Star Fighters: Rapid Fire Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Setup
• About your dice and ship board
• How to play
  • 1. Roll dice
  • 2. Activate systems
  • 3. Move torpedoes
• Systems
  • Phasers
  • Torpedoes
  • Shields
  • Drives
    • The anomalies
• Taking damage
• Other ways to play
  • 3-player game
  • 4-player game: 2 vs 2
• Unique ships
  • Ship B1: Cruiser
  • Ship B2: Frigate
  • Ship B3: Fighter
  • Ship B4: Gunship

Components

• 1 board
• 1 button
• 4 ship boards (double-sided)
• 4 ships
• 36 dice (4 yellow, 16 red, 16 blue)
• 8 torpedoes
• 42 shield markers
• 12 reactor markers
• 20 hull markers

Setup

1. Place the board and button between the players.
2. Give each player 1 player board, 1 matching ship and 2 matching torpedoes.
   • Place your board in front of you with the 'A' side face up.
   • Place your ship on the board in the hex shown on the setup diagram, heading in the indicated direction.
   • Place your torpedoes beside your board.
3. Give each player 1 yellow, 4 red and 4 blue dice.

Put all the markers in a common supply. Each player completes the setup of their player board as follows:

• Place 1 shield marker on each of the shield spaces around the image of your ship in the middle of your ship board. On the 'A' side of the ship boards, you will need 11 markers to fill the shields.
• Place 1 reactor marker on each of the lower 3 dice spaces in the Shields system on your player board.
• Place 1 hull marker on each of the 5 spaces along the bottom edge of your player board.

About your dice and ship board

The dice icons represent your ability to control your ship. Before you play, familiarise yourself with the icons on the different colours of dice. The three icon types are Command, Security and Engineering.

Your ship board represents the different systems on your ship. You will need to place dice showing the correct icons into the systems to be able to use them:

• Cockpit: You need to place dice here to be able to activate individual systems.
• Phasers: Activate this system to attack your opponent's ship or torpedoes.
• Shields: Your shields start the game fully charged. Activate this system to repair damaged shields.
• Drives: Activate this system to move your ship forward or rotate to a new heading.
• Torpedoes: Activate this system to launch a torpedo that will automatically target your opponent's ship.

The shield display in the middle of your board represents the strength of your ship's four shields: forward, rear, left and right. The hull track along the bottom of the board represents the integrity of your ship's hull. Your ship is destroyed if you lose your 5th hull marker.

How to play

The game is played over a number of rounds. Each round has three phases:

1. Roll dice
2. Activate systems
3. Move torpedoes

The game ends immediately when one ship loses its 5th hull marker and is destroyed. The player piloting the surviving ship is the winner.

1. Roll dice

Both players take all the dice beside their board in hand. When ready, both players say "3, 2, 1, Engage!" and simultaneously roll their dice.

You can reroll as many times as you like. After each roll, you may allocate any number of dice to your ship board, and then reroll all remaining dice. You cannot move a die after you've allocated it, but you may pick it up and reroll it.

• Security icons can be placed on red Security spaces.
• Engineering icons can be placed on blue Engineering spaces.
• Command icons can be placed as follows:
  • Red Command icons can be placed in the Cockpit or on any red Security space.
  • Blue Command icons can be placed in the Cockpit or on any blue Engineering space.
  • Yellow Command icons can be placed anywhere, either in the Cockpit or on any red Security space or blue Engineering space.

Either player can end this phase by slapping the button tile and shouting "Fire!". Once the button has been hit, neither player can place any more dice.

You must not hit the button unless you can activate at least one system on your ship board! If you do, you must remove one die from your Cockpit, or, if this is not possible, all dice from your system on your ship board with the most dice. Then, both players pick up their unallocated dice, say "3, 2, 1, Engage!" and resume rolling.

If the player who did not hit the button has any dice in hand, they roll them all once. This player may then 'reserve' any of these dice for the next round. At the start of the Roll phase in the next round, the player may choose to immediately allocate any reserved dice without rerolling them. The player who hit the button cannot reserve dice.

2. Activate systems

The player who hit the button goes first. Players then take alternating turns.

On your turn, either activate one system or pass. Once you have passed, you cannot take any further turns this round. Play continues until both players have passed.

To activate a system, you must use one Command die in your Cockpit:

• Phasers and Torpedoes require a red or yellow Command die.
• Drives require a blue or yellow Command die.
• Shields require a Command die of any colour.

In addition, you must then use the dice in the system you activated, provided you allocated enough dice to meet that system's minimum requirement. Any time you use or discard dice, place them back with any unallocated dice beside your board, ready to be rolled again in the next round.

Each system can only be activated once in each round. The operation of each system is explained in detail in 'Systems' below.

When using the 'A' sides of the ship boards you have a special Cockpit ability. Once per round, before you activate a system, you may move one Command die from your Cockpit to any system on your ship, following the usual dice allocation rules.

3. Move torpedoes

All face-up torpedo tokens automatically move 1 hex towards the enemy ship. Torpedoes can move in any direction, regardless of the orientation of the token.

• Torpedoes can move into and through hexes with other torpedoes. They only detonate when they hit a ship.
• If there is a choice of hexes into which a torpedo can move, all of which are equally close to the enemy ship, the player who launched the torpedo can choose.
• Face-down torpedoes do not move.

When a torpedo moves into the same hex as any ship, it hits the ship, detonates and does 1 damage to the ship. See 'Taking damage' below.

After a torpedo detonates, return it to its owner's supply. This player may launch the torpedo again in a later round.

After all face-up torpedo tokens have been moved, flip any face-down torpedoes launched this round face up. Now begin a new round.

Systems

Phasers

Requires 1 red or yellow Command die, plus at least 1 ATTACK die.

You can use your phasers to target an enemy ship or torpedo at a range of 1 hex from your ship (that is, in any hex adjacent to your ship). You can fire your phasers in any direction, regardless of your ship's heading. If you allocated 1 or 2 dice to TARGET, the maximum range of your phasers is increased to 2 or 3 hexes respectively.

If you target an enemy ship, roll all your ATTACK dice. Do 1 damage for each Security or Command icon rolled (see 'Taking damage' below). If you allocated 1 die to OVERCHARGE, do 2 damage for each Command icon rolled instead.

If you target an enemy torpedo, roll one of your ATTACK dice (you must discard your other ATTACK dice). Destroy the torpedo if you roll a Security or Command icon. Remove the torpedo from the board and return it to the enemy player's supply. They may launch it again in a later turn.

Torpedoes

Requires 1 red or yellow Command die, plus 3 LAUNCH dice. All 3 dice spaces in the Torpedoes system must be filled.

When you launch a torpedo, place 1 torpedo token from your supply into an empty hex directly adjacent to your ship and on either the left or right. You cannot launch a torpedo into the hexes directly forward or to the rear of your ship.

Place the torpedo token face-down to show that it has just been launched and will not move this round. At the end of the round, you will flip the token face up.

You cannot choose to remove a torpedo from the board before it detonates.

Shields

Requires 1 red, blue or yellow Command die, plus at least 3 REPAIR dice. All exposed dice spaces in the Shields system must be filled.

If you activate this system, take up to 2 shield markers from the supply, and put them back on any two empty shield spaces anywhere in your shield display.

Each time you activate Shields, you must remove the left-most reactor token and reveal an additional die space. This increases the number of dice needed to fully power the Shields again.

Drives

Requires 1 blue or yellow Command die, plus at least 1 MOVE or ROTATE die.

Only a single Command die is required to activate the Drives. You can then use any number of your MOVE or ROTATE dice, in any order, to manoeuvre your ship. Discard any dice you choose not to use.

For each MOVE die used, move your ship 1 hex forward, into the hex directly ahead, without changing your ship's heading. For each ROTATE die used, rotate your ship left or right by 60°. Your ship must always be oriented towards one edge of the hex it is in, not towards a corner.

Two ships cannot occupy the same hex. If you would move your ship into a hex occupied by another ship, automatically move your ship an extra hex in the same direction and place it on the far side of the other ship (this manoeuvre still requires only a single MOVE die).

The anomalies

You can only move off the edge of the hex grid to enter one of the anomalies, and can only enter the anomaly from one of the two hex spaces immediately adjacent to it. If you do, immediately jump your ship to the other anomaly and then place your ship in one of the two hexes adjacent to the anomaly, heading in any direction.

Taking damage

When your ship takes damage, consider the direction from which your ship was hit to determine which shield (forward, rear, left or right) is damaged.

For each damage done, remove 1 shield marker from the corresponding shield. If that shield has no markers, instead remove 1 hull marker from your ship board. Remove the hull markers from left to right.

When you remove your third marker, you must also return 1 die of your choice from the unallocated dice beside your board (or from your ship board itself if all your dice are on your board), to the box.

The game ends immediately when one ship loses its 5th hull integrity marker and is destroyed. The player piloting the surviving ship is the winner.

Other ways to play

3-player game

Place the 3 ships on the board as shown.

• The player who hit the button goes first. Players then take turns clockwise around the table. Continue until all players have passed.
• Torpedoes always move towards the nearest enemy ship.
• The game ends when two ships are destroyed. The player piloting the surviving ship is the winner.

4-player game: 2 vs 2

Play in two teams of two. Place the 4 ships on the board as shown.

• The player who hit the button goes first. The teams take alternating turns, in which they can freely choose which of the players on the team activates a system. Continue until both teams have passed.
• Each team can only have a maximum of 2 torpedoes on the board at any time. Torpedoes always move towards the nearest enemy ship.
• The game ends when one ship is destroyed. The team piloting the destroyed ship loses and the other team wins.

Unique ships

Each ship board has a unique 'B' side, each offering a different mix of systems and capabilities.

Ship B1: Cruiser

Special Ability: Number 2 you have the bridge.

At the start of each Engage Phase you may reallocate one officer from your bridge to any other system of your ship before any actions are resolved.

Phaser Overcharge

Officer icons rolled in the ATTACK ROLL count as hits that cause 2 damage to the opposing ship instead of 1.

Photon Torpedoes

Photon Torpedoes deal 2 damage on contact.

Ship B2: Frigate

Phaser Overcharge

You may re-roll any dice in your attack roll that fail to do damage.

Low Yield Torpedoes

Low Yield Torpedoes deal 1 damage on contact. Your torpedoes must move 2 hexes each time they move, and each move must attempt to get closer to the nearest enemy ship.

Drives

There is only one dice placement area for both Drives and Thrusters. When you activate this system choose the total number of dice you wish to discard and roll them. Add the total number of CREW or OFFICER icons rolled together and add 1, this is the total number of times you may move this activation. For each move you may move your ship straight forwards one hex, or rotate your ship to one adjacent heading.

Ship B3: Fighter

Disruptor Overcharge

Disruptor shots will always do an additional 1 damage regardless of how many hits are rolled, but you must still have at least 1 CREW allocated to roll.

Front-Facing Photon Torpedoes

Photon Torpedoes deal 2 damage on contact. You may fire your torpedoes from your front heading as well as your side headings.

Drives and Thrusters

There is only one dice placement area for both Drives and Thrusters. For each die discarded you may move your ship straight forwards one hex or rotate your ship to one adjacent heading.

Structure Damage

Your crew do not become incapacitated when you receive your third structure damage.

Cloaking Device

The cloaking device is not activated like other systems, instead it becomes activated during the Real-time Phase as soon as both OFFICERS are assigned. While the cloaking device is active enemy phaser/disruptors will only hit you if they roll officer icons during an ATTACK ROLL, and enemy torpedoes will need to roll a single die and only deal damage if a crew or officer icon is rolled. Deactivate the cloaking device and discard the dice assigned if you activate your disruptor or torpedo systems or if you receive any damage.

Ship B4: Gunship

Disruptor Overcharge

When targeting a torpedo token you may roll all of your CREW dice allocated to your Disruptors for the attack roll.

Plasma Torpedoes

Plasma Torpedoes deal 1 damage on the heading it contacts and 1 damage on each heading adjacent to that heading (for a total of 3 damage).