Silent Death
Silent Death Rulebook
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
- Attention
- Your First Game
- 1.0 Introduction
- 2.0 Starcraft Display
- 3.0 Sequence of Play
- 4.0 Missile & Torpedo Fire
- 5.0 Movement
- 6.0 Cannon Fire
- 7.0 Attack Dice
- 8.0 Tables
- 9.0 Introductory Scenarios
- 10.0 Optional Rules
- 11.0 Advanced Scenarios
- 12.0 Starcraft Inventory & Nomenclature
- Vott-Messerschmitt VMe.310g "Pit Viper"
- Gilliam Y700 "Spirit Rider"
- Imperial Transtar 1020 series H "Thunder Bird"
- Aerex SA4000(mod) "Shryak Shuttle"
- Imperial Transtar 1220 series A "Night Hawk"
- Imperial Transtar 1320 series F "Teal Hawk"
- Vanguard XFiii "Salamander"
- Caladyne Industries FUUG-1 (export) "Revenge"
- Transprovincial S1436 "Sorensen III"
- Augustus Naval 317dire "Seraph"
- Hvy Metals PWHa2 "Pharsii II"
- Arc Gotha MMAC•17b "Epping"
- 13.0 A Selection of Fighter Combat Organizations
- 14.0 The Silent Death Universe
- Designer's Notes
Attention
If you have never played a wargame before, read "Your First Game" and play the scenario provided. Otherwise, ignore this section and move on to 1.0 Introduction.
Your First Game
Welcome to your first wargame — we hope you like playing Silent Death as much as we enjoyed putting it together. The purpose of this section is to provide you with a very simple and stripped-down version of the game to make it as easy as possible for you to get comfortable with the ideas and assumptions which formed its design. This is a two-player game.
Miniatures
There are several metal miniatures supplied with Silent Death. Each miniature represents a single starcraft. The two fighters you will be using in your first game each contain a single pilot who controls the vessel and fires its weapon system. Find two miniatures for the Pit Viper and two for the Spirit Rider, then mount them on the stands provided. These will be the combatants in your first game.
These miniatures should always be placed on the map in a hex so that the vessel's front is facing a hex side (i.e., never the juncture between two hex sides).
One player should place the two Pit Vipers within 5 hexes of the upper left hand corner of the map. Next, the other player should place the two Spirit Riders within 5 hexes of the lower right hand corner of the map. These are the starting positions for your fighters.
Starcraft Displays
The two Pit Vipers and Spirit Riders are given simplified Starcraft Displays for your first game. You can find them on page 5. These displays show the fighters' capabilities, and they allow you to keep track of the damage received from your opponent's weapons. Each display corresponds to a specific fighter. Mark I.D. letters on the bases of your Pit Vipers and Spirit Riders to distinguish one from the other and match them to the appropriate display.
Set Up
Take out the six map sheets provided with the game and join them together in the following configuration, overlapping the edges so that the hexes line up correctly. There are two sizes of hexes shown on the maps — you will only be using the large-sized hexes, so ignore the smaller ones.
Map Setup: Arrange the six map sheets in a 2x3 grid. The Pit Vipers begin in the upper-left sheet; the Spirit Riders begin in the lower-right sheet.
Sequence of Play
Each turn of your first game is broken down into two parts; the Movement Phase and the Fire Phase. The activities of each Phase should be completed before moving on to the next Phase. When the Phases of a turn are completed, a new turn begins, and the procedure is repeated until the game ends with the complete destruction of one fighter.
Turn Sequence
- Movement Phase
- Fire Phase
Movement
This section details the mechanics and actions of the Movement Phase.
Drives
Pit Vipers have a Drive number of 19 while Spirit Riders have a Drive number of 15. The Drive number is the maximum number of movement points the particular vessel has available to spend every turn of the game.
Starcraft expend movement points to enter hexes and make turns on the map. Movement is never compulsory, nor is it necessary for all of a vessel's movement points to be expended every Movement Phase. If available movement points are not spent during a Movement Phase, they are lost. They may not be transferred from one vessel to another or saved from turn to turn.
Movement Order
The movement of starcraft alternates between vessels on each side of the battle. To determine who moves in what order, perform the following initiative procedure at the beginning of each Movement Phase. One player from each side in the battle rolls 1D10 initiative die. If there is a tie, roll again.
The player with the highest initiative die roll wins the initiative, forcing his opponent to move one of his fighters first. The movement of vessels then alternates between the players until all starcraft have had the opportunity to move. If one side runs out of vessels to move before the other, the side with the extra vessels then completes the moves for all remaining starcraft.
Example: The Pit Viper player rolls a 6 for initiative, while the Spirit Rider player rolls a 3. The Spirit Rider player wins the initiative. The Spirit Rider player must move one of his fighters first. Then one of the Pit Vipers moves. If the second Spirit Rider is still in the game, it moves. Finally, if the second Pit Viper is still in the game, it performs its move.
Moving
Each starcraft expends 1 movement point to enter the hex immediately to its front and expends 3 extra movement points to turn (change facing) in a hex. Starcraft may not move backwards.
Turns and forward moves may be combined in any combination, though the number of movement points spent may never exceed the fighter's Drive number during any given Movement Phase.
A fighter must complete its entire move before another vessel may begin moving. There is no restriction on passing through hexes occupied by other starcraft; however, a vessel may never end its move in a hex occupied by another starcraft. There may never be more than one starcraft per hex at the end of any Movement Phase.
Moving on the Map
Fighters may not move off of the playing surface. Those which exit the map are considered destroyed and may not reenter the playing surface later.
Note that the 1/2 hexes which constitute the map edges are fully playable and should be considered as normal hexes for all purposes.
Fire
This section details the mechanics and actions of the Fire Phase.
Weapons
There are two types of weapons in your first game: the Pit Viper has a Pulse Laser, and the Spirit Rider has Splatterguns. Their attack capability is never exhausted — they may always fire at eligible targets unless the fighter is destroyed.
Both weapons may fire out to a maximum 10 hex range (counted from firer to target in the shortest possible path, not counting the firer's hex, but counting the target's hex).
The firer's target must be in the firer's "firing arc". This is a 60° arc which extends out of the front of the attacking fighter as shown on the following diagram.
An attacker may "fire through" a hex containing another vessel to hit a target beyond, if he so desires. Starcraft do not block fire through their hexes.
Firing Arc: the diagram shows a 60-degree wedge extending forward from the firer's hex, formed by the hexes directly ahead and diverging outward in the two forward directions from the firer's front hexside.
Defenses
Pit Vipers and Spirit Riders are defended by energy screens and evasion computer programs. These defensive systems are represented in your first game by each fighter's Defensive Value. A vessel's Defensive Value indicates how tough it is to hit. As shown on the Starcraft Displays, Pit Vipers have a Defensive Value of 15 while Spirit Riders have a 14. Pit Vipers are harder to hit than their opponents.
Pulse Laser and Splattergun Fire
Each fighter may fire his weapon system once during each Fire Phase. All fighters fire at the same time (i.e., the attacks are considered to be simultaneous). An attacker must have a target in his firing arc and that target must be within a 10 hex range. Players may resolve their attacks in any convenient order, but the damage from those attacks is all applied at the end of the Fire Phase.
Dice
Silent Death uses dice of differing "sizes". With this game you will find 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 sided dice. When a dice roll is required, it will be referred to in the form #D#, where the first # is the number of dice to be rolled, and the second # is the "size" of the dice to be rolled.
Example: 2D8 indicates that two 8-sided dice should be rolled.
In your first game, dice rolls will require that different "sized" dice be added together, sometimes along with a set added value.
Example: 2D6+1D10+1 indicates that two 6-sided dice and one 10-sided die should be rolled, and 1 should then be added to the result to achieve the final sum.
Attack Dice
Attack dice are a unique form of combat resolution. One roll of the attack dice represents both the hitting of a target, and the amount of damage done. Reading the sum total of all the attack dice rolled determines whether a target is hit (by scoring high enough), while the specific weapon type determines which of the attack dice thrown are read for damage.
To hit a target use the following procedure:
- Roll and add together the weapon system's attack dice as shown for each fighter's weapon system next to the To Hit entry.
If this total is equal to or exceeds the target's Defensive Value, the target is hit and will accrue damage (see below). If the final modified total is less than the target's Defensive Value, the attack has scored no damage.
Example: A Spirit Rider has a To Hit entry of 2D6+1D10+1. If it fires at a Pit Viper and rolls a 3 and a 4 on its six-sided dice, while rolling an 8 on its ten-sided die, the total of the attack dice is 16 (3 + 4 + 8 + 1). A Pit Viper's Defensive Value is 15, so it has been hit by the Spirit Rider attack.
Damaging the Target
As shown on the Starcraft Displays, the Pit Viper's Pulse Laser does "Low" Damage, while the Spirit Rider's Splatterguns inflict "Medium + 2" Damage. These entries are defined as follows:
Low — Damage delivered is equal to the lowest attack die rolled. If more than one die is lowest, the base hits delivered are equal to the sum of the lowest dice. If all dice show the same number, all count.
Example: A Pit Viper rolls a 5, 6 and a 7 to hit a Spirit Rider. The amount of damaged delivered is indicated as Low, so the Damage is 5 (the lowest of the three dice). If the To Hit roll had been a 5, 5, and an 8, the Damage would be 10 (the sum of the low dice).
Medium + 2 — Damage delivered is equal to the attack die showing the medium value (e.g., of a 2, 4, and 9 rolled; 4 is the Medium die value) and that result is added to 2. If there is no Medium die value (as in the case of a 3, 6 and 6 roll), the damage delivered equals the sum of the highest die (or dice) added to 2. If all dice show the same number, all count and are added to 2.
Example: A Spirit Rider rolls a 3, 4 and an 8 to hit a Pit Viper. The amount of damage delivered equals Medium + 2, so the total Damage is 6 (4 [the Medium die] + 2). If the Spirit Rider rolls a 3, 6 and 6 instead, the two 6s would count as the Medium dice: the Damage would equal 14 (6 + 6 + 2).
The Damage Track
Each fighter has a damage track. As hits are taken by the target, mark off its boxes on the damage track, starting at the top left corner of the track, proceeding to the right. As one row of damage boxes are marked off, go to the next row down and keep proceeding from left to right. When the last damage box is marked off, the fighter is destroyed and removed from the map.
Playing Your First Game
From your fighters' starting locations, proceed with the first turn of the game. Follow the Sequence of Play. Maneuver your fighters so as to have the best firing opportunities. Continue through the Movement and Fire Phases until one player has destroyed both of his opponent's vessels.
After you've played your first game, move on to Section 1.0 and the main body of the rules.
1.0 Introduction
Silent Death is a fast-paced game which simulates combat between small military starcraft. Players of this game attempt to use their vessels and weapons to destroy their opponent's craft.
Parts Inventory
Each Silent Death game includes the following components:
- This 64 page Rulebook and ship display pack. Loosen the staples and remove the center section to separate the Starcraft Displays from the rules, scenarios and background material.
- A 16 page Introductory Scenario Folder. Remove the staple and separate these Introductory Scenarios into individual sheets. These are the scenarios introduced in Section 9.0 of the rules.
- 18 Starcraft Miniatures. These are used to represent your vessels on the map. Some require minor assembly.
- 18 Stands. Assemble the stands and place the miniatures on them. Players may find it useful to mark an ID letter on each stand base to identify it and differentiate between miniatures of the same type.
- 9 Dice. You will find 1D4, 3D6, 3D8, 1D10, and 1D12.
- A sheet of Color Counters. These counters represent ships, torps, missile salvos and asteroids. Punch them out and place them on the map as necessary.
- 6 Map Sheets. Arrange these to create the complete playing area as indicated in Section 9.0. Ignore the small-sized hexes displayed on these maps: only the large-sized hexes are used.
- The Box. The container in which you found all this stuff.
Levels of Play
Silent Death is designed to be played at varying levels of complexity. You may chose to play the Basic Game, the Standard Game, or the Standard Game with Optional Rules.
For the Basic Game, read the Standard Game rules from Section 2.0 through 7.0 excluding Section 4.0, and ignore all references to missiles and torpedoes. There are no missiles or torpedoes in the Basic Game, so when playing a scenario, delete all missile launchers and torpedoes from the Starcraft Displays used. The Introductory Scenarios of Section 9.0 can be played with either the Basic Game or the Standard Game.
For the Standard Game, use the rules as presented in Sections 1.0 through 7.0. Ignore all the Optional Rules. The Advanced Scenarios in Section 11.0 can be played with the Standard Game rules.
For the Standard Game with Optional Rules, become familiar with the Standard Game as presented here, and add any of the Optional Rules desired from Section 10.0. It is suggested that players become completely familiar with the Standard Game rules before adding any of the Optional Rules. Players may use any mix of Optional Rules as mutually agreed upon before the game begins, and they can be used in any scenario. Note that some Optional Rules simplify Standard Game rules, while others make them more complex.
Abbreviations
The following are some common abbreviations used in Silent Death.
- ADB — Attack Die Bonus. The third die added to a cannon attack; based on the Gunnery skill level of the firer.
- BPV — Basic Point Value. The worth of a particular starcraft relative to all others. A vessel with a high BPV is more valuable than one with a low BPV.
- Gnr — Gunnery skill level. A rating from 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent).
- MMAC — Multi-Manned Attack Conveyance (Gunboat)
- Plt — Piloting skill level. A rating from 1 (poor) to 10 (excellent)
- SMAC — Single Manned Attack Conveyance (Fighter)
- TMAC — Two (or Three) Manned Attack Conveyance (Fighter)
- Torp — Torpedo. A high-yield warhead which tracks its target on the map.
- TPV — Total Point Value. The worth of a particular starcraft, including the crew manning it. The TPV is used for determining victory in many scenarios.
- TTC — Tight Turn Cost. A random die roll with a +3 modifier which must be paid in movement points in order to make a turn of more than 1 hexside per hex.
1.1 Miniatures
18 metal miniatures are supplied with Silent Death. Each miniature represents a single starcraft, which contains a pilot who maneuvers the vessel, and (possibly) one or more gunners who can fire weapon systems beyond those handled by the pilot alone. Mount the miniatures on the bases provided.
A miniature should always be placed on the map in a hex so that the miniature's front is facing a hex side (i.e., never the juncture between two hex sides). Each miniature should have a corresponding Starcraft Display available for it. This display details the vessel's capabilities and allows for record keeping of damage taken and ordnance expended.
(This is the display of a single Spirit Rider fighter. Each miniature used during a scenario should have a corresponding display available for it. The display lists: TPV; Pilot weapon mount, To Hit and Damage entries; Crew Pilot/Gunner skill levels; Mk.10 Torps; Defensive Value; Damage Reduction; Drive; Tight Turn Cost; and the Damage Track.)
1.2 Dice
Silent Death uses dice of differing "sizes". With this game you will find 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 sided dice. When a dice roll is required, it will be referred to in the form #D#, where the first # is the number of dice to be rolled, and the second # is the "size" of the dice to be rolled.
Example: 2D6 indicates that two 6-sided dice should be rolled.
Often, dice rolls will require that a number of different "sized" dice be added together along with a set added value.
Example: 2D8+1D10+4 indicates that two 8-sided dice and one 10-sided die should be rolled, and the results added to 4 to achieve the final sum.
1.3 Pilots, Gunners, and Their Skill Levels
All pilots and gunners in Silent Death are rated by skill levels which range from 1 to 10 (1 is poor, 10 is excellent). Each pilot has a Piloting skill level (Plt) and a Gunnery skill level (Gnr). Each gunner only has a Gunnery skill level (Gnr). Each starcraft will require that a pilot, and possibly one or more gunners be selected to man it. Pilot and gunner skill levels are either set by a given scenario, or purchased for a point cost when designing your own scenarios (see below). Skill levels should never be randomized. Record Plt and Gnr values in the appropriate places on the Starcraft Displays as required.
(Example Crew block: Pilot Plt 5, Gnr 4; Gunner A Gnr 7; Gunner B Gnr 6; Gunner C Gnr 9.)
As shown on this Epping Starcraft Display, the vessel is crewed by a pilot with Plt 5 and Gnr 4. The ship's three gunners have Gunnery skill levels of 7, 6 and 9 respectively.
Pilot and Gunner Point Costs
The point costs of a pilot and any necessary gunners are added to their vessel's Basic Point Value in order to determine the craft's Total Point Value. The Total Point Value (TPV) of a starcraft is used for calculating victory in many scenarios, and for purchasing vessels when designing your own scenarios.
- The point cost of a pilot is equal to the sum of his Plt and Gnr values.
- The point cost of a gunner is equal to his Gnr value.
Example: A pilot with Plt 5 and Gnr 3 costs 8 points. A gunner with Gnr 9 costs 9 points. If these two crewmembers were placed in a Salamander with a BPV of 30 points, the Total Point Value of the vessel would become 47 (30 + 8 + 9).
2.0 Starcraft Display
Each vessel type in Silent Death has its own unique Starcraft Display. They list the vessel's name, Basic Point Value (BPV), Defensive Value, Damage Reduction number, weapon systems, Drive number, and Damage Track. Fill in the appropriate values for Piloting and Gunnery skill levels (Plt & Gnr), and then find the Tight Turn Cost (TTC) and Attack Die Bonus (ADB) associated with these skill levels (see 8.2 Skill Level Effects Table). Fill in the appropriate ADB value(s) for each vessel's weapon mount(s), and then enter the Tight Turn Cost for each vessel below the Drive number in the space provided. Mark off hits on the Damage Track as they are accrued. As weapon systems are lost, missiles and torps expended, Damage Reduction number and Drives reduced, mark the changes right on the display. When Critical Hits are taken, their effect can be written on the display.
There is a Total Point Value (TPV) space for each starcraft, but it is blank and must be filled in by the player. The Total Point Value of a vessel is equal to its Basic Point Value + the point value of all pilot and gunner crewmembers manning the craft (see Section 1.3 above).
(Sample display — Salamander: TPV 47; Pilot: 1 Impulsegun (F), To Hit 2D8+1D4, Damage High; Mk.20 Torp; Mk.10 Torps ×4; Defensive Value 12; Damage Reduction 3; Drive 16, Tight Turn Cost 1D6+3; Gunner: 1 Pulse Laser (360°), To Hit 2D8+1D10, Damage Low; Gunner: 2 Splatterguns (RGL)(A)(RGR), To Hit 2D6+1D10+1, Damage Medium+2; BPV 30; I.D. A; Damage Track grid with pre-printed critical-hit symbols.)
As can be seen in this display for a Salamander fighter, the pilot has a Piloting skill level of 5 and a Gunnery skill level of 3, while the gunner has a Gunnery skill level of 9. Referring to Section 8.2, the Skill Level Effects Table, the pilot's Plt 5 gives the vessel a Tight Turn Cost of 1D6+3, and his Gnr 3 grants an Attack Die Bonus of 1D4 to his Impulsegun weapon mount. The gunner's Gnr 9 causes the Attack Die Bonus of both the Pulse Laser and the Splatterguns to become 1D10. The TPV of the vessel is 47 (30 [BPV] + 5 [Plt] + 3 [Gnr] + 9 [Gnr]).
Note: For convenience sake, we've already filled out Starcraft Displays for the Introductory Scenarios described in Section 9.0, and provided in the Introductory Scenario Folder.
2.1 Weapons
There are two main types of weapons: cannons and warheads. Cannons include various lasers, blasters and ion guns. Warheads include torpedoes and missiles. Cannon attack capability is never exhausted — they may continue to fire at targets on subsequent turns of the game until they are knocked out. Warheads, however, are expended as they are fired. Therefore, their entries on the Starcraft Display should be marked off as they are used.
All weapons are given various parameters which affect their range, damage potential, and targeting restrictions, as noted on the Master Weapon Table. Each weapon mount is also given one or more firing arcs through which it may make attacks. The target of a weapon system must lie within that weapon system's firing arc(s) in order to be attacked.
2.2 Defenses
Each starcraft is defended by armor, energy screens, electronic warfare capabilities, and evasion computer programs. These defensive systems are represented in Silent Death by a vessel's Defensive Value and its Damage Reduction number. A vessel's Defensive Value indicates how tough it is to hit, and then affect with damage as described in Section 7.1 Hitting the Target. The Damage Reduction number is the amount by which any damage affecting the target is reduced before it is applied. The Damage Reduction process is described in Section 7.2 Damaging the Target.
2.3 Drives
Each starcraft has a "Drive" number on its Starcraft Display which represents the maximum number of movement points the vessel has available to spend every turn of the game. As a starcraft takes damage, its Drive number will be reduced; note such changes right on the Starcraft Display. When the Drive number is reduced to 0 due to damage, the vessel may no longer move.
3.0 Sequence of Play
Each turn of a Silent Death game is broken down into five parts, called Phases. The activities of each Phase should be completed before moving on to the next Phase. When all the Phases of a turn are completed, a new turn begins and the procedure is repeated until the game is completed. The actions performed in the various Phases are described in the following sections. If playing a Basic Game, ignore references to Missiles and Torps.
Turn Sequence
- Missile/Torp Launch Phase
- Movement Phase
- Torp Results Phase
- Cannon Fire Phase
- Missile Results Phase
4.0 Missile & Torpedo Fire
Missiles and torpedoes are warhead delivery systems. Missiles are fast, relatively low-powered explosive devices with a limited attack range. Missiles are not represented by counters placed on the map — their flight is represented abstractly in Silent Death. Missile counters may be placed on their target's Starcraft Display as a reminder of what has been fired upon during the turn.
Torpedoes, on the other hand, are slow, high-powered explosive devices with an essentially unlimited attack range. Torpedo counters are placed on the map when they are discharged.
4.1 Missiles
At the beginning of the Missile/Torpedo Launch Phase any starcraft with a missile launcher and a target in the launcher's firing arc may discharge that launcher's missiles after a successful lock-on roll. Players declare lock-on attempts simultaneously, writing them first in secret if necessary.
To make a lock-on roll, pick a target within 10 hex range and inside the missile launcher's firing arc — then roll 1D10. If the roll is less than the firer's Gunnery skill level (Gnr), the lock-on is successful and missiles may be fired from that launcher at that one specific target; otherwise that launcher may not fire any missiles this turn. No more than one target may be fired upon by each missile launcher each turn, but different missile launchers aboard the same vessel may fire at different targets if desired.
Up to 10 missiles (if available) may be fired from each launcher with a lock-on during the Missile/Torp Launch Phase. Note missile expenditure by marking off the launcher's ammunition as it is discharged. Note the missile target and the number of missiles launched by placing the appropriate missile counters on the target's Starcraft Display. If the missile target is a torpedo, place the missile counter(s) on the torpedo.
Missile Counters
There are a number of missile counters supplied with the game, each depicting from 1 to 5 missiles. Use these to indicate the number of missiles fired at a target. If more than 5 missiles are fired at a target, just take a number of missile counters which add up to the appropriate total and place them on the target's display (or torp counter if the target is a torp).
If a target is fired at by several different missile launchers, keep the missile counters representing each attack separate. Each missile attack is resolved at the end of the turn during the Missile Results Phase. After each Missile Results Phase all missile attacks should have been resolved, so remove all missile counters from all Starcraft Displays and torp counters still in flight.
Missile Results Phase
During the Missile Results Phase, each target of a missile strike made at the beginning of that turn has the attack resolved against it regardless of the current range between firer and target. Each missile fired at the target from a single missile launcher will contribute 1D6 to the Attack Dice rolled. Resolve the attack in accordance with the Attack Dice rules given in Section 7.0. Attacks made against the same target from different missile launchers are resolved separately starting with the smallest salvo of missiles and ending with the largest salvo.
4.2 Torpedoes
After missiles are fired in the Missile/Torp Launch Phase, players with torpedoes may launch one or more at any target — or any number of targets — at any range, without the need for a lock-on roll, nor consideration of firing arcs (i.e., torpedoes are considered to have a 360° firing arc). All torpedo launches are simultaneous, and targets must be openly declared after all launch decisions are made. Launch decisions may be made by all players in secret and then declared simultaneously if desired. Record each torpedo's target and note the expenditures by marking off the appropriate Torp entries on the firing vessel's Starcraft Display.
Torpedo Counters
There are different colored sets of torpedo counters provided with the game — each player should take a set of these if he is playing with torp-carrying fighters.
Once fired, an appropriate torpedo counter is placed on the map in the firing vessel's hex facing in the same direction as the starcraft. During all subsequent Movement Phases, a torpedo will move toward its designated target, expending 12 movement points per turn until it is either destroyed, dodged, or detonates.
A torpedo moves immediately after its target moves, and will move towards that target, expending available movement points so as to always decrease the range to the target and enter the target's hex if possible. The exact flight path of each torpedo is determined by the player who fired it. See the Movement rules in Section 5.0. Upon entering its target's hex, a torpedo ends movement and will either be dodged by the target or it will hit the target and cause damage. In either case, the torpedo explodes and the torp counter will be removed at the end of the Torp Results Phase.
If, during the course of its move, a starcraft enters the hex of a torpedo that is tracking it, that torpedo immediately detonates and resolves its damage without any dodge attempt allowed by the target starcraft. Do not wait for the Torp Results Phase in this special case.
Torp Results Phase
Torpedoes do not use the same Attack Dice procedure missile and cannon attacks do (as outlined in Section 7.0). Instead, torpedo targets may attempt to dodge during the Torp Results Phase, and thus avoid the explosive effects of the warheads. To dodge, the target must have a current Drive number equal to or greater than 10. If so, the pilot may roll 1D10, add his Piloting skill level (Plt), and subtract the number of torps about to attack him this turn. The number of torpedoes successfully dodged equals the amount by which this modified roll exceeds 10. If the modified result indicates that not all the torps are successfully dodged, the weakest torps will always be dodged first.
Example: A Seraph fighter is the target of 1 Mk.50, 1 Mk.20, and 2 Mk.10 torps. During the Movement Phase, all four torps enter the Seraph's hex. During the Torp Results Phase the Seraph pilot attempts to dodge the torps. He rolls 1D10, adds his Plt of 7, and subtracts the number of torps attacking, which is 4. If he rolls a 2, the modified result is 5 — all the torps hit. If he rolls a 9, the modified result is 12 — two torps are dodged (the Mk.10s, since they're the weakest), and the Mk.50 and Mk.20 hit. If he rolls a 10, only the Mk.50 will hit.
If a target is hit by more than one torp during a single Torp Results Phase, resolve the damage as one combined attack.
All torpedo attacks occur in the Torp Results Phase and are considered to be simultaneous. A torpedo will do damage as indicated on the Master Weapon Table. Torp damage resolution is explained in Section 7.2.
Attacks Against Torps
A torpedo may be subjected to attacks from other weapon systems, including missiles and other torpedoes. The Defensive Value of a torp is 10, its Damage Reduction stat is 0, and it is destroyed when it takes 1 point of damage.
Torpedoes attempting to dodge other torpedoes are assumed to have Plt 5.
Example: A Spirit Rider is being tracked by Torp A. Torp A is in turn being tracked by Torp B. At the end of a Movement Phase, all three end up in the same hex. The Spirit Rider fails to dodge Torp A, and Torp A fails to dodge Torp B. Though Torp A will be automatically eliminated by Torp B's hit, all damage in the Torp Results Phase is simultaneous, so Torp A resolves its damage against the Spirit Rider anyway.
Torp Jamming
To reflect the use of electronic counter measures, all vessels are capable of jamming torps that are presently tracking them. At the end of the Torp Results Phase — after all torpedo detonations are resolved — each starcraft which currently has at least one torp tracking it may attempt to prematurely detonate ("jam") one of those torps. The player merely selects one of the tracking torps and declares that he is attempting to jam it. Roll 1D4; if the result is a 1, the torp is jammed and immediately removed from the playing surface. A vessel may only jam a torp that is tracking it, not a torp that is tracking another craft.
5.0 Movement
Starcraft expend movement points to enter hexes and make turns on the map. The number of movement points available every Movement Phase is indicated by the Drive entry on the vessel's Starcraft Display. This number will be reduced as the craft takes damage. Movement is never compulsory, nor is it necessary for all of a vessel's movement points to be expended every Movement Phase. If available movement points are not spent during a Movement Phase, they are lost. They may not be transferred from one vessel to another or saved from turn to turn. Note that if a starcraft does not expend all available movement points, it is assumed that this extra thrust is used in computer controlled evasive maneuvering (e.g., jogs and fishtails) which cannot be depicted by the scale of the map.
5.1 Movement Order
During the Movement Phase all starcraft with a current Drive number greater than 0 may move. Moves are never compulsory. Movement points may not be accumulated from turn to turn, nor transferred between vessels.
The movement of starcraft alternates between vessels on each side of the battle. To determine who moves first and last, perform the following initiative procedure at the beginning of each Movement Phase. One player from each side in the battle rolls 1D10 initiative die and adds the Piloting skill level (Plt) of his (current) best pilot. If there is a tie, roll again.
The player with the lowest modified initiative die roll must move one of his starcraft first. The movement of vessels then alternates between the players until all starcraft have had the opportunity to move. If one side runs out of vessels to move before the other side, that side with the extra vessels then completes the moves for all remaining starcraft.
There is one important exception: The side which had the highest modified initiative die roll at the beginning of the Phase always gets to hold back one vessel, which may be moved last — taking advantage of knowing where everyone else has already moved.
Example: Currently, player A's best pilot has Plt 8, while Player B's best has Plt 7. Each rolls an initiative die: player A rolls a 6, player B rolls a 3. The modified initiative totals are player A: 14, and player B: 10. Player A has the initiative, forcing player B to move one of his vessels first. During this Movement Phase assume player A has only 2 vessels to move, while player B has 4. The movement order will be as follows: Player B moves one vessel, then player A moves one of his. Player B then moves his three remaining starcraft after which player A moves his last one. Note that player A could hold back on the movement of one of his ships until the end of the Movement Phase because he won the initiative.
A starcraft must complete its entire move before another vessel may begin moving. There is no restriction on passing through hexes occupied by other starcraft; however, a vessel may never perform a turn in a hex occupied by another starcraft, nor end its move in a hex occupied by another starcraft. There may never be more than one starcraft per hex at the end of any Movement Phase.
Time Limit
Players are encouraged to enforce a time limit of 30 seconds for the movement of each starcraft. If at the end of 30 seconds a player has not completed a vessel's move, that vessel must stop in its current hex and retain its current facing.
5.2 Moving
Each starcraft expends 1 movement point to enter the hex immediately to its front, and expends extra movement points to turn (change facing) in a hex. Starcraft may not move backwards.
There are two types of turns: a normal turn and a tight turn. Only one type of turn may be performed in each hex entered during a single Movement Phase, and neither type of turn may be performed in a hex containing another starcraft.
A normal turn is a turn of one hexside in either direction from the craft's present facing. A normal turn costs 3 movement points to perform.
A tight turn is any turn of more than one hexside performed within a single hex. A tight turn costs 3 movement points plus the result of a random die roll, regardless of the number of hexsides turned. This modified random roll (called the TTC for Tight Turn Cost) is dependant upon the Piloting skill level (Plt) of the vessel's pilot and can be found on the Skill Level Effects Table in Section 8.0.
Example: A starcraft pilot having Plt 6 wishes to turn more than one hexside in the hex he presently occupies. His TTC is 1D6+3. He rolls a 5, so he spends 8 (5 + 3) movement points in the hex and may now face any hexside he desires.
If the movement point cost of a turn results in the expenditure of more movement points than remain available to the turning craft, the desired turn may not be performed, and the vessel must immediately end all movement and keep its pre-turn facing.
Example: The pilot of a Spirit Rider (Drive 15) has expended 11 movement points so far during his Movement Phase. He wishes to perform a tight turn. Having Plt 9, he rolls 1D4+3 for his TTC. The roll is a 4, so it costs him 7 (4 + 3) movement points to perform the turn. This results in a total movement point expenditure of 18 for the Phase — more than the 15 available. Therefore the Spirit Rider immediately ends its move, maintaining the facing it had before the turn was attempted.
Turns and forward moves may be combined in any combination, though the number of movement points spent may never exceed the vessel's current Drive number during any given Movement Phase. If a vessel has a current Drive number of less than 3, it is allowed to turn 1 hexside as its sole action for the Movement Phase.
A starcraft must complete its entire move before another vessel may begin moving. There is no restriction on passing through hexes occupied by other starcraft; however, a vessel may never perform a turn in a hex occupied by another starcraft, nor end its move in a hex occupied by another starcraft. There may never be more than one starcraft per hex at the end of any Movement Phase.
Torp Movement
Whenever a starcraft or torpedo completes its move, any torpedoes which are currently tracking it make their moves before any other starcraft move. As explained in Section 4.2, torps must spend their movement points to decrease the range to their targets and enter their targets' hexes if possible.
A torpedo always spends 3 movement points per hexside turned within a hex — the starcraft turning rules do not apply to them.
Moving on the Map
Unless otherwise specified in a scenario, starcraft may not move off of the playing surface. Those which exit the map when not specifically allowed by the scenario are considered destroyed and may not reenter the playing surface later.
Note that the 1/2 hexes which constitute the map edges are fully playable, and should be considered as normal hexes for all purposes.
6.0 Cannon Fire
Each pilot and gunner may fire his assigned weapon system once during each Cannon Fire Phase. If a pilot or gunner is assigned two or more cannon weapon systems, he may only fire one of these during each Cannon Fire Phase. However, a gunner may fire one of his cannon weapon systems on the same turn in which he has discharged missiles.
6.1 Weapon System Specs
There are a number of specifications which define the parameters of cannon (and missile) weapon systems.
Firing Arcs
Each weapon system (except torpedoes) is given a firing arc on the Starcraft Displays. The firing arcs and their abbreviations are as follows:
- Forward: F
- Front Quarter Right: FQR
- Front Quarter Left: FQL
- Rear Quarter Right: RQR
- Rear Quarter Left: RQL
- Aft: A
- All Around: 360°
Firing Arc Diagrams: the rulebook illustrates the six 60° firing arcs — Forward, Front Quarter Left, Front Quarter Right, Rear Quarter Left, Rear Quarter Right, and Aft — as cone-shaped wedges of hexes extending from the vessel's hex in each named direction.
These diagrams indicate the six 60° firing arcs. Hexes which fall in the overlap area between adjacent firing arcs are considered to be in both firing arcs.
Each firing arc is a 60° cone which extends out of the vessel's hex in the directions indicated. The one exception is the All Around firing arc which allows a weapon to fire in any direction. A weapon system which lists two or more firing arc codes may fire into any of the listed arcs without restriction.
Range Increments
As indicated on the Master Weapon Table, each cannon has a Short, Mid, and Long Range increment. A target must lie within one of these range increments in order to come under the weapon system's fire. The effects of firing at the various range increments is discussed in Section 7.1 Hitting the Target.
Note that intervening starcraft, torps or constructs do not block fire from an attacker to his target.
Missile targets must be within 10 hexes during the Missile/Torp Launch Phase only. The range between missile firer and target during the Missile Results Phase is inconsequential, since it is assumed that the missiles always travel the intervening distance during the course of the turn.
Target Speed Restrictions
Some cannon weapon systems are too unwieldy to track fast moving or evasively maneuvering targets. Therefore, these larger cannons may only fire at targets whose current Drive number is less than or equal to a certain value. These restrictions are listed on the Master Weapon Table. Targets with a Drive number greater than the listed values may not be fired at by the given weapon types.
Example: A Night Hawk has a target in its Forward (F) firing arc. The range to the target is 15 hexes, which is too far for his Splatterguns to reach (max range 10). His Meld Laser may fire at the target, since 15 hexes is within this weapon's Mid Range Increment. The last thing to check is the target's current Drive number, which due to damage has been reduced to 7. Since the target's current Drive number is ≤12, the Meld Laser may make an attack. If the target's Drive number had been 13 or greater, the enemy would have been too elusive for the big Meld Laser to track.
6.2 Firing Order
The order in which starcraft discharge their cannon weapon systems is dependant upon the Gunnery skill levels (Gnr) of the various pilots and/or gunners who are firing them. Gunners with Gnr 10 may fire first. Gnr 9 gunners fire next, then Gnr 8 gunners and so on until finally the Gnr 1 gunners fire. If opposing players have gunners of the same skill level, they resolve their fire simultaneously. After all eligible gunners have fired, pilots may then fire the armaments that they are manning. Pilots resolve their fire in sequential order just as gunners do, based upon their Gunnery skill level (Gnr).
Note that attacks are resolved sequentially, with all damage from one attack taking effect before the next vessel's weapon system is discharged. The only exception to this is when gunners or pilots with the same Gnr value have their attacks resolved simultaneously — damage is resolved simultaneously in this case.
7.0 Attack Dice
If a target is in a weapon system's firing arc, range and speed parameters, it may be damaged by the rolls of "attack dice". Attack dice are a unique form of combat resolution. One roll of the attack dice represents both the hitting of a target, and the amount of damage done. Reading the sum total of all the attack dice determines whether a target is hit (by scoring high enough), while the specific weapon type determines which of the specific attack dice thrown are read for damage.
The total attack dice roll for cannon weapon systems incorporates the Base Attack Dice listed for the weapon type on the Master Weapon Table and the Gunnery Attack Die Bonus (ADB) listed on the Skill Level Effects Table. Both of these tables can be found on the back cover of the rules.
Example: A pilot with Gnr 4 fires his single Pulse Laser weapon system. The total attack dice roll is 2D8 (for the Pulse Laser weapon type) and 1D4 (for the pilot's ADB). This is noted as 2D8+1D4.
The ways in which the attack dice are read to determine whether a target is hit and how severely it is damaged are explained below in Section 7.1.
Multiple Gun Weapon Systems
Some cannon weapon systems contain more than one gun (e.g., the Night Hawk has a weapon system with 6 Splatterguns contained within it). Such weapon systems only roll attack dice once when they fire — their multiple guns provide To Hit and Damage bonuses, but never multiple attack opportunities.
Missile Attack Dice
The total attack dice roll for a missile attack differs from those used in a cannon attack. First of all, there is no Gunnery ADB. Next, the number of D6s rolled equals the number of missiles fired at the target from the launcher. Each batch of a launcher's missiles are resolved together as a complete, separate attack.
7.1 Hitting the Target
To hit a target with cannons or missiles, use the following procedure:
- Roll and add together the weapon system's total attack dice as defined above.
- If the weapon is firing in its Short Range increment, add 1 to the total.
- If the weapon is firing in its Long Range increment, subtract 1 from the total.
If this final modified total is equal to or exceeds the target's Defensive Value, the target is hit and should accrue damage (see below). If the final modified total is less than the target's Defensive Value, the attack has scored no damage.
Example: The pilot of an Epping fires his Meld Laser at a Night Hawk which has had its Drive number reduced to 12 due to previous damage. The target is at Long Range. The Meld Laser has Base Attack Dice of 2D8. The pilot has Gnr 5 for an Attack Die Bonus of 1D6. All three dice are thrown and the results are a 2, 6 and 7. These dice add up to 15, but there is a -1 modifier for Long Range fire: the total of the To Hit roll is 14. The Night Hawk has a Defensive Value of 13, so it is hit by the Meld Laser attack.
Hitting With Multiple Gun Weapon Systems
Some cannon weapon systems contain more than one gun (e.g., the Night Hawk has a 6 Splattergun weapon system). For every gun beyond 1 in a weapon system, a +1 modifier is added to its total attack dice roll for determining a hit.
Example: A gunner with Gnr 7 fires his Thunder Bird's 4 Pulse Laser weapon system. The total attack dice roll is 2D6 (for the Pulse Laser weapon type), 1D8 (for the gunner's ADB), and finally 3 is added for the three extra guns (beyond the first) in the weapon system. This is noted as 2D6+1D8+3.
Immobile Targets
Any starcraft which has been reduced to a Drive value of 0 may not have a Defensive Value greater than 5. If a starcraft has its Drive number reduced to 0, immediately reduce its Defensive Value to 5. If the vessel already has a Defensive Value less than 5, do not adjust it.
Torpedo Hits
A torpedo always hits its target once it enters the target's hex, unless dodged (see Section 4.2 Torpedoes above).
7.2 Damaging the Target
Each weapon type on the Master Weapon Table has an entry in the Damage column: either Low, Medium, High or All. This entry indicates how to read the attack dice just rolled during the To Hit procedure outlined above. Low, Medium, High and All are codes which determine the base amount of damage done to the target if a hit is scored. The entries are defined as follows:
Low — The base hits of damage delivered are equal to the lowest attack die rolled. If more than one die is lowest, the base hits delivered are equal to the sum of the lowest dice. If all dice show the same number, all count.
Medium — The base hits of damage delivered are equal to the attack die showing the medium value (e.g., of a 2, 4, and 9 rolled; 4 is the Medium die value). If there is no Medium die value (as in the case of a 3, 6 and 6 roll), the base hits delivered equal the sum of the highest die (or dice). If all dice show the same number, all count.
High — The base hits of damage delivered are equal to the highest attack die rolled. If more than one die is highest, the base hits delivered are equal to the sum of the highest dice. If all dice show the same number, all count.
All — The base hits of damage delivered are equal to the sum of all the attack dice rolled.
Example: Continuing from the example above, the Epping has scored a hit against the wounded Night Hawk, and now it is time to determine the amount of damage done. The attack dice came up a 2, 6 and 7. The Meld Laser does Medium damage. The Medium die is 6, so 6 hits are delivered. If the dice had come up a 2, 6 and 6 (which still would have hit the Night Hawk), the damage would have been 12 (6 + 6), since high dice are read in the absence of medium ones. If the dice had come up a 6, 6 and 6, 18 points of damage would have been scored (6 + 6 + 6).
Damaging With Multiple Gun Weapon Systems
For cannon weapon systems having more than 1 gun, there is a damage bonus awarded when a hit is secured. This bonus equals +1 to the base hits delivered for each Laser cannon beyond 1 in the weapon system, while +2 is added to the base hits delivered for each Blast or Ion cannon beyond the first in the weapon system.
Example: 6 Splatterguns fired by a Night Hawk pilot with Gnr 9 hit a target. The attack dice show a 2, 4 and 8. Splatterguns score Medium damage (4) and the five extra guns beyond the first in the weapon system grant a flat +10 bonus (noted as Medium+10). The number of base hits delivered equals 14 (4 + 10). If the attack dice showed a 1, 6 and 6, the base hits delivered would be 22 (6 + 6 + 10).
Once the base hits of damage delivered are determined, subtract the target's current Damage Reduction number. This final modified total is the number of hits marked off on the target's damage track.
Example: 22 base hits of damage are scored by the Splatterguns mentioned above. The target has a current Damage Reduction number of 3. Therefore the target takes a total of 19 hits of damage (22 - 3).
The Damage Track
Each starcraft has a damage track. As hits are taken, mark boxes on the damage track, starting at the top left corner of the track, proceeding to the right and then downward. As rows of damage are marked off, go to the next row down and keep proceeding from left to right.
As hits are marked off on the damage track, a starcraft will sustain special damage. Special damage symbols and numbers are used in the damage track boxes to indicate what results are obtained. Specific special damage will accrue as its damage track box is marked off. The various results are cumulative and take full effect as soon as they are inflicted. What follows is a summary of the special damage symbols and what effects they represent.
- ☐ (open square) = Reduce the vessel's current Drive number to the highest unmarked, boxed number currently on the damage track.
- ◇ (open diamond) = Reduce the vessel's Damage Reduction number to the highest unmarked diamond value currently on the damage track.
- w = Eliminate a cannon weapon system or missile launcher of the defender's choice.
- W = Eliminate a cannon weapon system or missile launcher of the attacker's choice.
- t = Eliminate one remaining torp of the defender's choice.
- T = Eliminate one remaining torp of the attacker's choice.
- ✳ (asterisk) = Roll 1D10 on the target vessel's Critical Hit chart. Apply the critical damage effect immediately.
- ✕ (cross) = This is the last box on the damage track. If it is marked off, the vessel is destroyed and removed from the map.
8.0 Tables
8.1 Master Weapon Table
| Weapon Type | Base Attack Dice | Short Range (+1) | Mid Range (0) | Long Range (-1) | Target Speed Restrictions | Damage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laser Cannons | ||||||
| Pulse Laser | 2D8+ADB | 1-3 | 4-9 | 10 | None | Low |
| Meld Laser | 2D8+ADB | 1-6 | 7-18 | 19-20 | Target Drive ≤12 | Medium |
| Turbo Laser | 2D8+ADB | 1-9 | 10-25 | 26-30 | Target Drive ≤8 | High |
| Blast Cannons | ||||||
| Splattergun | 2D6+ADB | 1-2 | 3-6 | 7-10 | None | Medium |
| Blatgun | 2D6+ADB | 1-4 | 5-10 | 11-15 | Target Drive ≤13 | High |
| Ion Cannon | ||||||
| Impulsegun | 2D8+ADB | 1-3 | 4-8 | 9-10 | None | High |
| Warheads | ||||||
| Missile | 1D6 | — | 1-10* | — | None | High |
| Mk.10 Torp | 1D12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None | All |
| Mk.20 Torp | 2D12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None | All |
| Mk.50 Torp | 5D12 | N/A | N/A | N/A | None | All |
* A missile's target must be within 10 hex range only at the beginning of the Missile/Torp Launch Phase.
8.2 Skill Level Effects Table
| Piloting Skill Level (Plt) | Tight Turn Movement Point Cost (TTC) | Gunnery Skill Level (Gnr) | Cannon Attack Die Bonus (ADB) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1D10+3 | 1 | 1D4 |
| 2 | 1D10+3 | 2 | 1D4 |
| 3 | 1D8+3 | 3 | 1D4 |
| 4 | 1D8+3 | 4 | 1D4 |
| 5 | 1D6+3 | 5 | 1D6 |
| 6 | 1D6+3 | 6 | 1D6 |
| 7 | 1D4+3 | 7 | 1D8 |
| 8 | 1D4+3 | 8 | 1D8 |
| 9 | 1D4+3 | 9 | 1D10 |
| 10 | 1D4+3 | 10 | 1D10 |
9.0 Introductory Scenarios
The Introductory Scenarios may be found in the 16 page folder supplied with the game. To use these scenarios, just remove the staple that binds the booklet, and separate the various sheets. Each sheet then provides all that is necessary to play a Silent Death game using Basic or Standard rules (the first four scenarios are specially designed with the Basic Game rules in mind). Even the crewmembers have been generated for you and their stats have been entered on the Starcraft Displays provided.
Read the scenario information, select sides, then give each player his appropriate Starcraft Displays (this will require you to cut each scenario sheet in half). Set up your forces as indicated, then begin play with the first game turn.
Map Setup
All scenarios use the map configuration displayed on the front of the Introductory Scenario Folder. Note that various Areas (defined by the fold lines in the maps) are identified by letters while the map Edges are numbered. These Areas and Edges will be referred to in the individual scenarios as necessary. If units are required to set up along an Edge, players should set up such units within 2 hexes of that edge.
Remember that 1/2 hexes are playable and are considered full hexes for all purposes. Hexes that fall into two adjacent map areas are considered part of both areas.
(The scenarios listed in the Table of Contents are: 9.1 The Silent Death; 9.2 Dogfight Over Exmar; 9.3 Rook's Stragglers; 9.4 Vipers at the Door; 9.5 The Free Trader's Shuttle; 9.6 Rearguard. Full scenario text is printed on the individual sheets of the separate 16-page Introductory Scenario Folder rather than in this rulebook.)
10.0 Optional Rules
The following sections detail rules which may be added to the game as players see fit. Their use is not compulsory, but optional. Before starting a scenario, players should agree among themselves which, if any, optional rules are going to be in effect.
Note: The incorporation of certain Optional Rules may allow you to better balance the play of scenarios which you believe constantly favour one side or another.
10.1 Experience
When playing an extended series of games using the same pilots and gunners throughout, it is possible for victorious, surviving crewmembers to gain experience and raise their skill levels. Pilots and/or gunners will be able to raise one Piloting or Gunnery skill level if all of the following conditions apply after a scenario:
- The crewmember and his vessel survived the scenario.
- The crewmember was on the winning side of the scenario.
- The crewmember fired a cannon weapon system or missile salvo which delivered at least one critical hit to one opponent's vessel.
If each of these preceding conditions apply to a starcraft crewmember, he may raise his Plt or Gnr value by 1 (not to exceed a maximum value of 10). Obviously, gunners would only be able to increase their Gnr value while an eligible pilot would have to decide which value to raise.
If a crewmember receives a critical hit which kills him, or his craft is destroyed before the end of a scenario, he is eliminated and may not be used in any further scenarios.
10.2 Drift
The movement system provided in Silent Death is a simplification of space flight which does not represent the effect of drift which would be caused by the application of thrust in a gravity-free vacuum. The following simple rule may be instituted to simulate the effects of drift during a battle.
At the beginning of each Movement Phase, all starcraft with a current Drive number of 6 or greater will drift a random number of hexes forward. Consult the chart below. Find each vessel's current Drive number then refer to the Drift Die. Roll the Drift Die for each starcraft: this is the number of hexes the vessel must move forward before any normal Movement Phase activities begin.
A craft that does not move or change facing during a Movement Phase can declare a "Full Stop". Such a vessel will not drift on subsequent Movement Phases unless it once again begins moving or changes its facing.
Drift Chart
| Current Drive Number | Drift Die |
|---|---|
| 0-5/Full Stop | — |
| 6-10 | 1D4 |
| 11-15 | 1D6 |
| 16+ | 1D8 |
If instituting the Drift Die would cause a vessel to exit the map, the starcraft merely stops on the map-edge hex and drifts no further.
10.3 Turning
Here are three options regarding starcraft facing changes.
Turning Restriction
Starcraft with 3 or more movement points at the start of a Movement Phase should be forced to enter a new hex before performing either a normal turn or a tight turn. This prevents a vessel from making a turn at the end of its previous Movement Phase, then beginning its next Movement Phase with another turn in the same hex.
Set Cost Turns
If players do not like rolling a die to randomize the number of movement points they spend when performing a tight turn, they can utilize the following option.
The first hexside turned within a hex costs 3 movement points, while the second and third cost 2 each (e.g., total cost of 7 movement points to turn three hexsides). However, a pilot must still roll a die to see if his tight turn maneuver is successful. Roll 1D10; if the result is less than the pilot's Plt value, the tight turn is successful, otherwise, the vessel may only turn one hexside (at the cost of 3 movement points), and must enter another hex before attempting another facing change during the same Movement Phase.
Drive 0 Turns
Another turning option is presented here for the players to consider.
Players may allow a vessel with a Drive number reduced to zero to change facing by one hexside per turn. This would represent the action of mini-thrusters used by all vessels during docking maneuvers. Allowing this option would provide crippled ships with a minimal tactical option. Any Drive 0 turns would have to be performed at the beginning of the Movement Phase after any drifts (Optional Rule 9.2) have occurred.
10.4 Sideslips
A sideslip is a form of forward movement which displaces a starcraft or torp into its front left or front right hex, instead of the hex directly ahead.
(Diagram: a fighter's hex is shown with two forward-diagonal hexes marked by arrows — the two hexes which may be entered during a sideslip.)
This diagram indicates the two hexes which may be entered during a sideslip.
A sideslip costs 2 movement points to perform, unlike a normal move forward. Forward movement, sideslips and turns may be combined in any desired manner, except that 2 sideslips may not be made consecutively (i.e., you may not make 2 sideslips in a row).
10.5 Asteroids
Battles within the depths of an asteroid field can be a challenging and exciting affair. The following rules detail 1) how to distribute asteroids on the playing surface, 2) what happens when an asteroid/vessel collision occurs, and 3) the effects of asteroids on weapon systems are.
When asteroids are to be used in a scenario, one player should take all 20 asteroid counters and, with eyes closed, sprinkle them over the playing surface from a height of about three feet. Place the asteroids in the hexes they most fully landed in (1 per hex maximum). Go through the sprinkling process again with any asteroids which bounced off of the map, or stacked beyond the 1 per hex limit.
Once set up, it is important to realize that the asteroids will drift by moving one hex per turn in a direction randomized at the beginning of the scenario. Refer to the numbered compass rose in the corner of each map section. At the beginning of the scenario, roll 1D6: this will be the direction of the asteroid drift for the entire game. Asteroids perform their one hex drift at the end of every turn, after the Missile Results Phase. If, due to this drifting action, an asteroid exits off the edge of the playing surface, it reenters on the other side of the map on the edge hex directly down the hex row it drifted along.
If a starcraft, during its Movement Phase, enters a hex with an asteroid, that starcraft immediately takes 10D12 points of damage. If a starcraft drifts into an asteroid (by Optional Rule 9.2), or an asteroid drifts into a vessel's hex at the end of any turn, the vessel takes 5D12 points of damage. Asteroid collisions immediately destroy tracking torpedoes.
Asteroids have the effect of blocking cannon fire when they occupy an intervening hex between an attacker and his target. When an attacker declares cannon fire, run a straight edge from the center of the firer's hex to the center of the target's hex. If the straight edge passes through any part of a hex containing an asteroid, the attack may not be made. The firer is free to select an alternate target in this case.
Asteroids have no effect on missile fire.
Asteroids can not be destroyed.
10.6 Torpedoes
Torpedoes are an important part of the game, but there are many different opinions as to how they should be represented. Here are a variety of options.
Maneuverable Torps
This rule assumes that torpedoes are very maneuverable. As such, a torp can move 12 hexes during the Movement Phase regardless of its facing or the number of facing changes necessary to reach a hex 12 hexes away. Think of this as a 0 movement point cost to turn any hexside. The result is that players can quickly gauge the "threat zone" of any torp that is currently tracking a target.
Variable Speed Torps
This option differentiates between the speeds of different torps. Consult the following table.
Variable Speed Torp Chart
| Torp | Movement Points |
|---|---|
| Mk.10 | 18 |
| Mk.20 | 16 |
| Mk.50 | 10 |
This variable speed rule may easily be combined with the maneuverable torps rule if players desire.
Tracking Mechanics
In the Standard Game, each player takes one set of torp counters at the beginning of the game and records the ID of each torp's target as the torp is fired. This tracking mechanics option may simplify that practice in a limited number of cases.
When fielding their vessels at the beginning of a battle, players should make sure that all starcraft have different ID letters. When torps are fired, players should try to use torp counters that have the ID letter that corresponds to the target ID. In the cases where the torps mix will allow this to occur, players will not have to note down each torp's target — they merely have to match torp and target IDs when it comes to moving tracking torps on the map.
Alternatively, players may use a pencil to note down the ID of each torp's target on the backs of the torp counters fired. This method works well if all players wish to (and agree to) keep the identity of a torp's target secret.
10.7 Torpedo Defensive Systems
In the Standard Game, jamming and dodging are the only ways to avoid being hit by a tracking torpedo (besides just running away). This optional rule provides starcraft with other defenses which can defeat torps.
Decoys
Decoys are small pods which can be jettisoned by starcraft. If successfully deployed, a decoy can fool tracking torps into homing in on it instead of the target vessel.
In game terms, a decoy can be deployed as an alternate action to a jamming attempt being made. Immediately after a decoy is deployed, roll 1D4 for each torp currently tracking the deploying vessel. On a roll of 1 or 2, the torp is removed from the map (e.g., it has decided to track the decoy instead and will not be able to attack a vessel). On a roll of a 3 or 4, the torp was not fooled by the decoy and will continue to track the target — though it is still susceptible to subsequent decoy deployments. A decoy is only effective on the turn that it is deployed. New torp launches may not be affected by decoy deployments from previous turns.
Decoys from one vessel will not affect torps tracking other vessels.
Decoy-equipped vessels carry a limited number of them. Players must keep track of their use, and once completely expended, they may no longer be deployed. Every time a vessel takes a critical hit, it loses one of its remaining decoys (i.e., in addition to any other damage a critical hit inflicts, it always knocks out one of the vessel's remaining decoys, if available).
Point-Defense Anti-Torp Weapon Systems
Point-defense anti-torp weapons include low power, rapid fire lasers and projectile throwing miniguns. Such weapons provide good protection against incoming torps at close range, but their use may not be combined with the erratic maneuvering involved with dodging attempts.
In game terms, point-defense weapon systems may be used to attack torpedoes as an alternate action to a dodging attempt. During the Torp Resolution Phase, torp(s) which enter a target's hex may be attacked by this weapon system if the target is so equipped. For each attacking torp in the target's hex, roll 1D10. If the roll is within the point-defense system's Kill Spread (as indicated on the chart to the right), the torp is destroyed before it detonates, and thus causes no damage.
Point-defense anti-torp weapon systems may be used an unlimited number of times, but they may not be used after their vessel takes a critical hit (i.e., in addition to any other damage a critical hit inflicts, it always knocks out the vessel's point-defense weapon system).
Point-defense weapon systems can only be used against torpedoes.
Availability
The chart below summarizes the decoy and point-defense capabilities of the starcraft provided in Silent Death.
Anti-Torpedo Capabilities
| Vessel Type | Decoys Available | Point-Defense Kill Spread on 1D10 |
|---|---|---|
| Epping | 4 | 1-7 [3*] |
| Night Hawk | 2 | 1-3 [1*] |
| Pharsii II | 3 | 1-6 [2*] |
| Pit Viper | 1 | — |
| Revenge | 5 | 1-6 [3*] |
| Salamander | 2 | 1-7 [2*] |
| Seraph | 4 | 1-6 [2*] |
| Shryak Shuttle | 2 | 1-4 [4*] |
| Sorensen III | 1 | — |
| Spirit Rider | 1 | — |
| Teal Hawk | 2 | 1-3 [2*] |
| Thunder Bird | 2 | — |
* As an additional option, players may use this # as the maximum number of torps which may be attacked in a Torp Results Phase.
10.8 Gunnery Duels
In the Standard Game, gunners — then pilots — fire their cannon weapons in accordance with their Gnr values. The gunnery duel option allows for some variance within this strict sequence.
If, during the normal sequence of firing, a gunner or pilot declares a cannon attack on a target that wishes to fire back with a cannon weapon system, one of that target's eligible crewmembers may declare a gunnery duel to determine who actually fires first.
To resolve the gunnery duel, both firing crewmembers roll 1D10 and add their Gnr value. There is a -2 modifier to a pilot's die role if he is dueling with a gunner. The highest modified total resolves his fire first. If there is a tie, attacks are resolved against both involved vessels simultaneously. The loser of the gunnery duel must make his declared attack immediately after the winner — if he is still capable of doing so. Note that this will often entail a crewmember firing out of the normal sequence.
Remember that each gunner or pilot may only discharge one cannon weapon system once per Cannon Fire Phase, so a crewmember may not fire once normally, then fire again in a subsequent gunnery duel or vice versa.
Example: During the Movement Phase, a Salamander 2-man fighter crosses in front of a Thunder Bird. The gunner aboard the Salamander has Gnr 4, while the pilot of the Thunder Bird has Gnr 7. During the Cannon Fire Phase, gunners fire first, and the Salamander's gunner declares that he is firing his twin Splatterguns at the T-Bird. However, the Thunder Bird's pilot has the Salamander in his sights, so the pilot declares a gunnery duel with the Salamander's gunner. Both roll 1D10 and add their Gnr value; but the pilot subtracts 2 because he's dueling with a gunner. The Salamander's gunner rolls a 5, resulting in a total of 9 (4 + 5). The T-Bird pilot rolls a 6, resulting in a total of 11 (7 + 6 - 2). The Thunder Bird resolves its attack first. If the Salamander's gunner and twin Splatterguns survive the attack unscathed, they then perform their attack. If the Thunder Bird had managed to knock out the Salamander's Splatterguns, the gunner could switch to his 360° Pulse Laser, but would still have to fire at the Thunder Bird. In any event, the Thunder Bird has now fired out of order, and may not fire again during this Cannon Fire Phase.
Deflection Chart
| Defender is in this Firing Arc of the Attacker \ Attacker is in this Arc of the Defender | Forward | Front Quarter | Rear Quarter | Aft | Target has Drive 0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forward | 0 | -2 | 0 | +1 | +2 |
| Front Quarter | -2 | -1 | +1 | 0 | +1 |
| Rear Quarter | 0 | +1 | -1 | 0 | +1 |
| Aft | +1 | 0 | -1 | 0 | +2 |
The deflection result determines the Attack Dice To Hit modifier.
10.9 Deflection
Deflection simulates the effect of a target's aspect in relation to the firer. It is more difficult to hit a target with cannons if he is crossing your field of fire, than if he is moving towards or away from you — thus presenting a relatively stationary firing point. In addition, a stationary target is quite susceptible to attacks.
The deflection modifiers presented in the chart below are added to a cannon weapon system's Attack Dice total to determine if there is a hit. Deflection modifiers do not affect the reading of the Attack Dice for damage purposes.
To use the Deflection Chart, read across the top to find which of the defender's firing arcs the attacker occupies, and read down the side to determine which of the attacker's firing arcs the defender occupies. Cross index the two to determine the Attack Dice To Hit modifier.
In those cases where a vessel occupies two eligible firing arcs (those hexes that are on the boarder between adjacent firing arcs), the defender always determines which of the available columns and/or rows of the Deflection Chart to use.
Example: A Salamander fighter is in combat with an Epping gunboat. During the Cannon Fire Phase the gunner aboard the Salamander fires his 360° Pulse Laser. The Salamander player determines that he is in the Epping's Rear Quarter Right firing arc, so he goes to the Rear Quarter column of the Deflection Chart. Next he determines the Epping is in his Salamander's Front Quarter Left firing arc, so he cross indexes on the Front Quarter row of the Deflection Chart. The result is a +1; so when the Attack Dice are rolled, the total is modified by +1 for To Hit purposes.
10.10 Auto Hits and Misses
Players may note that situations arise where a target becomes hit-proof against certain weapons, while others become so susceptible that it is rare that they are ever missed. To remedy this, players may institute the automatic hits and misses option.
When using the auto hits and misses rule, it will be important to differentiate the Base Attack Dice rolled from the Attack Die Bonus. There is little problem here when the ADB is of a different "size" than the Base Attack Dice, but when they are the same (e.g., 3D6), use different colors of dice, noting one as the ADB while the other two are the Base Attack Dice.
Automatic Hits
A target is automatically hit if the Base Attack Dice come up as doubles of their highest possible value (e.g., two sixes on 2D6, or two eights on 2D8). The Defensive Value of the target is ignored in the case of an automatic hit — it is damaged regardless.
Automatic Miss
A target is automatically missed if the Base Attack Dice come up as double 1s. The Defensive Value of the target is ignored in the case of an automatic miss — the target is not damaged regardless of the resulting Attack Dice total.
10.11 Range Increments
Players may find that the range increments provided for weapons on the Master Weapons Table do not sufficiently reflect the various effects of range on cannon fire. In this case, players should use the following optional range increments and To Hit modifiers.
10.12 Damage Control
This option allows very limited battlefield repairs to be made by a vessel's integral damage control system.
A starcraft may attempt damage control at the end of any game turn in which it neither fired/discharged any weapon nor was hit by enemy fire (whether any damage was scored or not), nor took damage from any other source.
The effect of damage control is to gain back one box marked off on the vessel's Damage Track. The box gained back by successful damage control must always be the one most recently marked off (i.e., the last marked off box on the Damage Track). If the box gained back by a successful damage control attempt contains a special damage symbol, the effect of that hit is negated (exception: a reduced Damage Reduction value can never be restored with damage control, though a marked off diamond can be reinstated as a blank hit box).
Damage control may only be used successfully once by each vessel per scenario. A starcraft may attempt damage control any number of times until it is used successfully, after which it may not be used again for that vessel.
To attempt damage control, a starcraft rolls 1D10. If the roll falls into that vessel's success spread, the attempt works, and the repair takes effect immediately. Consult the Damage Control Chart below.
Damage Control Chart
| Vessel Type | Damage Control Success Spread on 1D10 |
|---|---|
| Epping | 1-7 |
| Night Hawk | 1-3 |
| Pharsii II | 1-5 |
| Pit Viper | 1-2 |
| Revenge | 1-5 |
| Salamander | 1-6 |
| Seraph | 1-6 |
| Shryak Shuttle | 1-7 |
| Sorensen III | 1-3 |
| Spirit Rider | 1-3 |
| Teal Hawk | 1-3 |
| Thunder Bird | 1-3 |
Range Increments Chart
| Weapon Type | Point Blank (+2) | Short (+1) | Mid (0) | Long (-1) | Very Long (-2) | Extreme (-4) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pulse Laser | 1-2 | 3 | 4-8 | 9 | 10 | — |
| Meld Laser | 1 | 2-6 | 7-15 | 16-17 | 18-19 | 20 |
| Turbo Laser | 1 | 2-9 | 10-19 | 20-25 | 26-28 | 29-30 |
| Splattergun | 1 | 2 | 3-4 | 5-6 | 7-10 | — |
| Blatgun | 1 | 2-4 | 5-7 | 8-10 | 11-13 | 14-15 |
| Impulsegun | 1 | 2-3 | 4-6 | 7-8 | 9-10 | — |
11.0 Advanced Scenarios
The following are a selection of scenarios which may be played with the Starcraft Displays provided in this book. There are several set scenarios which detail unique situations and they are accompanied by special rules. The section ends with a general scenario design procedure for players who wish to make up their own scenarios.
Note that several of the advanced scenarios require the use of miniatures beyond those provided with the game. These are available as separate purchases from your local retailer, or direct from ICE. If the appropriate miniatures are not available, players can use the color starcraft counters provided with the game.
Map Setup
All scenarios use the following map configuration unless otherwise indicated by a specific scenario. Various Areas (defined by the fold lines in the maps) are identified by letters while the map Edges are numbered. These Areas and Edges will be referred to in the individual scenarios as necessary. If units are required to set up along an Edge, players should set up such units within 2 hexes of that edge.
Remember that 1/2 hexes are playable and are considered full hexes for all purposes. Hexes that fall into two adjacent map areas are considered part of both areas.
(Map diagram: a 3-column by 4-row grid of lettered Areas — A, D, H in the top row; B, E, I in the second row; C left-column bottom area; G, J in the lower rows — bounded by Edge 1 (left), Edge 2 (top), Edge 3 (right) and Edge 4 (bottom), with a compass rose in the lower right corner.)
11.1 Rescue
The recovery of pilots lost in a battle area is of primary concern to wing leaders who suffer from chronic replacement shortfalls and unit elan dilution. This scenario depicts one such recovery action by elements of the 3970th Millennia Warrior Hvy TMAC Rgt.
Early in the Imperial Year 475, the TMAC component of the Maniacs MW Division saw itself at odds with an unidentified Fighter Wing operating in the Backnet. As the campaign progressed, it was discovered that the 3970th's opponents were none other than members of the Void Stalker, an independent Imperial Fighter Wing that went renegade in 474.
During one pitched battle, Duce Squadron of the 3970th lost its Chief Executive Officer. It was determined that he successfully jettisoned from his damaged Seraph in the fighter's life pod. Both sides withdrew from the battle area, but Duce's Squadron Leader mounted an immediate rescue effort. The Void Stalker battle force detected the re-fielding of Maniac starcraft, and set about to re-engage their foes.
Forces
Elements of Duce Squadron, 3970th MW hvy TMAC Rgt: Set up first along Edge 1.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Seraph A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 9); Gunner (Gnr 9) |
| Seraph B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 5); Gunner (Gnr 5) |
| Pharsii II A | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 2); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 6) |
| Pharsii II B | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 1); Gunner A (Gnr 7); Gunner B (Gnr 3) |
Elements of the Void Stalker Fighter Wing: Set up second along Edge 3.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Night Hawk A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 6) |
| Night Hawk B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 5) |
| Night Hawk C | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 4) |
| Night Hawk D | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 3) |
| Teal Hawk A | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 2); Gunner (Gnr 10) |
| Teal Hawk B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 1); Gunner (Gnr 8) |
Special Rules
- The Duce Squadron player must place the Life Pod counter in Area H, I or J (however, not in an edge hex) before either side sets up. This Life Pod contains Duce Squadron's Chief Executive Officer and must be recovered by the 3970th's player (see the Victory Conditions below).
- To recover the Life Pod, the Duce Squadron player must move a Pharsii II into the pod's hex, stop, and remain there for one complete game turn. During this recovery turn, the Pharsii II is particularly vulnerable to attack: its Defensive Value is reduced to at least 5 for that game turn only. If the Pharsii survives the recovery turn, remove the Life Pod counter from the map and place it on the Pharsii's Starcraft Display. If this vessel is subsequently destroyed, the Life Pod is destroyed as well.
- The Void Stalker player may not attack the unrecovered Life Pod as a matter of honor, nor may any of the Void Stalker vessels occupy the Life Pod's hex at the end of any Movement Phase.
Victory Conditions
The Duce Squadron player must recover the Life Pod and exit it carrying Pharsii off of Edge 1 before the end of game turn 10. Any other result is a Void Stalker victory.
11.2 Into the Minefield
As the political tension over the Adanis system heated-up in Imp.475, so too did Colosian military operations against that system's Kubishev-Lloyd rulers. The Colos — Kubishev-Lloyd conflict has been a long-standing one, particularly where the Adanis system has been concerned. The Colosian leaders had deemed the time right to set about a military takeover.
Prepared for Colosian aggression, the Kubishev-Lloyd forces have layered defenses in depth. Key to their position is a string of communication satellites which act as an early warning system against attack. These comm sats have been ringed by minefields, and numerous fighter tenders make sure that constant patrols protect these valuable constructs.
This scenario depicts a House Colos action against one such K-L comm sat over the planet Adanis III. The forces involved come from the Dark Lathe Millennia Warrior Division (flying for the Colosians), and Kubishev-Lloyd garrison fighters.
Forces
Mixed Dark Lathe units, 4001st MW TMAC Rgt: Set up first along Edge 1.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Seraph A | Pilot (Plt 10, Gnr 7); Gunner (Gnr 9) |
| Seraph B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 7); Gunner (Gnr 5) |
| Salamander A | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 2); Gunner (Gnr 8) |
| Revenge A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 1); Gunner (Gnr 7) |
Two Flights of Kubishev-Lloyd Garrison Fighters: Set up second along Edge 3.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Thunder Bird A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 6) |
| Thunder Bird B | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 5) |
| Thunder Bird C | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 4) |
| Thunder Bird D | Pilot (Plt 3, Gnr 3) |
| Spirit Rider A | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 6) |
| Spirit Rider B | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 5) |
| Spirit Rider C | Pilot (Plt 2, Gnr 1) |
Special Rules
- The Kubishev-Lloyd player must place the Comm Sat counter in Area H, I or J before either side sets up. This Comm Sat may be attacked by the Dark Lathe player: it has a Defensive Value of 14 (despite the fact that it does not move) and can jam tracking torps as vessels do except that it may attempt jamming against all tracking torps and succeeds on a 1D4 roll of 1-3 per torp (due to superior electronic counter measures). The Comm Sat may not dodge torps which make it into its hex. In addition, the Comm Sat may only be engaged by cannon fire at a range of 15 hexes or less. The Com Sat can take 20 damage points before it is destroyed. Starcraft may not perform a turn nor end a Movement Phase in the Comm Sat's hex.
- A minefield exists through the two center map sections (Areas D, E, F and G). For every Movement Phase that a vessel or torp expends at least one movement point in this area, roll an attack against it after that vessel's or torp's move is completed. This is a normal 3D8 attack which scores "All" damage.
- The Dark Lathe player must also fire torps at an off-board target to fulfill the Victory Conditions (see below). To do so, the player merely states that he is launching during the Torp Launch Phase. No counters are placed on the board for this special launch — the expended ordnance is merely marked off of the firer's Starcraft Display.
Victory Conditions
The Dark Lathe player must meet all three of the following conditions by the end of the 10th game turn to win:
- Destroy the K-L Comm Sat.
- Launch no fewer than 8 Mk.50 torps (as per Special Rule 3) from Area I at the Kubishev-Lloyd fighter tender which is off of Edge 3.
- Exit the Revenge off of Edge 1.
If the Dark Lathe player fails to meet all of these three conditions in the time allotted, the Kubishev-Lloyd player wins.
11.3 Enemy in the Belt
In the Imperial Year 475, a vendetta campaign between the Darranian 74th Fighter Group (flying for House Jade-London) and the Idorian Irregular Fighter Group #12 started in earnest.
This scenario depicts a battle which took place in Merlin's Belt, an extensive asteroid band in the 1000 Pyxidis system.
Forces
Two Elements of Idorian Fighter Group #12: Set up first in Areas E and/or F.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Sorensen A | Pilot (Plt 10, Gnr 7); Gunner (Gnr 9) |
| Sorensen B | Pilot (Plt 8, Gnr 6); Gunner (Gnr 7) |
| Pharsii II A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 6); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 6) |
| Pharsii II B | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 5); Gunner A (Gnr 7); Gunner B (Gnr 5) |
Two Flights of the Darranian 74th Fighter Group: Set up second along Edges 1, 2, 3 and/or 4.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Pit Viper A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 8) |
| Pit Viper B | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 9) |
| Pit Viper C | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 5) |
| Pit Viper D | Pilot (Plt 3, Gnr 3) |
| Epping A | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 7); Gunner A (Gnr 9); Gunner B (Gnr 8); Gunner C (Gnr 7) |
| Epping B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 6); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 7); Gunner C (Gnr 6) |
| Epping C | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 5); Gunner A (Gnr 9); Gunner B (Gnr 8); Gunner C (Gnr 7) |
Special Rules
- Asteroids, as per Optional Rule 10.5, are in effect. They must be distributed across the map before either side sets up.
Victory Conditions
The first side to inflict at least 75 TPVs of casualties against his opponent wins. If neither side fulfills these victory conditions before the end of game turn 12, the scenario is a draw.
11.4 Technology Stakes
Many Provincial powers are notorious for buying-up surplus Imperial materiel and modifying it for their own purposes — installing new technology or broadening existing operating parameters.
In Imp.476, Greater House Thaan acquired two stolen Teal Hawk fighters from a band of Free Traders. Thaan's armaments experts then set about converting the TMAC Fighters into a new class of mine sweeping vessel. Utilizing new mine detection and detonation technology, these converted Teal Hawks represented a significant scientific advance in the military community.
Thanks to the same band of Free Traders who sold the Teal Hawks to Thaan, the Imperium caught wind of this important development. The Imperial Intelligence Directorate dispatched assets from the 2331st Millennia Warrior Med SMAC Rgt to capture one of the Thaan Teal Hawks while out on flight tests.
Forces
House Thaan Flight Test Group: Set up first in Areas E and/or F.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Teal Hawk A | Pilot (Plt 10, Gnr 5); Gunner (Gnr 1) |
| Teal Hawk B | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 4); Gunner (Gnr 1) |
| Sorensen A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 6); Gunner (Gnr 10) |
| Sorensen B | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 5); Gunner (Gnr 9) |
| Pit Viper A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 10) |
| Pit Viper B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 8) |
Elements of Axe and Caltrop Squadrons, 2331st MW SMAC Rgt: Set up second along Edges 1 and/or 2.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Night Hawk A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 7) |
| Night Hawk B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 3) |
| Spirit Rider A | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 9) |
| Spirit Rider B | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 8) |
| Spirit Rider C | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 7) |
| Spirit Rider D | Pilot (Plt 3, Gnr 6) |
Special Rules
- Due to their altered assignment, the Teal Hawk gunners may no longer fire the Blatgun weapon system — only the vessel's pilot may do that (note that this makes the gunners unnecessary in game terms).
- Due to their achievement of tactical surprise, the 2331st player automatically gains the initiative for the first 3 game turns without having to roll. Start rolling for initiative normally at the beginning of game turn 4.
Victory Conditions
The 2331st player must achieve each of the following conditions by the end of game turn 10 in order to win:
- Deliver at least one point of damage to each of the six House Thaan fighters.
- Permanently reduce the Drive number of one of the Teal Hawks to 3 or less without destroying it (this is to facilitate the Teal Hawk's capture).
- Have at least two undestroyed fighters (each with Drive values of 12 or more) left on the map.
The House Thaan player wins if the 2331st player fails to meet each of the above conditions by the end of game turn 10.
11.5 The Command Ship
Late in Imperial Year 475, the Benkan 2nd Confederate Heavy Fighter Wing (Grizzlies) began a pitched campaign against Greater House Devon interests in the Frontier. The 141st Devonian Combat Wing (Ultimate Valor) was diverted to this new threat.
Unbeknownst to the Benkan insurgents, the Devonians were experimenting with new fighter tactics which utilized converted shuttles as battlefield command ships.
This scenario depicts the first operational use of a Devonian tactical fighter command ship in battle.
Forces
Elements from Ultimate Valor with Command Ship: Set up first along Edge 1.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Shryak Shuttle A | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 5); Gunner (Gnr 5) |
| Pit Viper A | Pilot (Plt 9, Gnr 9) |
| Pit Viper B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 8) |
| Pit Viper C | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 7) |
| Epping A | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 6); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 8); Gunner C (Gnr 7) |
| Epping B | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 6); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 6); Gunner C (Gnr 6) |
Elements from the Grizzlies: Set up second along Edge 3.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Sorensen A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 5); Gunner (Gnr 6) |
| Sorensen B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 4); Gunner (Gnr 5) |
| Salamander A | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 6); Gunner (Gnr 9) |
| Salamander B | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 5); Gunner (Gnr 8) |
| Salamander C | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 2); Gunner (Gnr 7) |
Special Rules
- The Devonian Shryak Shuttle is a command ship. Its effect is to cause all initiative rolls for its side to be made as if performed with Plt 10 (ignore all Devonian pilot Plt values). However, for every 2 points of damage the Shryak Shuttle receives, this special initiative Plt value drops by 1 (to a minimum of 1).
- Due to strict tactical doctrine, the Devonian player must use the command ship's special initiative Plt value for the entire scenario, even if it drops below the value of other pilots' Plt skill numbers.
- An additional property of the Shryak Shuttle command ship is that it is able to electronically duplicate one copy of itself on the battlefield, thus confusing opponents as to its actual location. To reflect this property, use the following guidelines:
- Add another Shryak Shuttle to the Devonian forces but secretly record the I.D. of the real command ship — the other is a decoy duplicate. Reveal the I.D. of the real shuttle at the end of the game for verification purposes.
- The decoy may be moved by the Devonian player as desired, treating it as a normal vessel — but it may not fire any weapons, nor influence the initiative roll.
- The decoy is revealed as a fake (and thus removed from the map) if: it is damaged by any attack (use a normal shuttle's Defensive Value and Damage Reduction), or an enemy vessel ends any completed Movement Phase at 1 hex range from it, or the real shuttle fires any weapon system (which eliminates the duplicate as possibly being a real ship by default).
- The Benkan Salamanders are not rigged to launch torpedoes, so delete all torps from the Salamander displays.
Victory Conditions
The Grizzlies win immediately if they destroy the Shryak Shuttle command ship. Ultimate Valor wins immediately if they destroy Sorensen A. Otherwise, the first side to inflict at least 75 TPVs of casualties against his opponent wins.
If neither side fulfills these victory conditions before the end of game turn 15, the scenario is a draw. No points are awarded for eliminating the Devonian decoy Shryak Shuttle.
11.6 Screening Force
In late Imp.476, the Void Stalker rogue fighter wing was working its way into the heart of the Imperium — attacking poorly prepared targets almost at will. Their stiffest resistance to date was offered by the 9537th Planetary Defense Wing (Vagrants) over Delta Trianguli III.
In this particular action, Void Stalker forces are trying to make their way to the planet's surface for a raid on manufacturing installations. Vagrant forces and a few Laser Satellites are all that stand in their way.
Forces
Mixed Vagrant forces: Set up first, placing no more than 1 vessel per map section.
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Thunder Bird A | Pilot (Plt 8, Gnr 8) |
| Thunder Bird B | Pilot (Plt 6, Gnr 6) |
| Thunder Bird C | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 5) |
| Thunder Bird D | Pilot (Plt 5, Gnr 4) |
| Epping A | Pilot (Plt 4, Gnr 7); Gunner A (Gnr 6); Gunner B (Gnr 6); Gunner C (Gnr 5) |
| Epping B | Pilot (Plt 3, Gnr 3); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 6); Gunner C (Gnr 4) |
Two Void Stalker Elements: Set up second along Edge 1 (see special map set up below).
| Unit | Crew |
|---|---|
| Night Hawk A | Pilot (Plt 10, Gnr 9) |
| Night Hawk B | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 6) |
| Pharsii II A | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 9); Gunner A (Gnr 8); Gunner B (Gnr 6) |
| Pharsii II B | Pilot (Plt 7, Gnr 8); Gunner A (Gnr 7); Gunner B (Gnr 5) |
(Special map: a single long row of hexes stretching from Edge 1 to Edge 2, with a compass rose at the right end.)
Special Rules
- Do not use the standard map configuration for this scenario. Instead, use the map configuration indicated above. Because this creates a playing surface that is so long, players may want to use the floor to set up on, as few tables will accommodate it.
- The Vagrant player must place two Laser Sat counters anywhere on the playing surface before either side sets up. Each Laser Sat acts as an immobile Pulse Laser fire base which may attack any and all Void Stalker forces within range. Each Laser Sat fires at the beginning of every Cannon Fire Phase at every Void Stalker vessel currently within 10 hex range. Each attack uses 3D8 as its attack dice, does Low damage, and has Pulse Laser Range Increments. Each Laser Sat has a Defensive Value of 14 (despite the fact that they do not move) and can jam tracking torps as vessels do except that each may attempt jamming against all tracking torps and succeed on a 1D4 roll of 1-2 per torp (due to superior electronic counter measures). Laser Sats may not dodge torps which make it into their hexes. Laser Sats can only be engaged by enemy cannon fire at a range of 10 hexes or less. Each Laser Sat can take 10 damage points before being destroyed. Their attack capability is never reduced due to the acquisition of non-fatal damage. Starcraft may not perform a turn nor end a Movement Phase in a Laser Sat's hex.
Victory Conditions
The Void Stalker player must achieve each of the following conditions by the end of game turn 10 in order to win:
- Both Laser Sats must be destroyed.
- Two starcraft with a current Drive number of 10 or greater must be exited off of Edge 2.
If the Void Stalker player fails to fulfill both of these requirements, the Vagrants player wins.
11.7 Campaign Game
Once players have exhausted the set scenarios presented in Silent Death, they may wish to engage in a multi-scenario campaign where they select their own forces and provide their own reinforcements between battles.
The Campaign Game is played in a series of six scenarios — each of which is a slightly modified version of those Advanced Scenarios already found in this section. However, players will purchase their own forces which they must deploy and keep track of from scenario to scenario.
The Campaign Game is designed to involve two distinct "sides" which battle each other from one situation to the next. Though several players may be involved, all situations in the Campaign Game are phrased in terms of two sides.
Preparation
Before the campaign can begin, each side must buy its starting forces — its "squadron" of campaigning fighters. These purchases are made with an allotment of 300 points per side. With these 300 points, each side must buy its own stable of starcraft, pilots and gunners. Starcraft are purchased for their BPV value, while crewmembers are bought for their point costs as indicated in Section 1.3. Players are allowed to buy more or fewer pilots and gunners than needed by their initial vessel purchase. Players must spend all 300 points — they may not be saved for use later. Record all purchases on the Campaign Game Roster found below. Players should give their forces a unit name (like "The Destroyers", or "Reaper's Own", etc.), and design a simple insignia or badge which identifies the unit.
To add some flavor to the game, players may specify that starcraft purchases by each side must be restricted to models which are unavailable to the other side. In this case, each side should roll 1D10. The high roller selects one starcraft design that is only available for purchase by his side. Then, the low roller selects a different model which only his side may buy. Alternate back and forth until all the starcraft designs are sanctioned in this way. Proceed to select vessels from this restricted pool of starcraft types and enter the final purchases on the Campaign Game Roster. Later in the campaign when reinforcements are purchased, each side is still restricted to buying from their own restricted pool of vessel types.
The last step in preparing for the Campaign Game is to designate one side as "Side A", and the other as "Side B". It does not matter which is which, so one side should roll 1D6 — if the result is 1-3, that side is Side A; if 4-6, that side is Side B.
Campaign Game Roster (each side records: Unit Name, Insignia, and a table of Starcraft / Pilots / Gunners.)
Campaign Mechanics
Once each side has selected its starting forces and determined who is Side A and B, the first scenario of the Campaign Game may begin. Refer to the scenario descriptions below. Note that it is not necessary for each side to always field all of its forces for every scenario — participation is always optional for each unit.
In each scenario, players are likely to lose fighters and crewmembers to enemy fire. Once destroyed, a starcraft must be removed from that side's roster. Once killed, pilots or gunners must also be removed from the roster. These forces are no longer available for use in future scenarios of the campaign.
All non-destroyed starcraft left on the map at the end of a campaign scenario are recovered and available for use in the next scenario, as are forces which exited the playing surface at any time. Only 20 damage points may be repaired on each vessel in between each scenario. Damaged craft may be brought into a scenario only if a player desires.
In between each scenario of the campaign, both sides have the opportunity to buy reinforcements which are then added to their rosters. The conditions and point values follow:
- If a side has won the preceding scenario, it gains 75 points.
- If a side lost the preceding scenario, it gains 25 points.
- If the sides drew the preceding scenario, each gains 50 points.
Players may buy starcraft, pilots and/or gunners as desired. These forces are immediately available, and may be used in the next scenario of the campaign.
Reinforcement points need not be completely spent in between each scenario. Some or all may be saved for expenditure in a later post-scenario interval. Keep a side record of those reinforcement points acquired, spent, and saved.
Players are encouraged to use Optional Rule 10.1 Experience when playing the Campaign Game.
The Scenarios
The Campaign Game consists of six scenarios played back-to-back in the order given here. Before each scenario begins, players determine which of their roster's starcraft they will commit to the battle. These vessels are then manned by any of the pilots and gunners available on the roster (player's choice).
After each scenario, starcraft can be recovered, repairs can be made and new forces can be purchased as indicated above.
- Scenario 1: Rescue. As per the Rescue scenario in 11.1 above. Side A takes the role of the recovering player, Side B takes the role of the defending player. Side A must recover the Life Pod placed by Side B. Side B may not field more than 200 TPVs worth of forces. Any starcraft in Side A's force may pick up the pod.
- Scenario 2: Into the Minefield. As per the Into the Minefield scenario in 11.2 above. Side B takes the role of the attacker who must brave the minefield and destroy the Comm Sat placed by Side A. Side B need not perform the torp launch against the off-board target, nor exit any of his forces to win.
- Scenario 3: Enemy in the Belt. As per the Enemy in the Belt scenario in 11.3 above. Side A must set up in the asteroids, while Side B sets up along the board edge.
- Scenario 4: Technology Stakes. As per the Technology Stakes scenario in 11.4 above. Side B takes the role of the player testing out the new mine sweeping system: add one Teal Hawk to his on-board forces for this scenario only. The Teal Hawk's pilot has Plt 1 and Gnr 1. Side A's victory conditions are amended as follows: i) he must deliver a damage point to each of Side B's fielded starcraft, ii) he must reduce the special Teal Hawk's Drive number to 3 or less without destroying the vessel, and iii) he must have two undestroyed fighters (each with Drive values of 12 or more) left on the map at the end of the game.
- Scenario 5: The Command Ship. As per The Command Ship scenario in 11.5 above. Side A gets the Shryak Shuttle command ship, which is added to its on-board forces for this scenario only. The shuttle's pilot has Plt 1 and Gnr 1 (may not fire missile launcher), while the gunner has Gnr 1. The victory conditions are amended as follows. Side B wins immediately if it destroys the Shryak Shuttle command ship. Side A wins immediately if it destroys the vessel containing Side B's most valuable (in terms of points) pilot. If more than one of Side B's pilots is the most valuable (equal point value), Side A wins if any such vessel is destroyed. Otherwise, the first side to inflict at least 75 TPVs of casualties against his opponent wins. If neither side fulfills these victory conditions before the end of the game, the scenario is a draw. No points are awarded for eliminating the decoy Shryak Shuttle.
- Scenario 6: Screening Force. As per the Screening Force scenario in 11.6 above. Side B takes on the role of the attacker trying to destroy Laser Sats and exit fighters off the opposite end of the map. Side A must place two Laser Sats anywhere on the playing surface, and must distribute his Starcraft among the six map sections placing no more than one vessel per section. If Side A fields more than six craft, no more than two vessels may be placed in each map section (maximum of 12 for the scenario).
Campaign Game Victory
The winner of the Campaign Game is the side which has won the most scenarios. If both sides have won the same number of scenarios, then players should total up the value of all of their forces which remain on their rosters after the last scenario is played. The side with the highest roster point value is the winner of the Campaign Game.
11.8 General Engagement Scenario Design Procedure
When players are designing their own engagement scenarios, they should use the following procedure.
- Select a build point level of 50, 100, 150, 200 or 300 points to be used by each side in the scenario. The higher the build point total, the larger and more involved the game will become.
- Each player should select vessels and all necessary crewmembers. The cumulative Total Point Value (TPV) of all vessels purchased may not exceed the side's available build points.
- Assemble all the starcraft displays necessary for each side's forces.
- Set up each side's forces, one in area A, the other in area J. Use a pre-game initiative roll to determine who's side must set up first. Then begin the 1st game turn.
- Play 10 turns.
- At the end of 10 turns, each side should count up the Total Point Values of all opposing craft that they have destroyed. The side with the highest total wins.
12.0 Starcraft Inventory & Nomenclature
These sample starcraft have been arranged in order of increasing tonnage.
Vott-Messerschmitt VMe.310g "Pit Viper"
Crew: 1 Mass: 90 tons Armor: Crysteel w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.185 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 1 x Mk.8 Pulse Laser Cannon
Commentary: An indigenous House Devon design, the Pit Viper has proven to be a popular point defense fighter within its home province, and those to which it has been exported. Pilots like its acceleration, while procurement officers like the low price tag. There are no foreign licensing agreements to build the Pit Viper at this time, and few have fallen into the hands of non-Imperial organizations.
Gilliam Y700 "Spirit Rider"
Crew: 1 Mass: 125 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.147 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: None Armaments: 2 x Mk.10 Splattergun Blast Cannons; 2 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: This is a strong entry into the SMAC Fighter market from Lesser House Gilliam — a noted weapon systems producer. Their aggressive "products placement" program has insured that the Spirit Rider will see extensive, long-term service with Minor Clan and Provincial planetary defense forces alike, as well as with insurgent SMAC Fighter strike wings.
Imperial Transtar 1020 series H "Thunder Bird"
Crew: 1 Mass: 200 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.155 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 4 x Mk.10 Pulse Laser Cannons; 1 x Mk.20 Explosive Torpedo; 4 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: The Thunder Bird is an aging Imperial SMAC Fighter which is now seeing wide surplus sales dispersal throughout colonized space. Though an adequate design, this vessel has been bolstered in recent years by the introduction of an increased torp load. The Thunder Bird's common availability to paramilitary and black market organizations has brought about some curious encounters: clashing forces, both of which are armed with at least a few of these venerable craft.
Aerex SA4000(mod) "Shryak Shuttle"
Crew: 2 Mass: 275 tons Armor: Crysteel w/Ordium II belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.081 km/s/s Translight Capability: 13 LY/day Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 4 x Mk.10 Pulse Laser Cannons; 1 x Missile Launcher (Mag 8)
Commentary: This smuggler's craft is a modified version of a stock Inner Provincial hypershuttle. Since it is most often used by blockade runners operating in garrisoned areas, it has been combat-tested time and again. The Shryak Shuttle is capable of holding its own against smaller military craft for short periods of time, but requires escorts on missions where the risk of Imperial entanglements is high.
Imperial Transtar 1220 series A "Night Hawk"
Crew: 1 Mass: 300 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.150 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 6 x Mk.10 Splattergun Blast Cannons; 1 x Mk.20 Meld Laser Cannon
Commentary: Transtar's Night Hawk is the attrition fighter of choice among officials of the Emperor's Deep Space Fleet. Despite its lack of warhead armaments, the Night Hawk's Meld Laser is well equipped to engage escort class vessels, while its array of Splatterguns makes short work of enemy SMAC Fighters at short range. Because it is a Transtar product, affiliated provincial manufacturers have caused the Night Hawk to make its way into the fleets of many colonial powers. A strong and persevering craft.
Imperial Transtar 1320 series F "Teal Hawk"
Crew: 2 Mass: 300 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.177 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 2 x Mk.15 Blatgun Blast Cannons; 1 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedo
Commentary: Another production model of Transtar's successful "Hawk" line of fighters, the Teal Hawk has not proven to be as popular as its predecessors. Its main weapon system is not well suited to SMAC Fighter dogfights, while the second crewmember is largely extraneous. Provincial Transtar affiliates have not begun mass-producing this design, and will be unlikely to do so. Foreign trade in the Teal Hawk is practically non-existent.
Vanguard XFiii "Salamander"
Crew: 2 Mass: 400 tons Armor: Crystanium alloy w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.159 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 1 x Mk.10 Impulsegun Ion Cannon; 1 x Mk.10 Pulse Laser Cannon; 2 x Mk.10 Splattergun Blast Cannons; 1 x Mk.20 Explosive Torpedo; 4 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: This TMAC Fighter is a well rounded combatant, well liked by its pilots and weapons officers. Of Outer Provincial design and production, the Salamander forms the backbone of many heavy fighter squadrons based on the frontier. The Imperium has made repeated attempts to acquire enough of these craft to outfit several squadrons, but the provincial producers have been reluctant to deliver on outstanding contracts.
Caladyne Industries FUUG-1 (export) "Revenge"
Crew: 2 Mass: 770 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.126 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 3 x Missile Launchers (Mag 5 each); 10 x Mk.50 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: The Revenge is a TMAC Fighter converted from an Imperial stealth ship, and offered for export to a number of Inner Provincial Great Houses. This TMAC is something of an enigma: marketed as strike vessel, it does carry an impressive torpedo load, but its staying power is severely restricted by the light missile capacity. The Revenge is rarely seen operating without other fighters, and it is best used with these escorts.
Transprovincial S1436 "Sorensen III"
Crew: 2 Mass: 600 tons Armor: Crysteel w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.135 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 2 x Mk.15 Blatgun Blast Cannons; 1 x Mk.10 Pulse Laser Cannon; 4 x Mk.20 Explosive Torpedoes; 3 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: The Sorensen III is a full combat version of a design originally intended for customs and patrol duty. As a stop-gap conversion distributed widely through arms dealer networks, it is not a particularly outstanding design. It fails in the close combat role, and is only useful as a stand-off warhead delivery system. Despite these shortcomings, the Sorensen III has seen duty with insurgent groups throughout the Empire and frontier.
Augustus Naval 317dire "Seraph"
Crew: 2 Mass: 800 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.151 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 1 x Mk.30 Turbo Laser Cannon; 6 x Mk.10 Pulse Laser Cannons; 1 x Missile Launcher (Mag 20); 1 x Mk.50 Explosive Torpedo; 4 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: This TMAC Fighter is a truly impressive combat machine. With a well-rounded array of armaments, it only suffers from the lack of another crewmember. The Seraph is a product of House Augustus-Hayes; not well known for its arms industry. This fighter has garnered enough interest however, that it has been acquired by the Imperium and is now enjoying limited usage in heavy fighter squadrons. A number of Seraphs have found their way into arms dealer caches, and subsequently into non-Imperial military fighter wings.
Hvy Metals PWHa2 "Pharsii II"
Crew: 3 Mass: 900 tons Armor: Crystanium w/belt Maneuver Thrust: 0.141 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 1 x Mk.30 Turbo Laser Cannon; 8 x Mk.10 Splattergun Blast Cannons; 1 x Missile Launcher (Mag 20); 1 x Mk.20 Explosive Torpedo; 2 x Mk.10 Explosive Torpedoes
Commentary: A tour de force production by an up-and-coming armaments manufacturer, the Pharsii II is a truly powerful design. Based upon an earlier, undergunned version, this craft has an increased weapons load at the cost of its predecessor's larger crew complement, electronics array, and engines. The trade-off has been worth while however, as the Pharsii II has now seen distribution to a number of Outer Provincial Great Houses. The Imperium has also outfitted a few heavy fighter wings with the Pharsii II.
Arc Gotha MMAC•17b "Epping"
Crew: 4 Mass: 1000 tons Armor: Crysteel Maneuver Thrust: 0.109 km/s/s Translight Capability: None Atmospheric Capability: Full Armaments: 1 x Mk.20 Meld Laser Cannon; 3 x Mk.10 Pulse Laser Cannons; 3 x Missile Launchers (Mag 20 each)
Commentary: A curious MMAC Gunboat design from Arc Gotha of House Devon; the Epping is considered by most to be too cumbersome a vessel for its class of competition. At a thousand tons, its a big target for other fighters, while its laser defenses seem underpowered. The missile launchers are formidable — but like most missile systems, the ammunition limit is a restricting factor to sustained operations. The Epping is used by several Imperial and Inner Provincial forces, and is only slowly finding its way into the service of the Empire's more "irregular" combat formations.
13.0 A Selection of Fighter Combat Organizations
This section details nine different fighter combat organizations. All are generally of Wing or Regiment strength, which is the standard operational force used throughout Imperial space at this time.
The normal, full strength hierarchy of fighter organizations are displayed below:
- Single: an individual fighter or small gunboat.
- Element: 2 Single combat craft.
- Flight: 2-4 Elements. Total of 4-8 vessels.
- Squadron: 2-4 Flights. Total of 8-32 vessels.
- Wing/Regiment: 2-4 Squadrons. Total of 16-128 vessels.
- Starfighter Force: 2-10+ Wings/Regiments. Total of 32-1280+ vessels.
As can be seen from the modest selection of organizations below, there are many antagonists in the Silent Death universe — some relatively untested in battle, while others are elite and have extensive combat experience. Of these more experienced units, the Millennia Warrior units are the most feared.
Millennia Warriors are the Empire's professional soldiers. Formed into specialized combat units (which can include ground and naval components), their tour of duty lasts a thousand years. Kept cryogenically suspended until their activation is necessary, Millennia Warriors are highly trained, ferocious, and have a single-minded dedication to service. As organic wholes, Millennia Warrior units are often sold or bartered from one political super-power to another, and over the term of their operational career they may fight under several banners.
The following sample unit configurations are current for the 1st of the year 475 — Imperial Reckoning (Imp.).
13.1 Imperial Organizations
2331st Millennia Warrior Med. SMAC Regiment
SMAC Fighter component of the "Frothing Berserkers" Commanding Officer: Bromwell "Old Man" Chu-Li
The 2331st was commissioned and adjunctioned to the Frothing Berserkers Millennia Warrior unit in the year Imp.220. Since that time it has seen extensive action in the employ of the Emperor, performing anti-insurgency operations within a handful of Imperial Quadrants. The unit was almost completely wiped out during the Hydraxi Replicant Rebellion campaign of Imp.471-472, but has since been reformed. Its most recent asset refit has yet to be completed, as attested to by the lingering Imperial Transtar Thunder Birds, and ad hoc Spirit Rider squadron.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Axe Squadron — Squadron Leader: Kieth "Berserker" Giffen (Plt 7, Gnr 7). Assets: 12 x Night Hawk
Butcher Squadron — Squadron Leader: Black James (Plt 6, Gnr 7). Assets: 2 x Night Hawk, 10 x Thunder Bird
Caltrop Squadron — Squadron Leader: Caruso "The Spirit" Brennan (Plt 9, Gnr 8). Assets: 8 x Spirit Rider
3970th Millennia Warrior Hvy. TMAC Regiment
TMAC Fighter component of the "Blood Sucking Maniacs" Commanding Officer: Tiu Kim Ng
This TMAC component of the "Maniacs" has distinguished itself over its 400 year history. Fiercely loyal to the Emperor, all "Maniacs" are well known for their aversion to fighting for provincial powers. They are currently active in Frontier Zone 5, imposing the Emperor's will on a number of worlds where upstart political entities threaten proper Imperial rule.
The 3970th is currently experimenting with mixed 2- and 3-man fighter squadron tactics.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Ace Squadron — Squadron Leader: Lorren Ogg (Plt 8, Gnr 8). Assets: 12 x Seraph, 4 x Pharsii II
Duce Squadron — Squadron Leader: Tyrone Kam Li (Plt 9, Gnr 7). Assets: 10 x Seraph, 2 x Pharsii II
Spade Squadron — Squadron Leader: Clem H. Leiendrecker (Plt 6, Gnr 10). Assets: 10 x Seraph, 2 x Pharsii II
9537th Planetary Defense Wing
Dubbed "Vagrants" Commanding Officer: Kristopher Zyderveld
The Vagrants are provided as an example of a typical planetary Defense Wing garrison. Some planets of the Imperial core systems support one or more Starfighter Forces composed of several Wings, but most worlds sport only one or two for anti-piracy and patrol operations.
Zyderveld's 9537th is composed of a mix of new and old craft, and is plagued by a chronic shortage of parts. Therefore, any given vessel has a 15% chance of being down for maintenance at any point in time.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Archland Squadron — Squadron Leader: Nick Hansen (Plt 8, Gnr 7). Assets: 8 x Thunder Bird
Isle of Bellio-Sarn Squadron — Squadron Leader: Gaff Fuentes (Plt 8, Gnr 8). Assets: 8 x Thunder Bird
Helleslant Squadron — Squadron Leader: Charles Butara Neygon (Plt 7, Gnr 7). Assets: 8 x Teal Hawk
Karlmont Straits Squadron — Squadron Leader: Luke Guen (Plt 6, Gnr 7). Assets: 8 x Epping
13.2 Provincial Organizations
4001st Millennia Warrior TMAC Regiment
Heavy Fighter component of the "Dark Lathe" Commanding Officer: Wermann G. Hostetter
Dark Lathe is a Millennia Warrior unit with a stormy and conflict-ridden past. Incepted nearly three centuries ago, the unit has been sold, bartered and exchanged between a number of Inner Provincial powers over the intervening years. Reformed no fewer than four times due to excessive combat losses, Dark Lathe perseveres, and is currently operating under the House Colos banner.
Dark Lathe's TMAC Wing has been split off from the main body of its Millennia Warrior progenitor for a number of independent operations over the past two years. This is not an unusual practice, and in this case has paid a valuable dividend. The four Salamanders of Tiger squadron were acquired (along with substantial maintenance gear) from the stores of a captured mercenary unit which Hostetter's TMAC Regiment had campaigned against for some time.
The 4001st has recently been reattached to its parent organization, and is being refitted for upcoming operations against House Kubishev-Lloyd over the contested Adanis system.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Tiger Squadron (A) — Squadron Leader: Rutledge Vining Roszak (Plt 10, Gnr 7). Assets: 12 x Seraph, 4 x Salamander
Leopard Squadron (B) — Squadron Leader: H. Nero Gerachis (Plt 8, Gnr 7). Assets: 10 x Revenge
141st Devonian Combat Wing
Dubbed "Ultimate Valor" Commanding Officer: Conner T. Saxon
Ultimate Valor normally operates from the Carrier "Hexter", attached to the Devonian Cutlass Starmada. Recently, however, the 141st under Saxon was transferred to the Kepler system where they have since been engaged in sustained combat operations for over two months. Kepler II, a planet known as Tjokjad, is home to an indigenous population of hostile religious fundamentalists factions — many of which want to bring about a planet-wide secession from the Devonian fold. Fighter operations against the planet's rebels were unavoidable.
The conflict has taken its toll, and the 141st has been relieved of duty on that front. Though the wing's members thought they would be returning to the Hexter for a refit, other crises have sprung up, and Saxon's under-strength unit has been diverted to another hot spot.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Flag Fighter Squadron — Squadron Leader: Sorrel Graves-Hatch (Plt 9, Gnr 9). Assets: 5 x Pit Viper
Pitch Fighter Squadron — Squadron Leader: Karicofe Erkel (Plt 5, Gnr 3). Assets: 2 x Thunder Bird, 2 x Spirit Rider
Meridian Fighter Squadron — Squadron Leader: Alexis Rhoades (Plt 8, Gnr 10). Assets: 3 x Pit Viper
Fullback Support Squadron — Squadron Leader: Vessa I. Tremblay (Plt 5, Gnr 6). Assets: 3 x Epping
Darranian 74th Fighter Group
Dubbed "Viscount's Own"; and more recently "The Defiers" Commanding Officer: Verbum Childs Repak
Royal House Darran, torn apart by internal revolt, is on the verge of total collapse and takeover by the Imperium. With the ultimate fate of the Darranian province no longer in question, certain individualistic military leaders have taken the initiative to save their units and flee to neighboring allies. Such is the case for the 74th Fighter Group. Childs Repak has sought asylum for his men with House Jade-London, who have accepted the Wing-strength starfighter unit.
House Jade-London is occasionally harassed by Idorian raiders operating from the Frontier. Recent raids have escalated in intensity, and Jade-London's more remote mining interests have come into jeopardy. Repak's unit has gained the respect of its Jade-London piers; full integration into the province's Star Fleet cannot be far off.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Angler Squadron — Squadron Leader: Dayton Emmaus (Plt 7, Gnr 8). Assets: 12 x Pit Viper
Bow Squadron — Squadron Leader: Mira K. Porterfield (Plt 7, Gnr 7). Assets: 9 x Pit Viper
Cordon Squadron — Squadron Leader: Jo Takai (Plt 9, Gnr 2). Assets: 10 x Salamander
Dagger Squadron — Squadron Leader: Grail Symanski (Plt 6, Gnr 7). Assets: 6 x Epping
13.3 Insurgent Organizations
76th Imperial Independent Fighter Wing
Dubbed "Void Stalker" Commanding Officer: Valmar Pfaltzgraf
The Void Stalkers are a proud band of warriors, well trained in free-wheeling fighter tactics. Their skills have been honed on many occasions since their unit's creation in Imp.467, and they served the Emperor with unquestioning loyalty up until a few months ago. Having been given orders to link-up with the Millennia Warrior unit "Avalanche" (whom they despise), and proceed to undertake genocidal operations against a defenseless Minor Clan on the Frontier, Valmar Pfaltzgraf has mutinied.
Together with his subordinate officers, Pfaltzgraf seized control of his unit's small carrier vessel, engaged its translight drives and left the Imperium far behind. Since that time, Pfaltzgraf has miraculously made contact with Renegade House Tarquinis hiding deep within the Frontier, and has offered his unit's services. There is little doubt that the 76th Imperial Independent Fighter Wing will soon be making its presence felt in the Imperium once more — but this time fighting against the Emperor, not for him.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Cyan Squadron — Squadron Leader: Stefan Ludena (Plt 10, Gnr 9). Assets: 10 x Night Hawk
Brick Squadron — Squadron Leader: Jet Herakovich (Plt 8, Gnr 7). Assets: 8 x Teal Hawk
Gold Squadron — Squadron Leader: Junius Flachmeyer (Plt 7, Gnr 10). Assets: 12 x Pharsii II
Benkan 2nd Confederate Heavy Fighter Wing
Dubbed "Grizzlies" Commanding Officer: Geoffrey York
Minor Clan Benka, based on Greamann's Planet in Devon Province, has been planning the overthrow of Devonian rule for some years. To this end they have mustered a considerable cache of military hardware, and have begun forming combat units to strike out against their colonial rulers.
The Grizzlies were formed a year ago, and have since been sent out of the province to operate against Devonian interests on the Frontier. Their battle experience is negligible, and only time will tell if their efforts will contribute to the Minor Clan confederation movement Benkan political leaders desire.
The Salamanders of the third squadron are not rigged to launch torpedoes (reduce BPV to 26 Points).
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
Tundra Squadron — Squadron Leader: Ev Luhowy (Plt 7, Gnr 5). Assets: 12 x Sorensen III
Taiga Squadron — Squadron Leader: Shrem Heindl (Plt 6, Gnr 7). Assets: 6 x Sorensen III, 6 x Epping
Shield Squadron — Squadron Leader: Ullek Semerov (Plt 5, Gnr 6). Assets: 8 x Salamander
Idorian Irregular Fighter Group #12
Dubbed "Raiders From Tai'logu" Commanding Officer: Code Name "Jarimhia"
The Idorians are a hateful Frontier race who antagonizing patrons of the Empire at every opportunity. The designation of this particular Fighter Group as "irregular" is no indication of lack of organization, but rather the severe flux of squadron composition and availability which seems to be the hallmark of all Idorian raiding parties which plague the Inner and Outer Provinces. Group #12 has been identified as one which often operates against House Jade-London and House Kubishev-Lloyd interests.
Group #12 is unusual in that instead of using standard Idorian hardware, all of the Wing's vessels are captured stock.
Squadron Summary — As of Imp.475:001
1st Squadron — Squadron Leader: Code Name "Nhirmal" (Plt 10, Gnr 10). Assets: 8 x Thunder Bird, 6 x Spirit Rider
2nd Squadron — Squadron Leader: Code Name "Meihua" (Plt 10, Gnr 9). Assets: 12 x Sorensen III, 2 x Shryak Shuttle
3rd Squadron — Squadron Leader: Code Name "Asufhet" (Plt 10, Gnr 9). Assets: 4 x Seraph, 4 x Pharsii II
14.0 The Silent Death Universe
At the center of colonized space rests Old Earth and the heart of the Imperial infrastructure. From here, over 9000 years into our future, the Emperor rules mankind and his celestial brethren with a kind and beneficent hand — or so he would like them to think. The realities of a cruel and brutal universe overshadow the facade Imperial propagandists would have their subjects believe. Corruption is widespread. Discontent is rampant. And civil unrest brings torrents of destruction from space above.
There are many factions in the disputes and conflicts which plague the despotic Terran Empire, along with its Provincial holdings. There are determined rebels, crazed fundamentalists, ill-trained frontier garrisons, and proud provincial defense forces. All battle amongst themselves over land titles, social repression, honor, and a hundred other reasons. The Emperor lets these wounds fester unchecked — as long as the foundations of his own power remain intact, he would prefer that his subjects fight themselves than turn their aggression on him.
The hierarchy of the Empire's sociopolitical structure, from top to bottom, is as follows:
- Imperial Dynasty Throne: From the Emperor, through his own will or the actions of his administrative bodies, all Imperial Space is ruled. The seat of the Emperor's domain is found on Old Earth.
- Imperial Core Systems: These worlds form the inner sanctum of the realm, wherein are concentrated the salient technologies, arts, and resources which define the state of man.
- Imperium: This is the body of star systems ruled by Minor Clans or Planetary Governors who answer directly to the Imperial Dynasty Throne through the Imperial Planets Ministry.
- Inner Provinces: These are groups of star systems ruled by Great Houses, independent Royal Families who govern with their own, nationalistic laws, but uphold their pledge of allegiance to the Emperor.
- Outer (Frontier) Provinces: Single systems or small groups of worlds ruled by newly risen Great Houses or Minor Clans far beyond the Imperial Core Systems. These are backwater areas where the Emperor's will is still felt, but the grasp is tenuous.
- Frontier: This is the vast body of star systems which exists on the fringe of civilized space. Sparsely settled and barely explored, it is from this area that future provinces will be carved.
- Backnet: The far reaches of the Frontier which stretch deep into the unexplored reaches of the Orion Spur and beyond. It is here that most believe the Renegade Houses dwell — organizations who have fallen out of the Imperial fold and await their day of reckoning. Alien threats also lurk within the depths of the Backnet.
Many factions and entities, from mercenary bands to transprovincial megacorporations, form fighter combat units. Their numbers are legion, though their exploits are often ignoble or wasted efforts. The Empire's Millennia Warrior units are the most persevering, and their deeds are heralded as glorious victories for the Emperor — though they are often dispassionate, overbearing foes.
Designer's Notes
Silent Death — Metal Express came about through an unlikely, and remarkable set of circumstances. Two years ago, I finished the design of Space Master: Star Strike, an involved simulation of space combat which handled everything from fighter sweeps to cruiser actions. Sales were steady, and the decision was made to support the game with a line of 1/750th scale metal miniatures.
Plans were laid for releases in the line every other month, and I looked forward to these for some time. But as is often the case when you try to do something new (we had never released miniature support before), things go awry, and delay after delay almost put an end to the project. Six miniatures were finally produced, but their release was again delayed. Molding and casting problems brought us lumpy and rather disappointing figures.
These wound up never seeing widespread distribution, and we decided to go with the production of a few more promising masters (the original models from our sculptor). The miniatures from this new batch were better, and the Star Strike miniature line was rereleased through our distributors.
Never satisfied, I wanted to see the miniatures supported by a simplified star fighter game system. Here was the first idea: produce a simple two-page rules set which would then be stuffed into each miniature's blister pack. This idea was upgraded during a products meeting to a 32 page stand-alone miniatures rulebook/ship display pack. When we realized that the market for such a product would be restrictively small, the project began growing and growing until we had finally decided on a boxed game with the miniatures already included.
This was certainly a viable and marketable idea. Several companies in the industry had already met with success by selling elaborately presented games having relatively simple mechanics, and none had yet put out a proper combat game in this format. The stage was set.
The Game
Silent Death is an attempt to produce a fun and fast-moving game that is simple to learn. The mix of design trade-offs (detail for playability) in the Standard Game feels about right, but since you can't satisfy all of the people all of the time, we piled in a bunch of optional rules so players can find their own optimum mix; either simpler or more complex.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of Silent Death is the Attack Dice system. This grew out of ideas Coleman came up with for his Blade Storm fantasy miniatures skirmish game. Neither of us ever liked having to make multiple rolls for hitting a target, damaging a target, target saving throws and so on. Too many dice rolls bogged down a game. Reading the To Hit dice in different ways to determine the amount of damage done was an elegant solution: now another die is rolled only in the event of a critical hit.
The availability of differing "sizes" of dice solved certain design problems. By always rolling the same number of dice, how do you differentiate between variable hit probabilities without dealing with piles of die roll modifiers? Roll various "sizes", of course. For instance, Lasers are considered to be more accurate than Blasters, so the Base Attack Dice of Lasers are D8s while Blasters get D6s. Given the same target, Lasers will — on the average — hit more often. Factoring in gunnery skill was easy. Poor gunners only add a D4 to their Attack Dice mix, while hot shots get a D10. Again, on average, the best guys will be hitting more often.
Damage delivered — assuming a hit — depends on how you read the dice. For instance, Lasers may hit well, but they don't deliver a lot of damage compared to other weapons of the same class, as can be gleaned from the Master Weapons Table. But lucky strikes are not to be discounted. Doubling or tripling up on a crucial die result can have devastating effects on any opponent. An average gunner on a single Splattergun has the potential to deliver 18 points of damage on a roll of three sixes: pretty hefty.
Defensive Values represent the ease or difficulty of hitting a target. Factors such as target size, evasive maneuvering capabilities, electronic countermeasures, and hull type all contribute to each vessel's Defensive Value. The Damage Reduction number, on the other hand, represents the presence of various levels of armor plating. The thicker, or more protective the armor, the higher the Damage Reduction.
The Damage Track, which started out as a simple array of hit boxes, became the perfect medium for showing incremental damage effects to each starcraft. Now, by marking off hits, there is a mechanism to indicate how the ship's drive performance is being impeded, how armor is being stripped away, when weapons are lost, and critical damage accrues. Customizing each vessel added a uniqueness to the game that would have been lost with generic rules for damage and critical effects.
All of the "numbers" for the ships were extrapolated from their statistics in Star Strike. Since each vessel was taken, or modified, from its Star Strike incarnation, this whole process was rather smooth though some alterations were made for the sake of making a more interesting game. Star Strike already had a detailed, coherent construction system, and several vessel designs had appeared in a number of support products. The miniatures were designed from drawings of these existing ships, so a lot of the ground work had already been completed before the Silent Death project even got underway.
The scale of Star Strike, and therefore, by extension, Silent Death, uses a standard of 1 km per hex and 10 second turns. I've only allowed one vessel per hex as an accommodation for the miniatures.
For those of you familiar with the Space Master role playing universe, the background for Silent Death should seem very familiar — they're one and the same. Space Master role players should feel free to use Silent Death to resolve their space combats, if it seems appropriate enough. Just divide a character's appropriate Space Master skill bonus by 10, then subtract 1 to get the Plt or Gnr values for Silent Death.
Special thanks have to be given to the playtesters, whose comments were invaluable in bringing the game to its present form. Credit for getting me to include "Your First Game" goes to Coleman, who brow-beat me into cowed submission concerning the necessity for this aspect of the game.
Given the open-ended nature of the subject matter, Silent Death is a good candidate for expansion, depending upon its popularity. New miniatures will definitely generate new Starcraft Displays, but time will tell. Enjoy.
— Kevin — Spring 1990