From: Geoffrey Stewart <Geoffrey_Stewart@u...>
Date: Tue, 15 Oct 1996 17:25:47 -0400
Subject: B5 FT Adaptations (Long)
Hello
quite some while ago I placed some B5 adaptations on this group, and they
eventually found their way on to Mr Seifert's excellent Unofficial FT Page.
SInce that time I have had the advantage of seeing much more of B5 (up to War
Without End Part II), as a result of this, some discussions on this group,
more thinking, and much more playtesting, the rules have completely changed.
These adaptations are much better than my previous ones, and make for a
cracker of a game. Please read them, I welcome any comments. My reasons for
some of the descisions I made are discuussed at the back in the designers
notes, so I won't repeat them here. I've enclosed them in a text file, I hope
it is readable.
Cheers Geoffrey Stewart "Stay close to the Vorlon"
<<<<<< Attached TEXT file named "B5 FT Adaptations " follows >>>>>> B5 Full
Thrust Adaptations
"It was the dawn of the Third Age of Mankind.......", so begins the title
sequence to the outstanding TV series Babylon 5; full of intrigue and wonder,
interesting characters, an epic sweep, and intense space combat.These rules
are intended as a supplement to Full Thrust, to allow the recreation of space
combat in the B5 universe.
FT Rules Used All the rules of FT will apply unless specifically exempted or
altered, as will be expained at the appropriate place.
MT Optional Rules Used These adaptations assume the use of some of the MT
optional rules, as will be expained in their places. They are: *Fighter group
morale *Scrambling fighter groups *Aces and turkeys * Boarding *Damage control
Tech levels The diverse powers in the B5 universe can be grouped into three
tech levels, of increasing sophistication. Each tech level represents a
quantum jump over those below it. The various powers can be grouped into three
groups, as follows:
Tech Level 1 EA, Narn, Centauri(+), Non Aligned Worlds,
Raiders
Tech Level 2 Mimbari, Mimbari/Vorlon Hybrids (+)
Tech Level 3 Vorlons, Ancient Ones, Shadows (+)
The significance of these levels in game terms in outlined below. Note that a
(+) means that the power is advanced for that tech level, and will have
some characteristics of the next tech level.
Tech Level 1
All weapons do damage as per the FT rules, 3 PDAF can be grouped to
make one screen (see below), they use standard drives, and thus the normal
manoeuvre rules apply. Screens cannot be used. They have 1D6 stealth
technology. Beams can only be axially mounted. Tech level 1(+) powers
have
better drives, such ships can use half + 1 of their thrust to turn, and
most weapons do a die extra damage, especially at closer ranges. Anti stealth
or
stealth at 1D6 +2.
Tech Level 2. All standard weapons can do up to two extra dice damage,
particularly at close
range, 2 PDAF can be grouped to make one screen, all PDAF add +1 to all
rolls, ships have improved drives, and can thus use all their thrust to turn.
Screens cannot be used, but Level 1 armour can. Fitting limits are increased,
up to 75% of mass. Stealth level is 2D6. Tech level 2(+) powers have
Anti
stealth or stealth at 2D6+2, and can have Level 3 armour.
Tech Level 3 The great powers, the Shadows, Vorlons, First Ones and Ancient
Ones, have technology far beyond human comprehension and power. All standard
weapons do 2x damage, and their range is increased by 50%, 1 PDAF can be used
to make
one screen, all PDAF add +2 to all rolls, they use improved drives, and
thus ships can use all their thrust to turn, and have armour up to Level 4.
Fitting limits are increased, up to 75% of mass. Stealth level 3D6. Tech Level
3(+) powers have inertialess drives.
Tech Level Summary
Weapon Damage Fitting Tech Level Range PDAF Stealth Drive Points Limit
1 Standard 3 1D6 Normal Mass/3 50%
1(+) Standard 3 1D6+2 Enhanced Mass/3
50%
2 Standard 2 2D6 Superior Mass/2
50%
2(+) Standard 2 2D6+2 Superior Mass/2
75%
3 Standard +50% 1 3D6 Superior Mass/2
75%
3(+) Standard +50% 1 3D6+2 Inertialess Mass/2
75%
Weapons
The following offensive weapons have been seen in the B5 universe, and can be
used. Note that some standard weapons work slightly differently, some have
been renamed, and there are some new weapons.
Batteries ( FT "Beams") These Sub Light Bolt Projectors are widely used, and
fire a bolt of
energy /
particles at their target, they travel sufficiently slowly they can be
targeted and destroyed by defensive projectors. The rate of fire seems to vary
based on type and size, some fire an almost continuous stream, others fire
large bolts at a much slower rate. These are best simulated by the standard
beam weapons in FT. Mass as per FT. The damage and range depend on Tech Level,
as below:
-------------- Dice Damage per Range Band -------------
Tech Level A B C PDAF Needle Range
1 3/2/1 2/1 1 - - x1
1(+) 4/3/1 3/1 1 - - x1
2 5/4/2 3/2 2 - - x1
3 6/4/2 4/2 2 - - x1.5
Beams (no FT equivalent) These weapons fire a beam of energy at light speed,
in the case of the Vorlons and Shadows it is so powerful it destroys whatever
it hits. The Narn and EA also have a similar weapon, which seems less
energetic, and is axially mounted. These are best simulated by a new weapon,
which I shall call Beams. Axially mounted Beams can't be used as PDAF, and
have a fire arc of 60
degrees. that is 9-11 to the front, and 5-3 to the rear. They have the
same range and range bands as a corresponding battery weapon of that type and
tech level. Their capabilites are listed below:
-------------- Dice Damage -------------
Tech Level A B C PDAF Needle
1 3/2/1 2/1 1 1 -
1(+) 4/2/1 3/1 1 2 6
2 4/3/2 3/2 2 3 5,6
3 6/4/2 4/2 2 5 3,4,5,6
Notes PDAF: How many PDAF's a beam of that tech level can count as Needle: The
score it needs to disable a system if used as a needle
beam
PDAF used as screens are ineffective against these weapons, however, armour is
effective against them. Each weapon can act each turn as one of: * an ordinary
weapon (rolls standard damage dice as above), * a needle beam (needs a Firecon
per Beam so used), and only then at short range for that beam * as a PDAF
(needs a Firecon if any Beams are so used), but only against fighters in arc
of the Beam The needle beam column lists the number it needs to hit as a
needle beam, the PDAF column is how many standard PDAF systems it counts as,
if used in this role they do not get the PDAF tech level bonus. Mass is the
same as a battery of that type.
Multi Modal These weapons can fire as either a battery or a beam, and is
nominated at the time of firing.
Mass Drivers The Narn use a projector that fires a nuclear device which
detonates near enemy ships, the device seems to be a mass driver of some kind
(see below). The Cenaturi also use mass drivers to bombard the Narn home
world, these fire large chunks of asteroids, and while a devastating weapon
for planetary bombardments would be ineffective as an anti ship weapon.
Energy Mine (EM) These Narn weapons are rather hard to classify, so for the
sake of simplicity they are treated exactly as missiles except they can move
up to 24" a turn. Their speed is nominated at launch, and it can't be altered.
Thus they could have any speed from 0 to 24".
Needle Beams Some weapons can act as needle beams, they operate as per FT
except certain systems can't targeted, namely the Reactors and the Jump
Engine.
PDAF
Can be fired as an offensive weapon, with a 6" range, doing 1D-1 damage,
they cannot also act as screen, or engage fighters in the same turn. In other
words, each turn they can do one of: * Be grouped to act a screens * Be used
as an anti fighter defence * Be used as a close range weapon
Defensive Systems The available defensive systems are PDAFs, batteries or
beams used in an anti fighter role, stealth and armour.
PDAF A PDAF is a small rapidly firing projector which disrupts the incoming
energy bolts. Each PDAF can be grouped as part of a group which counts as a
screen, the tech level chart indicates how many PDAF are need to make a
screen. If there aren't enough to act as a screen, then they cannot be used in
this role. If as a result of damage there are insufficient PDAF left to form a
screen, the excess can be used to shoot at any targets in range. They can also
be used as a close in weapon, or as an anti fighter weapon, of course. They
must be allocated each turn,as per the turn sequence.
Beams Each beam can also be used as PDAF, that is, an anti fighter weapon. The
Beam Table indicates how many each counts as, the size of the Beam is
irrelevant. They must be allocated to this role each turn,as per the turn
sequence. When so used, they ignore the fighter's defence factor. If so used,
a single firecon must be allocated, which will handle all Beam weapons
assigned as anti fighter defences that turn. If a Beam is assigned as a PDAF,
it can only be used in that role, and not as a screen or a close in weapon.
When used in this role they have the same range as a PDAF ie 6"
Batteries A,B, and C batteries can fire at fighters, as follows. A single
firecon must be allocated, which will handle all battery weapons assigned as
anti fighter defences that turn.The battery can shoot to the limit of their
range, C's score a hit on a 5 or 6, A's and B's need a 6. When used in this
way, the fighter's defence is ignored, and, regardless of range or tech level,
each weapon rolls one dice. For each tech level past 1, add 1 to the die roll.
Stealth Some powers have stealth, and a stealth equipped ship cannot be shot
at until it's stealth is overcome. This is done by a simple contested dice
roll, rolling a number of dice equal to the Tech level of the ships, if the
targeting ship's roll exceeds the target, it has overcome the stealth and can
lock on. The stealth level, if any, will be indicated for each ship. Tech
level 1 powers can't have stealth, their stealth level is used to defeat enemy
stealth. If several ships (or fighter groups) are targeting a single enemy
ship (or fighter group) the enemy only makes one roll, each friendly ships (or
fighter groups) rolls individually, any that exceed the roll may fire. If
Firing ships (or fighter groups) are within 3" of the target vessel, they
ignore stealth and may fire as normal. Modification to stealth rolls:
* Dogfighting fighters +1
* Firing ships are within 12" of the target vessel +2
Armour The Tech level 3 powers have intelligent organic armour, which can
learn and adapt to resist a wide range of weapons. The armour acts as per FT
rules, as well, Tech Level 2 powers have limited armour technology, and use
Level 1
armour. Tech Level 2+ powers can use Level 3 armour, and higher tech
levels can use up to level 4 armour (to score a hit, a 6 must be followed by a
4,5,6)
Drives There are thre(3) kinds of drives, reflecting the tech level of the
owner, as follows: Tech Level Drive Effect 1 Ordinary As per FT standard
drives, ei can turn up to half thrust rating
1+ Enhanced Can turn up to half thrust
rating + 1
2,3 Superior Can turn up to all Thrust rating
3+ Inertialless Can turn up to all Thrust rating
at no cost in
thrust
Movement With the exceptions noted above for drive types, ships manoeuvre as
per FT rules.
Jump Engines These rules replace those in FT. Any ship with a jump engine is
capable of opening a jump point, as follows: * If a jump point is to be
opened, it must be nominated when movement orders are written.
* A jump point can be opened anywhere within 12 - 24", and is
placed on table as per the turn sequence (ei at end of turn after movement). *
The opening ship can keep the point open as long as desired, but it uses a lot
of energy, each turn the jump point is open, the ship can only use half its
weapons (all PDAF count as one weapon for this calculation) or half its drive
* Any ship may enter the newly opened jump point during any subsequent turn's
movement phase * If a jump engine is hit and not repaired at the end of the
turn, the jump point collapses, and any ship on a collapsing jump point is
destroyed. * A ship crossing a jump point does not enter unless the player so
nominated.
In simple terms, jump points work this way. On any particular turn, a ship
nominates it will open a jump point. Provided it's jump engines are still
intact at the end of the turn, the jump point is placed anywhere within
12-24". The ship can then, next turn, as part of it's movement move onto
the jump point, and into hyperspace, as can other ships.
Fighters Fighters are handled very differently to the FT rules. Each group of
six fighters is considered a special small ship with six hull boxes, and thus
can accelerate, and manoeuvre etc as any other ships, except they can allocate
up to 12 thrust to turn, thus they could do a 360 deg turn, and they turn by
quarters. They will need to have their own ship sheet each as per other ships.
Although they have hull boxes, they never need to do threshold checks, as each
time a fighter is lost a box is crossed off. Each fighter type is rated as
below:
Type Move DF AF Defence Antiship Ndle Notes Starfury 12" 2 0 1 0 6
(1)
Thunderbolt 12" 2 0 1 0 6
(1)
Raiders 10" 1 0 0 1 5
(1)
Mimbari 16" 3 1 1 0 5 Cenaturi Falcon 14" 2 1 0 0 6
(3)
Narn Heavy 10" 1 0 1 1 5 Shadows 16" 3 2 3 1 2 Vorlons 16" 3 3 3 1 2
Type: Obvious Move: Obvious, note that because they are treated as ships,
fighter groups can accelerate and decelerate, and achieve very high speeds.
All fighters can turn up to 12, note that a turn of 12 will bring them back to
where they started from. DF Dogfighting factor, the number added to the D6
rolled in dogfights. AF Attack factor, the number added to each standard
damage dice when attacking other fighters Defence How tough each fighter is.
This number is subtracted from the
attack roll
Anti ship The number added to each standard damage dice when attacking ships,
not fighter groups. It is also added to their needle attacks, if any. Needle
The number each half group needs when doing needle attacks.
Notes (1) Can fly through atmospheres (3) Centauri often do high G manoeuvres
to get into a good firing position. Any turn their player may nominate they
will do this, they add one to their DF roll, but on the subsequent turn they
subtract one from their DF.
Fighter Endurance Both for movement and attacking, fighters have unlimited
endurance.
Launching Fighters Fighters are launched as per FT, with the following
additions.On the turn they are launched, the fighter moves up to it's movement
factor from the launching ship, on the next turn their starting speed is the
speed of the launching ship
+ their launching speed. EG "The Churchill" , travelling at 16",
launches its Starfuries, which are moved 12" from the ship. Next turn the
Starfuries'
starting speed is 16+12 = 28". The fighters could also elect to move
only 2"
from the ship, so next turn the Starfuries' starting speed would 16+2 =
18".
If the fighters are to fight the turn the are launched, use the Scrambling
rules on page 11 of MT.
Dogfighting When two or more hostile groups of fighters meet, that is, pass or
are within 6" of each other, a dogfight may ensue. Fighters that pass within
6" of other fighters may elect to engage them in dogfight, movement may have
to be prorated to determine this. The player with the initiative has the first
option to declare a dogfight, then their opponent. The player initiating
combat may have any number of his fighter groups initiate a dogfight, up to a
limit of one fighter group attacking three enemy fighter groups. The opposing
fighter groups are paired off, with any excess being allocated a evenly as
possible. It is not possible to have more than three groups fighting one. Each
group of fighters then roll a dice and add their DF factor, the highest shoots
first. Ties shoot simultaneously, except in such a case an ace shoots first.
Each group rolls a die per fighter in the group, and adds their AF to each
die, and subtracts the opponents DF. If a 4,5, or 6 is scored, one enemy
fighter is destroyed, and their hull box is crossed off.
One round of combat is fought each turn, at the end of which a morale check is
taken by all fighter groups in the dogfight that suffered a loss that round. A
fighter group that fails it's third consecutive morale check must break off
immediately. AT the end of any round a group of fighters may elect to break
off, or this may be mandated by a failed morale test. A group that is faster
than it's opponents breaks off without loss. They are moved one basic move
away. If they are not faster they must immediately make a DF roll v their
opponents, if they win they escape without loss, if they lose, their opponents
get a free shot at them as they break off. If one side has more fighter groups
in a combat than it's opponents, the surplus groups may elect to break off at
the end of the round, moving a basic move away in any direction. These always
break off without loss, even if slower than their opponents Once a dogfight is
over, any surviving fighters start the next turn with a speed of zero.
Fighters groups can attack any ship that is in their forward arc and within 6
inches.They can either attack as normal, or as a needle beam. In the latter
case, each three fighters or part thereof gets one roll, thus a group with
four or more fighters left gets two rolls They need a 6, modified as follows:
+ their anti ship factor
+ their TL - 1
Regardless of any modifications, a 1 is always a miss and a 6 is always a hit.
These are already factored into the needle score given in the Fighter Table.
Morale Fighters check morale as per MT, but subtract a modifier for the
mission level from the roll (see Ramming rules). They must check morale each
time they lose fighters, in the case of losses taken from batteries shooting,
the group has no compulsory reaction, but this does count as a failed test. If
they fail their third consecutive test, they must flee. Fleeing fighters
return to their parent vessel, if that is destroyed, the nearest, if there are
none, they flee off board. Each turn a fleeing group will accelerate by it's
maximum, and cannot attack enemy ships or engage enemy fighters.
Fighters Turning Fighters turn by quarters, not halves as other ships. They
can use all their movement, up to 12, to turn. The movement is divided into
quarters, any fractions are allocated to the first then 3rd then second then
fourth quarter. This is detailed below:
Turn Start 1/4 1/2 3/4
1 - - 1 -
2 1 - 1 -
3 1 1 1 -
4 1 1 1 1
5 2 1 1 1
6 2 1 2 1
7 2 2 2 1
8 2 2 2 2
9 3 2 2 2
10 3 2 3 2 11 3 3 3 2 12 3 3 3 3
If the turn is less than 4, then * If 1, the fighters turn at the halfway
point of the turn * If 2, they turn as any other ship
* If 3, the fighter group turns 1 at the start, 1 at 1/4 way, and
1 at 1/2
way.
Turn Sequence This sequence replaces that in FT. 1) Plot movements, including
fighter launches and jump point openings 2) Announce the intention to open a
jump point 3) Determine initiative 4) Launch and move EM's 5) Move ships,
launching fighters at halfway point 6) Determine if any fighters pass within
6" of each other, and if any dogfights are to occur. 7) Detonate EM's, if
desired, and resolve damage. 8) Allocate PDAF and Beams 9) Shadows ships
decloack 10) Fire ships in initiative order 11) Dogfights i) Allocate fighter
groups ii) Roll for stealth iii) Roll for dogfighting iv) FIre in order of DF
score, highest to lowest v) Morale checks vi) Break off moves, if any 12)
Recover fighter groups 13) Damage control 14) Jump points i) Remove any jump
points that have collapsed, either because their jump engine was damaged, or
has been collapsed by the Shadows. Any ships on them are destroyed. ii) Ships
that have crossed jump points and announced a jump enter hyperspace and are
removed from board. iii) Remove any jump points whose opening ship has entered
hyperspace. iv) Place new jump points 15) Shadows ships cloak
Determining Initiative Determined as for the standard rules. Fighter groups
don't count as ships. Any Shadow ships that decloacked that turn automatically
have the initiative. In the case of a tie, the side with the highest tech
level has the initiative, otherwise, a die roll is used.
Mission Level For ramming and morale purposes, each side is assigned a mission
level, this will be based on the scenario, the three levels are:
Routine - a normal patrol, a probe or scouting mission etc, any mission
where
heavy casualties are unacceptable. +0
Important - an attack on an enemy supply base etc, any mission where
heavy
casualties are acceptable. +1
Vital - a raid on a base to destroy a new enemy super weapon, a last
ditch defence of the home world, etc any mission where success is paramount,
and
casualties are irrelevant as long as the mission succeeds. +2
Ramming To ram, a ship must make a roll based on the next threshold level,
modified as follows:
Mission routine +0
Mission Important +1
Mission vital +2
Narn +1
Drahhzi +1
Hated enemy +1
If they pass, they may attempt a ram, using the normal FT rules.Fighter groups
may also ram, dicing as normal, their threshold dice level is 6. If they fail
the test they cannot also attack that turn. Fighter rams cannot be dodged. The
whole group must ram, and each fighter left counts rolls a D6 for how much
damage it does, as per the FT rules.
Grappling All ships have the ability to grapple, either by mechanical or
magnetic means. A grappled ship may them be towed. A ship to be grappled must
have no space drives operating. To grapple a ship the grappling ship: * if
using mechanical must move to within 1" and exactly match velocity * if using
magnetic beams move to within 3" and the course be no more than 1 point
different, and the speed no more than 2 different. The grappled and grappling
ships then move at the speed of the grappling ship, modified by the mass ratio
of grappled to grappling ship, as follows:
If target ships's mass < grappling ship's mass Speed
If target ships's mass up to x2 > grappling ship's mass Speed/2
If target ships's mass up to x4 > grappling ship's mass Speed/4
If target ships's mass up to x8 > grappling ship's mass Speed/8
Round any fractions. If the result is 0, the target ship cannot be towed, and
in any case, If the target ship's mass is greater than x8, it cannot be towed.
Several ships may combine to tow a ship, in such a case their total mass is
used, and the speed of the largest of them. If two or more are the same size,
the fasted speed is used. An individual fighter has a mass of 1/2 for
these calculations, thus a complete group has a mass of 3.
Boarding As per MT rules. If the ship does not have assault pods, it must
exactly match velocity and be within 1".
Ship Design The following weapon systems may be used: Beams, Blasters,
Submunition Packs, Minelayers, PDAF systems, Cloaks, Fighter Groups,
Minesweepers, Extra Damage Control, Extra Firecons, Reactors, Armour. Ships
are designed as per the FT rules, taking into account tech level limits and
weapons. Their damage points are as per tech level. The cost is determined
holistically and subjectively, and is based on a general assessment of their
worth.
New Components
Reactor Escorts and Cruisers have one, Capital ships two. The first one lost
means the ship has less power, and can either only use half it's speed, or
half it's weapons. All the ship's PDAFs count as one weapon for this
calculation. This will continue until the reactor is repaired. If the last
reactor is destroyed, containment starts to fail. Unless a successful damage
control roll is made at the end of the turn, containment will fail and the
ship explodes!
Ships by Power
This section discusses the cultural characteristics of each major power, and
their concomitant ship design philosophy and fighting methods, and actual ship
designs.
Notation Damage (n x m) means m rows each of n boxes Damage (a b c d) means 4
rows with a,b,c and d boxes respectively. Fire Arcs C Center RC Right and
Center LC Left and Center RCL Right, Center and Left A Aft (ie Rear)
Narn Regime
The Narn seem to favour heavily protected ships, emphasising survivability and
good firepower at all ranges, likewise, their fighters seem well protected.
Their battle tactics, as far as we have seen them, emphasise destroying the
enemy at long range, if possible, and massing fire against enemy ships one at
a time, to overwhelm them. Against the Centauri they often close the range, to
use their short range firepower to good effect.
Name: Narn Dreadnought Owner: Narn Regime Class: Capital
Mass: 60 Mass for Fitting: 30 Damage points: 20 (5 x
4)
Component Mass
FTL -
Drive (4) -
A beams x2 6 2 x C Axially mounted B(2) batteries x 2 4 1 x RC 1 x LC C
batteries x 6 6 6 x RCL Missiles x 4 8 PDAF x 6 6
Stealth: 1D6 Damage Control teams: 3 Axially mounted Beams can't be used as
PDAF, and have a fire arc of 60
degrees. that is 9-11 to the front, and 5-3 to the rear.
Name: Narn Heavy Cruiser Owner: Narn Regime Class: Cruiser
Mass: 32 Mass for Fitting: 16 Damage points: 11 (4 3
3)
Component Mass
FTL -
Drive (4) -
B batteries x 2 4 1 x LC 1 x RC B batteries x 2 4 2 x RCL C batteries x 4 4 4
x RCL PDAF x 4 4
Stealth Level: 1D6 Damage Control teams: 2
Centauri Republic
The Centauri fighting style is flamboyant, and involves considerable risk
taking, their tactical doctrine seems to be to strike first, with heavy
firepower, to neutralise the enemy before they can effectively reply. Their
fighter tactics involve pilots risking blacking out to get the first shot, and
most of their firepower seems to be concentrated in the forward arc, with some
weapons being very heavy, and, in line with their doctrine, their defences
seem to be rather weak, but they have good manoeuvrability.
Name: Valerius Battle Cruiser Owner: Centauri Republic Class: Capital
Mass: 48 Mass for Fitting: 24 Damage points: 16 (4x4)
Component Mass
FTL -
Drive (5) -
A(2) batteries x 4 12 2 x LC 2 x RC C(3) batteries x 6 6 3 x LC 3 x RC PDAF x
5 5
Stealth Level: 1D + 2
Damage Control teams: 2
Name: Dagger Destroyer Owner: Centauri Republic Class: Cruiser
Mass: 26 Mass for Fitting: 13 Damage points: 9 (3x3)
Component Mass
FTL -
Drive (7) -
B batteries x 3 9 LC C RC PDAF x 4 4
Stealth Level: 1D+2
Damage Control teams: 1
Name: Blockade Mine Owner: Centauri Republic Class: Mine
Mass: 2 Mass for Fitting: 2 Damage points: 1 (1 x
1)
Component Mass B batteries x 1 2
Blockade mines will shoot any hostile ships that come in range. If several
come in range they will randomly shoot one of them.
Earth Alliance
The Earth Alliance ships seen so far give the impression of being basic but
solid, with good defences, some weapons with wide fire arcs, and heavy forward
firing armament. They also have integral fighter squadrons. By all accounts
the EA fighters are well regarded, being both fast and heavily armed. The
tactical doctrine of the EA, to the extent it has been seen, relies on a lot
of manoeuvre, and long range engagement of the enemy combined with a fighter
attack to divide their defences.
Name: Hyperion Class Heavy Cruiser Owner: Earth Alliance Class: Cruiser
These obscelescent ships are mainly used for interior patrols and garrison
work.
Mass: 30 Mass for Fitting: 15 Damage points: 10 (4 3 3)
Component Mass
Drive (4) -
Fighters x 1 6 B batteries x 1 2 C C batteries x 4 4 4 x RCL PDAF x 3 3
Stealth Level: 1D6 Damage Control teams: 3
Name: Omega Class Destroyer Owner: Earth Alliance Class: Capital
These ships are EA's strongest, and are fast, robust and heavily armed.
Mass: 60 Mass for Fitting: 30 Damage points: 20(5x4)
Component Mass
Drive (5) -
FTL
Fighters x 2 12 PDAF x 6 6 A Beams x4 12 2 x C 2 x A
Stealth Level: 1D6 Damage Control teams: 5 Has Assault pods
The Beams are axially mounted, two fire forward and two fire to the aft, each
firing respective through the forward and aft sectors ei 11-1 and 5-3.
Name: Babylon 5 - as commissioned in 2258 AD
Owner: Earth Alliance Mass: 600 Mass for Fitting: 60 Damage points: 64 (8x8)
Component Mass C batteries x 8 8 Special: see below PDAF x 5 5 Fighters x 3 18
Stealth Level: 1D6 Damage Control teams: 6
Note that weapons with a fire arc of 2 can shoot in the 180#161# to one side
of the station or the other, half on each side. B5 has been treated as a large
immobile merchant ship, as most of it is given over to civilian use. For
boarding purposes it is treated as a warship. B5 has 4 firecons.
Name: Babylon 5 - after refit in 2259 AD
Owner: Earth Alliance
Mass: 600 Mass for Fitting: 60 Damage points: 64 (8x8)
Component Mass C batteries x 8 8 Special: see below A batteries x 4 12
Special: see below PDAF x 7 7 Fighters x 5 30
Stealth Level: 1D6 Damage Control teams: 6
Note that weapons with a fire arc of 2 can shoot in the 180#161# to one side
of the station or the other. For boarding purposes it is treated as a warship.
B5 has 4 firecons.
Mimbari Federation
The Mimbari are so superior to the EA they didn't lose a single cruiser in
open battle against them, their ships seem very manoeuvrable, are well
protected, and have stupendous firepower, mainly forward. They also have
stealth technology, and all in all are superior warships! Their tactical
doctrine is obscure, but seems to involve fighters supporting their capital
ships defensively.
Name: Mimbari War Cruiser Owner: Mimbari Federation Class: Capital
Mass: 48 Mass for Fitting: 36 Damage points: 24
Component Mass
Armour Lvl 1 -
FTL -
Drive (6) -
A beam x3 9 LC C RC C beam x 6 6 LC x 3 RC x 3 Extra Fire Con x1 3 Fighters x
2 12
Stealth Level: 2D6 Damage Control teams: 6
Name: "White Star" Owner: Mimbari Federation Religious castes Class: Escort
Mass: 12 Mass for Fitting: 9 Damage points: 9 (5 4)
Component Mass
Armour-3
FTL -
Drive (8) -
B multimodalx3 6 3 x C Fire Con 3
Stealth Level 2D6+2
Damage Control Teams: 3
Shadows
The shadows favour a surprise attack in overwhelming force, this is
facilitated by their ability to drop out of hyperspace without need for a jump
point; their staggeringly powerful beam weapon, and their great resistance to
hostile fire. The best way to handle their defensive ability is to allow them
to have armour. Shadow ships can also secrete fighter pods, which burst open
and release a swarm of fighters. Their ships are living creatures of some
kind, as are their fighters, and both are very scuttley.
Name: Dark Destroyer Owner: The Shadows Class: Capital
Mass: 60 Mass for Fitting: 45 Damage points: 32 (8 x
4)
Component Mass
Armour-2
FTL -
Drive (8) -
A beam x7 21 7 x C (must shoot at same target if a ship, but can shoot at
fighters separately) Cloak 6 Fighters x 3 18
Damage Control Teams: 0
They can launch all their fighters at once, and can collapse any jump gate
within 24". When they must make a threshold roll, on a roll of a 6 they pass
out, and cannot fire or change course. Each subsequent turn in the damage
control phase a die roll is made, on a 6 it wakes up, sorely vexed!
Vorlons Vorlon ships are also creatures, and seem similar to the Shadow ships
in most respects, although sleeker and with a more appealing mien.
Name: Radiant Effulgence Owner: Vorlons Class: Capital
Mass: 80 Mass for Fitting: 60 Damage points: 40 (4 x 10)
Component Mass
Armour-4
FTL -
Drive (4) -
A beam x12 36 12 X C (must shoot at same target if a ship, but can shoot at
fighters separately) Fighters x 4 24
Can detect and fire on cloaked ships. They can launch all their fighters at
once. When they must make a threshold roll, on a roll of a 6 they pass out,
and cannot fire or change course. Each subsequent turn in the damage control
phase a die roll is made, on a 6 it wakes up, sorely vexed!
Name: Numisminous Owner: Vorlons Class: Cruiser
Mass: 36 Mass for Fitting: 27 Damage points: 18 (5 5 4 4)
Component Mass
Armour-3
FTL -
Drive (4) -
A beamx8 24 8 x C (must shoot at same target if a ship, but can shot at
fighters separately) Can detect and fire on cloaked ships. They can launch all
their fighters at once. When they must make a threshold roll, on a roll of a 6
they pass out, and cannot fire or change course. Each subsequent turn in the
damage control phase a die roll is made, on a 6 it wakes up, sorely vexed!
Raiders
Being space pirates, they favour hit and run tactics, and place a premium on
speed, although the EA Starfuries are faster than the Raiders' fighters, which
however are streamlined and can fly through atmospheres. Until they acquired a
carrier, they operated from bases hidden in nebula or asteroid belts, once
they acquired the carrier they ranged further afield.
Name: Raider Carrier Owner: Raiders Class: Carrier(Light)
Mass: 48 Mass for Fitting: 24 Damage points: 16 (4 x
4)
Component Mass
FTL -
Drive (4) -
PDAF x 2 2 Fighters x 3 18 Cargo Bay 4
Damage Control teams: 2 The large cargo bay can hold small ships, and,
presumably, is used to recover fighters. It can launch all its fighters at
once.
Name: Large Freighter Owner: EA Class: Merchant
Mass: 60 Mass for Fitting: - Damage points: 15
(3-4-4-4)
Component Mass
Drive (2) -
PDAF x 3 3
Damage Control teams: 1
Name: Medium Freighter Owner: EA Class: Merchant
Mass: 40 Mass for Fitting: - Damage points: 10
(3-3-4)
Component Mass
Drive (2) -
PDAF x 2 2
Damage Control teams: 1
Name: Small Freighter Owner: EA Class: Merchant
Mass: 20 Mass for Fitting: - Damage points: 5 (2x3)
Component Mass
Drive (4) -
PDAF x 1 1
Damage Control teams: 1
Ship Costs These costs reflect relative weightings, and are not based on any
formula, but rather, play test experience. EA Omega 25 (35 with starfuries) EA
hyperion 8 (13 with starfuries) CR Valerius 20 CR Destroyer 10 Narn
Dreadnought 20 Narn heavy Cruiser 10 EA Starfury Squadron 5 Mimbari war
cruiser lots Mimbari fighter squadron 20 Raider carrier 4(16 with fighters)
Raider fighters 3 Shadow Think of a very large large number Vorlon cruiser
Think of a large number Vorlon battleship Think of a stupendously huge number
Ship Component Symbols Battery As per FT beams Beam A circle around a letter
with a pair of strokes for each arc. Multimodal Two concentric circles around
a letter with a pair of
strokes \
for each arc. Reactor A triangle.
Designers Notes I produced a set of B5 adaptations some time ago, however,
since then I have seen much more of B5, have had much more play testing, and
have rethought almost everything; not surprisingly the final result bears
almost no resemblance to my original adaptations. My philosophy in designing
these B5 adaptations was fourfold; the game had to "feel" right, it had to be
true to what we know of the B5 universe, it had to be as simple as possible,
and it had to be tactically challenging. The need to make the rules tactically
challenging and simplicity go together, the more complex a rule set becomes
the more knowledge of the rules themselves becomes a factor in the outcome,
rather than the tactics which should flow from a knowledge of the rules, I
also wanted to make each powers' ships reflect a different design philosophy
and approach to tactics, while remaining
true to the series. The Centauri seem to favour aggressive tactics
which rely on manoeuvre and heavy firepower, while perhaps being light on
defence, this seems to reflect the sometimes flamboyant, reckless Centauri
character. The Narn, on the other hand, seemed to favour solid, robust ships
armed with longer range weapons, and perhaps reflecting their philosophy of
wearing down the enemy, and so on. The advantage of this approach is that each
player will be confronted with a different set of tactical possibilities, but
that each player should nonetheless have an equal chance of victory, it was
this aspect that made the original Starfleet Battles so enjoyable and what was
latter ruined by a plethora of supplements that introduced convergent
technologies and excessive complexity. The "feel" of a set of rules is
obviously subjective, but I take an Impressionistic approach to such matters,
of the vast array of factors that contribute to the outcome of a battle, the
designer picks some and reflects them in a set of rules which conveys the feel
of the period, rather than trying to accurately simulate the minutia, which I
believe is impossible in any case. As a result I found I had to rewrite large
chunks of FT, or at the very least radically extend it, as early attempts to
simulate B5 using the rules as they are just didn't feel right. Now to the
specific reasons as to why I did various things. The tech level concept was
taken from discussions on the GZG Mailing Group some time ago, and the
division into tech levels is very useful for allowing weapons of the same
notional type to do more damage, as a basis for improve drives, and may other
things. Each tech level represents a quantum jump of technology over the
previous level, such that a ship of that tech level could easily defeat one of
a lower tech level. As for weaponry, there are two kinds of main weapons seen
in B5, the first being a sub light weapon of various sizes and ROF's, which
fire discrete bolts of particles. These can be intercepted by similar weapons,
so allowing PDAF's to act as screens seemed very natural, and in practice
works well. There is also a second type of weapon seen, an energetic laser
type weapon, there seem to be no defence against such a weapon, so I invented
a new weapon type "beams", as the simplest solution rather than trying to
shoehorn an existing weapon into that role, all attempts at which proved to be
awkward and unconvincing. The result, again, works well, and has added
advantage of allowing the weapon to be used in other roles, for example, the
Mimbari Beams have been seen used as a general attack, a needle beam, and a
PDAF, so the rules reflect this. Another change made was dropping the damage
points of each ship, this again allowed tech levels to be reflected by
changing the ratios of mass to damage points, and also to reflect the brittle
nature of B5 ships. Early attempts used standard masses, but the ships seemed
to last too long, the lowered damage points gives the right feel. An outgrowth
of the need to accurately "simulate" the damage was the creation of a new
component, the Reactor. Damage to the reactor can cause loss of power at a
critical moment, and if the final reactor is hit, the ship will explode if the
damage control roll is not made, this allows a lucky shot to kill a ship, and
is something of an equaliser. More intangibly, It also creates a fine dramatic
tension throughout the turn, climaxing as the damage control dice are cupped
and rolled! The special rules for the Vorlon and Shadow ships neatly recreates
the nature of organic ships, in that they seem holistic, so don't actually
have specific systems, on the other hand, if a bit is shot off, they may faint
from the pain, but otherwise not be damaged, so when they awake they will be
both sore and sorely vexed! The biggest single change was how fighters were
handled. It became clear early on the standard B5 fighter rules were
inadequate for modelling them in the B5 universe. In B5, fighters have multi
hour endurances, high speeds and are effectively used as small fast attack
craft, more analogous to naval torpedo boats than aircraft. The decision to
therefore treat them as special small ships brought many benefits; they could
keep up and indeed run down any other ships, there was no need to worry about
keeping track of endurance etc etc. Having to write orders for each squadron
IS extra work, but I think the benefits far outweigh the extra record keeping.
Rating each fighter in all the separate categories, rather than having the
generic fighter types, allowed each type of fighter to be individualised, and
brought out the essential differences between the powers, this system is also
flexible, if needed new types can be added in. All in all, fighters are now
much more challenging to use, but much more useful, indeed, It is possible to
have an enjoyable game just with fighters! The decision to use stealth levels
grew from earlier attempts at simulating it by using screens etc. This didn't
seem right, as a screened ship can still be damaged, just less likely, then
there was the problem of how to fit in the Beams v screens. There don't seem
to be screens in the B5 universe, and using screens to simulate stealth proved
contrived and unsatisfactory. I adopted the system of contested rolls as the
most natural way to handle stealth, and it works on table. EA forces can't
damage Mimbari cruisers because they can't target them (they only have a 9% of
winning the stealth roll), and the Mimbari weaponry is so good it will quickly
demolish an EA ship. The bonuses for in close were a balancing mechanism, as
play experience showed that it was impossible for EA ships to beat Mimbari (as
it should be), allowing close range bonuses gave the EA player some hope if
they manoeuvred well enough, and it could also be rationalised that the closer
you get to a stealthed object the less effective it would be (indeed, anything
can be rationalised with practice). Finally, I decided to abandon the official
points system. Any additive type points system is difficult to balance, and
with disparate technology levels it is impossible. I have therefore adopted a
relativistic approach, a single overall value is assigned each ship, compared
to all the others. This approach is subjective, yet I think works better than
any other system
.
Obviously it only works for a closed universe, that is, with fixed ship
models, but that is what is being simulated so this causes no problem. I would
finally like to thank the Tuesday Night playtesters, we achieved a lot and
severely enjoyed ourselves as well. I hope you enjoy using these adaptations
as much as we do, and get many hours of gaming pleasure from them!
Peace and Love