Basic Rules
Here are lightweight rules designed for a grid- or hex-based tabletop spaceship combat game, balancing real-world inertia with smooth playability.
Movement & Vector Mechanics
Ships do not move like airplanes; they obey inertia.
- Heading vs. Velocity: A ship’s visual orientation (heading) determines which way its weapons face, while its Velocity Vector tracks where it is actually moving.
- Thrust Allocations: During the Movement Phase, allocate Engine Points (EP) to perform one of three maneuvers:
- Accelerate: Add 1 tile/hex to your Velocity Vector in the direction your ship is currently facing per EP spent.
- Pivot: Rotate your ship’s heading by 60° (one hex edge) per EP spent. This does not change your Velocity Vector.
- Decelerate/Retro Thrusters: Spend 2 EP to reduce your Velocity Vector by 1 tile/hex in any direction.
- Drift Phase: Move your ship according to its current Velocity Vector. If no EP is spent on deceleration, you keep moving at your previous speed and direction indefinitely.
Turn Sequence
Each round consists of four sequential phases:
- Initiative Phase: Both players roll 1d6. The highest roll decides who moves first or second.
- Command & Movement Phase: Players alternate moving one ship at a time (spending EP, adjusting headings, and drifting).
- Combat Phase: Ships fire simultaneously. Both sides declare targets, measure Line of Sight (LoS), and resolve attacks. Damage takes effect at the end of the phase.
- End Phase: Manage Heat levels and resolve persistent effects (e.g., fires, shield regeneration).
Firing Arcs & Range
- Front Arc: Primary weapons (heavy cannons, forward torpedoes).
- Side/Broadside Arcs: Defense turrets and multi-target light lasers.
- Rear Arc: Engine exhausts; vulnerable to incoming fire, usually blind for offensive weapons.
- Range Bands:
- Short (1–3 hexes): +1 to hit.
- Medium (4–8 hexes): Standard target number.
- Long (9–12 hexes): -1 to hit, weapon damage drops by 1 point.
Defense & Damage Allocation
Ships track two primary defense layers: Shields and Hull Integrity.
Defense & Damage Allocation
| System | Effect |
|---|---|
| Maximum EP available per turn is reduced by 1. | |
| 3–4 (Weapons Offline): | Randomly select one primary weapon system; it cannot fire until repaired. |
| 5 (Sensors Disabled): | Ship suffers -1 to hit on all attacks. |
| 6 (Reactor Leak): | Ship gains +2 Heat at the start of every turn. |
Critical Damage Table (1d6)
- 1–2 (Engine Damage): Maximum EP available per turn is reduced by 1.
- 3–4 (Weapons Offline): Randomly select one primary weapon system; it cannot fire until repaired.
- 5 (Sensors Disabled): Ship suffers -1 to hit on all attacks.
- 6 (Reactor Leak): Ship gains +2 Heat at the start of every turn.
| Layer | Function & Rules |
|---|---|
| Shield Quadrants | Divided into Fore, Aft, Port, Starboard. Incoming hits hit the corresponding quadrant based on impact angle. Shields absorb damage 1:1. Absorbed shield damage depletes that specific quadrant. |
| Hull Integrity | Once a shield quadrant reaches 0, excess damage hits the Hull directly. |
| Critical Hits | Any time a ship receives Hull damage from an attack roll of a natural 6, roll 1d6 on the Critical Damage Table below. |
Heat Management System
Firing weapons and pushing engines generates Heat.
Heat Generation:
- Pushing Engines to maximum EP: +1 Heat
- Firing Heavy Energy Weapons: +1 Heat per weapon
Heat Thresholds:
- 1–3 Heat (Safe): No penalties.
- 4–5 Heat (Overheating): All weapon attack rolls suffer a -1 penalty.
- 6 Heat (Critical Output): Ship must skip its next Movement Phase to vent heat down to 0, leaving it completely stationary.
Detailed Weapon Profiles
Here are four distinct weapon profiles designed to integrate directly with the vector movement, arc, and heat mechanics.
| Weapon Type | Range Bands (S / M / L) | Target Number | Base Damage | Heat Generated | Special Mechanics |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Railgun | 2–4 / 5–10 / 11–16 | 4+ | 3 | 1 Heat | Kinetic Penetration, Directional Inertia |
| Plasma Beam | 1–2 / 3–5 / 6–8 | 3+ | 4 | 2 Heat | Thermal Transfer, Rapid Shield Drain |
| Homing Torpedo | 2–3 / 4–8 / 9–15 | Tracks Target | 5 | 0 Heat | Physical Entity, Point-Defense Interceptable |
| Point-Defense Array (PD) | 1 / — / — | 2+ | 1 | 0 Heat | Reactionary Weapon, Missile Interception |
Kinetic Railgun
Railguns fire high-density slugs at immense velocities. They rely purely on kinetic impact rather than explosive payload, making them long-range snipers. Kinetic Penetration: Ignores 1 point of Shield rating. If the target has active shields, 1 point of damage bleeds directly through to the Hull, while remaining damage depletes the shield quadrant normally.Inertial Lock: You cannot fire a Railgun if your ship performed a Pivot maneuver of more than 60° (1 hex side) during the Movement Phase, as rotational motion degrades aiming accuracy.
Heavy Plasma Beam
Short-ranged, power-hungry thermal projection weapons designed to melt hull plating and overload cooling systems.Shield Melter: Deals double damage against Shield Quadrants, but normal damage against bare Hull Integrity.Thermal Transfer: When a Plasma Beam scores a successful hit on a target's Hull (after shields are down), the target immediately gains +1 Heat.
Guided Homing Torpedoes
Torpedoes are self-propelled physical objects deployed onto the board rather than instant-hit attacks.Physical Drift & Tracking: Torpedoes are placed in an adjacent hex in your firing arc with a Velocity Vector equal to your ship’s current vector +2 hexes forward.Self-Homing: In the End Phase, torpedoes adjust their trajectory by up to 60° toward the nearest enemy ship and move their maximum velocity.Detonation: If a torpedo enters a hex containing an enemy ship, it detonates instantly, dealing 5 damage to the quadrant it impacts. Torpedoes run out of fuel and self-destruct after 3 turns.
Point-Defense Array (PDC)
Rapid-fire, automated light cannons designed for defensive screens rather than offensive broadsides.Interception Mode (Reaction): Instead of firing in the Combat Phase, a PDC can be set to Overwatch. When an incoming Torpedo enters within 1 hex of your ship, roll 1d6. On a 3+, the torpedo is destroyed before it impacts.Strafing Fire: If used offensively in the Combat Phase, PDCs can split their total damage (1 point) across multiple light fighters or target subsystems directly.
Weapon Modification Traits
Weapon modification traits allow players to customize weapon hardpoints during fleet construction. Each weapon profile can accept one Modification Trait unless designated by a specific hull size or admiral ability.
Weapon Modification Traits Table
| Orange | Apple |
| Bread | Pie |
| Butter | Ice cream |
Trait Point Cost Stat Modifier Primary Effect Drawback / Risk Overclocked+10 pts+1 Base DamageIncreases raw output by pushing weapon systems beyond safe operating margins.Generates +1 extra Heat every time the weapon is fired. Twin-Linked+15 ptsRoll 2d6 to hit (keep highest)Mounts dual paired barrels. Significantly increases hit probability and consistency.Ammo/Energy Intensive: Weapon costs +50% Heat (round up) or uses 2 ammo tokens. Armor-Piercing (AP)+12 ptsAP TraitHardened penetrators or focused beams bypass density plating. Hits ignore 1 point of target Armor rating.-1 Damage against unshielded, unarmored light targets. Spinal-Mounted+20 pts+50% Max RangeWeapon is built directly into the ship's main superstructure, granting massive power and reach.Locks weapon firing arc strictly to Fixed Forward Arc (60° directly ahead). Tracking Array+8 pts+1 to Hit vs. Fast TargetsAdvanced target-acquisition logic cancels out target evasion modifiers.Weapon cannot deal Critical Hits (natural 6s count as normal hits). Capacitor Discharge+10 ptsVariable DamagePlayer can choose to hold fire for 1 turn to "charge" the weapon for Double Base Damage on the following turn.If the ship takes Hull damage while charging, the weapon prematurely discharges, dealing base damage to own ship. Point-Defense Escort+5 ptsCross-CoveragePDC or light weapons can cover adjacent friendly ships within 1 hex (Interception Mode).Weapon cannot be fired offensively during the Combat Phase.
Applied Examples
Overclocked Plasma Beam:
- Stats: Range 1–8 | Target 3+ | Damage 5 | Heat 3
- Role: Devastating shield-stripper, but rapidly risks reactor shutdown if fired repeatedly.
Twin-Linked Kinetic Railgun:
- Stats: Range 2–16 | Target Best of 2d6 vs 4+ | Damage 3 | Heat 2
- Role: High-precision sniper rifle designed to guarantee long-range kinetic hits.
Spinal-Mounted Railgun:
- Stats: Range 3–24 (Forward Arc Only) | Target 4+ | Damage 3 | Heat 1
- Role: Siege weapon capable of picking off targets across the entire hex map before closing distance.