The Island Galaxy: an unofficial Magellanic Cloud discussion

[Nerroth]

The Lesser Magellanic Cloud has been a fixture of the Star Fleet Universe for many years; since the days when the first details of Operation Unity were committed to print. However, it would not be until the development of the indigenous Magellanic empires was championed by Ken Burnside (the founder of Ad Astra Games) culminated in the publication of Star Fleet Battles Module C5 before the LMC would be formally expanded upon as a unique and vibrant setting in its own right.

(Just to be clear, the SFU goes with "Lesser" and "Greater" Magellanic Cloud, as opposed to "Small" and "Large".)

At the moment, C5 is only available in print form; if you are thinking of picking it up, the latest errata file may be handy. Alternatively, there has been talk of it being on the to-do list for an upload to e23; should that happen, both the PDF and print editions would presumably be updated to incorporate the latest errata.

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The LMC is a more compact setting than either the Alpha or Omega Octants of the Milky Way, or the more distant galaxies in the SFU such as M81 and M33. On the hex map of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, the region is divided into five main areas.

The blackened region in the centre of the Cloud is the Core; a very densely-packed collection of stars, with a radiation shell surrounding it that provides a similar barrier afforded the WYN Star Cluster by their own hollow Radiation Zone.

Beyond the Core, a ring of "normal" space (with the kind of stellar density you'd expect to find in the Milky Way) can be found; this is where most of the current crop of LMC star-faring species hail from.

Attached to this area is the Yrol Nebula; the three-hex region coloured green on the LMC map, the nebula is home to a series of indigenous space-faring life forms about whom little is currently known.

Beyond this main zone lie the Fringe worlds; these areas have only a fraction of the "standard" amount of stars and planets in each hex, making them hard for sedentary empires to claim (and much easier for nomadic exiles to make themsleves harder to find).

Finally, there is the distant Chomak Cluster; only relatively recently snagged by the LMC's gravity well (in astronomical terms), not much is currently published regarding the internal composition of this area of space.

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The history of the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, published in Module C5, can be found here.

While much of the Cloud's recorded history is due to the efforts of the Chomak Community, based in their distant star cluster, the "modern" tale of the Cloud began in the Core region. There, the Maghadim emerged as a space-faring power; crushing at least one other Core species in their outwards expansion. However, the Maghadim eventually ran into the inner wall of the Core radiation shell; not realizing its hollow nature, this insectoid species instead turned in on itself, launching the first of a series of brutal civil wars for control of the Core's resources.

In the main region of LMC space, the current crop of empires emerged somewhat later, each in their own way. The reptilian Jumokians started founding a merchant league from Y1 owards, welcoming many less advanced species into their employ. The Baduvai (a species of massive 1200kg quadrupeds) learned in Y17 that their home star would eventually expand, consuming their home world; this discovery propelled them to develop warp drive and take to the stars. The Yrol, a species native to the nebula that shares their name, managed a way to merge their semi-mobile ships to the semi-sentient nebula-dwelling life forms; using these ships to launch raids into "normal" space, they provoked a response by the squid-like Uthiki in Y8. And in Y23, the Jumokians made a fateful first contact with the Eneen; a lemur-like species with a high radiation tolerance, who were quickly signed up as "junior partners", to do the least prestigious tasks in the Jumokian League. As later Jumokian historians might later review (to their regret), it probably seemed like a good idea at the time...

In the many decades prior to the arrival of the Andromedans, these powers would find themselves caught up in a whirlwind of trade, diplomacy, intrigue and armed conflict. The Eneen would turn on their Jumokian partners in Y30, sparking a series of wars that would lead to the fall of Jumok itself to the Eneen in Y47. The Baduvai would be next on the Eneen's hit list; things would go badly for the Imperium until the legendary battle of H'Gar, at which a new wave of modern warships decisively turned the tide against the expanding Protectorates. As the Baduvai and Eneen fortified their southern flank while jockeying for power to the north, an unexpected "awakening" of the Maghadim would lead to two wars fought over the Neutral Worlds; a pair of provinces to the north-east of LMC space, formally established as a buffer zone between the Baduvai and Eneen by treaty, and eagerly coveted by the Maghadim Hives as their primary route of escape from their confines in the Core. (While the three Magellanic powers wrestled for dominance, the Yrol Septs maintained their neutrality; the Uthiki eventually consented to a semi-autonomous status within the Baduvai Imperium; and the Chomak Community maintained a degree of splendid isolation on the far side of the Fringe.)

And yet, the shadow of the Andromedan Invaders would eventually see this cycle shattered forever. The first Motherships started to arrive in the Fringe from Y138; as they worked to build their first Desecrator starbase (in order to establish the inter-galactic Rapid Transit Network's "trunk line" of back to M31) while the Second Neutral Worlds War kept the three Magellanic Powers occupied. By the time that conflict wound down, it was too late to stop the first wave of invasion; a wave which would see the Uthiki practically exterminated as a species, and both the Baduvai and Eneen forced to re-locate their governments to hastily-founded colonies in the Core as the tide of Andromedans crashed against their home worlds. The Triple Pact (the new alliance between the three powers) did manage to destroy the first Desecrator in Y154; but once again it was too late to change the outcome, as the Andromedans had already established a second starbase two years earlier.

With the Baduvai and Eneen governments-in-exile trapped along with the Maghadim in the Core, and scattered survivors from all three fleets fleeing to the Fringe, the Andromedans used their newly-won plunder to feed their war machine; using the Cloud as a jump-off points for their later invasions of both the Alpha and Omega Octants. There were a few loose ends to tie up before the Milky Way would feel the full wrath of the Invasion, however; the first recorded use of the Dominator dreadnoughts saw the Andromedans finally manage to "crack" the Core in Y183, while the Chomak cluster, the last surviving holdouts in the LMC, fell in turn by Y185.

It would not be until the success of Operation Unity in Y202 before the surviving Magellanic partisans could even begin to look towards liberating their still-occupied home worlds; yet, with so much damage caused by the invaders' brutal occupations, it would take a long time for any of the LMC's native species to get back on their feet once more.

(As it happened, the post-Unity era also saw the first efforts at exploration by the Alpha Octant powers themselves; seeking to help flush out the lingering Andromedan presence in the Cloud, but also to explore these "strange, new worlds" in their own right. Indeed, one such vessel, the Star Fleet advanced technology survey cruiser NCC-1821 USS Sakharov, would discover one of the RTN links that the invaders had originally used to take it to another region of the Milky Way; following it would allwo the Sakharov to make the formal "first contact" with the wild and warlike Omega Octant.)

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In game terms, the LMC is, like the island galaxy itself, pretty self-contained. C5 itself has pretty much all you'd need to run a campaign using the Baduvai, Eneen or Maghadim through Operation Unity; while both the Uthiki and Jumokians have enough units for these minor powers to get by. (The Yrol and Chomak have yet to be published; there are also a handful of Jindarian Caravans in the Cloud, that use the rules published for them in SFB Module F1.)

Tactically, the five currently-published factions have a few things in common. Most importantly, they each have a multi-layered shield system; with a set of outer shields (enjoying the benefit of a Volley Reduction Factor that reduces outer shield damage per volley) and a pair of hemispheric inner shields protecting the juicy hulls within. Also, each empire uses warp-tuned lasers in place of phasers; not massively different than phasers, their main disadvantage is their weakness against plasma. (This was not a problem in their home environment, but can be a factor once Alpha Octant Big Plasma shows up.)

On a larger tactical scale, the smaller economies of the Magellanic fleets manifests itself in terms of fleet selection. SFB has explicit squadron rules requiring a force to take, in addition to the flagship, no more than one cruiser for every three frigates or desttroyers fielded. This makes the destroyer the backbone of an LMC fleet; if you like these smaller ships, you're in luck. (Now, ACtA:SF tends not to like explicit fleet limits; but it should at least be recommended that players try to stick with the historical ratios.)

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In all, I personally believe that the LMC is a great choice for future consideration; and, indeed, could be a good one-stop-shop for an expansion. Unlike in the Omega Octant, you could have a fairly good shot at all of the relevant units from Module C5 in a single ACtA:SF volume; enough to flesh out the three big players, while still potentially leaving the door open for the Yrol and Chomak later. Plus, thanks to Operation Unity, the Cloud would be a good choice as the first "known" alternate setting from an Alpha Octant perspective; one which, if it proves to be successful enough, could act as a natural gateway for later exploration of settings like Omega. (In essence, the path taken by the Sakharov from the Alpha Octant to the Cloud, and then on to the Omega Octant, could make sense here... if the latter two proved popular enough.)

Of course, there is no guarantee that Mongoose may ever choose to go in any such direction; only time will tell if these avenues of expansion would ever be taken. That said, I figured it would be as well to at least try to raise awareness of the LMC as a setting; as well as to try my hand at seeing what unoffical rules I might be able to come up with, for what little they may be worth.


So, does the Lesser Magellanic Cloud seem like it could be of interest; and if so, would you consider it to be more, less, or equal to Omega in terms of wanting to explore it further?

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As with the Omega thread, I was going to create a separate post for each of the five playtest empires; that should make it easier to edit in any fixes, changes etc. Plus it will hopefully make things a little neater, too.

 

[Nerroth]

Before I jump into any of the actual Magellanic empires, I wanted to set up a post looking at some of the general rules which all five current fleets would need to get up and running.

This would include the rules for Multi-Layer Shielding and Warp-Tuned Lasers; as well as the "advice" regarding the role of destroyers and smaller vessels in each LMC navy.

EDIT: The below is version 1.1, with fixes to the Volley Reduction Factor of LMC Outer Shielding.

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LESSER MAGELLANIC CLOUD - GENERAL RULES


Lesser Magellanic Cloud Fleet Compositions: Magellanic fleets were mostly composed of Frigate- and Destroyer- sized starships, with a relatively few Cruisers compared to Galactic forces. (This was partly due to the smaller economies of the Magellanic Powers compared to the average empire in the Alpha or Omega Octants.) Historically, a Magellanic fleet would contain, in addition to the flagship, one Cruiser for every third Frigate or Destroyer taken. This is not a formal requirement in A Call to Arms: Star Fleet; however, it is strongly recommended in order to capture the historical flavour of the navies in question.


Multi-Layer Shielding: Perhaps the most striking difference between Alpha Octant warships and their equivalents in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud is in the nature of their shields. While Alpha Octant vessels rely on a single layer of Shields, Magellanic ships have two sets of Shields; the “Outer” and “Inner” Shields, each with their own capabilities, and each listed separately for a given Magellanic ship. (Certain smaller craft, mostly civilian types, have Inner Shields only.)

Magellanic Outer Shields include a Volley Reduction Factor (VRF for short); an advanced shield harmonics system which reduces the amount of damage scored on these Outer Shields. The VRF is half of the current Outer Shield score, rounding down. Each incoming volley has its total amount subtracted by the then-current VRF number, with the exception of any hits that penetrate the Outer Shields. Note that the VRF score may vary depending on the Outer Shield strength at the onset of each incoming volley; it does not remain a constant. Hits which penetrate the Outer Shields are treated as follows:

So long as it has Inner Shield score above 0, a Magellanic ship which suffers any hits that bypass the Outer Shields will have these strike the Inner Shields, before reaching the ship’s hull; any hits which go beyond this score will inflict damage on the hull as normal.

If the Magellanic ship attempts to use the Boost Energy to Shields! Special Action, it may roll for every full 10 points of the combined total of starting Outer and Inner Shield scores. Two generated dice roll points are required to repair each Outer Shield damage point; Inner Shields are repaired on a one-for-one basis, as with standard Galactic shields. However, neither Outer nor Inner Shields can go above their starting score; any points which would take them beyond this amount are lost.

Note that when attempting to use the Transport Marines! Special Action, the attacking ship will count as having both Outer and Inner Shields reduced to 0 in the arc facing the target ship.

Also note that certain weapons, such as the “drill” element of the Uthiki Boson Drill, or the Seltorian Shield Cracker, ignore the Volley Reduction Factor; any hits sustained from these particular weapons that strike the Outer Shields score their full damage as normal.


Warp-Tuned Lasers: These weapons used a high-frequency laser beam which was heterodyned through a warp shunt into faster-than-light velocities. As with Galactic Phasers, Warp-Tuned Lasers came in a number of sizes and power outputs, depending on the ship or base operating them. (Each Attack Die represents a single weapon, with the exception of the Twin Laser; which instead mounts two smaller Light Lasers into the same weapon mount, and thus produces 2 Attack Dice apiece.) Warp-Tuned Lasers are less effective at countering Plasma Torpedoes in comparison to Phasers; they require two successful hits on a given warhead to reduce it by 1 Attack Die, rather than one hit per 1 AD for a Phaser. (This becomes three hits per 1 AD if used against a High-Energy Acceptance Torpedo warhead.) A Scout ship using its Scout functions may fire Light Lasers normally; Early and Medium Lasers may only be fired defensively. (Each line of Twin Lasers may fire one half of its Attack Dice normally; the other half can only be fired defensively.)


Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 Varies Varies Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Early Lasers 14 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Kill Zone 2, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Kill Zone 2, Precise
Heavy Lasers 26 Varies Varies Accurate +2, Kill Zone 9, Multihit 2, Precise

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The way in which the shields work should make a bit more sense once I post up the first empire I had a look at; the Baduvai Imperium. The lasers... well, I'm not 100% certain about whether or not I'm getting them right, but at least the plasma limitation should be a factor regardless of what the actual weapon stats should ultimately be.

 

[Nerroth]

Here is a first look at the Baduvai Imperium.

The Baduvai are a species of massive (1200kg) beaked quadrupeds; so large that they come three to a Marine squad, instead of the five per Star Fleet Marine squad. They are native to a world with a much denser atmosphere than Earth; they have the ability to perform echolocation in their native atmosphere, but are profoundly hard of hearing (without technological assistance) on Earth-like planets. This has a knock-on effect on their naval architecture; as the Baduvai prefer to have more open spaces, their ships have a low degree of compartmentalization, and thus a relatively low number of Hull boxes per class.

Their ships are generally quite agile; one of them, the Strike Cruiser, is the grey space shuttle-ey ship in the top-right of the image in the opening post. They have a strong forward-facing direct-fire focus, thanks to their poweful Charged Particle Accelerators; that mount one, two, or three firing chambers side-by-side, allowing for larger and more powerful blasts the more that are linked together in the same mount. They also use the Mass Driver; a sort of "direct-fire-drone" that actually works sort of like how drones have been made to work in this game already! Since they don't travel on the board as a seeking weapon, however, their range is short compared to a drone; and their warhead strength isn't all that high, either. Think of them as something to soak up enemy laser fire when going in for your own laser and CPA strike.

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BADUVAI IMPERIUM


Charged Particle Accelerators: The primary heavy weapon used by the ships of the Baduvai Imperium, the Charged Particle Accelerator is composed of one, two or three particle accelerator chambers mounted together; providing Baduvai ships and bases with a powerful offensive punch. Charged Particle Accelerators cannot be overloaded.


Mass Drivers: Used as a secondary weapon system by the Baduvai Imperium and the Maghadim Hives, the Mass Driver mechanism was originally used as a Probe launcher. It was adapted to launch missiles at high warp towards an enemy vessel; the missiles are programmed to reduce their speed within the final approach of the target ship in order to calibrate their targeting sensors. This provides the target ship a window of opportunity to target the missile using its anti-drone defenses before impact. Class-I Mass Drivers normally have a Range of 10 inches, and may be fired in this mode every turn. The attacking ship may choose to increase this Range of each Attack Die to 15 inches; but doing so requires the launcher to “cool down”, so that AD may not be used in the subsequent turn. Class-III Mass Drivers, used on bases and bombardment variants, may be launched every turn with no penalty.

A Scout ship using its Scout functions may launch Class-I and Class-III Mass Drivers with no penalty. As with drones, no more than three ships may target a single enemy ship with mass drivers in the same turn; Scout ships may use Drone Control (or, in this case, Mass Driver Control) to attack a Scouting Target with its mass drivers, even if the enemy has been attacked by three other ships firing mass drivers. Only one Scout ship can do this against any one target. Jamming will reduce 2 mass driver Attack Dice per Scout function used, the same as for drones.


Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Charged Particle Accelerator-1 12 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 3
Charged Particle Accelerator-2 15 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Charged Particle Accelerator-3 18 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 9, Multihit 3, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 Varies Varies Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-III Mass Drivers 24 Varies Varies Multihit 2, Seeking

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Baduvai Initiative: +0

Baduvai Fleet List:

War Destroyer (DW) 115 points
War Cruiser (CW) 155 points
Strike Cruiser (CS) 220 points

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WAR DESTROYER - 115 POINTS (DW)

Another example of the new generation hulls produced at the Baduvai shipyards, along with the Strike Cruiser and War Cruiser. The War Destroyer entered service in Y120, and gradually became a staple of the Imperium’s main battle fleets.

Ships of the Class: Vigour, Undefeated.

Turn: 3
Outer Shields: 10
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 16/6
Marines: 3
Craft: 2 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 T 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Charged Particle Accelerator-2 15 F 2 Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 3 Multihit 2, Seeking

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BOMBARDMENT VARIANT (DWD) -5 POINTS

The Baduvai built a number of these variants from Y122 for base assaults and fleet fire support; it was a reasonably common combat support variant.

This variant removes the Charged Particle Accelerator-2 and Class-I Mass Driver Attack Dice, and replaces them with the following:

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Class-III Mass Drivers 24 FH 3 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-III Mass Drivers 24 F, P 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-III Mass Drivers 24 F, S 1 Multihit 2, Seeking

SCOUT VARIANT (DWS) -5 POINTS

Another variant introduced in Y122, this ship was a long-overdue replacement for the venerable (and undersized) Frigate Scout.

This variant removes the Charged Particle Accelerator-2 Attack Dice, and includes the Scout 1 Trait.

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WAR CRUISER - 155 POINTS (CW)

After observing the Eneen third-generation hulls in action, the Baduvai began a design study to build their own complementary units. The need for a less expensive Cruiser design, to supplement the aging Heavy Cruiser (and to sit at the mid-point between the Strike Cruiser and War Destroyer which were also being developed) led to the commissioning of this vessel in Y120. In most ways, the War Cruiser proved a better ship than the Heavy Cruiser it was designed to supplement; however, the superior range of the latter ship’s Charged Particle Accelerators ensured that room enough would remain for both classes in the Baduvai production schedule.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 12
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 20/7
Marines: 4
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Tractor Beam 4, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 T 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Charged Particle Accelerator-2 15 F 3 Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 3 Multihit 2, Seeking

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STRIKE CRUISER - 220 POINTS (CS)

The largest warship in the Baduvai arsenal (since the Imperium never built a Dreadnought), this class is among the most powerful ships to have been produced by a Magellanic Power. Originally designed in Y120 (along with the War Cruiser and War Destroyer), various technical problems and costly design changes delayed the operation of this class; the first Strike Cruiser did not set sail until Y124. The Strike Cruiser falls somewhere between a Command Cruiser and a Heavy Battlecruiser in Galactic nomenclature, and was designed from the ground up to serve as an effective command platform for the largest Baduvai fleets. However, the oversized central warp pylon had an adverse effect on the vessel’s Turn score, relative to those of other Baduvai cruisers.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 20
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 24/8
Marines: 5
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Command +1, Labs 4, Tractor Beam 6, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 T 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 3 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 3 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Charged Particle Accelerator-3 18 F 1 Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 9, Multihit 3, Reload
Charged Particle Accelerator-2 15 F 2 Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 4 Multihit 2, Seeking

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Once the outer and inner shields are breached, the hulls themselves are relatively fragile; even the CS, as big as, say, a Federation CB, is no better than a Fed CL in terms of its Damage score. The destroyers tend to have more variants than the cruisers; this is also an effect of the 3:1 ratio which LMC navies tended to use.

Mastering this combination of agility and firepower, while taking care to protect the inherhent fragility of their hulls, would be crucial in making a Baduvai force work. (Although, given their lower initiative as a fleet compared to who'll be up next, they may be using their Turn scores to react, as much as to act.)

 

[Nerroth]

Next up is arguably the most militaristic of LMC empires; the Eneen Protectorates.

The Eneen are a lemur-like species that evolved on a planet with a weak magnetic field and lots of radioactives. As a result, they have a high degree of radiation tolerance, and can live to upwards of six hundred years. And they can even reproduce parthogenetically; a mother can induce the birth of a genetically identical daughter. The down side of this is that around 1 in 10 children concieved carry nonviable genetic mutations. This has resulted in a ruthless attitude to eugenics, the detials of which can best be left to the imagination.

As a society, the Eneen are keen on conquest; their all-volunteer Eneen protectorates Armed Forces has the luxury of manpower. Which is just as well; the Eneen refuse to arm their subject planets, vowing not to repeat the mistake that the Jumokians had once made with them.

Eneen ships had kept their heavy weapons focused forward in the Early Years; this worked well enough for them, at least until the Battle of H'Gar in Y52 gave them pause to reconsider. After this traumatic introduction to modern warp technology, the Eneen protectorates Navy switched to a side-firing doctrine; though they struggled with their own adoption of modern warp engines for many years.

Their primary heavy weapon is the variable-focus neutron beam; in SFB, it's a "fire/cool" weapon (single turn of arming, but has to "cool down" in the subsequent turn) that can be quite power hungry. It has two firing modes; one like a disruptor, another like a warp-tuned laser (with the laser's range brackets, even). To help them play keep away, the Eneen developed type-E plasma torpedoes; these plasmas are small by Alpha Octant standards, but worked in their home context (as keep-away weapons) due to the poor interaction of lasers with plasma.

Also, their ships have banks of high-powered reactors; these can be run normally, or run "hot" with double the output. This provides a small bump in power output, but at a price; if even one "hot" HPR is taken out, it will cascade and risk blowing out the entire row of reactor boxes...

In the pic in the opening post, their Heavy Cruiser the brown one on the top-left, with the hexagonal carapace attached to two underslung booms; or, as someone over on the BBS once put it, the "fat Lyran"!

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ENEEN PROTECTORATES


High-Powered Reactors: The lemur-like Eneen, with their high degree of resistance to the effects of neutronic radiation, are able to run their ship-mounted reactors “hot”; doubling the output out of each bank of on-board reactors. However, the downside is the heightened degree of vulnerability of these reactors when doubled. If choosing to run the on-board reactors “hot”, an Eneen ship ignores Power Drain effects when using the Boost Energy to Shields! Or Reload Weapons! Special Actions; however, it will automatically add +1 to the Critical Score of its Impulse Drive at the end of the End Phase if it does so. (Note that Eneen bases and civilian ships often have various subject species members on board, so do not possess High-Powered Reactors.)


Variable-Focus Neutron Beams: The heavy weapons seen aboard Eneen warships, the weapon forces a stream of neutrons down a warp shunt at the target. This weapon offers two settings for an Eneen captain, either in a narrow beam (which is aimed like a Disruptor) or in a wide aperture (which impacts more like a Warp-Tuned Laser) depending on the requirements of the situation. The weapon chart shows the weapon in the “wide-aperture” mode; if fired in “narrow beam” mode, the Accurate trait is reduced to +1, but the Attack Die gains the Precise Trait instead.


Plasma-E Torpedoes: Used by warships of the Eneen Protectorates Navy, the type-E Plasma Torpedo was designed and operated as a secondary weapon system; to provide cover for Eneen warships when disengaging, or moving off to re-arm their heavy direct-fire weaponry. The Eneen had not developed a more powerful warhead, such as those seen on Romulan, Gorn or ISC starships, before or during Operation Unity; it is as yet unknown what, if any, new systems may have been developed in its aftermath. The Plasma Torpedo-E may bolt, but may not carronade.


Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Neutron Beams 20 Varies Varies Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 Varies Varies Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking

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Eneen Initiative: +1

Eneen Fleet List:

War Destroyer (DW) 115 points
New Light Cruiser (NCL) 160 points
Heavy Cruiser (CA) 180 points

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WAR DESTROYER - 115 POINTS (DW)

Part of the trio of new-generation hull types to emerge in Y105 (along with the New Light Cruiser and Frigate; each designed from the ground up to act as worthy consorts to the capable Heavy Cruiser) this capable and affordable ship class soon established itself as the backbone of the modern Eneen fleet.

Ships of the Class: Averter of Piracy, Defender of Prosperity, Guardian of Peace.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 10
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 18/7
Marines: 3
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Quick Launch, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 FH 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Variable-Focus Neutron Beams 20 F, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Variable-Focus Neutron Beams 20 F, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 A, P 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 A, S 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking

COMMAND VARIANT (DWC) -5 POINTS

Designed in Y115 as a stopgap command vessel for the widely spread Eneen fleets; this ship had better command facilities than a Light Cruiser, but had minimal firepower to contribute to the battle.

This variant removes the Variable-Focus Neutron Beam Attack Dice, adds 1 AD to each of the PH and SH Light Lasers, and includes the Command +1 Trait.

PLASMA VARIANT (DWP, Asserter of Prerogative) -5 POINTS

The Eneen built a number of pure plasma ships based on the War Destroyer class for fleet support roles. They were used to launch screens of Type-E Plasma Torpedoes for the fleets to manoeuvre behind, rather than as close fire support.

This variant, available from Y105 onwards, replaces the Variable-Focus Neutron Beam Attack Dice with the following:

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 F, P 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 F, S 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking

SCOUT VARIANT (DWS) -5 POINTS

One of the very best of the War Destroyer Scout class, this vessel had a good number of sensor channels and power available to use them.

This variant, available from Y107, removes the Variable-Focus Neutron Beam and Plasma Torpedo-E Attack Dice, and includes the Scout 2 Trait.

-----

NEW LIGHT CRUISER - 160 POINTS (NCL)

Entering service in Y105 alongside the War Destroyer and Frigate, the Eneen New Light Cruiser was intended to have eighty percent of the firepower of the Heavy Cruiser for half the cost to build. It never quite met the mark, but proved to be a worthy combat unit. New Light Cruisers were very much in demand, and there were never enough of them to meet every Admiral’s needs. In many theatres, the older Destroyers and newer War Destroyers were forced to fill the gaps.

Ships of the Class: Chancellor Hiritsu, Chancellor Ozawa.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 12
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 24/8
Marines: 4
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Labs 3, Quick Launch, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 3

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 FH 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Variable-Focus Neutron Beams 20 F, P 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Variable-Focus Neutron Beams 20 F, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 A, P 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 A, S 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking

-----

HEAVY CRUISER - 180 POINTS (CA)

The fleet flagships of the Eneen Protectorates Navy, the Heavy Cruiser proved a very capable warship of its class. When this class first entered service in Y75, it was saddled with an awkward mismatch of smaller ship classes to lead; as the Eneen gradually developed new ship classes to catch up to the Heavy Cruiser design through the early Y100s, the ability of this ship to demonstrate its effectiveness as a fleet flagship grew substantially.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 14
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 28/10
Marines: 7
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Labs 4, Quick Launch, Tractor Beam 3, Transporter 4

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 FH 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, P 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Variable-Focus Neutron Beams 20 F, P 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Variable-Focus Neutron Beams 20 F, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 6, Multihit 2, Reload
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 A, P 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 A, S 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking

-----

Once again, the true flexibility in terms of mission variants can be found with their destroyers; given their role at the core of the later Eneen fleet. While the neutron beam arcs do overlap in the F arc, the laser arcs more or less encourage a more oblique pass; not least when you are trying to make it easier to turn off to reload.

(The overall effect of Reload should hopefully reflect the power requirements of the NB, more or less; they are quite power-hungry.)

 

[Nerroth]

The third of the Magellanic Powers, the Maghadim Hives yearn to escape the Core radiation shell... when they can find time away from killing each other, that is.

As a species, the Maghadim are insectoid, with ten limbs; they comport thesmevles sort of like a mythological Terran centaur (or those bugs from a certain old Disney movie...) Like the Seltorians, they have distinct sub-species, eachwith different sizes; elephant-sized Hive Queens, pony-sized Brain Drones, wolfhound-sized Warrior Drones, and a Worker caste with a variety of sizes depending on diet and job type. Politically, they have been known to be divided into three main Hives, the Northern, Eastern and Western; each with a nice big starbase (the largest fixed installations built by any of the Magellanic Powers) as their deep-range capitals. From time to time, a particulalry charismatic Brain Drone can unite the Hives against the Baduvai and Eneen; such was the case with Kk'chor, who led the first coalition of Hives out of the Core, and into the First Neutral Worlds War.

Their ships are fairly adaptable; with standard fore and aft segments built for their Destroyers and Frigates, and a set of large or small collars (each with their own additional warp engines, weapons, and other systems attached) that can be added to the middle in order to build a bigger ship. (Note the Battlecruiser, the bug-like ship on the bottom-right of the pic in the opening post; it has a Destroyer's fore and aft section, with the large collar stuck in between them.)

They have tachyon beams, that in SFB have a good chance at striking both the facing and opposite shield facings at once; this can be nasty if the "other side" has a down inner and/or outer shield. After the Baduvai "volunteered" mass driver technology thanks to an ill-advised trip into the Core region, the Hives adopted these useful weapons to their own ships; but their use for them is somewhat different than it is for the Imperium.

And the collars each provide a set of laser option mounts; allowing for either medium or twin lasers to be taken, depending on what they may be needed for.

-----

MAGHADIM HIVES


Tachyon Beams: Seen as the primary heavy weapon of Maghadim warships, the Tachyon Beam envelops its target with a bubble of force, which is threaded with a stream of tachyons. This causes the force bubble to implode, impacting on both points of contact, which guides the incoming force onto the two matching facings of the target. However, this process is not always precise, as it is possible for only one half of the bubble to detonate, the other half causing no damage to the target ship. If the Tachyon Beam Attack Dice rolls the current to-hit requirement for the target ship, it scores its listed damage normally; if the roll is one or more points higher, the weapon also gains the Multihit 2 trait. Tachyon Beams may be overloaded.


Laser Option Mounts: Certain Maghadim ships have a number of weapon items marked as “Laser*”; each Attack Die so listed must be outfitted with either a Medium Laser with 1 AD, or Twin Lasers with 2 AD, each with the listed firing arcs. (Historically, the Eastern faction tended towards Medium Lasers, the Western faction Twin Lasers, while the Northern faction tended to mix and match their laser mounts.)


Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Tachyon Beams 18 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Kill Zone 6, Reload

-----

Maghadim Initiative: +1

Maghadim Fleet List:

Heavy Destroyer (HDD) 140 points
Light Cruiser (CL) 170 points
Battlecruiser (BC) 200 points

-----

HEAVY DESTROYER - 140 POINTS (HDD)

This ship, along with its larger stable mate the Cruiser, entered production in Y91; both were made possible thanks to advent of the small central collar. (While the Cruiser mates a Destroyer to this small collar, the Heavy Destroyer attaches it to a Frigate instead.) The ability of the Hives to develop these hulls enabled the first steps to be taken towards matching the larger hull types the Maghadim had recently found to be in service within the Baduvai and Eneen navies. The lessons learned in the First Neutral Worlds War would, in turn, feed the development process for the large collar that would later make the larger Battlecruiser and Light Cruiser a reality. This process was not without its drawbacks, however; as the Federation would later find with its New Jersey-variant Battlecruiser in the Alpha Octant, the Maghadim discovered that the Heavy Destroyer’s increased Tachyon Beam suite was more than the vessel’s space frame could comfortably handle.

Ships of the Class: Glorious Victory.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 10
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 20/8
Marines: 5
Craft: 2 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Shock (Tachyon Beams) 2, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 F, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Laser* - PH 1 -
Laser* - SH 1 -
Tachyon Beams 18 F 3 Accurate +1, Multihit 3, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 F, P 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 F, S 1 Multihit 2, Seeking

ESCORT VARIANT (HDE) -5 POINTS

Built as an up-gunned version of the Frigate Escort, the Heavy Destroyer Escort was a mishmash of roles; not a pure escort, not quite a true warship. In spite of this, the ship was quite successful; only economics prevented the Maghadim from building more than a handful of them.

This variant, available from Y180 onwards, removes 2 Attack Dice from its Tachyon Beams, as well as the lone FH-arc Class-I Mass Driver, and replaces them with the following:

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 FH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Class-III Mass Drivers 24 F, P 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-III Mass Drivers 24 F, S 1 Multihit 2, Seeking

This vessel does not possess an Aegis fire control system, so does not use the Escort Trait.

SCOUT VARIANT (HDS) -5 POINTS

As is typical of the Maghadim philosophy in support vessels, this ship is armed to the teeth for a Scout. Its greater expense was more than made up by its increased survivability.

This variant, available from Y91, removes the Tachyon Beam Attack Dice, and includes the Scout 2 Trait.

-----

LIGHT CRUISER - 170 POINTS (CL)

The Maghadim Light Cruiser was larger and more capable than the War Cruisers deployed by the Baduvai and Eneen, but it fell far short of the capabilities of a full Cruiser. Entering service alongside the Battlecruiser in Y130, the Light Cruiser mated the same large collar with the fore and aft hull sections of a Frigate.

Ships of the Class: Conqueror.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 14
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 24/8
Marines: 6
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Labs 3, Quick Launch, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 3

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 F, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Laser* - PH 2 -
Laser* - SH 2 -
Tachyon Beams 18 F 3 Accurate +1, Multihit 3, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 F, P 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 F, S 1 Multihit 2, Seeking

-----

BATTLECRUISER - 200 POINTS (BC)

When the Federation arrived in the Cloud alongside the other Unity forces, their experience of fighting alongside this vessel led them to refer to it as the “Cockroach of Space”; and with good reason! Few ships in the LMC can approach the Battlecruiser’s degree of durability, though it may be argued that the Baduvai Strike Cruiser has the edge in overall combat effectiveness. This ship, comprised of a Destroyer hull mated to a large central collar, was introduced in Y130 (as was the smaller Light Cruiser; a Frigate mated to the same collar).

Ships of the Class: Kk’chor.

Turn: 6
Outer Shields: 16
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 28/10
Marines: 7
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Labs 4, Quick Launch, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 4

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers - FH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers - F, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers - F, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers - A, P, S 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Laser* - PH 2 -
Laser* - SH 2 -
Tachyon Beams - F 3 Accurate +1, Multihit 3, Reload
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 F, P 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 F, S 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 PH 1 Multihit 2, Seeking
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 SH 1 Multihit 2, Seeking

-----

The bugs have the least agile ships of the three Magellanic Powers; but they can cause a lot of trouble once they do get up close.

Miniature-wise, the Maghadim have the potential to be the most "plug-and-play" empire around; since the combinations of fore hulls, aft hulls, and collars are the literal building blocks for the Maghadim navy.

 

[Nerroth]

One of the two smaller powers in Module C5; the Uthiki Harmony... is now dead.

The Uthiki, a species of squid-like beings native to the ammonia/water layer of their Jovian gas giant home world, worked themselves up into space as part of a long-term project going back hundreds of years; developing some pretty lethal technology along the way.

While communications first proved highly difficult when dealing with the Baduvai, the two sides eventually realised that they had no need for each other's colony worlds; and so agreed to co-operate, or at least not get in each other's way. In Y122, the Uthiki were formally welcomed into the Imperium as semi-autonomous members; which provided an unwelcome element for the Eneen and Maghadim to consider.

Sadly, for whatever reaosn, the Andromedans decided that the Uthiki, as a species, simply had to go. The Andros went out of their way to hunt down every last ship, base or colony world they could find; for decades, it seemed as if their act of mass xenocide had indeed rendered the poor Uthiki extinct. (Fortunately, two isolated lost colonies were discovered after Operation Unity; though both had lost much of their technology base, neither was in any hurry to reclaim it.)

For the time their ships were still around, the Uthiki made use of Boson Drills; weapons that could "drill" into opposing outer shields (ignoring the Volley Reduction Factor) and plant an antimatter "bit" against an inner shield (or an enemy hull, if no inner layer of shielding was present). Sadly for them, the "drill" element was worthless against the Andromedans, so Uthiki captains basically ignored this weapon when trying to stave off their would-be exterminators.

They also had Positron Lancets; antimatter-based weapons that had a lethal ability to cut into a hull and savage internal systems. They also had a target acquisition gear system, that helped them maximize their laser firepower.

-----

UTHIKI HARMONY


Boson Drills: One of the most feared weapon systems in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud, for its ability to strip through the multi-layer shield system of Magellanic starships, the Boson Drill is the Uthiki primary heavy weapon. It sends a helical force matrix through the target vessel’s shields, followed up with a packet of antimatter fired through the conduit created. As the Harmony was no longer a space-faring power by the time of Operation Unity, its specifications for dealing with Galactic shielding come from limited Baduvai data regarding Uthiki encounters with metal-hull Jindarian vessels (from one of the two-to-three caravans that operated in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud).

The weapon chart shown the “drill” element; this strikes the outermost shield as normal, except that it ignores the Volley Reduction Factor (so Magellanic Outer Shields do not reduce their incoming hits by the current VRF value from this “drill” element). However, the “drill” bit cannot score damage on an enemy hull (and has no effect on Andromedan Power-Absorber Panels), and cannot bypass the Outer Shields on the roll of a 6; it must take down the Outer Shield before it can score damage on the Inner Shield.

Each successful hit from a Boson Drill also lands a single hit from the “bit” element; this is scored against the Inner Shield (if one is present), against the hull’s Damage Score (if fired at a Galactic ship, or a Magellanic ship with its Inner Shield reduced to 0) or against the Power-Absorber Panel (if fired at an Andromedan ship with its PA Panels active).


Positron Lancets: These are the secondary heavy weapons used by Uthiki vessels. Each fires a stream of charged positrons through its target, cutting deep into the enemy ship’s superstructure. The combination of this weapon and the Boson Drill made Uthiki warships a tricky proposition for their enemies. Positron lancets can be overloaded.


Target Acquisition Gear X: Uthiki units use an enhanced Target Acquisition Gear, or TAG, system which allows them to maximize the effectiveness of their Warp-Tuned Laser arrays. Each TAG unit may be used to mark a different target vessel within 12 inches of the attacking ship; doing this adds a +1 to hit for the marking ship’s Warp-Tuned Laser fire against that target for that turn. Multiple markings on the same target ship have no cumulative effect. Allied ships receive no benefit.


Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Boson Drills 16 Varies Varies Accurate +2, Multihit 2, Precise
Positron Lancets 14 Varies Varies Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Multihit D6, Precise, Reload

-----

Uthiki Initiative: +0

Uthiki Fleet List:

Destroyer (DD) 130 points
War Cruiser (CW) 165 points

-----

DESTROYER - 130 POINTS (DD)

The larger of the two indigenous Uthiki designs, its ability to strip shields and savage internal systems made it a dangerous prospect for opposing Magellanic ships. It first entered service in Y54; no-one is certain when the last of this class was laid low by the Andromedans.

Ships of the Class: Etude at 43Hz.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 6
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 20/7
Marines: 3
Craft: 2 Shuttles
Traits: Labs 2, Target Acquisition Gear 1, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 T 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 F, P 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 F, S 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Boson Drill 16 F 2 Accurate +2, Multihit 2, Precise
Positron Lancet 14 T 2 Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Multihit D6, Precise, Reload

-----

WAR CRUISER - 165 POINTS (CW)

Given to the Uthiki as part of the agreement which established them as semi-autonomous members of the Baduvai Imperium, the first ship of this class was converted from a Baduvai War Cruiser in Y122. Though five were built in total, there was only ever one in existence at a time; each built as a replacement for one that was destroyed.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 12
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 20/7
Marines: 4
Craft: 4 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Unique, Target Acquisition Gear 2, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 PH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 SH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 F, P, S 8 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Boson Drill 16 F 3 Accurate +2, Multihit 2, Precise
Positron Lancet 14 T 2 Accurate +1, Devastating +1, Multihit D6, Precise, Reload

Unique: You may only have one of these ships in your fleet.

-----

Ironcially, the flagship is actually more agile than the Uthiki's own home-built warships.

Generally speaking, getting anywhere near the business end of an Uthiki warship should be a particularly bad idea for a rival Magellanic ship; not least with the "drill" elements able to work so well against those outer shields. (Should the Andromedans show up in the game system, they might not have this particular problem.)

 

[Nerroth]

Last up; the Jumokian Resistance.

The Jumokians are brachiating warm-blooded reptiles, from a jungle planet somewhat cooler and wetter than Earth. They were keen to expand into space, recruiting a number of minor planets into their Jumokian League. Unfortunately, the most promising member species, the Eneen, turned out to want it all to themselves...

The first wave of "pirate" ships built in exile by the Jumokians had one goal; to eventually reclaim Jumok. Their chance came in Y113, when they finally made a move to liberate their home world. Unfortunately, the Baduvai were unable to keep the Eneen otherwise occupied; and the latter not only re-conquered Jumok, but bombarded it back into the Stone Age in reprisal.

After this, many of the Jumokian cells gave up on the insurgency, and turned to piracy as an end in and of itself. Ironically, their exposure to the Andromedans in the Fringe gave them a head-start in trying to gather intelligence on the new invaders; while the dissemination of their asteroid shipyard technology (itself handed down to them from the already-nomadic Jindarians) allowed the Triple Pact exiles to survive the conquest long enough for them to still be around by the time Operation Unity rolled around.

Their first gen ships like to stick together, literally speaking; their old destroyer has two frigate hulls side-by-side, while their old light cruiser has three. (They have a nice new destroyer, built as a single hull from the ground up.)

They also like to mount various Pinnace packs, adding to the flexibility of their hulls. (Pinnaces are small transport craft common in the LMC; they can come with one of a number of different packs, for cargo, survey, self-defence, troop transport, etc. The Jumokians built their raiders with the use of these packs in mind.)

-----

JUMOKIAN RESISTANCE


Distortion Field Generator: Jumokian ships use a system built into their warships to allow a set of tuning crystals to create a distortion field around the vessel; not entirely unlike a Romulan Cloaking Device, but less effective (and far more fragile). Rather than planning on using it offensively, most Jumokian captains preferred to rely on the DFG as a means of facilitating disengagement from an unfavorable encounter.

If the Jumokian ship chooses to activate the generator, Mass Drivers cannot be targeted on the ship at all, and other weapons are treated as being two inches further from the target than they actually are from the target ship. In addition, a Jumokian ship with an active generator may choose to make a Tactical Withdrawal if it moves within 5 inches of a table edge (rather than having to move off of the table edge directly).

However, if the Jumokian ship fires any of its weapons in the same turn, the generator is immediately voided for the remainder of the turn. Regardless of whether it is voided or not, using the generator requires the Jumokian ship to roll 2D6 in the End Phase; the result is kept as a running total. Once this total reaches 15, the tuning crystal shatters; rendering the generator inoperable for the remainder of the scenario.


Jumokian Option Mounts: In a similar manner to the Orion Pirates and WYN Cluster forces in the Alpha Octant, or the High Pirate Bands in the M81 Galaxy, Jumokian warships used salvaged weapon systems from several other Magellanic navies for use on their ships. Depending on the area of operation in which the Jumokian force was active, the empires which could be drawn on varied, as was the case with the Orion Cartels.

Each Weapon* Attack Die may be:
• a Medium Laser, an Early Laser, a Light Laser, a Charged Particle Accelerator-1 or -2, a Variable-Focus Neutron Beam or a Tachyon Beam (each in the F arc);
• or a Twin Laser (with 2 Attack Dice, both in the F arc),
• or a Class-I or Class-III Mass Driver, or a Type-E Plasma Torpedo (each with an FH arc).
• Alternatively, 2 Attack Dice in the same Weapon* line may be replaced with a Charged Particle Accelerator-3 (with the F arc); Attack Dice from separate Weapon* lines may not be combined in order to mount this weapon.

No weapon systems from the Milky Way or M81 Galaxies can be used in the option mounts aboard Jumokian warships. (Also note that Orion, WYN or M81 Pirate option mounts may not be fitted with Magellanic weapon systems either.)

-----

Jumokian Initiative: -1

Jumokian Fleet List:

New Destroyer Scout (NDS) 120 points
New Destroyer (NDD) 130 points
Light Cruiser (CL) 140 points

-----

NEW DESTROYER SCOUT – 120 POINTS (NDS)

Not so much a variant, more a case of the Jumokian captain using his vessel’s option mounts (combined with an alternate Pinnace Pack) to turn his ship into an effective scout. This version, available with the New Destroyer’s general introduction in Y133, assumes the use of a Survey Pinnace Pack.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 3
Outer Shields: 8
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 16/6
Marines: 2
Craft: 3 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 6, Scout 2, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 4

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 PH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 SH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise

-----

NEW DESTROYER - 130 POINTS (NDD)

A new generation of ship designed from the keel up in the sparsely-populated Fringe, the New Destroyer was arguably among the best ship designs of its displacement class in the Cloud when it made its debut in Y133; carrying most of the firepower of the Light Cruiser for only a fraction of the cost. Unfortunately for the Jumokians, the primary shipyard for the class had the misfortune of lying along the Andromedans’ invasion route into the Cloud; once it was destroyed, production of this class was severely curtailed for over a decade. This version assumes the use of a Self-Defence Pinnace Pack.

Ships of the Class: Domorak, Flashpoint.

Turn: 3
Outer Shields: 8
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 16/6
Marines: 6
Craft: 3 Shuttles
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Probe 0, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 5

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 PH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 SH 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 AH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Weapon* - F 3 -

-----

LIGHT CRUISER - 140 POINTS (CL)

Made from three Frigates welded together, the Jumokian Light Cruiser was used as an enforcer ship since its introduction in Y101. Reports indicate that the Jumokians were attempting to build a fleet of Light Cruisers in order to eventually re-take some of their former colonies from the Eneen. This version assumes the use of two Self-Defence Pinnace Packs.

Ships of the Class: Jenrex.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 10
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 20/7
Marines: 10
Craft: 3 Shuttles
Traits: Labs 2, Probe 0, Quick Launch, Tractor Beam 2, Transporter 8

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 F, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 F, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Early Lasers 14 PH 1 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Early Lasers 14 SH 1 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Twin Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 A, P 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 A, S 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Weapon* - F 1 -
Weapon* - F 1 -
Weapon* - F 1 -

-----

The Jumokians do things quite differently than the Orions; their main doctrine is to capture ships, as opposed to stealing cargo. However, since the game does not accommodate boarding actions at this point, using those Marines for hit-and-run raids will have to do for now.

Note that the CPA-3 needs to have 2 Weapon* AD in the same line; this means that while the NDD can take one (and have one option mount AD spare), the CL cannot. This reflects the fact that the light cruiser has three frigate hulls side-by-side, each with its own lone option mount; whereas the new destroyer was specifically built to have a single hull, and its three mounts lined up in the one spot.


-----


So, that's the five empires we have stats for so far. (There are some civilian units, such as the aforementioned Pinnaces, out there, too.)

Any thoughts on how they look so far; or if any of them look like fleets you may one day like to consider playing?

 

[Captain Jonah]

Outstanding as always.

Thank you.

 

[Da Boss]

Wow thats a lot of stuff - most impressive

It will take time to digest though!!

Distortion Field Generator: a 2" addition to range, not being able to fire and very limited period of use during the game (maybe just 2 turns) makes it a very difficult thing to get any use out of it, especially with the ability to pre-measure.

I'd be tempted to either drop it or make it more effective?

also is the runing total reset if you fire, stop using it or does it stay constant - perhaps easier to just make it a SA with powerdrain to activate it?

If the Magellanic ship attempts to use the Boost Energy to Shields! Special Action, it must roll separately for the Inner and Outer Shields; the Inner Shields are boosted as normal, but the total amount rolled to increase the Outer Shields must be halved, rounding down. Inner Shields cannot go above their starting score; any points which would take them beyond this amount are lost.

How about the player chooses where the points gained in BETS are placed with the restrictions about no going over starting score for inner shields? Means only one roll but a bit of thought for the player

I do think their shield system may prove a bit overpowering with both stopping leaky hits AND halving normal hits - very powerful combination given they have plenty of them?

 

[Nerroth]

Glad I was able to edit that last plasma-E arc for the DW without anyone commenting on why it had two A, P torps instead of one A, P and one A, S...

Outstanding as always.

Thank you.

Thanks for the thumbs-up; though I wouldn't bee too confident about any of these details just yet. This is still a first pass at the material; there's no guarantee any of this would work, or if any official LMC rules (should there eventually be any) will look anything like what you see here.

But then, I guess that's the whole point about the "unoffical" tagline, right?

Wow thats a lot of stuff - most impressive

It will take time to digest though!!

There's no rush; if anything else springs to mind, let me know. (That also goes for anyone else reading this, too.)

Distortion Field Generator: a 2" addition to range, not being able to fire and very limited period of use during the game (maybe just 2 turns) makes it a very difficult thing to get any use out of it, especially with the ability to pre-measure.

I'd be tempted to either drop it or make it more effective?

DFGs are not really intended to be used offensively; but more to help Jumokian ships get out of trouble.

In SFB, you actually have a choice of one, two or three penalty hexes; with one, two, or three dice rolled towards the running total respectively.

(There's also an ability to disengage at a short distance from the enemy when the DFG is on; but that's not something that is easily representable in ACtA:SF. Unless you allow a Jumokian to make a Tactical Withdrawal a certain number of hexes from the table edge if the DFG is active?)

Although, the mass driver thing might help a little for a cell operating in Baduvai space. (Historically, the Jumokian cells mostly operated in either Eneen or Baduvai space; spreading into the latter after the second fall of Jumok. They never managed to set a foothold in Maghadim space, however; getting past Maghadim patrols of the Core radiation shell is a tough ask.) The SFB option mount percentages are based on which home territory you are in; its easier to get mass drivers and CPAs if you operate in the Imperium, and NBs and Plasma-Es if hunting Eneen convoys. The percentages thing isn't a factor here; but if a Jumokian player was trying to tackle a Baduvai or Maghadim force, disrupting MD fire might offer a slight advantage in the right circumstance.

If nothing else, think of them as a Jumokain quirk; one you can take or leave, if you wish.

also is the runing total reset if you fire, stop using it or does it stay constant - perhaps easier to just make it a SA with powerdrain to activate it?

The running total is based on the stress fractures that are slowly building in the tuning crystal; they can't be repaired (or replaced) in the course of a scenario. (Basically, if you void your DFG, you still have to roll in the End Phase to add to the running total.)

If the Magellanic ship attempts to use the Boost Energy to Shields! Special Action, it must roll separately for the Inner and Outer Shields; the Inner Shields are boosted as normal, but the total amount rolled to increase the Outer Shields must be halved, rounding down. Inner Shields cannot go above their starting score; any points which would take them beyond this amount are lost.

How about the player chooses where the points gained in BETS are placed with the restrictions about no going over starting score for inner shields? Means only one roll but a bit of thought for the player

Maybe; though you'd then need to allocate two points to restore each single point of damage from the outer shields (in keeping with their greater expense to operate).

I do think their shield system may prove a bit overpowering with both stopping leaky hits AND halving normal hits - very powerful combination given they have plenty of them?

By and large, LMC ships can take a good first punch; the shields start strong, at least in the first exchange or so. The problems start to come up once the inner and/or outer shields start to break down; not only is it then easier to drop one or the other (and thus allow leaky hits to do hull damage) but it's more expensive to try and restore the shields back to what they had once been. And since, historically at least, the bulk of any given LMC fleet is is in its frigates and destroyers, the actual hulls beneath these shields can be that much more fragile compared to an Alpha or Omega fleet with the luxury of taking plenty of cruisers.

(Actually, I just noticed that, with the way I had divided the shield rolls, the smaller ships can't roll to repair the outer shield at all; any of them that have less than 10 points in their starting outer shield score get no benefit.)

----

Let's try an example, based on your combined shield roll. (I went back and edited the rule.) Say we have an Eneen War Destroyer (starting outer shield 10, inner 16), and we shoot at it with eight phasers-2 (presumably a centerline phaser volley from an Andromedan Intruder) within the attacker's Kill Zone range. In this case, say that the eight AD rolls 2 3s, a 4, three 5s and two 6s. (Got that from here; after a few tries, ahem.) And I'm going to assume the Intruder has to reload its TR beams, or something; I could use the unofficial TRH stats we have over in the Andro thread, but I wanted to stick with the "official" phaser-2 stats for now.

So, that leaves six hits against the outer shield (each with Multihit 2, thanks to the Kill Zone; so 12) and two (that becomes 4) that hits the inner shield instead. The VRF reduces the 12 back down to 6; dropping the outer shield down to 4. The 4 hits that strike the inner shield take it down to 12.

Next turn, assuming no further damage, the DW attempts the Boost Energy to Shields! Special Action. Its starting inner+outer shield total was 26; so it gets only 2D6 to roll. Roll those on that site again... a 5. The Eneen would have to use two per outer shield hit, so decides to spend four rolled points to repair two outer shield points, and the lone fifth point to restore one inner shield point.

At that point, the DW has an outer score of 6, and an inner score of 13. And it's also either under Power Drain effects for that turn; or it's used its HPRs, in which case it's got a +1 Impulse critical to contend with in the End Phase.

-----

Of course, the above is just a case of theory-gaming; it would be a very different case to see what the ships actually work out like on-table.

-----

And for the fun of it, here's what happens if that volley had added in the Intruder's three heavy TR beams, based on the other thread's current unofficial stats:

*rolls a 3, 5 and 6*

With Accurate +2, Multihit 4 and Kill Zone 8, that adds a further... 16 against the outer shield, and 8 against the inner. Add that to the twelve and four from the phasers, and you get 28 hits against the outer shield, and 12 against the inner. Doing the outers first, the VRF rounds the volley down to 14; still enough to eat the outer shield and add four to the volley striking the inner. Which, in turn, drops the inner shield, too. The Eneen ship has exactly 0 shields protecting it.

Assuming it survives long enough to get to the next turn, rolling that 5 on the BEtS leaves a quandary. Is it better to boost the outer shield up to 2, and the inner to 1; or forget the outer and get your inner shield to 5?

And that's all assuming the Intruder doesn't have any fiends nearby...

 

[Nerroth]

Actually, the more I think of it, the more I think the Klingon shield rule won't really do the trick, after all.

In SFB, what actually happens is that the VRF of each outer shield facing is half (rounding down) of the current facing's shield strength. This means that the VRF is a number you subtract from the total volley, not (as the Klingon rule does) divide the entire volley by 2.

I had thought that the Klink rule might have been enough to get by, without worrying too much about on-the-fly calculations; but, I think that something like this might be in order:

(This would replace the second paragraph currently in the V1 rules above.)

-----

Magellanic Outer Shields include a Volley Reduction Factor (VRF for short); an advanced shield harmonics system which reduces the amount of damage scored on these Outer Shields. The VRF is half of the current Outer Shield score, rounding down. Each incoming volley has its total amount subtracted by the then-current VRF number, with the exception of any hits that penetrate the Outer Shields. Note that the VRF score may vary depending on the Outer Shield strength at the onset of each incoming volley; it does not remain a constant. Hits which penetrate the Outer Shields are treated as follows:

-----

So, to go back to that Eneen/Andro example:

The Eneen DW starts with 10 outer shields, and 16 inner shields. Thus, the starting Volley Reduction Factor is 5.

That same phaser-only incoming volley (with 12 outer shield hits and 4 inner shield hits) has the outer volley reduced by 5; so knocks the outer shield down to 3. The inner shield goes down to 12 as before.

Now, in the wake of that volley, the new VRF is 1 (half of 3, rounded down).

In the next turn, the same roll of 5 for BEtS! can be used to increase the outer shield to 5, and the inner to 13. Now, for the next volley it faces, the VRF will be 2.

-----

And to go to that second example, with the three TRHs thrown in, those 28 outer shields hits are only reduced to 23; that is more than enough to smash the outer shield, add 13 more hits to the 12 hits already scored on the inner shield, and leaves 9 rolls to score damage.

Since both the phaser and TRH hits would be Precise, the online dice roller gives us... 4 solid hits and 5 criticals. So the Damage score is down to 9 even before the critial hits roll in.

For those, I roll a 3, a 2, and three 5s; that's the power relays gone, the capacitors damaged, and a level 3 (and 2, and 1) Crew critical; enough to kill 3 Marines, reduce CQ by 1, reduce the Damage score to 6 (crippling the ship) and landing it with Escalate to boot.

-----


Do those seem like more reasonable examples compared to the first pair?

 

[Nerroth]

Well, I went back and edited the shield rules based on the new VRF setup. (I also tweaked the line about the "drill" element of a Boson Drill; any hits from it will still ignore the VRF, but would ignore it the way it would otherwise work now, as opposed to how it would have otherwise worked then.)

-----

As with the post on the same topic over in the Omega Octant thread, this one is really more for posterity than anything; it still remains to be seen how ACtA:SF may one day treat attrition units in the Alpha Octant (let alone eslewhere).

Fortunately, as you can see below, fighters and gunboats are pretty modest affairs in the Lesser Magellanic Cloud; only three of the published empires ever develop attrition units, and each has their own particular way in which they go about them.

The Maghadim were first to the concept; developing their first attack shuttles in Y175, as well as carriers (which would deploy these fighters in one, two or three squadrons of eight) using their standard erector-set construction philosophy. (Basically, they use a dedicated Carrier collar which can handle 16 fighters, a converted secondary hull from a Destroyer to carry 8, or put both together to launch a full 24.) However, in SFB, only one Maghadim carrier was present in any given force; not counting any operated from a base converted to mount additional fighter bays.

The Eneen, lacking the resources to build their own carriers by the time they got their own fighters (Y188; five years after the fall of the Core) instead adopted a "casual carrier" doctrine. They would replace one or two shuttles on some of their ships with Plasma Attack Shuttles; though this was by no means universal. (In contrast, while the Maghadim did have true carriers, they never attempted a casual carrier doctrine.)

The Baduvai, physically incapable of flying a fighter (due to their sheer size), instead developed gunboat technology. However, their boats were under-powered (by Alpha Octant standards) as the Baduvai never developed warp booster packs, at least prior to Y202; it is unclear at the moment if they adapted this technology to their own boats after establishing contact with the Operation Unity task forces. (For their part, neither the Eneen nor Maghadim saw any great benefit in developing their own boats.)

In all three cases, attrition units only came about in the face of the Andromedan conquest; the first Maghadim fighters were built less than ten years before their home space fell in Y183, while both the Eneen and Baduvai built theirs after their governments-in-exile in the Core were gone. So, campaigns set during the bulk of modern LMC history won't need to worry about fighters or gunboats at all.

Of the other published factions, the Uthiki were no longer around as a space-faring power by the time attrition units first appeared; while the Jumokians have not been shown to adopt either fighters or gunboats for the time being. (What the Yrol or Chomak might make of this concept remains to be seen.)

-----

BADUVAI IMPERIUM

OUTRIDER TENDER - 125 POINTS (DWP)

A variant of the War Destroyer developed in Y192 after observation of the Maghadim Scout Carrier; the Outrider Tender was too small for its intended role, but was the largest hull available to the Baduvai exiles at the time. (Technically, the Strike Cruiser was also able to operate a six-strong flotilla of Outrider Gunboats; however, only this vessel possessed the onboard repair facilities required to operate as a true Gunboat Tender.)

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 3
Outer Shields: 10
Inner Shields: 16
Damage: 16/6
Marines: 3
Craft: 2 Shuttles, 6 Gunboats
Traits: Agile, Labs 2, Scout 1, Tractor Beam 6, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 3 Multihit 2, Seeking

-----

OUTRIDER GUNBOAT - 45 POINTS (PF)

Physically incapable of operating a Fighter, the Baduvai responded by fielding Gunboats from Y192 onwards; using Military Pinnace engines in tandem with a new hull designed exclusively for attrition warfare. (The earlier Escort Pinnace Interceptor used Civilian Pinnace engines on a similar, yet smaller spaceframe.) While the ability to maintain its own Mass Drivers allowed each Outrider Gunboat to take on longer ranged strategic missions compared to a carrier-tethered fighter, the design was virtually crippled (by Alpha Octant standards) due to its power constraints, and its lack of Magellanic Outer Shields.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 2
Outer Shields: None
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 8/3
Marines: 1
Craft: None
Traits: Agile, Gunboat

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 15 T 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Light Lasers 8 PH 1 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Light Lasers 8 SH 1 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 3 Multihit 2, Seeking

LASER VARIANT (LPF) +0 POINTS

Introduced in Y193 in order to provide options to a Baduvai Gunboat flotilla, this variant had almost the same Warp-Tuned Laser firepower as the War Destroyer. However, power constraints made this a less than useful design. The Baduvai had no formal flotilla organization; any mixture of standard and laser variant boats could be found in any given force. Baduvai Gunboats came in flotillas of six; they did not use Leader or Scout variants historically (at least not prior to Operation Unity; it is unclear if either type was adopted in its aftermath).

This variant removes the Class-I Mass Driver Attack Dice, and replaces them with the following:

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 15 FH 3 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise

-----

The Baduvai also have an Escort Pinnace Interceptor; due to the lack of resources each surviving exile force had out in the Fringe worlds, the Baduvai didn't have the luxury of phasing them out altogether. So, you could see flotillas with Interceptors mixed in with Gunboats (of either type) depending on what the exile force had available at the time.

As for power limitations, that would depend on whether or not any Alpha Octant boats that ever show up in ACtA:SF get warp booster packs or not; If they do, they'd be ignored here; if not, it doesn't matter either way.

-----

ENEEN PROTECTORATES

PLASMA ATTACK SHUTTLE - +15 POINTS (PAS)

The Eneen purchased Chigger Fighter technology from the Maghadim in Y188; after a short time spent adapting the design to their own technology rebuilt the fighter to launch a single Type-E Plasma Torpedo. Unlike the Maghadim, the Eneen never fielded a dedicated carrier, preferring to operate these craft on a “casual” basis from their standard warships, each taking the place of a standard Shuttle; and even then, no more than two Plasma Attack Shuttles were carried into action by any specific Eneen warship.

Turn: SM
Shields: 0
Damage: 1
Marines: 0
Craft: None
Traits: Dogfight +0, Fighter

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Light Lasers 8 T 1 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Plasma Torpedo-E 16 F 2 Devastating +1, Energy Bleed, Multihit D6, Reload, Seeking

-----

The Eneen have only one type of fighter; as they (and their Maghadim counterparts) were built to fight the Andromedans, and not other attack shuttles, each has a poor dogfight ability. As noted earlier, there are no carriers for this unit to fly off of; they are operated on a strictly "casual" basis.

In SFB, certain Magellanic fighters have a kind of "overdrive" ability; it gives them a limited tactical speed boost, but stops them from being able to operate on independent fighter strikes. I'm not overly convinced that overdrive needs to be an issue here; but that may depend on what kind of detail the game ends up going into for Alpha Octant fighters.

-----

MAGHADIM HIVES

SCOUT CARRIER - 170 POINTS (CSV)

A variant of the Light Cruiser, at least one of the surviving Frigate Scout hulls was converted to this design (by combining it with a Carrier collar) in Y187. Records are presently unclear as to whether more ships of this design were built or not.

Ships of the Class: None as yet recorded.

Turn: 4
Outer Shields: 14
Inner Shields: 20
Damage: 20/7
Marines: 6
Craft: 2 Shuttles, 16 fighters
Traits: Labs 2, Quick Launch, Scout 2, Tractor Beam 4, Transporter 2

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Medium Lasers 20 F, P 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 F, S 1 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Medium Lasers 20 A, P, S 2 Accurate +2, Kill Zone 7, Precise
Laser* - PH 1 -
Laser* - SH 1 -
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 1 Multihit 2, Seeking

-----

WASP FIGHTER - 15 POINTS (Wasp)

The culmination of several concurrent design trends, the Wasp (introduced in Y187) was larger, faster, and had twice the armament of the earlier Chigger fighter.

Turn: SM
Shields: 0
Damage: 1
Marines: 0
Craft: None
Traits: Dogfight +0, Fighter

Weapon Range Arc AD Special
Light Lasers 8 T 2 Accurate +1, Kill Zone 3, Precise
Class-I Mass Drivers 10 FH 2 Multihit 2, Seeking

*This craft can fire both of its Class-I Mass Driver Attack Dice in a single turn; if it elects to launch at Range 15, it may only use 1 Attack Dice to do so per turn (as it must alternate between launchers to do so).

-----

The older Flea and Chigger fighters have only one light laser and one mass driver launcher (which can only launch out to Range 15 every other turn) apiece. The only real difference between the Flea and Chigger in SFB is that the latter can go on overdrive; if that system is ignored here, then one single stat line can work for both fighters. (Unless it was as well to just stick with Wasps anyway.)

There are a number of other Maghadim carriers in Module C5; with as few as 8 to as many as 24 fighters aboard. Any of them could be candidates for conversion; though, again, historically only one carrier would be on the tabletop in any given scenario.

 

[Allerka]

Wow, so much detail! Can't say the ship designs are overly impressive, but great job on the lore!

I do have to ask, though: Can these races interact with the normal SFU races, given the Galactic Barrier is probably in the way?

 

[Nerroth]

Wow, so much detail! Can't say the ship designs are overly impressive, but great job on the lore!

By designs, do you mean the way they look in the pic above, or in how the stats for each hull type are laid out?

(For the latter, the LMC is a smaller arena than most other known SFU settings; the Alpha and Omega Octants of the Milky Way, and the M81 and M33 Galaxies, have more resources to fuel their native empires' economies. In order to make the most of what economic potential they do have, the Magellanic Powers concentrated on building frigate- and destroyer-sized vessels; something which the nature of their shielding should help them out with somewhat.)

I do have to ask, though: Can these races interact with the normal SFU races, given the Galactic Barrier is probably in the way?

The likes of the Federation, Klingons and others first encounter the surviving members of the LMC powers in Y202; during the course of Operation Unity.

After the Andromedan power base was broken, there was at least some degree of continued contact between the Alpha Octant and the Lesser Magellanic Cloud; ships from the Unity powers were deployed to help flush out the lingering Andromedan presence, as well as to explore this new (to them) corner of the universe for themselves.

(And given its location, the LMC also acted as a jump-off point for the exploration of other distant regions of space; the most famous example being the Federation survey cruiser Sakharov, which followed an old Andromedan RTN link from the Cloud across to the Omega Octant of the Milky Way.)

Once the Andromedans are added to A Call to Arms: Star Fleet, the door to the LMC will be opened for the Unity powers; though whether or not Mongoose would decide to walk through that door (or head over to the likes of Omega, for that matter) remains to be seen.

 

[Allerka]

I meant the picture, sorry. Ship stats look fine to me.

 

[Nerroth]

I meant the picture, sorry. Ship stats look fine to me.

Oh, okay. (At the moment, the cover art for Module C5 is the only one which has been published for the LMC so far. If this setting were to be selected for conversion at some point, of the things I'd be eager to see would be what kind of new art might then be generated to help further portray the species and starships that can be found there.)

 

[Nerroth]

As with the Omega weapons, the revised Scout functions lead to the following clarifications:

*Ships using Scout functions can fire light lasers (and half of their AD from reach twin laser mount) with no penalty; early, medium, and heavy lasers (and the other half of each Twin Laser mount's AD) can only be used defensively.

*As with drones, mass drivers are limited to three ships per target per turn. Ships using Scout functions can fire mass drivers with no penalty; a scout using the Drone Control function (or, in this case, the "Mass Driver Control" function) can add their fire to a ship which has already had three other MD-armed ships targeting it, the same as Drone Control allows a drone-armed scout to do back in the Alpha Octant. 2 Mass Driver Attack Dice are lost per Jamming function; the same as with drones.

 

[Nerroth]

In case anyone is interested to see them, one of the regulars on ADB's FC forum has recently posted some scratchbuilds for the Maghadim Hives; with some of his work-in progress pics over in his own miniature thread.

 

[Nerroth]

A couple of edits, in light of Fleet Update #1:

*The Maghadim HDD has added in the Shock (Tachyon Beams) 2 Trait, in keeping with the precedent set by the New Jersey-class Battlecruiser.

*The treatment of Gatling phasers (which acts as 4 phaser-3 Attack Dice per mount) means that, for the time being at least, the 2-light-laser-per-mount rules for twin lasers should be fine as they are. If the phaser-G is adjusted at some point, so too should the TL.

*There is no equivalent to Aegis in the LMC (at least prior to Operation Unity), and the unique fire control systems used by Magellanic warships can't handle the system as is known about in the Milky Way. So, the Maghadim HDE won't have the Escort Trait.

*The Uthiki CW should have the Unique Trait, as no more than one was in service at any given time.

 

[Nerroth]

EDIT: Obsolete posting.