: 3

Sick Bay Capacity: 50

New Heavy Cruiser

Crew Complement: 300

Command Rank: Captain

Nacelle Power Base: 300 EUs (three nacelles)

Shield Capacity: 75

Teleporter Capacity: 7 at a time

Phaser Banks: 4

Photon Torpedos: 12; 2 at a time

Shuttlecraft: 4

Sick Bay Capacity: 75

Battle Cruiser

Crew Complement: 400

Command Rank: Commodore

Nacelle Power Base: 400 EUs (two double nacelles)

Shield Capacity: 100

Teleporter Capacity: 9 at a time

Phaser Banks: 5

Photon Torpedos: 18; 3 at a time (For Kirov Battle Cruisers); 12; 2 at a time Fireballs (for Bismark Battle Cruisers)

Shuttlecraft: 5

Sick Bay Capacity: 100.

Dreadnaught

Crew Complement: 450

Command Rank: Admiral

Nacelle Power Base: 600 (Three Double Nacelles)

Shield Capacity: 150

Teleporter Capacity: 12 at a time

Phaser Banks: 6

Photon Torpedos: 24; 3 at a time or 18; 3 at a time Fireballs

Shuttlecraft: 6

Sick Bay Capacity: 150

The stats above are for Federation ships.  For Klingon ships, substitute Disruptors for Photon Torpedos and ignore the total number.  For Romulan ships, add a cloaking device and change photon torpedos to fireballs.

War on the Final Frontier

A number of years ago - just a bit longer than a generation - a number of independent companies began the privately funded colonization of the Arucanis Arm.  This remote section of space is believed to contain a number of species and civilizations that the Federation has yet to contact.  Needless to say, the Federation government was alarmed but at the time its leaders decided to respect the right of the colonists, who were mostly humans but with a few members of other Federation species, to self determination.

But war does strange things to people, and the war with the Klingons has gone on longer than any in the Federation expected.  The current stalemate as well as rumors that the Klingon empire is seeking an alliance with the Romulans have made the Federation council desperate.  They have begun seeking their own allies in unlikely places, and a number of council members believe that it is time someone investigate the situation in the Arucanis Arm.

The Arm lies in an extremely strategically important are where the initial Klingon advance at the beginning of the war managed to create a sliver of Klingon occupied space between the Federation and the semi-independent colonies.  If the colonies and unknown civilizations of the Arm could be convinced to join the Federation in the war, the Klingons' main supply lines to the front would be severed.

You are the crew of the USS Reliant and your mission is to survey the systems Arucanis Arm, make contact with the colonists as well as the unknown species, and convince them to join the war against the Klingons.  The Reliant is a New Light Cruiser, a wartime design that provides a not inconsiderable amount of firepower at a relatively low cost.  Unfortunately, this is possible due to the fact that much of the crew amenities have been stripped out, and thus this assignment is more spartan than a Federation exploration or battle cruiser.  However, the Reliant was chosen for a very specific reason: the common nature of its class will mean that the Klingons are less alarmed by its crossing their borders into the Arucanis Arm.  The Federation feels that any other ship would likely tip the Klingons off to the purpose of the mission, and thus endanger it.

Starfleet has made contact with the company that settled the closest section of the arm, now a small merchant empire headed by one Harcourt Fenton Mudd, a criminal from Federation space and fairly recent arrival to the Arm.  How he came to be in charge of the company is as yet a mystery, but he has agreed to help the Federation in exchange for amnesty and possible asylum at some future point.  The aid he is willing to provide at this point does not include fighting men or ships, but his company can offer their space stations to the Reliant for refueling and shore leave.  Mudd is also adamant that Starfleet inform you that he has quite a few suggestions for the latter purpose.

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This posts premise and title is taken from the somewhat obscure game Protostar: War on the Frontier, which the internet consistently tells me is mediocre at best.  However, I thought it had a good setup for a game that would be easily adaptable for settings of most any genre, though sci fi is obviously the easiest for it to port to.  I have expressed it in terms of Star Trek rather than Traveller partly because I think those terms are more broadly familiar, and partly because I've had a deep desire to run Star Trek that coincides with, and to some degree predates, my recent Traveller mania.

If I were to keep it Trek, I'd almost certainly borrow from a number of "non-canon" sources including the material for Star Trek Phase II (the unaired series, not the fan series with the same name), the closely related Star Fleet Universe (including that ship design up there), FASA's Star Trek supplements, and the animated series.  I'm not sure what system I'd use.  The two options that I would be most likely to look at are a kitbashed Traveller converted for Star Trek shenanigans or FASA Trek itself.  The first has some advantages, namely that I know I like the system and I have a bunch of red, blue, and yellow d6s, but it would probably take the most work.  Having looked at FASA Trek recently I see a lot to like there, but I'd probably have to houserule the combat into basically being regular old BRP combat before I'd use it.

I could also use part of the Terran Directorate setting, exchanging the Klingons for [Click], but there are a number of adventure ideas I can think of for this that would work better with Star Fleet do-gooders.

Star Traveller

I've been watching quite a bit of Star Trek recently, as is my custom,  and I've given some thought to how I would run a game in the style of Star Trek.  This is unlikely to happen in the near future, since my main group seems more interested in D&D and Star Wars, and my Traveller side game is more properly a Firefly-type set up.  It is difficult to stop my wandering mind.

The thing I most like about Star Trek is what Starfleet does: exploration.  The universe of Star Trek is pretty damn cool, but I think the greatest strength of bot TOS and the early episodes of TNG is their episodic nature.  Each (good) episode has a cool sci fi premise based around the idea of exploring new worlds or making contact with alien species. 

I often find it weird that Star Trek gaming thends to skew to the more military aspects of Starfleet.  I'm speaking (or rather writing) here more about Star Trek video games as I have little experience with the various TTRPGs made for Star Trek.  I think though that the Star Fleet Universe material bears this idea out.  You don't really do Star Trek things in Star Trek games.  Instead you have big space battles.  Now, I like big space battles, and I've been drooling over Federation Commander for a few months, but in a roleplaying game I want to think my way out of the Tholian web.

There are some problems with the standard Star Trek setup, however.  The most notable one, I think, is the fact that whoever is playing the captain can pretty much tell the other players what to do.  One could circumvent this by having the captain be an NPC, but then the players don't get to make the kinds of decisions that make this sort of game interesting.  Who cares if some NPC makes up some bullshit about corbomite, he's an NPC.  If he needs to have the bridge crew (i.e. the PCs) come up with all his clever plans, then what kind of captain is he?

How does one overcome this?  Well theres nothing really about "exploration" that requires the PCs to be in the Flagship of the Federation.  The chief example here would be the Scouts from Traveller, or at least my understanding of them from Mongoose's core rulebook.  When starting up my online Traveller campaign I described them as a "rent-a-center Starfleet," and I think that metaphor holds true.

So what about a campaign where players play scouts on some remote border of the Imperium?  One could make a Traveller sandbox in the same manner one normally would, modifying it a bit to make the demographics skew away from the dominate races of the Imperium.  Instead it's a barely explored region filled with pre-space flight peoples and a few space-capable races that are as yet unknown by the Imperium.  

The players are the crew of a single scout vessel (c. 4-6 people) who have to respond to the same sorts of problems the Enterprise normally would (rock creatures attacking space miners, space radiation that enhances psychic abilities, gangster planets, etc.) but now instead of a massive crew of experts, they have to figure out how to deal with these things using their extremely limited resources.

The other advantage gained by switching it to a Traveller setting is the fact that humanity's baser elements still exist.  One thing that always bothered me about Star Trek is how much it relies on capital p Progress.  As a student of history, I find these ideas arrogant at best, though the shows typically handle it in a way that is as inoffensive as possible.  Still, now you have a space setting where greed and ambition are still major motivating factors for the various empires, peoples, captains, and even random enlisted men.  If you can't make exploring such a setting into the stuff of great gaming, then there is no helping you.

I should note that I started this post before finding out that today is the 45th anniversary of TOS.  Go out and celebrate by watching your favorite episode!

Star Trek Races for Labyrinth Lord

When I originally discussed using Trek aliens in Aklyrell  I meant something similar to Jeff Rients's hobgoblins from Cinder.  However, Jeff mentioned that it would be cool to have racial classes for various Trek species, and I couldn't agree more.  Here they are.

I'm not entirely comfortable with their xp charts as some of them have abilities that are wildly different from the other racial classes.  Still, I think they work out alright.

Andorians
Requirements: 12 STR, 9 CON
Prime Requisite: STR
Hit Dice: d8
Maximum Level: 10
Saves: as Fighter, but see below
Attack Table: as Fighter

Andorians are members of a warrior race from beyond the stars.  Scholars and mad wizards claim that once they were allies with the Vulcanians and Humans.  Together they built a prospering empire in the heavens.  Today that is all shattered.  Andorians constantly war with other races or serve as mercenaries.  They are honorable, but they are also brash and enjoy the thrill of combat.

Andorians have a heightened metabolism that causes them to heal 1d6 hitpoints per day regardless of whether or not they were able to rest.  In cold weather climates Andorians heal 1 hp per round in a manner similar to  a Troll. The blue skinned humanoids also gain a save against level drain, and may roll 2d20 taking the highe result against Ghoul paralysis.  This metabolism also has a negative effect, as Andorians always roll two saves vs. Poison taking the lower result.

Andorians are trained from birth in the ways of the warrior.  As such they may use any weapon or armor except helmets.  Their antennae prevent human helmets from fitting them and an Andorian will never shame his family by covering them.

An Andorian's antennae greatly increase their perception.  They can find secret doors on a 1-2 on a 1d6 and can hear noise as a Thief of equal level.  If a natural 20 is rolled in an attack against an Andorian it means that one of the antennae has been severed.  The Andorian must roll a save vs. Petrify or Paralysis or fall unconscious for 3d6 turns.  An Andorian takes a -1 penalty on all attack rolls as well as any other rolls the Labyrinth Lord believes would be affected by balance for a period of 24 hours.  The antenna will regrow in 1d12 days, though this may be halved by a cure light wounds spell.

Reaching 9th Level:  When an Andorian reaches 9th level they may build a stronghold in the wilderness.  When they do so they effectively create a new warrior clan, attracting disaffected Andorians looking for glory and honor.  The Andorian character acts as their leader and may also hire members of other races to perform non-combat tasks.

Andorian Advancement Table
Experience/Level/HD
0/1/1
3,407/2/2
6,815/3/3
13,629/4/4
27,258/5/5
54,516/6/6
109,032/7/7
218,064/8/8
436,128/9/9
872,256/10/+2hp

Vulcans

Requirements: STR 17, CON 15, INT 13

Prime Requisite: STR, INT

Hit Dice: d8

Maximum Level: 12

Alignment Restriction: Vulcans are always Lawful

Saves: as Dwarf

Attack Table: as Fighter

Vulcans are pointed eared demihumans who follow a philosophy based around logic.  They are strikingly similar to Elves, whom they call Romulans, but do possess mental and physical powers which differ from that race.

A Vulcan character may perform a nerve pinch on any demihuman or humanoid opponent they can touch.  To do so they must make a to hit roll.  If successful the opponent immediately falls unconscious as if struck by the sleep spell.  Vulcans also posses astounding mental abilities.  A Vulcan may attempt to read minds as per the ESP spell at will. 

Vulcan physiology is very different from that of humans.  They are immune to most diseases that can be contracted by humans, though there are diseases that affect Vulcans.  The nature of these diseases, and the decision of whether or not they are dangerous to humans, is up to the individual Labyrinth Lord.

Vulcans are astute scholars of the natural world.  A Vulcan character may concoct potions in the same manner as an Alchemist if given a lab.

Vulcans may wear any armor and use any weapon or shield; however, they must have at least one hand free to use their mental abilities or nerve pinch.

Reaching 9th Level:  At 9th Level a Vulcan may establish an Academy of Logic.  This academy attracts like minded Vulcans to engage in philosophical and scientific study.  Since Vulcans are capable fighters they may also be rallied to defend the academy if it is ever in danger.

Advancment Table

Experience/Level/HD

0/1/1

2,925/2/2

5,851/3/3

11,701/4/4

23,401/5/5

46,801/6/6

93,601/7/7

187,201/8/8

374,401/9/9

748,801/10/+3hp only

1,497,601/11/+6hp only

2,995,200/12/+12hp only

Gorns

Requirements: STR 18, CON 15

Prime Requisite: CON

Hit Dice: d10

Maximum Level: 8

Saves: as Dwarf

Attack Table: as Fighter

Gorns are intelligent, humanoid reptiles with compound eyes and wicked claws.  While they may appear similar to lizardfolk to a layman, they are far more intelligent and tend to inhabit dryer areas.  Gorns are immense when compared to humans, standing almost as tall as a Bugbear.  Their size allows them to carry more weight than a human (treat as one encumbrance category lower than a human carrying equal weight) and increases the damage of any weapon they use by one die type.

Their strange eyes give them infravision 60ft and help them to see irregularities in passages or caverns.  This means they can spot secret doors, subtle slopes, or other anomalies on a 1-2 on 1d6.  Their tough hide affords them some amount of protection, equivalent to leather armor.  This does not stack with any armor they may wear since a weapon capable of penetrating plate or mail can also penetrate their skin.

Gorns are cold blooded and therefore take a -1 penalty to all actions in cold environments.  They also do not appear clearly to creatures who use infravision to see, surprising on such monsters on a 1-3 on 1d6.  Oddly enough, this does not affect other Gorns.

Gorns are trained in the use of all weapons and armor.

Gorn Advancment Table

Experience/Level/HD

0/1/1

3,301/2/2

6,601/3/3

13,201/4/4

26,401/5/5

52,801/6/6

105,601/7/7

211,201/8/8