Knight Hawks

Vector

Welcome to the unofficial expanded and revised release of Knight Hawks! As many of the users of these rules are already Knight Hawks players, let's go over what is new in these rules:

Vector Motion. In the original rules, ships had maneuvering rules that involved a factor called a Maneuvering Rating, or MR. The MR determined how fast you could turn your ships direction of travel around. Unfortunately, that meant that if you had a high MR, you could reverse your direction in one turn no matter how fast you were going. This made the game a lot like a Naval Wargame. As a matter of fact, the rules worked better as a Naval game than as a space game. KHV corrects the maneuvering rules, giving actual vector motion plotting while actually speeding up the game! Not only that, but in either the 2d or optional 3d form of the game, maneuvering skill becomes more important than other factors, giving the game a distinct different feel from other less realistic and slower moving games. No more moving up to your opponent, stopping and exchanging dice rolls. This game is dynamic. Things move!

Ship Design. The original rules used a strict and obviously flawed arbitrary system of ship design based around standardized components and a "Minimum Hull Size" restriction that didn't make much sense. This has been corrected. Ships are now constructed and powered on an unlimited scale system. Any size, mass, or volume of hull or equipment can be designed. Mass-to-thrust ratios rule the day: you get what you pay for, and you pay for what you get.

What is not new: The look and feel of the original rules still apply. The ships you design in KHV are constrained by certain physical laws that ensure that the look and style of the ships in the original has not been tampered with. The lack of scientific consistency has been corrected, and now you know why things work the way they do. Game play is still simple, there is just more that the system can do now. What's more, the technological mysteries have been cleared up.

How these rules are organized. In this edition, Ship construction is covered first, with following sections covering the different types of ship systems. Next, ship operation, maneuvering, and combat resolution are covered. Finally, a lexicon of military ships and sample civilian ships follows.

STARSHIP CONSTRUCTION

ship systems

After determining what the ship's basic mission is, the next step is to select the ship's equipment. Most ship's systems are selected before the hull volume is determined. Other systems or upgrades such as System Armor are selected after other factors are known. Using a Ship Design sheet, write down all equipment needed to fulfill the ship's mission in the order as you come to it.

Communications jamming equipment is carried by some military vessels. This equipment is expensive, mostly illegal, and not very effective. While local transmissions may be easily interfered with on an area of a planet below an orbiting ship, the variety of comm equipment available makes jamming of anything but personal communicators a very difficult thing. Reception is easier to block than transmission, unless it is a broadcast on a common radio band. Laser comms require direct line of sight, but are very difficult to interfere with. Subspace communicators which are already linked, or are near an operating relay are impossible to stop.

MILITARY SYSTEMS AND WEAPONRY

The role of space weaponry in the frontier is an important one. The area of space in which the citizens of the frontier reside is hotly contested by the Sathar Empire, requiring a strong military force to withstand unexpected invasionary forces. In the decades between Sathar incursions, megacorps, pirates, and the entrepreneurs they both prey on all use weaponry to ensure profit margins. When civilized systems try to restrict weaponry in the Frontier, the bad guys just go elsewhere to get weapons. The unarmed locals then become easy prey when away from their militia. Freighters find superfast corvettes suddenly matching their speed and vector while accelerating to a jump: Pirates who then disable the ship to abscond with cargo and hostages. Miners are swarmed by pirates while at a days' work mining an asteroid. Exploration vessels set upon to keep them from telling what they found.... Yes, the ship's master that does not keep a sharp watch and a good deterrent will soon run afoul of the wrong sort.

There are two general categories of weaponry, energy and kinetic projectile. Energy weapons include lasers, proton beams, neutron beams, and electron beam weapons. Projectile weapons include Assault Rockets, Mass Drivers, Seeker Missiles, and Torpedoes.

Energy Weapons

Shipboard energy weapons do not require much in the way of ammunition (Particle cannons require a little), and benefit greatly from the surfeit of electrical power provided by ZENI engines. All beam weapons currently in use function in very similar ways. All also require capacitor banks to store up electricity for sudden discharges. Capacitor banks are rated by the power factors worth of energy they can store. A capacitor bank masses 1000 kg and requires 5 cubic meters of volume per power factor. A capacitor bank must have a capacity equal to the weapon's requirement to function at all. Greater capacity will enable the weapon to be fired from stored up energy. Capacitor banks cost 1000 cr per power factor. They are only charged just before use. While it is possible to leave them charged for up to an hour, this causes wear on the components.

The most versatile energy weapon is the laser battery. This is a free electron laser and is very like the proton and electron beam weapons in that they all use a particle accelerator as their main component. A laser battery, unlike a laser cannon, lases in short pulses. Some pulses hit, some do not. This makes for a weapon that reliably effects targets at long range, and is more accurate against fast moving targets at close ranges. Proton and electron beam weapons are more often referred to as particle cannons. Particle cannons are usually forward firing weapons, as it enables the weapon to be more effective if it does not use a gymballed emitter. The ship simply stops accelerating for a moment, whirls about to the direction it needs to fire, and the fire control program aims the ship during firing. The fine aiming of the beam is carried out by magnets which bend the beam slightly. This lets the fire control program tune and aim the beam rapidly within a small arc.. Larger ships can place an entire particle cannon array into a turret, but that is rare. Lasers are also found in a cannon configuration, and are designed to lase for long periods instead of in bursts. They hit the target less often, but they do much more damage when they do. Any vessel that can't maneuver well will be quickly sliced apart by these weapons. Laser batteries use super efficient torus (round) accelerators. Cannon weapons use Linear (long tube) accelerators.

Battery weapons are normally located along the sides of the hull so that they can be brought to bear on any vector by simply rotating the ship on it's axis. This does not interfere much with the maneuvering ability of the ship. Cannon weapons are normally mounted along the axis of the ship, facing forward or aft. If the ship is firing more than two of these weapons at targets that are outside of a 90degree arc, the ship loses 1ADF per weapon. Example: Firing two forward firing cannons and one aft firing cannon at a ship perpendicular to the ships current thrust vector would give the ship a minus one ADF that turn. If the ship is not maneuvering, there is no limit on how many different targets may be engaged. This penalty applies to vessels that are jinking.

To sum it all up, the main difference between the lasers and the particle weapons is in the way they damage the target. Lasers burn holes and make cuts. Particle beams heat the targets also, but then cause arcing of electrons, ruining electronics and starting fires. Particle weapons are favored by pirates wishing to avoid killing potential slaves or releasing precious cargo into space.

Targeting

Base chance to hit with a battery configured weapon is 50%. For every hex beyond its effective range, subtract 10%. Target maneuvering has no effect on accuracy unless target is “Jinking”.

Cannon configuration weapons have a base chance to hit of 50%. Subtract -5 for every hex beyond RNG. Subtract -5 for every ADF point used by the target that turn.

Laser Battery (LB) Specifications

Note: A normal capacitor bank for one of the above weapons will be equal to the volume, and twice the mass of the weapon. Capacitor bank cost is equal to the power factors X 1000.

The abbreviations in the above chart are explained as follows:

Size- A standard reference classification used throughout the UPF. Models vary greatly in size.

M3- Cubic meters of volume for the laser- this does not include a small turret for the emitter array.

DMG- This is the resulting damage dice a normal hull hit causes to a target inside effective range.

PF- How many power factors the weapon consumes each turn. This is important for calculating capacitor size and may have tactical bearing in a fight.

RNG- The range up to which the weapon is fully effective

LRNG- The range at which the weapon becomes ineffective.

Mass- How much the weapon masses in tons.

[Linear accelerator and x-ray laser emitter array – image courtesy of Wartec Ltd.]

Laser Cannons (LC)

Cannon configuration weapons have a base chance to hit of 50%. Subtract -10 for every hex beyond RNG. Subtract -5 for every ADF point used by the target that turn.

Electron and Proton Beam Weapons (EB, EC, PB, PC)

Electron Beam Weapons and Proton Beam Weapons(called "ELBoWs"and "PROBWEms" in military jargon) are primarily only deep-space weapons. They do not function well in an atmosphere and accuracy is a problem when in a magnetic field (such as a planetary magnetosphere) due to the fact that the beam either has a positive or negative charge. Gauss screens and super-conductive hull coatings can greatly or completely negate their effect. However, they almost always are included in the armament of large capital ships due to the devastating accuracy and very satisfying results against small targets that normally don't have gauss screens. Modern charged beam weapons are tuned specifically to cause secondary radiation on impact, which plays havoc with electronic equipment and other ship's systems.

Electron and Proton Beam Batteries

PB's and EB's use the same statistics chart. PB's and EB's are not common over size 6.

MTB- Malfunction Table Bonus

Electron and Proton Cannons

Though they are different weapons, both the PC and EC use the same statistics chart.

MTB- Malfunction Table Bonus

Neutron Cannons (NC)

Neutron Cannons are very similar to EC's and PC's with the exception that the particles have no charge. NC's are not greatly affected by atmosphere, magnetic fields, or any known defensive screens or coatings. They are very dependable in performance and are powerful at short range. NC's are often used as planetary defense weapons.

Neutron Batteries (NB)

NB's are common on Aerospace craft.

KINETIC WEAPONS

Kinetic weapons include all weapons that use a mass that is not traveling at relativistic speeds (though Mass Drivers manage to push this description). This includes Assault Rockets, Mass Drivers, Seeker Missiles, and Torpedoes.

Assault Rockets (AR)

AR's are really not so much rockets as thermonuclear recoilless rifles. The vessel firing the AR must be very nimble to avoid causing serious damage to themselves. This is primarily a weapon used by small ships to attack large ones, and it may not be used by a ship with less than an ADF of 5 (at least 5 ADF after the weapon mass is released). The weapon consists of a tube containing a projectile and a thermonuclear propellant charge. The launching ship programs and deploys the weapon, and must immediately vector away from the weapon (full thrust of 5 ADF for the rest of the turn). The tube has a small solid fuel chemical rocket engine which fires for a moment after it is released. The weapon propellant then detonates and fires a connected rod style warhead made of Collapsium. This warhead shatters and spreads out into an ultra-fine web of collapsium. As the material is so thin, and the warhead is so large, it blankets a huge area. When the wires hit a hull, they slash into the ship causing far more damage than mere shrapnel would. Assault Rockets are considered Military Weaponry and are restricted in most systems. Even transporting them as cargo requires special permits and inspections due to the threat they represent to population centers. Like all nuclear weapons they can be easily detected by planetary scanning systems. Attempting unauthorized approaches or landings with such devices is tantamount to suicide. AR's are not sold on the open market, but black market prices are reasonable and the devices may be had for about 750,000 cr each... with volume discounts.

AR's may be programmed for late detonation for use as a tactical nuclear bomb, but this function is rarely used.

AR Specifications

The Assault Rocket is 10 meters long, and 1 meter in diameter. They mass 10 tons each. The launcher(s) do not add mass and do not take hull space, but each rocket and it's launching hardpoint counts as 20 cubic meters of hull volume even if they are externally mounted. This reflects the usual cargo container rule of how hardpoints work. Most fighters mount them internally anyway.

AR's have a base chance to hit of 70%, minus ten (-10%) for every ADF used that turn by the target, and -10% for every hex of range.

As the table indicates, if an AR scores a hit, the damage it does is reflected by the ADF the target used that turn.

Only 1 AR may be fired by a ship per turn, due to constrictions of fire control and the fact that one weapon will likely destroy or ruin the aim of the other. In addition, the launching vessel must have a relative speed to the target of less than 20.

DEFENSIVE SYSTEMS

Defensive systems are in two basic categories; active devices such as polarized superconducting hull coverings and gauss screens, and passive such as system armor and reflective hulls. Passive systems always work, active systems must be energized.

SC Coating- Super conductive coating enables a ship to channel heat and polarized charges (such as from an electron beam) away into cooling systems or power storage capacitor banks. The system is comprised of a super conductive film covering most of the hull, super conductive cables leading to both a bank of super capacitors as well as the thermocouple cooling system of the ZENI engines. Superconductors conduct electricity with no resistance, and all superconductor material in contact with a heat source will be the same temperature, thus the cooling system will very quickly absorb thermal energy. This allows the ship to reduce damage from lasers, electron beams, and proton beams. Unfortunately, while it does affect neutron beams as well, the material base of the super conductive coating fails too quickly to be of much use against an NC. As the coating can be given a positive or negative charge, it is by far more effective against EC's and PC's. When the coating is charged, it has the ability to prevent a hit from charged particle weapons. If the coating's heat and energy sinks (the cooler and the super capacitor bank) become overloaded, the entire coating will heat up and vaporize off of the hull, thus the system will not try to go beyond it's own capacity. The system can reduce a percentage of the damage, and not all of any one hit.

SC coating costs 1000cr per square meter of hull surface. A good way of getting an estimate of this is to take a the cube root of a ships volume, square it, then multiply by 6 (size 1 hull cube root is 5m, size 2 is 10m, and so forth counting by fives.) In short, multiply the ship's hull rate number by 5, multiply that number by itself, then multiply by 6000. This will give you the cost in credits. The rest of the system is proportionate to the size of a ship's hull and engines. The components take 1 cubic meter of internal volume and mass .75 tons per 100 sq meters of surface area. Optional rule: The mass may be reduced on vessels already possessing capacitor banks. Every ton of Capacitors already on the ship will reduce the mass for 100 sq. meters from .75 tons to .5 tons. Military vessels often take advantage of this.

Example HS 1 vessel (1x5m=5m, 5mx5m=25m, 25mx6= 150 sq meters of surface area) SC coating costs 150,000 cr, and masses 1125kg (.75 tons times 1.5).

The modifiers are to the "to hit" rolls, and any "to damage" or "system hit" rolls.

REFLECTIVE HULL (RH)

Reflective hull coating is a special self-leveling metallic coating that is used to reflect laser light (including x-ray lasers). As the "mirror" will not be perfect, it will quickly heat and the laser burns through, but it does reduce some damage, and can even reflect some glancing shots. RH is difficult to maintain, and requires cleaning to be effective. A ship that does not have a good maintenance program will quickly lose the benefits an RH provides. A ship with RH is very easy to spot visually.

RH costs 100 cr per square meter of hull surface, and reduces laser damage rolls by up to 20% (depending on it's quality). RH may be applied over SC coating at double the cost.

GAUSS SCREEN (GS)

Gauss screens are devices that propagate a charged electrical field around a ship to cause EC and PC beams to deflect. A gauss screen reduces the chance of a hit by one type of beam, while increasing the chance of another. A GS can be aligned to give a -20/+10 modifier to these weapons. Aligned one way, PC's are -20 to hit the craft, and EC's are +10. Aligned the other way, the effect is reversed (EC's -20, PC's +10). Equipment for a GS is located at key points on a ship's hull, but the power unit is centrally located. A gauss screen cost is based on the volume of the vessel that it protects. Multiply the cube root of the ship's volume by 2000 to get the cost. Multiply the the cube root by 150 to get the mass in kg. The system uses PF equal to the cube of the ships volume. A GS may not be used in conjunction with a SC. Charged particle weapons may not be fired out of the field. The field causes problems with directing the beams.

SMALL CRAFT

There is an enormous variety of very small spacecraft used for short range transport. These vessels have very small ZENI power plants with chemical maneuvering thrusters. most can only manage about .1 g of acceleration, and do not have full versions of the avionics packages found on starships. In addition, they have little in the way of life support, and the passengers generally don't leave their seats during trips. While most provide 5 man-days of atmosphere or more, most carry nothing but emergency rations. They don't have the power to lift off anything larger than a small moon, and any that are equipped as emergency landers will be pretty much burnt up in the process of re-entering an atmosphere, and utilize parachutes to make soft landings. However, they are very useful for flitting between objects in orbit, and can help maneuver objects such as cargo containers, or derelict spacecraft. These craft are docked in a variety of ways, but nearly all must be brought into a pressurized hold or landing bay, as they don't have airlocks. Most landing bays are not much bigger than the vehicles they hold, but it is quicker to land in one than it is to couple and safety check a docking collar, especially when landing on a rotating station. Design Notes: Use the Cargo Holds and docking bays section of your Ship Sheet to record the volume and mass of your cargo holds, docking bays, and Re-fueling tanks. Be sure to include some extra volume and mass allowance here for cargo such as additional Federanium for the ship's ZENI Engines. The easiest way is to just make sure you have a little extra allowance to carry more fuel so you don't need to add more later and re-do all your calculations.

Station Cars. These are small vehicles for carrying passengers between orbital stations. They range in size from 1 to 50 passenger models. The smallest is the one passenger "workpod" at 1 ton, and 8 cubic meters, costing 5000 cr. The largest "ferries" are twenty times the size and ten times the cost. There are countless makes and models. These craft do not have any landing capability.

Lifeboats. These are similar to the station cars, but have the ability to make an emergency landing in an atmosphere. They are far tougher and cost ten times as much.

Escape Pods. These devices are little more than simplified space-suits. They consist of a capsule that one adult may crawl into, which contains life support equipment. The pod is ejected from the ship in a safe direction, where the pod may automatically make small adjustments to its orbit (pre-programmed by the system that ejects it). After this, the pod opens up and a membrane slowly expands to provide room for the occupant to move. The membrane becomes rigid after expansion. The membrane film protects the occupant from some radiation, and also acts as a radar reflector. The pack also contains an emergency beacon. Pods may not be entered by someone wearing a spacesuit. The pod will support life for 10 days. If a pod drops into a gravity well, the occupants are doomed. Pods are very inexpensive at 1500 cr each. They take up 1 cubic meter each, and mass 50 kg. A pod launcher can eject one each 10 seconds. Pod launchers cost 3000 cr, mass 150kg, and take 5 cubic meters.

Probes. The standard probe is a casing which may contain many different equipment packages. These units are launched by the same launcher as pods, and are the same size. They can mass from 50 kg up to 1 ton however, and usually have a propulsion device of their own. There are special designs that can land on planets and launch flying rovers, there are some configured to penetrate gas giants. Others act as communications relays, warning devices, and thousands of other uses. Originally these probes were intended for military uses, as they were modular and could be utilized fleet-wide, but civilian use grew, and soon the standard probe case became the container of choice for most mission packages. There are millions of these floating around, and they range in cost from a mere 500 cr for a relay satellite to 5500 for a high speed long range data probe. The huge demand and supply has driven their cost way down. Most star systems have laws regarding the use and positioning of these devices as well as any other "space junk", requiring permits, re-collection, or re-entry burn up of these devices.

hull design

When designing a ship, by the time you come to this point you should have a total for the "Minimum Hull Volume" on your ship sheet. This is the volume of your systems, cargo etc... from the previous sections. If the ship has an airframe, you should add 20% to this total, or whatever your Game Master has decided depending on the actual style of design you are using. 20% reflects a full high velocity airframe. Your basic vertical take-off re-entry vehicle may require as little as 5%.

HULL RATING CHART

This table shows the Thirty "Ship Ratings" used by Frontier insurance companies, as well as by registration officials to identify the general size of a vessel. These "Rates", as they are called, are followed by a code indicating how many gravities of acceleration they are capable of. Code A+ is 6 ADF (1 gee of thrust = 1 Acceleration/Deceleration Factor) or greater, Code A = ADF 5 , Code B = ADF 4, C=3, D=2, E=1 (sometimes called "Economy Class"). Despite the fact that many system ships have an ADF lower than 1, hulls are still built on a certain minimum standard to ensure radiation shielding and general structural integrity. The volume for a given rating is the maximum for that class. The example mass listed is for an E-rated hull only.

You will not determine your actual hull size until after the ship design is complete, but this chart is included here for handy reference.

Starship hulls come in never ending varieties and shapes. Structural integrity also varies widely. In general, the more intense acceleration or gravitic/kinetic force the hull is built to withstand, the more expensive it is to build. Multiply the planned ADF of the ship by 25, add 50, then multiply by the volume of the hull (meters cubed) to get the price in credits.

To address the generality of this rule, bear in mind that prices reflect both physical issues, as well as market issues.

HULL MASS

To calculate hull mass, you must know what ADF the hull is being designed to handle. Take the ADF, add 4, and multiply by the volume (in cubic meters) of the hull.. This formula holds true almost whatever the type, size, or configuration of a hull. Open designs have heavier hulls to support loads, and ships with elaborate interiors may have less sturdy skins due to internal support.

EXAMPLE: A hull size 2 ship Rated for ADF 5 would mass (5+4) X 1000 = 9000kg

HULL POINTS and Reinforcement

A ships' ability to absorb punishment without losing the structural integrity it needs to maneuver, accelerate, and protect it's crew is represented by Hull Points (HP). To find the base number of hull points a vessel has, multiply the hull size by five. Another method (agreed upon with the Game Master) is to determine the cube root of the ship's volume in meters. This equals the hull points of the ship. Hull size one has 5 points, two has 10, size three has 15, and size ten has 50. Hulls may be additionally reinforced and armored to provide a higher hull point value. This is typically only done with military vessels. Every 10% of internal volume sacrificed adds 20% to the original hull point value, and adds an additional 20% to the original mass of the vessel. Example: A hull size 10, ADF 2 ship (750 tons mass) sacrifices 12,500 M³ volume (10%) and adds 150 tons (20%) for a new usable volume of 112,500 M³ and 900 tons mass, resulting in a Hull point value of 60 (+20%). Each 10% increment of volume allocated to reinforcement doubles the cost of the hull. 10% is twice the cost, 20% is four times, 30% is is eight times, etc... Vessels cannot use more than 50% of their volume in this manner.

You will find that, by volume, larger ships are proportionately less tough than smaller ones. The reason for this is that while the larger ship represents greater structure, it is also subject to greater stresses. When subjected to proximity weapons, larger ships may not be as overwhelmed as smaller ones, but they have far more surface area to hit, and are also more easily targeted. Other stresses affect larger ships due to the fact that both small and large ships are made of the same materials, yet the larger ones mass far more, and have more things that can go wrong.

SYSTEM ARMOR (SA)

System Armor consists of some physically protective measures, but is mostly a system redundancies and re-routing that bypasses damaged components to keep damaged equipment functioning. A ship with system armor will be able to re-route power supply s, shut down damaged portions of a system, and many many other damage control measures to keep the ship operating. These are sometimes referred to as "Hardened Systems”. System Armor provides a -10 modifier to system damage rolls for every increment purchased. For the first -10 purchased, SA adds 25% to the cost of the vessel. For -20 % add +50% to the cost. For -30, ship's cost is doubled, and -40 SA the vessel costs x3. No vessel may have better than -40 SA. These cost are applied after costs for hull re-enforcement. Military vessels have -20 SA standard. SA adds no other significant weight, but System Armor must be included in the vessel during construction. Modifications to a vessel with SA cost normal price plus the SA penalty times two.

Design Note: System Armor costs are the LAST cost modifier in the design procedure. It is only included here as it directly applies to hull construction.

AUTOSEAL HULLS (AH)

While System Armor greatly increases survivability of a ship, some operating environments require the ability to quickly repair small punctures to a hull. Mining ships, for instance, are prone to getting hit by micro meteors. Starship hulls are constructed of Duralloy, an extremely strong metallic ceramic composite. As tough as the hulls are, they still sometimes encounter projectiles that are all but irresistible. Armoring the hull can help, at a massive cost in weight, but sometimes letting something punch right through does a lot less damage than trying to absorb or deflect the energy. An Autoseal Hull helps in this regard. Autoseal hulls are made of thick foamed duralloy, filled with networks of capillary tubes and sensors. Inside the pores and verticals of the foamed metal, a gel material waits. When the hull is punctured, The gel is released. As the gel is released, it flash-heats the foamed duralloy around it. The auto-seal system computer directs electrical current around the area to cause the material to arc-weld itself together. The auto-seal system can patch holes up to 3 cm in this manner quickly. it can repair much larger holes if the compartment is depressurized. Both the hull, all major structural members, and all major decks and bulkheads of an AH starship are self-repairing. Autoseal Hulls have twice the mass and 10 times the cost of normal hulls. They may be modified at normal prices, but the system program must be updated if hull is changed. If an AH ship still has power, this system will do much to restore a damaged hull. In combat terms it will repair 1 hull point of damage per turn. The system can repair as many hull points as the ship started with. Thus a ship with 15 hull points will self-repair up to 15 points of damage (but not at once) before the system stops functioning. Even if a hole cannot be made airtight again, the material will re-form to smooth jagged edges and such, giving the structure strength once again. Repairmen and robots can help this process also.

Auto-seal Hulls are quite rare, and normal utility and military craft do not normally use this technology due to cost effectiveness and performance concerns. Space stations, however, often have AH perimeters. Exposed structures on terrestrial bases experiencing meteor activity also use this technology. It is rumored that the new Dreadnought class also employs AH elements in crew spaces and other important structural areas making it the most survivable warship class ever built.

Propulsion

Atmospheric Engines

While ZENI engine craft have safe and efficient ion thrusters for maneuvering in space, and require no chemical reaction drives to supplement them when docking, the Zebulon field doesn't operate well in an atmosphere as it affects all the matter in the field equally. Therefore, a spacecraft exiting or maneuvering in an atmosphere will be equipped with Mutable Plasma Jets. Plasma Jets are amazing engines with mutable internal components that let them take the form of axial vane jets, ramjets, and Scramjets. they also use intense heat from the ZENI reactors to massively boost thrust. These are super-efficient engines, and require very little fuel compared to simpler designs. As the P-jet efficiency tapers off, the ZENI engines are able to take over, and the transition to low orbit is smooth. Due to the nature of the engines, slow ascents through the atmosphere are not possible. The spacecraft makes a vertical takeoff with the engines in one configuration, as it speeds up it converts to ramjet operation, and then transits to Scramjet mode, by which time the vessel should be exiting the atmosphere .

Orbital craft lacking ZENI Engines have an auxiliary power unit, and carry 50% more fuel (such as LOX/LH2). Once in space, the p-jets operate in rocket mode to accelerate to orbital speed. Such craft must also have another 25% of the base fuel to slow down from orbital speed to re-enter the atmosphere unless they have a special heat shield to allow them to aerobrake on re-entry. These craft also have better lifting surfaces (wings). Spacecraft with some wing area or lifting body configuration also fare better as landers. Generally, vessels over HS 3 are rarely equipped to land in atmospheres as the ship needs to be aerodynamic for fuel efficiency.

Here are the steps in calculating p-jet requirements:

Calculate Fuel: To reach the edge of space, a ship taking off from a 1 gravity, 1 atmospheric pressure planet requires 1 ton of fuel for every ten tons of spacecraft. This provides the ship with fuel to get to the edge of space, and leaves enough fuel for a ship with wings to glide in and make a vertical landing . Ships lacking an airframe must exit and enter the atmosphere at much slower speeds, requiring up to four times the fuel. The mass of ZENI engines are not included in this calculation, as they can still lift their own mass in atmosphere. Fuel tanks take up (2) M³ per ton. Fuel for multiple trips may be carried but are considered part of the spacecraft weight after the first increment of fuel. Fuel costs 100cr per ton. double this for atmospheres lacking an oxidizer (such as oxygen).

Calculate Engines: Total the ship's mass (without ZENI Engines) including all fuel and potential cargo by . This is the VOLUME of the p-jet engines required for optimum efficiency. Divide this by ten to get the mass of the engines. The mass of the engines is therefore 1/10 of the ship's mass, and the engines density is 100kg per per cubic meter. P-Jets cost 25,000 cr per ton.

These calculations are included on the ship design sheet. Following the procedure there will ensure accurate calculation.

ZENI ENGINES

Zebulon Effect Nuclear Ion Engines, or ZENI engines, are named after the person that conceived the theory of their operation. These engines consist of a reactor, an ionization chamber, and a Zebulon Effect projector. The engine uses energy from a reactor to ionize molecules of Federanium. These ions are accelerated to fantastic velocities and are projected out of the rear of the chamber and into the Zebulon field, where they gain large amounts of mass for a tiny fraction of time, during which they exit the rear of the ZENI engine's projection grid and push the spacecraft forward.

ZENI engines cost 2500 CR per "power factor" or PF. A PF is the power required to accelerate 1 metric ton at 1 ADF. The mass of the craft, consisting of Hull, Plasma Jets, Equipment, Fuel, and Cargo, must be accounted for. You do not buy extra power factors to propel the mass of the engines themselves. ZENI engines are the last thing that is purchased for a spacecraft. Only the SYSTEM ARMOR price modifier is added after engines.

To find the weight an engine adds to the mass of the spacecraft, divide the PF of the engine by 10. This means that for every 10 tons of spacecraft, you must have 1 ton of engines per ADF. The volume of the engine is four cubic meters per ton. Not all of this mass and volume is necessarily in an engine pod.

FUEL USAGE

The Federanium in the reactor of a ZENI Engine (or any reactor) rarely requires replacement. However the actual propellant used by the engine is also Federanium, and this material is used up by the engine more rapidly. Fuel usage need not be tracked religiously when simplifying play, and storage is not an issue as Federanium has a specific gravity of close to 1,000,000, thus a ton of Federanium only has one cc of volume. To have a good estimate of how much fuel an engine burns to get to jump speed (1% of light speed) do the following: Multiply the total mass (including mass of engines) of the vessel by 400 (the number of ADF required to reach that speed) and divide by 100,000 (a number based on the specific impulse a ZENI engine provides). This is the number of tons of Federanium the engines will use. Double this to decelerate again. This means that a 25 ton vessel (HS 2) with E rated engines and light equipment will require .1 ton (100kg) of Federanium to reach jump speed and .1 ton to decelerate again. It doesn't matter how quickly you accelerate, the fuel usage is the same.

Federanium costs 10,000 credits per ton.

Design Notes: By time you have finished purchasing ZENI Engines, you should be ready to finish your design. You may now total up the ship's volume to determine Hull Size and Hull Points, and apply any System Armor cost multiplier to determine the ship's total cost. Once this is done, the Ship Design Sheet will provide the basis for actually creating a drawing representing your design. With the volume data provided, sizing ship systems is relatively simple, and either a 2d Deckplan can be made, or a 3d computer model. It is also nice to create a miniature or a counter to represent your vessel on a game-board.

Ship structural Design

Zeni Engine Specifications

The maximum size ZENI engine commonly produced is rated at 2000PF. This design constraint has to do with many factors, such as projection grid efficiency, materials strength, maintenance concerns etc. This requires larger ships to mount multiple engines. As the Z-Fields for each engine must be individually tuned, and multiple engines can interfere with each other, they are commonly located on struts separating them. This mounting scheme also allows the engines to better balance the loads in the spacecraft. Multiple engines also give redundancy in case of an engine failure. These advantages are enough to make multiple engine installations popular on even very small vessels. Balanced pairs are the best mounting option, but ships forced to operate with an unbalanced configuration may still do so by vectoring thrust. Inside, the occupants will feel like the decks are leaning and will probably need to stay in acceleration seats most of the time when operating in such a fashion.

Required Engine Separation

The distance, in center-to-center separation for ZENI engines is equal to the square root of the engine mass in meters. Thus, a 2000 PF engine (200 tons) requires about 14m separation between it and another engine of the same size.

Operational Features of ZENI Engines

A ZENIE consists of a reactor, and Ion engine, and a Zebulon Field Projector. In a modular case, it is a rough tube or rectangular box two to four times as long as it is in cross section. As an example, a 40PF engine (16 m³ volume) weighs 4 tons and has the external dimensions between 2m X 2m X 4m, and 1.75m x 1.75m x 7m. The forward end of the engine pod contains the Transit Field components and antenna if equipped as a jump ship, or an anti-micrometeor thrust projector on a non jump capable ship. No ship components must be in a 120⁰ cone around the exhaust of the engine (60⁰ from the centerline) for the same distance as would be required between two engines. This means that engines are usually mounted most of the way aft, or are on very long struts.

Ships with Transit fields normally operate them at low power to diffuse micrometeors in their flight path. Ships without Transit Fields deflect a compensated amount of thrust forward through the special grid to have about the same effect. Some ships have a special unit of one type or another just for this purpose. As the speeds the ships can achieve are phenomenally high, these defenses are vital.

Hull Exterior Features

The smaller the cross section a ship has, the more effectively it can be protected from micrometeors. Also Transit fields can be smaller and more efficient, as they only project a field in front of the ship, not all over it's surface. Thus, ships tend to be long and narrow. The length to beam ratios of 5:1 to 3:1 are common. Very small ships often have deck volume concerns and may often be wider than they are long (Example: Explorer Scout). Airlocks/Docking ports are included in the price of the hull at the rate of 1 per hull size maximum. A minimum of features such as optical viewing ports (windows) can be included with retractable external shutters. Any excesses in these areas must be priced as custom work. Transparent hull materials with active controls to adjust opacity and other optical properties are available. Military vessels even have viewports with reflec coating that also hides the location of the viewports.

While most civilian and utility spaceships are often a collage of modules held together by a supporting structure, military vessels most often have a contiguous hull. There are many practical reasons for this. First, military ships have more crew spaces and Alpha and Beta radiation protection is easier with a whole skin over the ship. Next, external monitoring is easier and sabotage is more easily prevented on a smooth hull versus a forest of tubing and modules. Having a secondary pressure hull helps with damage control, and is useful in dangerous operating environments. All of these benefits add to the greater toughness of military vessels, but there are yet more important reasons. Reflec coating is far more effective on a fuselage hull. It is also cheaper to apply and far easier to maintain. All other defensive systems, such as Superconductive coating, and even Gauss Fields operate better with a plated hull. Hull Reinforcement is also more effective. Additionally, ships designed originally to have Reflec coating often have angular components to the hull, improving it's ability to diffuse laser weapons.

Hull interior Features

While small craft may have countless design refinements and special features, larger ships more commonly use standard modular components. Small craft may incorporate machinery into decks and bulkheads, and tightly fit equipment into fuselage voids and useless space to save room. Shipbuilding automated design and construction can easily fit and modify components for a wide range of specifications. Once again however, For simplicity's sake, larger ships stick to the standard modular design when space is not at a premium. Ease of maintenance is well worth losing a little hull volume.

Lighting, minimum sanitation, workstations, interior electronics and all the like are included in the price of the hull and life-support. High ADF ships include acceleration chairs and the like. Despite this, there is much room for improvement in the standard accommodations of the ship. Custom interiors can cost up to the original price of the hull or more. Lavish accommodations, water gardens, you name it, it can be had for a price.

Decks and Layout

One important thing for Players to recognize for role play is that in Star Frontiers, physical laws are (mostly) obeyed. This means that the decks in a ship must run perpendicular to the direction of thrust from the main engines. This means that the nose of the ship is “up” from the perspective of the crew. Long skinny ships will have decks reminiscent of a sky-scraper. This is because when the engines of the ship are engaged, the acceleration will seem like gravity to the crew. Since in Star Frontiers, a ship will commonly accelerate at 1 gee (ADF 1) for several days to get to jump speed, and then turn around and decelerate for just as long, the ship is often under a pretty steady feeling of gravity. Freighters with large loads may only be able to accelerate at a tiny fraction of that, but even a little gravity helps benefit the crew. Once a ship has arrived at it's destination, the crew is likely to pick up a grapple from the mid-point of a space station and use the cable to move the ship to a mooring on the outer spinning rim of the station (assuming that a mooring is open and a counterbalance available). Once docked, the ship will have the same or greater internal coriolis force (centifigul force) to give it artificial gravity as the outer rim of the spinning station.

In habitation areas of the ship, a standard depth of 2.3m per deck is common. Computer, Navigation and Control, and Life support equipment is normally kept in a central protected area of a ship. Crew and passenger spaces will commonly be kept aft of the pivot point of the ship, as in the forward sections of the ship, negative gees are experienced when the ship is using rotational thrusters without the main engines engaged. This is because the contents of the ship are spun outward from the middle. For the aft decks, this means that the un-restrained objects are pushed towards the deck. In the forward areas, they are thrown to the “overhead”. This motion will normally be very light, but in rigorous maneuvers on large long ships, the forces involved can be quite large. Command and control spaces are more likely to be kept on the center decks of such ships.

Airlocks and hatches (airtight bulkheads) are common throughout ships. Commonly, every deck will be separated from the others with hatches, and modular built ships will even have a double door (airlock) between the major sections. Large military ships will even have multiple airtight compartments on each deck. Note that airlocks and docking ports are not necessarily the same thing. Docking ports are commonly found on the nose of most small to medium ships for docking up to space stations or other ships. Two Frigates (for instance) could use their bow docking ports to connect to each other. They could then set themselves spinning to provide gravity. Assault scouts do not have nose docking ports, but they do have grappling points there. They will often grapple another Scout when on long patrols or picket duty so that the two can “spin up” for a little gravity as they coast along on course or orbit.

MANEUVERING

This section will explain game terms and the maneuvering method used to resolve combat situations. More refined information on ships, void travel, and space in general may be found in the Campaign Data section. Some theory is discussed, but it does not deal with all the realities of spaceflight and orbital mechanics.

In Knight Hawks Vector Rules, ships maneuver in a manner that would be familiar to any astronaut. The ship has a main thruster that provides acceleration, and a set of much smaller attitude thrusters that rotate and spin the ship around. To maneuver, the ship whirls around while still traveling in it's original direction, fires its main engine, and the difference between it's original course and speed and the new thrust that was applied becomes it's new direction. This sounds difficult to keep track of, but you will see that it is really quite easy, and with a small amount of practice can go very quickly. First a little theory that describes how the ships work a little better, so that you will know what your Chief Engineer is talking about when he gives you a damage report!

How ships maneuver

Attitude thrusters

The attitude thrusters or Reaction Control System (RCS) can be aligned in two ways; rotational and linear. The rotational setting uses pairs of small thrusters pointing in opposite directions to spin the ship to point the ships nose in different directions. The linear setting uses pairs of thrusters to “translate” or slide the ship up and down, sideways, or forward and backward with fine control. This mode is used for docking maneuvers where moving the ship slowly without changing the direction the nose is facing is useful. Both settings are used in docking maneuvers. Rotational setting is the normal setting in free flight. These small RCS thrusters are only for control. The main thrusters do most of the work of accelerating the ship or changing it's direction.

Main Thrusters

The Main thrusters are just that; your main engines. These engines provide all the power your ship uses for both maneuvering the ship, as well as operating equipment. Without engines, your ship is in bad shape. The engines of the ship are rated in ADF, or Acceleration/Deceleration factors. This is simply the thrust of the ship in Gees.

The main engines are oriented perpendicular to the ships axis. That means the the nose of the ship is actually “up”. This might be different on aerospace planes, but this is the way it works for most ships. There is more about this in the Campaign section of the rules.

Distances and measures

Game time is expressed in turns. Distance is measured in hexes. Ten minute turns are the standard. This will make for hex size of 3500 km and 1 ADF gives a speed of 21000 kph (5.8 kilometers per second). Earth would be 3 hexes in diameter, and the moon would be one hex across at 100+ hexes away. (Optional Rule: With turns taking .1 hour or six minutes, one hex is equal to 1250 km. That is also equal to a speed of 3.5 km per second, or 12700KPH. 7 km per second is escape velocity for most terrestrial planets. On this scale, the Earth would be a bit more than 10 hexes in diameter. The moon would be about 300 hexes away and would be about 3 hexes in diameter. The sun would be 120,000 hexes away.)

Acceleration

Let's suppose that a ship is stopped. It has an ADF of 6 (it's a fighter). The ship needs to get underway fast to get to the scene of a pirate attack (pilot is late for dinner). The ship accelerates at full thrust (ADF 6). During the turn, he will be accelerating to a speed of 6 hexes per turn. During the time he is accelerating, however, he will only move 1/2 that distance! so during the first turn, he only moves three. At the beginning of the next turn, his speed will be six. If he doesn't continue accelerating, he will move 6 hexes. If he does continue to accelerate, he will move 9 hexes this turn (6 plus 3 more) and his speed at the start of the next turn will be 12.

Maneuvering

In the following diagram, a ship is traveling at a speed of 5, moving from the bottom of the chart to the top of the chart.

At the start of turn 1, the ship is in the green hex.

The red line indicates the direction (vector) the ship will travel in if the ship performs no maneuvers. The red hex is where the ship will be at the end of the turn. The yellow area around the red hex is the area it is possible for the ship (which has an ADF of 4) to maneuver to. During the turn that a ship applies acceleration, it only actually changes the position by half the number of hexes as the number of ADF applied, in this case it is two hexes. The ship decides to apply full thrust at vector 120 (down and to the right. This place is indicated by the light blue hex, with a black vector line to it. To calculate the ship's new direction (vector), a line parallel but opposite of the black line is drawn from the point of origin. This is the blue line with the big dot at the end. The blue dot is at the same distance from the green hex as the blue hex is from the red hex, but in an opposite direction (2 spaces). The curved green line is the actual path of travel. it curves as the ship thrusts sideways and back. The distance and vector between the blue dot and the light blue hex is the new speed and direction of travel. Counting the hexes, this shows the ship's speed to have remained at 5 despite the maneuvering it did. The red arrow that goes from the blue dot to the blue hex shows the exact new vector. The brown arrow shows the vector to use if you want to simplify maneuvering by only allowing six directions. If the ship does not maneuver again the next turn (and the vector indicated by the brown arrow is not used), it will continue on a straight line to the dark blue hex. If the ship does maneuver again, then the light blue hex would become the new green hex, and the dark blue would become the new red hex.

The position of the dark blue hex (and therefor the new speed and vector) can also be found by simply starting at the light blue hex, going up 5 hexes(the original course and speed) and then go down and to the right by 4 hexes (the vector and ADF the ship maneuvered for. This will put you in the same spot. Practice this a bit and you will find it easy to do, and you might even learn how to get where you are going.

This maneuvering method can be used to add up and down (from the plane of the ecliptic) motion as well if two maps are used (this method is fine for two-ship encounters). For true 3D maneuvering you need a third display however, and that just becomes too tricky. The two chart method works fine and gives the same results anyway. One chart is the plane of the ecliptic, and the other is the up/down chart. Be sure to mark "+" and "-" on the second chart as well as drawing a line down the center to represent the plane of the ecliptic. Pick your best visual math guy to resolve questions and memory lapses. This makes for a really fun game because almost no-one really understands 3d tactics when they start out. Two ships are no big difference, but when that becomes five ships, a moon, and a space fortress the game suddenly takes on....well...a new dimension!

Movement sequence

1. First, mark the start hex for the ship (Green Hex). Next mark the destination hex based on current speed and course. (RED HEX in above example).

2. Decide how many ADF the ship will use, and divide that number in half. This is the radius from the red hex that shows possible destinations for this turn. (YELLOW AREA)

3. Pick a destination hex (LIGHT BLUE). Place your ship counter there.

4. Mark the hex that is in an opposite direction and distance from the green hex as the light blue hex is from the red hex (follow that?). (DARK BLUE DOT).

5. Count the distance in hexes from the dark blue dot to the destination hex (light blue). This is your speed.

6. Take note of the vector line between the blue dot point and the ship's position. That is the ships new vector(RED ARROW). Adjust the vector to align with a side or corner of the hex if you desire(BROWN ARROW). Point you ship counter in that direction. This does not indicate your ship's actual facing, only the ships motion vector.

7. Take note of the actual path of travel the ship would have taken during the maneuver (green curve), and assure it did not pass through an obstacle or gravity well.

Gravity and Orbits

The least capable shoestring budget system ship in the whole Frontier makes the best NASA has to offer look like a wet bottle rocket. In SF, the ships are so powerful, they can zip around in orbital positions all they want, and take off for another planet accelerating all the way, flying almost directly towards the destination. The orbits that they are in do affect them, but in game terms it has little effect unless the point of the gaming session directly relates to the ship's maneuvering. The spacecraft in this game are just an aid to the role-playing process MOST of the time, so refined orbital mechanics are not in the scope of the basic ship rules, but are better explained in the

Around terrestrial planets (3 hex diameter), a ship in low orbit will circle the planet in 12 turns. This is a speed of 1 hex per turn. Keep this speed even if you move to a much higher orbit. Moving into a higher orbit will increase the amount of time it takes to complete one orbit. More complex orbital situations will need to be resolved by your own research, should they become important to play. Every planet has different orbital parameters due to its mass and density (size). For example: Gas Giants are very large (Jupiter is 110 hexes in diameter) and would take up most of the playing board if displayed.

To show the effects of gravity when a vessel is not in orbit, accelerate any vessel that is within 1/2 planetary diameter of the planets surface in accordance with 1/2 the gravity of that planet. This is actually a good bit high, but it works out well for the game. A planet with 2 g will accelerate a ship toward it's center at ADF 1. This works exactly as maneuvering with thrusters, except that the vector of a ship will be going one way, gravity pulling it in another (Actually this is what an orbit is). A ship maneuvering in a gravity well will actually have three vectors to take in account. Starting vector, gravitational pull, and thrust vector. The main concern during combat maneuvers is that you don't accidentally get sucked into a planet during a turn and hit atmosphere or dirt by not taking the effect of gravity into account.

For situations in which minute details of an orbit, or orbital mechanics relative to a planetary body, the game-master can easily research enough information to add real drama and depth to the situation. Many factors contribute to the overall picture, but it is not difficult to sort through and find some very useful campaign information. There is a whole Universe of campaign data available!

Combat resolution

While the “Maneuvering” section gave some insight to game mechanics, this section will deal with competitive situations that arise in the game. As a tactical or strategic Wargame, combat is the most important aspect of the game mechanics. From the RPG standpoint, however, many other aspects of the system are more important. Nonetheless a great number of things pertinent to ship-to-ship warfare are applicable to other situations.

TURN SEQUENCE

This game may be played using sequential or simultaneous turns. Simultaneous turns are the preferred system. For each turn (10 minutes of “game time” when used with Alpha Dawn rules) each player will role initiative (autonomous weapons, such as seekers and torpedoes also fit into the initiative roll sequence. All of these weapons will move on the same turn, except for anti-seekers which will move immediately after the other weapons). The lowest roller will then maneuver his ship(s), followed by others up to the winner, who then gets to move and take other actions such as firing weapons. Damage is resolved before the next player fires. The order now reverses and the other players will get to return fire until the lowest roller finally finishes up.

Sequential turns involve no initiative roll. Players move and fire in sequence.

A third option is blind simultaneous movement. In this, the players write down their move (numbered hexes are very useful for this). After verifying the maneuver's legality, movement is complete, weapons fire is resolved in the same manner.

RESOLVING FIRE

'To hit' rolls are made with percentile dice. Base chance to hit for each weapon type, and range modifications are found in the Military Equipment section. After determining a weapons base chance to hit, figure the modified chance based on range and defensive equipment on the target. A roll under this number indicates a hit. If a vessel is in range of a weapon, a roll of 01-05 is always a hit. A roll of 96-00 is always a miss.

After determining a hit, roll on the Damage Effects Table. Modify the roll for certain weapons types. Use the modifier for both the D. E. table and the System Hit table.

DAMAGE EFFECTS TABLE

SYSTEM HITS TABLE

Hull hits can and will cause loss of areas of the ship that may affect function later such as crew areas, hangar and cargo decks etc..., but do not immediately affect combat effectiveness. If a ship reaches 0 hull points, the vessel will no longer have any large pressurized sections, and cannot use engines. Most, if not all systems that require cables or piping will be inoperable even if they are not damaged. In any case, every system on the ship will require a damage control roll to get it back on line. DC will be at 25% normal until the ship has regained at least 1 hull point and auxiliary power. The ship cannot be repaired better than 10% of original hull points, and a vessel without at least 10 hull points (H.S. 2) cannot repair itself. Any ship reduced to 0 H.P. is best scrapped once it reaches a yard. It cannot do an atmospheric or high gravity (above .3) landing safely. Jump fields will be far too out of alignment to operate. Radiation is a huge concern at this point for crew members.

Vessels below 0 H.P. are in pieces. Large ships might have sections with operable equipment, but the whole ship has taken such a shock that it is unlikely anything is worth salvaging. At -1 H.P., they are in two pieces or have had large amounts of material blown away. At -10 they are in little pieces. Crew survival is highly unlikely.

DAMAGE CONTROL

A ship's Damage Control Rating (DCR) is an evaluation of a ship's ability to repair itself. Large ships have more resources, and therefore have higher DCR. The base calculation is 5 x HS. Thus, a Hull size 10 ship will have a DCR of 50. Every ship system, hull point lost, or other damage table effect requires a successful damage control roll to repair. Modern spacecraft have amazing redundancy for wiring and plumbing, and most systems are modular and have decentralized control systems, thus amazingly bad damage can be repaired temporarily by ship's crews. Military ships have a higher DCR due to large crews, and robotic repair systems.

A ship's DCR is utilized in the following manner:

Choose what system or systems you wish to divide your DCR points among to repair that turn. The ship must not use more than 1 ADF while conducting repairs. The system you are working on (individual engine or system) must not be used that turn. Roll percentage dice under the points alloted to that repair to return the system to operable condition or to repair a hull point. Once a system has used a total of repair points equal to it's entire DCR without being successfully repaired, that system or hull point is unrepairable. Another ship docked alongside may utilize up to half of it's DCR on the repair in another attempt .

Special Rules

Fighters

The waves of fighters leaving the carrier were awesome to behold. Dozens of complex machines of death left their moorings to join the fray.....”Dang, this is gonna take all night to play” said Bob. “I better go get another soda and some chips”.

It isn't easy to keep track of 80 individual fighters, and their markers. Rather than tracking each fighter individually, a group of fighters (let's say four to ten fighters) can be grouped into a "wing". These fighters or attack craft maneuver with each other, use the same initiative roll and can even use the same attack roll for all their weapons (on a numeric/type weapon basis). They may also choose to fire individually. They may add defensive fire weapons together for protection against missile and torpedo warheads (a KHV thing). This formation also has another nice defensive feature: The "wing commander" can designate which actual ship is being targeted by enemy fire before the shot is made. This allows the commander to spread the damage or sacrifice as he sees fit.
An example:
5 Kingsnake Heavy Fighters are in a Red Wing. Each Kingsnake is armed with a size 3 Neutron cannon:

Red Wing is making an attack run on Sathar Heavy Cruiser in an effort to draw fire from the Attack Craft wing behind it.
The Sathar ship launched a torpedo to eradicate the whole formation on the turn before. Loosing the initiative roll, the fighter that are at close range are intercepted by the torpedo which releases an expanding cloud of nuclear sub-munitions towards the tiny ships. The Kingsnakes defend as one, and can fire all of their neutron cannons in defensive fire, giving the torpedo a -50 to hit. The Sathar torpedo rolls a miss, and the Kingsnakes proceed on. The Cruiser opens fire with beam weapons firing several large particle cannons and a small laser weapon at them. Taking the lead, Red 2 and 3 draw fire for the whole squadron and are each consumed in turn after each taking two hits each. The remaining fighters streak past the Cruiser. Decelerating at full thrust, the fighters manage to stay in range of their neutron cannons long enough to build another charge. They fire just as the wing of Condor attack craft release their AR's. Co-ordinating fire, the Three neutron cannons all hit. Three separate damage rolls cause significant damage all over the cruiser, complimenting the hideous damage caused by the AR blasts. Return fire from the Cruiser is noticeably weaker....The Frigates move in for the kill...

Use a single marker to represent a fighter wing. Fighters in a wing that break formation during a combat automatically get a -50% to their initiative roll for the next two rounds. Breaking formation must be declared before initiative is rolled.

Atmospheric Combat

One of the roles of Assault Scouts and Osprey Class fighters is to operate out of, and into planetary atmospheres. For the purposes of these rules, maneuvers within the atmosphere are not important. Once a ship has entered an atmosphere (below 100 KM on most inhabitable planets or even higher altitude on low g worlds ,even if they have less atmosphere), it is considered immune to beam weapons fire from space, with the exception of neutron weapons. Similarly, weapons can not be fired out of the atmosphere (except for neutron weapons). All other weapons have their ranges reduced in atmosphere variable to their power and atmospheric density. As a guideline, in 1Bar. of atmospheric pressure, a weapon with a range of 1 hex now has it's range reduced to 5km. Needless to say, this give neutron cannons a huge advantage in atmosphere.

Assault Scouts are not really intended to fight in atmosphere. They are usually used as planetary defense ships, blasting off vertically from the surface to intercept attacking ships. They have P-Jet engines, but not hypersonic fuselages They only spend a couple of minutes in atmosphere as they lift off, and are soon out into space. Aerospace fighters however, are kings of the sky. They use their p-jets in Scramjet mode in oxygen containing atmospheres, and may blaze along at mach 12 or so at high altitudes, and as much as mach 5 at low altitude. They are used to chase or intercept Sathar Landing Craft.

When entering the atmosphere, your speed should be no higher than low orbital speed for that planet, or a little bit more than 1 hex per turn. Any faster and your ship will lose control, or otherwise burn up. If a ship is chasing another ship into the atmosphere, it must enter the atmosphere at the same HEX that the other ship did, or it will simply be far-far away and unable to engage.

Most ZENI/P-JET engine ships entering atmosphere do not do so at high speed. They simply match orbital speed with the rotation of the surface using the ZENI engines and drop straight down into the atmosphere without creating large amounts of friction.

UPF Ship Classes

The UPF Navy has recently undergone a massive modernization program. Old ships have been sold off to planetary militia in special cases, but the larger part of the Navy has been scrapped in favor of brand new standardized ship classes. These new ships are built with easy to upgrade modules, are far easier to maintain, and are the most survivable ship designs ever built. They are far more than hulls with weapons added, such as the early Navy had. They are integrated weapons, with almost supernatural seeming command and control systems. Despite individual excellence, there are many roles the Navy has to fulfill, and many different classes of vessels are required to perform these functions.

Combatant Classes:

Prenglar Class Dreadnought

Number in class: 4 (Prenglar, Cassidine, Fromeltar, K'aken-Kar)

H.S. 10; H.P. 100; D.C.R. 95 (x2); ADF 3

Crew: 80 - 100, Flag Crew 35, 1000 troop berthing capacity.

Defenses: S.A 20%, A.S. Hull, S.C. Coating, exterior and interior automated anti-personnel weapons.

Weapons: (4) MD; (20) SM (various warheads); (5) TT; (1) size 10 NC; (1) size 10 LC; (1) size 10 LB; (2) size 6 EB; (2) size 6 PB; (10) size 4 LB.

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 6,000,000 km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

These ships do not carry extensive lab equipment but are known to have multiple probes aboard. Ostensibly these are assumed to be detection probes for increasing detection range.

Hangar: (4) size 2 “Incisor” class Troop Shuttles; (6) Workpods, (2) Lifeboat capable station cars

NOTES: This class of ship is intended to be a command and control ship. They have armament to assist in planetary assaults (size 10 NC and TT's) but are envisioned as defensive control ships. They are fast enough to keep up with the rest of the fleet, but are expensive to operate. They have yet to be tried in actual fleet action, and their effectiveness is a matter of theory. They have the most powerful active sensors ever built by the UPF, and do not require many probes to establish a watch around even a Jovian type planet/moon system. These ships are the showcases of UPF technology and are likely to have very advanced classified systems aboard. They have incredibly advanced damage control systems and theoretically can recover from damage that would have been the doom of any previous warship design.

Hargut Class Cruiser

Number in class: 20 (Named for populated UPF planets)

H.S. 7; HP 80; DCR 80(X2); ADF 3

Crew: 65-80: Flag Crew- 20, Troop berthing 250

Defenses: 20% S.A.; RH; GS

Weapons: (2) MD; (4) TT; (8) SM; (1) size 10 LC; (1) size 8 LB; (2) size 5 EB; (2) size 5 PB; (4) size 4 LB

Communications and Detection Systems: LRR and LRES to 1,000,000 (plus probes) All standard military comm equipment.

Hangar: (3) size 2 “Incisor” class Troop Shuttles, (2) Work Pods, (1) Lifeboat/Station car

NOTES: These vessels are intended as space superiority ships. They are intended to center direct assaults on enemy fleets, and have the ability to defend against multiple contacts. They are very modern, and can actually be operated by very few crew. This enables the crew to keep the vessel at full alert status at all times, as well as allowing for very large repair parties.

Dramune Class Destroyer

Number in class: 32 (+8 in contract, named for UPF solar systems and persons of note)

H.S. 5; H.P. 42; DCR 80; ADF 4

Crew: 30 - 38, Troop Berthing 15

Defenses: 20% S.A.; S.C. Coating

Weapons: (1) MD; (2) T.T.; (10) S.M.; size 4 N.C.; size 6 P.C.; (4) size 3 L.B.

Sensors: LRR to 800,000km, LRES to 1, 500,000km. All standard Comm equipment.

Hangar: (1) size 1 p-jet shuttle; (1) Workpod; (1) Lifeboat

NOTES: This is a new class of Destroyer intended to counter the new Sathar tendency to utilize capital ships. The previous class utilizes energy weapons, and was intended as a patrol ship, and as an escort to the old Light Cruiser Class. This vessel fills the need for a heavy support ship and compliments the Port Loren class when working in fleet operations. It is, however a much more expensive vessel than the slower Port Loren Class.

Port Loren Class Destroyer (older class)

Number in class: 31 (named for major UPF cities)

H.S. 5; HP 36; DCR 70; ADF 2

Crew: 35

Defenses: 10% SA; GS

Weapons: (1) TT; size 7 LC; (6) size 3 LB

Sensors: LRR and LRES to 600,000km

Hangar: (1) size 1 shuttle; (1) “Hawk” Class Fighter; (1) Workpod

NOTES: This is the only class of ship to survive the latest round of modernization. They are deemed to be of high value, despite a lower theoretical survivability than the new classes. They are recognized performers, and are heavily battle-tested. How well they perform in the new fleet is a concern due to their slow acceleration. In the Fleet, they are referred to as “Gunboats” and are likely to see many more years of service in light of the new threats in the Frontier Sector

Huan-Ti Class Frigate

Number in Class: 65 (+50) (named for major moons and satellites)

HS 4; HP 45; DCR 50; ADF 4

Crew: 13 ; Troop berthing 5

Defenses: 20% SA SC coating

Weapons: (6) SM; (2) sz 4 LB; (1) sz 4 EC

Sensors: LRR and LRES to 800,000 KM; (2) probes

Hangar: (1) sz 1 p-jet shuttle

Notes: For patrol and general operation, this class is the mainstay of the Frontier sector Fleet. A small compliment of troops, diplomats, scientists or explorers may embark onboard. These ships replace less well-armed, slower frigates, yet retain the same low-cost of operation that made the previous class so useful. Eventually 150 of these vessels will be manufactured.

Spear Class Assault Scout

Number in Class: 340 (named variously, most of which are named for some type of archaic weapon)

HS 3; HP 15; DCR 20; ADF 5 (ADF 4 with SM loaded)

Crew: 5

Defenses: 20% SA; GS; RH

Weapons: (1) SM; (1) sz 4 LC; (1) sz 2 LB

Sensors: LRR and LRES to 500,000KM

Notes: Equipped with P-Jets and control surfaces, this vessel may make high gee atmospheric landings. Most of this class are retained as planet-based defensive craft, but many also operate as active fleet elements as well as independent patrol craft. This class has numerous variants and is used for a variety of missions. It is the smallest jump-capable UPF Warship.

Kingsnake Class Fighter

Number in class: 180 (open contract)

HS 2; HP 10; DCR 10; ADF 6

Crew: 2

Defenses: RH

Weapons: (1) sz 3 NC

Sensors: LRR to 500,000 km; LRES to 100,000 km

Notes: These are carrier and station-based space superiority fighters. They attack enemy fighters and independent weapons and threaten support vessels. They are not atmospheric craft. The cockpit ejects as a small life-boat.

Condor Class Attack Fighter

Number in class: 60

HS 2; HP 10; DCR 10; ADF 4 (5 after launching 1 AR)

Crew: 2

Defenses: RH

Weapons: (1) sz 3 LB; (2) AR

Sensors: LRR to 500.000 km; LRES to 100,000 km

Notes: As an attack craft, they are used to destroy weakly defended, slow, or damaged capital ships. They operate in loose formations and coordinate attacks.

Osprey Class Aerospace Fighter

Number in class: 220

HS 1; HP 5; DCR 5; ADF 4

Crew: 1

Defenses: SC

Weapons: (1) sz 3 NC

Sensors: LRR to 200,000 km; High resolution atmospheric sensors

Notes: These ships are equipped with high-performance P-jets and have full aerospace hulls for high and low speed operation. They can chase craft down into an atmosphere or dense gas cloud. Some of this class have gas collectors for use in and around gas giants with appropriate atmospheres for re-fueling.

Knight Hawk Class Interceptor

Number in class: 80

HS 1; HP 5; DCR 5; ADF 8

Crew: 1

Defenses: RH

Weapons: (2) sz 2 LC

Sensors: LRR to 250,000 km

Notes: This is the fastest warship known. There are faster vessels in existence, but none (even AI controlled) have the endurance these ships do. Eventually they can chase down anything. They are vital in defending against large numbers of missiles.

Incisor class Troop Shuttle

Number in class: 250

HS 2; HP 10; DCR 10; ADF 4

Crew: 2 Troop Landing capacity: 150 Liftoff: 50

Defenses: RH

Weapons: (1) sz 1 LB

Sensors: LRR to 500.000 km; LRES to 100,000 km

Notes: These ships may be rigged for landing troops or heavy equipment. They can land a lot of equipment that they can't get back into orbit. They must be re-fueled for each trip. They do have decent operational p-jet range in most terrestrial atmospheres even when loaded. They may perform parachute drops from ultra high (90km) altitude without using much p-jet fuel. One hundred troops outfitted for high altitude insertion may embarked. There is a wide variety of land and atmospheric equipment that may be landed, dropped, or inserted by these vessels.

Tartarus Class Carrier

Number in class: 4 (Tartarus, Drobque, Vss-Tangk, Yargoth)

H.S. 13; H.P. 65; D.C.R. 90; ADF 2-4

Crew: 450, Flag Crew 35, 3000 troop berthing capacity.

Defenses: S.A 20%,

Weapons: (4) MD (2) size 6 EB; (2) size 6 PB; (8) size 4 LB.

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 6,000,000 km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

Hangar: (20) “Incisor” class, (10) "Knight Hawk" Class, (10) "Osprey" Class, (20) "Condor" Class, (10) "Kingsnake" Class (10) Workpods, (10) Lifeboat capable station cars

NOTES: These ships are heavily modified modular cargo freighters. They have been in service for decades and have seen many refinements in their capacity to launch, recover and re-fit fighter craft. They perform service both as Fleet action carriers, as well as landing assault carriers. The actual fighter compliment varies greatly depending on the current mission of the carrier, but one of the Navy's policies is to keep these vessels outfitted and ready to deploy at any time. There are only four carriers of this size in the fleet, but the crews are rotated regularly and the ships are always on reaction status. The assault scout class alleviates the need for a larger carrier force.

Defender Class Escort Carrier

Number in class: 16 +2

H.S. 9; H.P. 45; D.C.R. 70; ADF 2-4

Crew: 150, Flag Crew 20, 700 troop berthing capacity.

Defenses: S.A 20%,

Weapons: (1) MD (1) size 6 EB; (1) size 6 PB; (4) size 4 LB; (8) size 1 LB.

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 6,000,000 km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

Hangar: 16 Modular bays each capable of holding (1) sz 2 ship, or (2) size 1 interceptor fighters. (6) Kingsnake Fighters and 20 Knighthawks represents the typical compliment of fighters when on escort duty, but the compliment varies widely in other roles. These ships are purpose-built carriers. The current contract for these vessels calls for two more to be constructed, but in the face of potential escalating Sathar threat, as many as 20 more may be ordered.

Sathar Naval Forces

Known Sathar Designs:

Alpha Mod 2 Heavy Cruiser

Number in class: 7 (known to exist) Speculations vary as to total.

H.S. 8; H.P. 64; D.C.R. 90; ADF 2

Crew: 100+, 300 troop berthing capacity.

Known Defenses: S.A 10%, RH

Known Weapons: (10) TT, (1) size 9 NC, (2) size 7 LB (4) size 5 EB (4) size 5 PB (8) size 1 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 4,000,000 km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

Hangar: May accommodate approximately 6 hull points of size 1 or 2 craft.

NOTES: The “MOD 2” version of the Sathar Heavy Cruiser was noted during the second Sathar War. The original version was much more in tune with planetary assault tactics. The newer version is now equipped to handle space superiority duties as well as planetary assault. It is likely that the Sathar still have some of the older versions on duty elsewhere in their empire, but none have been seen in Frontier space for many years. It is likely that these vessels carry orbit-denial weapons as well as various probes and tactical atmospheric assault weapons.

Bravo Mods 3,4, & 5 Light Cruiser

Number in class: 18 (known to exist)

H.S. 7 H.P. 56; D.C.R. 75; ADF 2

Crew: 80+ 100 troop berthing capacity.

Known Defenses: S.A 10%, RH, GS

Known Weapons: (4) TT, (1) size 7 NC, (2) size 5 LB (2) size 5 EB (2) size 5 PB (6) size 1 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 4,000,000 km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

Hangar: May accommodate approximately 4 hull points of size 1 or 2 craft. Slight modifications have been made to various units of this class, but the performance of all currently known to exist appears to be about the same

Charlie Mark 2, Mod 2 Destroyer

Number in class: 52 (-known to exist. Possibly hundreds)

H.S. 6 H.P.42 ; D.C.R.50 ; ADF 3

Crew: 50 (includes embarked Marines)

Known Defenses: S.A 10%, RH, GS

Known Weapons: (1) TT, (2) sz 5 LC, (1) sz 5 LB, (2) sz 3 NC, (4) sz 1 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 300,000 km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

Hangar: (1) sz 2 armed shuttle w/ (1) sz 1 NB and 25 troop capacity, and one lifeboat.

Notes: These ships are the mainstay of the Sathar fleet much as the Frigate is in the UPF Fleet. 52 of these vessels have been cataloged, so the actual total is likely to be very much higher. This is the most up-to-date full size warship in the Sathar Fleet, and other versions of this hull are assumed to exist. There is very likely a Mod 3 version with larger more efficient engines.

Delta Mod 2 Destroyer Escort

Number in class: 20 (known to exist)

H.S. 5 H.P.35 ; D.C.R. 40; ADF 4

Crew: 30

Known Defenses: S.A 10%, RH, GS

Known Weapons: (1) sz 5 NC, (2) sz 3 LB, (2) sz 1 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 300,000km; Subspace radio, all standard military communications equipment.

Hangar: (1) size 1 Interceptor Fighter

Notes: This is a far less common vessel than the Destroyer class. Roughly analogous to the UPF Frigate, it is a fast, well armed ship. It has far less firepower than the Destroyer class the Sathar prefer, but is far more maneuverable.

Echo Mod 3 Corvette

Number in class: 2 (known to exist)

H.S. 4 H.P. 20; D.C.R. 20; ADF6

Crew: 12 (estimated)

Known Defenses: RH

Known Weapons: (1) sz 4 LC, (1) sz 4 LB

Communications and detection systems: Unknown

Hangar: Unknown

Notes: While Corvette class combatants have been seen among the Sathar fleet before, they have never been very impressive in performance. Generally speaking they have been special purpose craft and are apparently few in number. Recently, however, these new ships have been reported a multitude of times, though only two have been verified and cataloged. This class has been given the designation “Echo Mod 3” even though it is likely a new class and has no relationship to the old Sathar corvette design. If it becomes produced on a large scale, it would be a long expected countermeasure to the successful UPF Assault Scout class. These ships armaments are certainly adequate especially when combined with the ships outstanding acceleration capability. The ship lacks the ability to perform in atmosphere, but it can certainly out-run and perhaps out-gun an Assault Scout in a space superiority role.

It will likely be a long time before more is known about the capabilities of these ships.

Foxtrot Class Heavy Fighter

Number in class: 200+ (known to exist)

H.S. 2 H.P. 10; D.C.R. 10; ADF 6

Crew: 4

Known Defenses: RH

Known Weapons: (2) sz 2 LC

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 100,000km

Notes: This is the same fighter that saw duty in the First Sathar War. It is still a fast and capable fighter as an interceptor or defensive cover fighter.

Golf Class Attack Craft

Number in class: 100+ (known to exist)

H.S. 2 H.P. 10; D.C.R. 10; ADF 4 (emergency boosters give ADF 5 when launching AR's)

Crew: 4

Known Defenses: RH

Known Weapons: (2) AR, (1) sz 1 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 100,000km

Notes: This vessel first appeared after the Second Sathar War. The AR's they carry are a close copy of the UPF version. The ships themselves are barely capable of carrying two AR's however. The engines are minimal for accelerating away from the weapons fast enough for safety. Chemical booster packs are used to provide a temporary ADF of 5 for the first AR launch. After launching the second weapon, the craft will have an ADF of 5. These boosters must be re-equipped when re-arming the spacecraft and takes twice as long to re-arm as UPF attack craft.

Hotel Class Mark 2 Aerospace Fighter

Number in class: 80 + (Actual numbers assumed to be far higher)

H.S. 1 H.P. 5; D.C.R. 5; ADF 4

Crew: 2

Known Defenses: Stealth, Chameleon field

Known Weapons: (1) sz 2 NC

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 100,000km

Notes: These fighters also carry tactical weapons for ground attack and ground support missions when operating in atmosphere.

India Class Armed Shuttle

Number in class: Possibly thousands

H.S. 2 H.P. 10; D.C.R. 10; ADF 3

Crew: 4 Troop Capacity: 125 troops w/combat gear

Known Defenses: RH, GS

Known Weapons: (1) sz 1 NB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 100,000km

Notes: This is the standard assault landing shuttle of the Sathar Marine forces.

Juliet Class Heavy Transport Lander

Number in class: 55 (known to exist, probably far more)

H.S. 3 H.P. 15; D.C.R. 20; ADF 3

Crew: 4

Known Defenses: RH, Chameleon screen, GS

Known Weapons: (1) sz 2 NB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 100,000km

Notes: Has jump and landing capability. It may land two main line hover tanks and troops, or up to 150 armed troops. It may transport up to 75 troops from out of system.

Kilo Class Armed Transport

Number in class: 15+ (known to exist)

H.S. 10 H.P. 50; D.C.R. 70; ADF 3

Crew: 30

Known Defenses: RH, GS

Known Weapons: (4) sz 3 Lb

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 300,000km

Notes: Carries Troops, equipment, supplies, fuel, munitions etc. Probably embarks around 15,000 troops with gear.

Lima Mod 1 Assault Carrier

Number in class: 2 (known to exist)

H.S. 10 H.P. 60; D.C.R. 70; ADF 2

Crew: 400

Known Defenses: GS

Known Weapons: (1) sz 9 NC, (6) sz 3 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 1,000,000km

Hanger: Carries 20 India class shuttles and troops.

Notes: No Sathar Carrier has ever been directly engaged, but from the numbers of shuttles employed by the Sathar during the last War, at least eleven of these vessels were present.

Lima Mod 2 Carrier

Number in class: 1+ (known to exist, The existence of up to 8 are inferred)

H.S. 10 H.P. 75; D.C.R. 10; ADF 2

Crew: 400

Known Defenses: GS

Known Weapons: (6) sz 3 LB, (16) sz 1 LB

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 1,000,000km

Hanger: Up to 40 hull points of fighters and shuttles. Normal array might include 5 India shuttles, 5 Hotel fighters, 5 Golf Attack craft, 12 Foxtrot Fighters, and a size 1 p-jet shuttle

Mike Class Minelayer

Number in class: 1+ (known to exist)

H.S. 5 H.P. 25; D.C.R. 30; ADF 4

Crew: 20

Known Defenses: RH

Known Weapons: (2) sz 3 LB, Orbit denial munitions

Communications and detection systems: LRR and LRES out to 100,000 km

Notes: This ship is capable of releasing millions of tiny munitions into orbit around a planet, making approaching the planet (or leaving) very dangerous. Without the minelayer actually present, any craft passing through a mined terrestrial-sized planet's Low Orbit area to the surface will take 1d10 hull damage and receive a system hit. If the Minelayer is present , the “smart” elements of the minefield are directed to alter orbit and the damage is rolled twice. It is suicide for a craft to stay in a mined orbit.

SHIP TYPE OR MISSION: BUDGET:

EQUIPMENT

CARGO HOLDS AND DOCKING BAYS:

Minimum Hull Volume:____________ m³

Airframe Hull volume allowance: (20%)___________m³

Hull Reinforcement allowance:_____________m³

Hull Volume:_______________m³ (Total Volume)

Desired ADF: _______

Initial Hull Mass: (4+ADF)volume/1000=__________tons

Total Hull Mass: (Initial Hull Mass x 1 + % Hull Reinforcement)___________tons

Basic Hull Cost: (((ADF x 25) + 50) x Hull Volume)_______________.cr

Total Hull Cost: (Basic Hull cost x Reinforcement Cost x Autoseal Cost)______________.cr

P-JET CALCULATIONS

1. Let A = Mass of Hull, Equipment, and Cargo mass capacity...............................................A=______________tons

2. Let B = A/10. B = Initial Fuel Mass....................................................................................B=______________tons

3. For a second load of fuel, calculate C. C = B times 1.1......................................................C=______________tons

4. For a third load of fuel, calculate D. D = C times 1.1...........................................................D=______________tons

5. Calculate additional fuel loads by multiplying the previous value times 1.1

6. Let X equal the total of all above values in metric tons.........................................................X=_____________tons

7. X = volume of P-Jet engines in m³ ..................................................................P-Jet Volume=_____________m³

8.X x 2 = volume of P-jet Fuel in m³............................................................P-Jet Fuel Volume=______________ m³

8. P-Jet Volume/10 = P-Jet Engine Mass in Tons.......................................P-Jet Engine Mass=_____________tons

9. Total all loads of fuel. (Note: you will use the largest fuel load first!).............P-Jet Fuel Mass=____________tons

10. Let P-Jet Cost = P-JET Engine Mass times 25,000 ..........................................P-Jet Cost=____________cr.

11. Let P-Jet Fuel Cost = P-Jet Fuel Mass times 100.................................... P-Jet Fuel Cost=____________cr.

ZENI ENGINE CALCULATIONS

1. Let Y = X + P-Jet Engine Mass ........................................................................................Y=____________tons

2. Let ZENIE Mass = (Y/10) times Desired ADF.......................................................ZENIE Mass=___________tons

3. Let ZENIE Mass times 4 = ZENIE VOLUME......................................................ZENIE VOLUME=___________m³

4. Let Y + ZENIE Mass = TOTAL MASS................................................................ TOTAL MASS=__________tons

5. Let ZENIE COST = ZENIE MASS times 2500......................................................ZENIE COST=_____________cr

6. Federanium Fuel Mass for one jump per ADF of engines is included in the ZENIE MASS and ZENIE COST. A ship with 1 ADF (1 gee) engine capacity can make one jump, a ship with ADF 2 can make 2 jumps etc... Any fuel beyond this must be accounted for in the ship's cargo allowance. To find how much fuel accelerating and decelerating to jump speed burns, divide TOTAL MASS/125. This is how many tons of Federanium the ship will use each jump. Additional Federanium must be included in the ship's cargo allowance. Extra Fuel and replacement fuel costs 10,000cr per ton.

Final Calculations:

Hull Size (Hull Volume + P-Jet Volume + P-Jet Fuel Volume + ZENI Volume/sqrt):___________

Hull Points: (Hull Size x 5) x (1+reinforcement %)________HP

ADF: ____

System Armor:_______%

Cost Subtotal: (Equipment cost + Hull Cost + P-Jet Cost + ZENI Cost)________________cr

Total cost: (Subtotal + System Armor Cost Modifier)___________________cr